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Kindling: - a collection of short stories -
A collection of short stories by Stephen Livingston.
- GenresShort Stories
132 pages, Paperback
First published April 27, 2011
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23 people want to read
About the author
Stephen Livingston
12 books21 followersStephen Livingston is an award winning short story author. His first published work, Choose Your Future, won the inaugural Canongate Prize for New Writing and is available in the anthology Scotland Into The New Era. His short story The Waster's Tale won the EndPapers Tales Series Prize and is available in the anthology Glasgow Tales. Another story Recycling was published in the anthology Scores 4 available from St Andrews University Dept of English where he received a post-graduate M. Litt. in Creative Writing. Kindling is his first collection of short stories.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 12, 2011
Short stories in a variety of styles – if you’re looking for something that will give you a chance to read through something in a short period of time, a set of short stories is just what you want, and these are some particularly wonderful short stories!
Choose Your Future – written in the very difficult 2nd person POV, this is a wonderfully evocative short. The main character, while at a rave, has a sort of epiphany, an extreme experience, about how the world needs to be shaped, and that he is pivotal in deciding which way the world will go. An interesting idea presented in a unique manner.
Recycling – this was an interesting piece; on its surface, there was a great deal of “the children are being indoctrinated” rhetoric – with which I actually agree – but there was another layer to this morality play. Recycling can be literal, or it can be figurative, and it is important to remember that it never hurts to do what one can to maintain a healthy living space – physically AND emotionally.
The Waster’s Tale – while many of these stories are written in “dialect,” at least in part, this first-person POV story is written with a strong “accent” that makes it quite interesting to read. Maybe not terribly easy to read for those of us across the Pond in the US, but interesting. The story is basically told by a guy who likes to stay wasted, describing a 24-hour period in his life.
The Wheel of Justice – What happens when the death penalty becomes entertainment? What type of game show would be best suited to this? “The Wheel of Justice” gives one possible answer to that question. I was interested in the world from this story - I think it would be interesting to see a full story set there, exploring how the world got this way, what the rest of society is like, etc.
She Won’t Call – the conversation of two young bachelors as one tries to find love. Quite amusing ending.
A Cataract of Breaking Glass – the sound of breaking glass is the sound of a broken heart. Incredibly sad story, beautifully written.
Come Dancing – very short and well-written piece of erotica.
The Farmer’s Right Arm – the wonders of modern technology or the evils of genetic manipulation? The reader is left to make his or her own decision.
Jaipur Gems – a vacationer in India is given a great opportunity … or is it? Wonderful descriptions.
The Adventures of Freddie the Moth – like “The Metamorphosis” only with a moth.
Work Abroad – a very difficult story, based upon what I have heard to be true, about how young girls are lured from their home countries with the promise of new jobs and new lives abroad … only to be enslaved. Wonderfully told.
The Tell-Tale Trunk – homage to the master, Edgar Allen Poe.
Choose Your Future – written in the very difficult 2nd person POV, this is a wonderfully evocative short. The main character, while at a rave, has a sort of epiphany, an extreme experience, about how the world needs to be shaped, and that he is pivotal in deciding which way the world will go. An interesting idea presented in a unique manner.
Recycling – this was an interesting piece; on its surface, there was a great deal of “the children are being indoctrinated” rhetoric – with which I actually agree – but there was another layer to this morality play. Recycling can be literal, or it can be figurative, and it is important to remember that it never hurts to do what one can to maintain a healthy living space – physically AND emotionally.
The Waster’s Tale – while many of these stories are written in “dialect,” at least in part, this first-person POV story is written with a strong “accent” that makes it quite interesting to read. Maybe not terribly easy to read for those of us across the Pond in the US, but interesting. The story is basically told by a guy who likes to stay wasted, describing a 24-hour period in his life.
The Wheel of Justice – What happens when the death penalty becomes entertainment? What type of game show would be best suited to this? “The Wheel of Justice” gives one possible answer to that question. I was interested in the world from this story - I think it would be interesting to see a full story set there, exploring how the world got this way, what the rest of society is like, etc.
She Won’t Call – the conversation of two young bachelors as one tries to find love. Quite amusing ending.
A Cataract of Breaking Glass – the sound of breaking glass is the sound of a broken heart. Incredibly sad story, beautifully written.
Come Dancing – very short and well-written piece of erotica.
The Farmer’s Right Arm – the wonders of modern technology or the evils of genetic manipulation? The reader is left to make his or her own decision.
Jaipur Gems – a vacationer in India is given a great opportunity … or is it? Wonderful descriptions.
The Adventures of Freddie the Moth – like “The Metamorphosis” only with a moth.
Work Abroad – a very difficult story, based upon what I have heard to be true, about how young girls are lured from their home countries with the promise of new jobs and new lives abroad … only to be enslaved. Wonderfully told.
The Tell-Tale Trunk – homage to the master, Edgar Allen Poe.
July 24, 2012
Short story collections are always tricky to read, and therefore to review, since many times the reader doesn’t get a feeling for the author’s writing. This one, however, surprised me.
The writing is effortless. Even one of the stories, “Choose Your Future”, which is written in second person, flows really well. Anyone who’s ever tried writing in that tense can understand why this is such a feat. But it’s not just this story. They all have different styles; none of them sound quite the same as the ones before, which is fantastic, and refreshing.
One of the more interesting stories is “The Waster’s Tale.” It is written so that we know the main character has a strong accent, so it can be a little challenging to read, but the story itself is so great, once you get started you can’t put it down. Another good one is “Work Abroad”, about young women who are promised jobs in Europe, only to be sold into slavery. Tough to read, but well written.
This is definitely a good collection for all lovers of short stories and I do recommend it.
The writing is effortless. Even one of the stories, “Choose Your Future”, which is written in second person, flows really well. Anyone who’s ever tried writing in that tense can understand why this is such a feat. But it’s not just this story. They all have different styles; none of them sound quite the same as the ones before, which is fantastic, and refreshing.
One of the more interesting stories is “The Waster’s Tale.” It is written so that we know the main character has a strong accent, so it can be a little challenging to read, but the story itself is so great, once you get started you can’t put it down. Another good one is “Work Abroad”, about young women who are promised jobs in Europe, only to be sold into slavery. Tough to read, but well written.
This is definitely a good collection for all lovers of short stories and I do recommend it.
June 11, 2023
Short story collection. Unfortunately, I didn't find any of them very interesting or memorable.
May 20, 2011
This is a collection of twelve diverse short stories told from various viewpoints and addressing a wide range of themes. Some of the stories have previously won literary awards and were first published in the prize winning anthologies. They are collected here and made available for Kindle for the first time along with other new stories. A free sample is available for download to try before you buy. I highly recommend this book.
June 2, 2012
I got the free eBook through Amazon. I can't say as I would buy it but normally don't read short stories.
I had a lot of trouble getting through the story of the moth. After that, the remaining stories kept me going from one page to the next. I thought they were very descriptive. I did not like how quickly the stories ended. It felt like the story ended in one or two sentences.
I had a lot of trouble getting through the story of the moth. After that, the remaining stories kept me going from one page to the next. I thought they were very descriptive. I did not like how quickly the stories ended. It felt like the story ended in one or two sentences.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 9, 2012
I could not finish it
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews