Thursday, May 23, 2013

Four Corners Dark - William McNally



Description
Out in the darkness, the demons and horrors of our imagination become all too real. Of those brave enough to leave the light and plunge into the world’s dark corners, none come back unchanged. Some don’t come back at all. Four Corners Dark offers up four very different tales of places where the darkness lingers, tempting you to step into the unknown.
In these tales by storyteller William McNally, a group of Mexican immigrants place their trust in the wrong coyote, or human smuggler, only to find their very souls at risk. A huckster with the ability to escape trouble by jumping realities discovers he may have made one jump too many. Two proud new homeowners find out too late they share their property with the ghost of a vengeful witch, and one man’s love for his son leads to a decision that changes both their destinies.
It’s easy to be brave in the light, protected by our warm, comforting electric light bulbs or the warmth of the sun. Only in the darkness do we discover the limits of our courage. Step out of the light, and into the stories of Four Corners Dark



Four Corners Dark contains 4 short stories and most definitely saves the best for last. If able to rate them separately I would have given 5 stars to the last story "The Spinning Wheel" Which reminded me of Ray Bradbury's Something Wicked This way Comes complete with mysterious carnival. It was my favorite.
 

The first 2 stories Engine Eighteen and Return to Nowhere were just ok. I felt that the endings could have been better resolved. The third story The Raven Mocker, was the longest of the 3 and although it was better than the first 2 stories It seemed a little stiff and some of the dialogue seemed unnatural. A bit of editing could have made this story flow along better. All in all not a bad book.
I was given a complimentary copy for review