What do you think?
Rate this book
Storystream Shorts #5
Small Mistakes
We all make mistakes. Sometimes, it's the small ones that doom us. A tourist trip around the latest murders in a decaying city, and the street autopsies performed there…a ghost doomed to watch his own murder again and again, until - maybe - he can plot revenge…a suicide bomber in an aeroplane realises that he really isn’t the worst thing in store for the flight… These five short stories chart a journey of terror, strangeness, death and betrayal through the weirdest corners of the imagination. Step aboard, take a deep breath, and enjoy…but be sometimes a small mistake is the last one you get to make…. Stories in this Organic Produce A Change Of Destination The Street Autopsies (with Laurie Duthie) Family Secret Synchronicity
- GenresHorrorAnthologies
79 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 15, 2012
7 people are currently reading
13 people want to read
About the author
Jamie Brindle
64 books29 followersJamie Brindle has been writing stories for almost as long as he can remember. Occasionally they are even published.
Sometimes, he wonders if this has had any lasting deleterious effect on him, such as perhaps being responsible for the habit he has of writing about himself in the third person. At other time this seems not to matter.
He was raised by ex-hippies in an apple orchard, and had to chase around a hedge maze for pocket money. When he grew older, he was deemed to have passed the "maze" level, and so graduated to selling boomerangs at Covent Garden Market.
He was home educated until the age of fourteen, then went to Bedford College, where he essentially didn't speak for two years. Near the end of this time he was questioned by a careers advisor, and revealed his desire to be a writer. Once she had stopped laughing, she suggested that a career which was more "financially viable" might be advisable. This resulted in him taking science A-levels, and then going on to study Biochemistry at the University of Sussex in 1998.
On graduating, Jamie realised the main problem with this was that he found biochemistry rather boring. Around this time he found out that a handful of universities offered graduate-entry medicine courses. Unfortunately, he did not have much relevant experience, a problem which he sought to rectify by doing various forms of work experience.
Amongst the work experience he undertook, Jamie was grateful to be offered the chance to spend some time in a school for deaf children. He went for two weeks and ended up staying for three and a half years. This was a good thing, as it gave him a chance to get over his home-educated prejudices about the school system, as he really liked the school and began, more generally, to feel that perhaps school wasn't such a bad thing, after all.
This period came to an end, however, when he was offered a place at the University of Warwick to study Medicine in 2006. He enjoyed medicine greatly, and met lots of nice people on the course. He now works as a GP trainee, and finds that writing is a wonderful way to ground himself after long shifts working in the bizarre fantasy world of the NHS. He is currently writing a thinly-veiled autobiographical book about his experiences as a junior doctor. He is still wondering about whether or not to put dragons in.
During this time he has written a fair few short stories which have appeared online and in various anthologies. His first novel, "The Fall of the Angel Nathalie" was published in 2013 by Necro Press, and can be found here or at amazon here.
Sometimes, he wonders if this has had any lasting deleterious effect on him, such as perhaps being responsible for the habit he has of writing about himself in the third person. At other time this seems not to matter.
He was raised by ex-hippies in an apple orchard, and had to chase around a hedge maze for pocket money. When he grew older, he was deemed to have passed the "maze" level, and so graduated to selling boomerangs at Covent Garden Market.
He was home educated until the age of fourteen, then went to Bedford College, where he essentially didn't speak for two years. Near the end of this time he was questioned by a careers advisor, and revealed his desire to be a writer. Once she had stopped laughing, she suggested that a career which was more "financially viable" might be advisable. This resulted in him taking science A-levels, and then going on to study Biochemistry at the University of Sussex in 1998.
On graduating, Jamie realised the main problem with this was that he found biochemistry rather boring. Around this time he found out that a handful of universities offered graduate-entry medicine courses. Unfortunately, he did not have much relevant experience, a problem which he sought to rectify by doing various forms of work experience.
Amongst the work experience he undertook, Jamie was grateful to be offered the chance to spend some time in a school for deaf children. He went for two weeks and ended up staying for three and a half years. This was a good thing, as it gave him a chance to get over his home-educated prejudices about the school system, as he really liked the school and began, more generally, to feel that perhaps school wasn't such a bad thing, after all.
This period came to an end, however, when he was offered a place at the University of Warwick to study Medicine in 2006. He enjoyed medicine greatly, and met lots of nice people on the course. He now works as a GP trainee, and finds that writing is a wonderful way to ground himself after long shifts working in the bizarre fantasy world of the NHS. He is currently writing a thinly-veiled autobiographical book about his experiences as a junior doctor. He is still wondering about whether or not to put dragons in.
During this time he has written a fair few short stories which have appeared online and in various anthologies. His first novel, "The Fall of the Angel Nathalie" was published in 2013 by Necro Press, and can be found here or at amazon here.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
April 1, 2023
Here we have five more dark and disturbing tales from Jamie Brindle, master of short fantasy fiction and creator of the Storystream universe.
These stories are not connected to each other or the author’s many series/sub-series – instead each is a little standalone horror with its own content and style, covering everything from cannibalism to terrorism, dark bargains to stalking in the name of love.
I write notes for every book I review, and was entertained to find that I could extract a two word summary from my notes on each story that, taken together, give a great overall view of my feelings on this book, so here they are in no particular order:
‘Very creepy’, ‘Bit weird’, ‘Totally insane’, ‘Darkly disturbing’, ‘Not romantic’.
You’ll have to read the stories for yourself to match up my comments to each one (hint, they could all match to any of them!). If you like your short horror fiction weird, creepy, insane, dark and/or not romantic (!) then give this little collection a go.
Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog
https://bookshineandreadbows.wordpres...
These stories are not connected to each other or the author’s many series/sub-series – instead each is a little standalone horror with its own content and style, covering everything from cannibalism to terrorism, dark bargains to stalking in the name of love.
I write notes for every book I review, and was entertained to find that I could extract a two word summary from my notes on each story that, taken together, give a great overall view of my feelings on this book, so here they are in no particular order:
‘Very creepy’, ‘Bit weird’, ‘Totally insane’, ‘Darkly disturbing’, ‘Not romantic’.
You’ll have to read the stories for yourself to match up my comments to each one (hint, they could all match to any of them!). If you like your short horror fiction weird, creepy, insane, dark and/or not romantic (!) then give this little collection a go.
Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog
https://bookshineandreadbows.wordpres...
May 4, 2018
I received a free copy of this book from the author. I had the opportunity to review or not.
Are you a fan of horror? If you are, you should grab this book. It is filled with very strange, horrible stories that become horrible through a small mistake.
Small Mistake #1
Alice dreams of slipping through things. The only thing Alice wants is Toby back. But at what cost. There is a balance, what is it? Her mistake, she forgot the cost of balance.
Small Mistake #2
Terrorists are going to blow up an airplane. A group of men have it all planned down to the second. Everything is perfect. But someone made a mistake. He hesitated for 1 second.
Small Mistake #3
Sofia, along with a group of friends, decide to go into the city to watch a “street autopsy.” As the autopsy gathers viewers and momentum, Sofia wants to see more and moves closer to the body being autopsied. Her mistake? She gets a little too close.
Small Mistake #4
In the desert there is a hidden cave where a monster waits. He waits for his release from hunger. He waits for someone to come and fulfill the requirements. Riz, who knows what is needed to take care of the monster within the cave, is bringing food in the form of a chosen female. She has to be there at an exact time in order for the monster to feed. However, Riz suddenly finds she is not the food for the monster, he is the food for the female. His mistake, he arrived too late.
Small Mistake #5
A ghost seeks his sweetheart. He died before they had a chance to fulfill their love for each other, so he spends his time watching her, watching over her and trying to help her. But he can do nothing. He is, after all, a ghost. He can only watch and wait. Why? His mistake? One small step.
Are you a fan of horror? If you are, you should grab this book. It is filled with very strange, horrible stories that become horrible through a small mistake.
