This review follows the Poltergeist Press reissue. — It seems like most readers (that I follow) agree that collections are often hit or miss, due to how many stories included you liked or disliked. I’m on this page; it’s not easy for me to love a collection, because usually there’s a handful of stories I don’t care about.
Black Bubbles was like this for me. However, Owen’s writing always impressed, even when a story wasn’t resonating for me. That is one reason I look on this collection more favorably.
Of the stories I enjoyed, quite a few of them struck me as wonderful previews to larger works. “Shadow of Skepticism,” “Feeding the Animals,” “Potential,” “Family Reunion,” and “Good Enough” all felt like they offered worlds worth exploring further.
I also found “The Rabbit” and “Shadows in a Bowl of Soup” to both work wonderfully as flash fiction pieces. “Divorcing the Dead” had a great emotional thread throughout it, and “Spilled Milk” made me want to look up the Brian Keene story Owen wrote this one to accompany.
Prior to this reissue, I didn’t know Kelli Owen. I had a novella of hers that came in a Nightworms box, but I had yet to give it much thought. After reading Black Bubbles, I think I will now go ahead and move that book up my list – I’m interested in reading more of Kelli Owen.
I received a digital ARC from the publisher, Poltergeist Press, for review considerstion.
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