Parallels: Three Dark Psychological Tales

by David Palin

A collection of stories which reveals how if we refuse to look for things beyond our world then they may come looking for us. We are surrounded by parallel worlds; universes waiting for us to create tears in the fabric of space and time, so we can step through. Then there’s the conscience - it is a world like a negative from old-fashioned photographs, presenting us with something we know, in the same detail, but in much darker, and somehow spookier shades; familiar, but different. If that rings any bells with you, then perhaps you will enjoy this collection of novellas.

In ‘A Conversation with Cain’, one man’s grief and another’s troubled conscience draw them to each other, but neither is aware of the danger each of them faces as a result of their interaction.

In ‘After-Image’ the appearance of a stranger at an event in a small town’s art café unsettles everyone and sets loose demons seeking payment for past crimes.

‘In the Laptops of the Gods’ finds the past and the future merge with disastrous, viral consequences as three ancient gods battle for power with the wannabee business deities of a software giant now controlling society.

462 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 10, 2023

About the author

David was born in West London and lives in Berkshire. He is the author of several published novels, dark psychological thrillers, the publication of which has led to interviews on BBC Radio and in the local media. David is intrigued by the things that hide, often in plain sight, in the shadows beyond the light of our everyday lives. As a fluent German speaker and having studied English and German literature, he believes we are drawn to darker tales and imaginings.

When not wrapped up in his own writing processes – or being distracted by his other time-consuming loves of sport, music, the theatre and travelling - David is always keen to encourage and support creativity in others. As well as editing and co-writing for various authors, he has run writers’ workshops in as diverse places as Berkshire literary festivals and the far north-west of Scotland!

Reviews

[The Cheshire Cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

These three stories are all chilling, sinister and thought-provoking in very different ways. Palin’s crisp and punchy prose screams out from every page and draws you into the characters and plots in a clever and very elegant way; you suddenly find it’s after midnight and you don’t want to put the book down. After-Image is a good old-fashioned ghost story with a twist, and a twist…and then another one. The second story, A Conversation with Cain, is still playing on my mind. The way Palin manages to span the expanse of time from when Adam and Eve were alive to now - in London - with a rock concert is a masterpiece! The third story, called In the Laptops of the Gods, is both outlandish and completely plausible in equal measures. The all-encompassing power of KompuKraft resonates strongly with the pervasiveness of internet giants such as Google and Microsoft and how the rise of AI is beginning to threaten all aspects of our lives. Overall, a brilliant read – now I have to decide which one to re-read first!

[The Cheshire Cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

These three stories are all chilling, sinister and thought-provoking in very different ways. Palin’s crisp and punchy prose screams out from every page and draws you into the characters and plots in a clever and very elegant way; you suddenly find it’s after midnight and you don’t want to put the book down. After-Image is a good old-fashioned ghost story with a twist, and a twist…and then another one. The second story, A Conversation with Cain, is still playing on my mind. The way Palin manages to span the expanse of time from when Adam and Eve were alive to now - in London - with a rock concert is a masterpiece! The third story, called In the Laptops of the Gods, is both outlandish and completely plausible in equal measures. The all-encompassing power of KompuKraft resonates strongly with the pervasiveness of internet giants such as Google and Microsoft and how the rise of AI is beginning to threaten all aspects of our lives. Overall, a brilliant read – now I have to decide which one to re-read first!