OnlineBookClub.org

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Shadows and the darkness" by S.J.Byard.]

The Shadows and the darkness by S.J.Byard is a collection of short stories related to the supernatural, paranormal, things of the sort. The stories themselves are very emotional and touching and often have a terrible tragedy interwoven into the story.

The stories are in a wide variety from being put into prison for protecting a child to a fallen soldier in Iraq to reminiscing life just before death. They are very different stories with very similar themes. Although I would classify this story as sort of "dark", it's not at all depressing. In fact, I felt that some of the stories had a very positive and happy message. While some of the endings were indeed sad, I didn't find many to be depressing (if any).

I think that these collections of short stories were very well written. Although some of them are VERY short, lots of action is able to be put into a few amount of words. It takes true skill to tell a meaningful story with just a few pages, but S.J. Byard does it. That's what enabled me to read this book in one sitting. The stories were short enough so I could finish quickly, but so well written that I'd love to read the next story to see if that one would be equal or superior (and most times it was).

Another great thing is the emotional content of all of the stories. It is able to connect to the reader because the emotions are so relateable, albeit rare. They are emotions you'd never want to go through, and ones that you can sympathesize with the characters. I was choking up after some of them, especially after the end of "Left Behind". But honestly, I felt that all of them were great and well written.

I think the only real problem with the stories is the fact that the author is unable to really develop the characters simply because he doesn't have time to. Some of the stories I just would like to have known the characters better. The author does his best to introduce the characters and give some info, but having more time to develop the characters would have benefited the story in my opinion. However, this does not take anything away from the stories. They are still great and well written.

Overall I'd give this book 4 out of 4 stars. The stories were well written with well thought out plots, action, dialogue, and characters. They were smooth and didn't have the reader (at least me) wanting more at the end of each story because they were wrapped up so beautifully. While I felt the characters could have more time to develop, that's just what happens in short stories. Besides that, I would highly recommend this book to anyone. Really... anyone.

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Having read this book, I agree with the review on this site. It is definitely a book that has something for everyone, and I would definitely recommend it. However, I disagree with the comment about the characters - I found that all of them were very believable and that the ones that were perhaps not so easy to relate to, due to their dark nature, could be appreciated through the development of the story. All very well conceived.

My personal favourite was Stay With Me Till I Sleep which touched on a subject I can get very emotional about, and so certainly hit a nerve for me. But all stories are well written and often have twists that you don't necessarily expect.

Each story keeps you engaged throughout with a lot of raw emotion, but all with a satisfying ending - none leave you wanting. Having said that, the book as a whole could be described as leaving you wanting more as it is a very engaging, enjoyable read, and I will be looking out for more work by this author.

blue82 wrote:Having read this book, I agree with the review on this site. It is definitely a book that has something for everyone, and I would definitely recommend it. However, I disagree with the comment about the characters - I found that all of them were very believable and that the ones that were perhaps not so easy to relate to, due to their dark nature, could be appreciated through the development of the story. All very well conceived.

My personal favourite was Stay With Me Till I Sleep which touched on a subject I can get very emotional about, and so certainly hit a nerve for me. But all stories are well written and often have twists that you don't necessarily expect.

Each story keeps you engaged throughout with a lot of raw emotion, but all with a satisfying ending - none leave you wanting. Having said that, the book as a whole could be described as leaving you wanting more as it is a very engaging, enjoyable read, and I will be looking out for more work by this author.

I honestly have to agree with your opinion about the characters. However in every review I do I like to have what the author did well and what I believe the author could improve on. Honestly, talking about the characters was just nitpicking. It was in my opinion the weakest part of the book, but far from weak. There wasn't much here for me to really criticize, but I really hate saying that a book is "perfect".