REVIEWED: Little By Little
WRITTEN BY: John R. Little
PUBLISHED: April, 2014

This is the first comprehensive collection of John R. Little’s short fiction (including novellas), and it’s a successful aggregate of some of his finest works. The book includes ten stories, plus a delightful introduction by Lisa Morton and story notes by the author. I’ve been looking forward to reading “Miranda” for a long time, and though it’s the last story in the book, I started off with reading it first. Beautifully-written and filled with sorrow, it’s an exercise also in unique structure as the story is told in reverse. I then went back to the beginning and read the remaining stories in order, from “Dreams in Black and White” onward, each tale continuing the tone of quality storytelling, fear, and heartbreak.

Five out of Five stars
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- Dreams in Black and White
The first already was my favorite story of the collection, but fortunately the rest wasn't too bad, either. A great bittersweet story, period. 5 stars.

- Burying Reena
While this one was ok, it didn't strike me as remarkable. 3 stars.

- Tails
A very bizarre and grotesque, but also sad mindtrip that makes you think. 3 stars.

- Ursa Major
I was very curious about this story as it was the only one by the author I had heard of before. While it was a very suspenseful pageturner, I was not as impressed as by the first story, because then I really felt with and for the protagonists, but here I was only following the story like an observer. There were several occasions that made me wince because they seemed so far-fetched and overdone. However, the ending was a mean little trick. Still: 4 stars

- Sarah's Story
Wow, this one was really twisted. I could not help a big grin at Sarah's final triumph, however sick it may have been. 4 stars

- The Gray Zone
Not really horror, this one is more along the lines of sci-fi, presenting a very original and fascinating version of a time travel story. Outstanding, this is my second favorite story. 5 stars

- Language Barrier
This one did nothing for me - read it, forgot it. My least favorite. 2 star.

- The Halloween Phantoms
Spooky little halloween treat. 4 stars

- Loyd and Caitlin and the Ghosts
Ok, but unremarkable, at least for me. 3 stars.

- Miranda
A story that is told in reverse, because it tells the story of a man who goes back in time, rising from the dead, getting younger and eventually going back into his mother's womb, while all people around him live in the opposite direction. At first, it was confusing, as it must have been for the main character, but once you got used to the rythm it was really fascinating. A good finale for the book. 4 stars.

Overall, a very good, above-the-average collection you can't go wrong with. Recommended.

(I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review) ( )