SHOCKING FUTURE :  A Collection Of Twisted Tales

My first collection of short stories has been published!

I've put together an outstanding mix of sci-fi and fantasy tales, that hint at the macabre, with a splash of humour, and a hockey sock full of great characters to root for.

The first story you'll lay your eyes on is one about a little gremlin named Pearson. He is at that awkward age between child and adult, and trying to find his way. His friend, and rival, compare stories of their gremlin tricks while they test the edges of their gremlin culture. A love interest is the spark that brings everything to a head and changes the lives of all the gremlins in the community.

The Big Payout, gives us a behind the scenes look at a futuristic streaming game show where both contestants and viewers can win big money...or lose their lives. Merc is this weeks contestant, and one lucky guy. He works his way through the various rounds winning more and more money. When it comes to the final round he must gambling with not only his life, but the life of his family and friends. Will he win the Big Payout?

To lighten the mood in between these heavy stories, I've offered up something on the humourous side - The Adventures of Chuck and Sampson. These two members of the Galaxy Union find themselves in some awkward situations; first in their spacecraft, then on a deserted asteroid, and finally when they are being rescued by socially strict aliens.

Numbers is another highlight of the book. A heist / escape story where Khic, a fiesty inmate at a futuristic penal planet, and her crew use some old fashioned brain power to outsmart the high tech security systems that keep them penned up.

There are a few other small page turners thrown in for good measure. I mean, who wouldn't like to imagine what a truck stop of the future would look like? Or that a small misinterpretation could lead to a wild chase around a space station? They are the kind of stories that you can read in Shocking Future!

Get your hands on all of this now, in paperback or e-book. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D836XQ3X

THE EYES OF THE DRAGON - Stephen King

 The Eyes Of The Dragon

- Stephen King -

I've been on a big of a King kick lately. The last year I've read four or five King/Bachman books...and other than that Colorado Kid mystery I liked them all. I even sent him a letter. Like, an actual pen on paper letter. Sent it international mail too - since I live in Canada.

The Eyes of the Dragon is a bit different from the 'horror' I've been reading. It's fantasy. Which is another genre I love. But, what I really enjoyed about this book was the pace. I'll give you a rough timeline to explain what I mean.
I read the first 90% of the book over a few days - at a regular speed.
The last 10% I found myself speed reading and couldn't put the book down until almost 2 am last night.
The final bit of the book is so fast! Chapters get smaller and smaller, down to half a page or sometimes just a paragraph. You are left on a cliffhanger, or with a vital piece of info that you need to continue the plot, solve the mystery, reveal the truth. It's an unbelievably fast ride.

Bring on the next Stephen King book. 

THE REGULATORS - RICHARD BACHMAN

 THE REGULATORS

Richard Bachman - The Regulators

- Richard Bachman (aka Stephen King) -

I've been through a handful of Bachman books in the past year and I have firmly come up with my opinion of him - he is like Stephen King's backwoods cousin who lives in an isolated shack and was once neighbours with the Unibomber. It seems to me that some of King's books are 'out there', a good toss away from the crowd. But Bachman's...they are like a hail mary throw a hundred yards down the field. The Regulators proves no different.

A small, quiet street, in a small, quiet midwest town, is turned into a terrifyingly horrific bloodbath! A mysterious looking van (not the kind that offers free candy and puppies but much worse) starts the chaos with what seems like a random drive by shooting. After that, more futuristic looking vans cruise down the street shooting up people and houses. It doesn't take long before the death count is half the citizens that live on this tiny road. The houses are on fire or blown to bits and the survivors are barely surviving. The situation becomes more incomprehensible when they try to run away and realize they can't...the borders of the street turn into a vast unpassable desert (also full of crazy looking beasts). Then the houses start to transform. Soon everything resembles the Old West. There is a two pronged battle with the supernatural force that is playing havoc on this street - both a physical battle and a mental fight. I'll spoil the end of the book and tell you that the evil is sent away, but there is a heavy toll to pay. 

Even after the final battle it's not quite clear that the evil spirit / phantom villain is actually dead/destroyed. There are hints in a backstory, that this ghostly evil can live for thousands of years buried in the earth until it finds a host. Is the evil spirit cast away for good, or did it just pull a Voldemort and is now hiding away until it finds another victim. This opens up a whole new story - I'm thinking that Stephen King's book Desperation takes on this tale. 

Now stop reading if you don't like spoilers.

The thing I found interesting about this book was the idea of using the mind of a child to create a new reality. I loved the idea of the beasts in the desert looking like child drawn monsters, and the landscape too (complete with a smiley moon face). Bachman obviously perverts this idea of an innocent child's mind and turns it into a violent deadly killing machine. 

But, what if you took it the other way? Looked at the regular child's mind. It made me think, what would my Poplar Street look like if my mind was hijacked when I was eight?

I used to like to draw cars and airplanes. I'd decorate them with music notes and the suits from cards (spades, hearts, clubs, diamonds). My landscapes would be no more than a horizon line. Sounds cute.

What worries me is the toys I played with. What if they came to life. I was a big GI Joe fan. Lots of guns, bazookas, and vehicles with lasers. I guess my Poplar Street would be very similar to the one in The Regulators.

Is King trying to make a social statement in this book? A critique on the toys we allow our kid's to play with? Maybe he is. A sly crusade to bring attention to the violent games and toys we encourage our youth to play with, imagine with, normalize!

This is actually more horrifying than the novel!