Now, That's a Trick


Fiction - Literary
44 Pages
Reviewed on 03/27/2023
Buy on Amazon

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.

Author Biography

Dawn Sperber is the author of Now, That's a Trick (Finishing Line Press, 2022), a magical realism chapbook of flash fiction based in New Mexico. Her lyrical stories and poems have appeared in Daily Science Fiction, PANK Magazine, Bourbon Penn, NANO Fiction, Hunger Mountain, Gargoyle, Zizzle Literary, Luna Station Quarterly, ONE ART, flashquake, Annalemma, The Doctor T.J. Eckleburg Review, Third Wednesday, Witches & Pagans, Rosebud, The Pedestal, and elsewhere. A writer, editor, and artist in Texas and New Mexico, Dawn is drawn to authenticity, healing, and pursuing the mojo that motors us through the challenges. Find her at dawnsperber.com.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Pikasho Deka for Readers' Favorite

Now, That's a Trick by Dawn Sperber is a short collection of eleven flash fiction stories. A young woman infatuated with a trickster of coins finally gets her hands on his luckiest token after the greatest trick of them all. After being hassled by a bald stranger at a Burger King, a young Dungeons and Dragons enthusiast unexpectedly begins to envy the man's life. A psalmody master revs churchgoers with a honeyed tongue and sweet voice until the jealous preacher reveals the contents of their verses. A group of friends hangs out in an old and abandoned cabin in the woods, only for the truth of their fate to be revealed one Halloween night. Finally, a woman tells how her lover asked her to marry him, reminiscing about the fleeting passage of time.

Laced with magical realism, mystery, and intrigue, Now, That's a Trick is an enthralling short story collection you don't want to miss. Dawn Sperber manages to evoke a myriad of feelings and emotions with the minimal usage of words, crafting compelling characters and plots that keep you glued to the pages. A wide range of human behavior is on display in these tales. Most of the stories also have a fantastical element that keeps you guessing what will happen next. Although I enjoyed every one of them, Our Master of Psalmody was hands-down my favorite of the bunch. This book is a must-read if you want flash fiction or short stories.