The combined efforts of Giles and Anders in one book make this read a veritable fun-house of literary pleasure.
Written by Evelyn Smith, author of “City of the Undead” and “Transylvania, Louisiana”
“Unputdownable Tales of Terror” by G.L. Giles and Lynn Anders scares up many chills and thrills. Be forewarned: the title is justified. You won’t want to put this one down.
The short stories begin with “Nine Strippers” by Giles. It’s about vampires and, as the title implies, strippers. A fun story that I loved reading. The clever dialogue is a reminder that Giles has a way of making her characters sound authentic. In “What Really Happened in the Labyrinth,” a group of vegetarians brave the Minotaur’s labyrinth. If taken on a deeper level, it could be a social commentary on animal rights. Giles never disappoints if one is willing to peel back the layers in her stories. “Raging,” also by Giles, has characters from “Nine Strippers,” as does “Sin-dromes.”
Giles also includes poetry and song lyrics in this book, confirming that she is just as delightful a scribe with verse as she is with stories. In “Delicious,” a tale of a serial killer who finds that his latest victim is much more than he bargained for, Giles is again in top form as a writer. If zombies are your scare of choice, Giles dips into that subject matter with absolute ease and comes up with “Winning the Lotto in 2012.” A final tale, “Gonzo,” is about a little man in the porn industry (where things don’t turn out so well for him).
Lynn Anders is a great find for readers if one is not familiar with her work. She writes “Fate Is a Funny Thing,” a stalker story with a twist of an author who gets a first fan letter; I must say that I loved this story. Not to be outdone by Giles, Anders also includes verse in this book, including one entitled “Silver Flashes.” Only true talent can tell a story in verse with skill, and Anders proves her talent with this one. “A Hitman’s Mark” is about sixteen-year-old Andy who runs away from home for life on the streets of Chicago, where he gets involved with some Mob characters. This story was not merely good, but great. I became lost in the narrative.
The combined efforts of Giles and Anders in one book make this read a veritable fun-house of literary pleasure. Just like any carnival fun-house, one will experience amusement, scares and surprises. So step right up, folks, G.L. Giles and Lynn Anders make a formidable literary team. Get your thrills here!
