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Between Stops: Anthology
A collection of short stories for life's travellers. Unscheduled departures in fiction by five authors with eclectic and disparate styles. Thirty-seven tales to take you on another kind of journey, flicking from light to dark and back again. You will not find these stops on any timetable; this is the world that exists Between Stops.
218 pages, Paperback
First published May 21, 2014
About the author
Simon Cornish
4 booksI have always used my writing and creativity to hide away from people. It is a form of distraction tactics: Look at this! Don't look at me.
I just got good at it, becoming a storyteller, both in words and visually. I have worked as a professional animator, scriptwriter, and illustrator for most of my career. I've directed commercials, short films, and lots of dubious corporate miscellany. I have also created illustrations for industry magazines and children's publications. Eventually, I went on to explore my writing in more depth and undertook an MA in Professional Writing ten years ago. Since then, I have been working on script, game, and prose writing.
My story And God Said was published in the 2010 Fish Anthology as a runner-up in the One-page Fiction Prize. My spoof article The Hemingway Virus won the Brighton COW Spring Break non-fiction competition in 2011, and my short story The Words was a runner-up in the Fish Short Story Prize, receiving an honorary mention and published as part of the 2014 Fish Anthology. I am also involved in writing for the Tefr RPG project.
I just got good at it, becoming a storyteller, both in words and visually. I have worked as a professional animator, scriptwriter, and illustrator for most of my career. I've directed commercials, short films, and lots of dubious corporate miscellany. I have also created illustrations for industry magazines and children's publications. Eventually, I went on to explore my writing in more depth and undertook an MA in Professional Writing ten years ago. Since then, I have been working on script, game, and prose writing.
My story And God Said was published in the 2010 Fish Anthology as a runner-up in the One-page Fiction Prize. My spoof article The Hemingway Virus won the Brighton COW Spring Break non-fiction competition in 2011, and my short story The Words was a runner-up in the Fish Short Story Prize, receiving an honorary mention and published as part of the 2014 Fish Anthology. I am also involved in writing for the Tefr RPG project.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 29, 2014
Bite-sized chunks, very edible
Review policy: if I can't award 3 or more stars then I don't post a review. I mark on technical considerations; I will not slate a book just because I don't like a genre or a story, unlike many people who post so-called "honest" reviews. If I feel there's an issue then I will try to contact the author for clarification. Fairness, not vindictive point-scoring, is how I work.
The book
I was given a copy of Between Stops for review purposes. This is a collection of over three dozen short stories, each tending to have sinister and wryly comedic undertones, some with an unexpected twist ending. I see it as easy reading at bedtime or for a little escapism such as, well, when between travel stops.
I particularly liked the following examples:
Always Like a Stranger by Viv Laine, which is a twist on the ubiquitous child abuse tales.
A Taste of Night by Serena Cairns, with its wonderfully-evocative descriptions such as "Colours played beneath her lids, changing, swirling, dancing to the hum of insects, the music of summer."
The Legend of the Lone Ranger by Alastair Keen, a writer with a sense of humour.
The Many Deaths of Emily Fitzherbert by Simon Cornish.
Getting Out by Eleanor Piper.
It's difficult to judge any anthology unless the stories are linked in some way or are about one character, or at least written by the same author, whereby the reader may witness some degree of character development or catharsis by the end. Because Between Stops comprises different stories by different writers, each with their own individual style, my score of 4 stars is merely an average and one which should be seen as a very high ranking for this genre.
Full marks to Simon Cornish for bringing this project together and designing the book.
Review policy: if I can't award 3 or more stars then I don't post a review. I mark on technical considerations; I will not slate a book just because I don't like a genre or a story, unlike many people who post so-called "honest" reviews. If I feel there's an issue then I will try to contact the author for clarification. Fairness, not vindictive point-scoring, is how I work.
The book
I was given a copy of Between Stops for review purposes. This is a collection of over three dozen short stories, each tending to have sinister and wryly comedic undertones, some with an unexpected twist ending. I see it as easy reading at bedtime or for a little escapism such as, well, when between travel stops.
I particularly liked the following examples:
Always Like a Stranger by Viv Laine, which is a twist on the ubiquitous child abuse tales.
A Taste of Night by Serena Cairns, with its wonderfully-evocative descriptions such as "Colours played beneath her lids, changing, swirling, dancing to the hum of insects, the music of summer."
The Legend of the Lone Ranger by Alastair Keen, a writer with a sense of humour.
The Many Deaths of Emily Fitzherbert by Simon Cornish.
Getting Out by Eleanor Piper.
It's difficult to judge any anthology unless the stories are linked in some way or are about one character, or at least written by the same author, whereby the reader may witness some degree of character development or catharsis by the end. Because Between Stops comprises different stories by different writers, each with their own individual style, my score of 4 stars is merely an average and one which should be seen as a very high ranking for this genre.
Full marks to Simon Cornish for bringing this project together and designing the book.
July 2, 2014
Between Stops is a collection of 37 little stories. Some should be classed as short and some very short. They are great to read on the bus/train – literally between stops. The book is well presented and offers a variety of themes from the gruesome/macabre to whimsical humour. Each of the 5 authors put their own style on their offerings. It may be unfair to choose a favourite but I really liked Alastair Keen's stories. The Fireman dealt with the still sensitive issue of the holocaust but Swan Lake and The Legend of the Lone Ranger add that necessary touch of humour.
It's a veritable pot pourri of shorts that you can dip into when you don't have time to give to a full length novel. Bite size chunks of fiction that you can enjoy anywhere – anytime. But beware, some may be better not read before you go out alone walking the dog in the dark!
It's a veritable pot pourri of shorts that you can dip into when you don't have time to give to a full length novel. Bite size chunks of fiction that you can enjoy anywhere – anytime. But beware, some may be better not read before you go out alone walking the dog in the dark!
September 11, 2014
A great read! Well written and interesting book. Lots of different concepts and interesting short stories:
Great book of short stories. Beautifully written and also with some interesting off-the-wall concepts and views on the world (and other worlds) to make you think and want to keep reading. And because they are short stories you can pick it up and read a bit at any time you want. And each time is interestingly different. I will certainly check out these writer's other works!
Great book of short stories. Beautifully written and also with some interesting off-the-wall concepts and views on the world (and other worlds) to make you think and want to keep reading. And because they are short stories you can pick it up and read a bit at any time you want. And each time is interestingly different. I will certainly check out these writer's other works!
June 17, 2014
An excellent collection of short stories. I greatly enjoyed working on this book with the other authors.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews