What do you think?
Rate this book
Outcasts
A collection of short reads with elements of fantasy, science fiction, history, mystery, and horror.
Unwilling saviors, fumbling gods, speechless leaders, helpless villains, misguided detectives, abandoned heroes, misled daughters, repentant adulterers, murdered authors, jilted conquerors...
These are my outcasts.
And these are their stories.
~~~~
This anthology includes the following
Unwilling saviors, fumbling gods, speechless leaders, helpless villains, misguided detectives, abandoned heroes, misled daughters, repentant adulterers, murdered authors, jilted conquerors...
These are my outcasts.
And these are their stories.
~~~~
This anthology includes the following
168 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 27, 2012
6 people are currently reading
36 people want to read
About the author
Tom C. Underhill
12 books1 followerTom C. Underhill (real name: Nick Wisseman) lives in Bear Lake, Michigan with his wife, daughter, fifty cats, twenty horses, and ten dogs. (Okay, so there are actually ten times less pets than that, but most days it feels like more). He's not quite sure why he loves writing twisted fiction, but there's no stopping the weirdness once he's in front of a computer. Eventually he hopes to merge this stubborn surrealism more fully with his academic training to produce something in the historical fantasy line. But for now, he's content with the purely speculative fiction he's published in magazines like Allegory, Battered Suitcase, Bewildering Stories, The Cynic Online Magazine, and Mysterical-E.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
June 8, 2012
I received a free copy of this book for review.
This was a wonderful of short stories. Overall I gave it 4 stars but of course some of the stories are more and some a bit less but all are good and very much worth reading.
Ghostwriter I had read previously and gave 5 stars. This short story begins with the unknown author asking for your help with vengenance against someone who has murdered his family and mentor. As you read on he explains that just reading the story to the end will be enough for him to be revenged altho how this is to happen is never explained only implied. If you didn't want to participate all you had to do was quit reading but once you started this story you felt compelled to finish it. This was a very unusual and original story however I did find it to be quite dark. Another reviewer had mentioned that they wished Underhill would expand this story into a novel and I tend to agree. I would love to know more about what happened before and after but then again it would take some of the mystery away which is one of the most intriguing aspects of it. Overall I loved it and would recommend it to any fan of a good ghost story.
Branded Faith: 4 stars. This is a very original short story. A young man with a gift the Stranger was adopted into a religious order. They see him as a healer and a savior while he only sees it as a curse. The sadness and lonliness of the Stranger are very evident almost overwhelming in fact. I would love to read a longer version of this story. There is definite potential for this to be a wonderful full length novel.
Smile: 4 stars. This very original story was super creepy to say the least. Tammy feels invisible but it may be more than just a feeling.
Permanence: 4 stars. A group of soldiers find themsleves marooned on an island with their captain incapacitated. I loved the characters and thought this story was very well written. It had a Robinson Crusoe feel too it just a bit more modern.
Time Trick: 4 Stars. A man in a loveless marriage finds that when he has sex with a prostitute named Claudia he is able to relive moments of his past that changes his present life. A very original story with a teaser ending that really leaving you wanting the story to continue.
Splintered: 3.5 stars. A young man finds that his life is in turmoil. His world is being torn apart as possible realities merge. He encounters strangers along the way that know him. The story is unique however not unpredictable. I could definitely see where things were heading.
Charted Waters: 3.5 stars. Sailors find themselves trapped in the ocean by an unknown anomally. The concept here is definitely original but just a bit bizarre.
Low-Limb High: 3 stars. Caroline is a teenager in a broken home. She lives with her mother after her father and brother have both left. She searches for answers as to why her family is tore apart with the help of a family heirloom. My issue with this one is with everyone being so judgemental. There's always more than one side to a story and thats all we see here. Caroline wants to know why her father left but never asks why he doesn't contact her. There are so many more issues here than what is addressed.
Revisions: 3 stars. Not even sure where to start here. This story to me was the most bizarre. It starts out after Blake has died and then he finds himself in different points in history with specific instructions that are difficult to carry out. This story was definitely a new perspective on things but not my favorite of the collection.
Overall I loved this collection of stories and would recommend it to anyone who loves sci fi or short stories.
This was a wonderful of short stories. Overall I gave it 4 stars but of course some of the stories are more and some a bit less but all are good and very much worth reading.
Ghostwriter I had read previously and gave 5 stars. This short story begins with the unknown author asking for your help with vengenance against someone who has murdered his family and mentor. As you read on he explains that just reading the story to the end will be enough for him to be revenged altho how this is to happen is never explained only implied. If you didn't want to participate all you had to do was quit reading but once you started this story you felt compelled to finish it. This was a very unusual and original story however I did find it to be quite dark. Another reviewer had mentioned that they wished Underhill would expand this story into a novel and I tend to agree. I would love to know more about what happened before and after but then again it would take some of the mystery away which is one of the most intriguing aspects of it. Overall I loved it and would recommend it to any fan of a good ghost story.
Branded Faith: 4 stars. This is a very original short story. A young man with a gift the Stranger was adopted into a religious order. They see him as a healer and a savior while he only sees it as a curse. The sadness and lonliness of the Stranger are very evident almost overwhelming in fact. I would love to read a longer version of this story. There is definite potential for this to be a wonderful full length novel.
Smile: 4 stars. This very original story was super creepy to say the least. Tammy feels invisible but it may be more than just a feeling.
Permanence: 4 stars. A group of soldiers find themsleves marooned on an island with their captain incapacitated. I loved the characters and thought this story was very well written. It had a Robinson Crusoe feel too it just a bit more modern.
Time Trick: 4 Stars. A man in a loveless marriage finds that when he has sex with a prostitute named Claudia he is able to relive moments of his past that changes his present life. A very original story with a teaser ending that really leaving you wanting the story to continue.
Splintered: 3.5 stars. A young man finds that his life is in turmoil. His world is being torn apart as possible realities merge. He encounters strangers along the way that know him. The story is unique however not unpredictable. I could definitely see where things were heading.
Charted Waters: 3.5 stars. Sailors find themselves trapped in the ocean by an unknown anomally. The concept here is definitely original but just a bit bizarre.
Low-Limb High: 3 stars. Caroline is a teenager in a broken home. She lives with her mother after her father and brother have both left. She searches for answers as to why her family is tore apart with the help of a family heirloom. My issue with this one is with everyone being so judgemental. There's always more than one side to a story and thats all we see here. Caroline wants to know why her father left but never asks why he doesn't contact her. There are so many more issues here than what is addressed.
Revisions: 3 stars. Not even sure where to start here. This story to me was the most bizarre. It starts out after Blake has died and then he finds himself in different points in history with specific instructions that are difficult to carry out. This story was definitely a new perspective on things but not my favorite of the collection.
Overall I loved this collection of stories and would recommend it to anyone who loves sci fi or short stories.
April 19, 2012
A very solid four star rating for the collection as a whole. Underhill's writing reminds me of Hemingway, he likes to hint around a situation, let the characters sort of fumble their way through it, rarely giving a bigger outline or a clearer view. He uses allusion and subtlety to truly devastating effect. When I started reading these stories, I took notes so that I would be able to keep the stories straight and my impressions of them. I probably didn't need to. Every story is clearly defined, stands alone and makes an impression that stays with me. Overall, pretty much all of the stories reminded me of the sorts of critical thinking shorts I read in school--it's very reader-interactive. Since the reader is almost never just told what the *blank* is going on, they make them think, wonder, draw conclusions. They evoke images, worlds, thoughts, ideas and concepts that could be debated and argued and discussed in a group--and if anyone is wondering if that's a good thing, I would definitely say "very."
To story specifics, I don't usually do summaries in review, but I'll make an exception in this case:
"Ghost Writer" -- Three stars-- Horror: An author receives a quill that has a sinister history.: Interesting idea, but for me, this one felt like it would be better with a sister story to fill it out. I felt like there was more story to tell with this one, but what *is* told, is dark and haunting.
"Branded Faith" --Five stars-- Fantasy: Can he suffer through his gift, or will he revel in his curse?: I *loved* this short story. I didn't want it to end. If Underhill wrote a whole book in this world, I'd be begging for it. To create such a fleshed out world in such a short story, to make it feel like it could have been a side story of an epic or even a chapter beginning it... took my breath away. My favorite of the batch.
"Smile" --Three and a half stars-- Paranormal mystery: Someone takes the phrase "capturing a photo" to a whole new level.: This one gets the three and a half for just beautiful writing. This is one of the ones that least captured me, left me with too many questions, but the storytelling, the world-building was sublime, so real it could happen to anyone, anywhere.
"Time Trick" --Three stars-- Paranormal thriller: Is the time the trick or is the woman the trick?: There's a great play on words that may have inspired this idea and the concept is spectacular, extremely original, but the ending is rather abrupt. I would love to follow Claudia more, see more stories with her, but the main character just didn't capture me.
"Chartered Waters" --Three and a half stars-- Historical fantasy: How does a boat get stranded in the middle of the ocean?: This is the one I was most conflicted about. I was so confused while reading it that the twist at the end, the clarifying moment almost went right over my head. But when I got it--it was so *cool.* Just the idea of it was so clever that I can't hate it, no matter how crazy it made me while I was reading it. You definitely need to read and judge this one for yourself. It'll stay with you.
"Permanence" --Four stars-- post-apocalyptic/shipwrecked: I think the genre gives you the idea here. This was one of the best contained of the collection. While most of the stories in the collection felt like they could easily be part of a larger work, this one pretty well stood on it's own. I cared enough to wonder about the characters and what happens at the end (if they really make the right decision), but it stood so well on its own that I didn't need it. This was a very satisfying read.
"Splintered" --Five stars-- Sci-fi: The multiverse is collapsing... : I can't say too much without giving this one away, but the writing here, the descriptions of the worlds overlapping and blending into each other is beautiful. And the twist at the end, I read the last sentence, and went "no... wait..." went back and then just grinned and went "oh nice..." Just read this one.
"Low-limb High" --three stars-- paranormal mystery: Everyone keeps leaving Caroline, why?: This one was really interesting, the concept was so strong, but I kept getting tripped up because I just had no sense of time or age-relation in the story. It may not bother everyone, but it was really distracting for me. The descriptions and allusions, the way it was built was so well done, but that confusion really took away from settling in completely.
"Revision" --Five stars-- sci-fi/time travel: "The fact that you're reading this means you're a) literate, ... and b) dead.": This was the only one of the lot that made me chuckle. Really intriguing ideas, presented with a sort of morbid, quirky touch of humor. Probably the most *fun* read of the collection.
In conclusion, Underhill's writing presents a range of clever, intriguing and fascinating ideas. His writing in fluid, minimal, examples in showing rather than telling that are at times frustrating, but always leave you with an impression. Take a ride through his worlds, they're all worth at least a look-see.
To story specifics, I don't usually do summaries in review, but I'll make an exception in this case:
"Ghost Writer" -- Three stars-- Horror: An author receives a quill that has a sinister history.: Interesting idea, but for me, this one felt like it would be better with a sister story to fill it out. I felt like there was more story to tell with this one, but what *is* told, is dark and haunting.
"Branded Faith" --Five stars-- Fantasy: Can he suffer through his gift, or will he revel in his curse?: I *loved* this short story. I didn't want it to end. If Underhill wrote a whole book in this world, I'd be begging for it. To create such a fleshed out world in such a short story, to make it feel like it could have been a side story of an epic or even a chapter beginning it... took my breath away. My favorite of the batch.
"Smile" --Three and a half stars-- Paranormal mystery: Someone takes the phrase "capturing a photo" to a whole new level.: This one gets the three and a half for just beautiful writing. This is one of the ones that least captured me, left me with too many questions, but the storytelling, the world-building was sublime, so real it could happen to anyone, anywhere.
"Time Trick" --Three stars-- Paranormal thriller: Is the time the trick or is the woman the trick?: There's a great play on words that may have inspired this idea and the concept is spectacular, extremely original, but the ending is rather abrupt. I would love to follow Claudia more, see more stories with her, but the main character just didn't capture me.
"Chartered Waters" --Three and a half stars-- Historical fantasy: How does a boat get stranded in the middle of the ocean?: This is the one I was most conflicted about. I was so confused while reading it that the twist at the end, the clarifying moment almost went right over my head. But when I got it--it was so *cool.* Just the idea of it was so clever that I can't hate it, no matter how crazy it made me while I was reading it. You definitely need to read and judge this one for yourself. It'll stay with you.
"Permanence" --Four stars-- post-apocalyptic/shipwrecked: I think the genre gives you the idea here. This was one of the best contained of the collection. While most of the stories in the collection felt like they could easily be part of a larger work, this one pretty well stood on it's own. I cared enough to wonder about the characters and what happens at the end (if they really make the right decision), but it stood so well on its own that I didn't need it. This was a very satisfying read.
"Splintered" --Five stars-- Sci-fi: The multiverse is collapsing... : I can't say too much without giving this one away, but the writing here, the descriptions of the worlds overlapping and blending into each other is beautiful. And the twist at the end, I read the last sentence, and went "no... wait..." went back and then just grinned and went "oh nice..." Just read this one.
"Low-limb High" --three stars-- paranormal mystery: Everyone keeps leaving Caroline, why?: This one was really interesting, the concept was so strong, but I kept getting tripped up because I just had no sense of time or age-relation in the story. It may not bother everyone, but it was really distracting for me. The descriptions and allusions, the way it was built was so well done, but that confusion really took away from settling in completely.
"Revision" --Five stars-- sci-fi/time travel: "The fact that you're reading this means you're a) literate, ... and b) dead.": This was the only one of the lot that made me chuckle. Really intriguing ideas, presented with a sort of morbid, quirky touch of humor. Probably the most *fun* read of the collection.
In conclusion, Underhill's writing presents a range of clever, intriguing and fascinating ideas. His writing in fluid, minimal, examples in showing rather than telling that are at times frustrating, but always leave you with an impression. Take a ride through his worlds, they're all worth at least a look-see.
July 24, 2021
This was an interesting and creative compilation of short stories. The settings and characters were so varied that I never knew what the next story was going to be like. Some of the stories were much more graphic than I prefer, but that doesn't mean they were poorly written. One thing that started to bother me was how much the author uses ellipses in every single story. It's a really good technique to employ in certain circumstances, but at least 3/4 of the time the author used an ellipsis it could have been a period or semi-colon. It became distracting and detracted from the stories.
Overall, these stories were well-written and creative.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Overall, these stories were well-written and creative.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
September 16, 2021
I received a free advance reader's copy and am leaving this review voluntarily...
From the first story, the author drew me in. Each story focused on an outcast of some kind.The first story set the tone for the rest of the book and the little note at the end was the icing on the cake.
I particularly enjoyed the story "Love and World Eaters" as it reminded me of two previous books I read by this author.
So far I've enjoyed all books by this author that I've tried and would definitely be trying more.
This book had some adult situations so it should be read by adults who enjoy some weirdness in their books.
From the first story, the author drew me in. Each story focused on an outcast of some kind.The first story set the tone for the rest of the book and the little note at the end was the icing on the cake.
I particularly enjoyed the story "Love and World Eaters" as it reminded me of two previous books I read by this author.
So far I've enjoyed all books by this author that I've tried and would definitely be trying more.
This book had some adult situations so it should be read by adults who enjoy some weirdness in their books.
August 8, 2021
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Overall I thought this was an interesting bunch of stories. Some of them really caught my attention by their uniqueness like "branded" but others lost my interest because of how confusing they were. Like "splintered", which came together at the end, but I almost didn't finish because of how confused I had gotten while reading. I do think most of the stories were well written.
Overall I thought this was an interesting bunch of stories. Some of them really caught my attention by their uniqueness like "branded" but others lost my interest because of how confusing they were. Like "splintered", which came together at the end, but I almost didn't finish because of how confused I had gotten while reading. I do think most of the stories were well written.
August 27, 2021
Overall I very much enjoyed this collection! For some of the stories, it took me a bit to get into a story but most of them I loved! I applaud the author's imagination and the mysterious worlds he created. There wasn't really a standout story for me, I found the collection to work well as a cohesive piece of art.
(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.)
May 24, 2023
That was an interesting set of short stories. I liked some stories such as "Ghostwriter", "Time trick" but some of them was not up to my taste. The writing style is very beautiful and I hope he can extend on the story "Ghostwriter", because that was the most original idea and breathtaking beginning to the story I have every seen.
March 27, 2020
got lost a few times. overall a pretty good trip. a few in there worth the trip all by themselves. worth a try for anyone who likes fiction.
March 27, 2012
A big thanks to author for giving me a gift copy of this book.
Ghost Writer: To kill a man or not to. That is the question? The writer here asks of you to murder someone in any manner of your choice. 4 Stars
Branded Faith: A tale of a monk with a back and forth dialogue of a unamed man. Very interesting! 5 Stars
Time Trick: A mans penis is playing tricks on him. Flashbacks of previous sex partners. But ending in prison he finds the real reason. 3 Stars.
Permanence: A platoon caught on an island after their plane goes down. Exchange journal entries in a notebook waiting for rescue. 5 Stars
Low-Limb High 4 Stars
Tom Underhill has some interesting shorts. Above is my favorites. I believe some of these can be turned into a full novel, such as "Permanence". Overall a big four stars. Will look forward to more from Tom Underhill.
Ghost Writer: To kill a man or not to. That is the question? The writer here asks of you to murder someone in any manner of your choice. 4 Stars
Branded Faith: A tale of a monk with a back and forth dialogue of a unamed man. Very interesting! 5 Stars
Time Trick: A mans penis is playing tricks on him. Flashbacks of previous sex partners. But ending in prison he finds the real reason. 3 Stars.
Permanence: A platoon caught on an island after their plane goes down. Exchange journal entries in a notebook waiting for rescue. 5 Stars
Low-Limb High 4 Stars
Tom Underhill has some interesting shorts. Above is my favorites. I believe some of these can be turned into a full novel, such as "Permanence". Overall a big four stars. Will look forward to more from Tom Underhill.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews