Category Archives: Short story/novella

Adventure, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Short story/novella

Christensen, Andreas: The Tunnel (2012)

2013-04-15 humanitysdarkerside Leave a comment

Another Norwegian like myself. Woohoo!

Andreas Christensen is the author of The Tunnel. The Tunnel is the type of science fiction that I enjoy – weird and really cool.

Whenever I read a book, be it fiction or non-fiction (supposedly), I ask myself what I would do in a situation like the one an author describes. So, play along with me.

What would you do if you were on your way to work and suddenly discovered you weren’t? Here you are, driving through a tunnel you have driven through gazillion times before and your car breaks down. You think, ah – some person will stop for me. Then your cell phone doesn’t work. Because we are the people we are, we are geniuses at rationalizing what we experience into understandable boxes.

What do you do then? Well, you probably get out of your car and walk in the direction you were driving. Why that direction? I know I would.

Andreas writes in a nice tight style. The editing is excellent, unlike some of the stuff I’ve read lately. While a story can be good, editing can make or break it. Mr. Christensen manages to get the feelings of Randall across to me in a believable manner. He has definitely understood what the flow is all about.

Fantasy, LGBTQ+/GRSM, Romance, Short story/novella

Diemer, Sarah: The Witch Sea (2012)

2013-04-09 humanitysdarkerside 2 Comments

Artist: Herbert James Draper

I love this cover. It illustrates perfectly the longing of the witch in the novel. In my head that is what The Witch Sea is about. Longing to belong, to have someone to love and to love you back.

Being responsible for holding the magical net surrounding her island is becoming a difficult task for Meriel. She is no longer certain of the beliefs that her mother and grandmother have tried to imprint on her.

Both Meriel’s longing and the longing of the sea-people shines through Diemer’s prose. Very minor-key and absolutely lovely.

The author makes a point of this being a lesbian fantasy short story. Once it was pointed out to me, I could see it.

The Witch Sea won first place in the Kissed by Venus Fresh Voices short story competition.

Fantasy, Humour, Short story/novella

Cheek, Kater: Mean Little Kitty/Waiting Room at the Hero League (2011)

2013-04-09 humanitysdarkerside Leave a comment

The really great thing about crazy authors is that they are hilarious. I couldn’t help visualising the scene in Mean Little Kitty where the mom in the story looked for her son all over the place and ended up naked on the roof. I’m serious, you just have to read Kater Cheek’s family description.

Waiting Room at the Hero League was the same. Ms. Cheek made the whole thing seem real and brought me into her story. I loved the powers the super-heroes had. That and the ruckus they just happened to cause. Priceless.

Adventure, Fantasy, Short story/novella

Cummings, Shane Jiraiya: The Smoke Dragon (The Adventures of Yamabushi Kaidan) (2011)

2013-04-08 humanitysdarkerside Leave a comment

Shane Jiraiya Cummings is a popular writer of dark fantasy. You can get the short-story Smoke Dragon for free on his website.

Power-hungry and greedy people are to be found all over the world I imagine. Along with the hunger for more we also sometimes find those who work for a lighter world.

Smoke Dragon is the story of the fight between two who are on the polar opposites of the above traits. The people fighting on the side of the Smoke Dragon want what they do not have even if it means killing to get it. On the other side we find Yamabushi Kaidan and his apprentices.

In Smoke Dragon we get a story packed with action, magic and martial arts set in a kind of Japan. Mr. Cummings writes a fascinating tale of disillusionment and the fight for something more than oneself and those nearest and dearest to us.

Originally published as “Yamabushi Kaidan and the Smoke Dragon” in Fantastic Wonder Stories, ed. Russell B. Farr (Ticonderoga Publications).

2008 Ditmar Award Nomination, Best Novella/Novelette
2008 Aurealis Award Nomination, Young Adult short story

Mystery, Science Fiction, Short story/novella

Crusoe, Andrew: The Secret Beneath the Ice (The Epic of Aravinda) (2012)

2013-04-08 humanitysdarkerside Leave a comment

Cover design by Andrew Crusoe

The Secret Beneath the Ice is the story of the thoughtship Navika and its pilot Oonak and their journey through the Galaxy. In their attempt to avoid the Enemy they come upon the lovely blue world of Avani. They expect to touch down without problems due to the seeming lack of technological advance on the planet. They were wrong.

What we have here is a science fiction action tale/adventure. Oonak and Navika are interesting characters who are going to have to figure out what happened to them – a regular whodunit I guess. We have got 16 pages that I really want to find out the rest of the story to.

Andrew Crusoe writes well. 16 pages is not a lot to impart a story with but Crusoe manages just fine.

Science Fiction, Short story/novella, Thriller

Cowie, Kim: An Implementation of Magic (2012)

2013-04-08 humanitysdarkerside Leave a comment

“This short story was previously published in the small – press fiction magazine ORION, issue #3, in the early 1990’s. Revised 2012.” (Amazon)

What if there was a way to manufacture magic, make it real somehow? Kim Cowie has written 26 excellent pages about what might happen if science managed to make the super-natural/para-normal accessible. Knowing humans, I find Kim’s story pretty believable.

The ending is perfect.

Adventure, Fantasy, Romance, Short story/novella

Cheney, Kathleen J.: Iron Shoes (Hawk’s Folly Farm) (2011)

2013-04-07 humanitysdarkerside Leave a comment

Cover designed by Cheney/ photography by Alex Gorstan

Kathleen J. Cheney writes in minor key. I’m getting the mushy parts of her story. Maybe mush has be written in minor for me to understand it???

Ms. Cheney has written a lovely story about coming to terms with prejudice, betrayal and power-hunger but also about loyalty, love and unexpected friends.

Imogen Hawkes is a conflicted young widow who not only has to come up with money to prevent foreclosure but also has to find a way to accept herself for who she is. Not an easy thing in the early 1900’s in Saratoga.

2010: Nominated for the Nebulla award for best Novella: Iron Shoes’, J. Kathleen Cheney (Alembical 2)

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

Clement, J.A.: Parallels: The Black-Eyed Susan (On Dark Shores) (2011)

2013-04-04 humanitysdarkerside 1 Comment

Cover art based on a photo by Jeffrey van Possum

The Black-Eyed Susan tells the story of a captain we heard about in the two first novels of On Dark Shores. The Lady and The Other Nereia both mention a captain that was tricked by Mr. Copeland and later killed by his bodyguard Blakey as a consequence of forfeiting his loan.

We get a look into the workings of Mr. Copeland’s mind. His mind is not a pretty place to be. We also get a closer look at Blakey’s character and a deeper understanding of the choices that have been made.

The Black-Eyed Susan is only a few pages long, but those are incredibly enjoyable pages.

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

Clement, J.A.: The Other Nereia (On Dark Shores) (2012)

2013-04-04 humanitysdarkerside 4 Comments

Cover artwork based on a photo by Jeffrey van Rossum

J.A. Clement is the author for the novel The Other Nereia. The Other Nereia is book no 2 of the On Dark Shores serial. I see an omnibus of books no. 1 and no. 2 has been released.

I enjoyed The Other Nereia as much as I enjoyed The Lady. Clement kept her minor-tone throughout the novel. Flowing authors make my reading experience about as enjoyable as sinking under water. There is just something about feeling the water close over my head that makes my head so happy it wants to stay there forever. See what you did to me Ms. Clement.

In trying to run away Nereia woke a feeling of community in Scarlock that had been missing for quite a while. Mr. Copeland senses this and it stirs his paranoia and insanity even more. Poor Blakey (yes, I feel sorry for him and his mom) is left trying to make things less awful for the population. Poor Nereia is left with very few choices in what to do. Novel two is a terribly wonderful novel.

Having read as many books as I have, I still find myself caring for the characters and being able to dive into worlds created in another person’s mind. If that isn’t magic, I don’t know what is.

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

Clement, J.A.: The Lady (On Dark Shores) (2011)

2013-04-04 humanitysdarkerside 4 Comments

First of all, I want to congratulate J.A. Clement on her choice of cover artist. Fena Lee captures the spirit of The Lady perfectly in the mood of her cover creation.

I loved The Lady. There, that really should be all you needed to hear, shouldn’t it. After all, my taste in books is superb and anything I like others must too. Or not.

Let me list the reasons why:

J.A. Clement flows. The Lady is a minor-toned novel (musically speaking) – exactly like the cover.

J.A. Clement’s characters grow on you, even Mr. Copeland. He is a sociopath. I know of no other words to describe him. Well, I do, but sociopath is the most descriptive one. His bodyguard has a reputation of breaking bones and possibly even killing people for Mr. Copeland.

The Lady is the Mother of the Shantari. She has made an awful choice (as in for herself) and is feeling a lot of pain.

Our main character is Nereia, another person having to make choices that will demand a high price. But sometimes you don’t really have a choice in life. You just do your best and hope the tides of fate will turn.

I have one complaint about The Lady. It was toooooooooo short.

A warning. This is a serial. You all know that means that you are left with a cliff-hanger. Fortunately book no. 2 in the serial is out along with a short-story giving some background information on one of the characters.

Adventure, Fantasy, Short story/novella, Young Adult

Wong, Billy: Gothic Warrior and the Dark Man (Tales of the Gothic Warrior) (2012)

2013-03-31 humanitysdarkerside Leave a comment

Gothic Warrior and the Dark Man is a 44 page short story.

It starts off with a barbrawl between the singer Freya (Gothic Warrior) and Lincoln. She wins. That fight gets Lincoln hired as her group’s (Helbound) body-guard.

This is urban fantasy with a demonic twist. Billy Wong manages to fill his 44 pages with plenty of action. I think it would probably be considered a young adult novel.

I enjoyed Billy’s writing and his characters.

Mystery, Science Fiction, Short story/novella

Carpenter, Thomas K.: The Lorieme Job (Digital Sea) (2012)

2013-03-06 humanitysdarkerside 1 Comment

Cover design by Rachel J. Carpenter

Thomas K. Carpenter thinks that augmented reality is part of what our future digital life will be. Augmented reality is an essential part of The Lorieme Job. The Lorieme Job first appeared in the anthology Mirror Shards: Vol. 2. I came into contact with The Lorieme Job through Kindle. It was on offer for nothing and I thought “why not”. This is a choice I am happy I made.

I believe this type of science fiction is called hard science fiction. An essential part of hard science fiction is the believability of the technological future presented. Even though Zel’s world is highly augmented, I have no problem seeing us going in that direction.

Besides the science fiction, The Lorieme Job is a mystery. Zel is trying to find the person in control of “the fountain of youth” and has to do so in a way that will not get her caught. She is probably the ultimate (impossible to catch) hacker of the digital sea. During her hunt, she encounters a few surprises.

I love speculations about the future. Reading The Lorieme Job was a fun few pages. There was plenty of action, plenty of technology and a bit of humor. Zel’s plans for Redman were especially fun. She is my kind of lady.

Adventure, Fantasy, Short story/novella

Carson, Rae: Dangerous Voices (2012)

2013-03-06 humanitysdarkerside 1 Comment

Cover artist Jenn Reese

Freedom of Speech. How far are we willing to go to let our voices be heard? How far are others willing to go to stop our voices from being heard?

Dangerous Voices is a wonderfully terrible short story about the lengths people are willing to go to let their voices be heard and to stop those voices from reaching out. What would my choice have been? Hmmmm.

If it was not for the magic, this could be a story right out of Amnesty International‘s archives.

I am thankful I got to meet Rae Carson.

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

Buroker, Lindsay: Flash Gold (2011)

2013-03-06 humanitysdarkerside Leave a comment

Cover art by Glendon Haddix – a cover I find quite appealing

Flash Gold is a steampunk novella set in the Yukon. As bad as I am at being able to place my litterature in categories, even I am able to discern when something is steampunk. It is the steam that gives it away. Other than that, there seems to be some kind of mystic element involved (supernatural, magic, paranormal and so on).

In Moose Hollow, a small town of Yukon, a young orphan woman named Kali McAlister lives. She has taken over her father’s workshop in an attempt to stay independent. The citizens of Moose Hollow suspect Kali is something more than she seems. Perhaps she is using frowned upon magic??????

A stranger called Cedar drops into her life at the same time as she has entered a contest to win enough money to keep her doing what she loves most – tinker and invent. He applies for an Assistant position as musher for the Barton Race. Kali has no money to pay Cedar with but he is willing to take a cut of the winnings.

Forty Mile Creek, Yukon, Alaska

What Cedar ends up being is part assistant and part body-guard. It seems there are several parties who are interested in how Kali manages to get her machines to work so well. The two of them end up in a race for their life as much as a race for the money.

Flash Gold is filled with plenty of humor – humor that I actually get – and action. I like action filled books that have a humorous twist. Lindsay Buroker presents her steampunk in a manner that makes me want to read more of her stuff.

Adventure, Science Fiction, Short story/novella, Young Adult

Byers, Richard Lee: Suiting Up (The Impostor) (2011)

2013-03-04 humanitysdarkerside Leave a comment

Cover by Elaine Polk

Different sites I have been to claim that http://richardleebyers.com/ is Richard Lee Byers’ website. It is NOT. It might have been at one time but now it is a weight and cellulite management site. I think your best bet would be to try his live journal. Hopefully, it is still up and running – it was as of 2013 Mar 04.

In the world of Matt Brown we find superheroes and aliens.

Germantown is attacked by aliens who are looking for a snack. When the superheroes try to defend the population, most of them get killed. Matt Brown then has a life-changing experience. One that enables him to help those around him fight the hungry bugs.

With Suiting Up we see the beginning of a new superhero series, The Impostor. We are looking at a typical superhero style of writing. Those of you out there who are fans of the genre will enjoy Suiting Up.