Suspended Animation

Suspended Animation 

Suspended Animation is the latest short story I’ve read. If y’all have read my blog with any sort of consistency, then you know how much I appreciate a great short story! 

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Short stories are fantastic because they are quick to read, should leave you wanting to know more, and be thought-provoking. To me, those are the key things to an excellent short story. 

Have you read Suspended Animation from Carly Rheilan? Come on in and let me tell you about it! 

About Suspended Animation 

Prison time hangs heavy. Prison life is not kind. There is corruption in it. There is no redemption. But everyone needs a break. Everyone needs a friend.

Thoughts on Suspended Animation 

Suspended Animation is a short story. Short like barely double my average blog post kind of short. 

The great thing with short stories is that every single word counts. There can’t be fluff or filler. Otherwise it defeats the purpose of a short story. To me, it takes a considerable skill to write an amazing and thought-provoking short story. 

Beautiful, Complicated Family will forever be some of my favorite short stories, and probably the basis of comparison to every other short story that I read. Because that really was my first big introduction to short stories and flash fiction.

I love the idea of sitting down in the morning at the kitchen table with a great short story and a cup of my favorite coffee to read instead of a newspaper article, or before going to bed. 

I haven’t quite decided if I’m a fan of Suspended Animation or not. Not because it was a bad short story, but because it was different. I’m always glad when I read something new and different, that is always appreciated. 

However one of the things I look for in a short story is that I want it to be thought-provoking. That aspect was missing for me in Suspended Animation. I feel like this one would be a better quality as a full novel, where things could be explained and make more sense. 

Suspended Animation felt choppy in the writing style, and not the most cohesive. That is the biggest area I struggled with when reading it. But I also think that is exactly how it was meant to be. That style did match the theme of what Suspended Animation was about and the setting for the story. I just wasn’t a fan. 

Final Thoughts on Suspended Animation 

I always recommend that everyone read books and stories for themselves to form their own opinions, because what doesn’t speak to me may be perfect for the next person. I’ve read some with rave reviews that I struggled to finish, so opinions on books are really subjective. 

The great thing about any short story is the fact it’s short. So not much time is invested if you don’t enjoy it. Plus either way, it’s still better than reading the newspaper these days! I highly recommend that you give Suspended Animation a quick read! 

Discussion 

Have you read Suspended Animation from author Carly Rheilan? Are you a fan of short stories? What do you look for in an excellent short story? Let me know your thoughts in the comments! 

About the Author 

Carly Rheilan was born in Malta and lives in the UK. She was educated in Oxford University (which she hated and left) and then at Brunel (a small-town technological university where she stayed for a PhD). She is a psychiatric nurse. 

She has done research into criminal justice and taught in universities. She has children of her own and has also fostered children with mental health problems. She has worked many years in the NHS, in secure units and prisons.

When she is not writing, reading, editing and reviewing novels (she fondly refers to this indulgence as “a job”) she spends her free time promoting prison reform, ranting about our unequal society, and pulling up nettles in a community garden.

Purchasing Suspended Animation 

If you are interested in buying the Kindle version of Suspended Animation, click here.

Click here for my favorite Kindle I currently own.

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