A fine selection from the UnCommon anthology series’ stories, and a good starter book if haven’t read any of the other (3) collections.
Readers will not find a lot of happiness in the various stories, but quite a bit of justice — some justice served, other justice vaguely promised. There are few “normal” people, but many archetypes, both positive and negative. (This does not mean the characters are stereotypes — far from it. There is weirdness, strangeness, and some folks you want to grab and shake and scream at, screaming phrases like, “Don’t you see what they’re doing?” and “Run while you still can!”)
Although this would never be confused with a work in the romance genre, relationships play a major role in the stories. From the extraordinary nature of family “In the Periphery” to the pain of human touch, literally, in “Don’t Touch Me”, every story picks at a nerve or twists a perception. This is not a book for the faint of heart, not for children, and not for those who find a story with violent actions or disgusting behavior “not their type.” For the rest of you (and if you are still reading this, that’s probably you), give this book a try.

Simon Mayeski