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Have You Heard This One Before
Have You Heard This One Before is a lively mix of short stories. Each tale jumps into a different mood, scene, or style, and the collection opens by proudly admitting that nothing links these stories except the author himself. You move from haunted lighthouses and eerie déjà vu to strange pumpkins with suspicious personalities and even a falling piano that changes a gambler’s life. The stories swing between mystery, humor, horror, sentiment, and quiet reflection, and they do it with a kind of carefree confidence that feels refreshing in a world obsessed with strict genres.
Reading it, I kept finding myself surprised at how quickly the tone could shift. One moment, I was following a family heading toward an old lighthouse in The Loop, and the next, I was inside a gambler’s mind as he dodged two thugs moments before a piano drops out of the sky in Surprise. The writing has a steady clarity, and the ideas land fast. Sometimes the twists feel sharp enough to make me sit back for a second. Other times, I felt a simple warmth, like the narrator in Surprise looking back on a messy young life with equal parts regret and humor.
I enjoyed the way the book leans into its own freedom. The author admits right in the foreword that he wasn’t sure who would read a genre-free collection, which almost made me root for the book before I even hit page one. That honesty softened me. Then the stories did the rest. Some ideas feel whimsical. Others dig into darker corners. A few made me laugh out loud because of how strange and blunt they were. I liked the looseness of it all. I liked that every story seemed to shrug at the idea of rules. Even when a moment made me uncomfortable or confused, I felt like the book wanted me to just ride the wave and trust it.
If you like stories that pick you up, spin you around, and drop you somewhere unexpected, this book will treat you well. Readers who crave strict genres might feel lost, yet readers who enjoy surprises, playful ideas, and quick bursts of emotion will have a good time. I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys short stories that don’t mind being weird, heartfelt, eerie, or funny, sometimes all in the same breath.
Pages: 165 | ASIN : B0FXCKZB4W
The Dead Superstar Bar
The story takes place in a neighborhood bar in Sarasota, The Dead Superstar Bar, a bar like no other. The place definitely lives up to its name, with dead superstars like George Harrison coming to perform nightly. Founded and established by Harvey Dowd with the help of his friend Conor, it’s a one-of-a-kind bar that features only music produced in the 1960s by dead musicians. What begins as a fantastic tale with a hint of nostalgia slowly becomes a mystery when none of the characters know how the bar came to be in the first place. This book shares so much trivia, and details about each musical band introduced to the audience during the daily night performances that it reads nothing short of an encyclopedia on music history.
The Dead Superstar Bar is an entertaining story packed with information and tidbits of music history in the form of a paranormal mystery novel. Although the author has undoubtedly done a respectable amount of research to compile such an enormous quantity of trivia and facts about each band or musician before introducing them to the stage in the bar, it can feel a bit like a music history lesson. However, for those who love reading about the strange facets of the life of a superstar, it is bound to be fantastic entertainment.
What is interesting to note is the odd anecdote behind the protagonist’s name, Harvey, as being given after the name of the six feet three-inch pooka that features in the 1950 movie of the same name. In terms of nostalgia for a time that has passed us by and for the once famous celebrities we have almost forgotten now, this story seems to bring them to our memory and help us reminisce about them, almost like the peculiar silent character of Elwood in the film. Overall, it invites us to take a pleasant journey into the 60s world of music.
The Dead Superstar Bar is a captivating contemporary fantasy novel with metaphysical characters that give the story its unique draw and mystery. Like the music of the 60s, this novel will remain with readers, make them smile, and make them wonder just what could happen next.
Pages: 262 | ASIN : B0BHJFQXVM
LITERARY TITAN 