By Adam Lock is someone that has been going about his craft in a subtle, under-the-radar kind of way, building an impressive list of publications where his work has feature either in the short story form or flash fiction – both online and in print.
We’ve been watching Adam Lock’s development as a writer like proud parents, ever since we published his first debut short story, and we firmly believe that since providing him with his debut in the literary world, all roads have been leading him to release a single authored collection of some kind. And we were delighted to hear that Lock had been preparing a body of work called Dinosaur with Ellipsis Zine which is soon to be release upon the world (13th July 2019) – those who were at the Flash Fiction Festival got it ahead of publication (lucky us!).
Dinosaur is a deftly crafted, Novella-in-Flash which showcases in my opinion one of the most outstanding voices working in the flash fiction realm today. You can distinctively tell that Dinosaur is a culmination of hard work and a tireless dedication to the craft of flash, demonstrating story after story a writer with a breathtakingly pure and unique style – showcasing what you can achieve in so few words.
Lock’s deft prose and simplistic storytelling approach will move you, maim you, and ensnare you within his little intricately woven masterpieces – and in many cases, he will quite literally take your breath away. From meeting Lock it is clear that he one of the most humblest people I’ve ever had the pleasure to meet, and he is unknowing of his masterful gift and what he offers the literary world.
His stories take us on a journey with Rebecca and Erik, from childhood, adolescence and eventually adulthood and all the places between. Lock has us face the difficult phases in peoples lives, the heartache and the heartbreak, the things that truly shape us, mould us and in most cases scar us. His back and forth structure between the two main protagonists aids in the storytelling and even this brief novella-in-flash turns into a page turner (which is sad as much as it is good, because I just wanted more and more of his words and this world – I never wanted it to end).
With Lock’s novella-in-flash to delve too deeply into the stories in this review, in my opinion would taint the offering and experience, it’s something that needs to be consumed by the reader, something to gorge yourself on and take full delight in how Lock is able to move the reader and leave them changed.
I have to say I don’t often, come to think of it, I’ve never cried at a book. It’s probably because my father was the macho builder type and I have some real issues that Freud would love to spend time unpacking. But anyway Lock brought me to tears, well a wetness around the eyes, okay…actual tears when I read his story Everybody Hurts. For me, it’s one of the best pieces of short fiction I’ve read (it’s up there in my top 10), it just hit me right in the gut. I’ve read a tonne of novels, thousands of short stories but nothing has moved me as much as Lock’s 500 words of Everybody Hurts. For him to move me in such a way, and in so little words – shows he is a raconteur to be championed, cherished and discovered.
Dinosaur is arrestingly brilliant, endlessly beguiling, passionate, heart-breakingly pure and a sheer masterpiece – an astonishing debut from a writer whom I have now dubbed Grand Master Flash!
Ellipsis Zine have unearthed the find of the century…buy it and be transformed!
Dinosaur is published by Ellipsis Zine and is available here.
‘Dinosaur’ follows the lives of Rebecca and Erik, intertwining their stories in a way only flash fiction can. Although their lives are held close within the pages of this Novella-in-Flash, they meet for only a short, albeit life-changing, time.
No one chooses who to love, only who to be with.
Adam Lock
Adam Lock wakes far too early in the Black Country, UK, to write, before teaching in a secondary school. Adam has been published on STORGY once before, and can also be found on Fictive Dream, The Fiction Pool, The Vending Machine Press, Occulum, Flash Fiction Magazine and others.
You can find links to these stories and others at adamlock.net. He’s also active on Twitter @dazedcharacter.
Reviewed by Ross Jeffery
Available Now!
This is the tale of a town on the fringes of fear, of ordinary people and everyday objects transformed by terror and madness, a microcosm of the world where nothing is ever quite what it seems. This is a world where the unreal is real, where the familiar and friendly lure and deceive. On the outskirts of civilisation sits this solitary town. Home to the unhinged. Oblivion to outsiders.
Shallow Creek contains twenty-one original horror stories by a chilling cast of contemporary writers, including stories by Sarah Lotz, Richard Thomas, Adrian J Walker, and Aliya Whitely. Told through a series of interconnected narratives, Shallow Creek is an epic anthology that exposes the raw human emotion and heart-pounding thrills at the the genre’s core.
Shallow Creek Paperback
+
Set of Horror Bookmarks
+
Delivery
*
U.K. £14.99
U.S.A/CANADA £24.99
EUROPE £19.99
SHALLOW CREEK EBOOK
£2.99
You can also purchase a copy of EXIT EARTH below!
Twenty-four short stories, exclusive afterwords, interviews, artwork, and more.
From Trumpocalypse to Brexit Britain, brick by brick the walls are closing in. But don’t despair. Bulldoze the borders. Conquer freedom, not fear. EXIT EARTH explores all life – past, present, or future – on, or off – this beautiful, yet fragile, world of ours. Final embraces beneath a sky of flames. Tears of joy aboard a sinking ship. Laughter in a lonely land. Dystopian or utopian, realist or fantasy, horror or sci-fi, EXIT EARTH is yours to conquer.
EXIT EARTH includes the short stories of all fourteen finalists of the STORGY EXIT EARTH Short Story Competition, as judged by critically acclaimed author Diane Cook (Man vs. Nature) and additional stories by award winning authors M R Cary (The Girl With All The Gifts), Toby Litt (Corpsing), James Miller (Lost Boys), Courttia Newland (A Book of Blues), and David James Poissant (The Heaven of Animals), and exclusive artwork by Amie Dearlove, HarlotVonCharlotte, CrapPanther, and cover design by Rob Pearce.
Find out more about EXIT EARTH here…
Unlike many other Arts & Entertainment Magazines, STORGY is not Arts Council funded or subsidised by external grants or contributions. The content we provide takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce, and relies on the talented authors we publish and the dedication of a devoted team of staff writers. If you enjoy reading our Magazine, help to secure our future and enable us to continue publishing the words of our writers. Please make a donation or subscribe to STORGY Magazine with a monthly fee of your choice. Your support, as always, continues to inspire.
Sign up to our mailing list and never miss a new short story.
