Fourteen Flashes of Fiction by Rosalind Smith-Nazilli

Effective flash fiction should be like a punch to the gut. It should be the sudden wrench as you trip and suddenly you are looking skywards. It's the slice of lemon in your drink. It’s the finger in your pork pie. You can nod to yourself knowingly like you know where this story is going but then it hits you. That is flash fiction. Rosalind Smith-Nazilli accomplishes this impact and more.

This collection has a bit of everything for you it has debt collectors, serial killers, gangsters, prostitutes, fugitives and van drivers on unexpected errands. It has action, suspense, heart and soul.

My favourite tale is Remember Yesterday. An emotional story that captures a sad moment perfectly. The warmth of the nostalgia blends with the melancholy theme beautifully. Crafting an effective story with a limited word count is extremely tricky, however, the author succeeds time and again. A cracking collection that kept me entertained from start to finish.

Genre:  Crime
Publisher: Independent
Format:  E-Book Short Story / Flash Fiction Collection
Price:  Amazon UK - £1.33
Rating:  5/5

Tollesbury Time Forever by Stuart Ayris

Right from the outset Tollesbury Time Forever is a wondrous and uplifting novel with a fable like quality to it. Ayris's use of beautiful descriptive writing is nothing short of breathtaking. Ayris turns a simple game of Cricket into a lesson. He makes a meal into an observation on life. Every conversation is fraught with meaning.

Tollesbury Time Forever is a story of redemption. Simon Gregory is a man who, for reasons unknown at the outset, has selfishly failed to live up to his responsibilities. He pays a high price for this as he continues to do so throughout his life. This ultimately leads to his disconnection and exclusion from society, withdrawing into himself. This is the story of that withdrawal and of the underlying "illness" behind it. A delightful soundtrack of Beatles songs pepper the novel and lots of other musical references and quotes add splashes of vibrant colour.

The melancholy "truth" of this fairy tale world is revealed in part two. I have no wish to spoil anything so I'll be deliberately vague about aspects of part two of the book. Part two deals with matters of a more concrete and less ethereal nature. We see some of the characters from part one in a more grounded setting. We learn more about the real Simon and the problems he has been facing and indeed will continue to battle.

As Simon strives to "improve" and he feels he must Ayris reminds us that "labels" used to describe mental illness are simply that and they speak nothing about a persons true perception and feelings.

Although this is a serious novel there are moments to make you smile. There is a supermarket scene that will have you howling with laughter. A deeply affecting novel that lands lightly like a butterfly upon the beauty of life and not just the hardships.

I now yearn to visit Tollesbury to see if my imperfect perception has done it justice. I doubt it. I don't know what liberties the author has taken with the facts and frankly that isn't important. Rarely have I read a novel that has affected me so deeply. It moved me to tears at its conclusion. Sublime. Wonderful. I should like to have a pint in the Kings Head and let the world fade into the background.

Genre:  Literary Fiction

Publisher:  Independent

Format:  E-Book Novel

Price:  Amazon UK - £0.98

Rating: 5/5

Ayris vs Ayris - A Battle Royale

Ever since the first primitive man crawled from his cave, with club in hand, and found something to bash man has contested. First we contested with nature and discovered fire in order to keep warm. We contested with beasts in order that we might eat and be clothed in their furs. Finally, we discovered how much fun it was to battle our fellow man for such things as territory, a mate or even just for fun.

If you have religious views you may believe in the story of Kane and Abel. Perhaps the ultimate contest is that between brothers. Sibling rivalry is one of the strongest forms of contest there is. This is the tale of two brothers. They don’t cross swords. They don’t swing battle axes. These brothers contest over words.

In the blood red corner we have Ian Ayris. Ian looks honed and focused and ready for battle. Ian’s first novel Abide With Me published by Caffeine Nights will be out on March the 19th. This novel is one of the most anticipated novels of the year. Ian is no rookie writer. He has a large fan base and has had over forty short stories published online. His distinctive, strong literary voice is one his readers don’t forget in a hurry.

You Can Pre-order Abide With Me HERE

In the hazy incense filled blue corner is Stuart Ayris twin brother of Ian. Stuart is having a massage and contemplating the meaning of life. Stuart has an interest in Buddhism and a fascination for the Amish lifestyle. He is listening to the Beatles on an old windup gramophone and reading a cricket biography. Author of A Cleansing of Souls and the just released Tollesbury Time Forever his musings on life differ from Ian’s stark tales.

You Can Download Tollesbury Time Forever HERE


In the ongoing battle for readers which sibling will triumph? Who will win on the intellectual battleground? Why not enter the fray by reading these books and making your own mind up?

Speaking for myself – I like Ian’s dark voice. However, I like Stuart’s contemplative musings. But which is better? There’s only one way to find out…

FIIIIGGGGGHHHHTTTTT!!!!!!!!!

