Saturday 1 November 2014

Stories and Scripts: an Anthology by Zack Love SPOILER FREE REVIEW

Stories and Scripts: an Anthology by Zack Love 





Thought-provoking, dreamy, sad, and hilarious, this collection of works by Zack Love takes the reader on a diverse and unforgettable literary journey through a variety of topics, themes, and emotions. The anthology totals about 73,000 words and contains a novelette, four short stories, a theater play, and a screenplay. 

These seven spellbinding stories spanning several styles and genres include a dramatic romance, a satire of the mega-rich, a somber and soulful reflection on the problem of evil, humorous dating adventures, and stories driven by philosophical musings. 

1) THE DOORMAN – A NOVELETTE 


Alex seems to have it all: a great penthouse apartment, a lovely girlfriend, and a prestigious Wall Street job. But below the surface he is sure of nothing but his angst-ridden doubts. And when he realizes that his doorman may be God, or sent by God, he will question things like never before. 

This novelette is a story of New York doormen, tormented love, empty office life, and the theological questions that arise in response to the horrors of evil. 

My Review

5*
After reading Sex in the Title I wanted to read more of Zack's work and I was surprised by his diversity as an author! I found The Doorman to be an enthralling, thought provoking read that had me questioning my friends and family all day about their beliefs and whereabouts during the September 11 attacks. It has to be said I love the way Zack writes! For me he has found the perfect balance between keeping my mind active and alert enough that I'm not mentally bored and keeping me relaxed enough to still enjoy reading it! I thought the characters were like your normal everyday people, people that you could easily walk past on the street. The story, though short, is packed full of events that kept me thinking well after I had finished it! I love how he has combined what some will see as controversial topics to create a flawless intellectual, thought provoking masterpiece! The only thing I will say is that I would have liked it to be longer, but that is purely because I loved the way I reacted to it not because it actually needs to be longer! For me this book didn't lack in any aspect. Another amazing read from Mr. Love!!
  

2) CENTRAL PARK SONG – A SCREENPLAY (ROMANCE) 


Can love really conquer all? Rodney is a passionate black man with brilliant talents but a mental illness that leaves him homeless. Melinda is a white Manhattan law partner with an artistic soul, trapped by the pressures of corporate law, her wealthy father, and her three-year boyfriend. A charming, chance encounter leads to a magical courtship and life-changing choices that make an unlikely New York romance possible. 

My Review

4.5*
I'm going to start by saying that the only screenplays I have ever read, I read in school and I hated them (to be fair it was probably more because I hated being told what to read than the actual screenplay!) and I didn't think that I would ever see how any one would enjoy reading them! This is the first screenplay I have read voluntarily and I was pleasantly surprised, I actually found I enjoyed reading it and was able to form an amazing mental picture! Now having said that it could be all down to the fact that Zack writes in a unique way as I have also found that I am able to make an astoundingly clear mental pictures when reading his other works as well! I really liked the story and found myself doing something I rarely do.... Cheering for a HEA. I loved the characters and how there is such a varied selection of them, you have quite literally every personality type known to man in this screenplay and they all compliment each other! I found this to be a very addictive read and actually finished it in one sitting! Congratulations Zack you have officially obliterated all of my preconceptions about screenplays!!

3) THE GRAND UNIFIED STORY – A SHORT STORY 

What happens when a man and a woman meet in a way that magically involves the entire universe? When both are so keenly aware of their place in the cosmos that their connection seems to transcend their union and capture the very essence of life. This story shows how each person is a world to be discovered and how sometimes, when two worlds collide, the universe seems that much closer. 

My Review

4.5*
I feel the need to start this by saying that I am a HUGE science geek so this probably contributed to my love of this short story! I rarely read short stories but this one was intriguing and intellectual and had my attention throughout. I loved the scientific contribution to this story but even if I wasn't a science minded person I still would have been able to follow it as it is all explained in amazing detail. Being that its a short story there isn't a lot of room for character growth and development but the characters have an amazing back story considering the length! I was surprised at the amount of detail Zack managed to fit into this story without it being overly jam packed. Another gem of a story!
  

4) CITY SOLIPSISM – A SHORT STORY 

Have you ever been on a train, bus, metro/subway – or any other shared space with strangers – and started to wonder what that person right next to you is thinking? This story takes you on a journey into the mind of a man in a suit and tie on a New York City subway car, as he thinks about the woman standing awkwardly close to him. They are total strangers but their proximity is almost intimate as their hands share the same metal subway pole. 

My Review

4.5*
I often wonder what is going through peoples minds and so this short story amused me to no end! It was interesting seeing what conclusions another person's thought process would lead them to in this scenario and how much they would differ from mine. Having a small insight into a male's mind was very enlightening and very funny too! Being its a short story there isn't really much to comment on other than that it is well written, Zack is no doubt a talented writer and I can honestly say I would and have recommended his work to many readers and will continue to do so until they give in and one-click!!!

  

5) WAITING FOR 2000 – AN ABSURDIST COMEDY OF BILLIONAIRE PROPORTIONS 

Inspired by and reminiscent of Samuel Beckett’s absurdist stage play “Waiting for Godot,” this Y2K theater comedy satirizes the frivolous extravagance of the mega-rich. 

Bob’s Billionaire Boat boasts the world’s 2,000 richest people on it, and will enable them to celebrate the arrival of the year 2000 twice in a row by crossing the International Dateline on New Year's Eve 1999. The co-captains of the boat — two regular guys — keep themselves amused with endlessly silly banter while occasionally debating whether the whole thing is just a fictional stage play. 

Meanwhile, two Wall Street traders who are bitter about missing the wealth cutoff for the billionaire cruise are determined to blow up the boat and thereby become the two richest people on earth. 

In this satire, the zaniest billionaires ever to gather on a single vessel prove that there's still plenty to complain about at the top. 

My Review

5*
I'm going to start this by saying I have always had a love hate relationship with theatre so for me reading this was either going to be a huge hit or an epic failure and I can honestly say that I loved it! It had me laughing all the way through and the dialogue between Sam & Al had me in absolute pieces! I loved the wide range of characters and all of their quirks, it made them seem more human! I'm actually a little ashamed to admit that I would have loved to be on that cruise!! I never though in a million years that I would actually enjoy reading this so I was pleasantly surprised by just how much I did in fact enjoy it. If this was made into a play I would go and see it and drag all my family and friends along as well, it is just that funny! It has everything I want in a play and more! Zack has a knack of throwing everything needed into whatever he is writing and then that extra something that you never knew it needed!

  

6) MY BEST VALENTINE'S DAY. EVER. – A SHORT STORY 

Sammy Laffowitz is legendary for his dating disasters and sex mishaps. This time, misfortune strikes on Valentine's Day – but with a fun twist that makes Sammy seem studly for a change.

My Review 

5*
I was SO excited to read this after Sex in The Title, I loved Heeb and the guys and I was so desperate for more of their crazy antics! I couldn't help but laugh at Sammy's misfortunes and even though that seems really evil I just couldn't help it! Reading this I was so glad that for once it was like I was laughing WITH him at his misfortunes rather than AT him! If you read this and haven't read Sex in The Title then you need to rectify that IMMEDIATELY! ;)

7) MY WORST VALENTINE'S DAY. EVER. – A SHORT STORY 

Yi Wang is a NY bad boy who plans to make history on Valentine's Day with his female exploits. The handsome, alpha-male, Chinese-American is a corporate lawyer who usually gets his way with women, but this time he makes one stupid mistake that leaves everyone but him laughing hysterically at his epic fail.

My Review

5*
Narc was one of my favourite characters in Sex in The Title and so I was so pleased I got to read a bit more of him! Although he was one of my favourites I still thought he needed to be taken down a peg or two, seriously the guy has a god complex! This has got to be one of the funniest short stories I've ever read, I was actually doubled over where I was laughing so hard! I loved how the story unfolded and it was not what I was expecting at all! It is laugh out loud funny from start to finish and I challenge anyone to read it and keep a straight face!


Overall Anthology Review

4.5*
Overall this is an amazing Anthology and I'm not going to lie I was surprised at how diverse Zack is as a writer, you just wouldn't expect anyone to able to successfully write so many different genres! Honestly no one has a right to be as talented as Zack is, but don't tell him I said that, we don't need his head to get any bigger ;). I enjoyed every part of this anthology and I can rarely say that, It has such a mishmash and it shouldn't work but it really does! It is almost like each piece compliments the next! Well worth a read!



Here are a few places where you can find Zack on the web! :)

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