This anthology of flash fiction stories contains the winners of the competition set up by the publisher to raise funds for two charities, Special Effect and Stack Up. Entrants had to make a donation (amount left to the individual) to one of these charities in place of an entry fee.

Each story had to be inspired by one of a series of quotes from other books, these had plenty of variety and that is demonstrated in the different stories told here.

As this was flash fiction, I won’t give a precis of each story, as that would almost tell each tale. But all the stories contained are very distinct from each other and all are quality pieces of writing.

You’ll find humour, horror, fantasy, crime, science fiction, animal tails, and a touch of romance here. The characters are well-presented, and the plots work well for such short stories.
This is a diverse collection of entertaining and often surprising tales. I enjoyed each one. There is something remarkably satisfying about reading short fiction of quality and this certainly fits that bill.

Buy the book to ensure the charities gain more much-needed income. Enjoy the tales and perhaps look at the books written by some of the writers; details are given after each story.
It’s good to have a volume into which a reader can dip for just a few minutes to take a welcome break from the real world we all inhabit.

I list the stories below for you as they appear in the book.

Thug, by Angela Caulder, Joint 1^st

It’s a Frog Eat Frog World, by Alan R Paine, Joint 1^st

Passing Ships, by Mark P Henderson, Joint Runner-up

The Rose Garden, by Madeleine McDonald, Shortlisted

Wormhole, by Walt Pilcher, Joint 3^rd

The Road Less Travelled, by Alan R Paine, Shortlisted

The Unspoken, by Vanessa Horn, Shortlisted

How Now?, by Walt Pilcher, Shortlisted

Talky Tin, by Sue Knight, Joint 4^th

Greener Pastures, by Claire Wilson, Joint 5^th

The Carrot Fly Machine, by Alan R Paine, Shortlisted

Dragon Ninja, by Jack Mann, Shortlisted

Anyone’s Rift, by Annie Percik, Joint 3^rd

A Gift From the Sky, by John Kot, Joint 4^th

Between, by Erin Warden English, Shortlisted

The Last Word, by Kester Robert Park, Joint 5^th

The Camera Never Lies, by Ian Coldicott, Joint Runner-up

[Any review is a personal opinion. No reviewer can represent the view of anyone else. The best we can manage is an honest reaction to any given book.]