Reviews

Review of “Song of Mary“

Two nice reviews: Locus and Diabolical Plots.

Review of “Long White Seagull“

Lois Tilton gives a recommended review at Locus: “A neat step sidewise in reality.” Full review here.

Reviews of “On the Many Uses of Cedar“

Lois Tilton at Locus: “…this is a neat little story, otherwise well-written in the future tense.” Full review here.

Big Bad Wolfrom’s Reviews: “The author is very adept at storytelling, particularly since he was able to describe recurring events in a way that still felt fresh. The characters felt real to me, as did the setting, and this was one of my favourites of the issue.” Full review here.

Kahlan Asche, Smashwords user: “The best thing I have read yet, here on Smashwords”

Reviews of “Abattoir Blues“

Flames Rising posted this review:

“Following that, Geoffry W. Cole keeps the quality high with the story “Abattoir Blues”… The entire story is done in dialogue, as a conversation between Toby and his captors, and much of it is exposition, but it is done in a truly fascinating and engaging way for the reader. The world that Cole builds is an amazing theocratic dystopian future, and, like “For They Are As Beasts”, it’s almost a shame that we don’t get more of it.”

Click here to read the entire review.

 

Reviews of “Teaching Bigfoot to Read”:

Bibliophile Stalker had this to say:

“…this is the story that stands out more for me mainly because it succeeds in its execution, not only being easy to read but leaving some room for some ambiguity at the end. Definitely a must-read.”

The entire review is here.

The Fix reviewed the same story here.  Here are some highlights:

“… Cole builds emotion and suspense (a sense of inevitable tragedy) through attention to detail and a hyper-realistic mimcry of a young boy’s speech rhythms and thought patterns. The language works, and so does the story as a whole.”

Variety SF had this to say:

“Among the strongest stories I’ve yet seen from Clarkesworld.”

The Internet Review of Science Fiction also posted a review here.

Geoff’s Mother’s Reviews

Where I bring you reviews by Geoff’s mother. Always impartial, never hyperbolic.

Eversong

“This writing is so exquisite that I am at a loss for words. It is so
majestic, painful, honest and important. Truly, I feel that this is your greatest writing yet. It is sublime.”

On the Many Uses of Cedar

“It is incredible! I love the way you use the cedar in all of Fanny’s daily trials, but also in her salvation… You led the reader down a difficult,sad path and then presented a pleasing conclusion. LOVED IT.”

Heart of Darkest Tortuguero

“What an intriguing story. The Costa Rican scenes must be so vivid for
you; now you have created your own Central American version of Heart of Darkness for readers who have never been to those jungles but can now experience them in a very sensory way. I loved your descriptive passages: the Americans/manatees, the eels,the plastic croc, the waterways,….. and of course, the small yellow snake… Yet another great story based upon both your
literary and literal travels.”

Tsunami Avalanche Volcano Franklin Flood

“The tsunami…… ticket idea is so novel, and I love the contrast between the two main characters. The ending is perfect; it’s short and very pointed. Justice! I wasn’t crazy about the language/slang of MK, but it is somewhat useful to create his character and to see how he reacts when in a hopeless and sad situation. If I was your editor, I’d suggest toning down the language so that it doesn’t interfere with and over-power the really important part of what you’ve written.”