Reviews

Shallow Waters, Vol. 1 by Joe Mynhardt

bravesirtoaster's review

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

silenttwg's review

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adventurous dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

A collection of dark and twisted flash fiction stories, there is something in here for everyone.

I love anthologies cause they're quick and easy reads and let you sneak a peek into multiple authors' minds, and check out what shadows lay within. This was a great collection with some stories that really snagged my attention and made me wish they were longer, and others that didn't really hold me, but that's the fun of collections of stories. You never know what will speak to each individual.

I loved this collection and though I read it on Kindle, intend on buying the physical version. If you too enjoy short story collections, I would recommend this.

paulataua's review

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3.0

Fascinated by the whole flash fiction idea and just had to get on board. ‘Shallow Waters Vol One’ is far from perfect, a variable collection, but one with a few really good reads, and all of the stories just a couple of minutes reading time. My favorites were ‘Tunnels’ by Tom Over and ‘Closure on a Bed of Nails by Chad Lutzke.

cyanide_latte's review

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dark emotional tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I've never read a microfiction anthology before, but it was a very cool and unique experience to begin with this anthology. Trying to find new (or new-to-me) horror fiction by indie authors can sometimes be a game of catch-22, and when I saw this listed among Kindle books, the cover art and title caught my eye immediately.

I had no idea what to expect going into this and now, having finished it, I feel that's the way it should be. This anthology should surprise you wholly, let you go in with an open mind for each entry in it. The microfiction style was different and made for a fast read, and I think it showcases a lot of the authors' unique styles and skills when challenged to write based on a certain prompt and within a certain length limit. While not all of the stories in here were for me, there were so many that were slightly chilling and dark, and I think it's worth checking out. I kind of wish there was a physical copy of the book I could buy and put on my bookshelves, it's a great addition to any personal library, especially if you love horror!

unwrappingwords's review

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5.0

Shallow Waters, the first volume of flash fiction from Crystal Lake Publishing, showcases stories from a competition run by the publisher. The submitted stories are voted on by readers and published on their Patreon page. It’s a fantastic idea, and results in new voices being features alongside more established ones. At the start of each story is a mini-biography for the authors, and what’s striking here really is the mix.

Many have had short stories published in other markets, or released their own collections. Some have written and published novels, while for others this marks their first publication. Yet no matter the writer’s background, these are all strong quality pieces of flash fiction.

A few, however, do carry the same issue that plagues a lot of flash fiction. Big ideas crammed into small spaces. In some, this results in the sense of wanting more, the desire to see a particular story stretched out into something longer. In others, it results in slight confusion, the difficultly being there isn’t a full story contained in the parameters set out.

This doesn’t really devalue the overall quality of the fiction, however. Each story is different, tackling a variety of themes and with a large number of varied protagonists and point of views. There are some nice twists contained, excellent dark imagery, and really spine-chilling tales to sink your teeth into.

A number of stories really stood out, but I won’t go into them here – there’s the risk, after all, of spoiling something truly wonderful. Plus, this is one of those collections where every reader is likely to have a different favourite, and it’s worth going in not knowing anything about them. It feels like a unique anthology, exploring a wide range of topics and ideas.

If you haven’t yet checked out this series, I highly recommend doing so.

wpsmith17's review

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4.0

This was a lot of fun. Like a tapas bar of horror that give you a taste of a variety of unique authors. I definitely will check out the next entries in the series.

dan_onthepage's review

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5.0

It was a busy Christmas period. I'd just finished reading a large novel, and I needed something quick and easy to keep me going through the limited time between visiting family and friends.

I picked up Shallow Waters Vol 1 from the kindle store (It's on Kindle Unlimited by the way, so take advantage of that while you can!) and it was just what the doctor ordered. I loved a lot of these tales, and I've picked up some novels from the authors found inside this book.

This was my first experience with flash fiction. I think this could be a part of my life now. Onto the next anthology!

Keep doing what you're doing, Crystal Lake Publishing!

nicktionary19's review

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3.0

I found this as a free download and picked away at it for a couple weeks. This is a soft 3 star anthology.
For a collection of flash fiction, these stories all felt strangely bloated - meandering to contrived, twisty/clever points. There are a couple dozen tales in this anthology. None stood out. All of them recede into a wash of forced atmosphere and climaxes that just don’t hit. It is especially frustrating that virtually every story spends the bulk of its text piling up mood just to pull some floppy, predictable punchline of a shocker in the final paragraph. Worse still, there are a few authors I’m familiar with and admire represented in the TOC. Their contributions almost seem like afterthoughts, dashed off in a sitting to lend some gravitas.
TLDR; nothing terrible, nothing great,

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