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Rating: 
Summary: Not your ordinary Twisted
Review: Mr. Burk, in his chapbook, has assembled four stories of a subtle gothic horror nature reminiscent of Harlan Ellison and written in a witty style similar to Roger Zelazny. This fusion is a good thing. The four short stories are related to each other in category only and provide the reader with the scope of Mr. Burk's abilities as a fine storyteller. His command of language creates vivid characters that stand out in the readers mind and his talent for turning (or should it be twisting?) a phrase is outrageous, lending itself well to his well-crafted smooth dialogues. Under his pen, commonplace concepts are malleable as sculptors clay and shaped infinitely finer than their mundane origins. While the relationships aren't groundbreaking, the interplay between protagonists and antagonists is delightful. Mr. Burk, again, makes good use of his gift for twisting the ordinary into the extraordinary, giving a fresh breath of creativity to the standard fare genre writers serve up. Further, his knack for setting detailed scenes without bogging down the reader is fantastic, indeed, his brevity is remarkable. In a few words one is standing in a dirty alley or sneezing in a dusty bookstore (British dust at that). However, Mr. Burk's brevity has a drawback; the stories have a "rushed" quality and beg for just a paragraph or three more detail. Whilst he is to be applauded for his succinctness, for the sake of the reader, he would do well to develop his stories just a bit more. It is understood these are short stories, and as such, too much minutiae is uncalled for. Yet, one cannot help but feel a few more words would further embellish the plot and help alleviate some of the vagueness that one feels by the end a tale. His talent, though, leaves little doubt he could accomplish this task nicely. Ultimately, the four tales read very fast, moving along at a comfortable pace, and, save for the above cavil, without sacrificing entertainment. Wisdom of the Ages-Terry Goodkind should take notes. Meet a wizard who knows his limits and cleverly uses his mortal skills. Poetic Justice-Dean Koontz should take notes. A writer learns every rose has a thorn and when you make your bed you have to lie in it. Best of Intentions-Anne Rice should take notes. Great play on vampire myth. Secret War (my favourite)-Hollywood should take notes. Eternal struggle between the misunderstood protectors of humanity and their enemies. If Mr. Burk ever writes a full-on novel, be sure, I will purchase it. The witty tongue-in-cheek style, dark but not overly so content, smooth flow of the writing, and incredible detail with only a few words, all recommend Mr. Burk as a future best seller. Now, if someone could just chain him to a keyboard and get him to do that voodoo he do so well...
Rating: 
Summary: A Little Something For Everyone
Review: Suburban vampires, drole wizards, werewolves with marital problems... They're all here in this neat little chapbook of darkly humorous tales by James K. Burk. Looking for something different to read, this is it. Some really great writing, some really great stories. It's like dipping into a bag of potato chips. No way you can just read one. It's funny, witty and scary all rolled up in one neat little package. Hope to see a lot more by this writer.
Rating:
Summary: A Little Something For Everyone
Review: Suburban vampires, drole wizards, werewolves with marital problems... They're all here in this neat little chapbook of darkly humorous tales by James K. Burk. Looking for something different to read, this is it. Some really great writing, some really great stories. It's like dipping into a bag of potato chips. No way you can just read one. It's funny, witty and scary all rolled up in one neat little package. Hope to see a lot more by this writer.
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