This is a selection of short stories by Alan Baxter- an author that my regular readers will know I hold in high regard.
These stories are every bit as good as anything else I've read by him.
The best story for me is Click- a first person narrative from a competitive game of Russian Roulette, gradually whittling down from 6 competitors to one. The tension he creates in this story is off the scales.
Changes is a story that pulls out a whole different set of feelings. Told in short, almost impersonal, paragraphs each leaping forward in time, a boy undergoing an unusual change during his formative years, is subjected to cruelty and bullying. It's a desperately sad tale. In a few short pages, this generated more genuine emotion than a lot of novels I could point you at.
Two Crows was a fun fantasy/crime crossover. Alan manages this genre crossover exceptionally well every time he uses it.
Old High Hills, the closing story, is a nightmarish tale of two people stuck on a mountainside when an unexpected blizzard rolls in, and then stays. Something is out there, and it's hungry. This is probably the most scary story in the book for me.
Those were the highlight although all the stories are good. There's not a dud in this collection. I'd say to go out and buy it and see for yourself, but that could be difficult. You'll just have to take my word for it.
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