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zooloo1983's review
5.0
I am reviewing 3 of the awesome short stories in this anthology!
THE CHRISTMAS KILLER BY LOUISE JENSEN
Well, that escalated quickly! One minute I was reading a story about a frail old man called Bill fearing for his life due to someone going around killing old people …. next the story flips on its head. This story is so few pages but it had a wait what the f?! moment that left chills down my spine. What a short story and a half. I love that you are made to care and worry and be damn right terrified in so few a pages and it’s a sign of some amazing writing!!
THE VILLAGE HOTEL BY ALEX KANE
Wow, a rollercoaster and so blinking dark! I was holding my breath reading this so I had to speed read it. Sophie and her tale of woe makes me not want to go to a Christmas party ever again or break up with anyone! It was dark and sinister and just fab! Awesome! I really do not know why I have not read anything by Kane before – I need to change that after reading this delightful short story!
GIRL IN A RED SHIRT BY OWEN MULLEN
This story is a bit different from what I have read in this anthology. It’s the harsh realities of what use to happen under duress in the enemy field. It makes me wonder if this sort of thing still does happen, I think I rather live in denial. One quick action destroys everything. It’s a sad tale but a powerful one of judging one’s character before having all the facts. Something that haunts Bill and Goodpipe for 20 years. I found this story quite sad to be honest, how their actions shaped their lives. A split-second decision. One that should have taken more time, but they didn’t have the facts, there was panic, unrest and shock. Another author I have not read before but need to pick up and check out!!
THE CHRISTMAS KILLER BY LOUISE JENSEN
Well, that escalated quickly! One minute I was reading a story about a frail old man called Bill fearing for his life due to someone going around killing old people …. next the story flips on its head. This story is so few pages but it had a wait what the f?! moment that left chills down my spine. What a short story and a half. I love that you are made to care and worry and be damn right terrified in so few a pages and it’s a sign of some amazing writing!!
THE VILLAGE HOTEL BY ALEX KANE
Wow, a rollercoaster and so blinking dark! I was holding my breath reading this so I had to speed read it. Sophie and her tale of woe makes me not want to go to a Christmas party ever again or break up with anyone! It was dark and sinister and just fab! Awesome! I really do not know why I have not read anything by Kane before – I need to change that after reading this delightful short story!
GIRL IN A RED SHIRT BY OWEN MULLEN
This story is a bit different from what I have read in this anthology. It’s the harsh realities of what use to happen under duress in the enemy field. It makes me wonder if this sort of thing still does happen, I think I rather live in denial. One quick action destroys everything. It’s a sad tale but a powerful one of judging one’s character before having all the facts. Something that haunts Bill and Goodpipe for 20 years. I found this story quite sad to be honest, how their actions shaped their lives. A split-second decision. One that should have taken more time, but they didn’t have the facts, there was panic, unrest and shock. Another author I have not read before but need to pick up and check out!!
steph1rothwell's review
4.0
I don’t read many anthologies but when I read about this collection that is raising money for Help The Heroes I decided that it was one I would like to support. When I do read them, I read one a day. I find I appreciate them more that way, I imagine that they are difficult to write.
I started to read on Armistice Day, At the beginning was a wonderful poem by eleven year old Megan Steer and this was followed by a story that broke my heart and I reread it twice before I read the rest of the anthology. That story was Frederick Snellgrove, Private 23208 by Rob Ashman. A true reflection of what it must be like for many families, including my own, that have war stories to tell. It’s not the only war story, each one gave me something to consider, but it was the only one I reread.
All of the authors were new to me, even though I was aware of some of them. Many I would read again. All were different types of fiction, war, murder, romance, light hearted. Another stand out one for me was Pivotal Moments by Anna Osbourne. Totally different to Rob Ashman but just as touching.
This is an anthology I would read again. I’m sure there will be others that I will appreciate more at a different time. An excellent collection put together by Emma Mitchell.
I started to read on Armistice Day, At the beginning was a wonderful poem by eleven year old Megan Steer and this was followed by a story that broke my heart and I reread it twice before I read the rest of the anthology. That story was Frederick Snellgrove, Private 23208 by Rob Ashman. A true reflection of what it must be like for many families, including my own, that have war stories to tell. It’s not the only war story, each one gave me something to consider, but it was the only one I reread.
All of the authors were new to me, even though I was aware of some of them. Many I would read again. All were different types of fiction, war, murder, romance, light hearted. Another stand out one for me was Pivotal Moments by Anna Osbourne. Totally different to Rob Ashman but just as touching.
This is an anthology I would read again. I’m sure there will be others that I will appreciate more at a different time. An excellent collection put together by Emma Mitchell.
toofondofbooks's review
5.0
I don’t read a lot of short story collections because I tend to find the stories get blurred together in my mind but When Stars Will Shine is packed with such excellent stories that they’ve genuinely all remained distinct in my mind. There is such a variety in the type of stories and that made this such an exciting collection to read, there really is something for everyone in this book.
The collection opens with a beautiful and poignant poem by 11 year old Megan Steer which sets the bar really high and every single story lives up to it. There are stories about redemption, about loss, about family and love. There are twists and surprises galore, it’s such a brilliant collection!
