.Since I posted this, T. Joseph Browder has made a book trailer that you may want to check out. While you are here, read my review and, if interested, you can pick up the book at the end of the post.
Dark Matters by T. Joseph Browder
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These 7 short stories take a ride on the wild side. They are dark, creepy, and end of the world scary, except for the first one, which I think T. Joseph put in just to mess with us.
TOBY
My father got me a Saint Bernard, Toby, when he was a puppy. He saved my life when I was only eight years old. Little did I know, that when he passed away, it would not be the last time I saw him.
A touching and uplifting story for the paranormal lovers. Just because someone is gone, it doesn’t mean that they aren’t looking out for you.
A personal note from the author:
“Toby is my personal favorite, possibly because most of it, right down to the boy falling off the roof, being punctured through the leg, and being saved by the dog, is true. And yes, I did bury him at the base of a lightning split elm in the back yard.”
ROUGE
When Jessie crashed his truck and rolled over the cliff, he thought the worst thing he would have to worry about was the freezing cold weather. Think again Jesse. You may wonder, what does a bear have to do with a car accident?
What goes around comes around and sometimes it is worse than you can imagine.This was my favorite story of the book. I guess it is probably because I love any kind of horror story that includes a creature of a critter of some kind.
HAMMERFALL
He heard a voice, but didn’t hear it clearly. Where was he? It was the Livestar operator. She said no one could respond at this time because of Hammerfall, an asteroid. Everyone had disregarded the Mayan prophecies. would they pay the price now?
Well, you’ll have to read the story to find that out. What do you think would be the end result? Would there be anyone left? Would you want to be one of them or be taken out in the first BIG BANG?
..
THE VISITOR
Lucas had a run in with Nicholai before, thus his ill-health. Lucas’ plan to destroy him was so out of the ordinary, that he felt Nicholai would never see it coming.
Just goes to show how far some people will go to see justice served.
THE CONTRACT
He hired me to kill him. I thought he was out of his mind, but when I heard the price, I jumped on it. I wasted no time, I shot him on the spot. Uh-0h. I should have waited until he told me the details.
I sure didn’t see the ending coming on this one.
AFTER HAMMERFALL
What do you think would be left? How many humans would survive? How many plants? How many animals? And what would they be like?
EDUCATOR
I was beaten nearly to death, stomped on, then shot in the face. No one knew why it happened. I kept secret, that I no longer needed the cane. I did not want people to know what I was really capable of, because I had a mission to fulfill.
How far would you go to seek revenge for the death of a loved one?
.
.
.
4 STARS – Would Highly Recommend To Others
It’s funny how many of the books I review have trees on their covers, in some shape or form. This cover is beautiful and fits in with the season. It brings back many memories, of when I lived in the wintry, northern states.
The stories were well written and flowed smoothly, making them very easy to read. Pick it up at lunch time, while waiting at the doctor’s or dentist’s office, anywhere you are when you have 10, 15, maybe even 20 minutes. Depends on how fast you read.
The characters are easy to love, hate or feel like they got what was coming to them.
The first story is a “make me feel good”, lovely story. I think T. Joseph Broder did that to set us up for what was to come, because he quickly moves on to things that are not so pleasant, in fact they are down right horrific..
I always find short stories very hard to review. I want to get across how interesting and unexpected so many of the stories are without giving away the good stuff. So how do you do that? I hope I did it well enough to peak your interest and wonder, “What in the hell is she talking about?” ^_^ Then pick up your copy to find out.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
After an extremely interesting childhood rich with the writings of Poe, King, Koontz, and many others, I left the real world in 1995 and lived for thirteen years in a timeless, soulless void. While there, I spent countless hours reading and studying Philosophy, Psychology, Parapsychology, and, oddly enough, Business. Ultimately, I returned to the real world (with virtually no identity or personal history and no official history whatsoever) and set about the business of making a life for myself from scratch, the pitfalls and hurdles of which, in this post 9/11 world, could fill an entire book.
I now live in Ellinwood, KS, with my wife and four granddaughters (the comedy and drama of that would fill an entire series of books) and published my first book, a short story collection of horror, science-fiction, and suspense, in April, 2012. I am currently working on a novel that defies genre classification with the greatest editor in the world.
T. Joseph Browder invites you to listen to a recent podcast review:
To see what’s happening in the mind of T Joseph Browder, follow the links below:
To pick up a copy of the book from Amazon, simply click on the cover below.
GIVEAWAY
T. Joseph Browder is offering for the Giveaway, 10 (ten) ebooks. International. Easy entry as always, just leave your email address and answer the question:
I know there are a lot people who love short stories. Are you one of them and why?
GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED.
CLOSED. WINNERS are: Pragya – Alana Perumal – Emma Meade – Joseph – Lada Ray – Lee (JaxGrampy) – Dia Palaez – Marianne – Vickie Evans and Cecilia.
Congratulations and thank you everyone for stopping by and commenting.
I love both kinds – short stories and full length novels. Some days though, what I need most is a quick fix. Maybe I don’t have much time, like a lunch break or something. Lol, or maybe I know I should be writing but I need to separate myself for a couple hours to gain some perspective. If it’s only a few chapters, it doesn’t feed into my bad habit of procrastinating when I’m stuck. 🙂 Short stories give me a nice escape. The pace is usually a little faster because of length, and if it’s in anthology form with several authors I get a bonus of being able to try out other writers I may have never read before. Some of my favorite books are anthologies. 🙂
I so agree with what you said. I am probably one of the worlds best procrastinators, but keep trying to just jump into things and don’t think too much. That way, maybe I’ll get the things I don’t want to do, done. ^_^
So many people don’t bother with short stories, but I love choosing one to read over a cup of tea.
I agree. Sometimes I just want something to take my mind off of other things, but don’t want to get too involved. With a short story, it’s over quickly. Thanks, Emma and good luck.
Short stories are great! You can read them in a short period of time and set them aside when you have to do what you should be doing:)
Great job Sherry! Is this your first time reviewing short stories?
You know how much I love reviewing shorts!
I think it is my second. The first one is not on my blog. It was when I first started Goodreads and reviewing. I know you love them. I did have a good time with this one. I might have overdone it with all the pics, but that was half the fun. Good luck.
Sounds really interesting, Sherry! 🙂
BTW, I’ve emailed you at your netscape email re. The Earth Shifter. Please let me know if you have any questions and I’m looking forward to your review!
Warm regards,
Lada
Thanks Lada. I’ll check it out. Glad you stopped by.
Honestly, I used to avoid short stories because I thought there would be no way an author could write a tale and have it “fleshed out” enough to make it worthwhile without having it turn into a ‘BOOK’…meaning it would have to be at least 300 pgs. or so.
Man, was I wrong! Because I wanted to read & didn’t have much time, I started reading a couple of short stories by different authors and discovered that some of them were super great…to the point that I STILL think about them!
It just goes to show you…whether a book is 4 pgs. or 400 pgs., a talented author can draw his/her reader into another world of their making in a manner of minutes. So, as they say, it isn’t the quantity…it’s the quality that counts and makes it all come together.
–Cecilia
ceciliah(at)apl(dot)kscoxmail(dot)com
Very well said. Don’t think I can top that, so I won’t try. Good luck and thanks for the follow. Let me know if I can return the favor. I did check out your Gravatar profile. Very interesting.
I love short stories because they give you a nice read at night or on the weekends. If I don’t feel like getting into a novel, I’ll go online and read some flash fiction stories. They get to the point fast, which is a plus when I just want something to dwell on, and they leave the rest to your imagination. Those are some of the more basic reasons as to why I like short stories. The stories can be great, even without length, and when I go on a short story craze, I love being able to put the stories together, and make an epic story in my mind.
I totally agree. Sometimes, after I finish a long book, I want to read something short. Easy to read and entertaining. Thanks for commenting Tay.
I’m one of those people who don’t generally grab the shorts… I’ve always considered reading to be a getaway and love the stolen moments when I’m trying to finish a really good novel… I just never thought that would be possible with a short story. I have however recently read a short paranormal romantic story and I enjoyed it mainly because it was one of those frivolous reads that made me giggle… I’m not sure I’d enjoy short thrillers but I’d love to get a copy of these shorts to test that theory!
I have never been a fan of shorts, until recently. I feel like you, I want to get lost in a BIG book. I can get so involved, sometimes I end up reading the whole day away. But I have found that some shorts are so good, they stick in my mind for days after reading them Even though these stories are shorts, I found them very entertaining.
I do love short stories because I can read them in short time slots and sometimes that’s all I have, but it’s still a satisfying read if it’s a good story. Two really good examples are The Lady, or the Tiger and The Necklace. And of course The Cask of Amontillado!
Hi Vicki. Thanks for the new stories to look up. I’m sure I’ll be adding them to my TBR list. Have a great weekend.
I like reading short stories for the same reason I like to occasionally write them. I can get a nice story without having to take forever reading. I don’t have a lot of time for print reading anymore, so short stories are great for when I do have the time for something other than audio books.
I have ALWAYS been a big fan of short stories. I think close to half of my 10,000+ books are anthologies. I like to get in and get out, I guess. I once read a bit by Stephen King, where he was defending the fact that he still wrote short stories even after he made the big time, and could sell his grocery list if he wanted. He quoted a publisher who told him that shorts just don’t pencil out; you spend too much time writing them, and get very little money from them. His response was to start listing specific short stories he wrote, and all the different times and places and anthologies they had been published in, including how much money he was paid each time. Turns out the publisher was wrong! Now I know not everybody is going to be a Stephen King, but my whole point is, there IS a market for short stories, and I am one of the biggest fans of them. Another advantage is, if you start reading one and you don’t like it, you can just skip it and move on to the next one. With a full-blown book, you kind of feel obligated to keep reading, just to give it a chance to “get good”. Plus, short stories leave me plenty of time for naps, and that’s pretty much the best of both worlds! acwa@netscape.com
LOL I rarely fall asleep while reading, but sometimes a good nap afterwards is very rewarding. Thank you for the great comment. I think you pretty much covered all the good things about the shorts. I never used to read them, because I like getting deep into a story, but find it is nice and refreshing to pick one up and be able to find out the ending without having to stay up all night. These are some really good ones. ^_^
Short stories are great because there is no time to waste. You have to make every word count. The precision it takes to pull off a great story shows the level of your skill as a writer.
Nice to pick up and read during your lunch or waiting in line, seeing we seem to do a lot of that. lol Thanks for commenting and good luck on the giveaway.
I agree. It is a challenge and I am surprised at the quantity and quality of short stories I have been reading lately. Thanks for the comment, Joseph.
I enjoy short stories. and have read some really great ones. They are precise and to the point. I also find it a great way to decide whether I like a new to me author’s writing style and have found several new authors to add to my “must read” list.
Good point, getting to check out the author’s style. Thanks for stopping by. Good luck.
Question: I know there are a lot people who love short stories. Are you one of them and why?
Yes, I am one of those people who love short stories because they provide a momentary escape from the stresses of life, and they don’t take up much time and effort. They can make you feel good for as short as a few minutes because they’re quick reads. =)
Sometimes we only have or need a few minutes to escape into a good story. Happy Reading.
Because they are short. I usually read just before bed and then 3hrs later still reading and past my bedtime. A few short stories though and may get some sleep. TY
I agree. Sometimes my head is nodding and my eyes will hardly stay open and I still don’t want to quit reading. Good luck.
Kelleeh.73@gmail.com I like short stories because there are different elements in a book different situations and it doesn’t drone on and on if the book isn’t that interesting.
Yeah, it can be less painful that way. lol
I do like short stories but I have a particular mood when I like them – when I can’t get into anything I’m reading and/or when I need something short to read.
reviewing.shelf@gmail(dot)com
Yeah. I have just recently starting getting into them. I read so much, sometimes it is nice to read something where I can be done in 10 or 15 minutes. These are some good ones.
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