RealLies: A Zharmae Collection of Short Works (Zharmae Anthology Series #1) - Paul's Review

*I received a copy of this book from The Zharmae Publishing Press in exchange for an honest review*

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Title: RealLies: A Zharmae Collection of Short Works
Edited by: Max Avalon
Year Published: 2013

Ashley's REVIEW of RealLies (Part I: Curiosity)
Ashley's REVIEW of RealLies (Part II: Control)

Synopsis: Enter a world where fantasy and reality collide, where seeking answers only raises more questions, and the paths you choose can change everything you have ever known. The pages in this collection will send you on an adventure into the unknown to discover the truth about yourself and the world around you.

Create and destroy destinies when facts and reasons fail in Robson's "Walk on By." Question reality with Lisabeth in "Onward Into Dark," where dreams come to life and the past returns to haunt those searching to escape the truth. Don't believe in escapism? Join the characters of Pike's "The Wolf of Descarta," as they face reality head-on and struggle against wild fantasies that eclipse life itself.

But be careful, our dear readers. One bite of "reality" and you might wish you could wrap the illusions around your eyes once more because as you will find, the truth lies.


Review: For this anthology, I'm just going to give a brief description and mini review for two of its stories.

Chasing the Shadow by Karen McCreedy

An asteroid is coming at the earth. We have colonies on the moon and Mars. The protagonist is an astronaut on the moon. The short story follows the process of them attempting to rescue the planet Earth from total destruction. There are a lot of stories like this out there. Armageddon is one if my favorites. I didn't find anything special with this short story. 2/5


The Ghost in the Sword by Wol-Vriey Jesuto

There is a magic sword. There is also a animal farmer who thinks he isn't manly enough. The man finds himself in a position in which he wants revenge. I thought this was going to be a fairy-tale with a moral, but I don't think it was. I'm confused as to what this story was telling. I didn't like the portrayal of women and physical features. I thought it was done to teach a lesson, but I must have not got the lesson. The imagery was very interesting though. I liked the concept if the afterlife presented. 3/5


-PAUL