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The Navigator Part 1
This short story combines the imaginative concept of changing one’s fate with a new-adult level of navigating a mysterious life. Animator-style printing and colorful illustrations give this quick read a real adult-swim, comic book store feel.
The Navigator begins in a seedy beachside bar in Santa Cruz. Some college students are hitting on an attractive surfer girl while she tries to study quantum physics. As the guys try to impress her with their knowledge, a drunken, homeless old man named Killian attempts to come to her rescue. He stumbles, trembles, and is suddenly as sober and articulate as a graduate school professor! Killian proceeds to disprove the college boys’ theory, and expand on his own, shocking everyone. Eva is fascinated, and invites Killian to a drink. In return, he explains how he can trek through different dimensions to find other versions of his life.
Eva is thrilled enough to follow her new study subject, nursing him through the pain and suffering from the dimensional transfer with alcohol and a “medicinal” stogie. Killian admires her beauty, and lets her interview him about multiple dimensions and how he can navigate them. An odd friendship forms. Killian has another episode with Eva at the pier, and she starts to see him as a victim of his own gift. She continues to help, without revealing the real reason she cares about him.
The Navigator begins in a seedy beachside bar in Santa Cruz. Some college students are hitting on an attractive surfer girl while she tries to study quantum physics. As the guys try to impress her with their knowledge, a drunken, homeless old man named Killian attempts to come to her rescue. He stumbles, trembles, and is suddenly as sober and articulate as a graduate school professor! Killian proceeds to disprove the college boys’ theory, and expand on his own, shocking everyone. Eva is fascinated, and invites Killian to a drink. In return, he explains how he can trek through different dimensions to find other versions of his life.
Eva is thrilled enough to follow her new study subject, nursing him through the pain and suffering from the dimensional transfer with alcohol and a “medicinal” stogie. Killian admires her beauty, and lets her interview him about multiple dimensions and how he can navigate them. An odd friendship forms. Killian has another episode with Eva at the pier, and she starts to see him as a victim of his own gift. She continues to help, without revealing the real reason she cares about him.
- GenresShort Stories
24 pages, ebook
Published November 28, 2015
7 people want to read
About the author
Clifton Kenny
4 books64 followersA lifetime writing enthusiast, as well as a dedicated superhero fiction and science fiction fan, Clifton Kenny was published in The Guilded Pen, an anthology of short stories, in 2015. Kenny is a retired high school teacher with graduate degrees in education, biochemistry, music, and Spanish.
Reflections is his full-length novel debut, earning a recommendation from the San Diego Writers and Editors Guild. He was also recognized in June of 2015 on Tondo in their list of Next Big Authors.
Clifton Kenny currently resides in Burlington, Vermont, and is a former resident of Old Connecticut Path in Framingham, Massachusetts.
Clifton Kenny Blogs
. . . and he tweets!
CKP Facebook page
CKP on Instagram
Inside CKP scoop on Pinterest
Reflections is his full-length novel debut, earning a recommendation from the San Diego Writers and Editors Guild. He was also recognized in June of 2015 on Tondo in their list of Next Big Authors.
Clifton Kenny currently resides in Burlington, Vermont, and is a former resident of Old Connecticut Path in Framingham, Massachusetts.
Clifton Kenny Blogs
. . . and he tweets!
CKP Facebook page
CKP on Instagram
Inside CKP scoop on Pinterest
Ratings & Reviews
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
January 21, 2019
This was a cool read/listen! Give me more! It was funny and flowed just right. Totally sucks it’s a short story :/
March 12, 2021
I really tried to like this story, but I just couldn't. It's only 24 pages long and it took me three attempts to get through it. Everything about the story screams "the author's having a mid-life crisis", with an extra sprinkle of "why don't women throw themselves at me????"
Mediocre setting, poor characterisation and dialogue, "twist" that will be obvious to you by page 3 if you've ever spoken to a man who deems himself to be an expert on something niche.
Edit:
This book left no impression on me other than: man, I wish I never meet this author, he seems like a self-centred jerk; he seems like the kind of guy whose inflated ego makes him believe he's smarter than everyone else when in reality he's around, if not below, average; he writes women (and about women) like a misogynist. Now, 2 years after I read this completely unmemorable story, the author has felt it necessary to come here and insult me- as if this would change my opinion of him or his work. I re-read The Navigator and, honestly, I don't think I did it justice with my original review, so I'll write a new one here.
The Navigator is a poorly-written, highly predictable story with insufferable characters. Killian is a disgusting, decrepit old man who Eva nevertheless "falls in love with" because he interrupts her evening to mansplain her college course to her in a bar. Clifton Kenny has created something here with zero redeemable qualities and I do not recommend reading this, or any other of his works. Finally, I stand by my opinion that this author is an unpleasant individual who enjoys talking down to women (whether in his books, or just casually over the internet) and is, indeed, a dickhead.
Mediocre setting, poor characterisation and dialogue, "twist" that will be obvious to you by page 3 if you've ever spoken to a man who deems himself to be an expert on something niche.
Edit:
This book left no impression on me other than: man, I wish I never meet this author, he seems like a self-centred jerk; he seems like the kind of guy whose inflated ego makes him believe he's smarter than everyone else when in reality he's around, if not below, average; he writes women (and about women) like a misogynist. Now, 2 years after I read this completely unmemorable story, the author has felt it necessary to come here and insult me- as if this would change my opinion of him or his work. I re-read The Navigator and, honestly, I don't think I did it justice with my original review, so I'll write a new one here.
The Navigator is a poorly-written, highly predictable story with insufferable characters. Killian is a disgusting, decrepit old man who Eva nevertheless "falls in love with" because he interrupts her evening to mansplain her college course to her in a bar. Clifton Kenny has created something here with zero redeemable qualities and I do not recommend reading this, or any other of his works. Finally, I stand by my opinion that this author is an unpleasant individual who enjoys talking down to women (whether in his books, or just casually over the internet) and is, indeed, a dickhead.
March 1, 2018
**I received a free copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review**
Have you ever wondered what your life would be like if you made a different choice, even one time?
Killian has that ability. This military Veteran who has the ability to transcend physics, can "download" memories from alternate dimensions. There is an alternate dimension for each choice we make, so his visits are endless. He lives a solitary life until he meets Eva in a bar one night.
I did not know what to expect with this short story. At first I felt the story almost dragged along, but I couldn't seem to stop wondering what would happen.
Some reviews mentioned the scientific talk was too much, I was able to follow though I did not comprehend every bit of physics discussed. I felt it was a little distracting in the beginning, I wanted to skim those areas of the book. The dialogue simply failed to pull me in as a reader.
The font and included images are similar to those found in comic books. A unique touch to a sci-fi short story.
Overall, it was a nice short read, leaving you with a need to read the second part. The ending is what pulled me in most.
Have you ever wondered what your life would be like if you made a different choice, even one time?
Killian has that ability. This military Veteran who has the ability to transcend physics, can "download" memories from alternate dimensions. There is an alternate dimension for each choice we make, so his visits are endless. He lives a solitary life until he meets Eva in a bar one night.
I did not know what to expect with this short story. At first I felt the story almost dragged along, but I couldn't seem to stop wondering what would happen.
Some reviews mentioned the scientific talk was too much, I was able to follow though I did not comprehend every bit of physics discussed. I felt it was a little distracting in the beginning, I wanted to skim those areas of the book. The dialogue simply failed to pull me in as a reader.
The font and included images are similar to those found in comic books. A unique touch to a sci-fi short story.
Overall, it was a nice short read, leaving you with a need to read the second part. The ending is what pulled me in most.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 29, 2018
The Navigator was an interesting an entertaining read. I for one absolutely adore theoretical physics with my favorite theory being string theory, so all the chatter between the two main characters made me nostalgic for my own college years.
I will say, though, due to the nature of the book the formatting made it incredibly difficult for me to read. The text is an image somehow? So I was unable to set my Opendyslexic font on my Kindle or make it bigger so that made things more difficult, but the story was so cute and funny that I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Also the ending was incredible! I hadn't even picked up on that. Great job!
I will say, though, due to the nature of the book the formatting made it incredibly difficult for me to read. The text is an image somehow? So I was unable to set my Opendyslexic font on my Kindle or make it bigger so that made things more difficult, but the story was so cute and funny that I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Also the ending was incredible! I hadn't even picked up on that. Great job!
February 2, 2017
Just finished reading “The Navigator Part 1: A Short Story (The Navigator Singles Series) by Clifton Kenny. I want to thank Clifton for the PDF copy of this story. This was a quick read, science fiction adventure. It allowed me to visit with my inner nerd and it was a fun read with a bit of a twist at the end. Quantum Physics, Multiverse Travel and a bit of intrigue. A good beginning to this series of books.
Synopsis: This short story combines the multiverse concept of changing one’s fate with a new-adult level of mystery. Animator-style printing and colorful illustrations give this quick read a real adult-swim, comic book store feel.
The Navigator begins in a seedy beachside bar in Santa Cruz. Some college students are hitting on an attractive surfer girl while she tries to study quantum physics. As the guys try to impress her with their knowledge, a drunken, homeless old man named Killian attempts to come to her rescue. He stumbles, trembles, and is suddenly as sober and articulate as a graduate school professor! Killian proceeds to disprove the college boys’ theory, and expand on his own, shocking everyone. Eva is fascinated, and invites Killian to a drink. In return, he explains how he can trek through different dimensions to find other versions of his life.
Eva is thrilled enough to follow her new study subject, nursing him through the pain and suffering from the dimensional transfer with alcohol and a “medicinal” stogie. Killian admires her beauty, and lets her interview him about multiple dimensions and how he can navigate them. An odd friendship forms. Killian has another episode with Eva at the pier, and she starts to see him as a victim of his own gift. She continues to help, without revealing the real reason she cares about him.
Synopsis: This short story combines the multiverse concept of changing one’s fate with a new-adult level of mystery. Animator-style printing and colorful illustrations give this quick read a real adult-swim, comic book store feel.
The Navigator begins in a seedy beachside bar in Santa Cruz. Some college students are hitting on an attractive surfer girl while she tries to study quantum physics. As the guys try to impress her with their knowledge, a drunken, homeless old man named Killian attempts to come to her rescue. He stumbles, trembles, and is suddenly as sober and articulate as a graduate school professor! Killian proceeds to disprove the college boys’ theory, and expand on his own, shocking everyone. Eva is fascinated, and invites Killian to a drink. In return, he explains how he can trek through different dimensions to find other versions of his life.
Eva is thrilled enough to follow her new study subject, nursing him through the pain and suffering from the dimensional transfer with alcohol and a “medicinal” stogie. Killian admires her beauty, and lets her interview him about multiple dimensions and how he can navigate them. An odd friendship forms. Killian has another episode with Eva at the pier, and she starts to see him as a victim of his own gift. She continues to help, without revealing the real reason she cares about him.
February 12, 2016
PDF Copy for Review
In this short story we enter a mysterious world.
We enter The Navigator a seedy bar in Santa Cruz. College students roam the bars as they hit on the girl. We meet Killian an old man who comes to her aid. As he stumbles to help, he is transforms into an articulate college professor shocking everyone.
He proceeds to tell that he can journey into other dimensions during different times in his life to the girl. She becomes fascinate with him as he becomes her subject. The two form a friendship as they seek out adventure.
An interest start.
In this short story we enter a mysterious world.
We enter The Navigator a seedy bar in Santa Cruz. College students roam the bars as they hit on the girl. We meet Killian an old man who comes to her aid. As he stumbles to help, he is transforms into an articulate college professor shocking everyone.
He proceeds to tell that he can journey into other dimensions during different times in his life to the girl. She becomes fascinate with him as he becomes her subject. The two form a friendship as they seek out adventure.
An interest start.
May 21, 2016
This was a fun and intriguing little read.
Killian's multi-verse power is pretty awesome, but not without it's downsides.
I would definitely like to read more. Especially with the ending, there are so many possibilities for these characters.
Killian's multi-verse power is pretty awesome, but not without it's downsides.
I would definitely like to read more. Especially with the ending, there are so many possibilities for these characters.
May 4, 2016
I want to thank the author for the free copy of this story. And I LOVED the surprise ending!
March 4, 2016
*I received a free copy of this book for an honest review.*
I am not the biggest fan of this short story. It is about a guy who meets a lady at a dive bar, and go into a very deep conversation about quantum theory, parallel universes, and more intellectual information in the conversation that was way over my head for a short story. I felt like the scientific jargon took over the story for the most part, and I wasn't able to enjoy the story that was taking place, which actually wasn't too enjoyable for me either. It did get interesting towards the end, with a surprise ending that I didn't see coming. That was enjoyable to me.
It had some artwork about every five pages or so, and the font was reminiscent of a comic book font that I thought was unique for any short story that I've read, but in a good way.
I did also like, that compared to many other short stories I've read, I didn't have to figure out what I was reading in a hurry at the beginning, or felt like I was cheated of a beginning. This one has a nice intro, with enough story to get to know what's going on before you get into the meat of the story.
If I were to recommend this book to someone, it would probably be college students for the story, both intellectually, and plot-wise.
I am not the biggest fan of this short story. It is about a guy who meets a lady at a dive bar, and go into a very deep conversation about quantum theory, parallel universes, and more intellectual information in the conversation that was way over my head for a short story. I felt like the scientific jargon took over the story for the most part, and I wasn't able to enjoy the story that was taking place, which actually wasn't too enjoyable for me either. It did get interesting towards the end, with a surprise ending that I didn't see coming. That was enjoyable to me.
It had some artwork about every five pages or so, and the font was reminiscent of a comic book font that I thought was unique for any short story that I've read, but in a good way.
I did also like, that compared to many other short stories I've read, I didn't have to figure out what I was reading in a hurry at the beginning, or felt like I was cheated of a beginning. This one has a nice intro, with enough story to get to know what's going on before you get into the meat of the story.
If I were to recommend this book to someone, it would probably be college students for the story, both intellectually, and plot-wise.
August 22, 2017
3/5 — A fun read with an interesting lead character; hopeful for more of the story
This short story was a fun read. The author was plainly influenced by comic books and science fiction. The Navigator is weird and wacky, but designed to be so. The main character is an interesting one, considering his abilities. I like the idea of "visiting" parallel universes in the Multiverse. The effects of those viewings, or mergers, or whatever you'd like to call them, on Killian make for a fascinating lead figure, and leave the stories of his future wide open for development. My only complaint is that the dialogue is a tad flaky, primarily at the beginning in the bar. Other than that, though, as I've said, the story overall is fun and lighthearted with just the right touches of science and seriousness mixed in. I ended the story with a want for more, which speaks more in its favor, I think, than anything else that I've written here.
This short story was a fun read. The author was plainly influenced by comic books and science fiction. The Navigator is weird and wacky, but designed to be so. The main character is an interesting one, considering his abilities. I like the idea of "visiting" parallel universes in the Multiverse. The effects of those viewings, or mergers, or whatever you'd like to call them, on Killian make for a fascinating lead figure, and leave the stories of his future wide open for development. My only complaint is that the dialogue is a tad flaky, primarily at the beginning in the bar. Other than that, though, as I've said, the story overall is fun and lighthearted with just the right touches of science and seriousness mixed in. I ended the story with a want for more, which speaks more in its favor, I think, than anything else that I've written here.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews