Official Review by adambongo: Holding Fire

[adambongo]

[Following is adambongo's official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Holding Fire".]

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3 out of 4 stars

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This was the first collection of shorts stories I’ve read since I was 12. So the stakes were at an all time high.

Holding Fire: Short Stories of Self-Destruction is an anthology put together by the webmaster at OnlineBookClub.org, Scott Hughes. Scott brought together 10 writers from all over the world, all who had written short stories that revolved around the topic of self-destruction caused by vengeance and hate. What drew me to this book initially was the possibility of supporting 10 new, independent authors who worked with a passion creating emotional content.

In life we are faced with predicaments that leave us with such an anger, that we slowly transition from a feeling of rage, to a feeling of hate. How we act regarding the hate that we experience depends on who we are as people, and what has caused this loathing feeling in the first place. There are certain situations in life that leave us seeking nothing but revenge. Each plot deals with a different character either succumbing to that revenge, or overcoming it.

Going into this collection of 10 very different short stories, I didn’t know what to expect. My biggest fear was that I wouldn’t be able to constantly connect with new characters. However, each author did an amazing job of painting a vivid picture for every character that was introduced and the problem that left them feeling vengeful. Each main character experienced a similar feeling of hate, but for very different reasons. What I admired most about this anthology was the variation in how justified or unjustified each character’s vengeance was. One character sought revenge on an awful ex-boyfriend, and then had to deal with the consequences of that vengeful action. Another plot revolved around a young man’s hateful feelings aimed at a Prince who was responsible for the death of the young man’s best friend. From the time periods the stories took place in, to the characteristics of the main characters, to the writing styles, each story was completely different from the last.

I fear that this collection of short stories will set the bar too high for me moving forward onto new anthologies. Very rarely will you see 10 stories that are riveting and exciting enough to keep the reader constantly on the edge of their seat, and that’s exactly what Holding Fire did.

The diversity of the writers allows for the reader to constantly be challenged to interpret a new style with each story. I believe in order to grow as a reader and to expand your comfort zone, you have to read stories that don’t necessarily coincide with what reading styles you are used to indulging in.

I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. I am excited to venture into more anthologies moving forward.

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Holding Fire
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

Like adambongo's review? Post a comment saying so!

[Scott]

Thank you for the review, Adam!

[zaynab_m]

Awesome review! The book sounds interesting; I hope I get to read it. However, you didn't mention why you deducted a star for the book. What was wrong with it?

[Rachaelamb1]

It sounds like the stories have a great message although I'm not sure I would enjoy the topic very much. I like how you explained that though each author has a different style, the stories coincide and each one is interesting.

[adambongo]

Thank you for the review, Adam!

Anytime, Scott!

-- 15 Nov 2015, 03:31 --

Awesome review! The book sounds interesting; I hope I get to read it. However, you didn't mention why you deducted a star for the book. What was wrong with it?

I loved it. But this is a great point. As amazing as the writing was, there were some minor errors and room for improvement. A ton of the authors are young, and I'm excited to see what else they put out as they continue to grow. I feel as if it was a 3.5 out of 4, but I couldn't express that as that's not a valid rating. I was also adjusting to reading my first anthology after so many novels, so it did take a bit to get into the constant switching of plots. So maybe my lack of experience with collections of short stories added to a disruption of flow in the beginning. I appreciate this question. Next time I shall include these types of constructive criticisms in my review.

-- 15 Nov 2015, 03:32 --

It sounds like the stories have a great message although I'm not sure I would enjoy the topic very much. I like how you explained that though each author has a different style, the stories coincide and each one is interesting.

Thanks so much. I think you would like it as well!

[rssllue]

Very nice review! As was said by Rachaelamb1, I am not sure about the overall topic, but you definitely made the stories sound quite good to read.

[Sarah G]

Great review. I like the idea of reading many stories in one, however I have just read a book that was experimental fantasy and I struggled with the different writing styles throughout that and felt the book didn't really flow. Did that happen at all with this? If not, then I may add it to my to-read list

[Ramona]

Wonderful review! I read highlights of your review to my husband and he said he'd like to read the book!!! I'm not sure it's a genre that I would enjoy, but it sounds like a great compilation of stories and an interesting way to compare and contrast the characters in each of the stories.

[lgt41]

adambongo, I enjoyed your review. It was well-balanced. In short, I agree with the perspective that "...in order to grow as a reader and to expand your comfort zone, you have to read stories that don’t necessarily coincide with what reading styles you are used to indulging in." Will definitely purchase the book.

Thank you,
lawrencegtaylor

[Immaculata Uduma]

The review is good.Sometimes,when a short story is of different captions,it used to be difficult to understand or flow. From the review so far the book is interesting.

[Romayamalik]

Writer in good way explains the whole atmosphere. Love can easily changes in to hate .as some misunderstandings occurred. So it is a chain love spreads love.hate spreads hate
.so its quite imaginative. As its name"holding fire".

[pricyugo2014]

the book sound so interesting i rate it 4 stars

[Elizabeth Wangui]

The review sounds good and interesting. Congrats.

[Ehnsheen]

Hi adambongo, thank you for the review. I was caught with the book's cover. And with your review, I think I would gonna loved it. You have posted it last 2 yrs ago, it is quite long though until this day. ☺

[Neverland]

I fear that this collection of short stories will set
the bar too high for me moving forward onto new
anthologies. Very rarely will you see 10 stories
that are riveting and exciting enough to keep the
reader constantly on the edge of their seat, and
that’s exactly what Holding Fire did