Chapter by Chapter

Two and Twenty Dark Tales: Dark Retellings of Mother Goose Rhymes was a very interesting read, to say the least. The Mother Goose rhymes that we all know and grew up with are completely revamped and retold in different ways that totally mess with your mind, and will have you looking at these rhymes in a completely different way. And many of them are re-done in such a way that you really will not forget them. They will sit in your mind, and worm its way right to the core and have you shudder. Loved it!I always have a hard time reading anthologies. The stories are too short, and I’m always left with questions, and needing more. Yes, you will find that here BUT the stories are done in such a way that what is given to you is exactly all that you need. It gets right down to the nitty gritty, and totally messes with your mind. I walked away shaking my head and praising the authors in this anthology. The way in which they are all able to take a simple verse or story and give it a totally dark twist. It baffles my mind how they can come up with this totally twisted version of the story. How did they come up with it? How did the idea even come about? How could you possibly come up with that story from the little that you have in front of you? Amazing. Truly…One that sticks out in my mind, and that is actually from the author that we are featuring on the blog today, C. Lee McKenzie, author of Alligators Overhead, is Into the Sea of Dew based on Blinkin’ Winkin’ and Nod. The nursery rhyme basically is about a trio of fishermen who set sail in a wooden shoe, and it’s pretty much a mother who sings this lullaby to her child before bed. All sweet, and loving, and warm feely goodness, right? BAM! Enter C. Lee McKenzie, and this little trio of fishermen are students stranded out at sea, and talks about how they try to survive. The imagery I found in this one short story was phenomenal. I was swept away and felt like I was on the raft with these kids. We were given a very close glimpse of what goes on the minds of these teens, and how far they go to try and survive. Gah, you guys! Seriously, you need to read this one. You won’t forget it! It will be seared into your mind…