Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Protectors: Stories to Benefit PROTECT

by Thomas Pluck (Goodreads Author) (editor), Patti Abbott (Contributor), Ian Ayris (Contributor), Ray Banks (Contributor), Nigel Bird (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Michael A. Black (Contributor), Tony Black (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Ken Bruen (Contributor) , more…

4.92 of 5 stars 4.92 · rating details · 12 ratings · 4 reviews

41 writers. One cause. We've rallied a platoon of crime, western, thriller, fantasy, noir, horror and transgressive authors to support PROTECT's important work: lobbying for legislation that protects children from physical, sexual, and emotional abuse. Powerful stories from George Pelecanos, Andrew Vachss, Joe R. Lansdale, Charles de Lint, Ken Bruen, Chet Williamson, James...more

Paperback, 376 pages

Published September 1st 2012 by Goombah Gumbo Press

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

Charity Anthologies

7th out of 7 books — 1 voter

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 31)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Nov 23, 2012 Kevintipple rated it 5 of 5 stars

Anthologies designed to raise monies for a cause are becoming more and more common. This is true here with Protectors: Stories to Benefit PROTECT features stories about children in danger. Monies raised from book go to PROTECT, and its parent organization, the National Association to Protect Children, in order to help keep children safe, strengthen laws against child abuse in its many forms, and to assist the victims of such abuse. Along with a detailed explanation of the group in the introducti...more

like · see review

Sep 18, 2012 Tony rated it 5 of 5 stars

This anthology exists to raise awareness and funds for PROTECT. What is PROTECT? PROTECT and the National Association to Protect Children are there to help stop and prevent child abuse in. It is a worthy cause and if like me you happen to live in another country this book will make you consider issues you’d rather see as headlines. The next time you are considering charitable donations think of the children.

I nearly didn’t bother writing this review as the forward in it says everything I want to...more This anthology exists to raise awareness and funds for PROTECT. What is PROTECT? PROTECT and the National Association to Protect Children are there to help stop and prevent child abuse in. It is a worthy cause and if like me you happen to live in another country this book will make you consider issues you’d rather see as headlines. The next time you are considering charitable donations think of the children.

I nearly didn’t bother writing this review as the forward in it says everything I want to say a lot better than I could. There is one line in the forward that I’ll paraphrase for you. It sums up everything that is important when considering child abuse. There are two numbers that are important when considering child abuse. One is too many abuse victims and zero is the only acceptable number of abused children (it really is put better in the book so go check it out).

The first couple of stories are classic examples of what most of us would consider the normal (there is nothing normal about abuse so please excuse my flippant choice of words) view of child abuse and all the disturbing details that entails. I found these first few stories really difficult to read. They certainly are not for the faint-hearted. Keep reading though as the tone changes. Every story involves a child being in jeopardy but not always in a way I would have considered before. Some of the stories are very subtle and make you consider your own upbringing. There was one story in particular that involved bleach and a baby. I couldn’t believe anybody could be that evil in real life. The very next day there was a story about a woman giving a bottle of bleach to a random small child in a fast-food restaurant. There really are some nasty people out there, but more importantly there are children who need the help and support of every single one of us.

I’m not going to talk about the individual stories as there are over thirty of them. I will however mention the one that had the most resonance with my own upbringing. Black Shuck by Thomas Pluck. I’ve read a few stories by Mr Pluck and have really enjoyed all of them. When I was a kid over here in England we had stories of The Black Dog. Anybody who saw the dog will die. It was a tale all of my friends growing up heard round the fire or at a sleep-over. I only knew two people that claimed to have see the dog and both of them died within six months. They were both heading to the gutter at terminal velocity through severe drug issues but the story is still there in the back of my mind. It seems I am not the only one. This story like a lot of the others is one not to miss.

One of the things I like about this anthology is that the transition between stories is not too harsh. It flows like an old rock album. It starts out hard and grabs you by the collar before chilling out a little and finding a groove. Then the second half gradually increases in intensity until the conclusion. It is a well written and put together collection of fictional stories, BUT the jeopardy is real. There are children out there that need us. If you do nothing else for them buy this book. Even that could help save a child.(less)

2 likes · like · see review

Oct 18, 2012 Neliza Drew rated it 5 of 5 stars

Forty-one pieces of writing from 41 writers of crime, noir, horror, fantasy, western, and other pulpy goodness. It’s a helluva bargain and the proceeds to go toward lobbying the protection of children from abuse. That last bit is reason enough to plunk down your dollars, but that doesn’t mean you walk away empty-handed. These aren’t just fluffy pieces, churned out in a fit of charity. Some are hard to read, but it’s because they’re haunting, not for lack of grammar and spelling. I mean, you have...more Forty-one pieces of writing from 41 writers of crime, noir, horror, fantasy, western, and other pulpy goodness. It’s a helluva bargain and the proceeds to go toward lobbying the protection of children from abuse. That last bit is reason enough to plunk down your dollars, but that doesn’t mean you walk away empty-handed. These aren’t just fluffy pieces, churned out in a fit of charity. Some are hard to read, but it’s because they’re haunting, not for lack of grammar and spelling. I mean, you have people like Patricia Abbot and Ken Bruen involved.

As with any story collection, some are better than others. But, like anything, “better” is a subjective term so your opinion and mine may differ. That said, I’ll tell you about a few of my favorites and if you want to tell me about yours, the comments are open.

“Black Shuck” is one of the longer, if not the longest, of the stories and that gives it space to spread out, not in a blobbish way, but in a layered, atmospheric, moody sort of way that drags you deep into the holler and makes you wonder how you or anyone else will ever get out.

“Adeline” left me with all manner of whatifs, both historically and within the story, the even-if-the-plan-worked-was-it-enough sort. “Done for the Day” is about fourteen kinds of sad and desperate. I found it had almost draped over me the day I read it during lunch and had to shake it off vigorously. “Take it Like a Man” serves as a glimmer of hope in the shape of what, for a while, seems like an all-too-familiar tragedy.

“Planning for the Future” might be easier to accept as a story if I hadn’t met girls like that at work. And “A Blind Eye” is about what can happen when ignorance and meanness are met with an overtaxed system. It’s easy for people outside such systems to wonder why no one would catch the first or report the second, but people inside know how hard it is to spot the girl in Funk’s story and how easy it is to mistake something innocent for something malicious (and vice versa), such as in Gray’s tale.

To summarize or give away anything feels unfair. These stories are so compact that it feels like an injustice to let anything out of the bag. Plus, I prefer wandering blindly into short stories. If you’re not that kind of person, editor Pluck has been giving you a taste of one per day over on his Facebook page.

Pros: Most of the stories are very strong and some are by well-known names. Your favorites and mine may differ, but it’s a solid collection and it benefits and good cause.

Cons: Because of the theme, some of the stories can be a trigger for people who have suffered abuse or may be unpleasant for people who dislike reading about abuse. There’s a lot of protection and vengeance in these tales, but just the same… If, however, you feel strongly about the cause, consider giving a copy as a gift or donating to PROTECT directly.

Bottom Line: 39 stories and 2 poems for $4.99 (digital) or $15.95 (paperback) is a good deal. The fact that it goes to help a good cause? Gravy or whipped cream or bourbon — you know, whichever.(less)

like · see review

Feb 12, 2013 Josh Stallings rated it 5 of 5 stars · (Review from the author)

Disclaimer: I wrote one of the stories in this collection. But that leaves 40 stories that are new to me. wow what great group of writers.

1 like · like · see review

Apr 28, 2013 Mandy is currently reading it

Apr 24, 2013 Kathleen marked it as to-read

Mar 13, 2013 Mantan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Mar 05, 2013 Elizabeth A. added it

Mar 01, 2013 Paul Brazill rated it 5 of 5 stars

Feb 27, 2013 Damon Wright marked it as to-read

Feb 19, 2013 Iris rated it 5 of 5 stars

Feb 06, 2013 Igraine marked it as auf-gar-keinen-fall

Jan 27, 2013 Eddy Allen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: arts-and-historical

Jan 16, 2013 Patti rated it 5 of 5 stars

Jan 03, 2013 Therese marked it as to-read

Jan 02, 2013 Oliver Clarke marked it as to-read

Dec 23, 2012 Max marked it as to-read

Nov 26, 2012 Anthony Annucci is currently reading it

Nov 18, 2012 Patricia marked it as to-read

Nov 13, 2012 Antoinette Averlais marked it as to-read

Nov 11, 2012 Chris Leek marked it as to-read

Oct 31, 2012 Betsy Knox marked it as to-read

Oct 28, 2012 Jane Hammons rated it 5 of 5 stars · (Review from the author)

Oct 28, 2012 Stephanie Blackwell rated it 5 of 5 stars

Oct 25, 2012 Andy marked it as to-read

Oct 17, 2012 Shaun marked it as to-read

Oct 01, 2012 Michelle Anjirbag marked it as to-read

Sep 24, 2012 J marked it as to-read

Sep 19, 2012 Andrew Nette marked it as to-read

Shelves: crime

Sep 18, 2012 Joe marked it as to-read

« previous 1 2 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend it | Stats | Recent status updates

Popular Shelves

to-read

15 shelves

currently-reading

2 shelves

auf-gar-keinen-fall

1 shelf

true-life-and-non...

1 shelf

crime

1 shelf

About Thomas Pluck

Thomas Pluck writes unflinching fiction with heart. His stories have appeared in Shotgun Honey, PANK magazine, Crime Factory, Spinetingler, Plots with Guns, Beat to a Pulp, McSweeney's, The Utne Reader and elsewhere. He edits the Lost Children charity anthologies to benefit PROTECT: The National Association to Protect Children. He is working on his first novel.
He lives in New Jersey with his wife...more

More about Thomas Pluck...

Books by Thomas Pluck

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Protectors: Stori...

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

title link	preview: Protectors: Stories to Benefit PROTECT
avg rating	preview: Protectors: Stories to Benefit PROTECT Goodreads rating: 4.92 (12 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16033184-protectors?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347976126l/16033184.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16033184-protectors?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Protectors: Stories to Benefit PROTECT by Thomas Pluck[/url]

Protectors: Stories to Benefit PROTECT

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topicDiscuss This Book

Popular Shelves

About Thomas Pluck

Books by Thomas Pluck

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About Protectors: Stori...

new topic
Discuss This Book