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REVIEW: All the Right Places – Wayne Goodman

All the Right Places - Wayne Goodman

Genre: Speculative Fiction, Romance, Historical fiction

LGBTQ+ Category: Gay

Reviewer: Aethena, Paranormal Romance Guild

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About The Book

All the Right Places is a collection of short stories, most written for submission to anthologies or collections. Starting in the near future and proceeding to the near past, men interact with other men in the pursuit of love and companionship.

The Review

This book is a collection of short stories that take place around the world in a variety of different time periods.  From virtual reality in the future to 18th century Japan, each story conveys the challenges a gay man encounters while seeking companionship.  

The stories are all succinct, but they impart a completed idea.  Wayne Goodman has a talent for developing a full story in a very concise fashion.  I would be interested in reading a few of these stories if they were ever developed into a full length novel, but the short stories are entertaining in the original format.  

I enjoyed the raw nature of the storytelling in this collection.  All the essential pieces are in each short story.  Plot, setting, character, conflict, and resolution are all there.  By not adding superfluous details, the author constructs just the right amount of story to let the reader’s imagination flow.  The descriptions of Oscar Wilde, a lighthouse keeper, a Confederate soldier, and a multitude of other characters triggered my curiosity.  I found myself searching the internet to learn more about the historical places and people that I had just read about.  

I would have liked to see a little more emotion from the main character of each story.  I wanted to have just a little bit better understanding of the main character’s response to difficult situations.  Since this might have detracted from the intent of the story because the reader is meant to be viewing the events through the eyes of the main character, I consider  that declaration more of a personal preference than a criticism of the writing. 

I recommend this book to anyone looking for a handful of short stories that takes you on an imaginative trip through time to some very interesting places where you get to meet some fascinating characters.   

4 Stars.

The Reviewer

Lives in the Pacific Northwest and vacations in the desert as often as possible. She is allergic to garlic, sleeps during the day whenever possible, and breaks out in an allergic rash when exposed to excessive sunlight. She has a degree in engineering, works at a comic book store, and goes for long bike rides at night during the full moon because of the sun allergy. Aethena was forced to switch to mostly e-books and audio books when the last floor to ceiling bookcase started to overflow. She is on her fifth e-reader, and is contemplating using her engineering degree to design an e-reader that can withstand her capacity for destruction. 

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