Review of It's A Dark Ride by David K. Montoya
By: Stephanie Bardy
It's a Dark Ride written by David K. Montoya, is a collection of short stories. Each one dark, each one with a lesson, that was woven into it. Sometimes the good guy wins, sometimes you need to be careful what you wish for.
As I started reading this collection, I thought the first story was one I would love to tell around a campfire, late at night. It would definitely make the trek back to the tent and subsequently the attempt to sleep rather difficult. I kept reading each story getting drawn in further and further. Each one became darker than the previous, wrapping the reader in a world of twisted justice and supernatural creepiness. As I finished one, I found myself hurrying to start the next.
Although a collection of short dark stories, they are woven together in a tapestry, each one connecting to the next, sometimes obvious with reoccurring characters, and others with that sense of helpless fear. Each stands on its own as a good read, but when combined as they are in this book, they take you on a journey.
If you have ever watched The Twilight Zone, this book has that feel for me. You are immersed story by story into an every day world, with unexplained events, otherworldly occurrences, and good old fashioned spookiness.
Each story is different from the one before and I found the creativeness of David K. Montoya inspiring and refreshing. He wraps you in a world of words that make it very easy to see it in your minds eye. I felt like I was watching each story play out more than I was reading it. Hence the Twilight Zone reference. I felt pity for some characters, cheered for some, and felt satisfaction with others. His descriptive way of writing left no room for wondering what the scene looked like. It was there in black and white, and in my head in technicolor. He also has a way of setting the scene perfectly then throwing in a twist you never expected like he did in Riding Shotgun. I read that one twice to see if I had missed any clues along the way as to the ending. While I enjoyed each story, that one was my favorite.
I also have to say, each story left me wanting more. What happened in this story after this happened? Where did that person end up? Especially in Lola's Special Gift.
This is definitely a book that will stay in my collection to be enjoyed again and again. I highly recommend it. It's good for a quick read at bedtime, with the lights on of course, as you can read one story at a time, but I will warn you, that is a hard thing to do. I couldn't put it down.
In closing, this was an enjoyable read, it kept my interest, and I look forward to seeing more. Therefore award David K. Montoya's It's A Dark Ride Three Stars! Until we read again,
Stephanie Bardy