Dan Skinner

Review - The Misadventures of Doc and Dirk, Volume III by Dan Skinner

My rating:

Dan ‘Doc’ Skinner is back with another — possibly final — collection of short stories about his curious relationship with his apprentice-cum-muse Dirk. As with previous volumes in the series, there are a couple of longer stories highlighting some aspect of Dirk the author has to understand, interspersed with a few snippets of conversations and other “Dirk-isms”. As with the previous installment, this book starts with a repeat of the introduction from the first book, which takes up about a quarter of this volume.

The Misadventures of Doc and Dirk, Volume II by Dan Skinner

My rating:

The author, known only as ‘Doc’ in this series, is back with more tales of his life with his muse/apprentice Dirk. Like the first book, this second volume offers up a series of vignettes depicting Doc’s growing relationship with the rather maddening, yet still fascinating Dirk. The main thrust of this set of stories seems to be demonstrating why, despite his many eccentricities, Doc continues to find his muse in Dirk.

Review - That Darn Muse by Dan Skinner

My rating:

This small collection of short stories introduces us to Dirk, a young man who wishes to apprentice himself to the narrator of the stories (presumably ‘Doc’, although he never introduces himself). Doc is a professional photographer with a varied portfolio, which includes some erotic male work. There are just three stories in this first collection, plus a snippet of conversations with Dirk that have stuck in the narrator’s mind. The longer tales recount how Dirk and the narrator met and some of the early conversations they had while getting to know each other.

Review - Art of the Heart by Dan Skinner

My rating:

It isn’t easy for Zac, coming of age in a small Missouri town in the 1960s. People think he’s slow. That’s not true, but he would rather they thought that than know the truth. While the other boys are discovering the charms of the opposite sex, Zac realizes he has it bad for a slightly older neighbor boy, Rory. Zac escapes into his own world of drawings and fantasies. “Art of the Heart” is a bittersweet coming of age story.

Tags: Novelette