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SassyBrit

SassyBrit

This is a great place to meet like minded new people, and I am having so much fun here. I am especially interested in reaching out to authors who may be interested in obtaining a book review.

I am happy to review books, either myself or via one of my reviewers on behalf of Alternative-Read.com should you be interested, and many I see... more »
  • CAMBRIDGE, UK
  • member since March 22 2007

Reviews

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Displaying 11-13 of 13 reviews
  • The Hermit

    The Hermit

    by Ray Holland
    • Rated 3 stars

    “The Mayor's Daughter is caught one too many times entertaining the local men and soon becomes something that is bad for public relations and future elections. Although the Mayor himself is too lazy, or perhaps incapable of dealing with his "little princess", his PR company formulate a devious, evil plot to work on an even bigger scandal to overshadow the havoc she is creating. They even enlist the "Tall and Manly" actor guy to sweep her off her feet, in the hope that marriage will force her away from her decadent behaviour, which has even begun to frighten away some customers of the Tavern. Yes, the Mayor's daughter is officially out of control. Sounds like a normal day in the life of a political leader, right?

    In the second part, like soup, the plot heats up and thickens when we meet the Hermit himself. A man who has clearly been on his own for too long, but is very good at what he does best; hiding from the rest of the world. Through meditation and contemplation, and passing his hermit exams with flying colours, he aims to reach The High Plane of Astral Everythingness, consisting of 142 steps to enlightment. Quite a few more steps than say, the zen approach, don't you think? All the hermit wants is to be left alone, which is what he is trained for, but strange things happen to a hermit in his meditative world, which is different to ours. For example a stream of chicken soup flows under The Bridge of Constant Focus. Anything is possible when you are under the influence of carrot wine or you are a hermit in a meditative trance. During one of his episodes he connects to the Mayor's daughter and unwillingly gets involved in a way that could threaten his whole hermit existence. Never before has an anti-social loner been found so curiously attractive!

    The Hermit is an enjoyable, idiosyncratic story, which bears a surreal fairytale quality involving the political scandals and shady dealings of the Mayor and his daughter and a discombobulated Hermit. The characters don't have names, just titles; "the mayor's daughter", "the best friend", and "tall and manly" to name but a few, which adds to the whacky flavour of the bubbling plot. As you can tell this story has a bizarre edge to it, but the absurdity works. Is there a moral meaning to this vibrant, yet silly tale? How about -- the wise know their limitations; the foolish do not. However, it could also be read as a cautionary tale where the grass is actually greener on the other side of the fence and that one should embrace life and all that is thrown at them because if this story is anything to go by, change is good! Although, between you and me, I found the Hermit a little disconcerting when he sold out, and shuddered at the thought of his morals fading into obscurity as he left his anarchist side high up in the mountains to pursue new interests. As luck would have it the story is told in the light-hearted manner of a narrator with a zest for life, a twinkle in his eye, and a dash of satirical humour.

    In the magical, slapstick world of The Hermit this vibrant cast throws caution to the wind and slaps the fickle face of conformity. It's a comical, entertaining read, which fits snugly inside the genre of the Bizzaro kind - without moving over to the darkside for grotesque horror, mindless violence or lewd sex thrills-- but there is a mention of "a case of plastic puddles of vomit" and the Mayor's daughter does indulge in lots of "bouncy-bouncy".”

    SassyBrit wrote this review Monday, August 17 2009. ( reply | permalink )
  • Mouth Full of Bullets: Best of Year One

    Mouth Full of Bullets: Best of Year One

    by Guy Belleranti, Jillian Berg, Danny B. Bourg, Kimberly Brown, Herschel Cozine, Sam Douglas, Gail Farrelly, Dorothy Francis, Sara Hoskinson Frommer Barry Baldwin
    • Rated 5 stars

    “Up and coming talented writers have created a short story and flash fiction anthology of mystery and suspense with great characters and enough conflict to keep you turning to the next story until you've absorbed the whole lot. A rare treat for fans of this genre, with a bonus story by John M. Floyd, who also writes the foreword for this murderous edition, of poems, short stories and even shorter flash fiction. Open your mouth wide for a...
    mouthful of bullets and swallow this one up in one sitting!


    ”

    SassyBrit wrote this review Monday, July 20 2009. ( reply | permalink )
  • Short Stories That Kill TimeShort Stories That Kill TimeLucille P Robinson

    Short Stories That Kill Time

    by Lucille P Robinson
    • Rated 5 stars

    “Great anthology of short stories and flash fiction filled with murder, mystery, and women who snap. This collection is a study of realistic characters who deal with what life throws at them in short, and sometimes not so sweet but entertaining chunks, making it a perfect book to 'kill time' with - a good play on words considering death is waiting around the corner for many of these characters. ”

    SassyBrit wrote this review Monday, July 20 2009. ( reply | permalink )
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