| Title | : | The Road Less Taken: A Collection of Unusual Short Stories (Book 1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 114 |
| Publication | : | Published January 20, 2016 |
Theodore Jerome Cohen’s first serious attempt to write a short story for publication was in 1962 while he was working in Antarctica. The story he penned — about a man killed by a pod of orcas — was lost during his return to the United States.
It wasn’t until 2009, when he resurrected the tale and incorporated it in his post-modern novel, Frozen in Time: Murder at the Bottom of the World, that the horror of the episode, which was based on a real encounter by three Chilean Army enlisted men with a pod of orcas, appeared in print. Time did not dim the horror of what happened at sea that day!
Now, this story and others — unusual stories about Ted’s life as a violinist, about a woman who seeks the help of a fortune teller to divine the future of her daughter, and about a university professor obsessed with the making of coffee — are vividly brought to life in the eleven short stories found in this book.
The Road Less Taken: A Collection of Unusual Short Stories (Book 1) Reviews
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A collection of short stories is a little bit like hanging out with a group of old friends. Just like old friends each story has a personality all of it's own. You can choose a story to suit your mood and enjoy escaping life for just a little bit.
"The Road Less Taken - A Collection of Unusual Short Stories Book 1" by Theodore Jerome Cohen is a collection of stories that covers a very broad range of topics. Many of the stories are based on real life events...some taken from the headlines while others from Mr. Cohen's own life. There is something here that will appeal to everyone.
Like any collection of short stories, you will find that some stories appeal to you more than others. I love the images at the beginning of each story. They add a special touch to each story. I personally love the old family photos that give me a glimpse into the author's life.
"Unforgiven" is one of my favourite stories in this collection. It tells the story of a son fulfilling his dying father's last wish. I have read many war stories in the past, but this one really brought to life how war really does change a man.
Mr. Cohen has also included some stories starring a favourite character of mine, Detective Louis Martelli. Reading these stories was like meeting up with an old friend. I immediately recognized the story "The Dead Man's Hand" which was adapted the author's novel "Wheel of Fortune". This was one of the stories that was taken right from the headlines. I enjoyed both the short story and the novel, and look forward to reading more stories involving Detective Martelli.
At the end of each short story is a little foot note. Take a few minutes to read these as they add some background information to each story, and will only add to your enjoyment.
"The Road Less Taken" is a collection of short stories that you will want to revisit again and again.
*Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of "The Road Less Taken - A Collection of Unusual Short Stories Book 1" in exchange for my review. All opinions are 100% my own. -
Varied and intelligent stories
The different topics and subjects of these short stories is amazing. Each is so unique and well understood. Fortune tellers, military personalities, explorers, gamblers, and others are revealed in stories that are actually parts or samples of novels. They could be read as flash fiction and forgotten, or be part of further reading by clicking on the links to the complete books. Great and thought provoking reading. -
Much enjoyed!
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Ted Cohen did not disappoint. As a huge fan of his writings, I could not
wait to get my hands on his latest book, The Road Less Taken. It's a
collection of 11 short stories. When I finally read it, I was pleasantly
surprised by the settings for the various stories...settings that ranged
from Antarctica to the den of a fortune teller, and from a French village
shortly after D-Day to the backroom of a mobster's restaurant in Brooklyn.
His writing style is fluent, articulate, and, at times, even epigrammatic.
It's evident he invested a lot of thought and research into each story. I
must say, some of the stories are a huge tease, leaving the reader wanting
to read the novels from which they were drawn (based on the endnotes, some
of the stores were taken from Cohen's novels) as well as anything he might
write in the future. In all, I highly recommend this and all of Mr. Cohen's
books.
