Monday, January 23, 2023

Episode #156: Book Review "Out Of Dreams: Nightmares" by Charles Gramlich

I would like to preface this book review by stating that this was originally destined for Amazon, but because of a policy about reviews {requires a minimum $50 spent on a credit or debit card}, that I do 100% agree with, I am unable to post it there. 

By the way, this kicks off an occasional series of normal and abnormal reviews of products purchased. With that being said, please enjoy this stellar book review.

"Snack Size Nuggets Of Horror Goodness"

I'm one of those people who can be very picky when it comes to certain genres, like horror. I'm not a fan of the incredibly graphic, but I do have a tendency to lean towards a thinking man's horror (think pleasantly dark).

This particular book came recommended to me while I was scrolling through social media, so I thought I would give it a shot. Not counting the various credits, etc, it clocks in at a smooth 118 pages and is chock full of stories ranging from one to eight pages in length, with each one being a solidly entertaining and lively short story, designed to make you think about the darkness of what life has to offer.

One story did stand out in particular for me: Cliffy Is Missing. I won't spoil the story for you, but I had visions of a particular "Far Side" cartoon throughout the entire time I was reading the story.

Overall, I found this collection of short stories to be a fine sampler of horror for those who are looking to dip their toes into that genre but don't know exactly where to begin. For me, this was a good solid way to get my toes wet, and I highly recommend it to all. This short story collection gets a rare 5 star rating out of me.


Like I said, I do fully support this review policy of Amazon's. It's a good start in trying to weed out the illegitimate reviews of a given product by applying a minimum threshold required to participate. However, it may be a very long while before I start using a c/c on Amazon, as I find it much easier to control my impulse buying by using a different payment form than a c/c. Which means that the bulk of my reviews will have to be posted here on my blog.

Hopefully my review has piqued your curiosity enough to not only check out this book, but check other fine works written by Charles Gramlich.


{c} 2023 by G.B. Miller. All Rights Reserved

6 comments:

  1. Charles will be thrilled with that review.

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    1. I hope so. The book doesn't have a lot of reviews, so any others will help. It's just a shame I'm being penalized because I don't use a credit or debit card for my purchases.

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  2. Sounds like a worthy book -- glad you enjoyed it! I don't know if the Amazon website in Canada has a similar policy. I almost never leave reviews so it doesn't really affect me, I guess!

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    1. I believe it was a policy that they introduced a few years ago to help combat fraudulent reviews. I used to leave reviews for library books that I had read some years ago (even got blasted by someone who took exception of a review that I did of lawyer's "woe is me' biography), but now they put in a minimum standard in. I actually support it, but it just sucks for me.

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  3. I used to love short story collections in SciFi and some Koontz and King fiction, also considered horror. This review makes me want to check it out.
    I have no doubt author Gramlech is worthy of reading!
    -SnaggleTooth/Ev Johns

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    1. I highly recommend that you do so. I don't read many short story collections, but this one came highly recommended to me.

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Lay it on me, because unlike others, I can handle it.