Title: Fourth Degree Freedom
Author: Libby Heily
Genre: novella, general fiction, fantasy/supernatural fiction
Series: N/A
Pages: 24
Published: August 2011
Rating: 4/5
This review is bit shorter than my wont, but I'm refusing to give away too much detail about these awesome stories. Read them!
A set of five entertaining, but wildly disparate short stories, Fourth Degree Freedom is a fun, short foray into the literary talents of Libby Heily. I know Libby, we're blogger friends, but I try to be unbiased with anything I review - and this delightful twenty-five page work is more than worth reading. It's short, easy and quite engrossing to read and full of imagination.
Five different stories, ranging from the dystopic-feeling The Event to the fantasyish/paranormal-esque eponymous Fourth Degree Freedom, each were entirely fresh with a unique voice and feel. All were well-written, plotted, paced; I must admit I wished for more length with She Floats and The Event because they each had so intriguing a premise. The short story The Event in which the government sanctions a hunt for the elderly people by the young is one of the more creative avenues I've seen for a dystopic idea. It's both a chilling, and an interesting novella; my favorite of the collection.
My second favorite, and a close tie for absolute favoite, was Fourth Degree Freedom. I LOVED this story, and this idea. Essentially, radiation in the atmosphere has caused "30% of births" to be stricken with some degree of monstrosity. Pepper and Leah have a son, David, a monster of the fourth degree. This was the story I contemplated most of the five; in a world full of monsters, it is the parents in this story that seem the most monstrous.
The other three I've not waxed on specifically about (Thank You for Calling, The Last Six Miles, She Floats) are all unique and different tales. From a woman struggling to find hope and a better life to a woman determined to save her own life, each successive offers a glimpse into the very creative and fun mind of the author.
Five different stories, ranging from the dystopic-feeling The Event to the fantasyish/paranormal-esque eponymous Fourth Degree Freedom, each were entirely fresh with a unique voice and feel. All were well-written, plotted, paced; I must admit I wished for more length with She Floats and The Event because they each had so intriguing a premise. The short story The Event in which the government sanctions a hunt for the elderly people by the young is one of the more creative avenues I've seen for a dystopic idea. It's both a chilling, and an interesting novella; my favorite of the collection.
My second favorite, and a close tie for absolute favoite, was Fourth Degree Freedom. I LOVED this story, and this idea. Essentially, radiation in the atmosphere has caused "30% of births" to be stricken with some degree of monstrosity. Pepper and Leah have a son, David, a monster of the fourth degree. This was the story I contemplated most of the five; in a world full of monsters, it is the parents in this story that seem the most monstrous.
The other three I've not waxed on specifically about (Thank You for Calling, The Last Six Miles, She Floats) are all unique and different tales. From a woman struggling to find hope and a better life to a woman determined to save her own life, each successive offers a glimpse into the very creative and fun mind of the author.
Thanks for the great review Jessie! I'm so glad you enjoyed the stories. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous. :)
ReplyDeletethey were so distinct and creative! I had a lot of fun reading them. Fourth Degree Freedom might be tied for my favorite with The Event - - I'd not mind longer stories about them!
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