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A review by unwrappingwords
Shallow Waters Vol.3: A Flash Fiction Anthology by Theresa Derwin, Red Lagoe, Richard Thomas, Joshua Hair, Dani Brown, Jonathan Winn, Jennifer Loring, Monique Snyman, Dan Rabarts, Madeline Mora-Summonte, Lee Murray, Mark Allan Gunnells
4.0
This is the second of Shallow Waters anthology I’ve read, and it really did not disappoint. With the third in the series, it feels crisper and smoother than Volume 1, like the publishers have found their feet with the series. For those who may have missed my first review, Shallow Waters is a collection of flash fiction, taken from the competitions regularly run by Crystal Lake. A flash fiction prompt is provided to authors, who are given only a short time to compile a piece. These are then showcased on the publisher’s Patreon page, where people can vote for their favourites.
I really enjoyed the first collection, and this feels even stronger. The layout is more clear, the text easier to read, and the stories, like a lot of flash fiction, feel like they speed by. Some I found myself going back to reread, in one or two cases perhaps due to slight confusion, but with most, just because they were generally fun.
It also feels like the stories here are a little bit stronger. With the first volume, it seems like there were a lot of pieces where big ideas were crammed into small spaces. With this one, the majority felt completely self-contained, leaving the reader wanting more in some cases, but mostly reaching a satisfying conclusion by the end.
Horror flash fiction works best when it leaves room for the story to breathe, for the reader to infuse their own imagination into the space between the lines, and volume three of Shallow Waters manages to do just that. Some stories will, without a doubt, require you to take a break before reading the next. Others leave a faint mark ready to make itself known further down the line.
As with the previous volume, I won’t go into favourites because this is one of those collections where everyone will take away something different. I have no doubt every person who reads it will find a different story that hits them in a way others don’t. If you like flash fiction, I highly recommend this series.
I really enjoyed the first collection, and this feels even stronger. The layout is more clear, the text easier to read, and the stories, like a lot of flash fiction, feel like they speed by. Some I found myself going back to reread, in one or two cases perhaps due to slight confusion, but with most, just because they were generally fun.
It also feels like the stories here are a little bit stronger. With the first volume, it seems like there were a lot of pieces where big ideas were crammed into small spaces. With this one, the majority felt completely self-contained, leaving the reader wanting more in some cases, but mostly reaching a satisfying conclusion by the end.
Horror flash fiction works best when it leaves room for the story to breathe, for the reader to infuse their own imagination into the space between the lines, and volume three of Shallow Waters manages to do just that. Some stories will, without a doubt, require you to take a break before reading the next. Others leave a faint mark ready to make itself known further down the line.
As with the previous volume, I won’t go into favourites because this is one of those collections where everyone will take away something different. I have no doubt every person who reads it will find a different story that hits them in a way others don’t. If you like flash fiction, I highly recommend this series.