Hobson’s Choice is a collection of fifteen enjoyable short stories by Clive West. They are well-written, entertaining, and thought-provoking, showing that the situations we go through in life do not always have happy endings. Each story ends with an unexpected twist.
Some of the stories I enjoyed more than others, but that is normal. The following stories are the ones I consider to be the best.
“A Good Education” is a story of bullying at a school for boys. One of those bullied takes revenge in a unique way. Moon has trouble concentrating because he hears voices. One of the voices that he hears is that of a boy that was killed by the bullies, and the voice of this dead boy tells Moon how to put a stop to the bullying at school.
“The Watcher” was my favorite story. I was so sure I had it figured out, but I was wrong. A guy with binoculars is watching young girls exit their school. Is his reason for doing so innocent or not?
“Dear John” can make you wonder about the true intentions of even those you believe you know best. Are you sure they really want what is best for you? A writer can’t figure out where to go next in her story, so she asks a friend for help.
park bench, public domain
“The Bench” is the only story I have ever read that is centered completely around a park bench. If only inanimate objects such as this could talk, what would they tell us? Would the things they told us be close to the things that transpired in this story?
“A Day at the Beach” – A couple on vacation at the beach makes the acquaintance of another couple that is there. How much should you trust someone you’ve just met? This story shows that appearances can be deceiving, so you need to be careful whom you trust.
“The Return of the Centaurus” is a science fiction story. This guy has to go investigate the absolute silence of the crew aboard a ship that has returned. What has happened to this crew? What he finds out is both disturbing and shocking.
psychics, flickr
“Every One a Winner” – How would your friends and neighbors act if you won the lottery? Would they treat you any different? Would they treat you with more respect and want you to stick around, or would they make your life a living hell? And how would you react to them? This story shows one way they could possibly behave.
“Seeing is Believing” – Are psychics for real? Do they really have the ability to see into your future? Do they even believe in themselves, or are they just putting on a show?
I received a copy of this book through the Virtual Book Tour Café in exchange for an honest review. If you would like to add this collection of short stories to your library, I have provided an Amazon link below.
pile of books, public domain
Amazon Link: Hobson’s Choice and 15 other twist-in-the-tail short stories
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Future’s Ending: A Science Fiction Short Story Anthology – a Review
Vices and Virtues: A Horror Anthology – a Review
Big Bob: A Horror Short Story – a Review
About the Author:
Clive West was born in the West Country of England in the early 60s. He was educated at a traditional English public school before going on to university to study civil engineering. Over the years, he has worked as a civil engineer, tutor of maths and science, schools quizmaster, employment agency boss, and writer.
His work includes a collection of short stories with twists, a full-length novel called The Road about the consequences of corruption on ordinary people and an accessible job hunting interview guide (based on his years of experience as the boss of an employment agency).
He has also written a book about lymphedema. This is a disfiguring, life-threatening, and incurable disease he now suffers from and which his experience shows that most fellow patients have (like him) been abandoned by their respective health services.
Clive now lives in a rebuilt farmhouse in the Umbrian region of Italy along with Damaris, his writer wife of 22 years and their three rescue dogs. Apart from his fictional work, Clive also writes commercial non-fiction on a variety of topics but especially relating to business and employment.
You can see all the books which he has been involved with at www.anysubject.com.
