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A review by jp_priestley
Odd Tales: A Collection by Jonathan Face
4.0
I received a complimentary copy of Odd Tales from the author through the BookSirens platform (https://booksirens.com), and am leaving an honest and voluntary review. I had not previously read any works by this author.
A brief introduction to Odd Tales by the author posted on the home page of his clean and functional WordPress site (https://jonathanface.com) in June 2019, simply describes it as ‘A little collection of short stories I wrote in the last couple of years … now available on Amazon.’ This succinct promotional blurb (and, while I’m at it, a term that applies to the descriptions of his other books on the site) does little to champion the extraordinarily talented writer that Jonathan Face most assuredly is. Incidentally, the author’s website ‘About’ made me smile, due to its brevity and almost apologetic tone … ‘Oh, hello. You probably Googled me because you read something of mine. I mean, I hope.’ A New Hampshire resident who lives in a log cabin with his wife, Elena, and their son, Ethan (to whom Odd Tales is dedicated by the author with the inscription ‘Para ti, mi hijo’ — ‘For you, my son’), this former fast-food employee, cashier, taxi driver, truck unloader, security guard, dispatcher and, most recently, software engineer, might well, I believe, have found his true calling as an author — although being a software engineer is more likely pay the bills at this stage of his writing career!
What initially drew me to this published copy of Odd Tales (June 7, 2019) was the vividly coloured comic book cover design with its weather-beaten and scratched surface — suggestive of having been rolled up and carried around in a back trouser pocket and then passed to the next avid reader in a small band of horror/crime/suspense/sci-fi buffs. I loved the look. The promissory statement on the cover of ‘9 spine-tingling tales of murder and mayhem’ clinched the deal — this book (not part of a series) was begging me to read and review it! And, what of those nine ‘Odd Tales’? Well, they are certainly varied in theme, to which the trigger warning ‘profanity, violence, and sex’ shown on BookSirens often applied. Mindful of spoilers, and in no particular order, Odd Tales comprises (part author descriptions):
* A medieval monastery infested with an ancient, predatory evil
* A voodoo spirit that makes a bloody pact with a house cat
* A home invasion that takes an unexpected turn
* A used car salesman who purchases an extraordinary car
* A father’s confrontation with his son’s bully …
* And other deliciously well-written tales with a twist.
Would I read more works by this author? Absolutely — probably his works titled Catharsis and the Remnants series. The stories in Odd Tales contained few noticeable typos or other errors and ran at varying lengths (the shortest at one chapter comprising two pages, with one of the longest-running at 19 chapters) — all conscientiously and competently written. The author is a perceptive observer of human behaviour and has produced sharp writing that should satisfy even the most demanding readers of this particular genre.
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5036610.Jonathan_Face
Twitter: @face_jonathan
A brief introduction to Odd Tales by the author posted on the home page of his clean and functional WordPress site (https://jonathanface.com) in June 2019, simply describes it as ‘A little collection of short stories I wrote in the last couple of years … now available on Amazon.’ This succinct promotional blurb (and, while I’m at it, a term that applies to the descriptions of his other books on the site) does little to champion the extraordinarily talented writer that Jonathan Face most assuredly is. Incidentally, the author’s website ‘About’ made me smile, due to its brevity and almost apologetic tone … ‘Oh, hello. You probably Googled me because you read something of mine. I mean, I hope.’ A New Hampshire resident who lives in a log cabin with his wife, Elena, and their son, Ethan (to whom Odd Tales is dedicated by the author with the inscription ‘Para ti, mi hijo’ — ‘For you, my son’), this former fast-food employee, cashier, taxi driver, truck unloader, security guard, dispatcher and, most recently, software engineer, might well, I believe, have found his true calling as an author — although being a software engineer is more likely pay the bills at this stage of his writing career!
What initially drew me to this published copy of Odd Tales (June 7, 2019) was the vividly coloured comic book cover design with its weather-beaten and scratched surface — suggestive of having been rolled up and carried around in a back trouser pocket and then passed to the next avid reader in a small band of horror/crime/suspense/sci-fi buffs. I loved the look. The promissory statement on the cover of ‘9 spine-tingling tales of murder and mayhem’ clinched the deal — this book (not part of a series) was begging me to read and review it! And, what of those nine ‘Odd Tales’? Well, they are certainly varied in theme, to which the trigger warning ‘profanity, violence, and sex’ shown on BookSirens often applied. Mindful of spoilers, and in no particular order, Odd Tales comprises (part author descriptions):
* A medieval monastery infested with an ancient, predatory evil
* A voodoo spirit that makes a bloody pact with a house cat
* A home invasion that takes an unexpected turn
* A used car salesman who purchases an extraordinary car
* A father’s confrontation with his son’s bully …
* And other deliciously well-written tales with a twist.
Would I read more works by this author? Absolutely — probably his works titled Catharsis and the Remnants series. The stories in Odd Tales contained few noticeable typos or other errors and ran at varying lengths (the shortest at one chapter comprising two pages, with one of the longest-running at 19 chapters) — all conscientiously and competently written. The author is a perceptive observer of human behaviour and has produced sharp writing that should satisfy even the most demanding readers of this particular genre.
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5036610.Jonathan_Face
Twitter: @face_jonathan