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rachel_jozie's review
4.0
1. This collection is 15 stories + 1 poem, all based around the Grim Reaper. I typically find that I enjoy about 60-ish% of an anthology. I don’t usually hate any of the work, but there are just stories that fall flat for me, or don’t resonate with me. In this anthology, 75% of the entries hit home for me. Maybe the higher enjoyment rate was due to the subject matter, or maybe the selection board just knew what they were doing, but this anthology was FIRE.
2. Reading all the different takes on the Reaper made me emotional. Perhaps it’s because death is such a touchy and taboo subject in the United States, even though it’s something we all face in multiple capacities – friends, loved ones, eventually ourselves. I realize that thinking about dying isn’t always comfortable, but I found reading different versions of how it could happen and how death itself plays a part in someone’s life was super comforting for me. I won’t say I didn’t get choked up a time or two while reading, but emotion isn’t something to shy away from; it’s how you know you’re still living, LOL.
3. It was hard to determine my absolute favorites, but here are a few that really stood out to me:
- Death of Creativity by M Ennenbach – as Mike is wont to do, he paired humor with emotion and some pop culture (old pop culture perhaps) icons to bring an incredibly deep and entertaining story. Do you ever wonder how your favorite murder mystery novels come to be? Now you will…
- The Last Transaction by Barend Nieuwstraten III – this is an author whose work I’m only familiar with via CPP anthologies, and his stories are always one of my favorites of the antho. Barend’s work is full of beautiful prose; he has a lyrical way of explaining the most mundane things. Ie: “If dust and prehistoric rock had a voice, it would be the one he heard answer him, carrying the weight of everything that had ever been or would be.” Gorgeous, right? Have you ever wondered how the Reaper came to be? This story may just answer it right at the very end; which was one of the times my eyes got a little wet.
- Short Timer by Stephanie Scissom – this is the other story that caused my eyes to leak. It’s as if we got a special horror episode of Law & Order– similar to how the Simpsons do their Treehouse of Horror. That. It’s Law & Order: Grim Reaper edition. We’ve all lost loved ones; who would you choose to escort you to the other side?
4. Whether you’re afraid of your time or not, I recommend reading up on the different takes on the Grim Reaper and having fun playing around with your favorite versions and scenarios in your mind…one day you’ll have your answer for sure 😉
2. Reading all the different takes on the Reaper made me emotional. Perhaps it’s because death is such a touchy and taboo subject in the United States, even though it’s something we all face in multiple capacities – friends, loved ones, eventually ourselves. I realize that thinking about dying isn’t always comfortable, but I found reading different versions of how it could happen and how death itself plays a part in someone’s life was super comforting for me. I won’t say I didn’t get choked up a time or two while reading, but emotion isn’t something to shy away from; it’s how you know you’re still living, LOL.
3. It was hard to determine my absolute favorites, but here are a few that really stood out to me:
- Death of Creativity by M Ennenbach – as Mike is wont to do, he paired humor with emotion and some pop culture (old pop culture perhaps) icons to bring an incredibly deep and entertaining story. Do you ever wonder how your favorite murder mystery novels come to be? Now you will…
- The Last Transaction by Barend Nieuwstraten III – this is an author whose work I’m only familiar with via CPP anthologies, and his stories are always one of my favorites of the antho. Barend’s work is full of beautiful prose; he has a lyrical way of explaining the most mundane things. Ie: “If dust and prehistoric rock had a voice, it would be the one he heard answer him, carrying the weight of everything that had ever been or would be.” Gorgeous, right? Have you ever wondered how the Reaper came to be? This story may just answer it right at the very end; which was one of the times my eyes got a little wet.
- Short Timer by Stephanie Scissom – this is the other story that caused my eyes to leak. It’s as if we got a special horror episode of Law & Order– similar to how the Simpsons do their Treehouse of Horror. That. It’s Law & Order: Grim Reaper edition. We’ve all lost loved ones; who would you choose to escort you to the other side?
4. Whether you’re afraid of your time or not, I recommend reading up on the different takes on the Grim Reaper and having fun playing around with your favorite versions and scenarios in your mind…one day you’ll have your answer for sure 😉
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