A dive under the sea, a trip to past, a peak into the future, hasn’t science somehow provided us all of these? This book review will take us into the introduction of a book which takes all these into a very serious consideration, revealing meanwhile something exceptionally out-of-the-world.
Book – Tales from the Gray Area
Author – Curtis Stephen Burdick
Pages – 361 pages
Genre – Sci-fi, story collection
My Rating – 4 out of 5 stars.
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Book Review:
This book is a collection of seven novellas, all of which dip in the soup of science fiction of different kinds. The author has tried to create different experiences through these seven stories. He accepts in the prologue that the inspiration behind these stories is The Twilight Zone, so the fans of The Twilight Zone might find something relatable in the stories and the show. The stories are neither too short, nor too long. If you want to indulge in a book that has a low commitment, this might be the one to pick.
Writing style of the author:
The writing style of the author is very interesting and descriptive. The imagery created by the author will take you within the story and will make you feel the excitement, threat, fear, and exhilaration of being there. However, I must warn the readers who hate cliffhangers and ambiguous endings, the stories end abruptly with more than one out comings. It is up to you to determine the path of the story as the author gives the hint of the forthcoming actions but on the same hand leaves enough possibility for a different path of outcome too.
Stories in short:
Talking about the plots of the stories will lead to spoilers, so instead I am going to talk about the other aspects of the stories. The first story was exceptionally well-built. I found myself mesmerized by the details of the history and the slow merging of present and future into the story. It sure did present a vibrant and bloody image and left me awestruck.
The Second story was something I never guessed would be thrown upon the readers, it felt fresh despite the plot being used again and again by so many authors as well as producers.
The third story reminded me of the contemporary interest in the concept of heaven and hell. The world-building was on a par in the third story and the pace of the story covered so much in so short span that I was amused. It was worth a whole new book.
The fourth book took us right into history again, but of a different era and in a completely different field. The quest to save an ancient monument led to the discovery of something much older than humanity.
The fifth story is one of my favorites. The sheer pace at which the story moves and still the sense of lethargy in the plot point us towards the brilliance of the author’s writing style.
The sixth story however is in a different vein than all the previous ones. It has an element of the comic in it. The characters are well-developed and feel real despite being themselves. The ending has an ominous touch; otherwise, there is a sense of lightness in the story.
The last story is based on a war situation and also points towards the condition of black soldiers in a white army. It mixes reality with fiction to create something relatable yet in so different situations that you cannot miss but notice the point the author is trying to make.
Thoughts on the stories:
What is most amusing is that the plots of the stories are completely different from each other, yet they all seem to be written in the same vein. It is a brilliant rendition of science, technology, dystopia, and fiction. The worlds created in each of the stories are similar to our world and yet different from the logical world we live in. it is as if it is happening around us but we choose to ignore it. There is no out-of-the-world flash and attack on the people but slight and deliberate changes that are not very noticeable.
Conclusion of my book review:
Although I finished this book in parts, taking a break when a story ended, I could feel the continuity of the story whenever I picked it up. The easy way of explaining the actions of the characters and the surroundings around them immediately takes us into the story. I liked reading this book and will give the book 4 out of 5 stars.
Recommendation:
Overall, I enjoyed this book. I will recommend this book to readers who enjoyed The Twilight Zone and are willing to read something similar to that. The people who are not ready to dive into a full-fledged novel could also pick this up as the short novella format would help them in taking a break if one story becomes overwhelming for them, and the stories being 40-50 pages long each will not prove too short too.
However, I must give warning to the readers who prefer complete endings to their books that all the stories end abruptly and there is more than one possibility for the story to turn to. It all depends upon your imagination.
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Thank you guys for reading till the end. We will be back with another book review soon, till then Happy Reading!