Not A Book Review: Miscellany Volume II

What kind of an idiot writes a review of his own book?

Oh, oh, pick me! Pick ME!

No, I’m not going to actually review Miscellany II. But, I’m not going to not review it either. The book is 279 pages. I wrote 13 of them. I considered reviewing the other 266 pages. But, that still seemed like a really bad (idiotic?) idea.

But, now that I’ve actually seen, and read the rest of the book, I can hone my sales pitch a little stronger. (You can buy the book here.)

There are twelve authors in Miscellany Volume II writing across multiple genres.

1. Mice! A memoir by Natalie Gate
2. Of Crayons and Angels, literary fiction by Amanda Luzzader (Read an interview with her here)
3. A Baggy Coat for Two, humor by Lawrence Gardner
4. Of Wind And Waves, literary fiction by Amy Jorgensen (Read an interview with her here)
5. Child In The Storm, horror by James Elliot (Read an interview with him here)
6. Slender, horror by Chadd VanZanten
7. Wear Blue, paranormal by Toney Larson
8. The Wheel is Turning, fantasy by Kevin A. Davis (Read an interview with him here)
9. The Vagabond Knight, fantasy by C.R. Truitt (Read an interview with him here)
10. The Mercy System, science fiction by Rodney M. Bliss (No interview but he has an obscure blog somewhere)
11. Them, science fiction by A. Shepherd (Read an interview here)
12. Space Traveller, science fiction by Marsha Workman

I love the short story format. It’s like eating a cup cake. Not a whole meal, but a tasty treat that you can finish is one sitting. All of these stories were very good. Amanda made me cry in her story Of Crayons and Angels. She told me that it made her cry as well.

I enjoyed the humor of Mice! .and A Baggy Coat for Two. Lawrence Gardner does an amazing job of capturing voice. The accents are amazing. Not an easy feat in written form. Amy Jorgensen had me guessing all the way through her delightful story Of Wind And Waves. And being a transplant to Utah after growing up near the ocean, I very much identified with her main character. I sometimes want to run away.

I’m not much of a horror fan. And it wasn’t until after I finished reading Child In The Storm and Slender that I realized James Elliott and Chadd VanZenten were more psychological thriller than the slasher type that passes for horror in much of popular entertainment.

The fantasy entries in the book were both stories that take you away. Not just from whatever room you are reading in, but away from the world that you know.

And the science fiction by Shepherd and Workman was everything I love a science fiction story to be. Them especially could have been in any genre. And I appreciated Shepherd’s view of the human race as evidenced in her story. I’ll look forward to reading that one again.

At the end of my book reviews I typically list four headings

1. What I Liked
2. What I Didn’t
3. What It Means To You
4. My Rating

And here’s where my not-a-review kicks in. I loved this book. I got to know several of the authors. And James Elliott, in addition to contributing a story, was the editor and publisher. I’m very proud of this book, as are all my fellow authors.

I’ll leave it to others to decide a rating. . .because that will mean they bought a copy. (You can get it here.)

Stay safe

Rodney M Bliss is an author, columnist and IT Consultant. His blog updates every weekday. He lives in Pleasant Grove, UT with his lovely wife, thirteen children and grandchildren. Order Miscellany II, an anthology including his latest short story, “The Mercy System” here

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