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Eight short stories from Engen Books' top talent in storytelling. Featuring the stories Revving Engen, Reptilia, Theogony, Gristle while you Work, You have the Touch, Scarlett, Remers, and Omega; this collection is guaranteed to excite and entertain!
364 pages, Paperback
First published April 21, 2012
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About the author
Matthew Ledrew
70 books63 followersMatthew LeDrew has written over twenty novels, some of which have gone on to become Canadian and international bestsellers.
Since 2007 he has traveled all over Canada promoting his work as well as teaching seminars on writing and publishing.
He currently holds a Canada Council for the Arts Research and Creation Grant and an ArtsNL Professional Projects Grant for the completion of his first two Newfoundland-set novels, a treasure-hunt novel and a literary fiction novel exploring toxicity within the Newfoundland arts scene, respectively.
He holds an Honours Degree in English from the Memorial University of Newfoundland with a minor in Anthropology. He studied Journalism at College of the North Atlantic in Stephenville, Newfoundland. He has worked with Transcontinental Publishing as well as student-youth magazine The Troubadour.
He has been called "the face of Newfoundland Genre writing" and is one of the most successful authors working and living in his province today.
Since 2007 he has traveled all over Canada promoting his work as well as teaching seminars on writing and publishing.
He currently holds a Canada Council for the Arts Research and Creation Grant and an ArtsNL Professional Projects Grant for the completion of his first two Newfoundland-set novels, a treasure-hunt novel and a literary fiction novel exploring toxicity within the Newfoundland arts scene, respectively.
He holds an Honours Degree in English from the Memorial University of Newfoundland with a minor in Anthropology. He studied Journalism at College of the North Atlantic in Stephenville, Newfoundland. He has worked with Transcontinental Publishing as well as student-youth magazine The Troubadour.
He has been called "the face of Newfoundland Genre writing" and is one of the most successful authors working and living in his province today.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
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October 13, 2017I first read and reviewed Light|Dark in (or around) its release in 2012, but the post seems to be lost in the ether. Now that my schedule is allowing me to finally read the indie books I've obtained over the years, I thought it best to revisit this.
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The Theogony still gives off a heavy One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest vibe, but the characters and -- most importantly -- background to the mysterious Infinity protagonist is welcome. 4/5
Due to a conflict of interest, I shall abstain from reviewing Gristle While You Work.
Scarlett feels like a YA story, for better or worse. A town is terrorized by a monster, and a group of kids meet a mysterious stranger who turns them into fighting machines. The climax was action-packed, and some of the characterizations were interesting, but the piece felt rote. 2/5
The most frustrating entry in the anthology is Reptilia. Matthew LeDrew is a talented writer who knows how to thrill readers. This story starts off strong, but just falls apart between the climax and ending. I enjoyed the first two-thirds enough to walk away with a positive opinion… as long as I don’t dwell on the remaining pages. 3/5
Omega has some twists and turns, but leaves the reader wanting more. C’mon, Ellen. I know you’re sitting on a juicy tale, so just give it to us. Pretty please? 4/5
Remers, like Scarlett, has some good ideas but I think it played things too safe, and also was quite reminiscent of Robocop (the good one, not the straight-to-video sequels or reboot). I like Robocop, and I enjoyed the build-up here, but it fizzled more than sizzled. If the story was revisited, and perhaps given a slight makeover, I think Remers could emerge as a solid novel. Perhaps even a series. 3/5
The first time I read Light|Dark, I remember loving Revving Engen. It ties the Black Womb saga with a little bit of Infinity, thus connecting the greater Engen universe. It’s a brilliant framing mechanism, and a brilliant peek behind the curtain. 5/5
I’m not sure why You Have the Touch didn’t connect with me the first time. Maybe the loose, pop-culture mannerisms reminded me of the memetic culture online that, frankly, annoys and bores me. I recall being on a plane, and perhaps an outside irritant seeped into my subconscious, distorting my thoughts. Regardless, I actually enjoyed my time with Benedict Thompson. Quite a bit, to be honest. Once again, I enjoyed the opening, the humour, and the pacing – while slow at times, and breakneck at others – fell into place a bit better. I do think things wrap up into too neat of a package, although the surprise ending is as intriguing a twist as it is for poor Benedict. 4/5
It’s good to revisit things from time to time; as our tastes or environment/situation changes, so too can our opinions. I found myself enjoying certain works more than I remembered, which brought great pleasure to me. Maybe it’s time to dust off a few other oldies. First, though, I do owe it to some talented authors to finish their books. All things in time.
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The Theogony still gives off a heavy One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest vibe, but the characters and -- most importantly -- background to the mysterious Infinity protagonist is welcome. 4/5
Due to a conflict of interest, I shall abstain from reviewing Gristle While You Work.
Scarlett feels like a YA story, for better or worse. A town is terrorized by a monster, and a group of kids meet a mysterious stranger who turns them into fighting machines. The climax was action-packed, and some of the characterizations were interesting, but the piece felt rote. 2/5
The most frustrating entry in the anthology is Reptilia. Matthew LeDrew is a talented writer who knows how to thrill readers. This story starts off strong, but just falls apart between the climax and ending. I enjoyed the first two-thirds enough to walk away with a positive opinion… as long as I don’t dwell on the remaining pages. 3/5
Omega has some twists and turns, but leaves the reader wanting more. C’mon, Ellen. I know you’re sitting on a juicy tale, so just give it to us. Pretty please? 4/5
Remers, like Scarlett, has some good ideas but I think it played things too safe, and also was quite reminiscent of Robocop (the good one, not the straight-to-video sequels or reboot). I like Robocop, and I enjoyed the build-up here, but it fizzled more than sizzled. If the story was revisited, and perhaps given a slight makeover, I think Remers could emerge as a solid novel. Perhaps even a series. 3/5
The first time I read Light|Dark, I remember loving Revving Engen. It ties the Black Womb saga with a little bit of Infinity, thus connecting the greater Engen universe. It’s a brilliant framing mechanism, and a brilliant peek behind the curtain. 5/5
I’m not sure why You Have the Touch didn’t connect with me the first time. Maybe the loose, pop-culture mannerisms reminded me of the memetic culture online that, frankly, annoys and bores me. I recall being on a plane, and perhaps an outside irritant seeped into my subconscious, distorting my thoughts. Regardless, I actually enjoyed my time with Benedict Thompson. Quite a bit, to be honest. Once again, I enjoyed the opening, the humour, and the pacing – while slow at times, and breakneck at others – fell into place a bit better. I do think things wrap up into too neat of a package, although the surprise ending is as intriguing a twist as it is for poor Benedict. 4/5
It’s good to revisit things from time to time; as our tastes or environment/situation changes, so too can our opinions. I found myself enjoying certain works more than I remembered, which brought great pleasure to me. Maybe it’s time to dust off a few other oldies. First, though, I do owe it to some talented authors to finish their books. All things in time.
April 14, 2016
Stuffed full of stories that range from strange to downright horrifying, this book brought me hours of entertainment as I slowly made my way through each entry. Thank-you to each and every one of the authors who lent a hand in making this book what it is.
Though I will admit that having finished the book, I'm now feeling like I need more and wishing these short stories had full length novel versions I could read. It's like getting just a taste of a wonderful meal and then being denied the rest of it, you can't help but want for more.
Though I will admit that having finished the book, I'm now feeling like I need more and wishing these short stories had full length novel versions I could read. It's like getting just a taste of a wonderful meal and then being denied the rest of it, you can't help but want for more.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews