You know a story's going to be great when in the first paragraph the main character gets slapped in the face by a trout as tuna and mackerelly literal rain down around him.
Yes, that's right.
As I come to the final few stories in Xchyler Publisher's Beyond the Wail: 12 Grave Stories of Love and Loss, I find myself surprised at the diversity in the stories, especially after reading Alex McGilvery's Saint Peter's Fish.
Even without a falling whale, the comparison's to Douglas Adams are obvious. I'm no scholar when it comes to Adams--far from it, but I have read a few of his books and Adam's books kept going through my mind as I enjoy's McGilvery's delightful story. Yes, there's ghosts, and lost love. There's also a fish that distributes gold coins. The story evolves to a point where a litigation against God is discussed and considered.
Saint Peter's Fish begins with Sam losing his pub (if you want to know how, think falling whale...). Sam's luck is not only bad, it's horrible! Since he caught and brought home the fish that keeps spitting out gold coins, nothing has gone right for the beleaguered man. With the help of an angel as well as him ignoring the advice of a representative of Satan, Sam's life takes a major turn, a turn where hopefully Sam can reverse life's lot and find success.
I've got two more stories to review in Beyond the Wail. If the next two are like this one, I'll love them. Then again, I don't think there's anything quite like this story. Well done, Alex!
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