Reading some Shorts. Lowhim Smack down moment.

By Kate Atkinson. Not done with it yet, but I suppose I'll try her novels which are supposed to be great. Yeah, that means I'm not digging these tales all that much. Some start with a great bit of hope then devolve from there. JFc I hope that I'm not that turgid of a short story writer. 
WEll, there's no analysis like that of others, rather than me trying to blow smoke up my own... Here's a take from "Cabin Tale". 
the smackdown:

"A Cabin Tale tells the story from the point of view of a boy who is in a hunting cabin with his grandfather. The boy is scared, worried about his dad who has gone out in the night. The story here focuses on the boy's fear and the grandfather trying to comfort him. It then goes into a story that the grandfather tells the boy, about ancient mythology and beliefs of the supernatural. The story within a story, told by the grandfather, just seems strange and the whole thing doesn't really go anywhere. 
The writing captures the scared feeling of the boy really well. For that it is written really well. The story itself isn't overly engaging - I really enjoyed the first half, showcasing the relationship between the boy and grandfather, but the grandfather's story was less interesting."

Damn, son, ripping me up here. [1]
Here's some "Satan's Plea" smack down. 

Nice little story with good narration

Satan's Plea by Nelson Lowhim tells the story of how Satan experienced life in heaven, and his views on why he was expelled. 
Minor spoiler alert: He thinks God is a selfish person who bullies angels into following order, is short sighted, and in general a bad leader and role model. As a result, Satan and a few other angels gather together and starts working towards a better world. 

It is a funny take on the biblical story of Satan, and should be required reading for christians, since it is clear that the one-sided take they trust in, could in fact be quite different. While not exactly a deep tale, it just gives us a short insight into Satans character and not much else, and is therefore not very surprising. 

It is quite well written, and I would recommend it for anyone looking for a short, and somewhat humorous, story to lighten up their day. It is a relatively short audiobook (1 hour and 5 minutes), and the narration by Mark Lindgren was done really well. He set the mood perfectly with a very deep voice, and had a nicely tonal variety that helped the story along. 

I end up with 3/5 for a well written and coherent story, with great narration, that doesn't push any boundaries (Well, perhaps for christians). Had the story been longer and slightly more complex, I would most likely have given it another star. 

Damn. Nice little story? That's harsh. This one's trying to be nice so it cuts that much more. Another feel good [2] cleanse. 
And finally, CityMuse , a novel:

This was about a man who was interested in a woman, we see a lot of the negative aspects of humanity as Matt lusts after her and shows his greed and selfishness throughout the tale. The constant referals to her body and his reactions was a bit much and the story just didn't seem that deep or fulfil the blurb. It was an ok tale about some flawed people but nothing more. 

Well, fuck, that's harsh too. Guess I should clean up my own act before looking elsewhere... How about this to clean things up? [3]


Glass houses, right? Still, looking at other writer's work with an eye to improve on them (or know what you don't like) isn't nothing. And sometimes, in this overtly "always be promoting" lit world (and any negatives come with Stans or what have you coming at you)

Anyhow, reading Wretched of the Earth and that's much better and more nuanced than the derivative takes of it by polemics in our zeitgeist. But I guess that's why they have cash and a readership. Gotta drive those clicks. Check it out your self. From a library or the link above. 
[1] Here's a feel good one: Short stories work best when they limit their scope to 1 or 2 focused ideas. For such a short story, A Cabin Tale manages to contain about twice this many themes and, impressively enough, it still works. I was fully invested throughout. I look forward to hearing more short stories from this author in the future. 
[2] I love the narration a lot. The story is good too. Really like the point of view of the devil.
[3]Well done all around

This is a good story that really plays to the human condition. Greed, lust, selfishness... Matt exhibits it all but will he be able to handle it or keep it covered up?

A lot of things going on in this relatively quick listen. A cheater, a hero... All sum up Matt but at the end of the day will he be able to continue to juggle the life he has created?

Enjoyed it? Share it via email, facebook, twitter, or one of the buttons below (or through some other method you prefer). Thank you! As always, here's the tip jar. paypal.me/nlowhim Throw some change in there & help cover the costs of running this thing. You can use paypal or a credit card.