Showing posts with label Short stories. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Short stories. Show all posts

Monday 8 January 2018

A Stitch in Time by Senan Gil Senan

So I finished 2017 having read and reviewed 52 books. Soon as it is the 8th of January I'd better get a review posted! This writer I liked a lot but it took me a while to get back to his work. I enjoy short stories as I mostly read in my lunch break. This bundle was great; 5 stars.



I’ve read a full length novel by this author before; Beyond the Pale; A dystopian fantasy with some very well written characters, thrown in with a good dose of humour. When I saw this bundle of shorts I was hoping to find more of the same but in bite size pieces. There is a strong common thread binding these stories together; time.
I loved how the writer used a number of genres (Sci-Fi, Horror, dystopian) to play with time in the narrative. I’m not normally a fan of Sci-Fi but I loved ‘Hold the bridge’ and it claustrophobic and tense atmosphere, as a space travelling officer wakes up from stasis before her crewmates do. Disoriented and with just one other crewmember awake she sets to work finding out why. The development and conclusion of this story was one of my favourites.
‘Hello Friend’ was also excellent, a satire of our reliance on technology but taking it a little step further into the future. The last story I was less keen on. Like the others it is narrated in the first person, but this one was told by a more advanced alien. I think this muddied the waters a little as we first had to get our head around this being, before we could get into the real story. I found myself drifting off a bit midway, but I did like the ending.
Altogether a bundle of stories that had a strong voice and a coherent theme. I enjoyed it and would recommend.

Sunday 26 November 2017

Nigel's Holiday by Tabitha Ormiston-Smith

This short story I picked up because we use the same cover designer (Patti at Paradox book covers) and we both like to use cats in our stories. This was only 18 pages long but it will give you a sense of Tabitha Ormiston-Smith's writing and great sense of humour. I'm sure I'll review something else of hers soon.



This short story will speak to the writers amongst us but also to anyone who has come to a point in their career where we hit a big wall. In Nigel’s case it is the dreaded writer’s block that also triggers some problems in the bedroom. He thinks he takes the inspired decision to take a break in Roumania. Being a Gothic romance writer he reckons that a visit to Dracula’s castle will be just the thing to get all the juices flowing again. I liked this short story and flawed Nigel as its main character. He gets himself into some silly situations and I felt sorry for him while being amused at the same time. The cover attracted me in the first place and the cat is as mysterious, ehm well as all cats. We never know what they are thinking. It is a short story and it left a lot of promising avenues unexplored. (Like who is the mysterious Sophie) I think this story can go further; the characters and the writer’s wit could elaborate this into a novel.

Saturday 3 September 2016

Smoke & Mirrors: and other stories by Tom Benson

I'm quite familiar with this writer and have even shared the pages with him on the Anthology 'You're not Alone.' So when he advertised that his bundle of short stories was free, I had no hesitation in downloading it. It is a short book and even shorter for me as I had come across some of them in other publications. However a good introduction to Tom Benson's work. 5 stars.
This is a nice bundle of short stories. Short, but full of impact, drama and excitement. The themes vary, from an Alien criminal on the loose here on earth to a pilot trying to find his way to his downed plane in order to stop it falling in enemy hands. If there was one common thread it would be retribution, hence the tag line ‘The end justifies the means…’. There is something warm and comforting (somewhat nostalgic even in the Pawnee express.) in reading these stories; we encounter some good guys doing the right thing or a wronged person getting his pound of flesh. I think the writer really comes into his own when he sets his story in a battlefield situation. I know Tom Benson has a military background and it shows in the detail. It makes the stories that much more real and believable. Some of the stories have since or before appeared in other bundles, so if you have read some of Mr Bensons work you might have already come across some of these. If you are new to this writer it is a great introduction to his work. Recommended.


Wednesday 15 June 2016

Work in progress a preview



I'm working on a bundle of short stories. They are going to be in the form of a journalist interviewing characters. Traveling always gets the creative juices flowing and my recent trip to New York compelled me to write a little satire about the airline industry. I'm not saying we had to stand on our way back, but I felt a bit herded and prodded. Enjoy.

A cut above the rest
‘It’s a new airline, it’s low cost but they claim to do things a bit different from the rest,’ said Sander Forrester handing his journalist Michael the booking confirmation.
Michael took the note somewhat surprised; he thought he was to work on his series of remarkable people from Edinburgh for the supplement.
‘The CEO of this company is from Edinburgh; you’ll have a meeting with him once you get off the plane,’ added his editor if reading his thoughts.
A few days later Michael was trying to check into his flight online. The procedure was mostly in-line with other low cost airlines he had flown with, until he came to the part where he expected to print off his boarding card. A message came up saying they were a paper free airline and he was just to turn up at the counter with his identity papers.
Michael duly turned up for his flight at Edinburgh airport and found the counter for Prime Airlines. He didn’t like that the counter and the uniforms of the staff were all white, somehow the clinical look didn’t fit with the image he had of a low cost airline. He would have preferred some weird colour of green or orange.
‘Good morning Mr Barnes, how are we today?’ asked the smiling agent after he had handed over his passport.
‘Very well, and are you excited about your company’s first flight?’
‘Yes I am, I think we are going to be bigger than Easyjet,’
He smiled at the agent’s enthusiasm and wondered if a few weeks from now she would still be this perky.
‘Now could you lean forward so we can get you boarding.’
‘excuse me?’ asked Michael surprised.
‘Could you please put your head over the counter,’
Expecting some camera on the other side that would take a picture for a boarding card, he stuck his head forwards. A sharp pain in his neck made him jerk back.
‘What the hell?’ he barked rubbing his neck.
‘We do things differently here at Prime, we’ve inserted a chip so the next time you fly you can use our handy app, scan your chip and all your information is already there. It is also better for the environment,’ she added smiling brightly and wished him a good flight.
Michael felt very unnerved by having a chip inserted under his skin and wondered what other uses the airline had in mind for it.
The normally long queues at security were even longer as a separate queue handled the Prime airline customers.
‘Blood scanners didn’t arrive in time,’ grumbled the guard, trying to get the normally stationary boarding card scanner to line up with Michael’s neck. A beep indicated the system had found the chip and he was let through after his belt, wallet, bag, shoes and laptop had gone through the x-ray machine.
He found the gate and a seat and waited for boarding while checking his emails.
‘Passengers traveling on Prime can now upgrade to Prime cuts for ten pounds only. Speedy boarding, seats and views are some of the many benefits,’ Michael heard announce over the Tannoy. He wasn’t at first sure whether he had heard all the information correctly until the female agent made the same announcement again. He went to find her and questioned her about some of the things he’d heard.
‘Am I correct in stating that I’m not guaranteed a place on this plane unless I upgrade to Prime cuts.’
‘No sir, everyone who is waiting for this flight will get on, but we have grades of traveling. Standing, standing with a view or seated,’ explained the agent.
‘But I thought non seated flying wasn’t safe and illegal?’
‘We at Prime Airlines have put a lot of research into new harness technology and its safety in case of a crash; we’ve been cleared by the civil aviation authority.’
‘Ok,’ said Michael rather stunned, having to stand during his flight to London was not what he had expected. He left the agent to set up some barriers to make sure that boarding would proceed in an orderly fashion.
‘Boarding flight PA0346 to London Gatwick will now commence at gate A4, we now call all Prime cut passengers to board first.’
Michael got up and watched as some passengers moved to the front, had their necks scanned and disappeared through gate A4. He had to admit it was very quick and efficient and soon it was his turn to make his way onto the plane.
The safety card in the pocket of the panel in front of him told him that he was on board a Boeing 737-400 series, but it wasn’t like any plane he had been on before. He hoisted himself into the uncomfortable 5 point harness that held his body against a rigid partition wall. There was barely enough space to hold a magazine to read in front of his face. He had counted several rows like this when he came in and just a few rows of seats at the front of the plane. He anxiously waited for take-off and hoped there weren’t any delays.
An hour and twenty later, the plane touched down in London and Michael freed himself from his uncomfortable harness. He moved his limbs as much as he could and waited to get off.
‘Dean Smyth,’ introduced the man who Michael had spotted with a sign saying his name in the arrivals hall.
‘I didn’t expect the CEO of Prime Airlines to meet me in person.’
‘Well I’m very involved with every aspect of the company, including public relations. I make sure I have a look at all aspects of the business. I’m not someone that runs the company from behind the desk,’ he suddenly laughed raucously and winked, ‘I don’t mind getting my hands dirty!’
Michael didn’t find this all that amusing but he laughed politely anyway. He observed the man as he led them to his office. He was tall and dressed in a smart suit, but something shouted country dweller. Maybe it was his ruddy red complexion or his brusque way of moving but Michael could tell that Dean Smyth was not from the city.
‘So Mr Smyth have you worked in the airline industry for long?’ started Michael his interview soon after they’d sat down in Dean’s comfortable office and his assistant had brought in some coffee.
‘Not at all, I used to manage an abattoir outside of Edinburgh,’ Dean answered grinning at the shocked expression on the journalists face.
‘Quite a departure from air travel slaughtering animals.’
‘No disrespect to our customers, but getting animals from farm to shop is a lot like getting passengers from A to B.’
‘Really?’
‘Of course our customers are willingly going from A to B, but in the end it is about getting there at the lowest cost in the most efficient manner. Getting a nervous crowd fast and safely on a flight is remarkably like getting cattle into an abattoir.’
For a moment Michael was speechless and when he remembered the name of their customer priority plan, his stomach churned.
‘It is a bit tasteless calling your priority plan Prime Cuts, knowing your history in meat processing.’
‘Oh god I never thought! The boys in marketing thought the amalgam of Prime Airlines and cutting lines was a good idea,’ said Dean rather worried, he was aware of the potential PR disaster this could be. Michael wondered if the boys in PR were having a laugh at their bosses’ expense. He asked Dean some more questions about his fleet of aircraft and what destinations he was planning to fly to. When he had enough information for his article he thanked Dean Smyth and promised to contact him when the article would be in the paper. He was not looking forwards to his return flight to Edinburgh and debated upgrading to Prime cuts. He decided it was against the spirit of low cost flying and suffered his standing place back to Edinburgh.
‘So winner or loser,’ asked Sander on his return.
‘Winner, the tickets are half the price of the competition,’
‘But standing during a plane ride?’ asked Sander scepticaly.
‘I think as passengers we have learned to put up with a lot for our desire to travel the world at a minimal cost. I think the days of luxury air travel and sterling service are long gone. Even regular airlines only treat their first class passengers with some service beyond the expected,’ Michael sighed, ‘face it, low cost, economy, you might as well call it cattle class. Standing room was always only going to be a matter of time.’

Monday 7 September 2015

Murderous Little Darlings - A Tale of Vampires - Book One: A Tale of Vampires - Book One by John Hennessy

The book promo is going well, so far I managed to sell about 60 books and the countdown runs till the 9th. The next couple of weeks will reveal the full impact, but it's encouraging. I also reached another milestone in getting over a 1000 twitter followers. I still have to be convinced about twitter. I spend many hours doing tweets and retweets and met some interesting people, but as regards to book sales, well I think it is probably a waste of time. I'll sit on that fence a little longer and tweet on:)
Now back to my cup of tea; vampires. This was an interesting one and some new fresh ideas here. It was a short story, but one that will be part of a seven book series. Five stars.
Murderous Little Darlings - A Tale of Vampires - Book One: A Tale of Vampires - Book One by John Hennessy

What a tasty morsel this was. It was very short and I’ve would have liked to get my fangs into something a bit longer, but the good news is that this is part one of seven. This excellent short story starts a promising series.
John Hennessy very cleverly messes with his readers minds. Firstly his characters are young children; they have the faces of angels but are capable of gruesome and violent acts. Marcus the oldest of the three siblings has fully embraced his vampire nature and tries to get his siblings to follow his lead. His brother is easily manipulated, but his sister objects. Here the author messes with us again by throwing doubt on the assumption that Marcus is a vampire. Is he just a disturbed young boy that thinks he is a vampire? Vampires are just a myth, right? Marcus, despite his young age, is a manipulative character and I found him quite chilling. People who like things clear cut and logical might have a problem here, but I took it as a story told from the perspective of the children. You get three kids in separate rooms and you get three completely different stories and two will be far removed from the truth. (At times this might even be a little trippy.) The ending was unexpected but a little sudden. I do hope that in the next stories we will delve a bit deeper into the lives and backgrounds of the three siblings (or that the reader gets further messed with). A different take on the vampire genre and certainly something I want to read more of.