I had previously gotten part-way through my print galley of this book before I gave it away to someone --- so I downloaded the e-galley so I could keep reading. I had been partway through the second story and couldn't wait until October, and I'm really glad I didn't wait.
I already wrote about the first story, "Snapshot," which was great. The second story, "Loaded," is about a mall security guard who courageously stops a mass shooting and becomes a hero to the modern gun rights movement. However, did he really stop a mass shooting? The reader knows, because you get his perspective, but you also read along as a reporter starts to uncover more about him and unravel his story. No spoilers, but the ending was not quite what I thought it was going to be (although perfectly in line with what I guess I would expect).
The third story, "Aloft," gives us a young man who is about to experience his first parachute jump (which he really doesn't want to do). When he jumps, he winds up a castaway on what appears to be a solid cloud. Obviously, though, it's not a cloud. But what is it, and why does it seem to have a mind of its own?
The last story, "Rain," is pretty scary. On a seemingly ordinary day in Boulder, Colorado, the skies open up and there's a downpour. Not of rain, though, but razor-sharp crystalline splinters. Shredding the skin of anyone who doesn't take cover, these shards wreak havoc on people, animals, planes, and more. This story is about an escalating event, and I found it to be the most somewhat realistic and thus the scariest.
Great book, and just as enjoyable as I had hoped it would be.
