Thursday, 5 May 2022

FRANK ZAFIRO - THE WORST DOOR (2021)

 


Synopsis/blurb....

River City police detective Joseph Finch has seen a lot in his years as a homicde detective. He's investigated cases and arrested suspects. He's gone through a lot of doors. But the next one will be the hardest one of his career.

He has no choice. It's his duty. He has to take this door.

He must face what is on the other side.

It isn't what you think it is.

But for Finch, it will be the the worst door, ever.

This short graphic novel is part of the River City universe, and is based on the Derringer Award finalist short story of the same name.

I was scratching around for a quick read to finish off the month of April and happened upon this short offering from favourite author, Frank Zafiro. I've only flitted into his River City universe on the odd occasion in the past, though I do intend to read the ten or so novels and the several short story collections that are set here.

The Worst Door was - unknown to me until I opened it - in graphic story format. It's not a format I read in too often and is probably one I will continue to steer clear of in future if this experience is anything to go by. 

My eyes, my eyes, my eyes .... I just had problems reading the block text accompanying the images and the images on their own only tell you some of the story.  Even blowing up the story to full screen format on my laptop Kindle reader didn't help that much. I think I got the gist of it in the end, but it was an effort. If it was a full length novel, I think either my eyes would have bled by the end or my head would have exploded. 

Apart from that, everything was perfect!

It's a short story concerning family - two brothers namely and two different paths chosen after a difficult upbringing. I think I need to read the original story in its original format, especially as it was an award finalist. There are some complex emotions in play as one brother confronts the other in their childhood home. Me struggling to read their lines of communication obviously impacted negatively on how well I received the story. It's impact was severely diminished. More of a thank goodness I've reached the end, as opposed to some thoughtful contemplation. 
3 from 5

Read - April, 2022
Published - 2021
Page count - 11
Source - Kindle Unlimited
Format - Kindle
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4 comments:

  1. Frank Zafiro5 May 2022 at 06:50

    Thanks for the review! I was curious how this presentation would appear to readers on their Kindle.

    This was a little bit of an experiment, and one I think worked better in print. :-)

    This story in its original form is in the collection DEAD EVEN. It was a finalist for the Derringer Award the year it was published.

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    1. col29105 May 2022 at 21:42

      Frank thanks for the detail, I'll keep an eye out for it. I think a paperback version might have been easier on the eyes for sure.

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  2. Margot Kinberg5 May 2022 at 08:58

    Thanks for sharing your experience with the graphic novel format, Col. The story does sound like a good 'un, and I can see how the story itself ticked the boxes for you. As for the format, graphic novels definitely aren't for everyone. I have trouble following them easily, myself. But, hey, you gave it a go, and at least the story part worked for you.

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    Replies
    1. col29105 May 2022 at 21:45

      I admire the form, Margot even though I neglected to mention it. I think the ability to draw scenes and characters especially, consistently so they are recogniable is one I envy. I really can't draw or sketch for toffee. I'll try the graphic novel again in the future and see how I go.

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