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Fourth Degree Freedom
Fourth Degree Freedom explores the best of humanity and the worst. The stories range from hopeful realism to the dystopian side of speculative fiction. Each story twists and turns through darkness and light, settling somewhere in the shadowy area of day to day life.
Thank You For Calling - A young woman fights to keep her sanity, her marriage and her hope while working in a call center.
The Event - Do the youth decide to go along with the government's plan to rid the population of the elderly, or will they fight back?
Fourth Degree Freedom - A family, shunned by neighbors and friends, struggles with their youngest son, a boy that was literally born a monster.
The Last Six Miles - Samantha has hit rock bottom. Her husband has left her and her only source of comfort is junk food. Her slip into depression seems inevitable until she discovers running. Samantha begins the long journey from barely being able to jog a minute to completing her first marathon.
She Floats - If you woke up and didn't know where you were, would you panic? What if you were trapped in a giant aquarium?
Thank You For Calling - A young woman fights to keep her sanity, her marriage and her hope while working in a call center.
The Event - Do the youth decide to go along with the government's plan to rid the population of the elderly, or will they fight back?
Fourth Degree Freedom - A family, shunned by neighbors and friends, struggles with their youngest son, a boy that was literally born a monster.
The Last Six Miles - Samantha has hit rock bottom. Her husband has left her and her only source of comfort is junk food. Her slip into depression seems inevitable until she discovers running. Samantha begins the long journey from barely being able to jog a minute to completing her first marathon.
She Floats - If you woke up and didn't know where you were, would you panic? What if you were trapped in a giant aquarium?
40 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 24, 2011
1 person is currently reading
7 people want to read
About the author
Libby Heily
11 books142 followersI’m a writer and an improviser. My young adult fantasy series is published through Fire and Ice YA Publishing. My short fiction has appeared in numerous publications including Daily Science Fiction, Kaaterskill Basin Literary Journal, Twisted Sister Literary Magazine, and Theaker’s Quarterly.
I also love chocolate, cheese, running, club soda, and my husband – not necessarily in that order.
I also love chocolate, cheese, running, club soda, and my husband – not necessarily in that order.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
January 5, 2012
You can also find this review, along with others, at Bookish Ardour.
Fourth Degree Freedom is a good book to read on the weekend, or any day you have ‘free’ and you don’t have much time, but really feel like reading. At 41 pages, it’s a collection of five short stories. The stories showcase a talent that can cross genres, including dystopia, general, on the verge of supernatural, and mystery fiction.
The first story, Thank You For Calling, I was immersed in, but not completely taken with. I think that’s mainly because it wasn’t my type of story. It’s about a woman stuck in a job she doesn’t want to be in, trying to survive day-to-day life, and find something better.
While I wasn’t too fussed on the first one, I thought it was a good example of showing off the writer’s talents. It was easy to be carried away with the tale, get to know the character, and feel something, all within the short span of pages it took up.
The second story, titled The Event, was more interesting for me because it had a dystopian feel and is one I would love to read as a longer story. I would really like to know what the motives were behind the event in the narrative and the history behind the whole society. There was a moment there where I had a ‘woah’ reaction, as with quite a few dystopian stories, short or otherwise, there’s a scenario that’s not nice and can make you question how sick that society is.
The third one, Fourth Degree Freedom, was bittersweet and is also the one verging on supernatural. This story is more a case of loving the ending as I feel the ending makes it. Actually, I think in this case it might be the ending and the beginning. The middle holds it’s own, but sometimes there’s certain parts to the story that stand out and for me it was the start and finish.
The fourth one, The Last Six Miles, was probably the longest and more general fiction. I get the impression it’s about moving on, taking charge of your life, and doing something for yourself to create your own freedom. While not really my style of story, as it was with the first, it was easy to be swept away with the tale and feel for the character.
The final story, She Floats, is probably my second favourite after The Event. It’s also the shortest, but I think it holds a lot of impact. To me it’s the right sort of culmination to this collection with a message of live to it. And of course it’s also one I would love as a longer story. I think it has the appeal and the possibility to be one and it’s just my kind of sick crime scenario in entertainment.
All these stories, besides being about choices and what the notion of freedom is, have a great character work-up in the sense of being able to draw the reader in and connect them within a few pages. Libby Heily has not only put together narratives with a deeper message that all fit together, but she’s really been able to bring her talent forth through her words and because of that I’m looking forward to reading more of her work.
Fourth Degree Freedom is a good book to read on the weekend, or any day you have ‘free’ and you don’t have much time, but really feel like reading. At 41 pages, it’s a collection of five short stories. The stories showcase a talent that can cross genres, including dystopia, general, on the verge of supernatural, and mystery fiction.
The first story, Thank You For Calling, I was immersed in, but not completely taken with. I think that’s mainly because it wasn’t my type of story. It’s about a woman stuck in a job she doesn’t want to be in, trying to survive day-to-day life, and find something better.
While I wasn’t too fussed on the first one, I thought it was a good example of showing off the writer’s talents. It was easy to be carried away with the tale, get to know the character, and feel something, all within the short span of pages it took up.
The second story, titled The Event, was more interesting for me because it had a dystopian feel and is one I would love to read as a longer story. I would really like to know what the motives were behind the event in the narrative and the history behind the whole society. There was a moment there where I had a ‘woah’ reaction, as with quite a few dystopian stories, short or otherwise, there’s a scenario that’s not nice and can make you question how sick that society is.
The third one, Fourth Degree Freedom, was bittersweet and is also the one verging on supernatural. This story is more a case of loving the ending as I feel the ending makes it. Actually, I think in this case it might be the ending and the beginning. The middle holds it’s own, but sometimes there’s certain parts to the story that stand out and for me it was the start and finish.
The fourth one, The Last Six Miles, was probably the longest and more general fiction. I get the impression it’s about moving on, taking charge of your life, and doing something for yourself to create your own freedom. While not really my style of story, as it was with the first, it was easy to be swept away with the tale and feel for the character.
The final story, She Floats, is probably my second favourite after The Event. It’s also the shortest, but I think it holds a lot of impact. To me it’s the right sort of culmination to this collection with a message of live to it. And of course it’s also one I would love as a longer story. I think it has the appeal and the possibility to be one and it’s just my kind of sick crime scenario in entertainment.
All these stories, besides being about choices and what the notion of freedom is, have a great character work-up in the sense of being able to draw the reader in and connect them within a few pages. Libby Heily has not only put together narratives with a deeper message that all fit together, but she’s really been able to bring her talent forth through her words and because of that I’m looking forward to reading more of her work.
August 19, 2011
Read This Review & More Like It On My Blog!
A set of five entertaining, but wildly disparate short stories, Fourth Degree Freedom is a fun, short foray into the literary talents of Libby Heily. I know Libby, we're blogger friends, but I try to be unbiased with anything I review - and this delightful twenty-five page work is more than worth reading. It's short, easy and quite engrossing to read and full of imagination.
Five different stories, ranging from the dystopic-feeling The Event to the fantasyish/paranormal-esque eponymous Fourth Degree Freedom, each were entirely fresh with a unique voice and feel. All were well-written, plotted, paced; I must admit I wished for more length with She Floats and The Event because they each had so intriguing a premise. The short story The Event in which the government sanctions a hunt for the elderly people by the young is one of the more creative avenues I've seen for a dystopic idea. It's both a chilling, and an interesting novella; my favorite of the collection.
My second favorite, and a close tie for absolute favoite, was Fourth Degree Freedom. I LOVED this story, and this idea. Essentially, radiation in the atmosphere has caused "30% of births" to be stricken with some degree of monstrosity. Pepper and Leah have a son, David, a monster of the fourth degree. This was the story I contemplated most of the five; in a world full of monsters, it is the parents in this story that seem the most monstrous.
The other three I've not waxed on specifically about (Thank You for Calling, The Last Six Miles, She Floats) are all unique and different tales. From a woman struggling to find hope and a better life to a woman determined to save her own life, each successive offers a glimpse into the very creative and fun mind of the author.
A set of five entertaining, but wildly disparate short stories, Fourth Degree Freedom is a fun, short foray into the literary talents of Libby Heily. I know Libby, we're blogger friends, but I try to be unbiased with anything I review - and this delightful twenty-five page work is more than worth reading. It's short, easy and quite engrossing to read and full of imagination.
Five different stories, ranging from the dystopic-feeling The Event to the fantasyish/paranormal-esque eponymous Fourth Degree Freedom, each were entirely fresh with a unique voice and feel. All were well-written, plotted, paced; I must admit I wished for more length with She Floats and The Event because they each had so intriguing a premise. The short story The Event in which the government sanctions a hunt for the elderly people by the young is one of the more creative avenues I've seen for a dystopic idea. It's both a chilling, and an interesting novella; my favorite of the collection.
My second favorite, and a close tie for absolute favoite, was Fourth Degree Freedom. I LOVED this story, and this idea. Essentially, radiation in the atmosphere has caused "30% of births" to be stricken with some degree of monstrosity. Pepper and Leah have a son, David, a monster of the fourth degree. This was the story I contemplated most of the five; in a world full of monsters, it is the parents in this story that seem the most monstrous.
The other three I've not waxed on specifically about (Thank You for Calling, The Last Six Miles, She Floats) are all unique and different tales. From a woman struggling to find hope and a better life to a woman determined to save her own life, each successive offers a glimpse into the very creative and fun mind of the author.
August 30, 2011
I recently read Fourth Degree Freedom by Libby Heily free in exchange for a review. It's a set of five short stories ranging from inspirational to truly creepy. Fourth Degree Freedom is very emotive.
The first story is Thank You For Calling, and it's about a young women fighting to keep her sanity. Penelope is very relatable. She hates her job, never sees her spouse and just needs a break in life. Can she hold it all together?
The Event is the second story. Here's where things start to get creepy. The Event is a day where the government forces kids to execute the elderly. It's like something from Tales From the Darkside or The Twilight Zone. A shuddersome tale right up my ally.
The third story is Fourth Degree Freedom. The plot involves a couple who have a half human-half monster son, David, who they keep locked in the basement. Christina, David's sister, is his only hope. An emotional story where I wanted to cry and smile and felt repulsed in a matter of a few pages.
The last two stories are inspirational. The Last Six Miles is about a women who loses her husband and has to find her way back to happiness. A nice ray of hope to anyone who has ever felt less than.
She Floats is the last installment. This short story combines the eerie and heartrending. A woman wakes up to find herself in complete darkness. Not only that, but she is also locked and submerged in a tank. A man watches as she fights for her last 20 minutes of life. Will she make it?
I really liked the collection as a whole. Each story was captivating and leaving me wanting more. The theme flowed together. As they say, "Don't judge a book by it's cover."
P.S.
If you want more, download Twist, Turn, Burn by Libby Heily. It's a free ebook available on Smashwords. I am totally gonna read it.
The first story is Thank You For Calling, and it's about a young women fighting to keep her sanity. Penelope is very relatable. She hates her job, never sees her spouse and just needs a break in life. Can she hold it all together?
The Event is the second story. Here's where things start to get creepy. The Event is a day where the government forces kids to execute the elderly. It's like something from Tales From the Darkside or The Twilight Zone. A shuddersome tale right up my ally.
The third story is Fourth Degree Freedom. The plot involves a couple who have a half human-half monster son, David, who they keep locked in the basement. Christina, David's sister, is his only hope. An emotional story where I wanted to cry and smile and felt repulsed in a matter of a few pages.
The last two stories are inspirational. The Last Six Miles is about a women who loses her husband and has to find her way back to happiness. A nice ray of hope to anyone who has ever felt less than.
