tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69939898755066397742024-02-08T07:24:36.423-08:00Campbell eLiterary ReviewDedicated to finding the best in electronically published fiction. We review <b>new</b> work that is published <b>only</b> in electronic format, and is Digital Rights Management (DRM) free.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6993989875506639774.post-4642215359404235042009-11-03T21:01:00.000-08:002009-11-03T23:09:59.171-08:00Last CallA short story by Richard LarsonReviewed by Max A. Gordon<!--StartFragment--> Setting: A bar, late night Protagonist: unnamed Narrator: 1st person Tense: Present The first line of this story, ‘“Bristol Palin is an alien,” says Chuck,”’ puts the reader directly into current-events America. But the narrator’s reaction to it, “and it’s not really that funny because it might Max A. Gordonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09948736675080237480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6993989875506639774.post-64324474629965568802009-07-03T11:08:00.000-07:002009-07-06T06:23:36.499-07:00BloodA short story by Richard BauschPreface to the reviewsCampbell eLiterary Review is, as you know if you are reading this, a relatively new venture, begun with the idea of making available sources of literature not known to most people. By ‘reviewing’ fiction published online, we hope to point our readers to a vast and underutilized resource. But, of course, not all fiction published online is worthUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6993989875506639774.post-47938619931828008862009-06-21T09:51:00.000-07:002009-06-21T09:51:37.526-07:00The Way of the Blue-Winged WangdoodleA short story by David HuddleReviewed by Lawrence ReeveEvey is a twelve-year-old grappling with a fundamental, and disturbing truth; the people we look up to, because we look up to them, closet their character flaws. The flaw always seems to be a precise counter-point to a carefully projected image, making it all the more shocking. Her grandfather's flaw is a minor one to be sure, this is the Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6993989875506639774.post-52297932072330071672009-06-13T21:50:00.000-07:002009-07-03T11:03:41.753-07:00OsbyA Story by Josh WeilReviewed by Max A. Gordon Setting: Eads County environs (a rural, agricultural area), perhaps in Virginia? Protagonist: Osby Caudill, a rancher Narrator: 3rd person omniscient Tense: past Nearing middle age, and alone, Osby cuts a figure of almost Chaplin-esque stature. His attempts to stay in touch with his long-time best friend, are complicated by the fact of his unmarried,Max A. Gordonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09948736675080237480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6993989875506639774.post-89121873551777927362009-06-02T19:08:00.000-07:002009-06-14T13:35:39.688-07:00The Kingdom of NorwayA short story by Bryan HurtReviewed by Max A. Gordon Setting: Interior of a VW Rabbit, nighttimeProtagonist: An unemployed college graduate, recently fired for marijuana useNarrator: 1st person - NathanTense: Present Coming of age can be a difficult transition. The three characters in this story are plumb in the midst of that transition, but at different stages on the journey. Matty, the most Max A. Gordonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09948736675080237480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6993989875506639774.post-75557013420652161932009-05-30T11:47:00.000-07:002009-06-09T05:22:40.061-07:00A Magnanimous GestureA short story by Adelaide B. ShawReviewed by Susanne MacDougallThe main character, Larry Chenkowsky, eeks out a living on his small, remote avocado grove, painting his dusty, dry California vegetation for greeting cards and calendars. He lives secluded and uninterrupted until the police arrive one morning with grim news about Larry’s father: murdered along with his housekeeper. Larry finds Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6993989875506639774.post-50906115039065419552009-04-26T12:26:00.000-07:002009-05-03T08:25:41.508-07:00The DMVA short story by Toby BarlowReviewed by Lawrence ReeveWhen I was playing competitive chess I soaked in many aspects of the game, including the history and literature. I stumbled upon a piece by Woody Allen (The Gossage—Vardebedian Papers) about a chess-by-mail game that had gone horribly, and hilariously, wrong. It reminded me that relationships, in spite of Dr. Phil's reminders to listen to yourUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6993989875506639774.post-13637031194627035132009-04-09T14:22:00.000-07:002009-04-09T14:33:02.300-07:00The Last Hours of PompeiiA short story by Marc NiesonReviewed by Max A. GordonSetting: an apartment living room complete with TV/VCRProtagonist: a father/ex-husbandNarrator: first person – “Dad”Tense: presentImagine being trapped and isolated, unable even to reach out and touch those most important to you. Imagine the impotence forced on you by having to watch as disaster devours your loved ones. Imagine, now, that you, Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6993989875506639774.post-7301338244480726632009-04-02T01:00:00.000-07:002009-04-02T01:00:02.141-07:00Sexy, Hot, Sad, Tragic, AccidentA short story by Krishan CouplandReviewed by Lawrence ReeveDigital cameras make a shutter sound when the button is pressed, but they don't need to. The tinny recorded sound (they all seem to use the same one) is a nod to the days of bulky Nikons with heavy shutter mechanisms that wound film and chunked metal, and each one made you feel you had captured something important.Like a digital photo Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6993989875506639774.post-9983387852354413292009-03-26T01:00:00.001-07:002009-03-26T01:00:19.657-07:00A Dying MotherA Short Story By Kelly Lundgren PietruchaReviewed By Susanne MacDougallA mother calls her daughter every day to remind her that she is still dying and hangs up. This is the entrance to a story about the complexity of a mother-daughter relationship coming to an end, reduced to persistent, eerie calls and obligatory hospital visits.The opening paragraph is gripping, but the story itself struggles Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6993989875506639774.post-86084343218381142742009-03-19T01:00:00.000-07:002009-03-19T01:00:18.295-07:00Johnny Cash Beset By DarknessA Short Story By John Marshall DanielReviewed by Max A. GordonSetting: A carnivalProtagonist: The Beastman (Gordon)Narrator: first person - GordonTense: presentSpeaking about oneself in the third person speaks volumes about a lack of involvement in one’s own life. Speaking about oneself as a fictional creation, in the third person, even more eloquently speaks to dissociation. Such is the case Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6993989875506639774.post-54411272264965505332009-03-12T01:00:00.000-07:002009-03-13T07:03:10.043-07:00Why Read Fiction Online?By Lawrence ReeveIt is fitting that the inaugural article for this blog appears during Read An eBook Week (March 8-14), an admittedly self-serving invention of the eBook business counting on your willingness to buy their eBook related products. In subsequent articles we intend to review online fiction, but thought it might be worthwhile to first lay out the rational for why you should supplement Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0