No Turning Back: Stories

by Dan Burns

In No Turning Back, Dan Burns shares an eclectic mix of stories that push the boundaries of genre and imagination. Told with realistic and thought-provoking prose, each of the stories shine light on characters who, as a result of a particular experience, realize that they can't go back—in time or to the way life use to be. Moving forward is the only option, and what comes next is anyone’s guess.

In Come Out, Wherever You Are, a man retreats to his home in the woods to live out the rest of his life in solitude. He hopes to evade the “public eye” but instead finds himself both a victim and beneficiary of circumstance.

At the End of the Day is a story of forbidden and improbable love. After working together for more than five years, a man and woman begin a relationship they never dreamed was possible.

In the title story, No Turning Back, a young paratrooper on a flight into enemy territory gets to think about and face his ultimate fears.

The author accompanies each story with his personal notes regarding the thoughts and ideas that inspired him to write the story, adding a unique behind-the-scenes perspective of the writing process.

Genres: Short Stories

280 pages, Hardcover

First published April 27, 2014

About the author

Dan Burns is the author of seven books, including the novels A Fine Line and Recalled to Life, and the short story collections Grace: Stories and a Novella and No Turning Back: Stories. He is also an award-winning writer of stories for the screen and stage. A Necessary Explosion: Collected Poems is his first poetry collection, fifteen years in the making.

Reviews

[Jk · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a gorgeous hardcover copy of this book for free through the Goodreads First Reads program and would like to thank the author and everyone else who made that possible!

This is a wide-ranging short story collection with stories the run the gamut from science fiction to post apocalyptic to ironic comedy to romance to addressing questions of life after death, fate and the meaning of life. These stories all felt authentic and original and even though not all of them were my cup of tea they were all very well written and very well edited. The standouts for me from this collection were At the End of the Day, The Pass and No Turning Back and the only story that rated less than a 3 for me was Letting Go (my impressions of each story below). The introduction was great and I really loved the story notes at the end of each story that gave you some of the insights and motivations for the stories.

Come Out Wherever You Are: 4 stars – love the premise but I want to know what happens next and I also found myself wanting to know more about incidents in the main characters past that were alluded to. Generally I found the short story form somewhat unsatisfying for this story – there is more that needs to be told!

At the End of the Day: 5 stars – beautiful story about love and loss and moving forward when fate takes unexpected turns

Out of Touch: 3 stars – liked the story, it has a very interesting twist but it didn’t resonate with me as much as some did

Letting Go: 2 stars – not my favorite story, the events seemed unbelievable in the story notes we find out that the main character is some sort of government agent and that this story is but a small episode in the scope of his larger world – in light of this I think the story could work in that larger framework but didn’t meet the mark for me as a standalone story

The Dark Side: 4 stars – very interesting concept, enjoyable and thought-provoking story

For a Few Laughs: 4 stars – very original, I really liked it

Adios Amigo: 4 stars – when I first finished this story I was put off by the bizarre ending but the more I thought about it the more I came to appreciate the comedic irony, very original

An Unexpected Guest: 3 stars – obviously a meaningful story to the author, it didn’t really evoke any strong feelings in me one way or another but it wasn’t a bad story

The Pass: 5 stars – heartfelt, experience driven stories seem to be what this author does best – this was a great one

No Turning Back: 5 stars – this story really resonated with me and I loved it

Overall a fantastically diverse and engrossing collection filled with very original ideas and more than a few twist endings. I would love to read more from this author!

[Kathleen O'Mara · Rating 5 out of 5]

10 short stories in one book by Dan Burns
may be just the thing to get your mind off the world or decide to engage just a bit more. Thought provoking, the sometimes Twilight Zone reminiscent or Bradburyesque tales transport the reader to another place.

The ten stories are: Cone Out Wherever You Are, At the End of the Day, Out of Touch, Letting Go, The Dark Side, For a Few Laughs, Adios Amigo, An Unexpected Guest – A Fantasy, The Pass, and No Turning Back. Will keep you turning pages through the quick paced prose.

Come Out, Wherever You Are takes one path on an apocalyptic day. What would you do if you were the last man standing? You may think differently when you’re done with this one. I particularly liked the descriptions of the location and how what was expect just wasn’t what was found.

Adios Amigo is particularly disturbing in that funny Twilight Zone sort of way. While it reminded me of one of the tele-plays it was distinctly different. The differences included a 21st century taste for the ew-factor. By the end, we’re not sympathetic to the main character and yet… ew.

An Unexpected Guest is the answer to, if you could have dinner with anyone, absolutely anyone, who would it be? Dan Burns’s guest is simply delightful, and if it is based completely on fantasy, it’s just how I would imagine his guest would be. No spoiler here. But when you read it you’ll know why he included this vignette with this collection.

The last story No Turning Back is thought provoking especially with the announcement of the end of the warfare in Afghanistan; it gives us food for thought before we send any other young men to foreign countries.

If you like SciFi stories without the gore you’ll enjoy this collection of short stories and commentary from author Dan Burns.

[Guy Venturi · Rating 5 out of 5]

The reader is the real winner with this collection of shorts.

Stories are the snacks that feed any author's production, by organizing thoughts into plots and allowing characters to develop into the glue that holds the plot together thru the conflicts and discoveries that can carry the idea into the "perfect" novel.

Some of these stories resonated with me as they brought flashbacks of my life and experience. This is definitely an author in tune with life situations and with the ability to flesh out the characters thru descriptive narrative that ties the story into a neat package.

[Marisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel is different because it is a collection of short stories, all with their own story but along the same lines. I love that about compilations and I REALLY love that when you’re busy and you can’t read through a whole book. It is a lot easier to finish a short story than a full length novel. Another interesting thing in this book is the fun-facts the author has placed after each story about how he came to writing about each of the stories. Because these are short stories the character build is far less than that of a full length novel but this also means that we aren’t stuck with unnecessary details for several chapters as we would be in a full length read.

[Nicholas Hochstedler · Rating 5 out of 5]

These stories motivated me to start writing again!

[Gail Galvan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t travel much anymore, so it’s very exciting when a writer takes me on a trip to far off places, especially intriguing locations full of mystery and wild imagination. That’s what this author did for me. It’s as if he opened the passenger side door of his car and said, “Get in, come on, let me take you on a literary adventure.” So I accepted his invitation and not only got to experience one trip, we visited ten different stops along our journey. A lover of short stories, I felt eager and ready to ride.
Before the storytelling began, however, the author explained the other interesting aspects of the book: (1) notes at the end of every story that lend insight into what provoked the idea for the content and (2) a sense of literary mentoring/author advocacy which resonates throughout the book. Readers and writers, especially, will appreciate how Burns shares his thoughts and feelings with regard to how he made a dead stop at a crossroads in his life, then, consciously chose to take the most passionate path and follow his intuitive “heart-purpose”— to be the best and busiest writer he can be.
Okay, okay, I’m veering off the main path and not telling you any specifics to where I got to go. Though, I will have to remain somewhat elusive, since they are short stories/trips and I can’t show and tell too much because I’m not the guy or girl sitting next to you at the movies spoiling endings. I’m sure you will want to experience it all for yourself.
From beautiful (in jeopardy) Montana, to a hovering airplane locked and loaded with American soldiers ready to parachute right into foreign territory, I traveled along. Story content, believable interesting characters, vivid descriptions – it all flowed naturally, so I could see everything, feel it all, be there. Sometimes the stories seemed to pose more questions than supply answers, but then in the next few stories, it was explained, in a way, “Don’t worry, more is coming about this character and/or story.” Then I was more satisfied, more willing to keep traveling forward.
When I came across a sad scene early on about a love story taking turns I didn’t like, I thought, I sure hope there is some happier scenery around the bend. I felt like quoting Jack Nicholson, “Is that as good as it gets?” Or, “Something’s gotta give.” So luckily we came to a halt there, quickly moved on to some more interesting, intriguing places and characters.
One of my favorites, in “Letting Go,” there is this mysterious guy sitting inside a coffee shop. His name is Sebastian Drake, “dark sunglasses and a black suit that had seen better days with a black T-shirt underneath it.” Right away, it’s obvious that this dude has some deep, dark secret past from which there is no turning back and he just wants to be left alone. This businessman keeps bothering him. Turns out it is a fellow student from St. Peter’s Elementary School from thirty years ago. Well, apparently, the businessman has some unfinished issues with Drake. He even points a gun at him from underneath the table. Drake’s not impressed, though. Calmly he says, “You think you’re James Bond?”
Finally Drake mentions his name, Ray Parsons. Still has no clue, though, why this guy from the past is tracking him down now. But that all gets divulged. Then I was left with, of course, wanting to know more about this Drake fellow. What’s his whole story? What can’t he go back in time and change? And what’s he up to now?
Well, good news, ask an author for more and sometimes he/she delivers. Following the literary footsteps of “Jack Reacher, Phillip Marlowe, Sam Spade” and others, apparently, Drake became a character that gnawed at the author until he just knew there was more to come. So screenplay, novel, it all looks like that perseverance as a writer will lead to entertaining us all for quite a while. Can’t wait!
Some stories drove us straight into Twilight Zone areas, which really was a treat, since; of course, it was one of my favorite television shows while growing up. One poor guy gets “delivered” to “the dark side of the moon.” When I read that this was a Pink Floyd song and album title, it felt odd. I connected more to the song Kryptonite by 3 Doors Down, but I still got the picture. All I know is, I enjoyed the literary rides, even to the dark places, but I sure am glad to be back home, safely, where the sun still shines and fellow Americans are still walking around on the face of our beautiful, beloved planet, Earth!
One last footnote: Somebody better tell those two white sheep on the cover of the book that if they take one more step forward, there is no turning back! The greener pastures appear to be behind them. But who knows, after the risks, the bold, daring choice to take that leap of faith and trail off onto other crossroads, into other worlds, maybe even greener pastures, sometimes anyway, may be just around a corner. We can only hope. Because if we can’t turn back, and we fear proceeding ahead, we’re just simply stuck, right there on the edge of a potentially life-changing cliff, right?
Loved the theme – there is no turning back. Great, evocative, reflective literary adventures! Loved the ride, the book! Hopefully more writers will stay bold – keep in our hearts what we have learned from the past, yet persevere, like Burns, with the same strong optimistic faith and self-will to keep traveling forward with our imaginations intact.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This compilation of short stories will leave you craving more. The stories are thought provoking, entertaining, funny, sad, and strange. As you read each story, you're transported to another place to share an experience with the protagonist . After each story, the author shares his notes on what inspired him to write it, giving the reader even more insight.

[Daryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Goodreads First Reads Giveaway! I really love the short story form, when done right, but I didn't know what to expect from this book of stories. I was pleasantly surprised a couple of times, but mostly I was left feeling "meh, that was okay." There is no indication in the book if any of these stories were previously published, and I'm guessing they weren't. Most of these stories are just a notch below what one might expect from a national and/or literary magazine. The writing is crisp, clear, and easily digestible. Burns doesn't employ any literary tricks (thankfully), and most of the stories jump right in, without any wasted space -- the way a short story should. Burns also includes notes at the end of each story about the inspiration or writing of that story. While I normally enjoy that kind of thing, I really didn't gain any insight from reading those.

The first story, "Come Out, Wherever You Are" served as my introduction to the collection and to Dan Burns. It started out fairly average, the story of an older man who decides to forego the company of his fellow man and heads off to his cabin with just his dog for a few weeks or months, off the grid. Okay, I thought, fine, kind of a back to nature tale. Then the story takes a kind of sci-fi, Night of the Comet-like twist, which while not exactly original, I didn't see coming. "Out of Touch" also takes a kind of odd -- and not entirely believable -- twist. I liked that the stories herein kind of veered off into different genres -- science fiction, fantasy, crime -- while some of them stayed decidedly mainstream. One of my favorites was "The Pass," a very realistic, grounded story of every parent's nightmare: a young child injured in an accident and fighting for life, while the narrator reflects back on a similar incident in his past. I also enjoyed the writing in "Out of Touch," told almost entirely in dialogue.

While there's nothing very momentous or earth-shattering in this collection, the stories provide a nice variety of entertaining short fiction.

[Diane Dachota · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dan Burns is a local author and the husband of a friend of mine. This book of short stories is original and interesting. I enjoyed the variety of subject matter and two stories in particular: Come out, Wherever you are, and An Unexpected Guest: A fantasy were quite good. I would have given this review four stars if it weren't for a story I hated: Adios Amigo. In this story, a fat couple are described as disgusting in every possible way and the moral of story seems to be that fat people don;t deserve to live. As someone who struggles with my weight, I very much disagree with the stories ideas that: A) Fat people go on vacations only to eat morning, afternoon and dinner buffets, B)Fat women read only romance novels (too dumb to read anything else) and C) Fat people shouldn't wear a swimsuit even with a cover up, even to sit at a pool. If this story were missing from this collection it would improve it 100% percent.

[Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great group of stories! It's been awhile since I've read any short stories, and I'd forgotten how enjoyable they could be, and how much of an impact they could have in so few pages. These stories in particular really got me thinking and lingered long after I was done reading. Going through this book made me run the gamut of different emotions. From a beautiful love story of an actor and publicist to the edge-of-seat action of a new soldier's first parachute jump, then a funny story of a businessman in a foreign land. Also, I liked the impact of the man who stayed at a cabin and then was surprised when he came back to town. The emotional impact of someone saving a life, and another one meeting an admired author...all of the stories had important thoughts and meanings. I highly recommend this book. I look forward to reading more from Dan Burns.

[Charissa Wilkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book as part of the Goodreads First Reads Program for the purpose of a review.

Overview: This is a nice little collection of stories. They come in all shapes and sizes, and you’ll never be quite sure what you’ll get next. Makes reading it fun.

Likes: “For a Few Laughs…”no… “An Unexpected Guest…”that’s it…wait, maybe not…um, I can’t pick one. “For a Few Laughs” who couldn’t use a good joke, but Ray Bradbury in “An Unexpected Guest.” How does one choose?

Dislikes: “The Dark Side.”

Conclusion: I’m keeping an eye out for this author. As well I’ll be looking forward to when Sebastian Drake comes out again. I’m still laughing about the finger.

[Sophia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to win this book in one of the Goodreads giveaways. Some of the style that Burns picked up from Bradbury was definitely apparent in the more recent stories. The short stories took on many different forms and, like most short story books, some were better than others. I particularly enjoyed his three earliest stories and a couple others. He includes notes for each of the stories, which is interesting, but sometimes I find it fun to make my own speculations and interpretations for the story. His writing still seems green but with good potential.

[Dorothy Schauer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very hard book to rate. I loved the stories they on the most part great stories. The problem I had was that I felt that some stories left me with the feeling that there should have been more. I like that the author told about how he started the stories and why he wrote them but I think that sometimes he should have told more of the story to get some kind of ending. He is a great writer and had a way that you could feel the story as it was told. I would like to read another of his books.

[Randy Richardson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to get my hands on an advance reading copy and the title is fitting, because once I started reading there was no turning back...I finished in a day. A fine varied collection...and I really enjoyed reading his stories behind the stories. Fans of the band Rush will want it just for the cover, which was designed by Hugh Syme, the artist who did the all those classic Rush album covers.

[Sue Merrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was also lucky enough to get an advance reading copy and finished it in a day at the beach. Lots of entertaining reads here. In each of the 10 stories. he sets up a situation that makes you want to see how it will turn out, and since the stories aren't too long, you don't have to wait long to reach a satisfactory conclusion. Some are funny, some a little frightening, one's strictly fantasy. But he creates interesting characters, and isn't that the reason we read?

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won my copy of this book through a First Reads giveaway. What a great collection of 10 short stories! This was a thoroughly enjoyable read and like the others who have reviewed the book, I found it difficult to put down. All of the stories were well constructed, meaningful, and thought provoking. One of the things I enjoyed most was the author's notes at the end of each story describing the genesis of each tale. I highly recommend this book and look forward to reading more from Dan Burns.

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book through First Reads on Goodreads in exchange for an honest review. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, probably due to the fact that this author truly enjoyed writing this book! I don't know which of the short stories I enjoyed the most-there were quite a few that I liked a LOT……but the author took the time to write down his personal inspiration for each short story afterwards, & I think this personal touch makes the book extra-special.

[Debbie Payne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great stories. I am not quite finished but the first five or six stories were wonderful. I absolutely have enjoyed the notes on the stories after we have read them. This collection of stories would make for a good book club selection. I will stop back with a few more comments when I have finished.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

VERDICT: With a nice flow in the writing and rich diversity of genre and content, Dan Burns offers a captivating collection of short stories. A great invitation to lean forward and jump.


see my full review here:
http://wordsandpeace.com/2014/11/12/b...

[Lukas Zabel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really want to win this book