Book Review: Sometimes Creek

Sometimes Creek. Steve Fox,

Cornerstone Press, 2023. Paperback, 219 pages.

Reviewed by Christine Cacciatore.

Sometimes Creek is a collection of 17 short stories by Steve Fox. None is very long, some are only a few pages, however a great deal of depth and thought have gone into this book.

The stories are designed to make the reader stop and think. You may find yourself rereading a couple of them just to make sure you absorb exactly what the author intended. Does it mean you’ll understand everything? Probably not, and maybe you’re not meant to. As readers, maybe we’re meant to just go along for the ride.

Personally I enjoyed the writing as I adore paranormal, and quite a few of these tales (“The Butcher’s Ghost” and “little blind flying mice,” for example) have a paranormal bent. One story I found rather amusing was “Randy Koenig’s Very Large Mouse.” It delivers a very large…erm…surprise to the reader. Get your cheese ready.

The first offering in this book, “Exile,” was a wonderful indicator of how this collection would unfold. The author leaves you unsettled with an ending that is not what you might expect. You may find this to be true of several of these stories, where you flip the page only to see it was going to end sooner that you thought it would. Some may leave a reader wanting more because you might be caught off guard by how they were concluded. Or not.

I hope the author appreciates that I thought about this collection of stories for weeks after I finished it. I would remember the disturbing story of “Yard Mary” or the poetic sadness of “You’re Soaking in It” or the endless stair walking of “The Butcher’s Ghost,” and ruminate over their unique storylines.

My favorite story was “Sometimes Creek,” which I found magical and poignant.

Overall, I give this collection a good review. The author made me think about his stories while reading them, and long after. It is a collection of short tales worth your time.