Columbus: Past, Present and Future

by Amy S. Dalrymple (editor), Brenda Layman (editor), Brad Pauquette (editor)

Columbus: Past, Present and Future features twenty-three short stories of Columbus, Ohio. Each story is set in Columbus, Ohio between the city’s founding 200 years ago, and 2212, a date 200 years in our future. These captivating, enlightening stories, each of which was written by a different Central Ohio author, will entertain readers of all types.

With a foreword by Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman, Columbus presents twenty-three entertaining, unique stories written by Central Ohio’s most talented writers, as well as art from the region’s brightest visual artists.

Columbus includes stories written by Robert Alexander,Deborah Cheever Cottle, Amy S. Dalrymple, Stephen C. David, C.J. Edwards, Drew Farnsworth, Jay Fulmer, Heidi Durig Heiby, Brenda Layman, Jenny L. Maxey, Kim McCann, Casey McCarty, Todd Metcalf, Leslie Munnely, S. Michael Nash, Bradley Nelson, Ben Orlando, Brad Pauquette, Birney Reed, Janet Slike, Christopher Sunami, Chad Wellinger and Kim Charles Younkin.

Columbus also includes illustrations from fifteen Columbus artists, including Paul Binder, Scott Chaffin, Nick Coplen, Adrianne DeVille, Cortney DeWalt, Debra Fitch, Dorian Lefferre, Kevin McGinn, Jeff Ockerse, Doug Oldham, Melissa Pauquette, Hannah Ploechl, H.L. Sampson, Don Slobodien and Kelly Zalenski.

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of every book will be gifted to the Columbus Historical Society, which strives to preserve and protect the history of Central Ohio.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Collections, Anthologies

344 pages, Paperback

First published September 13, 2012

Reviews

[Emily Boivin · Rating 5 out of 5]

i won this book on goodreads, and i really enjoyed the eclectic collection of short stories. if you enjoy short fiction this is the book for you. i think you will enjoy the voices of the varrious writers as they spin their tails about columbus.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book through the Goodreads Giveaways. Being a Columbus, OH native, I found the assortment of short stories entertaining. I'm always one to support local artists/authors.

[Sage Collins]

It's hard to give a rating to a book with so many authors with many different styles. Is it fair to take an average when there are stories I really liked that are being underrated and stories I didn't even finish that would be overrated? But I can give an overall review.

Columbus: Past, Present, and Future is a book that gives you exactly what's on the tin. Stories about Columbus are set in the 200 years before to the 200 years after Columbus's bicentennial here in 2012. The stories range in style, from the historical to the fantastical, from the literary to the humorous. But the one thing that brings these stories together is a strong sense of setting.

At times, I must admit, I found that some of the stories were too focused on showcasing Columbus rather than telling a story. I prefer that the story come first, so a story that, say, rambles on from place to place with an event happening at each one, wouldn't grab me as much as a story where the plot and character is strong and the location secondary. A couple of stories also had trouble settling on a time, starting in one time, telling about another time that was nostalgic for a totally different time. Many stories were set just after a location of interest was closed. For an anthology that set its stories in different time periods, it's interesting how many of these types of stories showed up, instead of those celebrating those same locations or time periods while they were happening.

Sci-fi and fantasy fans may prefer the second half of the anthology, which allowed authors more room to imagine what might be (although, there was the occasional fantasy in the first half too). Fans of darker stories will find many good stories to love. I was fascinated to see how many visions of the future seemed bleak. But there were stories of hope within too.

Some standout stories for me were:
- Hep's Bonanza - a future mystery with hacking and sentient computers. Basically made for me, and some great characters and intrigue.
- The Ghost in the Southern Theater - exactly what it sounds like. Strong sense of character and a great story arc.
- The Christmas Virgin - I thought this was well-written and woven together well
- The Year Everything Changed - I liked the use of "change" in a different context in a story that takes place when Obama was first elected. And the main character was well-drawn

(Starting a few stories in, I made some comments on specific stories in my status updates too. Page numbers usually correspond to the *end* of the story)

Recommended for fans of: both historical and speculative fiction; learning what has been and what may be over a 400-year-span in Columbus, OH.

Note: Columbus: Past, Present and Future was provided to me for free for an honest review :)

[Bookcritic · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the concept of the stories ranging from 200 years into the past and going 200 years into the future. It's like traveling through time. There's historical fiction like Pauquette's A Whiskey Man, present day like Maxey's The Circus House, near future like Metcalf's Rewired, and distant future like Orlando's How to Rebuild a World in 2,536 Easy Steps. I loved these stories.

[Jasmine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a collection of short stories (23 of them). The collection run the gamut of genres and definately worth a read by anyone. The stories are unique to Columbus, but I found something familiar in all of them!

[D B · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an amazing and enjoyable read. Who knew Columbus, Ohio had so many talented writers. You could set the stories in almost any city and you'd still enjoy this marvelous anthology.

[Autumn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The stories dealing with the past were well-written, interesting and sometimes surprising.