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Flash Fiction Forward, by James Thomas and Robert Shapard
My rating: 6/10

This collection of vivid, minimalistic stories tells many creative ideas and theories. From a date with a neanderthal to a phone scamming operation to a mesmerist, these flash fiction pieces will have you hooked.

While it's true that flash fiction can sometimes be hard to engage with, and it's certainly not for everyone, I did enjoy this book.

If you're not looking to read the whole book straight through, some of the best stories are Sashimi Cashmere, Traditional Indian Style Garage, Fruit Series, Travelling Alone, Quill, and Three Soldiers. My all time favorite from Flash Fiction Forward is a tie between The Orange and The Death of the Short Story. They were both very creative and well written, as well as poignant and balanced.

However, not all the stories were as good as those ones, and I have to say that most of them seemed to end the same way: with depression about life, or death. The similarity in the ending made it seem boring and repetitive even when all the ideas themselves were unique and creative. Choosing a different selection or interspersing the grimmer ones among the book would have improved this.

I can say with confidence that The Orange and The Death of the Short Story have made it to my Short Story Top Five, but if you're looking for a book you can read right through, keep searching.

If your looking for flash fiction or short stories by a young local author, check out: https://coyote8nt.wixsite.com/writtenandread/book-reveiws



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