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Flying Toasters - The DeadPixel Tales
FLYING TOASTERS – THE DEADPIXEL TALES is a collection of engaging short stories that range from gritty to haunting. Thought-provoking to ridiculous. The authors of DeadPixel Publications craft tales that will appeal to all readers through solid storytelling, crossing genre lines, and focusing on brilliant characters and twisted plots.
In THE MAN UPSTAIRS, Hanna Elizabeth cooks up a ghost story flavored with dashes of wit, humor, and a generous spoonful of old fashioned revenge.
The Wild West is given a supernatural face in THE CAVE, as Brian L. Braden crafts a beautiful, subtly creepy tale steeped in mystery, courage, and death.
Robert Brumm takes on immortality in MY DEAD FRIEND NANCY, reminding us to be careful what we wish for.
In THE LIGHTGIVER, Thomas Cardin takes us into an intriguing world where a slave's escape from sinister overlords begins a descent into darkness that reveals his own inner light.
ALTITUDE SICKNESS by C.M. Saunders is a white-knuckle account of fate and revenge at 35,000 feet.
In PRISM, John Gregory Hancock introduces a reluctant fantasy hero who is forced into mystery and adventure.
And finally, in THE BALLAD OF AZRON BEZRON, Steven Wetherell shares a witty tale about a thief grudgingly sent on a hero’s quest.
One or more of the stories in this book contain language meant for adults. If you’re easily offended by curse words and are quick to write negatives reviews based solely on them, this might not be the book for you.
DeadPixel Publications is just a bunch of people with day jobs, writing for the pure love of the craft and hoping for a little success along the way. By joining forces we help promote each other and create a community of sharing and collaboration with one goal in mind: Helping the public find some kick ass books to read (if we do say so ourselves).
In THE MAN UPSTAIRS, Hanna Elizabeth cooks up a ghost story flavored with dashes of wit, humor, and a generous spoonful of old fashioned revenge.
The Wild West is given a supernatural face in THE CAVE, as Brian L. Braden crafts a beautiful, subtly creepy tale steeped in mystery, courage, and death.
Robert Brumm takes on immortality in MY DEAD FRIEND NANCY, reminding us to be careful what we wish for.
In THE LIGHTGIVER, Thomas Cardin takes us into an intriguing world where a slave's escape from sinister overlords begins a descent into darkness that reveals his own inner light.
ALTITUDE SICKNESS by C.M. Saunders is a white-knuckle account of fate and revenge at 35,000 feet.
In PRISM, John Gregory Hancock introduces a reluctant fantasy hero who is forced into mystery and adventure.
And finally, in THE BALLAD OF AZRON BEZRON, Steven Wetherell shares a witty tale about a thief grudgingly sent on a hero’s quest.
One or more of the stories in this book contain language meant for adults. If you’re easily offended by curse words and are quick to write negatives reviews based solely on them, this might not be the book for you.
DeadPixel Publications is just a bunch of people with day jobs, writing for the pure love of the craft and hoping for a little success along the way. By joining forces we help promote each other and create a community of sharing and collaboration with one goal in mind: Helping the public find some kick ass books to read (if we do say so ourselves).
257 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 30, 2013
17 people are currently reading
70 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
January 6, 2014
You know what I love about short fiction anthologies? You get to read a bunch of authors in one handy book, and discover shiny new ones to add to your “to read” list. On the down side, my list is getting way too frigging long, because I’ve added every author included in “FLYING TOASTERS.” Every story in this collection is well written and entertaining, and there’s a mixture of genres and styles, ranging from gritty to haunting and from thought-provoking to ridiculous. I find it hard to rate short story collections, but this time I had no problem. Every story deserves 5 stars.
At first I was going to choose my favorites to review, but I had a hard time choosing, so I’ve decided to tell you why each is worth a read. Good thing this anthology includes just a handful of authors, eh?
“The Man Upstairs” (Hanna Elizabeth) – Funny spin on ghosts that stays with the reader after “The End.” I cringed at the cat in the closet prank, because I've been there. (no spoilers, so I can't expand beyond that)
"The Cave" (Brian L. Braden) Possibly my favorite of the bunch (I know I said I couldn’t pick, but maybe I lied. I'm totally fan-girling Mr. Braden now.), “The Cave” is beautifully written and subtly creepy. (You’d have to read to understand what I mean, and I’m not giving away spoilers, so there.) I reread many passages in this story simply for the “magic” created in the words Braden chose. Among my top five in this story: “Men are loud in the face of dangers they understand, but fall silent in the shadow of the unknown.” I’m weird like that with the words.
"My Dead Friend Nancy" (Robert Brumm) – Solid storytelling. Loved this one. Usually stories focus on the awesomeness of immortality, but Mr. Brumm reminds us why it’s wise to know the “cons” of never dying as well.
"The Lightgiver" (Thomas Cardin) – Ladies, you really must read this one. That is all.
"Altitude Sickness" (C.M. Saunders) – This is why I don’t like planes…and people. The “big guy” in the story was so irritating I wanted to punch the book, which would have sucked because it’s an e-book…but anyway, extremely well written. Excellent characterization.
"Nymph-O-Maniacs" (Robert Bevan) – Hilarious. And, he used the word “hoo-ha.” Enough said.
"Prism" (John Gregory Hancock)- At first I thought this would be your typical fantasy story with fancy heroes and such, but I was pleasantly surprised. Very cool idea. No, not telling you why. Read it and find out.
"The Ballad of Azron Berzon" (Steven Wetherell) – Another funny one. I love this author’s style, and was hooked by this story in the first page, probably with this paragraph: “Port Town was ugly, but honest. The special kind of honest you get when everybody likes, and expects to be lied to. If there was any truth to the city, it wisely kept its mouth shut.”
At first I was going to choose my favorites to review, but I had a hard time choosing, so I’ve decided to tell you why each is worth a read. Good thing this anthology includes just a handful of authors, eh?
“The Man Upstairs” (Hanna Elizabeth) – Funny spin on ghosts that stays with the reader after “The End.” I cringed at the cat in the closet prank, because I've been there. (no spoilers, so I can't expand beyond that)
"The Cave" (Brian L. Braden) Possibly my favorite of the bunch (I know I said I couldn’t pick, but maybe I lied. I'm totally fan-girling Mr. Braden now.), “The Cave” is beautifully written and subtly creepy. (You’d have to read to understand what I mean, and I’m not giving away spoilers, so there.) I reread many passages in this story simply for the “magic” created in the words Braden chose. Among my top five in this story: “Men are loud in the face of dangers they understand, but fall silent in the shadow of the unknown.” I’m weird like that with the words.
"My Dead Friend Nancy" (Robert Brumm) – Solid storytelling. Loved this one. Usually stories focus on the awesomeness of immortality, but Mr. Brumm reminds us why it’s wise to know the “cons” of never dying as well.
"The Lightgiver" (Thomas Cardin) – Ladies, you really must read this one. That is all.
"Altitude Sickness" (C.M. Saunders) – This is why I don’t like planes…and people. The “big guy” in the story was so irritating I wanted to punch the book, which would have sucked because it’s an e-book…but anyway, extremely well written. Excellent characterization.
"Nymph-O-Maniacs" (Robert Bevan) – Hilarious. And, he used the word “hoo-ha.” Enough said.
"Prism" (John Gregory Hancock)- At first I thought this would be your typical fantasy story with fancy heroes and such, but I was pleasantly surprised. Very cool idea. No, not telling you why. Read it and find out.
"The Ballad of Azron Berzon" (Steven Wetherell) – Another funny one. I love this author’s style, and was hooked by this story in the first page, probably with this paragraph: “Port Town was ugly, but honest. The special kind of honest you get when everybody likes, and expects to be lied to. If there was any truth to the city, it wisely kept its mouth shut.”
December 11, 2013
Collections of new short stories are not easy to find these days, so I’m pleased to say that I really enjoyed this one. Each of these works is well written, entertaining, and of substantial length. The assortment is a good blend of science fiction and fantasy, with settings ranging from the American old west to alien planets. The various story elements include horror, mystery, the supernatural, sorcery, and humor. It’s a good variety of storytelling, well worth reading.
June 14, 2015
Originally reviewed on LauraofLurking
Strong language: Some
Drugs: No
Violence: Gruesome descriptions of after effects
Sexual content: Some, non-explicit
I received a copy of this anthology via a free promotion.
The Man Upstairs by Hanna Elizabeth
3.5 Stars
This is a story of a ghost trapped on this plan without knowing if he has to fulfil a destiny or if this is life. This was an interesting look at the afterlife. The powers the ghosts had were woven into the story well, as was the background of the relevant human characters without any info dumps. I felt it meandered in places a bit, I'd like to have seen more drive and intention from John, the primary ghost.
Overall a fun read, and there was one scene I think women will love while men will cringe away from. Way to go, Hannah!
The Cave by Brian L. Braden
4 stars
Western is a genre I don't generally choose to read. I was pleasantly surprised. The story had good tension and mystery throughout. The POV was interesting, not your usually TV stereotype. I was drawn into the world with its strong characters and refreshingly direct approach that engaged me enough that I actually went looking for a few more westerns and am now enjoying them, particularly the more romantic ones. This story was an unexpected pleasure that avoided the TV tropes. In this story, no cowboy goes bang, Indian goes twang, cowboy goes bang, Indian goes twang, cowboy goes bang, Indian goes twang, etc. All around, a great read.
My Dead Friend Nancy by Robert Brumm
4.5 Stars
A slightly confusing story to start, but it soon transitions into a full colour, Dolby Surround Sound, HD movie of pirates and other undesirables heading to newly discovered America to look for the fountain of youth… or treasure if you are one of the more sensible of the party. Or are you?
The language flowed, the voice was strong, I loved the concept. My only complaint, I wish it was longer, like long novel long! Great job Brumm.
The Lightgiver by Thomas Cardin
4.5 Stars
An amazingly rich world built layers with great care, leading us into the heart the true story. The ideas behind this story were creative and intriguing, and to pull it off in a short, or possibly a novella, was incredible. I felt at times the imagery distracted me slightly from the bigger picture of what was happening and what this world was, but overall, it was greatly crafted with strong characters. Though there was little dialogue, it was well placed and used to give a feeling of forced servitude and fear.
Altitude Sickness by C.M. Saunders
4 stars
A long aeroplane flight. Time to catch up on some reading, take in a movie, or just sleep. That’s James’s hope, until he gets the chatty passenger that just can’t take the not-so-subtle hint of headphones!
Not being a huge fan of air travel myself, I felt the tension built well, smoothly transitioning from the air travel itself to the creepy passenger. Until…
Prism by John Gregory Hancock
4.5 stars
In a world of old, where kings can call humble shoe makers before them without explanation or notice, our story begins. Liam has a most unusual disability for his profession, but one the king thinks may save the kingdom.
I found the writing immersive, and while long, it never lost my attention. Always something new to see. I particularly like the scenes with the creatures causing the issues, and the way the “new boy” handled them when the soldiers couldn’t. I found the ending satisfying.
The Ballad of Azron by Berzon Steven Wetherell
4.5 stars
This story started with rich descriptions of a thriving town running on thievery. Soon it moved into energetic action with a side of humour.
We followed our thief, Azron, as he was thrown into a tough situation, and repeatedly failed to escape, something he seemed very unaccustomed to. Given the humorous start to the story I was surprised at the depth of the characterisation and emotion that was achieved without losing the humour or the rich language. There was plenty of action making this a good all-rounder of an adventure.
The 411
This anthology showed a good selection of the high-quality work produced by Dead Pixel Publishing. The majority was set in the genres of science fiction, fantasy, and things otherwise not quite of this world. I enjoyed the rich quality of the work, the language, and the variety of subjects within the book. The works were a decent length, allowing me to get a good sense of the author’s style without appearing to monopolise the anthology.
This introduced me to many new authors who I’d enjoy working with.
Overall I give this anthology 4 starts
Strong language: Some
Drugs: No
Violence: Gruesome descriptions of after effects
Sexual content: Some, non-explicit
I received a copy of this anthology via a free promotion.
The Man Upstairs by Hanna Elizabeth
3.5 Stars
This is a story of a ghost trapped on this plan without knowing if he has to fulfil a destiny or if this is life. This was an interesting look at the afterlife. The powers the ghosts had were woven into the story well, as was the background of the relevant human characters without any info dumps. I felt it meandered in places a bit, I'd like to have seen more drive and intention from John, the primary ghost.
Overall a fun read, and there was one scene I think women will love while men will cringe away from. Way to go, Hannah!
The Cave by Brian L. Braden
4 stars
Western is a genre I don't generally choose to read. I was pleasantly surprised. The story had good tension and mystery throughout. The POV was interesting, not your usually TV stereotype. I was drawn into the world with its strong characters and refreshingly direct approach that engaged me enough that I actually went looking for a few more westerns and am now enjoying them, particularly the more romantic ones. This story was an unexpected pleasure that avoided the TV tropes. In this story, no cowboy goes bang, Indian goes twang, cowboy goes bang, Indian goes twang, cowboy goes bang, Indian goes twang, etc. All around, a great read.
My Dead Friend Nancy by Robert Brumm
4.5 Stars
A slightly confusing story to start, but it soon transitions into a full colour, Dolby Surround Sound, HD movie of pirates and other undesirables heading to newly discovered America to look for the fountain of youth… or treasure if you are one of the more sensible of the party. Or are you?
The language flowed, the voice was strong, I loved the concept. My only complaint, I wish it was longer, like long novel long! Great job Brumm.
The Lightgiver by Thomas Cardin
4.5 Stars
An amazingly rich world built layers with great care, leading us into the heart the true story. The ideas behind this story were creative and intriguing, and to pull it off in a short, or possibly a novella, was incredible. I felt at times the imagery distracted me slightly from the bigger picture of what was happening and what this world was, but overall, it was greatly crafted with strong characters. Though there was little dialogue, it was well placed and used to give a feeling of forced servitude and fear.
Altitude Sickness by C.M. Saunders
4 stars
A long aeroplane flight. Time to catch up on some reading, take in a movie, or just sleep. That’s James’s hope, until he gets the chatty passenger that just can’t take the not-so-subtle hint of headphones!
Not being a huge fan of air travel myself, I felt the tension built well, smoothly transitioning from the air travel itself to the creepy passenger. Until…
Prism by John Gregory Hancock
4.5 stars
In a world of old, where kings can call humble shoe makers before them without explanation or notice, our story begins. Liam has a most unusual disability for his profession, but one the king thinks may save the kingdom.
I found the writing immersive, and while long, it never lost my attention. Always something new to see. I particularly like the scenes with the creatures causing the issues, and the way the “new boy” handled them when the soldiers couldn’t. I found the ending satisfying.
The Ballad of Azron by Berzon Steven Wetherell
4.5 stars
This story started with rich descriptions of a thriving town running on thievery. Soon it moved into energetic action with a side of humour.
We followed our thief, Azron, as he was thrown into a tough situation, and repeatedly failed to escape, something he seemed very unaccustomed to. Given the humorous start to the story I was surprised at the depth of the characterisation and emotion that was achieved without losing the humour or the rich language. There was plenty of action making this a good all-rounder of an adventure.
The 411
This anthology showed a good selection of the high-quality work produced by Dead Pixel Publishing. The majority was set in the genres of science fiction, fantasy, and things otherwise not quite of this world. I enjoyed the rich quality of the work, the language, and the variety of subjects within the book. The works were a decent length, allowing me to get a good sense of the author’s style without appearing to monopolise the anthology.
This introduced me to many new authors who I’d enjoy working with.
Overall I give this anthology 4 starts
May 28, 2018
Hit or miss
Several stories, as with any mix some were really good and some were more mediocre. Definitely pretty good overall though. Glad I gave it a read and really enjoyed a couple of the stories. Will give the benefit that many of these have a good twist of make you question scenarios towards the end of each story. Have a couple authors to look for further writings by, that is for sure.
Several stories, as with any mix some were really good and some were more mediocre. Definitely pretty good overall though. Glad I gave it a read and really enjoyed a couple of the stories. Will give the benefit that many of these have a good twist of make you question scenarios towards the end of each story. Have a couple authors to look for further writings by, that is for sure.
April 26, 2017
Kindle Unlimited, the writer definitely isn't 'right' but he is on ku, think a few binge readings in my future. {This particular story was perma free, some of the other writers in anthology may not be ku.}
Caverns and Creatures: Volume I (Books 1 - 4)
Critical Failures (Caverns and Creatures Book 1) Critical Failures II (Caverns and Creatures Book 2) Critical Failures III (Caverns and Creatures Book 3) Critical Failures IV (Caverns and Creatures Book 4)
various numerous other D&D books
Space Puppies
Flying Toasters - The DeadPixel Tales {one of collection of writers, seems to be permafree}
Must be permafree, This story being an anthology yes there are always some stories that I or someone else will like better than other stories in the collection, but I tend to rate these as a set based on the individual stories strengths, if that makes sense. It reminds me of that zapspot game that had this and other games based on the old computer screensaver images, so going to review this here and goodreads then off to find out if there is a version that works on 7. Reread the anthology because remember most but refresher doesn't hurt.
Caverns and Creatures: Volume I (Books 1 - 4)
Critical Failures (Caverns and Creatures Book 1) Critical Failures II (Caverns and Creatures Book 2) Critical Failures III (Caverns and Creatures Book 3) Critical Failures IV (Caverns and Creatures Book 4)
various numerous other D&D books
Space Puppies
Flying Toasters - The DeadPixel Tales {one of collection of writers, seems to be permafree}
Must be permafree, This story being an anthology yes there are always some stories that I or someone else will like better than other stories in the collection, but I tend to rate these as a set based on the individual stories strengths, if that makes sense. It reminds me of that zapspot game that had this and other games based on the old computer screensaver images, so going to review this here and goodreads then off to find out if there is a version that works on 7. Reread the anthology because remember most but refresher doesn't hurt.
December 13, 2020
An anthology of sci-fi/fantasy stories from writers I'm not familiar with... overall the stories are good buy there are some real stand-out gems in this collection.
I will seek out more stories from these authors.
My favorites were:
The Man Upstairs
The Cave
Prism
The Ballad of Azron Berzon
I will seek out more stories from these authors.
My favorites were:
The Man Upstairs
The Cave
Prism
The Ballad of Azron Berzon
November 13, 2018
Great read
A great mix of short stories. Definitely recommend this to everyone. I’ll be checking out more based on what was in this . And again definitely worth the read.
A great mix of short stories. Definitely recommend this to everyone. I’ll be checking out more based on what was in this . And again definitely worth the read.
December 15, 2014
Picked this freebie up originally because of the Robert Bevan story, but it seems that one's been removed. (Pouty face.) This anthology of short stories and short novellas is well written all around, from fantasy (The Lightgiver) to horror in the old West (The Cave) to a funny ghost story (The Man Upstairs). The last story (The Ballad of Azron Bezron) is my favorite.
If you enjoy spec fic, you could definitely do worse. But there's no Robert Bevan story. (Lower lip sticks out further.) Let's call it four stars.
If you enjoy spec fic, you could definitely do worse. But there's no Robert Bevan story. (Lower lip sticks out further.) Let's call it four stars.
February 18, 2016
This was a set of 7 short stories. I did not realize going into it that the common thread was death. Don’t let that turn you away from it, the stories are not all darkness, gloom or gore. The first few seemed too short and left me wanting more, but I guess that would be a sign of a well written story. I just wish it was developed further. The writing in each story seemed to get better than the last. I read most of this on a trip, and the short story format was great. If you are interested in this, I would recommend you read it.
September 11, 2014
Pretty good read.. I liked all but one of the stories.. I would recommend it.
April 9, 2015
A great collection with some unexpected styles from an awesome group of authors. This is a great introduction to the talented folks at Deadpixel, and well worth the read.
December 12, 2016
Great stories.
They were all very well written and entertaining stories. No matter how many times I read them. I can't pick a favorite.
They were all very well written and entertaining stories. No matter how many times I read them. I can't pick a favorite.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews