Stairway To Heaven
Ebook ISBN: 1-59279-414-9
Shannon Leigh
Amber Quill Press
August 2005
Rating:
This short story, STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN by Shannon Leigh, is an interesting mix of paranormal, spiritual, imaginative, sexy, and witty elements. Rhea is a scientist on a mission in the Amazon jungle. Looking for the plant that will cure cancer, this scientist is just getting over a bad relationship and feels this working trip is the perfect place to do so. Immediately after disembarking from the arduous flight to the rain forest, weird things start happening to Rhea and her assistant Ashley. Disappearing gorgeous men, strange dreams, odd tribal women, all start Rhea on doubting her sanity.
To give Ms. Leigh credit, she has a wonderful imagination. This story peaked my emotions right from the beginning. Rhea and Valos are interesting characters. Valos is very mysterious and continues to be so through to the end of the story. Enigmatic is good, completely hidden is a little more difficult to grasp. Short stories are a difficult medium to master, and while I thought this story was good, more was needed to completely flush out the whole plot. I enjoyed Rhea and Valos’s journey, such as it was, though I was left wondering about a lot of the “little things” at the end of the book.
If you are looking for a quick story, filled with different imagery, then STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN is a good choice. While I would have liked to have seen more character and scene building, the basis of a compelling story is there.
