Book Review: In Rod We Trust by Tom Sawyer

Author: Tom Sawyer

Title: In Rod We Trust

Genre: Fantasy, Anthology, Horror, Short stories

Format: paperback

Pages: 220

Published: June 6, 2020

Where I got It: My shelf (Bought at Horror convention)

Summary: 

There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man. This is a dimension of imagination. In the case of these stories, it is where author Tom Sawyer’s imagination takes flight. Mr. Sawyer, as a popular Michigan horror fiction author of many delights ( From Paradise to Hell, Dark Harbors), pays an ultimate tribute to Rod Serling’s own imagination, which influenced viewers around the world since its inception decades ago with The Twilight Zone TV series. Here, Sawyer continues the tradition seamlessly on these pages. So sit back, relax, and cross over into the sight and sound and of mind which is.....The Twilight Zone.

Review:

I love, love, LOVE the Twilight Zone. Heck, I even join in on the plays sometimes! I stumbled upon this booth at a convention center and I got to meet the author of this little gem. So yes, I grabbed this book to give it a try. Gotta support local authors!!

There are a lot of different short stories in this one so I'll divide and conquer by each short story. 

- The Beggar and the Devil

What a way to start the book! I'm bummed I can't spoil anything, but I had no idea what was going to happen. Lots of twists and turns. That ending? Dang. 5 stars

- Escape Artist

Another fun one with a nice twist at the end. You could kind of see where it was heading but it was good. 4 stars.

- From Forever to Eternity

Creepy and scary! I liked this one a lot too. 5 stars. 

- Time to Pay the Piper

This wasn't my favorite but I still enjoyed it. I feel like there was something missing. I think it needed more time to marinate or maybe something extra. I can't put my thumb on what was missing. 3 stars.

- The Best Laid Plans

This one was hard to read personally. Kuddos to the author for attempting this one but I struggled. 2 stars. 

- Sufletul Mortii

After two shorts that didn't hit right for me, this one came in swinging! I ended up really, really liking this one! Perhaps top 3. 5 stars. 

- Smooth Sailing

Honestly, I had to go back and read this one when I was trying to type up this review. I couldn't remember anything from it. I liked it after re-reading it, but it's doesn't give that same punch as some of the others. 3 stars. 

- Man's Best Friend

This one had me in tears. It was beautiful and great. Top 2. 5 stars. 

- The Ghost of Tom

This one was my #1 pick. I was laughing but also creeped at all at the same time. Loved the ending. *chef kiss* 5 stars. 

- Last Dance at the Stardust Ballroom

Another pretty good one. I did like this one a lot. It was oddly sweet? Is that the word I'm looking for? 4 stars. 

- Mr Handelman's Bicycle

Whoops. Another one I had to re-read to remember the details. But again...I liked what I read. I just think it didn't have the same impact and punch as some of the others. 3 stars though. 

- A Condition of the Skin

Wow. Dang. I have to imagine this was a rough one to write, but dang was it impactful and that last line??? WOW. 5 stars. 

- A Very Fine Specimen

Nice twist at the end. I liked this one too. A nice way to end the whole collection. Symbolic and whatnot. 4 stars. 

Overall

This was a nice collection of stories. I enjoyed the vast majority of them! There were only a couple that I was meh about which is excellent when you have an anthology of shorts like this. If you at all like Twilight Zone or even Black Mirror....I suggest this one. 

After doing complicated math....I'll stamp this with 4 stars.