Six stars
First and foremost, a large thank you to Elias Zanbaka for providing me with a copy of this short story, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.
Army veteran, Sargeant Major Bushnell, has escaped from a psychiatric facility and is on a rampage. Armed with a cache of weapons, he has his eye set on a specific target, but not one of the ‘garden’ variety. As the LAPD scramble to catch Bushnell, one of their own must try to reason with the vet before any more blood is shed. Sargeant Schaefer feels that he can make a connection with Bushnell, but must get inside his head before something rash occurs. The ultimate victim, Mother Nature, hangs in the balance and only Schaefer can stop the madness. Trouble is, he may not want to do anything at all. An interesting short story from Zanbaka that fills a coffee break period and leaves the reader wondering about the entire environmental lobby.
When asked to read Zanbaka’s short piece, I felt I did not have anything to lose. While I tend to find author solicited work on Goodreads to be less than provocative, Zanbaka presented a decent story. Veiled in a winding narrative and offering more subtle nuance than might have been helpful for me first thing in the morning, I was left waiting for a cataclysmic event to end the story. While this did not happen, the pace did keep me turning pages until the very end. After closing the book, I was forced to wonder… does it all really matter after all? To open this path of inquiry, Zanbaka has an interesting way of presenting his work, one that might work well for some readers. I count myself in the middle, still unsure what I think.
Kudos, Mr. Zanbaka for your efforts. I see some of my ‘Goodreads’ friends have already sifted through this and I hope more take the time to do so, if only to open their minds to a new way of thinking.
Book Reviews to Ponder 