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Uncommon Anthologies #3
UnCommon Minds: A Collection of AIs, Dreamwalkers, and other Psychic Mysteries
Enter into the hidden world of the mind, where the laws of nature don’t apply and nothing is as it seems.
Straight from the minds of 20 UnCommon Authors come tales of tragedy, triumph, and bittersweet gratitude. You'll find augmented realities and mental persuasion that force you to question everything. Stories of military suspense, psychological horror, dream walkers, and psychic mediums await their turn to crawl into your head.
Straight from the minds of 20 UnCommon Authors come tales of tragedy, triumph, and bittersweet gratitude. You'll find augmented realities and mental persuasion that force you to question everything. Stories of military suspense, psychological horror, dream walkers, and psychic mediums await their turn to crawl into your head.
363 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 21, 2017
About the author
Jessica West
97 books261 followersJess is currently pursuing a state of self-induced psychosis (also known as writing).
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
January 19, 2017
UnCommon Minds is a collection of 20 short stories from 20 different authors, each featuring a central character with an unusual mind. They include AI, aliens, lunatics, ghosts, and creepy children with technologically enhanced brains, mathematical genius, or paranormal abilities including telepathy, telekinesis, dream walking, and mind control. Various genres are covered, including science fiction, fantasy, horror, paranormal, humor, and romance, both contemporary and futuristic.
In "Inamorata" Tehra, a digital mind whore, does a favor for a friend and gets more than she bargained for.
In "Chief Canis and the Helpful Locals" army dog handler Luis Canis uses telepathy to communicate with his dog.
In "The Arms of Mother" Mina's mind has been altered to accommodate her future as a helper, but something seems to have gone wrong.
In "Trouble Signs" Anna's mother-in-law has the ability to manipulate minds and a penchant for stealing signs, but she also has a sense of humor.
In "Juliet's Possessions" Adam spends the night in an old insane asylum for children, which he inherited from his grandmother, with only the tape recordings of eleven-year-old former inmate Juliet for company. I love this double-meaning title.
In "Through Dreams She Moves" Sarah uses her Gift of being able to enter people's dream to help Damien awake from a coma.
In "The Machine Needs Fuel" Lydia's parents take her to the unconventional Dr. Gordon in an attempt to find out why she is always so tired.
In "Sitala" Mika finds the wreck of a spaceship, but what she finds inside is even more extraordinary.
In "LEGION Protocol" Zane is part of the Holmes Initiative of detectives with brain enhancements.
In "The Dissertation" Jane presents her dissertation on Leah, an eight-year-old mass murderer with an abnormally high-functioning brain.
In "11.11" Renée knows how and when people will die, just like her father before her.
In "The Enemy Beyond the Walls" a young girl with an extraordinary mathematical ability helps protect her city from the enemy.
In "Dragons on the Train" 12-year-old Callie uses her mind to help her catch and eat dragons with the help of her mind-tether.
In "Whatever Lola Wants" Annie visits her sister and has an unusual encounter with her dog Lola.
In "In Loving Memory" Lana creates an AI in her image and gives it all of her memories and emotions, bar anger.
In "Mixers" machines erase anything that breaches copyright infringement. But what happens when they get access to our memories?
In "Lost and Found" a young girl is sent to a mental institution because of her unusual behavior.
In "Buddy Bolden's Last Stand" Buddy ends up in the mental asylum after his mind is ruined by alcohol but, when he plays music, everyone shares his madness.
In "Subliminal" Lim wakes up in a cell and can't remember why he's there.
In "A Twentieth Century Death" Coreann dies in a car crash, but her mind can't seem to move on.
All of these stories will leave you thinking about the remarkable abilities of the human mind and our ability to make it even more powerful. My favorite stories: "Juliet's Possessions", "The Machine Needs Fuel", "The Dissertation", "11.11", and "The Enemy Beyond the Walls". I just realized these all feature creepy children and horror elements. Hmm ... must say something about my preferences!
Anyway, there's bound to be a story in this collection that's to your taste!
I received this book in return for an honest review.
Full blog post (21 January): https://booksdirectonline.blogspot.co...
In "Inamorata" Tehra, a digital mind whore, does a favor for a friend and gets more than she bargained for.
In "Chief Canis and the Helpful Locals" army dog handler Luis Canis uses telepathy to communicate with his dog.
In "The Arms of Mother" Mina's mind has been altered to accommodate her future as a helper, but something seems to have gone wrong.
In "Trouble Signs" Anna's mother-in-law has the ability to manipulate minds and a penchant for stealing signs, but she also has a sense of humor.
In "Juliet's Possessions" Adam spends the night in an old insane asylum for children, which he inherited from his grandmother, with only the tape recordings of eleven-year-old former inmate Juliet for company. I love this double-meaning title.
In "Through Dreams She Moves" Sarah uses her Gift of being able to enter people's dream to help Damien awake from a coma.
In "The Machine Needs Fuel" Lydia's parents take her to the unconventional Dr. Gordon in an attempt to find out why she is always so tired.
In "Sitala" Mika finds the wreck of a spaceship, but what she finds inside is even more extraordinary.
In "LEGION Protocol" Zane is part of the Holmes Initiative of detectives with brain enhancements.
In "The Dissertation" Jane presents her dissertation on Leah, an eight-year-old mass murderer with an abnormally high-functioning brain.
In "11.11" Renée knows how and when people will die, just like her father before her.
In "The Enemy Beyond the Walls" a young girl with an extraordinary mathematical ability helps protect her city from the enemy.
In "Dragons on the Train" 12-year-old Callie uses her mind to help her catch and eat dragons with the help of her mind-tether.
In "Whatever Lola Wants" Annie visits her sister and has an unusual encounter with her dog Lola.
In "In Loving Memory" Lana creates an AI in her image and gives it all of her memories and emotions, bar anger.
In "Mixers" machines erase anything that breaches copyright infringement. But what happens when they get access to our memories?
In "Lost and Found" a young girl is sent to a mental institution because of her unusual behavior.
In "Buddy Bolden's Last Stand" Buddy ends up in the mental asylum after his mind is ruined by alcohol but, when he plays music, everyone shares his madness.
In "Subliminal" Lim wakes up in a cell and can't remember why he's there.
In "A Twentieth Century Death" Coreann dies in a car crash, but her mind can't seem to move on.
All of these stories will leave you thinking about the remarkable abilities of the human mind and our ability to make it even more powerful. My favorite stories: "Juliet's Possessions", "The Machine Needs Fuel", "The Dissertation", "11.11", and "The Enemy Beyond the Walls". I just realized these all feature creepy children and horror elements. Hmm ... must say something about my preferences!
Anyway, there's bound to be a story in this collection that's to your taste!
I received this book in return for an honest review.
Full blog post (21 January): https://booksdirectonline.blogspot.co...
April 4, 2017
If you enjoyed Black Mirror, you'll love this anthology. I can't think of a story I didn't enjoy.
My top 4
Inamorata--I wanted to know more about this world. It was so much about trust and loyalty to me.
Through Dreams She Moves--A superpower I'd never considered
11.11-- So many twists
and
The Dissertation--Creepy children always wig me out and Leah is as creepy as they come.
My top 4
Inamorata--I wanted to know more about this world. It was so much about trust and loyalty to me.
Through Dreams She Moves--A superpower I'd never considered
11.11-- So many twists
and
The Dissertation--Creepy children always wig me out and Leah is as creepy as they come.
January 21, 2017
Uncommon Minds is, on average, a good to very good anthology of science fiction stories by a variety of authors. A handful of stories didn't work for me at all but the majority were interesting. There were a handful that were excellent stories, trading on empathy, loneliness, sadness, unfairness, and yearning.
I particularly liked The Arms of Mother (Harlow C. Fallon) as future sci-fi that gives you enough hints of the world to ponder it and introduced a character beset by an unfair world. This story worked because it generated a mood and made me care for the plight of the narrator. This was my favorite but others, such as the The Machine Needs Fuel (a surprising little horror/suspense tale by Joriah Wood), Sitala (a Big Ideas science fiction story by Philip Harris), a Twentieth Century Death (a somber and lonely combo of ghost story and future speculation by Joshua Ingle), and Subliminal (a clever tale of memory lost that allows the reader to feel for a narrator who knows less than us - by Zen Dipietro).
I won't bang on about the ones that didn't work for me - that wouldn't be kind or helpful in an anthology where there's more bad than good. I'll just say that some were a bit of a punchline looking for a story or maybe a good attempt at an into to a story that may never be written. But, like I said, these were few and far-between and since most are short enough, it doesn't drag down the quality of the whole work.
For the record, I was given an early copy of the book in trade for a fair review. I don't tend to read many anthologies but this one had enough good to counter why I don't read many (basically, the potluck approach to writers and their works isn't my style).
