Mini-Collection

by Hank Quense

Ah hour of solid entertainment: three of my best humorous or satiric short stories (IMHO) in one download.

Saving the Shore: Ever wonder what happened to the Ring-Bearer's descendants? THis story will fill in some of the blanks

Lucy in Love: Lucretia Borgia is back on earth: in Manhattan! Working for Satan!

Sponsored By...: An Army captain struggles to keep his rifle company from getting overrun by armed felons.

Genres: Humor

31 pages, ebook

First published April 1, 2011

About the author

Hank Quense is an award-winning satirical fantasy and science fiction author known for blending humor, absurdity, and imagination into stories that entertain while making readers think. Early in his writing career, he was strongly influenced by two iconic works: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams and Catch-22 by Joseph Heller. Fortunately, Hank has never quite recovered from either experience. Their influence helped shape his distinctive style of satire, wit, and unconventional storytelling.

In addition to writing fantasy novels, science fiction books, and nonfiction for writers, Hank operates a self-publishing and book marketing service where he coaches both new and experienced authors through the challenges of writing, publishing, and promoting their books. Whether helping writers polish a first draft or prepare for a book launch, he enjoys guiding authors toward creating books that connect with readers and succeed in the marketplace.

Hank also lectures on fiction writing, self-publishing, and book marketing strategies, sharing practical insights gained through years of writing and publishing experience. His goal is to make the publishing journey less overwhelming and more achievable for authors at every stage of their careers.

When he’s not writing, coaching, or speaking, Hank spends time with his two daughters and five grandchildren, all of whom live nearby. For vacations, he usually travels to distant parts of the galaxy, occasionally with a little time travel thrown in.

Reviews

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of three short stories. The first is a Hobbit parody which is quite amusing. I believe it is part of an ongoing set of stories set in Gunderland. The second story involves Lucrecia and Alexander Borgia who have come back to Earth from Hell to set up a loan business with the aim of trapping souls for Satan. The third story involves a military manoeuvres in which the Army uses sponsorship to pay for its costs. There are tanks with McDonalds logos and bayonets with condom company logos. The enemy takes the form of two types - illegal immigrants and bankrupt individuals. The illegal immigrants are herded into 'towns' which are the initial object and are shelled. Those who survive are deported. the aim is to reduce the cost of deporting them. A counter attack then takes place against the military from the armed bankrupts. The aim here is to reduce prison over-crowding. As you may tell I found the third story to be the best and the one which struck a chord. The author is obviously playing on current themes in his homeland to full advantage. Humour is the best way of making a point and he does this very well. This small collection is well worth the tiny price of the eBook just to read this story alone. Go buy it and see for yourself.

[Rhonda · Rating 4 out of 5]

its 3 short stories. the first one Is a mayor of shores wants to stop these builders from ruining his town. He okay with him wanting to build roads and casino but not a bunch of houses. they are big brutes and he is short. He gets a old wizard to try and help him. the wizard gets a drawf, song bard to record actions. he plans a quest to get 5 magical rings so they can stop the builders taking over. So they plan to steal the 4 rings from a dragon. but than he doesnt know how to use them. its silly quick read it kept my attention.
the second is about Lucy Borgia and her father alex pope are back in New York running a loan office for satan and if people miss loan payment he gets thier soul. Heaven Micheal is hiring thugs,calling cops and building inspecters trying to harrass alex because of the deciet he used as a pope hundred of years ago. Lucy want to run loan office and have a kid. short.
Not bad stories. they are well written and short I would read another book of his.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining mix of three stories that takes real life traits and exagerates them into humourous yet darkly sinister stories that indirectly question real decisions and morals. My favourite was definitely Sponsored By... especially given recent debates about allowing brands into schools. This story follows an army maneuvre that is not quite what it seems with heavy and obvious sponsorship and an enemy that are fighting to keep themselves out of prison. Highly amusing and entertaining, a thoroughly tongue in cheek read.