Angela Yuriko Smith

End of Mae
By: Angela Yuriko Smith
ASIN: B0053CPO1U
Published May 29, 2011
Available Format: Paperback, ebook

My Rating: ★★★★☆

Mae is a small-town journalist on the cusp of an exciting story when something suddenly attacks her. She wakes in a dark room and is confronted with what she can only describe as an angel. On the brink of death, Mae is whisked away to a strange mansion full of bizarre people. The most thrilling story might be her very own, and she is dying to tell it.

I’m show more certainly glad I took a couple hours of my life to devour this fantastic little read! I love the mystery of Heylel—how we never really know exactly what he is until the end. I may be weird (okay, I am), but I always love it when the ‘evil’ characters are more humanized and given more realistic feelings and emotions.

Mae was hilarious! Every time she turned around something was happening to her, and usually, in some sick twisted way, it was funny. She is exactly the kind of girl I could imagine I’d be in her situation—falling down stairs, choking on wine, having a knockdown, drag out with the evil old maid.

This story is full of mystery, suspense, a little horror, and some warped characters. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time and full of conflicting emotions about the characters and what was happening to dear Mae.

Sure we could have known more about the characters, but I didn’t really feel like that distracted me. I was so engrossed in what was going on with Mae, and I appreciated the bit of mystery surrounding her. I do wish there was more to the story, in a good way. I want to have a full length novel with lots of explanation and more about what happens after the ending of this novella!! (Wink, wink, nudge, nudge, Angela! ;-))

I really love it when I read a book by an author I know. It’s almost like getting another look into their lives, and I am able to pick up little glimpses of their personalities in the story—kinda like when you recognize the parents in their children. Angela is a great lady and obviously a great author too!

Please grab yourself a copy of End of Mae and enjoy! show less

Worlds of Light and Darkness is a collection (Volume One) of short stories curated from DreamForge and SpaceTime. As with most anthologies of this type, it is a mixed bag of stuff. There are twenty stories in all, way too many to list individually. They run the gambit in the Fantasy and Sci-Fi genres. If you love both genres this is a collection you need to own.
One of the things I loved about the collection is the variety of stories. There were light hearted and quirky stories, such as The show more Feline, The Witch and the Universe about a feline familiar that goes missing. Smudge is the consummate cat personality and the reason I liked this story so much. In my mind, I can just see his smug little cat face.
A more speculative story, is The Spiral Ranch, in which cattle rustling is not a thing of the past but still very much alive in this version of the future. I liked the author’s vision of the future. Realistic and the plot was believable. Concise but well written short.
I enjoyed all of the stories. If I had to pick my favorite it would be Hands of a Toolmaker. It reminded me of a Twilight Zone episode. The MC, Silas, must decide if he wants to get “Tooled”. All children must make this decision when they turn fifteen years old. Tooling modifies the brain in order for it to be receptive to be programed for a specific job at a later date. To Silas, tooled individuals tended to talk like they are part of a “hive mind” and it makes him angry that it seems expected that he will get Tooled. He does not want this, instead he “wants to shake things up”. Liked that about this character.
This is a notable collection of short stories. They are thought provoking and highly entertaining. I highly recommend to anyone who enjoys Fantasy and/or Science Fiction.
I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest review. For more of my reviews, and author interviews, see my blog at www.thespineview.com. show less

Mae, a naïve and eager writer, hopes to boost her career from small town reporter, by researching the eerie disappearances (believed to be caused by the Jersey Devil Monster) that occurred in the woods of Whitesbog. While investigating the woods at night, she is captured by the mysterious monster, and her life becomes a nightmare. She is taken to a unfamiliar place with strange beings and happenings. (This is where I cringed and winced.) To say she was beaten is to put it lightly. She soon show more yearns to cover a mundane story for the paper. Moral – Be careful what you wish for. LOL

Pros:
Wow. This story was definitely different. I feel like I walked in on a horrible nightmare. As much as I tried and tried to pinch myself awake, the visions kept me hostage until Mae’s final end. It was definitely unpredictable – and not at all what I expected. (LOL)

The imagery in this story is vivid. I cringed and winced at Mae’s agony and it was easy to see this playing out like a mind-movie.

Cons:
I found the story interesting, but the repetition of Mae’s name was very distracting. The use of pronouns would improve it dramatically. The story was so fast-paced, which isn’t necessarily a con, but I wished for a pause, or change of pace here and there.

Overall:
Upon finishing the book, I wasn’t quite sure if I’d give it a 3 or 4 star rating. Now, after a few days of lingering mental images, I’ve decided to give it 4 stars for the lasting-effect factor. It was a fast read, and had unexpected turns. ;)

If you want a quick, powerful (and sinister) story, this is a good pick. If you are easily creeped out (me), then I recommend you don’t read it at night. The opening scene played out on the back of my eyelids when I went to bed. That’s a good thing I suppose. LOL show less

Tasty Buffet of Speculative Literature

This magazine contains a great mix of fiction, poetry, and nonfiction articles such as interviews and reviews. The balance of sci-fi, fantasy, and horror was well done. I read the ebook version, which could have used a little help with editing and formatting. But the content was great, and overall this issue was a pleasure to read.