Short Stories Reviews

Fortunately, the Milk ~ Neil Gaiman with Skottie Young (Illustrator)

Let me just start off by saying I have not found a book of Neil Gaiman’s that I did not thoroughly enjoy! This children’s story was no different! I could just imagine Neil Gaiman telling the story and the illustrations by Skottie Young were fabulous! They really brought the story to life!

The father of two children must run to the store to grab some milk for their breakfast cereal. However when he takes longer than expected to come back, he recites his fantastical journey of bringing the milk home. The aliens, pirates, dinosaurs that are capable of time and space travel, and wumpires places the story in line with Neil Gaiman’s other works. Between the illustrations and story line, I was smiling and laughing. While this book may have been targeted for children, I felt I as an adult was enjoying it as much as any child would have! Definitely recommend for any adult and child!

 Overall Rating : 5 LEAFS 🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁

The Map ~ William Ritter

I must start off that it has been a while since I read the first Jackaby novel. I do know that I quite enjoyed the first and was eager to continue on with the series. Hence, I picked up this novella to get me quickly back into the world before continuing on with the novels in the series. 

I love Jackaby’s character; the best description I have for him is a mix of Sherlock and Doctor Who (need I say more?!). This book picks up after the first novel, and we are celebrating Rook’s birthday. Jackaby takes her to a market that is more than first expected. It is full of magical wonders and magical persons. While Jackaby is within a bookshop, Rook notices some treasure maps that catch her attention. Jackaby buys one for her as a birthday present, and an adventure to seek the treasure ensues! But as Rook says, “It’s nice to have purpose. It’s not about the treasure --  it’s about the hunt.”. 

While I did enjoy the world and adventure of this short story, I wanted more. Though, I do suppose that is also a good thing, because I was enjoying the atmosphere, world, and characters so much that I wanted more. I shall continue on with this series to see what further adventures Jackaby and Rook will discover. 

Overall Rating : 3 LEAFS 🍁🍁🍁

The Test ~ Sylvain Neuvel

This book surprised me in many different ways! To start with, I was not entirely sure what this book was about when I picked it up. I just knew I loved Themis Files and the brief description of a man within an immigration dystopia sitting for his British Citizenship Test. The beginning pulled me into what felt like a routine citizenship test while building the character’s backstory. Then Wham!, you find out the world is not our current world of today and the concept is intriguing. The story quickly turns darker and I have to say I enjoyed the darkness. The result of his test was very interesting and had me racing to finish. However, the last few pages of the book, I felt did not belong with the book. I know not every story has a happy ending and this book certainly was a great candidate for a not-so-fairy-tale ending, but perhaps those last few were just a little too dark for me. 

Overall, I was very intrigued with the plot. The characters were well developed for only 112 pages. Obviously the pacing was right on track, and I continue to enjoy the author’s writing style. I look forward to reading more of his future works.

Overall Rating : 4 LEAFS 🍁🍁🍁🍁