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Rough Passages #1
Extraordinary
A trip to the traveling carnival with two toddlers and a mobility-challenged parent isn't most people's definition of fun, but it's closer than Valerie Wade usually gets. A few hours kicking sawdust and revisiting favorite childhood memories, that's all she asks.
It's her annual treat, a visit back in time to the carefree years before she learned that her blood carries a potential death sentence, before life beat her down and broke her spirit. It's the one place where she can forget about secrets, debts and obligations for a few hours and remember what hope feels like.
Everything changes that night, under the bright lights and the striped awnings. The monsters and freaks aren't in the sideshow tents. They're walking the aisles, and before the carnival is done, Valerie will be taking her place among them.
It's her annual treat, a visit back in time to the carefree years before she learned that her blood carries a potential death sentence, before life beat her down and broke her spirit. It's the one place where she can forget about secrets, debts and obligations for a few hours and remember what hope feels like.
Everything changes that night, under the bright lights and the striped awnings. The monsters and freaks aren't in the sideshow tents. They're walking the aisles, and before the carnival is done, Valerie will be taking her place among them.
38 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 24, 2015
2 people are currently reading
27 people want to read
About the author
K.M. Herkes
18 books64 followersI write, I grow things, I camp and hike, I pacify cats, and I do a lot of research online and off. If our assorted alphabet-soup national security agencies really do monitor citizens based on keyword searches, then I'm probably on all of the criminal watch lists in existence.
Otherwise, I am mostly quiet with a thirty-percent chance of loud, and the rest is subject to change without warning. Professional development has included classroom teaching, animal training, aquaculture, horticulture, retail management, inventory operations, and customer service. Personal development is ongoing.
Otherwise, I am mostly quiet with a thirty-percent chance of loud, and the rest is subject to change without warning. Professional development has included classroom teaching, animal training, aquaculture, horticulture, retail management, inventory operations, and customer service. Personal development is ongoing.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
August 7, 2015
I downloaded this book for free when it first came out. I do this a lot. I download books and they sit on my Kindle for ages, waiting for their titles to catch my eye. Last night I came across this one. I have just enough time to read a short story before bed, I thought. I am so glad I did.
I have read a lot of stories where people get super powers. Usually, it is a young person, and usually, it is exciting and an honor. This story flipped those expectations on their heads. What happens when a woman who has built an entire life already, a woman with responsibilities and burdens and a heart heavy from a life lived, is suddenly told her body is going to change? Not only that, but superpowers are a curse and a death sentence. A disease. Suddenly she is dealing with social stigma, with controlling what she can do, with her family’s reactions. Can she reinvent herself? Can she use this problem, which is layered on top of her other problems, to become strong?
The characters in this short were complex and realistic. The world building was so real, so heart-wrenching. Honestly? The most beautiful super hero story I’ve ever read. No lie. I would say, I wish it was longer, but I don’t. It flowed perfectly and stopped exactly where it should have. You don’t expect literature out of the super hero genre often, but when you find it, just shut up and pay your ninety nine cents. You can thank me later.
I have read a lot of stories where people get super powers. Usually, it is a young person, and usually, it is exciting and an honor. This story flipped those expectations on their heads. What happens when a woman who has built an entire life already, a woman with responsibilities and burdens and a heart heavy from a life lived, is suddenly told her body is going to change? Not only that, but superpowers are a curse and a death sentence. A disease. Suddenly she is dealing with social stigma, with controlling what she can do, with her family’s reactions. Can she reinvent herself? Can she use this problem, which is layered on top of her other problems, to become strong?
The characters in this short were complex and realistic. The world building was so real, so heart-wrenching. Honestly? The most beautiful super hero story I’ve ever read. No lie. I would say, I wish it was longer, but I don’t. It flowed perfectly and stopped exactly where it should have. You don’t expect literature out of the super hero genre often, but when you find it, just shut up and pay your ninety nine cents. You can thank me later.
May 3, 2015
I buy these stories as soon as a new one is released.
In this science fiction world, hitting middle age holds much more of a threat than the possibility of making poor decisions based on childish fantasies or the normal health concerns of getting older. In this world, there's a chance you'll go through "rollover" and become something else, something supernaturally or physically other, something potentially dangerous.
Herkes does a fine job of building her world without resorting to stop-offs for exposition. She creates just enough vocabulary in context for the reader to understand the new rules, but not so much that you feel like you need a glossary of terms.
She has a great imagination and a knack for creating characters the reader can empathize with right away.
This is a swell series, and I'd love to read a novel set in this world.
In this science fiction world, hitting middle age holds much more of a threat than the possibility of making poor decisions based on childish fantasies or the normal health concerns of getting older. In this world, there's a chance you'll go through "rollover" and become something else, something supernaturally or physically other, something potentially dangerous.
Herkes does a fine job of building her world without resorting to stop-offs for exposition. She creates just enough vocabulary in context for the reader to understand the new rules, but not so much that you feel like you need a glossary of terms.
She has a great imagination and a knack for creating characters the reader can empathize with right away.
This is a swell series, and I'd love to read a novel set in this world.
March 5, 2019
Excellent twist on superhero stories with very high and satisfying emotional stakes and relatable characters who must come to terms with their new powers, or the powered people around them. I'm definitely going to collect and finish out this series in the anthology Rough Passages.
In this world powers manifest randomly at age 40+ and it's a refreshing change from the usual adolescent onset, before a person's life is truly settled into work and committed relationships that will be turned upside down and inside out. This manifestation, the "rollover," happens so frequently (and sometimes so abruptly and with such dangerous results) that the population undergoes mandatory testing every year.
Those who "rollover" are whisked off to a government facility for training and special assignments (if they are fortunate). They also keep looking "human" enough that it may not force a radical change in their employment or closest relationships (if they are fortunate).
