Reviewed by Cindy
TITLE: Amber
AUTHOR: T. Strange
PUBLISHER: Torquere Press
LENGTH: 45 Pages
BLURB: Anthony was a painter until he lost the ability to see color. Worse than color blindness, the edges of objects and people blur together, making it almost impossible for Anthony to interact with anyone or anything. After retreating from the world for decades, he sees a glimpse of yellow that leads him to a musician, Teague.
At first Anthony is frightened and overwhelmed by the color, but he can’t stay away from Teague for long. He finds the courage to confront Teague and explain his unusual problem and Teague’s role in helping him. To Anthony’s relief, Teague believes him. Very quickly, they both realize that getting colors back may be more important to Anthony than his relationship with Teague. If Anthony pushes too hard, he’ll lose Teague, and possibly the colors, forever.
REVIEW:
I had a hard time getting into this story but once I did, I liked it a lot. Anthony is a painter who can’t paint because he was cursed into not being able to see color. It’s an interesting premise but I would have like to have known why.
When he finds Teague, he gets so caught up in his drive to get back the colors he’s been missing that he loses sight of the beautiful gift he’s been given in the man who loves him.
The author paints an interesting picture of a man so overwhelmed by finally getting back what he thinks is the most important thing in his life, that he becomes selfish and unintentionally cruel. It isn’t until Anthony realizes that Teague is really gone that he figures out what’s really important in his life.
I loved the ending of this story, although if I was Teague I would have made Anthony work a little harder for his happily-ever-after. The characters are solid, if a little lacking in detail and the premise makes you think about what you would do if you lost the thing that seemed to give your life purpose.
The biggest problem with this story is its shortness. I would have loved to know why he was cursed but in the end it really didn’t matter.
RATING: 