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Faraway Chronicles #1-3
Faraway Chronicles: Volume 1
Omnibus edition of the first three books in the Faraway Chronicles including The Silent Siren, The Candid Liar, and The Haunted Phantom.
THE SILENT SIREN chases the adventure of a genetic experiment flung across the galaxy with a crew of mercenaries, no voice, and a demand to determine what it is to be human.
THE CANDID LIAR follows the path of a foolish student and his android as they travel the galaxy in pursuit of something more only to encounter dangers that put into perspective the value of family.
THE HAUNTED PHANTOM spins a dark tale of a genius living in the shadows, a rising star whom remains his only light, a wealthy patron on a secret hunt, and a tangled web that puts love to the test.
THE SILENT SIREN chases the adventure of a genetic experiment flung across the galaxy with a crew of mercenaries, no voice, and a demand to determine what it is to be human.
THE CANDID LIAR follows the path of a foolish student and his android as they travel the galaxy in pursuit of something more only to encounter dangers that put into perspective the value of family.
THE HAUNTED PHANTOM spins a dark tale of a genius living in the shadows, a rising star whom remains his only light, a wealthy patron on a secret hunt, and a tangled web that puts love to the test.
500 pages, Paperback
Published September 19, 2023
About the author
Talis Jones
29 books50 followersTalis Jones is a Mexican-English author of magic and mischief with several series published in print, digital, and audio.
Dog mom, Broadway enthusiast, and life-long bibliophile, Talis currently resides in North Carolina.
Find out more about Talis and her books at www.talisjonesofficial.com.
Dog mom, Broadway enthusiast, and life-long bibliophile, Talis currently resides in North Carolina.
Find out more about Talis and her books at www.talisjonesofficial.com.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
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February 14, 2024THE FARAWAY CHRONICLES includes a series of several standalone Young Adult stories that launch off the bones of fairytales & classics and spins them down a space opera path. Set in a distant future and scattered amongst the stars, each tale follows an adventure and peers into the darkness between galaxies and human hearts. The inspiration for Volume I, you ask? The Little Mermaid, Pinocchio, and The Phantom of the Opera.
November 25, 2023
The Faraway Chronicles tells three stories within the same book. Each of the three (except perhaps
the first) is shorter than a novel, but quite a bit longer than a short story. Each has pluses and minuses, but the pluses far outweigh the minuses. “The Silent Siren” is a story of an “alien” girl literally lost in space (pardon the reference to the campy ‘60’s TV program) working hard to return to her home planet. She inadvertently seeks refuge stowing away in a ship operated by a group of space mercenaries. My two favorite characters were Kovsky and Wagner. Kovsky is the tough guy with a kindly side. Wagner is a tough, mean young woman who enjoys violent and often deadly encounters with “enemies.” The story is very engaging, with many unexpected parts. The characters are my favorite aspect of the story--each very distinct and fun to read about. I would have liked more clarity on what the agents of the “Galactic Authorities” really did—They seemed like little town sheriffs whose main duty was to hassle people.
The second story is “The Candid Liar.” The main character, Carlo, gives an impressive show of self-
confidence, arrogance and foolishness. He thinks he is ready to study at a top-notch engineering school. But first he embarks on a misguided journey toward “greatness.” Greatness, though, seems to elude him. Talis Jones portrays the 16-year-old well, creating some sympathy for him while at the same time showing him to be a bit of a jerk. At least to me, the story calls to mind the account in Luke 15:11-32. Like the other two stories, “The Candid Liar” uses the English language wonderfully. The third story, “The Haunted Phantom” was my least favorite of the three. Not that it is poorly written, just that it was hard for me to follow. Many of the chapters describe events that occurred “Five years ago,” (or three years, or four years ago), then jumps back to “the present day.” I hate to confess it got me all balled up trying to piece the story together chronologically. Nonetheless, the characters have a great deal of charm, and by the end of the story felt like friends to me.
In all three of the stories descriptive details are not elaborate. But just enough to let your imagination get going. Each of the plots have many small surprises, and at least one big one. I like that outer space is not portrayed as a utopia or a purer world than our own. Afterall, the people portrayed have the same faults as the rest of us earthlings. For excellent story-telling and appealing characters I give this book five stars.
the first) is shorter than a novel, but quite a bit longer than a short story. Each has pluses and minuses, but the pluses far outweigh the minuses. “The Silent Siren” is a story of an “alien” girl literally lost in space (pardon the reference to the campy ‘60’s TV program) working hard to return to her home planet. She inadvertently seeks refuge stowing away in a ship operated by a group of space mercenaries. My two favorite characters were Kovsky and Wagner. Kovsky is the tough guy with a kindly side. Wagner is a tough, mean young woman who enjoys violent and often deadly encounters with “enemies.” The story is very engaging, with many unexpected parts. The characters are my favorite aspect of the story--each very distinct and fun to read about. I would have liked more clarity on what the agents of the “Galactic Authorities” really did—They seemed like little town sheriffs whose main duty was to hassle people.
The second story is “The Candid Liar.” The main character, Carlo, gives an impressive show of self-
confidence, arrogance and foolishness. He thinks he is ready to study at a top-notch engineering school. But first he embarks on a misguided journey toward “greatness.” Greatness, though, seems to elude him. Talis Jones portrays the 16-year-old well, creating some sympathy for him while at the same time showing him to be a bit of a jerk. At least to me, the story calls to mind the account in Luke 15:11-32. Like the other two stories, “The Candid Liar” uses the English language wonderfully. The third story, “The Haunted Phantom” was my least favorite of the three. Not that it is poorly written, just that it was hard for me to follow. Many of the chapters describe events that occurred “Five years ago,” (or three years, or four years ago), then jumps back to “the present day.” I hate to confess it got me all balled up trying to piece the story together chronologically. Nonetheless, the characters have a great deal of charm, and by the end of the story felt like friends to me.
In all three of the stories descriptive details are not elaborate. But just enough to let your imagination get going. Each of the plots have many small surprises, and at least one big one. I like that outer space is not portrayed as a utopia or a purer world than our own. Afterall, the people portrayed have the same faults as the rest of us earthlings. For excellent story-telling and appealing characters I give this book five stars.
May 22, 2025
3.5 rounded up! Sometimes, you just want to read something fun, and this was FUN. First of all, LOVE the concept: fairytale/legend retellings in space? That is right in my wheelhouse, man. I haven't seen many other authors attempt it outside of The Lunar Chronicles (a comparable title, by the way) so I admire Jones' ambition.
This is a collection of 3 novellas that take place in the same world and are very lightly interconnected (mostly by reference) and I really, thoroughly enjoyed the sci-fi world Jones crafted; it felt very fleshed out, imaginative but grounded, and had a sort of Star Wars-meets Firefly-meets Treasure Planet vibe to it without feeling overly derivative. I want more stories, longer stories in this vast, opulent galaxy!!!
I'm going to put reviews of the individual novellas under their individual Goodreads pages (eventually) but as an omnibus, I felt it was just the right length and flowed well from one story to the next. If I had to rate them, I would say The Haunted Phantom (Phantom of the Opera) was my favorite, then The Silent Siren (The Little Mermaid), then The Candid Liar (Pinocchio... granted I've never been a big Pinocchio fan to begin with, this was, in many ways, a very clever twist on the tale).
I only have one overall critique, and I say this with love in my heart, but there were some serious issues with run-on sentences and missing commas. It was almost distracting, but I was so enamored by the creativity and the well-rounded characters that I ended up reading around it. It was obvious that the author put a lot of heart into this and for me, love of the craft covers a multitude of sins. Jones is a storyteller, and it shows!
This is a collection of 3 novellas that take place in the same world and are very lightly interconnected (mostly by reference) and I really, thoroughly enjoyed the sci-fi world Jones crafted; it felt very fleshed out, imaginative but grounded, and had a sort of Star Wars-meets Firefly-meets Treasure Planet vibe to it without feeling overly derivative. I want more stories, longer stories in this vast, opulent galaxy!!!
I'm going to put reviews of the individual novellas under their individual Goodreads pages (eventually) but as an omnibus, I felt it was just the right length and flowed well from one story to the next. If I had to rate them, I would say The Haunted Phantom (Phantom of the Opera) was my favorite, then The Silent Siren (The Little Mermaid), then The Candid Liar (Pinocchio... granted I've never been a big Pinocchio fan to begin with, this was, in many ways, a very clever twist on the tale).
I only have one overall critique, and I say this with love in my heart, but there were some serious issues with run-on sentences and missing commas. It was almost distracting, but I was so enamored by the creativity and the well-rounded characters that I ended up reading around it. It was obvious that the author put a lot of heart into this and for me, love of the craft covers a multitude of sins. Jones is a storyteller, and it shows!
November 29, 2023
If you love fairytales and fairytale retellings, you definitely don't want to miss this fun collection set in space! Although each story is independent, the shared universe and species tie them all together. I sincerely hope another collection is forthcoming from this author!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews