Category Archives: Short story/novella

Fantasy, Mystery, Short story/novella

Madison, Shawntelle: Collected (Coveted) (2012)

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Collected
Edited by Jennifer Jakes
Cover design: Shawntelle Madison

This story takes place seven months before Coveted begins.

These are our introductory words to the story of Collected. Collected is one of those easy-to-read fantasy tales with a twist. Our protagonist has OCD:

For a split-second, I was tempted to discard my shoes and track them on foot. That’s what any werewolf would do. But I didn’t operate that way, nor would I even entertain that idea, no matter how much I wanted that box. The very idea of ruining my pantyhose was enough to make me get in my car.

Imagine being a werewolf with OCD. What a pain. Here part of you wants to let loose and run in the forest but another part holds you back because you might get dirty. Dirty means ages in the bathtub trying to scrub all the filth off. What an impossible position to be in when you are looking for a thief who happened to run into the forest.

Natalya’s other oddity is her collection obsession. My guess is all collectors are a bit insane. I know I am when it comes to books. Whenever I buy a new one I feel kind of guilty. Whether I can afford it or not doesn’t matter because I know that I could go to the library to get something or try Kindle free. After all, I don’t need another book. So that part of me understands Natalie completely. I don’t know that I would agree to a dangerous mission to get ordered books back. I’m not quite that far gone. But Natalie is. What a bummer.

These oddities are what make Natalya an interesting character. That and the fact that she is so matter of fact about them. Kind of nice to have an author write about a condition as complex as OCD. Kudos to Madison for that. Shawntelle Madison writes well and has managed to create a werewolf with character. Good for her.

Reviews:

Science Fiction, Short story/novella

Lupo, Tarrin P.: The Necessity of Man (2011)

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The Necessity of Man
Editor: Adam Lishawa
Cover art: Doc Samson

Gender seems to be the main theme of The Necessity of Man. The Necessity of Man is utterly believable. I cannot count the times men have used women’s nature as a reason for men to rule. Women are supposed to be nurturing and caring by nature. But guys, you could not be more wrong. We are just as self-serving as you are. Lupo shows how things could turn out in a gripping and frightening manner. My goodness, that man is courageous and can he ever write.

The whole idea of how the women at MedTronCorp handle lay-offs and their need for biological products is fascinating. Getting rid of useful men has been a gradual process and does not seem to bother men much. Perhaps that has to do with the spa. There is plenty of sex, zombie games and the availability of everything one might wish. Being offered to stay for an indeterminate length of time in such a pleasant place is a dream come true. But you know, if something seems to be too good to be true it usually is.

I loved The Necessity of Man.

The Necessity of Man has an “anti-copyright” from the author because:

We believe that copying is a form of flattery and do not abide by the copyright laws. Those laws serve to restrict the flow of ideas, which no one can really own. Please share freely and frequently. (Copyright page of The Necessity of Man)

Review:

Adventure, Fantasy, Humour, Romance, Short story/novella

Lindsay, David A.: Gaspar and the Demoiselle Clara (2012)

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Gaspar

Gaspar and the Demoiselle Clara was a free download from various sites when I got it. It is no longer available by itself. But it is part of a novel called Gaspar The Thief. I have not read this novel yet.

David A. Lindsay is from Scotland. That gives us an insight into Scottish humour. I am a huge fan of English humour, although I do tend to call that British humour. Shame on me.

Gaspar is two-thirds bravado and usually one-third inebriation. He tends to like having money but is also relieved when he has managed to spend it all. That way he can leave off his life of indulgence and get back to work. As you have surmised, Gaspar’s job is being a thief. This time his mark is to be the Demoiselle Clara.

I guess you could say that Gaspar is a happy-go-lucky kind of guy, a rapscallion. A guy like that makes a great character in a story but they aren’t very reliable in real life. Gaspar’s favorite jobs are the ones where he can scam another person. For that he needs to put on masks (not literal ones, no). Putting on a mask to get our way is probably something we are all guilty of. At least I am.

Demoiselle Clara is a fun one. She has learned the art of masking quite well. If Gaspar is lucky, he will learn a lesson from her depth of deviousness.

All in all, quite an enjoyable humourous read.

Reviews:

  • Print Length: 26 pages
  • Publisher: Balmerino Publishing; 1st edition (July 24, 2012)
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B008P2PCLM
Adventure, Fantasy, Horror, Short story/novella

Kellen, Christopher: The Corpse King (Elegy) (2011)

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The Corpse King
Cover art by Zoe Cannon and Christopher Kellen

The Corpse King is our introduction to the trilogy Elegy. We are in a land of sorcery, swords and adventure with arbiters running around trying to keep some kind of order and clean manna (magic) whenever it sends out bad vibes. In The Corpse King we have a dark fantasy in the way of zombies, death-manna and insanity.

Apprentice D’Arden Tal and Master Havox Khaine are two of these manna-cleaners. If you take a look at Kellen’s website you will see that for some reason the world Eisengoth is the one sending off bad manna vibes. How do you fight a world? With a world gone insane you are bound to live in a dark place. In fact, I find that the cover reflects the mood of this world gone mad.

It might be a good thing if you like zombie books. This description illustrates why:

D’Arden caught a glimpse of the old man, wizened head perched atop a naked, colorless, emaciated form that was slowly shambling toward him. The belly was swollen to the bursting point, dragging entrails across the wooden floor. Maggots writhed everywhere, covering the body nearly from neck to foot as they feasted.

As you see, not something for the faint-hearted. Well written though. Nice and gory.

Have fun. I did.

Reviews:

Fantasy, Short story/novella, Thriller

Harper, Tom: The Twelfth Tablet (2013)

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The Twelfth Tablet

Greed is such a wonderful thing. It is as if some people think that if it sounds too good to be true, then it must be true. The Twelfth Tablet is the tale of a man who fell for such a scheme. As sometimes happens his falling led to murder and mayhem.

Upon closing the museum one evening Paul Mitchell meets a couple who make him an offer he cannot refuse. Ari and Valerie wish to see the museum’s Aphrodite statue in return for donating a large sum of money “to the museum”. Paul finds himself unable to say no to anything they ask. He tries but there is something strange about their touch that fills him with powerlessness and an eagerness to please.

Once he has said yes once, saying yes to their next request is less of a hurdle. Ari and Valerie want to know where they can find the Orphic Tablet and Paul leads them to it.

Paul is the perfect example of how we are all potentially able of deeds we thought impossible. I find Harper’s description of Mitchell’s self-destructive road believable. Tom has a tight pace and tension galore. We get plenty of action and fighting.

Excellent short story.

Reviews:

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Adventure, Fantasy, Romance, Short story/novella, Young Adult

Gilmour, S.J.B.: Angela of Troy (Pack Coppernick) (2011)

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Angela of Troy
Cover artist: Tom Hermann

Angela of Troy is the story of an Amazon, necromancer and daughter of Cassandra of Troy and the god Apollo. Her job is to police the supernatural community and make sure that no unnecessary murders are committed.

A rogue werewolf has been on a killing spree and Angela is sent to stop him. To find out who the next victim is supposed to be she turns to a demon. Demons aren’t really Angela’s idea of fun – more like a necessary evil.

What she discovers is that the man she has been sent to hunt, Benjamin McConnell, is out to kill all who were associated with the man who cursed him. I can understand wanting to do that.  McConnell has his own protection. If another tries to harm him that damage will be inflicted on the one trying to hurt him. Angela’s superiors must have known of this ability, yet they still sent her off to destroy McConnell.

All in all an interesting short story with a strange set of characters.

Reviews:

Fantasy, Humour, Mystery, Short story/novella

Kramer, Naomi: Dead(ish) (2010)

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Dead(ish)
Cover art by Katerina Vamvasaki

What we have in Dead(ish) is an example of a nutty Aussie author bent on making her readers laugh. Talk about insane mystery and vindictive murder victim. I have to say that this is one case of getting back at your murderer.

Our main characters are Mike: the murderer, Linda: the murderee and Trent: the detective. Linda, the ghost, hires Trent, the detective, to find out where Mike, her killer, has hidden her body. During that process Trent gets to hear both sides of the story and what a sordid tale it is.

This is what I love about fantasy and science fiction: there is always a chance of getting to hear a story from both sides – even if the story is murder.

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Review:

Adventure, Fantasy, Humour, Short story/novella

Kater, Paul: Hilda – Snow White Revisited (Hilda the Wicked Witch) (2010)

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Hilda - Snow White Revisited

I am going to say it again. Grimhilda is the most adorable wicked witch I have ever come across. She is wicked, but she is wicked in a proprietary and warm manner.

Paul Kater’s writing conveys humour in spades. Some of it is innocently raunchy and some of it simply funny while the violence is quite innocent. My advice about age appropriateness is the usual one – check the story out yourself first and then decide.

Dandh (review below) said:

If you have any imagination, you can easily forgive the ‘unprofessional’ writing and enjoy the story. Many people expect too much from Kindle free books. This is a venue for amature writers to get their stories published. They don’t have editors and teams of people working behind them. The stories are pure and unedited, that’s what makes them great.

My favorite part of this story is the part where Hilda gets visited by door-to-door salespeople trying to sell her a broom. I wish I could do what she did to some of the salespeople that turn up on our doorstep.

Snow White is your classic airhead that somehow seems to survive unscathed all the horrors that are thrown her way. With Hilda as her own “semi-godmother” she has a bit of supernatural protection. But all is not horror in the life of Snow White. No, indeed it is not. I liked this version of the seven dwarves.

We also get to meet Baba Yaga. For some strange reason there are people out there who seem to think that Baba Yaga originated with Terry Pratchett. Just to clear the record, she does not. Baba Yaga and Grimhilda are great friends who love to prank the other witches.

Some on the witches that are pranked by Hilda and Baba Yaga are the three witches of MacBeth (the Weird Sisters). I guess you could say that Kater’s similarity with Pratchett lies in using some of the same sources as Pratchett does. Paul also employs humour to get whatever message he wants across to the reader.

Paul’s obvious love for his craft is what allows me to look beyond editorial problems. Sometimes a writer’s talent shines through whatever limitations are placed on him.

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Reviews:

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  • Published: Sep. 06, 2010 
  • File Size: 326 KB
  • Words: 45,350 (approximate)
  • Print Length: 139 pages
  • Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B00551DEM0
  • ISBN: 9781452326436

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My review of Hilda, the Wicked Witch

Science Fiction, Short story/novella, Thriller

Lichtenberg, Tom: Happy Slumbers (Dragon City) (2012)

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Happy Slumbers
Cover art by ?
I wish I knew the name of this artist because this is a really great picture.

Spring Hill Lake is this bizarre town where mysterious things happen. People disappear, sinkholes appear and then disappear and people suddenly appear out of the blue. In Happy Slumbers we find out what is going on and why it happens.

When Alex Kirkham comes looking for his brother Argus, who seems to have disappeared, Alex meets this old lady (Etta) on a park-bench. She starts talking in riddles and Alex follows her around trying to figure out what she is talking about.

We get a short historical recap of Alex and Argus’ encounters with the “Thing” in Spring Hill Lake. Part of the recap comes through Alex’s interactions with the “Law”.

Of course, the government has to get involved. After the last oddities regarding the stadion they are all gung-ho about making Alex spill the beans. But Alex has no beans to spill, at least not yet.

I loved the ending of the Dragon City series. Another thing I really enjoyed was my inability to place the Dragon City series in any one category. Is it science fiction or is it fantasy or maybe a bit of both? That is the joy of being a reader, at least when an author writes as well as Tom Lichtenberg does.

Reviews

  • Published: June 24, 2012       
  • Words: 15,040 (approximate)
  • Print Length: 53 pages
  • Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
  • Sold by: Amazon Digital Services,  Inc.
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B008EED36M
  • ISBN: 9781476241968

My review of Dragon Town

Science Fiction, Short story/novella, Thriller

Lichtenberg, Tom: Dragon Town (The Dragon City) (2011)

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Dragon Town
Cover art by

I was not aware of this being a series so I jumped right in with Dragon Town (no. 3) and had no problem with that. While there obviously is a thread (the strange disappearances) to the story Dragon Town seemed to stand completely on its own legs.

Sapphire Karadjian has been ordered by the top honchos of the media concern she works for to return to Spring Hill Lake to report on a sinkhole that is supposed to have swallowed a football stadion. For a war journalist that seems both unlikely and rather tame and she cannot for the life of her understand why they want her specifically. Granted, she grew up there, but she feels completely overqualified for the job. Orders are orders and off she goes.

Her journalistic career has removed any rose-colored glasses Sapphire might have had before leaving Spring Hill Lake. To an extent I know my own rose tinted glasses have come off and that I see more of the world as it is and not as I want it to be. Sapphire’s case is even more extreme than my own. I imagine doing stories about one horrible deed after another tears down all illusions you have about people.

Sapphire is the main character of Dragon Town. Dragon Town is in the style of X-Files or the Twilight Zone – you know, sort of weird and sometimes creepy. Here we have “the burning girl”. Interesting to have a person on fire yet not get hurt. Then you have the back-story of the city. Add to that the suddenly appearing hole. And finally, for those who have read them, there are the two preceding novels.

I liked Dragon Town. It is only 84 pages long, so I guess that would make it a novella. Despite its shortness it packs quite a bit of story into it and manages to give me the creep-factor a couple of times. I like it when stories abstain from horror but embrace creepy.

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Fantasy, Short story/novella, Thriller, Young Adult

Loomis, Mercy: A Wild Hunt (Aether Vitalis) (2009)

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A Wild Hunt
Cover design by Mercy Loomis and Jon Connor
Images by Morguefile.com

A Wild Hunt is an urban fantasy with paranormal creatures. According to Loomis most of the Aether Vitalis stories are dark. A Wild Hunt could be considered dark fantasy in my opinion.

In A Wild Hunt we deal with death magic and its apparently willing victims. That is what can happen when dark witches are in your neighborhood. Good job the neighborhood watchperson – well skinshifter – is close by.

At the beginning of our tale Ariane Conant seems to be your typical drooling college student. Her job is to protect humans from finding out too much about the faery community. That one of the humans she ends up protecting just happens to be her drool object just ups the ante for her. She goes from an empty-headed drooler to a dangerous woman to cross in a magical battle.

A Wild Hunt was a pretty good short story. There are limits to how much background and info you can cram into a story this size, but Loomis did manage to give us a little. Mainly we had action from the very beginning and the story did not slow down as it went along.

Not too violent and no explicit sex.

Reviews:

  • File Size: 256 KB
  • Print Length: 42 pages
  • Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
  • Publisher: Rookery Creek Media (October 16, 2011)
  • Sold by: Amazon Digital Services,  Inc.
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B005WLP7D2
Fantasy, Short story/novella, Thriller

Moore, Mary C.: The Shadow Killer (2011)

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Shadow Killer
Cover art by

The Shadow Killer is only 10 pages long, but Mary C. Moore manages to fill those ten pages with so much sadness and hope that it made me want to weep.

Being homeless must suck in a major way. There are no safe places for you. Anywhere you lay down you risk being chased from. Others treat you as if you are invisible and those who do see you often look at you as if you are trash whose only function in life is to be stepped on.

“The girl is tired. She is more than tired; she is bone-weary exhausted. The only sleep she has had in the past few months is what she could catch while the sun was high in the sky. Only then could she risk curling in a ball on the unforgiving cement to sleep. She cannot try to find a place at night, she cannot go to a shelter, she cannot sleep without the sun because …

Because, every night the goblins come for her. The goblins are hunting, and she is their prey. She doesn’t know how or why, but she does know when. A black mass that seems to be nothing but nails and teeth follows her. Gibbering, drooling, hissing, they hunt her when the shadows become long.

She cannot sleep without the sun.”

Reading these paragraphs made me want to cry. The whole beginning of this short story made me want to cry. I know this tiredness. I know this fear. My goblins may have looked human but that was only skin-deep. Thankfully, this story like my own carries with it a lot of hope.

Dark fantasy like The Shadow Killer makes a difference in how life can be perceived. Hail to Mary C. Moore for writing fantasy in a manner that neither preaches nor gives easy solutions. Dark fantasy rules!

  • File Size: 151 KB
  • Print Length: 8 pages
  • Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
  • Sold by: Amazon Digital Services,  Inc.
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B007NU5KVE
Fantasy, Short story/novella, Thriller

Violante, Maria: Hunting the Five (La Roca Chronicles) (2011)

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Hunting the Five
Cover art by Blake Eason

I must say I loved what the reviewer Justin Robinson-Prickett said of Hunting the Five:

“The classic pulps are oppressively masculine, chock full of male wish fulfillment. That’s all well and good for guys who want to read two-fisted tales of adventure.  But where are the ladies to turn?  Well, now they have something to scratch that itch.”

It is true that the fantasy pulp market has been mainly written by and probably for males. While using many of the same tools as the masculine species in her writing, Maria Violante has managed to give her protagonist, De La Roca, her own twist. There is plenty of violence in Hunting the Five but is wholly appropriate in its setting.

I do not understand why some reviewers have found the first chapter out of place. Perhaps it has been changed since the time of their reviews or perhaps I just feel differently about her need to get her gun back. Her methods of achieving her goals are anything but gentle but extremely effective.

Alsvior is a fascinating creature. While we see that he has interesting talents there is also a feeling of mystery left behind by the story. Lots of questions in my mind about that horse.

What would it be like to have had to be a mercenary for the Angel for three centuries? 300 years seems an awful long time to pay for whatever you might have done but being told that she has only five kills left before her stay in Hell is over seems like a set-up to me. Something just seems off about that.

De La Roca is something as strange as a demon killing demons for Heaven. How weird is that? She has been told that she is a demon by her personal Angel. Could be, but then again what role would Alsivor play in all of this as he is a tool from heaven. Lots and lots of questions. To me De La Roca seems like a bounty hunter with her soul as the reward for her kills.

Another reviewer felt a Mexican vibe a là Antonio Banderas. That could be. His part in the Mariachi trilogy certain was gritty enough. I think that is what I liked so much about Hunting the Five. Dark and gritty and plenty of action is important ingredients in a novel like this. Hunting the Five is also easy to read. Maria Violante manages to keep herself in the flow for the most part. There are some places where she falls out of it but she manages to pull herself back in.

122 pages isn’t a whole lot but Hunting the Five is after all billed as a novella. Thankfully you can pack a whole lot of fun into 122 pages and Maria Violante has managed to do that.

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  • File Size: 294 KB
  • Print Length: 122 pages
  • Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
  • Publisher: Airam Publications; 5th edition (September 27, 2011)
  • Sold by: Amazon Digital Services,  Inc.
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B005Q4LZPE

First chapter in audio

Adventure, Fantasy, Humour, Mystery, Short story/novella

Rhodes, Nicola: Djinnx’d (The Tamar, Black Saga) (2009)

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Djinnxd
Cover art/design by Nicola Rhodes

I love this cover.

You will see from the reviews below that most of them were extremely positive. Finding one that wasn’t took a bit of reading.

For me Djinnx’d is a keeper. Humour aplenty and throw in action and strange people and here is a recipe for enjoying myself.

I really liked the way programmers run the Universe with their inevitable screw-ups. I read that part to my programmer husband and he even managed to smile a little.

“In the beginning, there was the word.

And the word was “Error” And that explains a lot, doesn’t it?”

That would explain a lot wouldn’t it? Right away the tone of the novel is set. I also really liked the way Tamar set herself up for capture. Sometimes you really should be careful about what you wish for just in case your wish comes true.

After having been a Djinn couple of thousand years she meets Denny. This is how that meeting goes:

“You may have of me, any three wishes of your choosing. Your wish is … my …’ She trailed off, embarrassed. He was giving her the most peculiar look that she had ever seen. It was a look that she really should have recognised. She had felt it on her own face often enough. He looked bored (disinterested might be a better word) and slightly wary.

‘No thanks,’ he said.

‘S-Sorry?’

‘I said, no thanks, I’m not interested. Thank you all the same.’

‘I’m not sure you understand,’ said Tamar. ‘Three wishes, anything you want, your hearts desire, anything! I’m a Djinn, you know, a Genie, a real one.’

‘Yes, I understand, but I don’t want anything thank you. Can you leave the way you came in?’ He sounded like a man talking to a double glazing salesman.”

What self-respecting Djinn expects a non-wish when they meet their new master? Considering Denny’s life it would be easy to think that he would have plenty of wishes. But the kids of today, they are just too smart for their own good (or a Djinn’s good).

Djinnx’d is a fast-paced novel with some glitches here and there but all in all great fun to read. If you like British humour you will probably like Djinnx’d.

Fantasy, Mystery, Short story/novella, Young Adult

Humphrey-D’Aigle, Rachel: Bloodsucker Bay (The Demon Isle Witches) (2012)

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Demon Isle
Photographer: Danielle Page
Cover design: Rachel Humphrey-D’Aigle

Rachel Humphrey-D’Aigle. Now, there is a proper author’s name – at least in my head.

I love this cover. I agree with Humphrey-D’Aigle that Danielle Page is a great photographer and Rachel has done a cool job with the colors and fonts.

I think Bloodsucker Bay would be considered a novella as it is only 73 pages and 4 chapters long. It is definitely part of a serial as the ending leaves the reader hanging in loose air.

Bloodsucker Bay is a mystery – dead body and all. The thing about Demon Isle is that most of the inhabitants know of the weirdness of both the Howard family and the Isle itself. When a dead body turns up the Sheriff uses the Howard family as much as she can in solving the crime.

For the main part the story is about the Howard siblings and their vampire guardian William. Melinda, Charlie and Michael each have their strong and not so strong sides and we get to share in them. Melinda is a great potion maker and is prescient. One of the reasons William hangs around the witches is that Melinda makes a potion that helps him not bite humans. But he also acts as their guardian while they all try to come to terms with the death of their parents. Melinda feels guilt at not having prevented the death of her parents as her newly developed prescience had warned her of it.

Charlie is a werewolf. That gives him great strength but also urges that get stronger around full-moon. He is the big-brother and suffers from all of the big-brother symptoms.

Michael happens to be the one to feel the full force of Charlie’s big-brotherness. Charlie just cannot let Michael decide on his own what his future is to be. He feels that as fate made Michael a Howard and the Howards traditionally are caretakers of Demon Isle then Michael should just get his act together and do the job. Michael’s witchy side is being a death reader. That means he is very popular with the Sheriff when some unsolvable death occurs on the island.

There were a couple of scenes that I really liked. One was in an underwater cave and involved the brothers. The other was with Emily, Michael’s probable girlfriend. The pace in those two scenes was perfect and the way they were written fun.

Bloodsucker Bay has pretty good potential. Rachel showed the ability to hit the flow and with a little more tightening she could manage to stay there.

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