Title: Beyond the Waterfall
Author: Ryan K. Stansifer
Genre: Short Story, Fantasy
Summary
There's something strange about Waterfall Canyon Library. It was on the verge of shut down before a mysterious donor saved it. Now people come and go at odd hours of the night, and some disappear, never to return. Liam Applejack shrugs off these rumors as urban legend. Then a cute volunteer from the Waterfall Canyon Library offers him a chance to work there. His friends are convinced she's part of a cult. Liam must decide whether to heed the warnings of reality or dive into something that's beyond his imagination.
Review
I connected to Liam Applejack almost instantly. He's a nice librarian who suffers from panic attacks, made worse by his overbearing, almost sadistic boss. When dealing with Cherie, the cute volunteer from Waterfall Canyon library who Liam has a crush on, he's adorably awkward, trying (and failing) to look at anyone but her. I appreciated the fact that Cherie wasn't some glamorous fantasy figure, but a rather down-to-earth girl, who wore faded comic con shirts and realized how strange her library must look to Liam.
The story flowed nicely, from one event to another, and I was never bored. There wasn't a lot of action, persay, but more of an internal struggle. Normal, everyday events causes Liam anxiety. How can he deal with something like this? A crucial scene, where Cherie gently confronts Liam about the nature of his fears, really resonated with me. I think it formed the beating heart of this story.
It is a short story, though. By the time the mystery of the library starts to unfold, the story is over. "Beyond the Waterfall" introduces the audience a new fantasy world, but cruelly deprives them of the chance to play there. And I did think that, at $2.99, it was a little expensive for my taste.
***
Title: A Glimmer of Perspective
Author: Ryan K. Stansifer
Genre: Short Story, Fantasy
Summary
The Weaver waits until the humans are gone to begin his task. He must gather tendrils of magic, tame them with his cries, and train his young apprentice in the way of the craft. The humans may have welcomed the Weaver into their home, but little do they know the true work he does while they are away.
Review
This story is short. Really short. A little over 8 pages on my iPad's Kindle. At $2.99, I would have liked a few more pages and maybe more than one line of dialogue.
To be honest, I had trouble getting into the story. The main character's identity is shrouded in mystery until the very end, making it hard to see him. (In fact, I use "him" in the neutral sense, because I'm not entirely sure the Weaver was male.) The notion of Weaving is also very abstract. The first time I read the story, I couldn't visualize anything and had only the loosest idea of what was going on.
That said, when I got to the reveal at the end and read through the story for a second time, I did get... perspective, so to speak. It gave me a glimpse of a world that might be, a world close enough to touch, but just out of reach. I think if the main character's identity had been clear from the beginning and if the world had been a little more developed, I would have liked this story very much.
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