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Out On Top - A Collection of Upbeat Short Stories
“We are long overdue a break.
Out on Top is a bag of stories where wrongs are often put right.
Instead of dwelling on what might have been, characters get their chances to rectify their regrets and tidy up their troubled pasts.
Once-reluctant Romeos, clever creatures and innovative new technology sees the cast of Out on Top get second chances to see the truth finally come out whether it wants to or not.
From the author of In All Probability,
Out on Top sees Steve Morris return to set a few things straight.”
Out on Top is a bag of stories where wrongs are often put right.
Instead of dwelling on what might have been, characters get their chances to rectify their regrets and tidy up their troubled pasts.
Once-reluctant Romeos, clever creatures and innovative new technology sees the cast of Out on Top get second chances to see the truth finally come out whether it wants to or not.
From the author of In All Probability,
Out on Top sees Steve Morris return to set a few things straight.”
- GenresShort Stories
143 pages, Paperback
First published February 20, 2014
3 people are currently reading
921 people want to read
About the author
Steve Morris
6 books35 followersSteve Morris
Follow @jumbletales
With a background in math and science, Steve Morris travels around his region of the UK teaching students who are too ill to get to school.
Despite his chosen vocation, one of Steve's passions in life is his love of English literature and of antiquarian books.
Maverick, individual and never afraid to speak his mind, Steve was taught to read fluently by his parents when he was four years old.
Story writing began early at school where he enjoyed some success.
With a seemingly never ending supply of bizarre short stories, Steve moved out of the classroom which allowed him time to type up his tales. First appearing in anthologies and magazines the stories were collected in Steve's first book "In All Probability" which recieved favour amongst the UK press.
A follow up collection "Jumble Tales" was released in 2010 and then his debut full-length novel "Playing Havoc" was published in 2012.
"Morris has... an often disturbing imagination" (from one less flattering 2009 Press review)
Steve graduated from Manchester Metropolitan University in 1993 where he enjoyed representing them in soccer for four years.
He lives in a rural location is his adopted Cheshire, UK accompanied by the first of a planned team of guard dogs.
Steve recently received an AZsacra award
for a story in Taj Mahal review December 2011. Thank you again for the support of Editor Karunesh Kumar Agrawal.
Steve hopes to be back with a collection of recession busting upbeat stories before the year is out.
Follow @jumbletales
With a background in math and science, Steve Morris travels around his region of the UK teaching students who are too ill to get to school.
Despite his chosen vocation, one of Steve's passions in life is his love of English literature and of antiquarian books.
Maverick, individual and never afraid to speak his mind, Steve was taught to read fluently by his parents when he was four years old.
Story writing began early at school where he enjoyed some success.
With a seemingly never ending supply of bizarre short stories, Steve moved out of the classroom which allowed him time to type up his tales. First appearing in anthologies and magazines the stories were collected in Steve's first book "In All Probability" which recieved favour amongst the UK press.
A follow up collection "Jumble Tales" was released in 2010 and then his debut full-length novel "Playing Havoc" was published in 2012.
"Morris has... an often disturbing imagination" (from one less flattering 2009 Press review)
Steve graduated from Manchester Metropolitan University in 1993 where he enjoyed representing them in soccer for four years.
He lives in a rural location is his adopted Cheshire, UK accompanied by the first of a planned team of guard dogs.
Steve recently received an AZsacra award
for a story in Taj Mahal review December 2011. Thank you again for the support of Editor Karunesh Kumar Agrawal.
Steve hopes to be back with a collection of recession busting upbeat stories before the year is out.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
April 3, 2016
Autographed gift copy sent by author and Goodreads friend Steve Morris.
This new collection of short stories by Steve Morris has some family ressemblances to his earlier work, because we see some familiar themes emerging.
His protagonists are often misfits, or at least maladjusted in some way, and therefore they stand in some sense outside of mainstream society looking in. In this book, good reasons are given for this, such as lack of maturity, or past trauma. But let's face it; we all like to root for the underdog. And this makes it all the more possible to get into these stories.
Steve seems to enjoy sports. I surmise this from the way in which his characters participate in them with such great intensity. Steve can convey the adrenaline of the individual team member as well as the spellbound fascination of the spectators.
I suspect that Steve also has a great affection for animals. For he writes about them, sometimes with humour and sometimes with pathos. He tries something here which I think is new for him: onetail tale is narrated partly from an animal's point of view!
I know for a fact that Steve has an interest in science fiction and the paranormal. This comes through strikingly in a few of the stories. For instance, the bizarre method by which one of his heroes discovers the answer to a troubling crime is quite startling. But Steve somehow manages to make it believable.
I know that Steve is an educator as well as a writer. His specialty is math and sciences so I doubt whether he ever delivered a history lecture quite like the lesson described in one particular story. But I still had fun imagining him in the role of the teacher.
As for his personal life, I don't know any more about that than a friend should, but I think Steve must be a bit of a hopeless romantic. Why do I say this? Well, in this collection there are a number of cases in which couples find each other and true love, despite histories and circumstances which have rendered success less than likely. And one is both amused and delighted by the way in which they beat the odds.
While the tales in his previous collections were quite short, Steve has in the meantime tried his hand at another genre and produced a novel. So I think perhaps this is why these stories vary more in length and structure. But he still has the knack of packing a lot of detail in a few pages and providing some surprise endings.
This new collection of short stories by Steve Morris has some family ressemblances to his earlier work, because we see some familiar themes emerging.
His protagonists are often misfits, or at least maladjusted in some way, and therefore they stand in some sense outside of mainstream society looking in. In this book, good reasons are given for this, such as lack of maturity, or past trauma. But let's face it; we all like to root for the underdog. And this makes it all the more possible to get into these stories.
Steve seems to enjoy sports. I surmise this from the way in which his characters participate in them with such great intensity. Steve can convey the adrenaline of the individual team member as well as the spellbound fascination of the spectators.
I suspect that Steve also has a great affection for animals. For he writes about them, sometimes with humour and sometimes with pathos. He tries something here which I think is new for him: one
I know for a fact that Steve has an interest in science fiction and the paranormal. This comes through strikingly in a few of the stories. For instance, the bizarre method by which one of his heroes discovers the answer to a troubling crime is quite startling. But Steve somehow manages to make it believable.
I know that Steve is an educator as well as a writer. His specialty is math and sciences so I doubt whether he ever delivered a history lecture quite like the lesson described in one particular story. But I still had fun imagining him in the role of the teacher.
As for his personal life, I don't know any more about that than a friend should, but I think Steve must be a bit of a hopeless romantic. Why do I say this? Well, in this collection there are a number of cases in which couples find each other and true love, despite histories and circumstances which have rendered success less than likely. And one is both amused and delighted by the way in which they beat the odds.
While the tales in his previous collections were quite short, Steve has in the meantime tried his hand at another genre and produced a novel. So I think perhaps this is why these stories vary more in length and structure. But he still has the knack of packing a lot of detail in a few pages and providing some surprise endings.
December 19, 2015
This was a lovely read. I didn't find all the stories were quite so upbeat as the title promised, but they were certainly interesting and entertaining small slivers of life. I particularly enjoyed the stories that carried a little twist, with the author freely giving away enough hints for the reader to anticipate the ending, but not so much that you couldn't enjoy the conclusion. I also very much enjoyed the last piece entitled 'Epilogue', which made a gift of connecting some of the stories, and a glimpse of a more satisfying conclusion (more or less) to one of the less upbeat stories earlier in the book. Three and half stars from me.
March 25, 2014
Back on form. Good for short memorable reads. Thirteen wide ranging stories on themes from sport, to animals to love, (with extra love in this book). A good book where you don't want to commit time to a whole novel. Tales of the Unexpected for the eBook generation.
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October 19, 2014This book contained a variety of stories that all had wonderful outcomes. A great book to read when you need to be uplifted. Also for young teens.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews