Title: Anthology 1: The Other Side
Author: Hamidah Gul
Genre/s: Horror, Short Stories, Science Fiction, Fantasy
Synopsis:
A collection of stories about things that go bump in the night. Stories about the end of the world, what happens when your wishes come true, and when your emotions become your darkest enemy.1. The Suicide Case – A story about how three lives are intertwined to balance the scales between good and evil.2. Come Home with Me – Never invite her to come home with you. She will never leave till you are dead.3. The Other Side – This story is written in the point of view of one man who witnesses the end of the world.4. Mission of Mercy – This story is written in the point of view of the one who will end the world. This story is linked to The Other Side.5. The Best Friend – Ever wondered what your best friend is thinking when she is smiling at you?6. The Lonely Heart – A young man ponders the end of his life after being rejected by society and family but not everything is what it seems.7. Mary had a Little Lamb – A young woman who receives a disturbing prophecy that someone she loves will end her life and the desperate measures she takes to keep that from happening.8. Mother and the Birds - Flash fiction of what a mother wants her son to learn.9. The Death Star – A story in the voice of a young star looking for his purpose in space and finally finding it.10. Children of the Mist – Wishes do come true but at what expense? Five young children were given their dreams and now the time has come for them to make a choice whether they want to keep their dreams.
My Thoughts:
This is the first time I read an anthology, so I don't have any expectation whatsoever in this book, which is good because when you have expectation there is a risk of being disappointed. But fortunately, no disappointment occurred because I find this book quite entertaining.
My favorite story in this book is the Children f the Mist. It is about five people who can't remember their past but when they were reunited after 2 years they remembered everything, their childhood experience, the promised that they made and the reason why they can't remember anything about their past.
The story was really intriguing and mysterious, it made me read faster than my usual reading rate. It was also thought-provoking. I think, if someone asked to choose between my memories and my dreams, I wouldn't know what to answer. I might say neither, because first of all, even if you have a painful or horrible memories, its still is a part of who you are or what you become. I think memories are like treasures of the brain or our identity, without it we are nothing. On the other hand, dreams are also hard to let go, because dreams are the fuel of our existence. It's what drives us to wake up every morning, its the thing that we look forward to, it's what drives us to live. Without it, we have no goal, no purpose.
The stories in this collection are imaginative, a bit insane, and so out of this world(literally). There are a few typos and grammar errors but all in all it was a nice read. I enjoyed it.
My Rating:
