REVIEWS FOR 'NOT ALL OF THEM ABOUT ZOMBIES':
IAN TAPLEY, TOP AMAZON REVIEWER
“What impressed me most about this collection was the variety of styles that the author utilises. The tales range from straightforward fantasy and science fiction genres to a multitude of personal impressions, sometimes from the monster’s point of view. Mr Rowe also manages to get into the female psyche without patronizing the women he’s writing about.... I think this collection would appeal to a wide range of readers, not just science fiction and fantasy fans. If you enjoy a twist in the tale kind of plot, this is the short story collection to buy and read.... [Mr Rowe’s] pacing for each story is good with splendid swash-buckling fight scenes and breathless chase sequences. Though if you are a prude like me, be prepared to be shocked at the explicit sexual descriptions in Au Naturale. But that’s no reason not to read it because it is one of the best twist-in-the-tale stories in the collection and has a really funny ending!
There’s no shallow plots or gratuitous violence here. Each story holds its own, though sometimes I wish the story would go on - Redbird and Eleanor, for instance. I particularly enjoyed his exploration of werewolves in Harry. That’s saying a lot because personally I dislike werewolves nearly as much as I dislike vampires. Mr Rowe’s writing draws you in and hooks you. You have to read on to find out what happens!
It is difficult to say which were the best stories. They’re all so good. My personal favourites however include the following:
1. Guardian: an excellent take on the eternal guardian of a forgotten treasure tale. The story is from the point of view of the guardian and is just beautiful.
2.Redbird and Eleanor: OK, it’s my sort of genre - fantasy. But this tale isn’t just swords and sorcery. The plot is excellent with magical encounters and a lovely fight with bandits. The characters are real and have an excellent sense of humour. I think that Mr Rowe could expand this and maybe write a whole novel about Redbird.*
3.Selling Liberty: the first short story in a collection always makes an impression. Again it’s fantasy and extremely funny with a very personable female narrator.
Different people will like different stories in the collection. That’s what’s so good about Mr Rowe’s prolific writing - there’s something which will appeal to everyone. Don’t be timid, buy it now and enjoy the collection for yourself.”
PAUL TAPNER, TOP AMAZON REVIEWER
“A collection of short stories from a writer who states in the foreword he hopes this collection will open a few doors for him and get some attention from publishers. And on the basis of this collection we can but hope his plan works because there's some very promising material in here. It's a pretty diverse mix of fantasy horror and science fiction and crime, and the author's voice is quite individual. He manages to find a different style for each story that is all his own.
The book runs for just under two hundred pages. It begins with a preface, mentioning the above, and then an introduction that gives a look at all the stories and what they're about and how he came up with the ideas. This is very interesting stuff, although you may prefer to read it after the stories so that you can come to them afresh. The preface does give you ample warning and opportunity to do this if you should so desire.
After that come ten stories, one short poem, and a brief afterword.
The stories are as follows:
`Selling Liberty'. Running for twenty pages, a fantasy story telling about a young girl heading off to sell a prized possession who runs into trouble. Can she depend on the kindness of strangers? Not a story I can say too much about without giving things away but it manages some good twists and developments and you may not see the end coming. Worthy of Roald Dahl.
`The happily ever after' is twelve pages long and is a sequel to the story of little red riding hood, telling what the main character did next. Written in the style of an old fashioned fairy tale, this succeeds rather well. The preface promises the possibility of more like this. I wouldn't mind to read them.
`Au Naturale' is a ten page story of a man who meets his dream woman in a future world where everyone artificially enhances their body. Written as a very intimate scene between the two this is a good stab at writing such things and it succeeds quite well. And it does have a delicious twist ending.
`Just a fluke' is over double the length of the above and a story about a man who wakes up in a woman's body. As a result of an alien influence. As he experiences and gets used to life in this form he forgets the alien has it's own agenda. This is quite a bold experiment in the writing style and it works well. The end took a while to sink in with me, but it works fine in hindsight. And just like the above, this story contains adult situations and adult language.
Following this is `Zombies' the one thing in the collection that is about them. A very very short poem. It's not going to win any literary awards, but it's fun for what it is.
After that comes `Breakdown' a ten page horror story involving a man driving through fog on his way to a scene of horror. And that ends up being the least of his worries. As a recreation of what it's like to go through this kind of weather it's very good. The end of the story does rather come out of nowhere, and perhaps it would work better if it was part of a collection of similar tales as promised in the preface. But all in all it's not a bad piece of work.
`Guardian' is another ten page effort, slipping back into the fantasy genre. In that you can occasionally find characters getting to ancient tombs or monuments only to discover beings who have devoted their life to guarding the place. What must it be like, the story asks, to be such a guardian? Written entirely from the perspective of one this is a good character piece and an enjoyable little tale.
`Harry' runs for roughly twenty pages and tells of a man battling a werewolf. But is his battle all in the mind? A deeply psychological tale and one that takes a little while to sink in afterwards, but it's a clever idea and a bold effort.
`Don't fear the Reaper' is roughly six pages long and a short tale about a murderer and his victim. The former is seeking something. But can the latter give it to him? A little gruesome but a good ending, although not quite as memorable in that respect as selling liberty or au naturale.
`Good Intentions' is a ten page story that comes from the crime genre, telling of a would be arsonist. And a choice he has to make. An excellent character piece well describing how the main character got into this situation, and a superb moral dilemma at the heart of this. Not one you will forget the end of in a hurry. Very good stuff.
Then comes `Redbird and Eleanor' a thirty page fantasy story about a lady trader in a fantasy setting who ends up with a travelling companion she'd not planned on. At first this looks like being rather generic fantasy, but it does manage to stand out because the main characters do become rather compelling. Eleanor a bit more so than Redbird, but if we get the further tales of the characters promised by the preface then I'm sure that won't be a problem. Eleanor is not entirely the most likeable of characters but she's still quite compelling, and that's no mean feat writing wise.
And the book concludes with a short `farewell' note that will make you chuckle.
So all in all, a pretty good collection, and a promising piece of work. I hope that it does lead to more.
ANNA BROCK, GHOST WRITER AND CRITIC
“What impressed me most about this collection was the variety of styles that the author utilises. The tales range from straightforward fantasy and science fiction genres to a multitude of personal impressions, sometimes from the monster’s point of view. Mr Rowe also manages to get into the female psyche without patronizing the women he’s writing about.... I think this collection would appeal to a wide range of readers, not just science fiction and fantasy fans. If you enjoy a twist in the tale kind of plot, this is the short story collection to buy and read.... [Mr Rowe’s] pacing for each story is good with splendid swash-buckling fight scenes and breathless chase sequences. Though if you are a prude like me, be prepared to be shocked at the explicit sexual descriptions in Au Naturale. But that’s no reason not to read it because it is one of the best twist-in-the-tale stories in the collection and has a really funny ending!
There’s no shallow plots or gratuitous violence here. Each story holds its own, though sometimes I wish the story would go on - Redbird and Eleanor, for instance. I particularly enjoyed his exploration of werewolves in Harry. That’s saying a lot because personally I dislike werewolves nearly as much as I dislike vampires. Mr Rowe’s writing draws you in and hooks you. You have to read on to find out what happens!
It is difficult to say which were the best stories. They’re all so good. My personal favourites however include the following:
1. Guardian: an excellent take on the eternal guardian of a forgotten treasure tale. The story is from the point of view of the guardian and is just beautiful.
2.Redbird and Eleanor: OK, it’s my sort of genre - fantasy. But this tale isn’t just swords and sorcery. The plot is excellent with magical encounters and a lovely fight with bandits. The characters are real and have an excellent sense of humour. I think that Mr Rowe could expand this and maybe write a whole novel about Redbird.*
3.Selling Liberty: the first short story in a collection always makes an impression. Again it’s fantasy and extremely funny with a very personable female narrator.
Different people will like different stories in the collection. That’s what’s so good about Mr Rowe’s prolific writing - there’s something which will appeal to everyone. Don’t be timid, buy it now and enjoy the collection for yourself.”
DARREN G. BURTON, LULU WRITER
I really enjoyed the writing style, the wording and imagery are excellent. This writer has good wit and refreshing honesty about himself, and the publishing world as well. I know how you feel, Matthew. I've spent years peddling my wares to publishers and agents as well for no result. I got close a couple of times, but couldn't quite get my foot firmly planted through the door before it slammed unapologetically into my face.
Once again, well done. Great work!
RANDY HUNSUCKER, LULU WRITER
Don't let the humorous summary fool you. This collection of short stories can be serious, and is definitely dark in places such as the edge-of-your-seat short, "Selling Liberty."
If short reads are your thing, then you definitely should buy a copy of NOT ALL OF THEM ABOUT ZOMBIES.
WILLIAM YOUNG, LULU WRITER
Good collection of short stories from a very talented new author.
AMANDA RICHARDS, TOP AMAZON REVIEWER
This is an ideal collection of short stories for short attention spans, people who read on the go, people who think they're too busy to read, and big girls (and boys) who just wanna have fun.
The witty storylines and sometimes absolutely brilliant concepts are well-written, to the point, and never, ever boring. The author, via the introductory pages, includes his thoughts and the inspiration for each story, so by the time you start the first story you're already at page 27.
1. Selling Liberty: One girl, One sword, Two thugs, One twist
2. The Happily Ever After: Red Riding Hood survives her traumatic childhood incident and changes her name to Redcape. She flirts with a stranger, dances around a wolf, and lives happily for a while.
3. Au Naturale: A young man's experiences a real live natural woman. (Explicit)
4. Just a Fluke: A man wakes up and finds out that he's not quite himself. The longest story is one of the best in this collection.
5. Zombies: The shortest is the one that's actually all about zombies
6. Breakdown: A rescue mission that goes awfully wrong
7. Guardian: Old man with a mission
8. Harry: When imaginary beasties cross the line
9. Don't Fear the Reaper: A day in the life of Death
10. Good Intentions: Two-bit hood fails ignition test
11. Redbird and Eleanor: Back to the "Hood"
"Keepin' It Short" Summary (KISS): Small collection - eleven short stories and a long introduction- and as promised, not all about zombies.
To quote from the final page: "Parting is such sweet sorrow - unless it involved a chainsaw, in which case you're probably just glad it's over"
