Rare Specimen and Other Stories

This is a slender book of dark and imaginative short fiction, some no more than a snapshot spanning a couple pages, others a bit more fleshed out–but none too much so. There are whispers here and there of some mysterious religious orders (cults? Probably, I dunno), landscapes ravaged by who-knows-what, characters with their own unstated motivations and goals.

The point, seemingly, is that we know there's something behind all of that, not that we know what it is. I feel like many of these glimpses could be spun off into a novel, but I'm content just chewing on the mysteries I've been shown.

In any case, as an introduction to an author, this is tantalizing stuff, and I for one will be waiting to see what he comes up with next.

I was sent an e-ARC for free, and I'm leaving this review voluntarily.