I particularly liked The Arms of Mother (Harlow C. Fallon) as future sci-fi that gives you enough hints of the world to ponder it and introduced a character beset by an unfair world. This story worked because it generated a mood and made me care for the plight of the narrator. This was my favorite but others, such as the The Machine Needs Fuel (a surprising little horror/suspense tale by Joriah Wood), Sitala (a Big Ideas science fiction story by Philip Harris), a Twentieth Century Death (a somber and lonely combo of ghost story and future speculation by Joshua Ingle), and Subliminal (a clever tale of memory lost that allows the reader to feel for a narrator who knows less than us - by Zen Dipietro).
I won't bang on about the ones that didn't work for me - that wouldn't be kind or helpful in an anthology where there's more bad than good. I'll just say that some were a bit of a punchline looking for a story or maybe a good attempt at an into to a story that may never be written. But, like I said, these were few and far-between and since most are short enough, it doesn't drag down the quality of the whole work.
For the record, I was given an early copy of the book in trade for a fair review. I don't tend to read many anthologies but this one had enough good to counter why I don't read many (basically, the potluck approach to writers and their works isn't my style).
January 22, 2017
You'll find augmented realities and mental persuasion that force you to question everything,straight from the minds of 20 UnCommon Authors . Stories of military suspense, psychological horror, dream walkers, and psychic mediums await their turn to crawl into your head. Each story is unique in their own way and you will not be disappointed if you enjoy these types of books there's bound to be a story in this collection that's to your taste! I received a free copy of this book and volunteered to review it.
January 20, 2017
Uncommon Minds is an anthology of short stories by a series of authors who introduce us to a variety of characters. Each story is as unique and different as the authors themselves. In one story we get introduced to a digital lover who ends up infected with malware when she agrees to do a favor for a friend of hers. But what she now has to decide is whether to show loyalty to this friend or to trust the malware that is now running rampant in her system telling her not to trust him. Then we are thrown into a military situation of where they have been captured but one of the group has a special skill that has stayed under the radar with the others but now will be exposed but the “helpful locals” will be well worth it if they get out alive. Next is a little girl how is different from the rest. She’s allowed to be bullied by a little boy in her group, the Protectors and Watchers see but they do nothing but tell her she must not ever be angry. She hears the whispering call of Mother but she’s not allowed to touch until one day she decides to take matters into her own hands so that Mother will no longer lonely and sad.
These are just a few of the stories that will engage you in this Science Fiction anthology mixed with some mystery and a variety of other things. The uniqueness of each of these authors comes together to make this anthology truly engaging and interesting. Some will leave you wanting more while others will come to a nice and neat closure. If you’re looking for a good read then this is a series that I definitely recommend you take the time to pick up and read. 5 out of 5 stars.
These are just a few of the stories that will engage you in this Science Fiction anthology mixed with some mystery and a variety of other things. The uniqueness of each of these authors comes together to make this anthology truly engaging and interesting. Some will leave you wanting more while others will come to a nice and neat closure. If you’re looking for a good read then this is a series that I definitely recommend you take the time to pick up and read. 5 out of 5 stars.
January 13, 2017
This book was interesting to say the least. It contains many short stories from different authors and various genres. Some of the stories are twisted but flow well with the intricacies of detail. If you're looking for something different to read, this is it.
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced readers copy of this book. My favorite was Whatever Lola Wants by Shebat Legion, it was so different and creepy from what I normally read.
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced readers copy of this book. My favorite was Whatever Lola Wants by Shebat Legion, it was so different and creepy from what I normally read.
July 24, 2017
Overall this set gets 3.5 stars. If you love SciFi stories involving unusual minds this is an anthology you have to get! Add in diverse writers (PK Tyler and Jonathan Shipley to name two) and it gets even better. The variety of authors and storylines will keep you riveted for hours. I even found a couple of new authors (new to me anyways) that I want to read more from. The stories all are short quick reads. Perfect for a lunch break or for when you don't have much time. I received a copy of this book and chose to leave a review for other readers.
February 1, 2018
Good enough
Uncommonly Good was better and since 4 of those stories are in here this gets four stars.
This had its gems as well but also had two stories I think will need three readings for me to comprehend and I guess another to then maybe like them.
The story Subliminal was good enough to break of and lookup the author and series, lucky me got all in one omnibus.
Had I not read Uncommonly Good 1st it probably would have gotten a five, I would have forgiven the two brain breakers.
Uncommonly Good was better and since 4 of those stories are in here this gets four stars.
This had its gems as well but also had two stories I think will need three readings for me to comprehend and I guess another to then maybe like them.
The story Subliminal was good enough to break of and lookup the author and series, lucky me got all in one omnibus.
Had I not read Uncommonly Good 1st it probably would have gotten a five, I would have forgiven the two brain breakers.
February 8, 2017
Review of Tausha Johnson's "11:11" in the anthology...
I have long been a fan of Johnson and this has to be one of my favorite stories of hers. It follows psychic medium Renee Rowland who was only eight when her father jumps from the 11th floor of a Las Vegas hotel. This premonition comes true when she is ten. Fast forward to her interview with journalist and skeptic Jack Moore. Her readings have all been the same until now—and she’s been waiting her whole life to meet with him.
What do I love about this story? Lots of things. For one, the title “11:11” has a spiritual meaning. Many people get excited when they see that exact time on the clock because it means that whatever you were just thinking about or have just experienced is worth paying attention to. The time also signifies that your angels and guides are near or there is some spirit on the other side trying to contact you. Johnson is fully aware of all of this and weaves the deeper meanings into the tale.
This story is fast-paced and full of incredible detail. Also, her characterization is outstanding. Here’s the kicker, though. Once I got to the end I didn’t really know exactly what happened. I had to go back and read through the story again. My recommendation is to pay attention to everything while you read. Johnson builds a mystery that can be interpreted a few different ways. You might have to go back to see the clues she plants for the reader. That’s actually part of the fun of the story.
I will continue to follow what Johnson writes, as she is extremely talented in story-telling (and also poetry if that’s your thing). She has several works out in various anthologies, so check them out. I know I will… Oh, and I’ll be reading the rest of Uncommon Minds, since I’m sure the collection has some other gems in it.
I have long been a fan of Johnson and this has to be one of my favorite stories of hers. It follows psychic medium Renee Rowland who was only eight when her father jumps from the 11th floor of a Las Vegas hotel. This premonition comes true when she is ten. Fast forward to her interview with journalist and skeptic Jack Moore. Her readings have all been the same until now—and she’s been waiting her whole life to meet with him.
What do I love about this story? Lots of things. For one, the title “11:11” has a spiritual meaning. Many people get excited when they see that exact time on the clock because it means that whatever you were just thinking about or have just experienced is worth paying attention to. The time also signifies that your angels and guides are near or there is some spirit on the other side trying to contact you. Johnson is fully aware of all of this and weaves the deeper meanings into the tale.
This story is fast-paced and full of incredible detail. Also, her characterization is outstanding. Here’s the kicker, though. Once I got to the end I didn’t really know exactly what happened. I had to go back and read through the story again. My recommendation is to pay attention to everything while you read. Johnson builds a mystery that can be interpreted a few different ways. You might have to go back to see the clues she plants for the reader. That’s actually part of the fun of the story.
I will continue to follow what Johnson writes, as she is extremely talented in story-telling (and also poetry if that’s your thing). She has several works out in various anthologies, so check them out. I know I will… Oh, and I’ll be reading the rest of Uncommon Minds, since I’m sure the collection has some other gems in it.
January 21, 2017
Now, THIS is my kind of short story collection...unique minds, paranormal activities, and children who cause the hairs on the back of your neck to stand up and take note. Stories that make you think of the present, of the future.
You may have to read these more than once to enjoy the nuances that you might have missed on first reading. An excellent collection of strong, confident stories, beautifully written, and well chosen.
All the stories are enjoyable and entertaining, but these are my absolute favourites -
In Loving Memory - Ashleigh Gauch
We need these AIs asap. This is one of my bugbears.
This Machine Needs Fuel - Joriah Wood
The fact that I am constantly exhausted made me think...
Juliet's Possessions - Erica Ruhe
An excruciating vivid haunt. Oh, how I enjoyed this.
Inamorata - J D Harpley
Absolutely loved this. I'm a big softy at heart.
Chief Canis and the Helpful Locals - Patrick S Baker
I love stories about exceptional humans and animals, and this surpassed my expectations.
11.11 - Tansha Johnson
The build-up of suspense in this was gloriously enjoyable.
Our minds are powerful things, and we are not utilising them fully. Imagine if we did?
I received a free eARC of this book. I voluntarily read and reviewed it, and all opinions are honest and my own.
You may have to read these more than once to enjoy the nuances that you might have missed on first reading. An excellent collection of strong, confident stories, beautifully written, and well chosen.
All the stories are enjoyable and entertaining, but these are my absolute favourites -
In Loving Memory - Ashleigh Gauch
We need these AIs asap. This is one of my bugbears.
This Machine Needs Fuel - Joriah Wood
The fact that I am constantly exhausted made me think...
Juliet's Possessions - Erica Ruhe
An excruciating vivid haunt. Oh, how I enjoyed this.
Inamorata - J D Harpley
Absolutely loved this. I'm a big softy at heart.
Chief Canis and the Helpful Locals - Patrick S Baker
I love stories about exceptional humans and animals, and this surpassed my expectations.
11.11 - Tansha Johnson
The build-up of suspense in this was gloriously enjoyable.
Our minds are powerful things, and we are not utilising them fully. Imagine if we did?
I received a free eARC of this book. I voluntarily read and reviewed it, and all opinions are honest and my own.
January 21, 2017
I've always loved speculative fiction about different types of consciousnesses whether that's super intelligent aliens, A.I.s or telepaths and this collection has it all. I really enjoyed hopping around Uncommon Minds and finding a nice mix of styles and subgenres.
A few standouts for me:
Through Dreams She Moves by Tonya Liburd: This one is about a woman with the power to walk through dreams. I loved this story. I loved the character. We get to see her at home with her family and at work and I wanted to spend more time with her. She felt very real. I was very impressed by the quality of writing. Quality probably isn't the right word...the care and craft of it. Haha, I guess that's quality. After I finished the story I immediately went online and looked for more stories by Tonya Liburd.
The Arms of Mother by Harlow C. Fallon: This story is about a very unique girl being bullied at school. It was very sad and sweet. The world, even though we get to see a narrow sliver of it for a child's POV is very strange and interesting.
Sitala by Philip Harris: Sitala is the story of a girl finding a ship's computer in a wreck, but is it a computer at all? Nicely written with plenty of tension. It sated my love of Space Opera and I like that we get the ship's computer's story.
A few standouts for me:
Through Dreams She Moves by Tonya Liburd: This one is about a woman with the power to walk through dreams. I loved this story. I loved the character. We get to see her at home with her family and at work and I wanted to spend more time with her. She felt very real. I was very impressed by the quality of writing. Quality probably isn't the right word...the care and craft of it. Haha, I guess that's quality. After I finished the story I immediately went online and looked for more stories by Tonya Liburd.
The Arms of Mother by Harlow C. Fallon: This story is about a very unique girl being bullied at school. It was very sad and sweet. The world, even though we get to see a narrow sliver of it for a child's POV is very strange and interesting.
Sitala by Philip Harris: Sitala is the story of a girl finding a ship's computer in a wreck, but is it a computer at all? Nicely written with plenty of tension. It sated my love of Space Opera and I like that we get the ship's computer's story.
January 23, 2017
Anthologies can be hard to rate, because often a reader will really enjoy some of the stories and not care for others. I enjoyed some of these stories, but I felt like too many of the stories were either horror (which I'm not fond of) or just a bit too sad or dark for my taste. That said, it's a fairly diverse and interesting collection of short speculative fiction, and not entirely doom and gloom.
I have to give a shout out to "Trouble Signs," which was really funny. I wish more humorous stories were being published in speculative fiction anthologies! I also really enjoyed "In Loving Memory," a gentle, optimistic story of an AI learning about human emotions.
Most of the stories are relatively well written, although I found a couple a bit difficult to follow. Others I found frustrating because, despite a promising start, I was disappointed with the ending (possibly just a matter of personal preference). The proofreaders missed a few typos and wrong words, but the editing and formatting seemed ok otherwise.
I volunteered to review an advanced reader copy of this book. It's worth checking out if you generally like short scifi, fantasy, and horror. Note that there is some sex and violence.
I have to give a shout out to "Trouble Signs," which was really funny. I wish more humorous stories were being published in speculative fiction anthologies! I also really enjoyed "In Loving Memory," a gentle, optimistic story of an AI learning about human emotions.
Most of the stories are relatively well written, although I found a couple a bit difficult to follow. Others I found frustrating because, despite a promising start, I was disappointed with the ending (possibly just a matter of personal preference). The proofreaders missed a few typos and wrong words, but the editing and formatting seemed ok otherwise.
I volunteered to review an advanced reader copy of this book. It's worth checking out if you generally like short scifi, fantasy, and horror. Note that there is some sex and violence.
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