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Spring 2008
P.S. Gifford
Intellectus Properties/Virtual Tales
A collection of secret tales confessed to and told by a most notorious character, the Imaginary Friend. His existence, the long-time companion to madness, makes for many interesting stories. What else churns your imagination more than short, short stories?
The Curious Accounts Of the Imaginary Friend is 45 tales in a 232 zooming pages. While this may not be enough for the seasoned reader who likes long stories with details and explanations, the sheer madness of the Imaginary Friend's various deplorable acquaintances holds the reader. Being a seasoned reader myself, I found a few of the earlier tales to be a mite anticipated, but as the stories quickly passed, they got slightly longer and more far-fetched. It was also a refreshing change to be able to put a book down and go to sleep at a decent hour because a story ended every few pages. Without giving away any of the tales, I can tell you there was an awful lot of killing going on. Most of it without guilt or feeling. There is blood, revenge, cannibalism, creepy crawlies, and even some unusual love stories but madness is the backbone to most of them. It was a gruesome, yet fun read.
The traditional quick and bizarre story (ie: Tales From the Crypt or Twilight Zone) is always a must around a campfire or for kid's sleep-overs. It's also a terrific tool to get adolescents AND adults into reading (as long as they're not too skittish or prone to nightmares). I can remember being in high school and not reading anything except what I HAD to read for English class. Not long after first reading the short stories of Four Past Midnight (Stephen King), I continually went to novels for pleasure reading and haven't stopped. It's a shame so many people read only when they have to. I think The Curious Accounts Of the Imaginary Friend could be a doorway to introduce an affinity for interesting books and possibly enrich many lives and minds.
B -Alesha Brunell
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