Animals of the Exodus by Alexander Zelenyj is another in the series of Chapbooks from Eibonvale Press.

Like many in the series, the small book has a cross-genre approach to the story. On the surface we have four vignettes, three of which appear connected, with the last, The 'Mayflies Want to Fly', seemingly an isolated story. But, I don’t think that this is the case.

The first three parts revolve around characters who have suffered undisclosed pain in their lives being taken by a rock band to a different planetary paradise. The last portion has us follow a couple on a spree of violent acts.

On the surface, these disparate stories would appear to have little in common but dig a little deeper and they are speaking to the desire to be released from pain, the need to belong, and the importance of freedom.

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Charles Packer