My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Badlands is a collection of short stories and flash fiction with lengths within the range of 100 to 1,000 words. Most of the stories had some element of horror or creep to them. I don’t have much experience reading or writing works as short as flash fiction, but this collection was a beautiful introduction for me.
The stories I liked most within this collection were the ones that left me saying, “Whoa…” to myself upon completion. These are the stories where if you don’t read them all (although I would advocate that you would), you have to at least read these. Don’t put down this book without reading “Mother Love,” “Doll Man,” and “Belladonna.”
Others tugged at my heartstrings, reminding me of some sort of longing or loss. For me, these stories include “Each Other’s World,” “Treasure Hunt,” and “The Last Walk.”
There were some stories that really did nothing for me. Not to say that they weren’t well-written or original…they simply didn’t resonate with me or perhaps I didn’t understand them enough to be moved by them. These stories include “3D Audrey” and “Peacocks.”
This is my first time reading Alyson Faye, and I look forward to reading more of her work!
Down in a Book 