From a Yellowstone day hike that veers into surreal territory, to a slaughterhouse on the verge of paranormal bedlam, to a strange island where a magical book may hold the key to a young castaway's happiness, Wanderings - A Collection of Short Stories, delivers six fresh, original, pulse-pounding tales guaranteed to mesmerize and entertain.

I always start my reviews of short story collections by saying that I am not normally their biggest fan but Bennett definitely left me pleasantly surprised.

I think this is largely to do with the fact that I enjoyed the connection between each of the stories, the theme of a journey of some description; however, Bennett’s writing style is also so enigmatic and entrancing that it just made the stories that much more enjoyable.

Filled with tension, horror, adventure, strangeness and wonder these stories were a hit with me and I reckon for many others.

First and foremost, this was not a bad book and if I based all of my ratings on how well a book is written and the characters in it, then this book would easily be given a four star rating. However, I base my ratings on how much a book affects me and this book did not have that big of an effect.

In truth, I think this book is really meant to be enjoyed by a specific type of person who is more intune with their spiritual side. A lot of these stories revolve around natural elements of the world, from forests to storms, to mythical lands all over and inbetween. These stories are not what I would describe as pulse-pounding, and are more thought provoking. These stories are curiosities with a variety of interpretations that can be ascribed to them, but they are also extremely vague, which causes one to think more deeply than what is presented on the page. These are not stories that I would label as finished or satisfying. They are merely glimpses into what I feel could be larger stories, a way to entice someone I suppose. Althought that enticement doesn't lead to anything larger, I suppose.

I personally do not do well with vague, spiritual stories or items. I am a very direct person in the sense that I want to know what is happening and why it is happening. I would have preferred that these stories be longer, standalone novels because I feel they have the potential to be more than what we see here. We have an incomplete picture here, as if someone only painted half of a canvas. That's not something I particularly enjoy.

Either way, this is not a bad collection of short stories. As I mentioned above, however, I do feel that these are more geared to a specific audience that is patient, calm and collected. All traits that I do not have when it comes to reading.