This graphic novel was hilarious and well-drawn, definitely worth the money and the hype, and I hope will be successful!

A Small Fiction was a delightfully surprising book. As a teacher, I loved showing off these bite-sized stories to show how powerful carefully chosen diction can be. Powerful, funny, heartwarming.

5★
“‘Describe destination,’ the time machine said.

‘Take me to a time when I can make a difference,’ she said.

A brief hum.

‘You are here.’”

I have always enjoyed small, witty jokes, aphorisms, wise sayings, and silly ditties. Since my childhood, I have been a fan of Ogden Nash, who wrote thought-provoking nonsense and just nonsense. Some of his most famous poems are very short.

“Candy is dandy,
But liquor is quicker.”
Ogden Nash

These small fictions are the current tweet-length of 280 characters or less, and you can follow them on @ASmallFiction. I recommend that you don’t try to read this book alone, because there are some entries you may feel compelled to share immediately.

Some are poetic:
“They sat by the well, and they dropped down
their sorrows.

He cast in his Yesterdays, and she her Tomorrows.”


Following that, on the lower half of the page, is this:


“He told her he was leaving, and as she cried, he
held her hand.

If hell is other people, are we the devils or
the damned?”


There are small illustrations. My Goodreads review includes the page illustration where a dog is sitting up, vigorously wagging its tail. The page reads:

"And God said, “Let there be dog,” and there
was dog.

God saw that dog was good, and said,

“Who’s a good dog?”

And it was dog. Yes it was."


There are many small dialogues. Some are funny:

“I caught a ghost!”

“Did you? Where is it?”

“Wherever I go, of course.”

“So it’s not caught; you’re haunted.”

“She said you’d say that.”


Some are more philosophical, which made me read them again. And then nod . . . and hope.

“‘People are still good, mostly,’ she said.

‘Not from what I’m hearing,’ he said.

‘Love is quieter than gunshots. But there’s
more of it.’”


My Goodreads review includes the illustration on the last page which has a sketch of a typewriter with a piece of paper in it:

"“This is a magic typewriter,” he said.

“Is it?”

“Yeah, anything you type on it comes true.”

“Let me try,” she said, and typed:

The End."

In the typewriter, we see the piece of paper with the words The End.

The authors are brothers, and I can imagine what it would be like to hang out with them and swap jokes and wise sayings. Their joint website is https://www.embroscreative.com/

I loved this, and I know I will enjoy going back to it from time to time to find a quote. Thanks to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the preview copy from which I’ve pinched a few samples.

I’ve never read twitter length fiction before. I don’t think it’s for me. I really don’t think you can get as much from a 140 character tweet that you can in a 500 page story. I’ve read fiction that uses twitter to convey a story across multiple tweets and this works well. I just felt a story contained in a single tweet falls a little flat at times. I liked the illustration scattered throughout. These were of a good quality and worked well. I would have liked to see more. The stories, however, never quite worked for me. The stories are written in a very simple style and to be honest don’t have much to depth to them. I didn’t realise the stories were really aimed at children. I read children’s fiction, but this fell short for me.

I just loved this book. These stories are a lot of fun even though there are a few words. They made me laugh and they made me think. Enjoy

A Small Fiction is a random collection of stories, the operative word in the book's subtitle being "little." As in a handful of sentences (no more than 140 characters--yes, that was characters, not words). I started the book ploughing full steam ahead and after several pages, felt like I'd hit a brick wall. Are these page supposed to be related? Am I just reading little previews of longer stories--sort of the teaser to get you hooked? Um, no, those were the "stories."

Yes, you can definitely read this in one sitting or you can discipline yourself to read only one a day (sort of a literary vitamin). If you have the proclivity to write, you may want to create some back story, or a continuation of the story and use it as a writing exercise to get your own pen warmed up. If you don't mind marking up the book, there is plenty of space to journal or jot your thoughts directly on the page. Readers may enjoy grabbing some colored pencils and coloring in the drawings, or sketching one's own picture to accompany a story. The book could even provide fun material for posting a story on an office white board as a kick start to the work day.

Quirky, creative, and innovative all aptly describe this little volume. Readers may actually take more time puzzling out the meaning of some than it will take to read the actual words. So I guess you can call this a brain-building book. Perhaps the next best thing for maintaining mental clarity! This could make a great coffee table book--guests can skim through a large part of the book in the time it takes you to pour the tea. This could also be a great book for anyone who claims they "have no time to read." Or for someone who lets too much time elapse between reading so that characters get forgotten. It's a pick-up-whenever-you-have-3 seconds kind of read (e.g. a mother with 3 children under 4 years).

There are stories for everyone: some bittersweet, snarky, brooding, or savage, while others are surprisingly tender or contemplative. I was envisioning some selections painted on a canvas or elegantly lettered into a journal to savor and reflect on later. Some will make you laugh, others may elicit a tear, while others will require some deep thought (and could foster some interesting dicussions). Crafting a punch with so few characters takes a very finely honed pen for which I applaud the author.

Definitely a gift you can give to someone who has everything, or use as a clever hostess gift for your next dinner party. Or bring it along to read while you wait for food to be served at a restaurant. And now, you've probably spent more time reading this review than you will spend reading the book! Pre-order your copy today (releases on October 6) and while you wait for its delivery, be sure to check out the author's Twitter feed: @ASmallFiction.

Disclaimer: I received a free digital copy of A Small Fiction from NetGalley for the purpose of review. No other compensation was received.

I have seen multiple mini-stories online before, and when I first picked up this book, I did not know what I was expecting. There is no pattern in the flow of the narration, some focus on fairy tales, others were on AI, but all of them were thought-provoking (as the blurb rightly claims). Every next couple of lines had me itching to discuss it with more people. Finally, I showed a few to my husband, and then I ordered my own copy!


I very rarely give in to the temptation to own a book I read, mostly because I am not a very big re-reader. This will probably be an exception for a while because I know for a fact that my husband wants to check them all out. It is not something that can be read silently. The illustrations in this copy do seem to add something extra to the work. A certain basic sense of humour and maybe a little bit of knowledge of the more popular stories is essential to relish the content (or so I feel).


I highly recommend this to people who either follow the author online or like bite-sized, intriguing stories.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers. The review, however, is solely based on my reading experience.

This is a delightful little book of tiny stories in 140 characters or less with charming illustrations. Some whimsical, some serious, some funny, some thoughtful, some profound, covering a wide range of topics from fairy tales to science fiction, relationships to contemporary issues. Something for everyone.

An illustrated collection of very short stories, or flash fiction, which in my opinion, is one of the hardest types of writings, because it's either very amazing or meaningless because the author couldn't choose the right words in such a short space. I liked most of the stories in this collection. Its topics vary between dystopia, end of the world, alien invasion, magic, robots and AIs taking over and the inevitability of human extinction.

These are the main ideas of this collection accompanied by beautiful illustrations, and I would've preferred if there were more illustrations. Most of the stories are humorous in the dark humorous way, which is my favorite kind of humor. I highly recommend.

I thank Netgalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the digital ARC, and this is my honest review.

"Are you here to conquer Earth?"
The aliens exchanged a look.
"No," one said, "this is more like an intervention. You guys need to relax."

Thank you NetGalley and Andrews McMeel for providing me with a temporary e-arc.

A Small Fiction is an illustrated collection of micro-tales of 140 words or less exploring stories in every moment and moments in every story from dystopia to dog-filled through genres of humour, science-fiction, folklore and contemporary fiction in this world and beyond.

Written with impeccable crisp and excellent tones, every micro-tale in the collection hits you hard right on the spot, along with pretty and pleasant illustrations. The micro-tales range from adorable and hilarious to emotional and morbid yet remains thought-provoking throughout. It also contains micro tales that are either scary or makes you laugh for a minute until it actually sinks in and you double-take to read it again only to find it creepy AF. But in the end, you cannot not love 'em all!

Truly one of the best collections of micro-tales that I have read and I recommend it to anyone who is looking for a quick yet a read that gives you a total experience of various sorts!

Note: I had trouble choosing one tale for this review because I am awful at making choices as such, and I just had to share this another tale in this review:
Was she worthless? She wondered.
It felt like it. She'd been so easily set aside.
But every treasure map leads to something left behind

Little bits. Tiny snippets. Just enough to wet the whistle and keep curiosity flowing. Loved it!!!!

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and James Miller for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Do you remember what Forrest Gump's mother always said?
"Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get."
"The same applies to A Small Fiction," says Tau and as a Belgian she can know
That the chocolates in this book are really delicious. In one word: "Wow!"

Don't be fooled by the packaging

Whether the cover appeals to you or not, pick up this book!
You will be pleasantly surprised.
Over and over again.
Because - like the title already says - it is all about 'small fiction'.
As in: lots of little stories of just a few sentences and maximum 140 characters.
What started as an exercice in creativity on Twitter, became an almost daily habit and resulted in this book.

There's no arguing about taste

That is a truism.
But the good news is: there's for everyone's taste in here.
Philosophical and poetic observations, science-fiction with robots and aliens, fantasy with ghosts and death and oracles, romances with a twist, …
Even a true wedding proposal!

You never know what you're gonna get

At first sight the stories are published in random order and not by theme or genre (although several themes keep coming back throughout the book and some may appeal more to you than others).
But when you look a little closer, you begin to see that there is always some connection between two successive stories. Sometimes it's the setting, sometimes just a keyword. Anyway, it's nice to see that the book was compiled with so much eye for detail.
Although you never know where the next story may take you, there are a few constants.
Several stories contain references to poems, books, … (always fun if you recognize them)
Others are supported by pictures made by Jefferson Miller, the brother of James Miller (the author). These black and white pictures often form a beautiful symbiosis with the words.
There is also a lot of inventive wordplay, which will delight language lovers.
And most importantly, there is humour in abundance. From witty over absurd to mostly dark.

Beware: as addictive as chocolate

This is definitely a book to read and reread, especially when you can use a bit(e) of inspiration or humour to brighten up your day!
And if you need a higher dose, you can always take a look on the Twitter-account of A Small Fiction where new stories are still regularly posted or on the website ;-)


*Disclaimer: Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this free e-book in exchange for an honest review.
** This review also appeared in an article on my blog World of Tau.

The book is a mix of sweet, thought-provoking, and melancholy tiny stories that come together beautifully. There are a few stories that turn common phrases or beliefs on their head. They will make you laugh and may give you some hope. I listed a couple of my favorites below.

We were the stars.
Meaningless alone.
Defined by our constellations.

The dog's tail wagged.
It was his tail's job: to synchronize all nearby moods to the measure of his joy.
A metronome of happiness.

A very interesting collection- the small snapshots weave together and almost create a complete novel, or a network of interlocking novels. A really unique work that is very funny and very readable.

I'd like to thank the publisher and netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in an exchange for an honest review.
I thought it was a bit difficult to follow the story.

I've been following this twitter feed for a while, and always enjoy it. These were a smattering of some of the best, with some I didn't remember (maybe new additions?). I love these short little tales. They remind me of the Hemingway 6-word story format, but for the contemporary world. It'll be perfect for those who want something they can just sporadically peruse.

“’I read your story.’
‘And?’
‘It’s so short. Why did it take so long to write?’
‘It took time to get all the extra words out of the way.’”

A Small Fiction is an illustrated collection of little stories by James Mark Miller, with illustrations by Jefferson Miller. The author describes the collection as the seeds of stories; a few lines each, they are succinct and evocative, often able to convey a thought, a feeling or an idea better than a much longer work. Many of these are so good, it is difficult to limit the quotes in a review.

These little gems, dipping into various genres, will have the reader smiling, frowning, gasping and, very often, laughing out loud. They are wise, clever, poignant, insightful, witty, sad, profound, funny (sometimes darkly so), scary and really quite wonderful!

“Ownership is an illusion, the cat knew. Nothing is forever.
They needed to learn.
He began pushing another glass toward the table’s edge.”

“’This model is perfect. It will even think it’s human.’
‘What about the optical flaws?’
‘The “floaters”? We’ll just say we all have them.’”

This one is reminiscent of Hitchhikers Guide B ark: “’Robots will replace us all pretty soon,’ he said.
‘Not everyone. Not you.’
‘Really?’
‘Yeah, no one needs what you do. You can go,’”

“’Dad, why do Santa’s deer have bells?’
‘Remember how we put the bell on the cat because he kept eating birds?’
‘Yeah?’
‘That. But kids’”

“’Teach me how to be happy,’ she said.
The dog whuffed at her, then flopped down to nap.
‘I wish you could talk.’
He wished she would listen.”
And there are many more, just as marvellous. What a great little collection!
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing.

This collection of very short stories is funny at some points, thought-provoking in others and surreal in some still. This book can be read all in one sitting or slowly over the course of days. It's a refreshing change of pace. I did find the formatting to be a little annoying, but it didn't distract from the stories being told or make me dislike the book as a whole.