I can’t really pick a favourite story as I genuinely enjoyed them all but I will mention some of them briefly here:
The opening story is Frederick Snellgrove, Private 23208 by Rob Ashman is such a poignant and moving story. Likewise, Malcom Hollingdrake’s Died of Wounds is stunning and a real tear-jerker. I find stories from either of the World Wars heartbreaking – my lovely Nan lost her father in WW1 and her husband went missing presumed dead fighting in WW2. These two stories just got me in the gut and made me cry but it really does give you a sense of the loss and pain of the war but also a sense of hope that comes in the aftermath and in the generations that follow.
Believe by Mark Brownless is a really clever story. It begins as something that feels lovely and heart-warming and by the end my head was spinning. I love a story that can completely catch me off guard and this one certainly did that!
Mountain Dew by Paul T. Campbell is one of those perfect stories to read on a dark, cold night in the run up to Christmas, it had me gripped and I wasn’t sure how it was going to end. Excellent story!
Stewart Giles’ Free Time is such a well-written story. He has created a story that is so believable and scary to begin with and then it become even more horrifying as it goes along. I can’t stop thinking about this story and I now need to read more by this author!
I’m a huge fan of Louise Jensen‘s novels so was delighted to find a short story by her in this collection. Her story The Christmas Killer is brilliant! It appears to be a story about a lonely older man struggling to get through the festive period but it takes an unexpectedly dark turn!
Billy McLoughlin’s The Invitation is a gorgeous story about forgiveness, about finding people you’ve lost along the way and being able to move on from the past. This is a lovely story to read at this time of year and it’s one that is really staying with me.
Uncle Christmas by Val Portelli is such a heart-warming story, I adored this one. It shows how a small act of kindness can make a much bigger difference in life than you ever might imagine. A wonderful story for Christmas!
Jane Risdon’s Penance had me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. This is a creepy, sad story that I was gripped by. I had no idea where it was going or how it was going to end. I loved it!
The collection ends with Family Time by Graham Smith and this story was brilliant! It’s one of those stories where you’re not quite sure where it’s going, it feels a little sinister as if violence is just around the corner but nothing is quite as it seems. I felt emotional by the end. An excellent story for this time of year.
When Stars Will Shine is a phenomenal collection of short stories that also serves as a fabulous taster menu for discovering new authors. My wish list is now huge with books by all the authors in this collection as every single story is so good that I now want to read more by each and every one of them. I highly recommend this book, it’s one I know I’ll re-read in the years to come and it’s one I think everyone will enjoy!
This review was originally posted on my blog https://rathertoofondofbooks.com
The collection opens with a beautiful and poignant poem by 11 year old Megan Steer which sets the bar really high and every single story lives up to it. There are stories about redemption, about loss, about family and love. There are twists and surprises galore, it’s such a brilliant collection!
I can’t really pick a favourite story as I genuinely enjoyed them all but I will mention some of them briefly here:
The opening story is Frederick Snellgrove, Private 23208 by Rob Ashman is such a poignant and moving story. Likewise, Malcom Hollingdrake’s Died of Wounds is stunning and a real tear-jerker. I find stories from either of the World Wars heartbreaking – my lovely Nan lost her father in WW1 and her husband went missing presumed dead fighting in WW2. These two stories just got me in the gut and made me cry but it really does give you a sense of the loss and pain of the war but also a sense of hope that comes in the aftermath and in the generations that follow.
Believe by Mark Brownless is a really clever story. It begins as something that feels lovely and heart-warming and by the end my head was spinning. I love a story that can completely catch me off guard and this one certainly did that!
Mountain Dew by Paul T. Campbell is one of those perfect stories to read on a dark, cold night in the run up to Christmas, it had me gripped and I wasn’t sure how it was going to end. Excellent story!
Stewart Giles’ Free Time is such a well-written story. He has created a story that is so believable and scary to begin with and then it become even more horrifying as it goes along. I can’t stop thinking about this story and I now need to read more by this author!
I’m a huge fan of Louise Jensen‘s novels so was delighted to find a short story by her in this collection. Her story The Christmas Killer is brilliant! It appears to be a story about a lonely older man struggling to get through the festive period but it takes an unexpectedly dark turn!
Billy McLoughlin’s The Invitation is a gorgeous story about forgiveness, about finding people you’ve lost along the way and being able to move on from the past. This is a lovely story to read at this time of year and it’s one that is really staying with me.
Uncle Christmas by Val Portelli is such a heart-warming story, I adored this one. It shows how a small act of kindness can make a much bigger difference in life than you ever might imagine. A wonderful story for Christmas!
Jane Risdon’s Penance had me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. This is a creepy, sad story that I was gripped by. I had no idea where it was going or how it was going to end. I loved it!
The collection ends with Family Time by Graham Smith and this story was brilliant! It’s one of those stories where you’re not quite sure where it’s going, it feels a little sinister as if violence is just around the corner but nothing is quite as it seems. I felt emotional by the end. An excellent story for this time of year.
When Stars Will Shine is a phenomenal collection of short stories that also serves as a fabulous taster menu for discovering new authors. My wish list is now huge with books by all the authors in this collection as every single story is so good that I now want to read more by each and every one of them. I highly recommend this book, it’s one I know I’ll re-read in the years to come and it’s one I think everyone will enjoy!
This review was originally posted on my blog https://rathertoofondofbooks.com
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