Monday, June 16, 2014

Off the Kuf Volume 1: Short Fiction from the Kindle Users Forum (Off the KUF #1)by Various Authors, David Wailing (Editor)


Release Date: February 11, 2013
Publisher: Kuf Publishing
Series: Off the Kuf, Book #1
Editor: David Wailing

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars.

Synopsis:
Bringing together several genres of fiction, this collection also covers a range of subjects. Length of the stories vary from drabbles (stories containing 100 words) to several pages, readers are sure to find something within this volume to enjoy. Romance, mystery, adventure - this collection of short stories has it all!

Edited by David Wailing, the first volume in the series brings together established and debut authors alike. Over 30 well-written stories by 25 different authors fill the pages of this collection. Each volume of fiction is brought to the readers by the Kindle Users Forum, or KUF ( www.kuforum.co.uk ), and proceeds from the ebook sales help maintain the forums. Come on in and enjoy the fiction!

Review:
I became aware of the Kindle Users Forum through a blog post by David Wailing on his Goodreads page some time in early 2013. When the opportunity for the collection went out, the response was so overwhelming that three volumes of stories were produced for the forums. In the interest of honesty, I was among the many authors to send something in and was accepted. My story was published in Volume 2, which I will review all other stories excluding mine.

When the description stated that there was something for everyone in its pages, it wasn't lying! There were stories of romance, adventure, mystery, afterlife situations and so much more. Some of the stories covered serious subjects while others were filled with humor. I had never heard of "drabbles" before so reading them in this collection was a new experience. For those who also haven't heard of them, drabbles are stories of exactly 100 words. How in the world an author can fit a full story into that small amount of words, I'll never know because I haven't been able to do it. Yet, these drabbles were as entertaining as the longer pieces of fiction.

I really enjoyed each of the stories for different reasons. I laughed out loud with "The Glass Eye Caper" and "Cerberus" before being swept away by the events in "An Installment from My Life." So many more simply made me smile and kept me turning the pages long past my bedtime. There were many authors unknown to me in this collection and some are now on my watch list. As I mentioned above, there were 25 different authors for this collection alone.They are (in alphabetical order): H.K. Abell, Andrew Barrett, Helena Hann-Basquiat, Jessica B. Bell, Nigel Bird, Michael Brookes, Anna Faversham, George Hamilton, John Gregory Hancock, Jennifer Hanning, David Haynes, Rick Haynes, Jonathan Hill, Sibel Hodge, K.M. Knight, Ken Magee, Kath Middleton, Cecilia Peartree, Lexi Revellian, Rosen Trevithick, David Wailing, Louise Warman, Lynda Wilcox, Andrew Craig Williams and Anne Wrightwell. 

All together, this collection of short stories was very enjoyable and worth the price to support the Kindle Users Forums. Though I was happy to support them, I was very happy to have such a good book full of quality stories to enjoy again and again as well as new authors to look for in the future. With such a variety of genres, subjects and lengths, the odds of enjoying the works within are greatly increased. If you're a lover of short fiction or love to support independent authors, this volume of stories is a must for your kindle!

Off the Kuf, Volume 1: Short Fiction from the Kindle Users Forum (Off the KUF #1) by Various Authors, David Wailing (Editor) is currently available at various online retailers in Kindle or ebook format. The link below will take you to the book's Amazon page.
Off the Kuf Volume 1: Short Fiction from the Kindle Users Forum (Off the KUF #1) by Various Authors, David Wailing (Editor) 

2 comments:

  1. Kim, I'm glad that you enjoyed 'The Glass Eye Caper'. The anthology is certainly a big bang for your bucks.

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    1. The anthology was a treat to read, from start to finish. I couldn't believe who the police went after first in that story. Haha, I was a bit shocked at first, but loved it.

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