Geek Force Five: Volume Two

by Caren Gussoff, Anna Tizard, Jake Walters

A girl who can afford to change history, a genie born of a bar of soap, a modern Dracula who isn't a vampire in any traditional sense, and a tale of murder, corpse removal, and scary movies!

This anthology features "Dandelion Girl" by Caren Gussoff, "Jean Genie" by Anna Tizard, "Ideal Reader" by Jake Walters, "Dracula" by Mark Mazzenga, and "Womb Envy" by S. MacLeod, with stunning visual art by Sheri L. Wright.

ebook

First published December 30, 2013

About the author

Caren Gussoff is a SF writer living in Seattle, WA. The author of Homecoming, (2000), and The Wave and Other Stories (2003), first published by Serpent’s Tail/High Risk Books, Gussoff's been published in anthologies by Seal Press and Prime Books. She received her MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and in 2008, was the Carl Brandon Society’s Octavia E. Butler Scholar at Clarion West. Her new novel, The Birthday Problem, will be published by Pink Narcissus Press in July, 2014.
Find her online at @spitkitten, facebook.com/spitkitten, and at spitkitten.com.

Reviews

[Robert Holt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I reserve five star reviews for masterpieces. While this book was solid fun, it isn’t for everyone. The book has five stories in it, and each has their own charms and short comings.
“The Dandelion Girl” by Caren Gussoff is a beautifully written story that has us wondering if we are reading a remake of Terminator or a beautiful love story.
“Jean Genie” by Anna Tizard was the weakest story of the book for me, and I say that because when I was finished with the book, I had no memory of this story at all. It left no impact on me. I went back and saw I had left notes, a custom for me, or else I might not have known I had read it.
“Ideal Reader” by Jake Walters is a fun story. It is a story so absurd and ridiculous that if you were to pitch it as a story idea you wouldn’t get past the first sentence before they send you on your way. However, the author, despite his absurd story, takes the crafting of the story very seriously and writes an unnerving horror that makes you feel the unease of the absurdity along with the character.
“Dracula” by Mark Mazzenga was not my cup of tea, but the idea was interesting and may be loved by some. It was a story of Dracula being raised as a human in the modern world. A story like this could have worked for me had it been terribly funny or humorously horrific, but this was neither and fell a little flat.
“Womb Envy” by S. Macleod was not surprisingly the star of the book for me. Macleod was the reason I bought the book, and I was excited to read another story by her. This one did not disappoint. Her ability to be gruesome and charming with the same character is quite impressive. The story of psychological interpretations and death exploration is chilling and fascinating.
All and all, I feel this book is well worth the time and money, and I recommend it.

[Kerry]

Interesting collection!