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The Sharpened Quill: Modern Voices in Short Fiction
Short stories showing the various forms of the genre. From crime to fantasy to romance, these stories bring fresh new voices that cover a broad range of styles and subject matter. It features an introduction by the great American writer, James Sallis and illustrations by Jacinda Power. The collection has 23 contributions from 11 different writers. The stories range from the long to the very short. Included are Kurt Reichenbaugh, Robert Anglen, Merle McCann, Clark Lohr, Kevin Lynn Helmick, Steve Shadow, Scott McDonald, Karen Renner, Timothy W. Moore and Jacinda Power. The cover and book design are the work of Scott Carpenter of Cold Forge Press.
264 pages, Paperback
Published December 20, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 21, 2017
Editor Steven Schwartz has assembled an excellent group of contributors for this collection, which consists of both traditional short stories and “flash fiction”—short pieces of two to five hundred words. The book opens with an introduction in praise of short fiction by James Sallis, the author of Drive and several other books.
Most, though not all, of the pieces fall into the category of crime fiction, and it seems unfair to single out any of the contributions because they are all uniformly good. But I particularly enjoyed “Monsters,” by Robert Anglen, the tale of an unlicensed P.I. tracking a missing child through the dark underbelly of San Francisco. Timothy W. Moore, co-author of Mirandized Nation, offers “Fiery Tempers,” a particularly good story set in the 1930s about a woman with relationship issues.
Kurt Reichenbaugh, author of Sirens and Last Dance in Phoenix, contributes “The Good Neighbor,” a very creepy tale about an entirely different sort of relationship, while newcomer Brian Black details the ups and downs of yet another kind of relationship in “The Pain Machine.”
Scott McDonald, author of Crossing the Bloodline, offers perhaps the most humorous offering in the collection, “The Habersham File: A Nick Rankel Mystery,” which features an oddball cast of characters thrown together during the course of a very dangerous but entertaining investigation. The prolific Steve Shadow, author of Joey Mompo and numerous other books, contributes “Gimpy,” the story of a down-and-out man near the end of his days, whose fortunes suddenly take a dramatic change after a moment of violence.
Not all of these names will be familiar to many readers, but that’s the main point of the exercise—to offer a forum for these very talented writers so that larger numbers of readers will have the chance to become familiar with their work. Sadly, the market for short stories is not nearly what it once was; this collection offers ample evidence of why it should be once again.
Most, though not all, of the pieces fall into the category of crime fiction, and it seems unfair to single out any of the contributions because they are all uniformly good. But I particularly enjoyed “Monsters,” by Robert Anglen, the tale of an unlicensed P.I. tracking a missing child through the dark underbelly of San Francisco. Timothy W. Moore, co-author of Mirandized Nation, offers “Fiery Tempers,” a particularly good story set in the 1930s about a woman with relationship issues.
Kurt Reichenbaugh, author of Sirens and Last Dance in Phoenix, contributes “The Good Neighbor,” a very creepy tale about an entirely different sort of relationship, while newcomer Brian Black details the ups and downs of yet another kind of relationship in “The Pain Machine.”
Scott McDonald, author of Crossing the Bloodline, offers perhaps the most humorous offering in the collection, “The Habersham File: A Nick Rankel Mystery,” which features an oddball cast of characters thrown together during the course of a very dangerous but entertaining investigation. The prolific Steve Shadow, author of Joey Mompo and numerous other books, contributes “Gimpy,” the story of a down-and-out man near the end of his days, whose fortunes suddenly take a dramatic change after a moment of violence.
Not all of these names will be familiar to many readers, but that’s the main point of the exercise—to offer a forum for these very talented writers so that larger numbers of readers will have the chance to become familiar with their work. Sadly, the market for short stories is not nearly what it once was; this collection offers ample evidence of why it should be once again.
April 26, 2018
Editor Steven Schwartz has pulled together a wide-ranging sampler of crime fiction featuring everything from an odd "arrangement" between neighbors to a sadistic husband's deathbed confession to an arsonist. This short story collection is gripping, taking the reader on a fast ride with lots of twists and hairpin turns. Definitely recommend!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews