In this anthology collection, the theme of violence connects each short story. Sometimes the story is a straightforward tale, a crime or suspense thriller short story, but sometimes the tales are more subtle, or even surreal.
I was sent this anthology via Twitter, and asked to take a look. I made my way through it slowly and, I have to admit, sometimes unenthusiastically. However, this might have had something to do with my dislike of reading my books on a screen. But, I found myself fully engaged with some of the short stories in this collection, with scenes and characters still inside my head after I finished reading.
Though you might be put off by a collection of stories exploring the theme of violence, rest assured there is a diversity of tales within. This is not just a collection of explicit slashing and gore stories. You will find some well thought out tales within. Though, it might be worth warning you, there is slashing and gore in there too.
The collection opens with Blood Brothers by Richard Chizmar, a fairly straightforward "story with a twist" about a pair of brothers, one a family man and the other on the wrong side of the law. And from there, the collection undulates, from one story to another, some better than others. Though, as I say, there is enough diversity in there that you can probably find a story that you will find enjoyable.
I found Santa At The Café by Joe R. Lansdale, and Ladies Day At The Olympia Car Wash by Andrew Nette to be fairly entertaining tales, but perhaps your tastes are different.
To be honest, this is an anthology that I dipped in and out of, and it wasn't a collection that I felt a need to read from beginning to end once I had started. There were some stories that I found myself wanting to end sooner than they did, and there were some that I found myself entertained by more than I had expected. I suppose that that's the nature of a collection featuring different authors.
You can find A Time For Violence: Stories With An Edge on Amazon.
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