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Ghosts, Aliens & Magic
Strange things are afoot… A ghost wanders the corridors of an old hotel, pondering his origins. An antique mirror, bought at a garage sale, reflects more than it should. A strange fungal growth on a cellar wall tries to communicate. In the corner of a thrift store, a sentient leather jacket waits patiently. A young couple discovers a very unusual elevator in their newly purchased home. In these and the other stories in this collection, things are never quite what they seem. The world is a mysterious place full of shadows and dark corners where anything can happen—and does.
- GenresShort StoriesFantasy
168 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2014
2 people are currently reading
274 people want to read
About the author
Sheryl Tempchin
1 book6 followersFor nine years, Sheryl Tempchin published and edited Zahir, a literary journal specializing in fantasy, science fiction, and magical realism. Her own stories have appeared in numerous publications including Rosebud, where twice they were finalists for the Ursula K. Le Guin Award for Imaginative Fiction. Sheryl lives in Encinitas, California with her husband, songwriter Jack Tempchin.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
October 30, 2014
Ghosts, Aliens, & Magic
By: Sheryl Tempchin
Pages 167 2014
Copy Courtesy of Goodreads First Read
Reviewed by: tk
Superior story telling…
An extraordinary collection of short stories. Each tale is inventive and sure to entertain readers of all genres.
Truly remarkable is the individual stories are all unique unto themselves. I must express how astonishing a talent like that is. The author’s amazing ability is shining throughout this book. This is the first book by Sheryl Tempchin that I’ve read, but it won’t be the last.
Beware mini spoiler…
I have to say my favorite story was “The Permanent Guest”. A ghost with the most. I fell in love with Charles. He really doesn’t mind being dead. He enjoys his haunt, and loves to watch people. Occasionally someone will actually see him, but he isn’t scary in any way. When his true love enters the hotel from years ago…and he remembers her white dress, and his rented tuxedo…
Readers, you just have to read this delightful, thought provoking, somewhat spooky tales. A perfect afternoon, or even bedtime read. Very recommended 4/5.
By: Sheryl Tempchin
Pages 167 2014
Copy Courtesy of Goodreads First Read
Reviewed by: tk
Superior story telling…
An extraordinary collection of short stories. Each tale is inventive and sure to entertain readers of all genres.
Truly remarkable is the individual stories are all unique unto themselves. I must express how astonishing a talent like that is. The author’s amazing ability is shining throughout this book. This is the first book by Sheryl Tempchin that I’ve read, but it won’t be the last.
Beware mini spoiler…
I have to say my favorite story was “The Permanent Guest”. A ghost with the most. I fell in love with Charles. He really doesn’t mind being dead. He enjoys his haunt, and loves to watch people. Occasionally someone will actually see him, but he isn’t scary in any way. When his true love enters the hotel from years ago…and he remembers her white dress, and his rented tuxedo…
Readers, you just have to read this delightful, thought provoking, somewhat spooky tales. A perfect afternoon, or even bedtime read. Very recommended 4/5.
August 28, 2014
It’s books like Ghosts, Aliens & Magic that make me feel owning a Kindle app is worthwhile. Each story has its brilliant moments. When I first looked over the Table of Contents, I wasn’t sure how I’d proceed. The most interesting title, and one of my favorites, was the “The Tattoo Artist and the Fisherman’s Daughter.” This story begins with a fairy tale and then transitions to Dahlia, a teenager writing a story in a notebook. The first few paragraphs let you know that Dahlia is artistically observant, maybe in trouble, and would rather be living in her notebook than sitting in a High School classroom. What follows is a surprisingly twisty narrative that intermingles with the fairy tale in satisfying ways.
Next I read the opening story, “The Japanese Fan” and loved the old-world language that deliciously describes a mysterious box with a fan inside, found in a small antique shop so hidden away in the French Quarter of New Orleans that it can’t be found again. Hmmm.
“The Black Stone” takes you on a wonderful ride, transporting the main character all over the world to exotic and convenient locales, including inside bank vaults. In “Lost Lady,” the protagonist Carol is driving toward her parents’ home in San Diego, but takes a detour in an old neighborhood near downtown Los Angeles. She finds herself inappropriately dressed for the completely different time zone she enters.
The story I liked most was the last story, “The Perfect Host.” If you’ve ever acquired a jacket that had a mysterious past, that fit like a second skin, that made you feel cool and sexy, and inspired, you’ll enjoy this story. Normally when I’m done with a book of short stories, I simply move on to the next wonderful read. But when I finished this book, I went back and read that last tale again. It’s one of those rare stories that I’ll want to return to again and again.
Next I read the opening story, “The Japanese Fan” and loved the old-world language that deliciously describes a mysterious box with a fan inside, found in a small antique shop so hidden away in the French Quarter of New Orleans that it can’t be found again. Hmmm.
“The Black Stone” takes you on a wonderful ride, transporting the main character all over the world to exotic and convenient locales, including inside bank vaults. In “Lost Lady,” the protagonist Carol is driving toward her parents’ home in San Diego, but takes a detour in an old neighborhood near downtown Los Angeles. She finds herself inappropriately dressed for the completely different time zone she enters.
The story I liked most was the last story, “The Perfect Host.” If you’ve ever acquired a jacket that had a mysterious past, that fit like a second skin, that made you feel cool and sexy, and inspired, you’ll enjoy this story. Normally when I’m done with a book of short stories, I simply move on to the next wonderful read. But when I finished this book, I went back and read that last tale again. It’s one of those rare stories that I’ll want to return to again and again.
October 14, 2014
I won this book via giveaway, and I couldn't be happier that I won this one. The author is very sweet and even signed the copy and wrote a little note to me. This book was a fantastic collections of so many memorable stories, its quite hard to pick a favorite. One of my top favorites was "The Tattoo Artist and The Fisherman's Daughter." The ending had me smiling from ear to ear with a little tear in my eye. I never wanted to put this book down. Although they are short stories the are written in a way that you don't want each story to end. None of these stories are alike and are like nothing I have ever read before. Each of her stories captured my full attention. These stories will have you laughing, crying, and make you fear antiques and old houses; but in the end will always leave you with a smile on your face. I can't wait to read more of Sheryl Tempchin's works as I bet they are just as fantastic as this one was. If you don't own this and you like mystery, a little bit of romance and scary stories; go out and pick this one up!! :)
December 26, 2014
I really enjoyed this collection of supernatural tales. The scenarios are thought-provoking; the characters and the contemporary settings very authentic. Tempchin's smooth writing style makes for a very pleasant read. There isn't any deep horror here. Rather, these are the kind of strange encounters that might have happened to the person living next store. Or, for all I know, to the reader. Recommended for fans of paranormal short stories that touch upon the edge of our imaginations, and that speak to worlds we sometimes suspect are there, though we can never really be sure.
October 22, 2014
I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway, and the author was kind enough to autograph the book and include a nice note. Very cool of her.
I've got a lot of admiration for what Sheryl Tempchin's done here. This is (presumably) a self-published effort, and the care is apparent. In regards to the book's production values, it's definitely one of the stronger, more thoughtfully created self-published books I've seen. There are very few errors of any kind and the layout is clean and readable. (When we begin to navigate publishing ourselves, formatting and readability are frequently the first things to go, right?) This book is clearly a thoughtful, measured, intentional effort.
The writing itself, however, left me a bit cold. At first, a lot of the stories seem to be exploring pretty common horror tropes (a haunted house, alien possession, evil spirits, etc.) and then I realized that many of these tales are actually, at their root, pretty creative. They eschew the traditional; there's definitely some weird ideas going on here. The thing that seems so staid about much of them is that Tempchin's writing itself is just a little... flat. The characters from one story are virtually identical to another; there's not much sense of individuality or personality among any of them. It pains me to say it, especially since this is a self-published effort and so much care went into it, but while the presentation was fine and there were some potentially interesting ideas being put forth, the writing itself lacked a certain momentum. Just a little too dry for me.
I've got a lot of admiration for what Sheryl Tempchin's done here. This is (presumably) a self-published effort, and the care is apparent. In regards to the book's production values, it's definitely one of the stronger, more thoughtfully created self-published books I've seen. There are very few errors of any kind and the layout is clean and readable. (When we begin to navigate publishing ourselves, formatting and readability are frequently the first things to go, right?) This book is clearly a thoughtful, measured, intentional effort.
The writing itself, however, left me a bit cold. At first, a lot of the stories seem to be exploring pretty common horror tropes (a haunted house, alien possession, evil spirits, etc.) and then I realized that many of these tales are actually, at their root, pretty creative. They eschew the traditional; there's definitely some weird ideas going on here. The thing that seems so staid about much of them is that Tempchin's writing itself is just a little... flat. The characters from one story are virtually identical to another; there's not much sense of individuality or personality among any of them. It pains me to say it, especially since this is a self-published effort and so much care went into it, but while the presentation was fine and there were some potentially interesting ideas being put forth, the writing itself lacked a certain momentum. Just a little too dry for me.
January 2, 2015
As the title indicates, Ghosts, Aliens & Magic is a collection of short pieces of speculative fiction. From stories of hauntings to mysterious magical objects, the collection offers a variety of neat stories, each with it's own interesting twists. In the ghost stories I found myself reminded of the tales my mom used to read around the campfire after dark on weekend excursions to the mountains- not particularly frightening, but enough to make you wonder if the things in the corner of your eye are really in your imagination.
Tempchin's writing style is simple but effective, very rarely overstepping the bounds into the overzealous description that writers in the genre often tend to use. The stories nearly all end quickly after they reach the climax, leaving the reader with little time to process what has just happened. The endings are ambiguous enough to leave the reader craving more, but not enough to be confusing. The stories themselves varied from tales that adhered well to conventions of their genre to ones that were very unique and strange. My personal favorite stories were "The Tattoo Artist and the Fisherman's Daughter" and "The Old Woman on the Road."
An overall fun collection.
I received my copy of Ghosts, Aliens & Magic for free through Goodreads First Reads.
Tempchin's writing style is simple but effective, very rarely overstepping the bounds into the overzealous description that writers in the genre often tend to use. The stories nearly all end quickly after they reach the climax, leaving the reader with little time to process what has just happened. The endings are ambiguous enough to leave the reader craving more, but not enough to be confusing. The stories themselves varied from tales that adhered well to conventions of their genre to ones that were very unique and strange. My personal favorite stories were "The Tattoo Artist and the Fisherman's Daughter" and "The Old Woman on the Road."
An overall fun collection.
I received my copy of Ghosts, Aliens & Magic for free through Goodreads First Reads.
October 19, 2014
This is a well written book of short stories of a modern fantasy/mystery nature. The pacing is good and the descriptions are vibrant. The author does a very good job of setting time and place quickly. While characters don't have time to get developed, the majority of stories are memorable. Recommended.
May 16, 2016
My reading travel companions are typically short stories. This was an excellent choice for me providing an intriguing cross section of genres that I was able to enjoy during those idle moments where you want something to read, but don't want to get deeply involved. These stories are original, well written and worth reading.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews