Review of “Cook's Collection of Short Stories” by Alicia-Lorraine Cook

Score: 94/100 (9.4 out of 10)

What would you do if you lived in a society where sight was forbidden?
What if the government could control our thoughts and memories?
Is it right to remove a part of someone's humanity in the interest of safety and security?
What if Cinderella wasn't just looking for love, but revenge?

Cook's Collection of Short Stories is a thought-provoking and immensely compelling collection of short stories by Alicia-Lorraine Cook! Notably, Cook is the daughter of former Outstanding Creator Awards champion Michael Cook (who also edited the book). Creativity and the gift of writing must run in the family!

Cook definitely proves herself to be a blessed storyteller!
Most of all, she proves herself to be gifted at creating and exploring what if scenarios and provoking thought and discussion around her work.

“Clouded Sight” kicks things off with the profound question of whether or not it would be right to remove a part of a person's humanity (like sight) in the interest of safety. Is it proper to censor or hide things because they could be triggering, dangerous, or incite violence? Who determines what is triggering or dangerous? In the age of mass-censorship, information spreading and traveling at the speed of light via the internet, and immense bias by the mainstream media, this is a bigger question than ever before.

It also provokes discussions about whether or not human beings should accept things like microchips (and other such technologies, like nanomachines) into their bodies. In what scenario would that ever be right or advantageous to the individual? How could that be used to twist and manipulate a person and a society?

The story follows Lucia, a girl we presume is college-aged or in her 20s, who is blind as a result of the government's Blindside Decree, allowing the government to control or suppress a person's vision receptors. The powers-that-be also hold the power to erase and totally rewrite memories like in Men in Black while controlling what a person thinks and believes.

It is chilling how plausible and realistic this seems in the age of technologies that could presumably pull this off (like A.I.).

This is a story that really reminded us of the best parts of The Giver by Lois Lowry, and we wouldn't be surprised if it was partly inspired by Lowry's best-seller.

The second story (“Forever”) requires a bit more patience and attention than the other stories in the book, especially since it deals with a major twist (SPOILER WARNING).

In "Forever," the narrator recalls meeting their love, Marigold, during a stormy night and welcoming her into their old, neglected house. Marigold brings life and joy to the house as she moves in, but their happiness is soon shattered by the arrival of a man named Oliver Potter, whom the narrator grows to despise. Consumed by jealousy and rage, the narrator confronts Marigold, but things escalate when they later find Marigold and Oliver kissing. In a fit of supernatural fury, the narrator kills Oliver using supernatural powers akin to telekinesis. The narrator also brutally stabs Marigold, revealing themselves to be a ghost. Marigold herself becomes a ghost.

The next story (“A Friend of Vengeance”) is also rather complex, following an immortal exorcist named Agamor. His immortality was granted to him by a goddess (Vengeance). As you might expect (if you're a fan of immortal or pseudo-immortal characters like Doctor Who), that immortality becomes both a blessing and an enormous burden akin to a curse. But Agamor doesn't take life lying down, he's a go-getter who is actively involved in combating the supernatural infestation plaguing his world (as supernatural creatures called “Supes” run rampant) and his personal quest for vengeance against Vengeance (and Wrath).

Agamor wields a mystical, enchanted sword inscribed with the words: “Fight with heart, and you will strike true.” The sword has the unique ability of harming supernatural creatures by absorbing their essence. Agamor becomes known as “the infamous Exorcist who solved all their problems.” This becomes both a flattering reputation and a pain in the ^%$ since everyone begins to depend on him. He's pretty much the custodian of a building that everyone trashes. This is pretty funny and amusing, even given the dark tone of the story.

Having an active (rather than a passive) protagonist for once is a breath of fresh air when it comes to this book.

We did kinda come away from the story thinking that there was more subtext to it. We have a theory that Agamor isn't a real-life person and that the whole world he lives in is actually part of a virtual simulation or a video game. What makes us think that?

Well, because “Agamor” phonetically reads as “A Gamer.” In other words, Agamor may actually be a gamer's avatar in a video game! Furthermore, everything about this story seems so over-the-top and full of video game/fantasy tropes, it's hard not to feel like this isn't a video game. How cool and meta is that?! It's kinda like the Jaralii Chronicles by Joanne Reid. Supporting this theory is the fact that the story is a lot like the God of War series, almost beat for beat.

“Cinderella's Revenge” is probably the centerpiece of this book and arguably the most memorable. While it's not entirely original (the original Grimm fairy-tale and novels like Mice by Jackie Sonnenberg already explored dark versions of this tale, after all), it's still a welcomed twist. In this version of the story, the family dynamics of Cinderella (called “Ella” in this version) are quite different. Her step-mom and step-sisters are actually quite kind, lovely, and compassionate people. It's her step-dad, Mr. Wickham, who is the wicked and despicable one, often mistreating Ella and the rest of the family. They also live under the corrupt leadership of an evil king and aristocrats who subdue and exploit the population.

In this version of the story, Cinderella is pretty much Alice from Resident Evil—a female killing machine. She is bent on assassinating and taking revenge on those who've hurt her and the ones she loves. She teams up with Henry (Prince Charming) who also resists the oppression of his father and the nobles. They become a kind of Bonnie & Clyde tag-team/crime duo. They even find a clever way to take revenge on Mr. Wickham!

This is a solid collection of short stories that really get the mind thinking.

Check it out on Amazon!