Storyworks Monthly #2


Fiction - Short Story/Novela
133 Pages
Reviewed on 12/28/2016
Buy on Amazon

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    Book Review

Reviewed by Lit Amri for Readers' Favorite

Storyworks Monthly #2 by Stephen J. Carter is a diverse collection with four short stories, a novella, a second installment of a sci-fi novel and a writing skills book. It starts with Memories of War, the story of John Moss’s arrival in Canada, while still struggling with the memory of being part of a Vickers machine gun crew in the Great War. As stated by Carter, John Moss “is a labor of love”, inspired by his own grandfather who was part of a machine gun crew in World War I. It’s a timeless and relevant story, particularly for those who have their loved ones or themselves served their country in the army. In The Shard, a man returns to his hometown, only to find himself in an alternate place and time.

My favorite is The Obsequy, where the goddess Bastet seeks help from a young virgin acolyte named Oniret to free her husband Anubis from a mind illusion. Bastet has an attitude, perhaps a natural aspect from being a deity, but Oniret is witty enough to deal with a cat-goddess. Gudrun is another favorite of mine, where young Mike falls in love with a siren at an old, abandoned local lighthouse keeper’s house.

I found the endings for The Shard and another short story, The Forever Cloud, somewhat abrupt. On the other hand, they do serve as part of the intriguing aspects of the stories. I’m curious to find out how Gudrun would continue, even though Carter has made it clear what he thinks about this story. The collection ends with Inciting Incidents, an interesting read about the creative process in writing. Overall, Storyworks Monthly #2 is a solid, eclectic work from Carter.

Jimbo (Amazon reviewer)

This second installment is just as impressive and eclectic as the first. Once again, we have a very powerful, emotive story at the beginning which is more of a snapshot, a moment in time rather than plot centered. “Memories of War,” is one of my favorite tales of the whole collection. The setting, the winter Canadian rural landscape, a peaceful background set against the protagonist’s turbulent inner mental landscape works perfectly as he seeks to not to “let his life sour with fear (and) dread” and not “let the horrors abide and rule (his) life.” Although on the surface a far different short tale, this one reminded me somewhat of D. H. Lawrence’s “Epiphany.”

“The Forever Cloud,” is an extremely engaging tale, almost Twilight Zone in its premise, where the main character passes through a cloud of steam (from a wok in Thailand!!!) and finds himself inexplicably trapped inside.

Descent on Abuwesi, which is the second part of a serialized space opera novel once again thrills. The first installment set the bar so high though, it didn’t come across as exciting this time around. Trust me though, if you like this kind of speculative fiction as I do, you need to read this one. It’s remarkable to think the same author wrote “Memories of War.”

My favorite tale overall is probably the dark romance, “Gudrun,” where the main character is enchanted by a siren call from a lighthouse. I don’t know why, I’ve always been intrigued by tales featuring lighthouses, ever since I read Ray Bradbury’s “The Fog Horn.”
Once again, the last part of the collection focuses on writing techniques which are very instructive.

4 out of 5 stars for this talented writer’s impressive collection.

I received a free electronic copy of this work in exchange for an honest review.