REVIEWS: Next Group

Nicaragua/Kirk Nesset: No comment.

Parrot Talk/Kit Coyne Irwin: Nice opening, first person pov, placing the odd fact of parrots in the trees of Connecticut.  Very nicely done, the interweaving of a marital relationship suffering the effects of time against the episode of the parrots.  The adaptation of the parrots to their environment mimics the characters and their method of dealing.  Parrots as mimics also noted.

I Didn’t Do That/Tom Hazuka: First person pov, opening brings us right into the action and the tension with, "I look for a smile."  Two men discussing the breakup of a marriage.  The question of spousal abuse brought up as a plea for faith and testing the friendship, bringing in the past and an example that was likely testing at the time.  Short, sweet, thought-provoking.

What I Know of Your Country/John Leary:  First person pov, a very interesting perspective of the growing problem of outsourcing and telephone solicitation as we see ourselves from the other side.  Don’t see it as a story though.

The Paperboy/Sherrie Flick: Great opening line: "I seduced the paperboy yesterday." A small episode is the action of the story, but the real theme is how we see ourselves and what we do to project the image we’d like to see.

Birth/Robert Earle: Another trouble in paradise story, a little strangely put and I’m not sure it worked for me with too many similes and metaphors that failed to call up the image I think the author wanted.  But the story clearly has an arc, conflict, resolution and character change, just like the books say it should.

Guidebook/Christopher Merrill:  Another good hook: "Erosion is the greatest threat to the stability of this island."  It continues from there to offer evidence of change and the reaction and resulting action taken to forestall any further damage, mainly a slew of studies and research, etc.  The ending is dopey.

Test/G. A. Ingersoll: Another comment on relationships and life in general as sucky, but with a clever presentation as a "Test" meant to elicit the appropriate response from the reader.  A bit sarcastic, which is fine.  Not a story though–would make a nifty magazine article.