Small Mistake #1
Alice dreams of slipping through things. The only thing Alice wants is Toby back. But at what cost. There is a balance, what is it? Her mistake, she forgot the cost of balance.
Small Mistake #2
Terrorists are going to blow up an airplane. A group of men have it all planned down to the second. Everything is perfect. But someone made a mistake. He hesitated for 1 second.
Small Mistake #3
Sofia, along with a group of friends, decide to go into the city to watch a “street autopsy.” As the autopsy gathers viewers and momentum, Sofia wants to see more and moves closer to the body being autopsied. Her mistake? She gets a little too close.
Small Mistake #4
In the desert there is a hidden cave where a monster waits. He waits for his release from hunger. He waits for someone to come and fulfill the requirements. Riz, who knows what is needed to take care of the monster within the cave, is bringing food in the form of a chosen female. She has to be there at an exact time in order for the monster to feed. However, Riz suddenly finds she is not the food for the monster, he is the food for the female. His mistake, he arrived too late.
Small Mistake #5
A ghost seeks his sweetheart. He died before they had a chance to fulfill their love for each other, so he spends his time watching her, watching over her and trying to help her. But he can do nothing. He is, after all, a ghost. He can only watch and wait. Why? His mistake? One small step.
September 1, 2017
Small Mistakes is a short and fast read of five short stories filled with death, strangeness and horror. Underneath it all, the stories were fascinating in the sense that they show how one little mistake can tear apart a family, your mind and become the end of you. I enjoyed these stories. There are no happily ever after’s here.
The stories listed in the book are:
1. Organic Produce: A story of a girl who shows the dark side of the Alice who fell down the hole.
2. A Change of Destination: A story of a suicide bomber in a plane who finds out dying isn’t all he should be scared of.
3. The Street Autopsies: A story that begins with a group of visiting medical students touring the dark side of a crumbling city and ends with one student whose fascination with the cities street autopsies will be her end.
4. Family Secret: The story of a family legacy that is haunting and will end with a son who finally understands that his death is what he has always been groomed for.
5. Synchronicity: A story of a ghost who is doomed to watch his death again and again and always waiting for one last moment with his beloved.
While each of these stories are interesting, I have to say my favorite was Synchronicity. All very well-written stories!
I recommend this book to adults who like to read darker stories.
Final Rating: 4.5 Stars
The stories listed in the book are:
1. Organic Produce: A story of a girl who shows the dark side of the Alice who fell down the hole.
2. A Change of Destination: A story of a suicide bomber in a plane who finds out dying isn’t all he should be scared of.
3. The Street Autopsies: A story that begins with a group of visiting medical students touring the dark side of a crumbling city and ends with one student whose fascination with the cities street autopsies will be her end.
4. Family Secret: The story of a family legacy that is haunting and will end with a son who finally understands that his death is what he has always been groomed for.
5. Synchronicity: A story of a ghost who is doomed to watch his death again and again and always waiting for one last moment with his beloved.
While each of these stories are interesting, I have to say my favorite was Synchronicity. All very well-written stories!
I recommend this book to adults who like to read darker stories.
Final Rating: 4.5 Stars
September 22, 2017
This is a wonderful, but disturbing collection of five short stories. Each story has a beginning that immediately grabs your attention: in Organic Produce “Alice slips between the cracks, which is exactly how thin she wants to be”; in Synchronicity “I cannot remember when I first realise I am dead. I think things work differently here”; in Family Secret “There is a place in the desert where hope fails. Riz drives towards it, trying to outrun the sunrise”. The horror, and/or depravity of the main character, is seldom apparent at the beginning of each story, but through subtle and completely unexpected twists, the ghastly truth emerges.
The writing is always superb, with striking imagery: in The Street Autopsies “They scurried like rats in evening-wear through the crumbling streets of the dilapidated industrial district, their pied piper a sweaty, moustachioed brute”; in A Change of Direction “the toss-and-grind of the vast storm which had held them like a firefly in a broiling glove”.
I liked the last story Synchronicity the best, though A Change of Direction came a close second, with Street Autopsies (as you might imagine from the title) being the most gruesome. All are quite unique, and definitely dark. As the author states in his introduction “If you don’t like dark stories, it would probably be best for you to stop reading now”. However, if original, dark tales are your thing, then you won’t get much better than this.
The writing is always superb, with striking imagery: in The Street Autopsies “They scurried like rats in evening-wear through the crumbling streets of the dilapidated industrial district, their pied piper a sweaty, moustachioed brute”; in A Change of Direction “the toss-and-grind of the vast storm which had held them like a firefly in a broiling glove”.
I liked the last story Synchronicity the best, though A Change of Direction came a close second, with Street Autopsies (as you might imagine from the title) being the most gruesome. All are quite unique, and definitely dark. As the author states in his introduction “If you don’t like dark stories, it would probably be best for you to stop reading now”. However, if original, dark tales are your thing, then you won’t get much better than this.
September 17, 2017
Not kindle unlimited, must have gotten it from the writer/giveaway, have read almost everything he's written, this one was odd, but then some of his others have been as well, so no big thing on that part.
We all make mistakes. Sometimes, it's the small ones that doom us. A tourist trip around the latest murders in a decaying city, and the street autopsies performed there…a ghost doomed to watch his own murder again and again, until - maybe - he can plot revenge…a suicide bomber in an aeroplane realises that he really isn’t the worst thing in store for the flight…
These five short stories chart a journey of terror, strangeness, death and betrayal through the weirdest corners of the imagination. Step aboard, take a deep breath, and enjoy…but be warned: sometimes a small mistake is the last one you get to make….
Stories in this collection:
Organic Produce
A Change Of Destination
The Street Autopsies (with Laurie Duthie)
Family Secret
Synchronicity
see amazon and goodreads lists for all the books, or other goodreads reviews for more listings
We all make mistakes. Sometimes, it's the small ones that doom us. A tourist trip around the latest murders in a decaying city, and the street autopsies performed there…a ghost doomed to watch his own murder again and again, until - maybe - he can plot revenge…a suicide bomber in an aeroplane realises that he really isn’t the worst thing in store for the flight…
These five short stories chart a journey of terror, strangeness, death and betrayal through the weirdest corners of the imagination. Step aboard, take a deep breath, and enjoy…but be warned: sometimes a small mistake is the last one you get to make….
Stories in this collection:
Organic Produce
A Change Of Destination
The Street Autopsies (with Laurie Duthie)
Family Secret
Synchronicity
see amazon and goodreads lists for all the books, or other goodreads reviews for more listings
October 14, 2017
It was a dark and stormy night.... well that is how a lot of dark and twisted stories tend to start. These five stories start in very innocuous ways. A girl on the way to an event, a man driving trying to find somewhere, tales of dark horror that keep you entranced unable to escape their grip till the darkness seeps into your mind with each twisted word.
A beautifully written book that leaves you on the edge of your seat gripping the spine tightly (or other device) trying not to be dragged down by the horror. Not your typical jump horror or your spooky creepy horror but the dark hidden side of humanity.
A worthwhile read that I defiantly can't wait to read again.
A beautifully written book that leaves you on the edge of your seat gripping the spine tightly (or other device) trying not to be dragged down by the horror. Not your typical jump horror or your spooky creepy horror but the dark hidden side of humanity.
A worthwhile read that I defiantly can't wait to read again.
April 10, 2018
Good quick read. Stories are very different and I liked the last one best.
April 15, 2018
A collection of dark stories, most I didn't understand.
December 12, 2024
This book of mini horror stories is a good read if you fancy a quick story that's a bit weird, a bit spooky, a bit creepy or a bit gross. All different, the five stories are well-written, but I think my favourite is The Street Autopsies, co-written by Laurie Duthie - definitely left a chill down my spine! A good read and definitely recommended.
NB I received a complimentary copy of this book, but I always give an HONEST review based wholly on my own opinions
NB I received a complimentary copy of this book, but I always give an HONEST review based wholly on my own opinions
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews