(short story) Review - The Hundredth Kill by John Marco

I took a bit of a break from my Kindle the last couple months after trying to catch up on some ARCs (with which I'm still not remotely caught up). I'd forgotten how much I enjoy reading on it. Don't get me wrong, I still prefer paper, but the Kindle's not really so bad as I was falsely remembering when I had the paper in my hands.

One of the great things about the Kindle and other eReaders is that horizons are suddenly expanded. There's so much more you can find and read not only because prices are very often cheaper, but also because you can obtain hard-to-find copies (first thing I bought on Kindle was Blade of Tyshalle) and even just read short stories.

Before eReaders, you had to buy a collection of short stories or somehow find them in a magazine or possibly they were published separately. Now, it's easy peasy and everyone seems to be doing it. 

John Marco, the bestselling author of one of my favorite series (as the cover shows), makes his independent publishing debut with this short story, The Hundredth Kill [US - $0.99] [UK-£0.77]. Set against a Japanese and Chinese backdrop. A young boy is on his first voyage, but the excitement has long since worn off. But then he runs into the mysterious lady of the ship and they begin to share stories about Japan, especially about the Samurai and the Nin-sha.

I won't go any further, let's just say it's a short story that's well worth a read. The atmosphere is great and I really thought Marco did a wonderful job with the ten-year-old boy, showing his youth and naïveté about the world and even capturing the questions a ten-year-old would ask.

4.5 out of 5 Stars (More than loved it)

Ps. It's only $0.99, but the author has said he wants it to be free. So if you're patient and constantly check Amazon, you can get it for Free.99. Then again, it's only a buck and a worthy author.

Pps. Also check out John's website, The Happy Nerd. It's one of my favorite author websites, he discusses his own work, but also all the other geeky hobbies he has.