Hello awesome readers. Welcome to my Short Reads Saturdays where I accomplish knocking off some of my shorter backlisted books from my TBR. Today I read a short story anthology with an overall dark theme that places our protagonist in strange new worlds that they must learn to navigate or die trying. If you are a fan of writers like Jeff Chapman, you’ll be interested in this one!
I enjoyed these short stories and I hope you all enjoy your weekend and let me know what you’re reading!
A Passport to a Nation of Talking Slugs & Other Stories
Author: Andrew Kozma
Category: Speculative Fiction Short Story Anthology, Horror, Science Fiction, Dystopian
Suitable for: Adults
My Rating: 4 Stars
Format Read for Review: Kindle copy provided by the author in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed here are my own.
Pages: 44
Stammlager
4.5*
The first story was a great start to the collection. A dystopian abduction and relocation story (think The Maze Runner) with an eerie twist. It was a quick and exciting tale with a surprising ending that makes you think about which reality presented you would prefer if you were in his position. Like the other stories I would have just liked to have seen a little bit more, this can happen with short stories.
The Man in the Dark Chocolate Suit
4*
I really enjoyed this story even if I was stunned by the ending. It isn’t how I would have liked it to go but I understand why it did. I think it’s because I was really into it and not ready for it to be over. It was the type of story that would be found in a really creepy horror movie where the hero can’t escape the monster from his past. The only reason I didn’t give it 5* is because I thought the villain was a little cheesy and I didn’t get exactly what he did other than the obvious.
We of the Future are the Ghosts of the Past
4*
This one was really out there. Much more of a sci-fi feel with parallel versions of everyone overlapping like ghosts in a strange new reality where no one can be trusted and it’s hard to tell who is when. A strange love story with a couple that will do the extreme to be together in a strange new dystopian reality.
(Content warnings: this one contains blood and gore, violence, and murder.)
A Passport to a Nation of Talking Slugs
2.5*
I was very excited to read the story that gave this compilation its name. Following the previous 3 stories which were all very interesting and haunting in their own ways, this one, although longer, didn’t hold my interest as well. It’s about someone making the strange choice to take an, albeit inexpensive but uncommon vacation, to a country inhabited by civilized and advanced slugs. While there he visits a museum showing a bizarrely staged history. There’s even an interesting vampire slug ancestor to the friendly slugs he’s been seeing around town. The world was incredibly interesting but the story itself didn’t grab me. It is a really weird one that touches on themes like loneliness. This is why I suppose the role of women for this story was reduced to ‘sex object.’ It was interesting with some fun twists, some of which I saw coming, but overall the creep factor was too high for me, personally.
(Content warnings: animal on animal violence, a rather gross kiss and without consent, potentially taboo off-camera sex.)
This book has been on my TBR for 3 years now… just… don’t even look at me…
At any rate, I’m glad to have finally reviewed it. This is why I came up with Short Reads Saturdays in the first place, to help me tackle my never-ending TBR! So what are you guys reading this weekend?
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