Office Hours

by Michael Shotter

A brilliant theoretical scientist, Dr. Franklin Nod was born well before his time, the technologies required to prove his theories mere glimmers on a distant horizon. Now, in the twilight of his career, and perhaps his very existence, Franklin is faced with yet another day of apparently-meaningless chores but this day will prove unlike any other as the steadfast engineer completes his professional obligations, and his “Office Hours.”

From the author of "The Big Men," “309,” "Shards," “The Nemesis Effect,” "Big Man Down," “500,” and “The Spiral and The Threads” comes an all-new tale from The Nod/Wells Timelines that's sure to satisfy fans of science fiction, horror, thrillers, suspense, and the universe established in those other works.

This story is included in the author's collection, "8: Tales of The Big Men from The Nod/Wells Timelines."

32 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 2, 2024

About the author

Michael Shotter is a lifelong resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. As a lover of science, fiction, and fantasy, his works aim to push beyond the boundaries of traditional genre fiction into new and exciting realms born from literary craftsmanship.

Reviews

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars
Enjoyed this short story and the sci-fi element/twist.
I still have questions about the pen…
Actively checked this story out when I saw the author had it available on Kindle Unlimited, as I really enjoyed the first story I’d read called Paper or Plastic (won via Goodreads Giveaway).
Entertaining short story and definitely reading more stories from this author.

[Corrie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I went into this not really knowing what to expect. I was enjoying the first half of this, but the second half sped up so much it felt like whiplash. There were so many different plot ideas thrown in for only 32 pages that weren't able to be fleshed out or wrapped up cleanly.

[Brian Bowyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Riveting Genre Mashup!

Another winner from Shotter. You can't go wrong with anything he writes, and I'm looking forward to anything Shotter releases. Highly recommended for fans of great fiction!

[Lisa Marks · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have not read any other books by this author, so did not know what to expect when I won this book from Goodreads. It was a really quick read but kept me interested to the end.

[Chapter Chirp (Jessica)]

“Office Hours” is a short story following scientist Franklin Nod who after being promoted from lead researcher to an administrator is less than enthusiastic about not only his job but also life in general. This story is part of a series but I felt like it could definitely be read as a standalone with full understanding. For a short story it had quite a few interesting quirks by way of characters, plot, and ending.
#GoodreadsGiveaway