Soze Says

Jeff Strand writes in a very familiar kind of way. Almost all of his MCs have the same slightly cynical, vaguely amusing view of the world (much like Strand himself I would assume). It doesn't matter if those MCs are good people with the best of intentions, or despicable people who fail to give a shit about anything other than their own (insane) ends. So it's fortunate that Strand writes so engagingly well that I find all of his works to be comfortingly good.

The protagonist in Stalking You Now is one of Strand's insane characters. He has an axe to grind with a person who wronged him in the past, and this 57 page story picks up with him observing said person while seated a couple of tables away from him at a restaurant. Things progress from there in typically Strand-esque fashion - which is to say, unpredictably - with his MC quipping away through it all.

So while this is still an easy and decent read, it is by no means Strand's best. The MC is too idiotic to be who he is after what he has done (he said, dancing around spoilers), and he's not "Strandy" enough to be likeable or empathic. Which means being stuck with him for 57 pages starts to become a bit of a chore. The ending, though, satisfies.

All of which is to say: mark this one down as being middle of The Strand. (I can't be the first person to make that lame joke, but I don't care. I'm rolling with it.)

3 Reasons to Always Have a Foolproof Plan - Especially if You Are a Fool - for Stalking You Now.