The author has clearly put a lot of thought into the infrastructures and policies that would arise from such a fantastic reality. Even better, she really explores the emotional costs and great personal sacrifices that come with having powers you can't control--or can't yet--and facing the prejudice of the 'normal' population without powers. There's a very X-men vibe there but without all the masked vigilantes, and the population's fear is palpable and believable.
Without spoiling the ending (which both broke and warmed my heart), there are poignant emotional arcs for the characters in this first novella that are hard-earned, and accomplished with just the right light touch.
IF YOU LOVE A STORY, SPEAK UP--BOOST THE SIGNAL!
In this world powers manifest randomly at age 40+ and it's a refreshing change from the usual adolescent onset, before a person's life is truly settled into work and committed relationships that will be turned upside down and inside out. This manifestation, the "rollover," happens so frequently (and sometimes so abruptly and with such dangerous results) that the population undergoes mandatory testing every year.
Those who "rollover" are whisked off to a government facility for training and special assignments (if they are fortunate). They also keep looking "human" enough that it may not force a radical change in their employment or closest relationships (if they are fortunate).
The author has clearly put a lot of thought into the infrastructures and policies that would arise from such a fantastic reality. Even better, she really explores the emotional costs and great personal sacrifices that come with having powers you can't control--or can't yet--and facing the prejudice of the 'normal' population without powers. There's a very X-men vibe there but without all the masked vigilantes, and the population's fear is palpable and believable.
Without spoiling the ending (which both broke and warmed my heart), there are poignant emotional arcs for the characters in this first novella that are hard-earned, and accomplished with just the right light touch.
IF YOU LOVE A STORY, SPEAK UP--BOOST THE SIGNAL!
March 9, 2018
The trouble with short stories is that you have only a few pages to establish your world, characters, and force the reader to care. Because of this, I normally shy away from anthologies and collected works. This is one of the few exceptions to the rule. Herkes does an amazing job of filling in her world and making you fall in love with her characters with only a few words. I actually became teary-eyed.
Herkes' storytelling abilities are surprisingly great. It's a fast-paced read, but you tend to soak up everything as you read it. It's captivating and exciting. The characters are easy to relate to, while being interesting. The world is similar to ours, but with a few serious changes. Herkes eases us into these changes without overpowering us with a ton of information that we can't process all at once.
What I enjoyed best about this book is that most of the stories are intertwined. We meet several of the same characters in different stories.
Though I sincerely wish that Herkes would take this world and create a full-blown novel out of it, I thoroughly enjoyed the short stories. I'm looking forward to jumping into her Stories of the Restoration series. Though these are also short stories, if they're as well done as Rough Passages, I'm sure to love it.
Herkes' storytelling abilities are surprisingly great. It's a fast-paced read, but you tend to soak up everything as you read it. It's captivating and exciting. The characters are easy to relate to, while being interesting. The world is similar to ours, but with a few serious changes. Herkes eases us into these changes without overpowering us with a ton of information that we can't process all at once.
What I enjoyed best about this book is that most of the stories are intertwined. We meet several of the same characters in different stories.
Though I sincerely wish that Herkes would take this world and create a full-blown novel out of it, I thoroughly enjoyed the short stories. I'm looking forward to jumping into her Stories of the Restoration series. Though these are also short stories, if they're as well done as Rough Passages, I'm sure to love it.
March 24, 2015
For those that haven't been following the stories, Rough Passages, tells of a super science fiction version of our world in which ordinary folks, through genetic lottery, turn into 'monsters.' Up until now, the stories have been set in a military environment, where the more dangerous of these people find a place to live and thrive. This story is the first to look at the civilian side. Full of the mindless bigotry that humans are so good at, and the spirit that can slowly erode it. Looking forward to the next.
August 8, 2016
I can’t fulfill the author’s wish and say this isn’t my usual read, but I can give her a full-throated atta-girl (is that a thing?) for a fun, fascinating short story that achieves a whole lot in a few pages. The “monsters” are complex characters and they exist inside a fully realized contemporary “world” that the author reveals by peeling back one thin veil at a time. I never felt lost, and yet I was never spoon-fed details of why this world existed or how the characters within it functioned. I was simply guided through their interactions to discover it for myself—good writing.
This is the first in a series and I highly recommend it as an intriguing, beautifully written piece of thoughtful storytelling.
This review was originally written for "Books and Pals" book blog.
This is the first in a series and I highly recommend it as an intriguing, beautifully written piece of thoughtful storytelling.
This review was originally written for "Books and Pals" book blog.
October 11, 2015
Skilled Romp in an Alternate Reality
Skilled talent was required to bring this book off so effortlessly. It was smooth and comfortable in its freakishness. The characters were well developed in a short span and portrayed with all their flaws and goodness. When the carnival makes you feel at home, it's the chaos that brings peace. Wonderful!
Skilled talent was required to bring this book off so effortlessly. It was smooth and comfortable in its freakishness. The characters were well developed in a short span and portrayed with all their flaws and goodness. When the carnival makes you feel at home, it's the chaos that brings peace. Wonderful!
October 18, 2015
Powerful
What a punch. I cried.
As usual, a masterful weaving of world details and back story into a single tapestry of short story that could be so much longer, but doesn't need to be.
What a punch. I cried.
As usual, a masterful weaving of world details and back story into a single tapestry of short story that could be so much longer, but doesn't need to be.
July 13, 2016
Excellent imagery
A great introduction to this world. Character introductions make you care quickly and want to know more, even those without abilities. Well done, counselor!
A great introduction to this world. Character introductions make you care quickly and want to know more, even those without abilities. Well done, counselor!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews