Review of Illustrated Short Fiction of William H. Coles: 2000-2016
Posted: 17 Sep 2021, 01:52
[Following is a volunteer review of "Illustrated Short Fiction of William H. Coles: 2000-2016" by William H. Coles.]
Illustrated Short Fiction of William H. Coles 2000 – 2016 is a collection of around 36 stories based on some very extreme and depressing themes. Most of them are about murder, suicide, drugs, divorce, cheating partners, workers with disabilities, people run over by vehicles, and people in prison for murder. Not themes for the everyday reader. I can imagine many a reader who picks up this book not wanting to read it through to the very end. William H. Coles seems to have wanted to focus on the negative aspects of life for each of the stories contained in this volume.
While the author does display an easy and relaxed writing style, there is hardly anything more that could be stated on the plus side. The author may have been trying to highlight certain social issues but he has failed to achieve this in a way that could even remotely be described as interesting or entertaining.
The unwary reader picking up this book of short stories will be blitzed by the most repugnant and at times disgusting themes over and over again. I cannot think of anything of value that a person can take away after reading this as none of the tales contained in this book would be found to be inspiring, or educating. Few, if any, would like to be bombarded with the routine, mundane aspects of peoples’ lives, most of who seem to be life’s losers, leading a drab existence. Many of the characters depicted in them are the vilest, most murderous and, double-dealing people that you could ever come across. What emotions the author intended to stir up among his readers is beyond me. It has been one of the most difficult to finish books I have ever read.
Mr. Coles has previously authored several books, including an instructional one on how to write short stories. He has unfortunately failed to provide one that can keep a person’s interest in a story alive. This book is not an entertaining read by any means. The title does not prepare one for what is in store. It is one of the most disturbing and uninspiring collections of stories I have ever come across. He should at least have provided some indication in the title so that a possible reader could have known what to expect.
For the above-stated reasons, I rate this book 1 out of 4 stars.
Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this book to any category of reader.
******
Illustrated Short Fiction of William H. Coles: 2000-2016
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes | on Smashwords
Illustrated Short Fiction of William H. Coles 2000 – 2016 is a collection of around 36 stories based on some very extreme and depressing themes. Most of them are about murder, suicide, drugs, divorce, cheating partners, workers with disabilities, people run over by vehicles, and people in prison for murder. Not themes for the everyday reader. I can imagine many a reader who picks up this book not wanting to read it through to the very end. William H. Coles seems to have wanted to focus on the negative aspects of life for each of the stories contained in this volume.
While the author does display an easy and relaxed writing style, there is hardly anything more that could be stated on the plus side. The author may have been trying to highlight certain social issues but he has failed to achieve this in a way that could even remotely be described as interesting or entertaining.
The unwary reader picking up this book of short stories will be blitzed by the most repugnant and at times disgusting themes over and over again. I cannot think of anything of value that a person can take away after reading this as none of the tales contained in this book would be found to be inspiring, or educating. Few, if any, would like to be bombarded with the routine, mundane aspects of peoples’ lives, most of who seem to be life’s losers, leading a drab existence. Many of the characters depicted in them are the vilest, most murderous and, double-dealing people that you could ever come across. What emotions the author intended to stir up among his readers is beyond me. It has been one of the most difficult to finish books I have ever read.
Mr. Coles has previously authored several books, including an instructional one on how to write short stories. He has unfortunately failed to provide one that can keep a person’s interest in a story alive. This book is not an entertaining read by any means. The title does not prepare one for what is in store. It is one of the most disturbing and uninspiring collections of stories I have ever come across. He should at least have provided some indication in the title so that a possible reader could have known what to expect.
For the above-stated reasons, I rate this book 1 out of 4 stars.
Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this book to any category of reader.
******
Illustrated Short Fiction of William H. Coles: 2000-2016
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes | on Smashwords