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Through the Veil
A dragon queen hiding in modern America, monsters in WW2, vampires fighting over their captives, and horrors stalking the Moon’s surface—all are reminders that the world is not as it first appears. Many dangers and adventures lurk, waiting for us, just through the veil. Are you brave enough to go looking?
160 pages, Paperback
Published December 14, 2022
2 people are currently reading
39 people want to read
About the author
Dina S.
3 books31 followersPlease note: There is more than one Goodreads author with this name. Dina S., author, is not to be confused with Dina S., editor at Pitchstone Publishing. This author has no affiliation with Pitchstone or any of their titles.
Award-winning author, Dina S. brings worlds to life through her writing as seen in Author Shout winning novel Nothing Special, anthology Heroes, and several volumes of eZine Straight on till Morning. Dina’s life is spent enduring the hot, humid sunsets of Florida, known to the natives as the Armpit Climate, but to the lovely tourists as The Eternal Vacation Climate. You can watch her on the Don’t Make It Weird Podcast, where her life adventures, and stories continue. Find her on X @DinasaurusD or Threads @Dinasaurusdmiw.
Award-winning author, Dina S. brings worlds to life through her writing as seen in Author Shout winning novel Nothing Special, anthology Heroes, and several volumes of eZine Straight on till Morning. Dina’s life is spent enduring the hot, humid sunsets of Florida, known to the natives as the Armpit Climate, but to the lovely tourists as The Eternal Vacation Climate. You can watch her on the Don’t Make It Weird Podcast, where her life adventures, and stories continue. Find her on X @DinasaurusD or Threads @Dinasaurusdmiw.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 11, 2023
Finished reading this last night, and all I can say is WOW. Where do I start? First off, while I do have a story in here, I am presenting a (mostly) unbiased review. Mind you, what I point out for any given story really applies to all of them.
The anthology starts off with a story from Shannon Bright, and it pulls absolutely no punches in doing so. This story is a beautiful opener, wonderfully wrought, and I've never been so immediately nestled in a world of words.
Next up is Rance D. Denton's story, and let me tell you what: you are not ready for this. It's so good, and draws you in and circles around you before it strikes. The characters feel alive and the ending. THE ENDING. I want more.
The poem by Dewi Hargreaves, giving so much oomph and feeling in so few words. I love poetry, even if I never feel like the target audience, and what he constructed here is nothing sort of amazing. An astounding piece, a genius with words. Powerful.
Stephen Howard follows up next, and here we have another epic story that somehow gets contained in a short story. Action, battles, epic adventures, all wrapped up in a neat short. How he did this magic trick, I am not sure I'll ever know. Pure wizardry.
Alexander James is just stellar. The adrenaline-pumping prose on display here, dragging you along for the ride, holding everything together when you don't have another choice. The skill on display here is just awe-inspiring.
The next story comes form Daniel Quigley, and let me tell you something: this man can tell a hell of a story. The sheer level of action here and the scale of what's hinted at, the tip of an epic iceberg of an urban fantasy world. The raw power of these words is just, well, 👩🍳💋
Dina S. brings us another story full of wonder and woe, a world within a world, another epic tale that's, somehow, only a short story. Such world-building without lore dumping, giving just enough to let the reader see and figure it out, and a many-faceted magic system to boot? Such a good story!
Me. I'm next. I was scared of reading my own story, because, well, it's from a handful of years ago and after reading everything that came before? I was certain it would be rough and not indicative of what I can do with words. I was wrong.
And last, but certainly not or never least, K. Thomas brings us home with a fantastic story leaving us with a clear picture: always have hope. The fast-paced battle scenes here had me feeling the whoosh of air, had me right along for the ride. The characters felt alive, jumped off of the page, told me their story.
All in all, this is a freaking great anthology, written and put together for an even better cause. You should not pass on this one at all.
The anthology starts off with a story from Shannon Bright, and it pulls absolutely no punches in doing so. This story is a beautiful opener, wonderfully wrought, and I've never been so immediately nestled in a world of words.
Next up is Rance D. Denton's story, and let me tell you what: you are not ready for this. It's so good, and draws you in and circles around you before it strikes. The characters feel alive and the ending. THE ENDING. I want more.
The poem by Dewi Hargreaves, giving so much oomph and feeling in so few words. I love poetry, even if I never feel like the target audience, and what he constructed here is nothing sort of amazing. An astounding piece, a genius with words. Powerful.
Stephen Howard follows up next, and here we have another epic story that somehow gets contained in a short story. Action, battles, epic adventures, all wrapped up in a neat short. How he did this magic trick, I am not sure I'll ever know. Pure wizardry.
Alexander James is just stellar. The adrenaline-pumping prose on display here, dragging you along for the ride, holding everything together when you don't have another choice. The skill on display here is just awe-inspiring.
The next story comes form Daniel Quigley, and let me tell you something: this man can tell a hell of a story. The sheer level of action here and the scale of what's hinted at, the tip of an epic iceberg of an urban fantasy world. The raw power of these words is just, well, 👩🍳💋
Dina S. brings us another story full of wonder and woe, a world within a world, another epic tale that's, somehow, only a short story. Such world-building without lore dumping, giving just enough to let the reader see and figure it out, and a many-faceted magic system to boot? Such a good story!
Me. I'm next. I was scared of reading my own story, because, well, it's from a handful of years ago and after reading everything that came before? I was certain it would be rough and not indicative of what I can do with words. I was wrong.
And last, but certainly not or never least, K. Thomas brings us home with a fantastic story leaving us with a clear picture: always have hope. The fast-paced battle scenes here had me feeling the whoosh of air, had me right along for the ride. The characters felt alive, jumped off of the page, told me their story.
All in all, this is a freaking great anthology, written and put together for an even better cause. You should not pass on this one at all.
January 15, 2023
THROUGH THE VEIL is a short story collection stacked with bangers.
For most of the stories in this book, it was my first time reading anything by the present authors, and it most certainly won't be the last.
Whether it be Shannon Bright's superbly engrossing opener 'The Skeleton Who Could Not Smile', Rance D. Denton's journey into space with 'Matryoshka,' or Alexander James's 'Echo Call' which is, for my money, one of the best short stories I think I've ever read.
Daniel Quigley, Dina S., Stephen Howard, Matthew Siadak, and K. Thomas all manage to deliver an absurd amount of engaging content through the limited number of words they've shared with their stories, too, to the extent that I think they may be sorcerers and someone should stop them.
Or don't, actually, because more short fiction should be written like this.
And, though I'm not often one for poetry, Dewi Hargreaves's 'War Shell' is a superb, visceral inclusion in this collection, and it would be criminal not to share the same love to it.
There are no duds here. Every story is worth your time.
For most of the stories in this book, it was my first time reading anything by the present authors, and it most certainly won't be the last.
Whether it be Shannon Bright's superbly engrossing opener 'The Skeleton Who Could Not Smile', Rance D. Denton's journey into space with 'Matryoshka,' or Alexander James's 'Echo Call' which is, for my money, one of the best short stories I think I've ever read.
Daniel Quigley, Dina S., Stephen Howard, Matthew Siadak, and K. Thomas all manage to deliver an absurd amount of engaging content through the limited number of words they've shared with their stories, too, to the extent that I think they may be sorcerers and someone should stop them.
Or don't, actually, because more short fiction should be written like this.
And, though I'm not often one for poetry, Dewi Hargreaves's 'War Shell' is a superb, visceral inclusion in this collection, and it would be criminal not to share the same love to it.
There are no duds here. Every story is worth your time.
January 14, 2023
Enjoyable collection of well-written fantasy and horror short stories from talented writers with proceeds going to the very good cause of helping out a writer who has experienced some recent hardships. A few of my favorite tales:
The Skeleton Who Could Not Smile by Shannon Bright has a brilliant concept, a reanimated skeleton who can never die and is just doing her best to fit in and while away an eternity in some meaningful manner without drawing unwanted attention. But then... she meets a boy and all her careful planning goes out the window. An intriguing, unique, and bittersweet love story.
Matryoshka by Rance D. Denton is a harrowing space adventure with echoes of The Thing mixed in with the real-life paranoia of the Cold War race to be the first to complete a successful moon landing. Properly cynical story revolving around the willingness of governments to sacrifice individuals to a supposed greater cause. Tense with a satisfyingly fitting ending.
The Last Galmi by Daniel Quigley is an effective tale told partially in flashbacks to an unearthly World War II battle as a teenager finds out about his family's history and the impact it may have on his own future. Enjoyed the well-paced reveals through diary entries by a military officer investigating the strange events.
Offerings of Cotton by K. Thomas follows a survivor in a dystopian landscape who is hiding a dangerous secret. Intriguing world-building and action with a comforting message about hope in the face of catastrophe and the embrace of the "other."
These are a few that spoke to me, but I found all the entries to be entertaining and well worth the price of admission.
The Skeleton Who Could Not Smile by Shannon Bright has a brilliant concept, a reanimated skeleton who can never die and is just doing her best to fit in and while away an eternity in some meaningful manner without drawing unwanted attention. But then... she meets a boy and all her careful planning goes out the window. An intriguing, unique, and bittersweet love story.
Matryoshka by Rance D. Denton is a harrowing space adventure with echoes of The Thing mixed in with the real-life paranoia of the Cold War race to be the first to complete a successful moon landing. Properly cynical story revolving around the willingness of governments to sacrifice individuals to a supposed greater cause. Tense with a satisfyingly fitting ending.
The Last Galmi by Daniel Quigley is an effective tale told partially in flashbacks to an unearthly World War II battle as a teenager finds out about his family's history and the impact it may have on his own future. Enjoyed the well-paced reveals through diary entries by a military officer investigating the strange events.
Offerings of Cotton by K. Thomas follows a survivor in a dystopian landscape who is hiding a dangerous secret. Intriguing world-building and action with a comforting message about hope in the face of catastrophe and the embrace of the "other."
These are a few that spoke to me, but I found all the entries to be entertaining and well worth the price of admission.
May 1, 2023
An incredible anthology filled with stories that peel back the veil to reveal what mysteries--strange, wonderful, and tragic--await beyond.
This anthology was worth the read in every possible way. I could hardly put it down and looked forward each day to tackling a new story!
This anthology was worth the read in every possible way. I could hardly put it down and looked forward each day to tackling a new story!
February 15, 2023
A fun anthology
*Full disclosure: I have a story in this anthology.*
Through the Veil offers a range of fantastic stories, mostly fantasy, with battling adversity at their heart. There are some really creative settings and various interpretations of the theme which really add to the appeal. My favourite story was Echo Call by Alexander James, which was expertly crafted.
There’s someone for everyone here. Give it a read.
*Full disclosure: I have a story in this anthology.*
Through the Veil offers a range of fantastic stories, mostly fantasy, with battling adversity at their heart. There are some really creative settings and various interpretations of the theme which really add to the appeal. My favourite story was Echo Call by Alexander James, which was expertly crafted.
There’s someone for everyone here. Give it a read.
March 24, 2023
Gripping Anthology
I was sucked in from the first story. That one stayed with me for some time. Kudos to these talented authors. No drop off in the storytelling all the way to the last one- who doesn’t love a story with heart, dragons and fast-paced battle scenes.
Highly recommended.
I was sucked in from the first story. That one stayed with me for some time. Kudos to these talented authors. No drop off in the storytelling all the way to the last one- who doesn’t love a story with heart, dragons and fast-paced battle scenes.
Highly recommended.
February 9, 2023
Some wonderfully creative stories. Great, simple anthology.
March 30, 2023
A varied collection of outstanding stories. My favorites were from Shannon Bright, Rance Denton, Alexander James, and K.Thomas. I highly recommend you give these stories a try!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews