The Ingenuity of Vanity Doon Review

The Ingenuity of Vanity Doon by D.B.Coles

      I came across this short story whilst browsing a free short story website owned by a close friend of mine, and I will just offer some background on the discovery and what I know of the author.

Some trivia about this story / a summary / the background

      You can read this short story at SolQu Shorts, which is an online free short story website (as aforementioned) owned and run by Solqu Creative. I will be contributing to the fantastic range of short stories in the near future, and I do have to say that I recommend it for any who wish to put their name out there. D.B.Coles is a member of the partnership Everett & Coles, who are a long-term writing team who specialise in both the Science Fiction and Thriller genres.

Personal response

            When I was recommended to read and review this particular short story I was immediately drawn in by the curious title, and the unique name of the main character (Vanity Doon). With the image before me I attempted to work out what it would consist of, assuming that it would naturally be about a journey across the sea (or seas), and could be linked to pirates.

      I was pleasantly surprised by the opening, by this detailed and inventive description of the setting, and was quite pleased by the use of onomatopoeia, a writing technique rarely seen used so well in current times (at least from what I have seen). The way in which both main characters (Doon and Gin Fairing) were introduced were not over-dramatic, and were written well, giving an immediate knowledge of part of their personalities; Doon was an intelligent man who knew exactly what he was doing, while Fairing seemed like quite the charmer, with the remarks of 'admiring glances' threaded into the opening.

      The plot of the story was mysterious towards the beginning, though the hints can be seen, with how Doon behaves, and also the very first signal he was given, with the nod from Jos. Naturally the signal could be seen as a greeting, though in my point of view it is a signal with how Doon then decides to get up and supposedly inspects the rigging and so on. The interactions between the characters gave insights into the background of their relationship whilst improving the knowledge of their personalities. The plot was well-constructed with both aspects of positivity and negativity, though I will allow you to understand which events I refer to.

      At last, of course we come to the faults. Though if you can point me out a fault, I will take a look into it. Although I appear to not look into the faults as well as I can do (demonstrated by the two previous reviews), I actually do, and again with the faults of this story, I can find very little, not even worth mention here.

Recommendation

      This story is highly recommended, along with the work of Everett & Coles, and also the other short stories featured on the website. The elements of fantasy, technology and crime are all interesting and weaved excellently.

Imagination Iota Rating

Tempus Imaginor