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Stinger
As his warship comes under attack by a devastating alien horror, a drug-addicted recruit stumbles upon a secret super soldier compound. In his hand is the one hope to save the ship. But to do it, he'll have to face his crippling fear of the alien on the other side of the hatch.
It all began when as a new recruit, Jimi saw "the footage."
Chaotic visuals of the horrific alien Sasori injected into Sol United fleet ships as killing machines in the war with the Andromedans. The creatures destroyed crew and ship alike and were impervious to conventional weaponry. Seeing the scorpion-like alien in action awakes a primal fear he can't control. Night terrors follow, disturbing squad mates already on edge from the stress of war. Jimi is an outcast in his own unit.
In desperation, he turns to the illegal drug hoosh and finds himself AWOL, hidden in the belly of the ship.
Crippled by his own terror and addiction, Jimi is unknowingly on the next ship targeted for insertion. His greatest fear of coming face-to-face with the alien horror is about to be realized.
It all began when as a new recruit, Jimi saw "the footage."
Chaotic visuals of the horrific alien Sasori injected into Sol United fleet ships as killing machines in the war with the Andromedans. The creatures destroyed crew and ship alike and were impervious to conventional weaponry. Seeing the scorpion-like alien in action awakes a primal fear he can't control. Night terrors follow, disturbing squad mates already on edge from the stress of war. Jimi is an outcast in his own unit.
In desperation, he turns to the illegal drug hoosh and finds himself AWOL, hidden in the belly of the ship.
Crippled by his own terror and addiction, Jimi is unknowingly on the next ship targeted for insertion. His greatest fear of coming face-to-face with the alien horror is about to be realized.
33 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 11, 2023
2 people are currently reading
7 people want to read
About the author
Tom Dell'Aringa
14 books25 followersTom Dell’Aringa is a science fiction writer from the Chicago area who loves great characters. Rick Deckard. Dirk Gently. Ellen Ripley. Roland Deschain. You know who these people are, right?
His stories have believable worlds populated with people you’ll learn to love - and possibly hate. Either way, his books are called “page turners” by his readers for a reason. Each chapter is like the end of that latest Netflix show you are binging... just... one... more.
When he’s not listening to an interesting podcast or chasing down a new bottle of whiskey for his collection, you’ll find him on a long walk working out the next big moment in his next book.
Join Tom’s newsletter where he explores artificial intelligence, robots and future tech! He also writes about self improvement and wellness. You’ll get his short story STINGER for free:
https://www.subscribepage.com/stinger
His stories have believable worlds populated with people you’ll learn to love - and possibly hate. Either way, his books are called “page turners” by his readers for a reason. Each chapter is like the end of that latest Netflix show you are binging... just... one... more.
When he’s not listening to an interesting podcast or chasing down a new bottle of whiskey for his collection, you’ll find him on a long walk working out the next big moment in his next book.
Join Tom’s newsletter where he explores artificial intelligence, robots and future tech! He also writes about self improvement and wellness. You’ll get his short story STINGER for free:
https://www.subscribepage.com/stinger
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
July 24, 2020
I really liked the book. It just seems like I have seen something similar in the movie Aliens and also Star Trek. I am not really a SiFi fan but I am getting there. If you read the book it feels like your actually in the story. The story was very descriptive and you can actually feel like the human characters in the book. If I read another book by Tom Dell'Aringa, I will become a huge fan of his books.
I got a free copy of the book and is voluntarily leaving a review
I got a free copy of the book and is voluntarily leaving a review
September 15, 2021
This is a brilliant read.
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable.
Great suspense and found myself second guessing every thought I had continuously.
Can't wait to read what the author brings out next.
Recommend reading.
I read a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable.
Great suspense and found myself second guessing every thought I had continuously.
Can't wait to read what the author brings out next.
Recommend reading.
I read a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.
February 14, 2021
This was a fun short story. Space, military service, and drug addiction all add up to an interesting adventure. The narration was good.
Disclaimer: My enjoyment of the narrator is based on my listening speed. I only leave 5 stars for books I've listened to or will listen to multiple times. I'll update my review if I listen again. If you like this review please consider giving it a Helpful Vote below.
I requested this book from the author, narrator, or publisher in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
Disclaimer: My enjoyment of the narrator is based on my listening speed. I only leave 5 stars for books I've listened to or will listen to multiple times. I'll update my review if I listen again. If you like this review please consider giving it a Helpful Vote below.
I requested this book from the author, narrator, or publisher in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
July 14, 2020
This is a short story set in the future about a drug addict named Jimi and his colleagues Jeff, Gia, and Isamu. Jimi is hooked on "hoosh", hiding in the bowels of a warship where he is able to effectively trade his life away - including his ID for hoosh. Eventually, he is given Compound C-6, which I took to be an antidote to the hoosh. Most of the story is spent where our team is fighting a Sasori, which boarded the warship. In the end, there is redemption for Jimi, who fights the Sasori.
It is a shame that this is a short story and that the author has not developed this into a book. While we get a sense of the characters Jeff, Gia, and Isamu, he is unable to fully develop them and their relationship to Jimi. More importantly, we really don't get a good sense of the depth of Jimi's addiction - it is simply stated, and the storyline moves into the battle. I believe this would be stronger if the author showed us more of Jimi's life and let us, as the readers, experience the depth of his addiction.
The story is advertised as a psychological thriller and the dedication is to those who struggle with fear and/or anxiety. I did not experience a psychological thriller in Stinger, as the majority of the story seemed to be battling the Sasori. Neither did I read in any of the characters fear or anxiety - there just wasn't enough of a story to develop any of these messages.
If I had to summarize my perspective of this story, I would encourage the author to develop this 36 page short story into a book, where he has the space and time to develop the characters, showing us Jimi's addiction and showing us the fear and anxiety that he is trying to exempify. The military space setting works, just tell us more.
I received an advanced review copy for free, and I am voluntarily leaving this review.
It is a shame that this is a short story and that the author has not developed this into a book. While we get a sense of the characters Jeff, Gia, and Isamu, he is unable to fully develop them and their relationship to Jimi. More importantly, we really don't get a good sense of the depth of Jimi's addiction - it is simply stated, and the storyline moves into the battle. I believe this would be stronger if the author showed us more of Jimi's life and let us, as the readers, experience the depth of his addiction.
The story is advertised as a psychological thriller and the dedication is to those who struggle with fear and/or anxiety. I did not experience a psychological thriller in Stinger, as the majority of the story seemed to be battling the Sasori. Neither did I read in any of the characters fear or anxiety - there just wasn't enough of a story to develop any of these messages.
If I had to summarize my perspective of this story, I would encourage the author to develop this 36 page short story into a book, where he has the space and time to develop the characters, showing us Jimi's addiction and showing us the fear and anxiety that he is trying to exempify. The military space setting works, just tell us more.
I received an advanced review copy for free, and I am voluntarily leaving this review.
February 7, 2021
A short story about a struggling addict with a deep fear of aliens who overcomes his fear with one last chance to redeem himself to his peers. Even though the audiobook was just over one hour the main character had significant character growth. I hope that the author plans to write a prequel on how Jimi became addicted and/or how humans came to be space explorers.
Disclaimer - I received this book for free in exchange for an unbiased review.
Disclaimer - I received this book for free in exchange for an unbiased review.
February 13, 2021
I really enjoyed this quick read. Despite being a short story it packs a lot of emotion and action into its 32 pages. It’s a great story of facing fears and redemption.
March 30, 2021
A good visceral read, would love to see it developed into a full novel.
January 5, 2024
New spacefarer frightened by introductory safety video has to meet his imagined adversary - 4 stars
Jimi, having been introduced to a fearsome enemy on a safety video, turns to drink, and then to drugs. It doesn't work. He uses all the money he can scrape up to deal with the worst possible scenario and tunes out from his buddies in his platoon.
Jimi trades his last valued possession in exchange for a powerful drug just as his spaceship is attacked by his worst nightmare, a Stinger. A Stinger is similar to a scorpion that is adapted to the vacuum of space. Stingers are incredibly strong and have a poisonous barb on their tail and fearsome claws on their arms. What happens next is the subject of a real nightmare that rips through the ship's metal bulkheads and kills people nearly instantly with force, claws, or poison.
Jimi's dreams did not prepare him well enough. Jimi's last drug fix with a super strong stimulant should at least make his exit from life less painful. You will be rewarded when you discover the powers of Jimi's chemical boost. It won't be pretty. Warning: this won't be a Hollywood ending or even comic book magic. You will just need to read Stinger yourself to discover Jimi’s last fix.
Have fun.
Jimi, having been introduced to a fearsome enemy on a safety video, turns to drink, and then to drugs. It doesn't work. He uses all the money he can scrape up to deal with the worst possible scenario and tunes out from his buddies in his platoon.
Jimi trades his last valued possession in exchange for a powerful drug just as his spaceship is attacked by his worst nightmare, a Stinger. A Stinger is similar to a scorpion that is adapted to the vacuum of space. Stingers are incredibly strong and have a poisonous barb on their tail and fearsome claws on their arms. What happens next is the subject of a real nightmare that rips through the ship's metal bulkheads and kills people nearly instantly with force, claws, or poison.
Jimi's dreams did not prepare him well enough. Jimi's last drug fix with a super strong stimulant should at least make his exit from life less painful. You will be rewarded when you discover the powers of Jimi's chemical boost. It won't be pretty. Warning: this won't be a Hollywood ending or even comic book magic. You will just need to read Stinger yourself to discover Jimi’s last fix.
Have fun.
June 26, 2020
I received a review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This short story follows an ex military man turned addict on a space ship; there's action, there's angst, there's aliens, it's a romp. I overall enjoyed this book, it is a nice little story that has good flow and I could picture what was going on in my head fairly well. I like the authors voice, and I like the characters, even though you only get to spend a very short amount of time with them. I do feel like the story is lacking in character backstory and development, it was a little hard to feel triumphant for characters I didn't know very well at all, also the world building was minor as well, but that is to be expected from a story this short. I would still recommend this story to fans of SciFi however, as the story still kept me interested from beginning to end.
This short story follows an ex military man turned addict on a space ship; there's action, there's angst, there's aliens, it's a romp. I overall enjoyed this book, it is a nice little story that has good flow and I could picture what was going on in my head fairly well. I like the authors voice, and I like the characters, even though you only get to spend a very short amount of time with them. I do feel like the story is lacking in character backstory and development, it was a little hard to feel triumphant for characters I didn't know very well at all, also the world building was minor as well, but that is to be expected from a story this short. I would still recommend this story to fans of SciFi however, as the story still kept me interested from beginning to end.
January 26, 2023
A well-written, fast-paced short story. Alien 'Stingers' are feared by all. Jimi especially becomes so afraid at the possibility of facing one, he starts to take drugs and goes AWOL within the spaceship. After buying an illegal superdrug, his worst fears come to the fore when a Stinger gets aboard and goes on a killing spree. As his friends are endangered he finds the only way to save them is to face his fears and take the drug, enhancing his strength to fight the Stinger. Although still afraid, he does what he has to in order to save the others.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
February 7, 2021
A short story about a struggling addict with a deep fear of aliens who overcomes his fear with one last chance to redeem himself to his peers. Even though the audiobook was just over one hour the main character had significant character growth. I hope that the author plans to write a prequel on how Jimi became addicted and/or how humans came to be space explorers.
Disclaimer - I received this book for free in exchange for an unbiased review.
Disclaimer - I received this book for free in exchange for an unbiased review.
November 20, 2022
💚🪐🛸 A captivating story.
Jimi awoke abruptly from a recurring nightmare.
Disoriented, he bumped his head and remembered that he was hidden in a large storage locker of the Canopus warship...
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A very short captivating sci-fi story to read.
The main character is an anti-hero who tries to redeem his mistakes.
I liked the story and I recommend it.
Jimi awoke abruptly from a recurring nightmare.
Disoriented, he bumped his head and remembered that he was hidden in a large storage locker of the Canopus warship...
--------------
A very short captivating sci-fi story to read.
The main character is an anti-hero who tries to redeem his mistakes.
I liked the story and I recommend it.
August 9, 2023
The author’s message - facing and defeating fears - fabulously wrapped in deep space and a fear-wracked addict’s challenge to an unstoppable alien scorpion, builds in excellent detail to a really satisfying climax. Great character - driven rise to a very human pinnacle of tech-enhanced bravery. Bravo! Give us more!!
January 15, 2022
A thrilling begin, a short story, a long fight against aliens and an sad ending.
January 16, 2024
An intriguing short story about a drug addicted soldier overcoming his greatest fears and nightmares of a scorpion/crab alien to fight it and save his ship.
December 20, 2024
Intense from beginning to end, perfectly written gritty sci fi.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews