REVIEW: "The Goblin Brothers Adventures" by Lindsay Buroker

Malagach and Gortok are brothers. Goblin brothers, that is. Smart and literate, they are quite unusual in their village, and often the target of Zakrog and his gang of bullies. Gortok is the inventor of the two, always coming up with amazing new tools to use. Malagach is a bit of an "idea boy," and he makes a great assistant for his younger brother. Together, they find themselves in some crazy dilemmas, and it takes every bit of knowledge and ingenuity they have to get themselves right back out!

Written as a middle-grade book, this collection of adventures by Lindsay Buroker is entertaining and fun for all ages. The writing style offers a good combination of easy-to-understand language along with higher level words that will challenge younger readers. It's the type of story that will entice reluctant readers to learn new vocabulary while providing an engaging story for more advanced younger readers. The mix of simple sentence structure with more complex structures is a great technique to appeal to many levels of reading. Some middle-grade books feel a bit mind-numbing to an adult, but that was not true in this case. I know my own kids would enjoy it as much as I did. The world that is presented to us is an adventure in itself. We are able to explore the relationships between goblins, humans, orcs, and other creatures, enticing our imaginations while providing entertainment.

The brothers themselves are utterly engaging and fun, with good characterization. The dialogue between them really helps establish each brother's personality. I really liked the fact that the brothers were always on the lookout for new books, and were interested in new math and science facts. Other characters are brought in as concerns the plot, and each personality presented is quite distinct and well-defined. Although all the stories are about the brothers, there isn't a lot in the way of continuity between stories. Each adventure stands alone nicely, which can be a draw for this age group. Some chapters provide a little more backstory into the brothers' lives and some are much more adventuresome than some others. Each story presents a challenge for the brothers to overcome. I found myself more engaged in some of the stories than in others, with one story in particular much less appealing to me than the rest.

Overall, a wonderful adventure with universal appeal!

4.5 /5 stars

Available at Smashwords, Amazon and Barnes & Noble

You can read more about the Goblin Brothers and their Adventures on their website!

REVIEW: "Raven Wings and 13 More Twisted Tales" by Frank G. Poe, Jr.

Frank Poe has compiled an intriguing collection of stories, poems, and artwork. The tales are short, very readable, and certainly twisted- some with better twists than others. Some made me cringe, some surprised me in a fun way, some made me think, and some just left me thinking "eh..."

The book starts off with a lengthy introduction that discusses the writer's own experiences with an illness that brought him close to death, and  then discusses reincarnation and religion. It's a manifesto of sorts, and an interesting introduction, to be sure, but I didn't quite see how it tied in with the stories as promised. It seemed almost like a short story in itself- interesting, thought-provoking, and only loosely related to the rest of the collection. The poetry and images interspersed throughout added a refreshing change of pace. I felt the poetry, in particular, was a commentary on life, and it more closely delivered that connection to which the introduction alluded.

Nicely written, the stories in this book are quite engaging and make for quick reads. As the tales didn't appear to be related, this is an ideal collection for small blocks of reading time. Just pick up the book, read a story or two, and put it down again until you have some more time. One of my favorite Christmas gifts as a child was a short story collection by Stephen King. The idea that machines could be blood-thirsty, that danger lurks in cellars, that seemingly innocuous items could hide evil... true horror at its finest. I was also a huge fan of The Twilight Zone, where a twist would turn everything you thought to be true upside-down. This collection brought to mind those types of themes. In some stories, the author manages to take some familiar concepts and twist them to be something else. In others, it's a twist on a familiar tale. It is truly an eclectic collection with a common theme of "twisted." I wanted some of the stories to go further and tell me much, much more, and I found others to be perfectly written "as is." For example, "The Tell-Tale Door" and "The Purple Basketball" seemed to have just the right touch of suspense and surprise, while "A little Bit of Java" and "Deliverance Vs. Silence of the Lambs" left me wanting for more meat (no pun intended!) and that satisfying twist seemed to be lacking.

Overall, a nice collection that can be read over and over to catch all the little nuances that gave the meaning behind the words. Recommended for fans of the genre.

3.5 /5 stars

Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble