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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Edging Past Reality by David Fingerman, May 23, 2010
This review is from: Edging Past Reality - a collection of short stories (Paperback)
Have you ever watched The Twilight Zone or Night Gallery. If so, you'd be the type who would probably enjoy David Fingerman's Edging Past Reality. This books is a collection of short stories. It's divided into four sections. There is Too Young to know better, Old Enough to know better, Is this a mid life Crisis, and Senior Moments. Each section of stories deals with people in that specific category.
Some of my personal favorites were:
Marty's Toy - A boy's toy seems to have a mind of it's own.
Grandpa's Watch - A pocket watch has a curious connection to a young boy and his grandfather.
The Scream Box - Ever wanted to go in a room and scream, this presents customers at a bar with that opportunity, but will they get the relief they want.
Anybody got a Smoke - A man dies and goes to Heaven where he's given everything he wants.
Edging Past Reality - A Man's Life seems to be changing beyond his control. Sometimes with good, sometimes bad consequences.
The Blue Light - A man checks into a secluded motel late one night.
The Perfect Jury - A tale of jury duty, talk about your nightmares.
The Last Patch of Wilderness - A cautionary tale about damaging the environment.
The Verdict's In - For this story, think American Idol meets Judge Judy.
With each story, there were twists and turns I never expected. Mr. Fingerman sets you up to think the story is going one way, then throws a curve ball at you. While I had my favorites, I have to say I really enjoyed all the stories. Each had a different feel to it, and as a collection, it was very good.
If you like Suspense, Horror, or stories with strange twists, then definitely pick up this book. I think you'd enjoy it. Most of the stories were 3-10 pages long, which made it a good book for reading right before bedtime. Some stories have stronger language or situations, so I'd recommend it only for older teens (17+) or adults.
*Disclaimer* A special thanks goes out to Brandi at BK Walker Book Services and David for a review copy of this book.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazingly creative, December 2, 2008
This review is from: Edging Past Reality - a collection of short stories (Paperback)
Story after story begins with normal, likeable characters doing normal, every day things in this amazingly creative book of short stories, and ends with shocking - nearly always horrifiying - surprises. For sci-fi lovers, and even those new to the genre, this book will be a treat. Well-written and creative, it's a great holiday gift for those who like to read about the unthinkable.
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
READ FICTION FOR WHAT'S SAID OR HOW IT'S SAID?, June 22, 2011
This review is from: Edging Past Reality - a collection of short stories (Paperback)
I bought EPR because of its many (15 out of 18) five-star reviews. And was stunned enough to 'e in to Amazon with my suspicion that alot of the writer's friends and/or classmates were hyping this, to me, at very best a three-star bag of short stories.
Many of Fingerman's concepts were interesting, and a few unique. How they were presented though really disappointed me. Expository to the point of drumming, often naive and eventually tedious writing sucked the life out of his initially not-bad ideas. Similes were often contrived or strained. Descriptions were often bland and bloated, deflating any excitement. And often his tangential, extraneous descriptions ran on and on and ...
I hope the author, a 20-year veteran of the Hennepin County Court system reads short story masters like Colette, Saki,
De Maupassant, Poe, et al to enliven his basically good ideas; as terror is seemingly his genre, to pull his work into far-more concise presentations would enliven, inject drama and tension into his work. (Yes, this is presumptuous, but I think Fingerman can be a much better writer)
Any dedicated reader can also benefit from reading the critical writings of John Gardner, like WRITERS ON WRITING, THE ART OF FICTION On Becoming a Novelist and many more of this pull-no-punches author, critic, scholar The Art of Fiction: Notes on Craft for Young Writers . Okay, I might as well add Reading Like a Writer: A Guide for People Who Love Books and for Those Who Want to Write Them (P.S.) - (Sorry if I went pedantic here; but books are a big part of m'life) Readers can also benefit from his analysis of what makes good and bad writing. I expect Fingerman has read many, if not all of these recco's. Oh, if he wants to keep within the horror genre, then Stephen King's ON WRITING On Writing: 10th Anniversary Edition: A Memoir of the Craft There I go, pendantically, again. Enough!
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