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Convergence: Three Novellas
Convergence contains three original novellas each addressing what it means to love.
Pandora’s Pause:
Amidst a global pandemic set off by a French super virus called Simon Says, sound engineer and band manager, Gus Tarleton, struggles to make it big. The year is 1992. The Seattle Sound known as grunge dominates the airwaves. Gus’s sole client, a band called Livemire, is on the verge of producing its first album in a bid to catch the grunge wave.
Unfortunately, Gus’s devotion to the new album drives a wedge between him and his wife. Years of neglect have left her feeling like the proverbial second fiddle. When she leaves, Gus is desperate to win her back. He follows her across the country, taking Livemire’s master tapes with him, just as Simon Says reaches US shores.
Simon Says is no normal virus. Touted by its inventors as a miracle cure for aging, the virus causes victims to mimic people around them, which at first seems benign. That is until it turns them into ravening cannibals with quadruple the strength and stamina of a regular human being.
When Gus’s wife falls prey to the virus, he is forced to hide from her, and the rest of the human race, in a secure record studio. With nothing to do but master a record that will never be sold, Gus thinks his life is over until his wife, now an avatar for the emerging mind of the virus, comes calling.
Simon Says has awakened. And it needs Gus’s help to save what’s left of humanity.
Worth:
Toni Worth thinks her adopted son, Jackie, will be excited when Fury and Foley’s Traveling Carnival and Circus comes to town. But every time she mentions the circus, the three-year-old goes into hysterics. Undeterred, Toni resolves to take him come what may.
That’s when Jackie stops acting like an overwrought toddler and starts talking like a man. He explains to a flabbergasted Toni that he has been a child many times. Mr. Fury of Fury and Foley’s circus has continually reduced him to an infant again and again for sinister reasons Jackie cannot fathom.
When Fury comes knocking, Toni must decide if she can love a child who is no child at all, and defend him with her life. She must pit her love against Fury, the Old Ones, and time itself.
PLAN:
Charlie Parkson is willing to die for freedom, but eighteen times is a stretch.
When the aliens arrived, they came as missionaries, forcing their beliefs on all of humanity. They brought with them amazing technology that promised to revolutionize the modern world. The only catch? Humans had to renounce their domestic religions and join the Church of the All-Point.
Adamant that they cause no harm, the aliens use a time travel device that allows them to torture heretics. The device returns victims to a time before the torture occurred, leaving behind only memories and, to their minds, absolving the aliens of committing the acts.
Desperate to win back Earth, Charlie and thousands of his fellow rebels volunteer to undergo the torture, enabling them to embark on a galaxy-spanning, decades-long plan to usurp their overlords.
But not everyone has the fortitude to stick to the plan when love and family are on the line.
Pandora’s Pause:
Amidst a global pandemic set off by a French super virus called Simon Says, sound engineer and band manager, Gus Tarleton, struggles to make it big. The year is 1992. The Seattle Sound known as grunge dominates the airwaves. Gus’s sole client, a band called Livemire, is on the verge of producing its first album in a bid to catch the grunge wave.
Unfortunately, Gus’s devotion to the new album drives a wedge between him and his wife. Years of neglect have left her feeling like the proverbial second fiddle. When she leaves, Gus is desperate to win her back. He follows her across the country, taking Livemire’s master tapes with him, just as Simon Says reaches US shores.
Simon Says is no normal virus. Touted by its inventors as a miracle cure for aging, the virus causes victims to mimic people around them, which at first seems benign. That is until it turns them into ravening cannibals with quadruple the strength and stamina of a regular human being.
When Gus’s wife falls prey to the virus, he is forced to hide from her, and the rest of the human race, in a secure record studio. With nothing to do but master a record that will never be sold, Gus thinks his life is over until his wife, now an avatar for the emerging mind of the virus, comes calling.
Simon Says has awakened. And it needs Gus’s help to save what’s left of humanity.
Worth:
Toni Worth thinks her adopted son, Jackie, will be excited when Fury and Foley’s Traveling Carnival and Circus comes to town. But every time she mentions the circus, the three-year-old goes into hysterics. Undeterred, Toni resolves to take him come what may.
That’s when Jackie stops acting like an overwrought toddler and starts talking like a man. He explains to a flabbergasted Toni that he has been a child many times. Mr. Fury of Fury and Foley’s circus has continually reduced him to an infant again and again for sinister reasons Jackie cannot fathom.
When Fury comes knocking, Toni must decide if she can love a child who is no child at all, and defend him with her life. She must pit her love against Fury, the Old Ones, and time itself.
PLAN:
Charlie Parkson is willing to die for freedom, but eighteen times is a stretch.
When the aliens arrived, they came as missionaries, forcing their beliefs on all of humanity. They brought with them amazing technology that promised to revolutionize the modern world. The only catch? Humans had to renounce their domestic religions and join the Church of the All-Point.
Adamant that they cause no harm, the aliens use a time travel device that allows them to torture heretics. The device returns victims to a time before the torture occurred, leaving behind only memories and, to their minds, absolving the aliens of committing the acts.
Desperate to win back Earth, Charlie and thousands of his fellow rebels volunteer to undergo the torture, enabling them to embark on a galaxy-spanning, decades-long plan to usurp their overlords.
But not everyone has the fortitude to stick to the plan when love and family are on the line.
131 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 15, 2018
3 people want to read
About the author
David Alan Jones
35 books8 followersDavid Alan Jones is a veteran of the United States Air Force where he served as an Arabic linguist. A 2016 Writers of the Future silver honorable mention recipient, David’s writing spans the science fiction, military sci-fi, fantasy, and urban fantasy genres. He is a martial artist, a husband, and a father of three. David’s day job involves programming computers for Uncle Sam.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
April 16, 2017
WHAT IT'S ABOUT
Pandora’s Pause:
Amidst a global pandemic set off by a French super virus called Simon Says, sound engineer and band manager, Gus Tarleton, struggles to make it big. The year is 1992. The Seattle Sound known as grunge dominates the airwaves. Gus’s sole client, a band called Livemire, is on the verge of producing its first album in a bid to catch the grunge wave.
Unfortunately, Gus’s devotion to the new album drives a wedge between him and his wife. Years of neglect have left her feeling like the proverbial second fiddle. When she leaves, Gus is desperate to win her back. He follows her across the country, taking Livemire’s master tapes with him, just as Simon Says reaches US shores.
Simon Says is no normal virus. Touted by its inventors as a miracle cure for aging, the virus causes victims to mimic people around them, which at first seems benign. That is until it turns them into ravening cannibals with quadruple the strength and stamina of a regular human being.
When Gus’s wife falls prey to the virus, he is forced to hide from her, and the rest of the human race, in a secure record studio. With nothing to do but master a record that will never be sold, Gus thinks his life is over until his wife, now an avatar for the emerging mind of the virus, comes calling.
Simon Says has awakened. And it needs Gus’s help to save what’s left of humanity.
Worth:
Toni Worth thinks her adopted son, Jackie, will be excited when Fury and Foley’s Traveling Carnival and Circus comes to town. But every time she mentions the circus, the three-year-old goes into hysterics. Undeterred, Toni resolves to take him come what may.
That’s when Jackie stops acting like an overwrought toddler and starts talking like a man. He explains to a flabbergasted Toni that he has been a child many times. Mr. Fury of Fury and Foley’s circus has continually reduced him to an infant again and again for sinister reasons Jackie cannot fathom.
When Fury comes knocking, Toni must decide if she can love a child who is no child at all, and defend him with her life. She must pit her love against Fury, the Old Ones, and time itself.
PLAN:
Charlie Parkson is willing to die for freedom, but eighteen times is a stretch.
When the aliens arrived, they came as missionaries, forcing their beliefs on all of humanity. They brought with them amazing technology that promised to revolutionize the modern world. The only catch? Humans had to renounce their domestic religions and join the Church of the All-Point.
Adamant that they cause no harm, the aliens use a time travel device that allows them to torture heretics. The device returns victims to a time before the torture occurred, leaving behind only memories and, to their minds, absolving the aliens of committing the acts.
Desperate to win back Earth, Charlie and thousands of his fellow rebels volunteer to undergo the torture, enabling them to embark on a galaxy-spanning, decades-long plan to usurp their overlords.
But not everyone has the fortitude to stick to the plan when love and family are on the line.
MY TAKE
This was an interesting assortment of stories. I hadn't read the cover copy before reading them, so I had no idea what to expect. This is not your happily ever after anthology. The tales are intriguing, sometimes more than a little creepy/scary, and very well written.
4 1/2 stars
*spoiler*
The last story's ending did not surprise me. Its conclusion was something I wondered about. I was surprised none of the Planner thought of it either. This story, especially, could have been expanded to deepen the tale. The end reminded me of the end of the book The Planet of the Apes, written in 1963
Pandora’s Pause:
Amidst a global pandemic set off by a French super virus called Simon Says, sound engineer and band manager, Gus Tarleton, struggles to make it big. The year is 1992. The Seattle Sound known as grunge dominates the airwaves. Gus’s sole client, a band called Livemire, is on the verge of producing its first album in a bid to catch the grunge wave.
Unfortunately, Gus’s devotion to the new album drives a wedge between him and his wife. Years of neglect have left her feeling like the proverbial second fiddle. When she leaves, Gus is desperate to win her back. He follows her across the country, taking Livemire’s master tapes with him, just as Simon Says reaches US shores.
Simon Says is no normal virus. Touted by its inventors as a miracle cure for aging, the virus causes victims to mimic people around them, which at first seems benign. That is until it turns them into ravening cannibals with quadruple the strength and stamina of a regular human being.
When Gus’s wife falls prey to the virus, he is forced to hide from her, and the rest of the human race, in a secure record studio. With nothing to do but master a record that will never be sold, Gus thinks his life is over until his wife, now an avatar for the emerging mind of the virus, comes calling.
Simon Says has awakened. And it needs Gus’s help to save what’s left of humanity.
Worth:
Toni Worth thinks her adopted son, Jackie, will be excited when Fury and Foley’s Traveling Carnival and Circus comes to town. But every time she mentions the circus, the three-year-old goes into hysterics. Undeterred, Toni resolves to take him come what may.
That’s when Jackie stops acting like an overwrought toddler and starts talking like a man. He explains to a flabbergasted Toni that he has been a child many times. Mr. Fury of Fury and Foley’s circus has continually reduced him to an infant again and again for sinister reasons Jackie cannot fathom.
When Fury comes knocking, Toni must decide if she can love a child who is no child at all, and defend him with her life. She must pit her love against Fury, the Old Ones, and time itself.
PLAN:
Charlie Parkson is willing to die for freedom, but eighteen times is a stretch.
When the aliens arrived, they came as missionaries, forcing their beliefs on all of humanity. They brought with them amazing technology that promised to revolutionize the modern world. The only catch? Humans had to renounce their domestic religions and join the Church of the All-Point.
Adamant that they cause no harm, the aliens use a time travel device that allows them to torture heretics. The device returns victims to a time before the torture occurred, leaving behind only memories and, to their minds, absolving the aliens of committing the acts.
Desperate to win back Earth, Charlie and thousands of his fellow rebels volunteer to undergo the torture, enabling them to embark on a galaxy-spanning, decades-long plan to usurp their overlords.
But not everyone has the fortitude to stick to the plan when love and family are on the line.
MY TAKE
This was an interesting assortment of stories. I hadn't read the cover copy before reading them, so I had no idea what to expect. This is not your happily ever after anthology. The tales are intriguing, sometimes more than a little creepy/scary, and very well written.
4 1/2 stars
*spoiler*
The last story's ending did not surprise me. Its conclusion was something I wondered about. I was surprised none of the Planner thought of it either. This story, especially, could have been expanded to deepen the tale. The end reminded me of the end of the book The Planet of the Apes, written in 1963
Displaying 1 of 1 review