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    Thanks everyone, and i've not see too many reviews but this one from Horror World made my day ...

    http://horrorworld.org/hw/2014/01/in-mint-condition/

    In Mint Condition: 2013 is a dark fiction anthology published with contributions from the members of the Stephen King website, TheDarkTower.org. There are thirteen short stories, three poems, and sixteen pieces of artwork to accompany the fiction between its 4” x 6 ¾” covers (small enough to slip into your back pocket, a rarity for horror anthologies these days). With the exception of a few of the artists, I wasn’t familiar with the names of any of the contributors. There is no apparent theme to the anthology, the back cover stating only that the major criterion for acceptance was that the stories be “the best of the best”. Judging from the introduction, its content, and the end notes, everyone involved gave their all to make this the “best of the best”, and it appears like they had a lot of fun putting this little book together.

    Like most anthologies, there is good and bad in, In Mint Condition: 2013, and if readers are prepared to overlook some of the misfiring, there is enough good to make, In Mint Condition: 2013 an enjoyable read.

    My biggest problem with the anthology is the lack of editing. The introduction states that the majority of the editing duties were left to the contributors, that might not have been the wisest move. Many of these tales went on far too long and, as a result, their narratives became repetitive. There were also many instances of words repeated too often in the story (or even in the same paragraph) taking the reader out of the tale. Finally, while only a few readers might find this problematic, I thought there were way too many first person stories. In more skillful hands this might not have bothered me so much, but many of those narratives seemed to drone on and on, diluting any frights they might have built up.

    On the positive side, I thought the majority of these stories were enjoyable. While not all of them held up, the ones that did managed to provoke enough excitement to keep me more than attentive to the end. Highlights are listed below:

    The Receptionist by Bob Ireland: A chilling tale of a man who accepts a new job, only to discover that it requires much more of him than he could have dreamed.

    The Train Graveyard by Ariel Bosi: A coming of age story focusing on the story of two brothers, and how their reaction to bullying changed their lives.

    Seagrass Encounter by David Swearingen: A man versus Barracuda story with an ending I didn’t expect.

    The Rule of Three by Thomas Cranham: A uniquely plotted story where the narrator is observing a young man and his two buddies as they encounter an evil wearing a short skirt and possessing a high libido. (This was my favorite tale in the anthology).

    Tabula Rasa by Hannah O’Conner: This story concerns a young woman who was impregnated with a clone, and her desperate attempt to escape the scientists who keep her captive.

    Special mention also goes out to Jeannine Bulsara whose decidedly different presentation of her story about child sexual abuse not only got my attention, but left me feeling chilled.

    It seems lately that there is a glut of horror anthologies in the market. In Mint Condition: 2013 tries very hard to distinguish itself from that pack with stories that are diverse, stimulating and enjoyable. While it doesn’t hit these goals all the time, it does do the job with the majority of them, and that’s remarkable considering that many of these writers appear to be novices.

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      That's an awesome review of your story, Tom!! A huge congratulations!!!
      "I watched Titanic when I got back home from the hospital, and cried. I knew that my IQ had been damaged."
      - Stephen King

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        Nice congrats, Tom!

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          Congratulations, Tom! I liked your story.

          John

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            Thanks John

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              I bought this off eBay and it arrived today

              [IMG][/IMG]



              The artwork is superb in this book and the book itself is in superb condition.

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                Nice find. Congratulations!
                "I watched Titanic when I got back home from the hospital, and cried. I knew that my IQ had been damaged."
                - Stephen King

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                  Excellent!!!
                  "I'm a vegan. "

                  ---Kirby Bliss Blanton , The Green Inferno (2013)

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                    Picked this one up for a very small price

                    [IMG][/IMG]

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                      Just got my gift edition of SP's The Shining with the associated chapbook of the Sketches by Victor Chong. I'm really impressed!
                      John

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                        I'm not gonna post a picture of it because I haven't taken one and frankly it weirds me out a little. I had a guy contact me through the craigslist ad for my store and said he had 10 boxes of books he was looking to get rid of. He lived close by and said he'd drop them off for free. I initially turned him down because our retail situation is in flux right now, but finally relented. I've been breaking down and moving the books and shelving at our current store all weekend, and finally got around to going through those particular boxes and the first book I pull out is a 1939 hardback British edition of Mein Kampf.

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                          Interesting. What other books were there? Does it have any value (monetary, not literary)?

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                            Waited a long time for this to come and it was worth every penny. Gorgeous book

                            monk front.JPG
                            monk endpapers.JPG
                            monk art 2.JPG
                            monk art.JPG
                            monk pic.JPG
                            the monk sig.JPG

                            Sorry for some of the pics being sideways, I can't seem to be to rotate them. This is a great story and Centipede Press did an outstanding job on this edition.
                            Last edited by Neiaushie79; 02-18-2014, 10:40 PM.

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                              Very nice addition with The Monk! The book looks gorgeous!

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                                Nice edition. Haven't read it yet, but do have a PB edition of it that I got either last year or the year before, can't remember which.
                                WARNING!!! WARNING!!! DO NOT VIEW THIS SPOILER! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!
                                Spoiler!

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