To Unimagined Shores

by Sherry D. Ramsey

What sorts of things wash up on unimagined shores? Hitch-hiking aliens. Kidnapped embryos. Victorian time-machines. Spaceport detectives. Itinerant scribes. Otherwordly companions. The discerning beachcomber will discover even more curiosities on the pages physicists and journalists, wizards and apprentices, angels and devils, telepaths and aliens. The seventeen stories in this collection are by turns funny, tragic, light-hearted and serious, but all share this in they will carry you to distant shores of imagination, and, once there, show you things you hadn't known before.

Genres: Short Stories

388 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2011

About the author

Sherry D. Ramsey is a speculative fiction writer, internet publisher, artist, creativity addict, co-founder of Third Person Press, and Second Life denizen. She's published by Tyche Books and Dreaming Robot Press, and dabbles in self-publishing as well. She lives in Nova Scotia with her husband, two children, two dogs, and a stack of novels in various stages of completion.

Sherry is a member of the Writers' Federation of Nova Scotia, and a past Vice-President and Secretary-Treasurer of SF Canada. She is currently serving as SFC's webmistress.

Reviews

[Karen Field · Rating 4 out of 5]

To Unimagined Shores is a collection of short stories written by Sherry D. Ramsey. They include science fiction and fantasy stories, as well as a collection of 'related' stories.

What I especially like about the author's writing style is her ability to tell a story using different 'voices'. My favourite in this collection is "The Longest Distance" -- a story set in the past, but delves into the future -- it was so different to the other stories, and it really captivated my imagination. The story reminded me of Well's "The Time Machine" in regards to era and tone, but Ramsey took this story in another direction. It’s a brilliant story -- serious, sad and quite technical in places, which was fitting (and believable).

Then there is "The Big Freeze". A story showing how even the devil can have a bad day. I found it to be amusing and well written. The characters compliment each other.

And I really enjoyed the ‘related’ stories, with Nizzio (a mage) and his female apprentice, Albettra. They are like modern day mystery stories, but set in a fantasy world. I loved the contrast between the mage and his apprentice. I loved the humour too. But mostly I enjoyed the clarity in which the stories are written and the well developed characters that make the stories worth reading. They are superb.

There are stories about aliens, crop circles, murder mysteries and even drugs! The characters seem real. The scenarios are true to life. They are not predictable. To Unimagined Shores is a book that will take you out of your everyday life and plant you in a place where strange things are happening. It’s worth your time.

[Michael R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sherry's the best. Enjoy all her short stories!

[Krista · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although I had already read most of the stories in this book at one point or another (the author being my lovely and talented sister), I found the entire collection to be engaging, compelling, and utterly enjoyable. In fact, I was supposed to be finishing a library book whose lending period was running out, but I kept putting it on hold to return to these stories! I ended up renewing the library book so that I can finish it now that I have finished reading To Unimagined Shores. Sci-fi and fantasy fans, you should definitely check out this collection!

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The lively stories in this collection are--by turns--unique, funny, endlessly interesting and totally entertaining. Sherry Ramsey has obviously been working her tail off writing and getting her stories published for the last decade or so. These stories (all but one) were first published in an impressive variety of magazines, journals and anthologies. Now that she's collected them here, you can enjoy hours upon hours of her delightful imagination and excellent writing. Recommended!

[Mark Rayner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sherry D. Ramsey's short stories are filled with vibrant characters, good writing, and thrum with humanity, even when there aren't many actual humans in the story. Fans of speculative fiction should definitely check out To Unimagined Shores.

[Hannah Steenbock · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, especially the fantasy tales. Many of the SF tales were a tad dark for me, however.

Still a great read. Totally worth it.