She Floats is the last installment. This short story combines the eerie and heartrending. A woman wakes up to find herself in complete darkness. Not only that, but she is also locked and submerged in a tank. A man watches as she fights for her last 20 minutes of life. Will she make it?
I really liked the collection as a whole. Each story was captivating and leaving me wanting more. The theme flowed together. As they say, "Don't judge a book by it's cover."
P.S.
If you want more, download Twist, Turn, Burn by Libby Heily. It's a free ebook available on Smashwords. I am totally gonna read it.
October 15, 2013
Five degrees of short stories.
Three of these stories feature a woman who's trapped in some way. "Thank You For Calling" features a woman who's economically trapped, working for a call center, taking calls from lonely people who need a friendly ear. She wants a regular, day job, so she can see her husband. This is an excellent job of expressing boredom in a character without creating it in the reader. In "The Last Six Miles" a woman is battling to complete a marathon, after being trapped by depression and in a fat body. I really felt like I was in her running shoes, and "got," a little bit, of WHY those crazy runners do that to themselves. In "She Floats," she wakes up, surrounded by water in an aquarium, with twenty minutes of air left, someone observing her, and seemingly, no way out.
The other two stories are vastly different, though they also echo a theme of a character being trapped.
"The Event" is set in a dystopian future, where young males are armed and sent out (don't remember if it's once a month, or once a year) to shoot and kill any elderly people they can find, those who haven't already done society the favor of swallowing a cyanide pill. Raises some interesting questions about peer/societal pressures, and what it can and can't make people do.
In "Fourth Degree Freedom," a post-nuclear-war future, some fetuses carry mutations which turn them into literal monsters, with sharp teeth, claws, and fur. Most prospective parents choose to abort, but for those who don't - what do you do with the monster in the basement? And how will your normal children, if any, interact with their monster sibs?
I really liked all these stories, though "Fourth Degree" was my favorite. At 99 cents for the set, it's a very fair price.
Three of these stories feature a woman who's trapped in some way. "Thank You For Calling" features a woman who's economically trapped, working for a call center, taking calls from lonely people who need a friendly ear. She wants a regular, day job, so she can see her husband. This is an excellent job of expressing boredom in a character without creating it in the reader. In "The Last Six Miles" a woman is battling to complete a marathon, after being trapped by depression and in a fat body. I really felt like I was in her running shoes, and "got," a little bit, of WHY those crazy runners do that to themselves. In "She Floats," she wakes up, surrounded by water in an aquarium, with twenty minutes of air left, someone observing her, and seemingly, no way out.
The other two stories are vastly different, though they also echo a theme of a character being trapped.
"The Event" is set in a dystopian future, where young males are armed and sent out (don't remember if it's once a month, or once a year) to shoot and kill any elderly people they can find, those who haven't already done society the favor of swallowing a cyanide pill. Raises some interesting questions about peer/societal pressures, and what it can and can't make people do.
In "Fourth Degree Freedom," a post-nuclear-war future, some fetuses carry mutations which turn them into literal monsters, with sharp teeth, claws, and fur. Most prospective parents choose to abort, but for those who don't - what do you do with the monster in the basement? And how will your normal children, if any, interact with their monster sibs?
I really liked all these stories, though "Fourth Degree" was my favorite. At 99 cents for the set, it's a very fair price.
March 19, 2012
I really enjoyed this collection of short stories and will give a full review on my blog in the next few weeks...I will then post that here. Thanks
This review will post on 4/7/12 on our blog.
I enjoyed this work of short-stories, it didn’t bother me at all that some seemed to start in the middle of the story. Each was unique and gave me something to think about. The stories were varied in all ways and some of the ideas were way out there and yet not all at the same time.
I’ve worked in a call center….enough said if you have worked in one also. Population explosion? Is this the way we would handle that if it happened? I sure hope not since every day I get older and not younger. Some children are less attractive than others, but a real monster? Hummmmm……I have known people who have tied to find happiness at the bottom of the ice cream pail…I really enjoyed the ending to this one. The last was interesting to say the least.
I believe that everyone can find a story in this short collection that they could enjoy and maybe even identify in a very small way. Libby has done an excellent job of taking the reader to a place they don’t usually go and making them think outside of the literary box. This collection is short and can be read in a small amount of time and yet enjoyed much longer. Give it a try I don’t think you will be disappointed. Short stories make a nice break in a long list of must-read novels.
This review will post on 4/7/12 on our blog.
I enjoyed this work of short-stories, it didn’t bother me at all that some seemed to start in the middle of the story. Each was unique and gave me something to think about. The stories were varied in all ways and some of the ideas were way out there and yet not all at the same time.
I’ve worked in a call center….enough said if you have worked in one also. Population explosion? Is this the way we would handle that if it happened? I sure hope not since every day I get older and not younger. Some children are less attractive than others, but a real monster? Hummmmm……I have known people who have tied to find happiness at the bottom of the ice cream pail…I really enjoyed the ending to this one. The last was interesting to say the least.
I believe that everyone can find a story in this short collection that they could enjoy and maybe even identify in a very small way. Libby has done an excellent job of taking the reader to a place they don’t usually go and making them think outside of the literary box. This collection is short and can be read in a small amount of time and yet enjoyed much longer. Give it a try I don’t think you will be disappointed. Short stories make a nice break in a long list of must-read novels.
January 23, 2012
Rating 9/10
Absolutely fantastic! That's how I describe these short stories. Libby Heily is an astounding writer that takes you into these weird and wonderful worlds of her short story characters. These stories are thrilling and some so bizarre that I was enthralled from the get go.
Fourth Degree Freedom - was my favorite short story of the lot and I must say I would be clamoring to get a copy if this short story ever became a novel!
The Event - was so interesting and you can't help think, what if the world was really like that? Could you do what the main character did?
She Floats - wow this was a stunning story! I want to know more! How did she get there? Where was she?
Libby Heily's dystopia worlds are so unique and you can't help wanting more! An Author to watch and a definite re-read for me. The characters felt real, the stories will make you wonder and gasp; and all of this in a small amount of words. I can't praise it more!
Do yourself a favor go out and get these short stories! $0.99 on Smashwords.
Absolutely fantastic! That's how I describe these short stories. Libby Heily is an astounding writer that takes you into these weird and wonderful worlds of her short story characters. These stories are thrilling and some so bizarre that I was enthralled from the get go.
Fourth Degree Freedom - was my favorite short story of the lot and I must say I would be clamoring to get a copy if this short story ever became a novel!
The Event - was so interesting and you can't help think, what if the world was really like that? Could you do what the main character did?
She Floats - wow this was a stunning story! I want to know more! How did she get there? Where was she?
Libby Heily's dystopia worlds are so unique and you can't help wanting more! An Author to watch and a definite re-read for me. The characters felt real, the stories will make you wonder and gasp; and all of this in a small amount of words. I can't praise it more!
Do yourself a favor go out and get these short stories! $0.99 on Smashwords.
September 12, 2011
It's an interesting collection of stories. I found that three of them resonated with me a bit more than the others, and these were the three that were more disturbing. I probably liked them a bit more just because I found them to be thought-provoking; in other words, they really made me think. I found myself turning them around in my mind after I had finished the book. The stories certainly seem disparate --- I could take the three I liked (#2, #3 and #5) and put them into their own volume, and take the other two and put those in a separate book. I would have also preferred those stories to be a bit longer, just because I was enjoying the story and wanted to know more. I was reminded of one of my favorite collections of short stories, Saffron and Brimstone by Elizabeth Hand (and I don't love every story in that book, either - but really do like a few of them).
Full review on my blog: http://fluidityoftime.blogspot.com
Full review on my blog: http://fluidityoftime.blogspot.com
December 22, 2011
I received this book for free from the author in exchange for a review.
As you can tell by the synopsis Fourth Degree Freedom is not only a short story, but it is also the title for a collection of 5 short stories. However, they should more appropriately be termed short shorts. Not that it's a bad thing, it's all a matter of preference.
The downside is that all of the stories in Heily's collection start out in the center of the action and they don't really have a definitive conclusion. The upside is that they are all quick, entertaining reads which is fantastic for when you just don't have the time for a novel.
As a writer Heily really gets to the core of human nature and has a true knack for realistic characters. Her worlds may be extremely unrealistic, in a science fiction way, but she is wonderful at creating them.
If you like these, Heily has other short collections out there, and she is working on a novel.
As you can tell by the synopsis Fourth Degree Freedom is not only a short story, but it is also the title for a collection of 5 short stories. However, they should more appropriately be termed short shorts. Not that it's a bad thing, it's all a matter of preference.
The downside is that all of the stories in Heily's collection start out in the center of the action and they don't really have a definitive conclusion. The upside is that they are all quick, entertaining reads which is fantastic for when you just don't have the time for a novel.
As a writer Heily really gets to the core of human nature and has a true knack for realistic characters. Her worlds may be extremely unrealistic, in a science fiction way, but she is wonderful at creating them.
If you like these, Heily has other short collections out there, and she is working on a novel.
February 1, 2014
Excellent Quick read. Like the last collection of stories by Libby Heily The Victory Rule, the variety of tones, styles and ideas in these five stories could easily fool the reader into thinking each one had a different author.
Thank You for Calling: Sweet and Sad. An interesting sociological slice of life, set in a call center for lonely people. Kind of Todd Solondz, with a dash more sunlight.
The Event: Wow, great horrific concept. I won't give any of it away. I would be trying to pitch this idea to Eli Roth if I had thought of it. Awesome and chilling. My favorite in the collection.
Fourth Degree Freedom: A sad/oddly uplifting domestic monster drama. Very good story.
The Last Six Miles: Wonderfully sweet, realistic, and triumphantly uplifting. I teared up a little at the final sentences.
She Floats: Cool, locked room puzzle thriller to cap off these great, breezy short stories.
I'll definitely be reading more from Libby Heily.
Thank You for Calling: Sweet and Sad. An interesting sociological slice of life, set in a call center for lonely people. Kind of Todd Solondz, with a dash more sunlight.
The Event: Wow, great horrific concept. I won't give any of it away. I would be trying to pitch this idea to Eli Roth if I had thought of it. Awesome and chilling. My favorite in the collection.
Fourth Degree Freedom: A sad/oddly uplifting domestic monster drama. Very good story.
The Last Six Miles: Wonderfully sweet, realistic, and triumphantly uplifting. I teared up a little at the final sentences.
She Floats: Cool, locked room puzzle thriller to cap off these great, breezy short stories.
I'll definitely be reading more from Libby Heily.
December 5, 2011
Libby Heily has put together a great little group of short stories in this book. They provide a variety of genres, from dystopian "The Event" and "Fourth Degree Freedom" to speculative "She Floats" to inspirational "The Last Six Miles." It is obvious Heily has a great grasp on characterization, description and evoking strong emotions using a minimum of words to create a full spectrum story. Great stuff and I hope to see more of it!
October 12, 2011
This is a beautiful collection of five short stories, all of which I thought were structured well and completely engaging. Each one is very different and involves a new set of characters in a range of settings; from fantasy worlds to illustrating the struggles of everyday life.
Read the rest of my review at my blog...
Read the rest of my review at my blog...
September 30, 2011
I really enjoyed this collection of stories. I enjoy Libby Heily's writing and her original thoughts. All of the stories were enjoyable, but Fourth Degree Freedom was my favorite. Looking forward to more from this author.
February 16, 2016
A collection of five short stories of about strife, struggle, and freedom. From the every day struggle of a woman taking up running to get over her divorce to the monster in the basement. An enjoyable and quick read.
June 19, 2016
This collection of short stories has a little bit of everything as far as genre and characterization go. I've read some of the author's short stories by themselves, but having several together, with both the unique and the bizarre, was a treat to read.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews