The book jacket claims these tales will exercise our emotions, capture our imagination, and challenge us to think in new directions. Well, I'm here to tell you all that the author delivers on all that¾plus much, much more! These novellas and short stories are definitely page-turners, but what impressed me the most was their character-driven force. Potter skillfully intertwined succinct narrative and some natural, fast-paced dialogue to present characters so real, they leapt right off the page and captivated me immediately.
Lighting the Dark Side is a collection of three novellas and three short stories, including plenty of action, thrills, suspense, mystery, and even romance. We start with an engaging story of an improbable romance between an obsessive-compulsive geek and a drop-dead gorgeous woman, seemed doomed from the start. Next, there's an artist trying his best to thrive and find love in spite of overbearing, cruel parents. Following that, Potter changes directions and we're treated to a well-done, hard-boiled police procedural with a nice twist. An end of the world by approaching comet thriller is on tap after that, with some great flash-forward writing as well as another ingenious plot twist. Now, these are all wonderful tales, but I believe Potter saved the best two for last. The title, Blessing or Curse is self-explanatory, referring to a big lottery win. A kidnapping for ransom follows and we're treated to some of the author's best dialogue. It's hugely entertaining and there are virtually no wasted words¾Elmore Leonard style. And finally, Potter ends (all too soon) with a heart-warming tale of a wayward teenage street whore and a gentleman with a rescuer complex. It's a great, intertwined plot where all the characters come together, in the same spirit of the Academy Award winning movie, Crash. Once again, Potter showcases his writing talent, this time with skillful interspersing of critical backstory in such a way as to avoid slowing the plot.
Well, by now you've probably guessed that I am highly recommending Lighting the Dark Side. As I said, all the stories are captivating but more than that, I urge you to take note of the writer's talent for character development and I'm sure you'll be impressed. In fact, I shouldn't think it'd be long before a major publishing house snaps Mr. Potter up because he belongs on the bookshelves with the likes of Jeffery Deaver and Peter Abrahams.

I'm so glad I decided to get Lighting the Dark Side. I love books that are compiled of short stories, so this one was right up my ally.

While I realize there are many people out there who truely deal with OCD, I also believe that everyone has their own...tendancies. This piece really shed some light on what people deal with on a day to day basis, as well as being told in a riviting, entertaining way.

The author has made it easy to really connect with the characters in this book through these detailed stories. In fact, you might not notice how time flies when you're reading this one; it really is hard to put it down!

This was one of the most unusual pieces of fiction I have read in quite a while. The stories displayed the characters in all of their dysfunctional glory, but my favorite was Dwayne-he reminds me so much of me sometimes! Readers will enjoy this realistic view into lighting the dark side, and they will fall in love with the men and women brought to life just like I did.

The author has written an engaging book. The characters are so well-developed that you can "feel" them.

My favorite short story is the first one. It captured me as I see a lot of the main character's actions the same as my own. Thankfully, as I read on more and more I found out I am not as OCD as he is.

For the life of me, I could not put this book down until I finished it in one day! This is only the second book in my 43 years that that has happened to me.

Interestingly, I was able to relate to the characters in each of the stories that made up Lighting the Dark Side. I am not OCD or anything, but there are parts of people and parts of myself that you can see in each person, and that is what I liked the most about this set of short stories.

The thoughts and storyline keep you very involved and invested in what you are reading, so I wasn't bored with it at all as I sometimes get with short stories.

I appreciated the feelings and emotions, like those in Surviving the Fall and May 18th more than I thought I would. Overall, I really liked this book of short storeies because of the well laid out stories that didn't leave you confused, guessing, or bewildered. They are still intense without being a total wash. Nice job.

William Potter has done an excellent job of writing six short stories that draw you in from the beginning. Mr. potter makes you feel so connected to the characters. You feel like you are right there with them, going through the same things they are.

My favorite story was Bent Not Broken. I have dealt with OCD my whole life and I could relate so much to the way Dwayne felt each day. Dee Dee was such a special person for accepting Dwayne as he was.

I would recommend Lighting the Dark Side to everyone. They will be hooked from the start. It takes a great author to keep my attention when reading a book. Mr. Potter has done that wonderfully. I was not able to put the book done until I was done reading the last page.

Lighting the Dark Side: Six Modern Tales is an excellent collection of three novellas and three short stories. This book by William Potter has something for every reader. There is mystery, romance, action, and wonderfully written stories. The readers are able to identify with the characters and find themselves drawn into the stories.

I have never really been a big fan of short stories. They always seem underdeveloped, however, these stories were engaging from beginning to end. I would definitely recommend this book to everyone. I look forward to seeing more works from William Potter.

I would recommend this book for almost everyone, the one exception might be Dwayne Johnson. You see Dwayne is the main character in the first short story that you will encounter in this excellent book. The reason that Dwayne would probably not read it is not because he can't read, but because it contains the number six. If he does try to read it, the tables, chairs and even the floor tile will have to be of the correct numerical order to offset the six in Six Modern Tales.

All of the tales have excellent character buildup and are fun to read. They run the gamut from a love sick office worker, bigoted parents, murder, kidnapping, to child slavery. The diamond amongst this sea of gems is a story called May 18th . This is a near perfect short story and well worth the price of the book all by itself. I have read a lot of short stories and this one ranks at or near the top.

William R. Potter has created a must read in Lighting the Dark Side-Six Modern Tales.
Each of the included six stories is completely different. Potter's mind has put deep and distinctive thought into his short-story book. The characters feel like every day normal people. You feel like you know them as you are reading. You care what happens to the characters. You know you have a magnificent book when an author can make you feel touched by his words.

About the Stories
The first story, Bent Not Broken, is about a man who many people can identify with. He is very self-conscious about just about everything. He fantasizes about a woman he sees at a bus stop. Finally he meets the woman and his fantasies just keep building. You will hope that Dwayne gets his turn to be happy once and for all. But will he?

In the Gray
Another character one with siblings can feel similarities with. Michael is haunted by his mother trying to make him be more like his brother.

Blessing or Curse?
Brad Stewart's son is kidnapped after he wins a huge lottery. This very well could happen and be a parent's worst nightmare. If you've ever lost your child in a shopping mall or grocery store you know the feeling of losing your child. Now imagine your child is abducted for ransom. Pure terror!

May 18, 2010
A feeling of deja vu puts Trevor ill at ease. He is consumed with the thought that May 18, 2010 is the end of the world. Will he be correct?

Prominent Couple Slain
Imagine you have had a stressful career all of your life. Finally you change jobs as a detective to a much less stressful job in the same field. Soon you find a murdered couple and that you must help solve the homicide.

Surviving the Fall
James is a caring man who lives the uncomplicated life. He meets a young woman and takes her in to help her. This good deed turns into a complete fiasco for James.

Caution: Once you start this book you might have a hard time putting it down!

Summary
If you are looking for an intriguing book to curl up with "Lighting the Dark Side" is just that book.

If you are looking for an easy, light-hearted read, Lighting the Dark Side is probably not the book you are looking for. If you are looking for a book with rich character development and an unafraid look at the darkness in those characters lives, be prepared for a good book.

Potter has a way of building the characters in his stories so that you can begin to understand what they are going through, and you care what happens to them. That's not to imply that all of the characters are nice, or even likable, but that only adds to the realism of this collection of short stories. We all have to deal with people like the type found in these stories in out daily lives.

These stories show a lot of insight into the dysfunction of people as they deal with love, betrayal, and a host of personal/family/relationship issues in a realistic world where nothing is perfect and sometimes the best you can hope for is to live to try again tomorrow.

Potter has a gift for getting down to what really makes his characters tick. He examines their hopes fears and motivations in a way that captivates the attention and makes you want to keep reading to find out more.

It was a very captivation book, and one that was well worth the time I spent reading it.