Pain Eaters by William Tooker

Pain Eaters is perhaps best described as a cross between X-Men and Hellraiser. In other words an action horror tale with more emphasis on the action aspect.  We are plunged straight into the action as Jack Fugazi is caught bang to rights surrounded by bodies. However, all is not as it seems and Jack gets the chance to tell his story from an interrogation room. It is clear that Tooker knows how to spin an excellent story.

The only very minor negative I have to offer is that for me it seemed perhaps a tad too short. I felt that we could have had a little more of the back story behind Jack and the villain known simply as the German. However, take this as a complimentary statement it shows that the author had engaged me completely in his world. I wanted to explore more of this strange world where good and evil sorcerers with strange incredible powers contest for supremacy.

Tooker had me hooked with his strong descriptive writing and I'm hoping that he takes the hint from this reviewer and sets a few more stories in this fascinating world that I'd love to see more of. If you like an interesting blend of action, magic, horror and superheroes then you'll enjoy Pain Eaters as much as I did. A very enjoyable read that I would recommend. A five star read for me as I felt it was original, very engaging and compellingly told.

Genre:  Action/Horror
Publisher:  Trestle Press
Format:  E-Book Novella
Price:  Amazon UK - £2.17, Amazon US - $3,35, Barnes & Nobles - $2.99
Rating:  5/5

The Society of Dirty Hearts by Ben Cheetham

The Society of Dirty Hearts is the story of a young man's descent into obsession, addiction and depravity. Julian is a lad born with a silver spoon in his mouth. His father owns a long-standing shoe manufacturing company that has recently fallen on hard times. Julian wants for nothing and all should be well in his world.

At the start of the story he is a personable and pleasant youth who you can't help but like. However, following a traumatic event in his childhood he is a troubled soul who is plagued by dreams in which he commits unspeakable acts of violence. Julian bumps into Mia, a fifteen year old girl that he feels inexplicably drawn to. In an attempt to understand this connection he spends time with her. She is a wild child with a dark past and events soon spiral out of control for both Mia and Julian.

I am rapidly becoming a big fan of Cheetham's very accomplished narrative. This is the second of his works that I've read and I quickly became thoroughly immersed in the plot. Ben Cheetham has much in common with Allan Guthrie in that he seems to enjoy systematically destroying his characters one chapter at a time and like Guthrie he does this in a credible, believable and exciting fashion.

I'm quite a canny reader and often guess the twist before it comes, not so with this novel. Cheetham kept the tension and suspense up right until the very last word. A thrilling exploration into the darkness that is held within us all. This is very much an adult novel in theme and content. I was left satisfied in the knowledge that I’d had a great read. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this novel to others.

Genre:  Crime/Thriller
Publisher:  Indie
Format:  E-book novel
Price:  Amazon UK - £0.77, Amazon US - £1.20, Barnes & Noble: $0.99
Rating:  5/5

Deadland, USA - Ballroom Blitz (Volume 2) by Heath Lowrance

Ballroom Blitz is the second in Heath Lowrance’s ongoing zombie series. We travel back to a time at the beginning of the zombie troubles and learn more about the character, Sammy, who writes the journal from which the narrative is told. The author again impressed me with his wise cracking comments. 


Heath has the mentality of a cocky late teen down pat and we never doubt for a moment that the narrative is coming from a youth. Alcohol, music and clubbing are the things that are of interest to most late teens and, as it is Sammy’s birthday, it seems fitting that most of the story takes place in a club or ballroom as the author calls it. Here is where things go darker. Zombie genre lovers will enjoy the grisly and descriptive gore that the author uses to bring an extra dimension to the story.


As a fan of zombie fiction I enjoyed this second story and am ready to get my teeth into the third tale as fast as the author can release it. Heath Lowrance is a writer of some considerable talent and he brings several elements to the genre that makes it a fresh and thoroughly enjoyable read. 


Genre:  Horror
Publisher:  Trestle Press
Format:  E-Book (Short Story - Serialisation)
Price:  Amazon-UK - £0.86, Amazon-US - $1.34, Barnes & Noble - $0.99
Rating: 5 / 5

Das Slap by Charlie Wade

Having read some of Charlie Wade's excellent fiction online I had some idea what to expect from Das Slap. Wade brings you dark deeds and tense plot lines but almost always with his trademark dark humour. Das Slap is no exception.

When Sally's friend Josie is beaten and hospitalised Sally goes out to seek revenge on those responsible. Being a capable woman she leaves behind her a trail of devastated and bruised male egos. You can't help but smile at some of the nasty ways in which she seeks her vengeance.

In the story we learn where the intriguing title originates from. Wade seems to be conveying a deeper meaning about Sally's prejudices and the truth when she discovers it surprises her and will you the reader. Das Slap is the first part in an ongoing series. If this sublime tale is anything to go by then Charlie Wade will send us on a heck of a ride. I have no problem giving Wade's effortless, funny and satisfying prose a solid five stars.

Genre:  Crime.

Publisher:  Trestle Press.

Format:  E-Book.

Price:  Amazon-UK - £0.86, Amazon-US - $1.38, Barnes & Noble - $0.99

Rating: 5 out of 5