Reviewed for Readers’ Favorites.
The Language Program and other stories by Robert J.Reid is a collection of eight extremely diverse short stories. The first story begins with an adventurous treasure hunt in South Africa, as recollected by the grandfather, named Thomas, of the storyteller. After World War- I, Thomas and his friends did not wish to settle into their mundane lives, so they decided to look for a thrilling adventure. A German old man directed them for a treasure, and they began their blood-filled journey in the search of the elation among other things. Little did they know that there are many predators, unknown to the human race, waiting for them. Turning the pages of this story, the readers would be amazed to observe adrenaline pumping in their own hearts. The adventure ends leaving the readers gasping for air, and the author drops the readers inside the head of a lonely detective, who is trying to catch a vicious and smart serial killer. This story is written with many vivid details, which are sometimes missed even in a book entirely dedicated to a detective story. Then, the author lightens the mood with a superhero story. As a reader, I was fascinated by the variety of the plots of each story. Since the beginning of the journey, the readers would loosen their seat-belts only in the case of an emergency because the book is too fascinating to put down.
The length of the stories was not consistent, but this was a good thing. Each story was as interesting as the previous one. The range of the emotions that a person feels in a long time has been delivered in just eight stories:Fear, humor, suspense, drama, nervousness, and a sense of responsibility. While entertaining the readers with these stories, the author has shared his thoughts on several issues, as well. The author has reflected on a foster kid’s craving to be a part of the family. Non-adopted foster kids really feel left out for a long time. He shows us the future of the earth if we do not reform our ways of dealing with nature. The writing style is narrative with varying tone, as per the need of the story. The overall mood is set to the darker side.
As a reader, I enjoyed the diversity of the short stories. I admire the fact that the author has kept the book short and crisp. I would recommend this book to the readers who enjoy reading short stories filled with a variety of emotions.
