Wayne Allen Sallee

I am a big fan of JF Gonzalez, and I'll be honest that his novella at the end of this book is the only reason that I bought it. With that said, there are some very good short stories by the other authors in this book.

Victor Heck starts the book out with some magical stories. The characters are varied and extremely real. While I enjoyed all of the stories, "Birthday Box" was particularly disturbing.

Gord Rollo also presented some very good short stories. I really liked that his setting and time periods were all different. He took back in time, and to far away lands.

As for Wayne Allen Sallee contributions, I have to say that I wasn't thrill. I found his diction and syntax to be awkward, and I had a hard time getting into any of his stories.

Now, on to the true reason for me reading this book - JF Gonzalez. Holy crap. His novella, In Step, was remarkable. In my opinion, that one story is worth the $15 cover price. Once I started it, I couldn't stop reading and ignored everything around me, and when I finished, I was blown away. I don't want to give the story away, but Gonzalez has a way of making you feel for characters who you would despise if you met them in real life. He gets you into their heads and make you understand a depraved world that you would never step into. He's awesome.

Another feature of this book that, as a writer, I like are the story notes that are at the end of each story. Its just a little something extra that gets helps the reader understand the author's writing process.… (more)