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Symbios
A wormhole leads a man to a distant planet, where the primitive aliens live in a perfect symbiotic relationship with the ecosystem.
It is a utopia, and he is treated like a god.
But what happens when a god gets hungry, and can't eat the local plant life?
Symbios is a 5500 word science fiction short story by Joe Kimball, author of the novel Timecaster. It has been specifically formatted for Kindle. A teaser chapter of Timecaster is included at the end.
It is a utopia, and he is treated like a god.
But what happens when a god gets hungry, and can't eat the local plant life?
Symbios is a 5500 word science fiction short story by Joe Kimball, author of the novel Timecaster. It has been specifically formatted for Kindle. A teaser chapter of Timecaster is included at the end.
33 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 18, 2011
About the author
J.A. Konrath
365 books3,023 followersJoe Konrath has written over twenty novels in the Lt. Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels thriller series. They do not have to be read chronologically to be enjoyed, but the order is: Whiskey Sour, Bloody Mary, Rusty Nail, Dirty Martini, Shot of Tequila, Fuzzy Navel, Cherry Bomb, Dead On My Feet, Serial Killers Uncut (with Blake Crouch), Shaken, Stirred (with Blake Crouch), Dying Breath, Everybody Dies, Rum Runner, Last Call, White Russian, Shot Girl, Chaser, Old Fashioned, Bite Force, and Witch Brew. More coming soon.
Wow, that's a lot of Jack.
If you like your thrillers on the dark side, check out the Konrath Dark Thriller Collective, which includes the books The List, Origin, Afraid, Trapped, Endurance, Haunted House, Webcam, Disturb, What Happened To Lori, The Nine, Second Coming, and Close Your Eyes.
Joe also wrote the Stop A Murder mystery puzzle series, where you become the sleuth and solve brain teasers to try and catch a killer.
He also wrote the sci-fi trilogy, Timecaster, Timecaster Supersymmetry, and Timecaster Steampunk. Even if you don't think you like sci-fi, give them a try. They feature Joe's well-known characters from his other series, and are insane.
With Ann Voss Peterson he wrote the Codename: Chandler thrillers, including Flee, Spree, Three, Hit, Exposed, Naughty, Fix (with F. Paul Wilson), Rescue, and Free.
And, finally, he writes erotica under the pen name Melinda DuChamp, also with Ann Voss Peterson. Those books are probably too spicy for you, so only the brave and bold should seek them out.
Joe writes a lot. You should probably read everything.
You can visit Joe and sign up for his newsletter at www.JAKonrath.com/mailing-list.php
Wow, that's a lot of Jack.
If you like your thrillers on the dark side, check out the Konrath Dark Thriller Collective, which includes the books The List, Origin, Afraid, Trapped, Endurance, Haunted House, Webcam, Disturb, What Happened To Lori, The Nine, Second Coming, and Close Your Eyes.
Joe also wrote the Stop A Murder mystery puzzle series, where you become the sleuth and solve brain teasers to try and catch a killer.
He also wrote the sci-fi trilogy, Timecaster, Timecaster Supersymmetry, and Timecaster Steampunk. Even if you don't think you like sci-fi, give them a try. They feature Joe's well-known characters from his other series, and are insane.
With Ann Voss Peterson he wrote the Codename: Chandler thrillers, including Flee, Spree, Three, Hit, Exposed, Naughty, Fix (with F. Paul Wilson), Rescue, and Free.
And, finally, he writes erotica under the pen name Melinda DuChamp, also with Ann Voss Peterson. Those books are probably too spicy for you, so only the brave and bold should seek them out.
Joe writes a lot. You should probably read everything.
You can visit Joe and sign up for his newsletter at www.JAKonrath.com/mailing-list.php
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
February 26, 2021
Sci-fi type short story about survival on an alien planet. Kinda bleak and depressing, yet well written.
June 23, 2013
Um ... I don't even know where to start with this story. I liked it - it was interesting - but the whole thing was just plain shocking. He's stranded all alone and what he does to survive is ... wow! Read it. It's interesting. It'll make your jaw drop to the ground as your brain screams "What the hell did I just read?"
March 29, 2011
This was a good short story. Started off good and the voice of the character really kept me engaged in his prediction. Unfortunately the ending sucked even though it left me wanting more; it didn't feel like an ending. Meaning when i turned the pages and saw EXCERPT for ORIGIN it took me a couple flips back and forth to realize the story was over. Not sure I would have got that if I didn't have Origin in my TBR stack; would have thought it was a titled chapter.
June 22, 2013
Excellent short story. Kimball should do more science fiction, since he admits this is his only effort (and done in high school at that).
A very good read.
A very good read.
May 20, 2020
It was a page turner. A guy and his crew on a spaceship get sucked into a workhole and crash on a strange planet. His crew dies so it's only the guy. He cant get the pantry open with the food so it's a story.of survival. He meets these dog like creatures that adore him. He likes them too but ends up eating all of them. A spaceship from another planet crashed and he made friends with a very weird creature. They both tried to kill each other much later on and he eats the creature. Then a human spaceship crashes he does the same. And again and again.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 13, 2017
Quick sci fi read
Short and good. Easy to read. Finished in one sitting, less than 30 min. I have read everything can find from Killborn/Konrath and hope he writes science fiction including continuing some of his existing series. Never fails to get a chuckle or twenty from me, one of favorite writers ever.
Short and good. Easy to read. Finished in one sitting, less than 30 min. I have read everything can find from Killborn/Konrath and hope he writes science fiction including continuing some of his existing series. Never fails to get a chuckle or twenty from me, one of favorite writers ever.
April 18, 2023
Very Quick Read
Full of suspense and gore..... just like you'd expect from J A Konrath. It moved quickly and definitely kept me engrossed. Highly recommend if you're into horror and/or sci-fi.
Full of suspense and gore..... just like you'd expect from J A Konrath. It moved quickly and definitely kept me engrossed. Highly recommend if you're into horror and/or sci-fi.
November 14, 2023
J.A. I am a big fan of Konrath, and I recently discovered one of his short stories that I hadn't read before.
Like all of Konrath's work, this story is remarkable - it evokes a sense of creepiness, chills, and deep reflection. A great little story.
Like all of Konrath's work, this story is remarkable - it evokes a sense of creepiness, chills, and deep reflection. A great little story.
April 13, 2018
This is haunting and beautiful. It is not fun, nor is it polite, but the pathos is very easy to follow and as an exploration the decent into madness, this words on those fronts.
April 18, 2018
Great quick read!
I’m a slow reader and still finished this in about 15 minutes. Really good story with a lot to think about.
I’m a slow reader and still finished this in about 15 minutes. Really good story with a lot to think about.
July 25, 2019
Quick read.
January 31, 2023
Silly little story. Reads like a children’s book. Reminiscent of the old lady who swallowed a fly.
May 15, 2020
A quick easy futuristic read. I would have given it 3.5 stars because I felt like it could have been longer. I liked the concept though.
Read
February 7, 2013A wormhole leads a man to a distant planet, where the primitive aliens live in a perfect symbiotic relationship with the ecosystem.
It is a utopia, and he is treated like a god.
But what happens when a god gets hungry, and can't eat the local plant life?
Symbios is a 5500 word science fiction short story by Joe Kimball, author of the novel Timecaster. It has been specifically formatted for ebook readers. A teaser chapter of Timecaster is included at the end.
About the author
Joe Kimball is a pen name of thriller author J. A. Konrath, author of Shaken and the Jack Daniels mysteries. Under the name Jack Kilborn, he writes horror novels, including Endurance, Trapped, and Draculas. Joe has a lot of names, apparently.
January 2, 2014
"Symbios" by Joe Kimball (looks like a pen name for J. A. Konrath,a horror and mystery writer) for his science fiction novels. This is apparently an old one and a first try. It is a short story and not bad. A space man is stranded on a planet where there is no food except for the aliens who are also stranded there. You can imagine what happens when the food runs out.
Yuck!
But a good short story.
This book also came with excepts from "Timecaster" which sounded interesting. It caught my attention. And "Origin" which did not catch my attention. I might pick up Timecaster and see how that goes.
Yuck!
But a good short story.
This book also came with excepts from "Timecaster" which sounded interesting. It caught my attention. And "Origin" which did not catch my attention. I might pick up Timecaster and see how that goes.
February 28, 2015
Loved it.
This is not high literature. But it screams truth! This is a simple, oft-used plot; just a sci-fi twist to it. What I enjoyed was the simple theme. Kill or be killed. Eat or be eaten. Jack London wrote of such things. Robert B. Parker writes of such things. The call of the wild lives, in all its Darwinian glory, whether it be the Yukon, Boston or outer space. Life is a war; when you find yourself face to face with death, all "humanity," if there really is such a thing, vanishes in a heartbeat. In such moments we learn that "civilization" is a veneer not much more than one molecule thick.
This is not high literature. But it screams truth! This is a simple, oft-used plot; just a sci-fi twist to it. What I enjoyed was the simple theme. Kill or be killed. Eat or be eaten. Jack London wrote of such things. Robert B. Parker writes of such things. The call of the wild lives, in all its Darwinian glory, whether it be the Yukon, Boston or outer space. Life is a war; when you find yourself face to face with death, all "humanity," if there really is such a thing, vanishes in a heartbeat. In such moments we learn that "civilization" is a veneer not much more than one molecule thick.
April 19, 2012
This book was so good!!!
I loved every minute spent reading it (which granted wasn't many). The main character crashes on a distant planet. The entire book is "written" through his Voice Recorder entries. This makes for a great riding style and somewhat of a roller coaster ride.
It was fun getting a big shock when the next entry would start. I highly recommend reading this.
I loved every minute spent reading it (which granted wasn't many). The main character crashes on a distant planet. The entire book is "written" through his Voice Recorder entries. This makes for a great riding style and somewhat of a roller coaster ride.
It was fun getting a big shock when the next entry would start. I highly recommend reading this.
June 17, 2013
The story was good up until the guy lost his hand, then it got cheesy! I also felt like the author was cramming in words towards the middle, it felt rushed. The ending was good because it made you think, what happened????
Had the author took a little more time, a page or 2 more in the middle of the story,the suspense would of lingered and it would of been a 4 star read.
Had the author took a little more time, a page or 2 more in the middle of the story,the suspense would of lingered and it would of been a 4 star read.
October 10, 2013
Free short story. It wasn't that bad: the guy is a decent writer. But it wasn't great either. Mostly I was reminded of Stephen King's story "Survivor Type" about a guy in a somewhat similar situation, although this one was a different kind of creepy. Nominally science fiction, but not really.
There were some errors. The one I remember is "whither" instead of "wither".
There were some errors. The one I remember is "whither" instead of "wither".
November 12, 2014
This is just brilliant. According to the authors notes this written by Mr Konrath when he was still in college. An big talent at an early age.
This is a story set in the future. A spaceship crash lands on a distant planet after being sucked through a wormhole. There is only one survivor and this story is told through the voice logs he keeps.
Just how far would you go in order to survive!
This is a story set in the future. A spaceship crash lands on a distant planet after being sucked through a wormhole. There is only one survivor and this story is told through the voice logs he keeps.
Just how far would you go in order to survive!
May 4, 2013
Konrath, Kilborn, Kimball, it doesn't matter what name he goes by, J.A. always satisfies. Really cool science fiction story about survival, morality, and hunger. Do yourself a favor and read this one.
May 7, 2013
A short science fiction story by J.A. Konrath. Crash landing on a planet, the narrator describes what he does to survive... crazy or evil? Makes you wonder what you would do in that situation... Hopefully I'm never starving to death!
March 25, 2011
Very amusing story. Joe, I liked the original title. I thought it was perfect.
January 1, 2012
Sort of like "Alive", just with inter-alien life form cannibalism. A very cool little SF short, but not for the faint of heart.
April 16, 2012
Cute story. A single human stranded on a distant planet trying to survive. Comical at times.
July 6, 2012
Short story. Not bad if you are a fan of sci-fi.
February 26, 2013
Ewwwwww.
January 1, 2014
Brilliant, horrifying story of a stranded astronaut's effort to find food, and the measures to which he is driven..... including eating the organic brain which served as his ship's computer, ewww!
May 7, 2014
Twisted story
I love konrath's rhythm. this particular sorry creeped me out like crazy. it was short, sweet and to the point.
I love konrath's rhythm. this particular sorry creeped me out like crazy. it was short, sweet and to the point.
May 1, 2015
A part of the Horror Stories anthology by the same author.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews