Finally, the review for this book is seeing the light of the day as this was supposed to be published in December last year. I am so very grateful to the authors for bearing with me, not even for once reminding me about the review, and still being extremely nice to me. Oh wait, did I say, authors? Oh geez, I completely forgot to mention the book. Well, Through The Mist is a book with collaborative writing with 5 short stories on the same picture.
This book was sent to me by Sona, my very amazing friend, and colleague now, and one of the five authors of the book. In fact, apart from being so patient with me for the book review, I am also thankful to her for introducing me to collaborative writing.
I never gave collaborating writing much thought before but after reading the book the first thought which came to me was, man, collaborative writing is difficult. There are five authors and five stories in this book and though in a story or two you could make out when in the story the writer has changed, I quite enjoyed reading it.
Each story is set on a different background. From a bollywoodish to a thriller to a sci-fi story, the book is packed with variety. And because it’s short stories, you can easily finish it in one go. A perfect pick for a trip.
However, there are a few tiny glitches. Considering the fact that every story is weaved by five authors, at times the transition does not happen very smoothly, as I said above, you can make out when another author takes charge of the story. And because each story is penned by 5 authors, the final painting of the story is different from how the first author imagined it to be.
Collaborative writing is like a relay race. You begin the race but after passing on the relay to the runner ahead the race is not anymore on you. Similarly, once you pass on the story to a co-author the storyline ahead doesn’t flow from your pen anymore. You begin the story and then pass on the writing baton to a co-author to take over from there and so on.
From the five stories: A Strange Life and The Lone Man are my favorites.
The Lone Man is so amazingly written. This suspense story had me on the edge throughout and the end? Oh, it was totally worth every word.
A Strange Life is a sci-fi short story and though at times I had to go back and read again to connect the dots, it left me wanting for more. I wish it had a few more pages. The plot is extremely good.
Why Should You Pick Through The Mist?
. Because it’s short stories (If you love quick and light reads).
. If you love a mix of genres in one book.
. If the plot of the story matters to you more than some small bumps in the story.
. Because Collaborative Writing is definitely worth the read.
So, I would recommend Through The Mist if you want to understand the art of collaborative writing. For a quick read. And also if you want to read 5 different genres in one sitting.
Rating: 3 stars
You can buy the book here.
Written as part of the Blogchatter Book Review Program.
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I love the idea of collaborative writing. However I’m unclear on one point – If these are independent stories, as I gather they are, and there is no issue of continuity different writing styles shouldn’t be an issue, right?
Hi Tulika,
Yes, each story is independent and in no continuity. However, as there are 5 different authors, each has contributed to every story. For instance, author A starts a story, then author B takes over, then author C, and so on and so forth. Hence, I could sense the author change. 🙂