Review of "A Matter of Faith, A Matter of Balance," a single story in the collection "Pandora's Children Book 3: Death Bleeds into Life" by Bradley Convissar

Summary:

Now, in Book 3: Death Bleeds Into Life, meet a young woman forced to face a horrible truth in her Gross Anatomy Lab ("Just Meat", 6,600 words), a religious leader forced to pay for his crimes in the Utah desert ("A Matter of Faith, A Matter of Balance", 9,300 words), a boy dying of a brain tumor as he looks for one last thrill in the Nevada desert ("The Madame Penitent", 10,500 words), and a college student looking to unravel the mysteries of the room next door where a girl was rape and murdered two years earlier ("The Transfer", 19,500 words)
These are four stories that are sure to keep you thinking long after you've stopped reading. 

Review:
Published as story in a collection of four, “A Matter of Faith, A Matter or Balance” is a fantasy story that explores the ever popular theme of good versus evil. From the start, the tale is one we have become all too familiar with over the years: a charismatic patriarch defending the polygyny and child-marriage practiced by his followers as the will of God. Convissar uses society’s fascination with cults (particularly ones based in Utah) to his best advantage and immediately captures the reader’s attention.

He manages to capitalize on this fascination without becoming overly sensationalist, keeping good writing and solid storyline the focus of this piece. Dr. Convissar sets the stage well, and the reader is both repulsed and drawn in as the patriarch’s fantastical story unfolds.

Convissar’s writing is effortless and the story well-paced, making this piece both easy and enjoyable to read. Though the Armageddon-based plot is not in itself altogether original, the author makes it his own with some imaginative twists. The balance of backstory and main narrative is perfect, a quality this reviewer feels separates the great from the good in short story writing. Convissar’s writing is descriptive in all the right ways, providing superb imagery without becoming wordy or overwrought. A strong addition for Dr. Bradley Convissar’s collection.

4/5 stars
Reviewed by Aubrey Bennet

Buy the collection on Amazon US or B&N.