A great read. I thoroughly enjoyed these tales of intrigue.
Couldn’t put this down. This is the whole collection – starting with a series of short, thought-provoking stories – each one beautifully crafted, conjuring up characters and circumstances many of which are so close to home as to be in the same room! Then, my favourite, I think – In the Court of the One-Eyed King – a story of one man’s life … you need to read it! And finally Do Not Feed the Clowns – how many of us identify with Charley, her working life, colleagues, friends – and then there’s the clown! Thought-provoking, disturbing – sometimes, dark – yes, the stories are just as the author describes – fairy tales for the modern world raising deep questions for all of us. [Amazon review, Sept ’21]
Circus of Charades
I’m big fan of Buck Starmer and read his Circus of Charades volume, which has 3 books; viz. Ubiquitous Masquerade, In the Court of the One-Eyed King & Do Not Feed the Clowns. His books are absolutely a treat, not for the routine fiction readers, who would like to read the likes of Lee Child, James Patterson etc. I am not trying demean these internationally top selling authors. They have their own style of writing. But, Buck Starmer totally differs. Read any one of the books to understand my statement. The stories in the volume, Circus of Charades are stand alone stories. So, you can enjoy it in any order.
Also, note the fact that one of the three books in the series, Ubiquitous Masquerade, is also a collection of macabre short stories. Any discerning reader can enjoy this book, alone, or along with the other two books in the series. [R S, Kindle readers and authors group, Sept ’21]
Red Wine and Dark Chocolate
“Anyone whose heart was once filled yet left empty, is condemned to linger on the past snipping the crabgrass from around its heavy stone” – this snippet from the first short story really sets the tone for this collection.
Starmer has clearly mastered the art of touching raw nerves then telling stories that entwine words and emotions, to move the reader. He relates to our everyday and then moves seamlessly to fantasy, all the while with his finger on the pulse of our heartbeat. A great read. I can’t wait for his next publication. [Amazon Review, May 2022]
BuckStarmerBooks 