This review is from: The Lighthouse at Montauk Point and Other Stories (Paperback)

I received this book as a Christmas present. It contains 12 unrelated short stories. As the author state in his preface, "You'll find these adventures as different from one another as imaginable." Let me tell you about the ones I especially enjoyed.

"Drawing the Ace" is about falling asleep on a boring commercial flight and waking up in the cockpit of a fighter plane. In addition to the plot, I enjoyed that the fight sequence in this story was plausible.

"The Fairie Lights" is about following the promise of paradise and dancing, and finding yourself in the midst of death and destruction. For some reason, it reminded me of a university party gone sour, and I enjoyed the yarn.

"An Unlikely Hero" is set in a medieval village. The main character is a sweets baker who must avenge his daughter's disappearance. The story is very well written, with lots of believable details and a very likable baker. I won't spoil the ending, but the story takes an unlikely twist from the typical "hero overcomes dragon" plot. I especially enjoyed this read.

"The Shamblers" is a new interpretation about getting old and changing your world view. Talking about the elderly, the main character announces in the second paragraph, "We never stopped to think that one day we would be in their shoes." Well, this character gets a very satisfying large dose of his own medicine!

"The Truth About Dr Mansfield" was a new twist on a vampire tale. Personally, I love vampire stories and was mesmerized how the main character held onto his humanity for as long as possible.

In summary, this book has 71 good pages. I plan on re-reading it, which is why is earns 5 stars.