John Yunker | Book Chatter

Devils Island
By Midge Raymond & John Yunker
Oceanview Publishing,9781608096145, September 3, 2024, 320pp.

The Short of It:

Adventurous and suspenseful.

The Rest of It:

*No Spoilers*

Six people depart for an island tour. The island in question happens to be the home to endangered Tasmanian Devils. Not typically known to be a threat to humans, but when one of the guests go missing, Kerry, the tour lead can’t help but think the worst.

If you enjoy locked door mysteries then you are in for a treat. Stuck on a remote island, bad weather forcing them to remain together, and then the unthinkable, a missing person. That’s enough to satisfy, but then add long-time friends reconnecting after a significant break, married couples that are not so happily married, a rather juvenile assistant tour lead, and the flora and fauna of this isolated island with no other human inhabitants, and you’ve got a VERY satisfying read!

While Kerry attempts to hold it all together, her job depends on it, she’s doing what she can to not lay blame where it doesn’t belong. Blaming an endangered species, can only hurt their chances of survival. From a naturalist’s perspective, we experience the beauty of the island even though there is death and danger at every turn.

If you think you know where the story is going, then you’d be wrong. There are a lot of plot twists that keep you guessing and not the kind just thrown out there to throw you off. Plausible twists that will have you flipping those pages. We get to know each character intimately as we spend time with them on that island. I really liked Kerry. Wouldn’t mind a sequel at ALL.

I love to read but some books you just want to spend time with and that is how I felt with Devils Island. Armchair travelers will rejoice. Mystery lovers will find themselves completely captivated. And you outdoor types, rock climbers, hikers and the like will find something to love here as well.

Devils Island will be on my fave list at the end of the year. You should know that it comes out September 3rd, but waste no time, pre-order now.

Source: Sent to me by the author.
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

Among Animals – The Lives of Animals and Humans in Contemporary Short Fiction
By John Yunker (Editor)
(Ashland Creek Press, Paperback, 9781618220257, 232pp.)

The Short of It:

A deeply introspective look at the role of animals in society.

The Rest of It:

This is a powerful, and I’ll admit, at times, unsettling collection of short stories that center around animals and their place in society. I expected most of the stories to center around “man’s best friend” but the collection goes much deeper than that.

These stories include a man’s infatuation with a bird, a story told from a stray dog’s point of view, a woman impregnated (magically speaking) by a dolphin, a pregnant woman slowly becoming goat-like, and probably what was the most powerful story for me, one about an animal taken in as “meat” that suddenly becomes quite a bit more than that.

What I briefly mentioned above doesn’t even cover the half of it. My main reason for accepting this book for review, is that it also includes two favorites stories of mine, written by Midge Raymond (The Ecstatic Cry) and Jean Ryan (Greyhound). I was introduced to their writing through their story collections (Forgetting English and Survival Skills) some time ago and ever since, I’ve looked at short fiction in an entirely new light.

Short. Fiction. Can. Pull. You. In.

Yes. Yes, it can.

I know lots and lots of readers that shy away from short fiction. Trust me, I am a novel gal. I love to lose myself in a long novel but if you haven’t given short fiction a chance lately, you really should. Among Animals, in particular, really shook me up. I was all torn up over this one. It’s not a sad collection, but at the same time, it’s not a happy collection either. Each story seems to call the reader out, and then take you down a peg. It’s a little unnerving but at the same time, comforting. That’s a strange word to use for some of these stories but there was a solemnity to it all that made me revere the collection all the more.

As you can see below, the Otter Pup approved of it and how ironic that she’d find kinship with a book about animals.

Among Animals and Otter Pup

If you are looking to stretch yourself a little as a reader and have been trying to work some short fiction into your reading schedule, I cannot recommend this collection highly enough. It’s thought-provoking, somber but also totally in your face. I loved it.

Source: Sent to me by the publisher.
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

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