Oddscapes and Quirkitudes, in of itself, is an intriguing name for a book, but for this book it fits it perfectly. This is a collection of short stories that are genuinely odd and quirky. What I particularly liked about this book was that, unlike many anthologies, it didn't focus on just one genre. Panayi is known to be an excellent storyteller across many genres and this certainly comes through in her collection of short stories. There are in total twenty-one fascinating little vignettes across; fantasy, post-apocalyptic or dystopian fiction, and people watching.
Until recently I had not been a fan of short stories and dare I say it, even dismissive of them as being uncompleted works in progress. This and other anthologies I have read recently has rapidly changed my perceptions. Short stories are a wonderful way to get across a relevant point or idea and make the reader think. This is certainly the case with Oddscapes and Quirkitudes, which allows Panayi's sometimes sarcastic and insightful style to resonate with the reader and to make him/her ask themselves the relevant questions posed by the author.
Like all anthologies there are some stories that resonate with me more than others and some that will stick in my memory long after the read. Of the three genres, the two I enjoyed the most were the Post-Apcalyptic and the People Watching.
I loved the incredibly accurate handle Panayi seems to have on the troubles that face our modern society and how we could so easily slip into a situation that renders a dystopian world. Two stories from this section that particularly intrigued me were; Nine Voices After the Apocalypse and History of Planet Earth. Both of these stories are absolute winners in my mind.
I adored all of the people watching stories and marvelled at Panayi's perceptions. My two favourites from this section were; Hospital Visions and The Reunion. Panayi simply has this marvelous ability to pick through the veneer of civilised lifestyle and tell it how it really is. Interestingly enough my favourite story in the book came from neither of those genres, but from the fantasy genre. The Initiation completely sucked me in and the ending was totally perfect. I loved it.
Panayi is a very talented, eclectic author and I love reading her work. This lastest just reinforces my belief that this woman is an "Indie Author" on the rise. Five stars all the way to Oddscapes and Quirkitudes.
Check out Oddscapes and Quirkitudes here: http://amzn.to/22JYaDH
Until recently I had not been a fan of short stories and dare I say it, even dismissive of them as being uncompleted works in progress. This and other anthologies I have read recently has rapidly changed my perceptions. Short stories are a wonderful way to get across a relevant point or idea and make the reader think. This is certainly the case with Oddscapes and Quirkitudes, which allows Panayi's sometimes sarcastic and insightful style to resonate with the reader and to make him/her ask themselves the relevant questions posed by the author.
Like all anthologies there are some stories that resonate with me more than others and some that will stick in my memory long after the read. Of the three genres, the two I enjoyed the most were the Post-Apcalyptic and the People Watching.
I loved the incredibly accurate handle Panayi seems to have on the troubles that face our modern society and how we could so easily slip into a situation that renders a dystopian world. Two stories from this section that particularly intrigued me were; Nine Voices After the Apocalypse and History of Planet Earth. Both of these stories are absolute winners in my mind.
I adored all of the people watching stories and marvelled at Panayi's perceptions. My two favourites from this section were; Hospital Visions and The Reunion. Panayi simply has this marvelous ability to pick through the veneer of civilised lifestyle and tell it how it really is. Interestingly enough my favourite story in the book came from neither of those genres, but from the fantasy genre. The Initiation completely sucked me in and the ending was totally perfect. I loved it.
Panayi is a very talented, eclectic author and I love reading her work. This lastest just reinforces my belief that this woman is an "Indie Author" on the rise. Five stars all the way to Oddscapes and Quirkitudes.
Check out Oddscapes and Quirkitudes here: http://amzn.to/22JYaDH
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