FlashSpec Volume Two continues the very high standard of speculative flash fiction showcased in Volume One, and was officially released on July 2nd 2007.

This second volume is perhaps a little darker than the first, featuring some truly spine-tingling tales.

Indigo, by Tasmanian author Debra Findlay, starts the new collection and certainly sets the pace, leaving the reader in no doubt whatsoever as to where this second anthology of speculative tales is heading!

Other contributors include: Christopher Elston, Donna Maree Hanson, Simon Petrie, K. A. Patterson, Mark Smith-Briggs and many more authors from around the world.

Horrorscope had this to say:

"A handsomely produced book with an eye-catching cover.
The writing in FlashSpec is competent to good!"

Volume Two features the following running order of stories and contributing authors:

     Foreword
     Indigo by Debra Findlay
     Centrefold by Damien Kane
     Wayfarer by Christopher Holloway
     Silent Line by Natalie J. E. Potts
     Mother's Day by K. A. Patterson
     The Watcher by J. G. Thomas
     Empty by Brett A. Hall
     The Tartan Tie by Bren MacDibble
     Thorns by Susan Boulton
     Dragon Fly by Lynne Lumsden Green
     Mirror Dirt by Joanne Anderton
     Life Inside A Ping-Pong Ball by Cheyenne Warlock
     Short Hand by Neil Cladingboel
     Probability Epicentre Event by Stephen Jones
     Screen Snatch by Peter Hart
     Double Jeopardy by Julia Felicity Ker
     Signs by Derek Smith
     Hearts of Winter by David Schembri
     Shoebox by Susie Hawes
     Blood Sponge by Brett A. Hall
     Fatal Mistake by Sin Deniz
     Wired For Sound by Christopher Elston
     The First Principle of Observation by Peter Tennant
     Red by Neil Cladingboel
     A Day At The Beach by Cheyenne Warlock
     Kill Card by Matt Tighe
     Chrysalis by Simon Petrie
     The Metaphysician's Apprentice by Shei Tanner
     Respite by Christopher Holloway
     Blue Ink Sky by Amanda Pillar
     Remorse by Mark Smith-Briggs
     Shadow Puppet by Kirstyn McDermott
     Trepanation by Clinton Green
     Abandoned Time by Donna Maree Hanson

Synergy Magazine Review

FlashSpec is an anthology series, showcasing short, high quality speculative fiction from around the world. The uniqueness of flash fiction is that it emphasizes quality of over quantity since the story must be told in a limited space. Indeed, in this second volume, the tale must be under 750 words.

It is certainly the case that less is more and most of the tales tend to be on the more unusual, even darker, side of fiction, with conclusions that are not what you would expect. Some of the best tales are those that emphasise imagery and mood since these can be successfully evoked in a short tale, but this does not mean that there are not tales that offer impressive plot and character development in such a short space.

Volume 2 surpasses the high quality standard of the first volume and offers tales from a diverse range of flash fiction authors from around the world.

While there has been some criticism of flash fiction being somewhat tired and using clichés and well worn literary twists, the tales in this volume are innovative, evocative, and stretch the envelope when it comes to what flash fiction can be. It has been argued that flash fiction lacks narrative content, yet if we take as example Indigo by Debra Findlay, we have an excellent narrative created by what seems to be a lover and her potential suitor. It places us within the context of the characters and then hits us head on with the twist at the end.

Personally, I think the editor has done an exceptional job of choosing some of the more creative and interesting flash fiction stories from what is essentially a flood of stories available.

Stories in this volume cannot be easily categorized and range from what could be defined as dark and horror to fantasy and tales with a psychological twist. Of course, tales vary throughout the volume from short snacks to full length (750 word) flash fiction, but while they vary in quality, all kept my attention and interest, and I highly recommend FlashSpec Volume 2.

© Synergy Magazine 2007