What do you think?
Rate this book
Snakes
The easiest path usually leads straight into a minefield. Eddie, a young, pretty single mom, is trying to do the right thing by her three-year-old daughter. She really is. With no education, no job, and a string of loser boyfriends behind her, she faces hard decisions every day. Gas for the car, or food for Joy? She's already been forced to move back into her mother's decrepit old trailer in Shady Acres Trailer Court in rural Arkansas. Should she get a normal job working long hours for minimum wage, or should she put on her stiletto heels, bikini bra and micro-skirt and go back to exotic dancing so she can bring home fistfuls of cash for a few hours' work? When she catches her daughter playing with handfuls of baby copperhead snakes behind the trailer, the choice gets a lot get out of there by the quickest means possible. But at what cost? And is that strange man the devil or her knight in shining armor? "Snakes provokes a gut-wrenching emotional response, perhaps because by using snakes as a motif, it speaks to one of our most primitive fears. ... For a 30-page story to have such a deep, powerful and abiding effect shows that Travis Heermann is a master, ranking up there with Aesop and the Greek myth writers."– Rose Cimarron, Reviewer
- GenresHorror
34 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 1, 2011
1 person is currently reading
273 people want to read
About the author
Travis Heermann
66 books193 followersTravis Heermann is also known as T. James Logan.
Freelance writer, novelist, award-winning screenwriter, editor, poker player, poet, biker, roustabout, Travis Heermann is a graduate of the Odyssey Writing Workshop, a member of the Authors Guild, an Active member of SFWA and the HWA, and the author of The Hammer Falls, The Ronin Trilogy, Rogues of the Black Fury, and co-author of Death Wind. His short fiction appears in anthologies and magazines such as Apex Magazine, Alembical, Blood & Gasoline, BattleTech: Legacy, and many others. As a freelance writer, he has contributed a metric ton of work to such properties as Firefly Roleplaying Game, Legend of Five Rings, EVE Online, and BattleTech.
He enjoys cycling, collecting martial arts styles and belts, torturing young minds with otherworldly ideas, and monsters of every flavor, especially those with a soft, creamy center.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
June 5, 2012
Rating: 3.5 stars...although I don't think "like" is quite the right word. The book is very well written and packs a massive punch in just 30 pages. In that short space, I felt I got to know - and like - Eddie. From the blurb, I thought I would enjoy this book. The ending, for me, came out of nowhere...and wasn't what I was expecting at all. It was very cleverly, eloquently and vividly written...and left me feeling most uncomfortable and with questions about what happens next to Joy.
Trying to write my thoughts on this book without giving away the plot is difficult!
In summary: excellent, accomplished wordsmithing, but a disturbing story. If you like dark, you'll like this story.
Thank you to Travis for choosing me as a winner in the First Reads Giveaway.
A slightly longer review can be found here.
A further review and some additional thoughts can be found here.. This contains some spoiler elements.
Trying to write my thoughts on this book without giving away the plot is difficult!
In summary: excellent, accomplished wordsmithing, but a disturbing story. If you like dark, you'll like this story.
Thank you to Travis for choosing me as a winner in the First Reads Giveaway.
A slightly longer review can be found here.
A further review and some additional thoughts can be found here.. This contains some spoiler elements.
February 17, 2022
4 Stars
I want to say thank you to Book Funnel and author Travis Herrmann for my arc of "Snakes". This is a short story at only 30 pages and it starts strong and finishes with a punch. I absolutely loved this one and it kept me intrigued from start to finish. I finished it in one sitting, as it was only 30 pages, on one of my night shifts, and it left me thinking, wow I really liked this one. "Snakes"is a brilliant short horror story.
The book focuses on single mom Eddie and her young daughter. After a failed relationship she is forced to move back into her mother's old dilapidated trailer with her daughter. She is forced to take a job as an exotic dancer at a local dive bar to make ends meet and to take the best possible care of her daughter. As a single mom, she will do whatever it takes to provide for her child.
As soon as Eddie moves into the trailer, she learns that she and her daughter are not it's only inhabitants. The trailer has it's own residents - snakes. Work as an exotic dancer is less than ideal as well. She must contend with fighting off the drunk, disgusting patrons who frequent the bar; but when a mysterious stranger finds his way to the bar, Eddie's entire life will change. How will these changes affect the upbringing of her young daughter?
"Snakes" is a fantastic short story that leaves it readers feeling satisfied. It definitely manages to take a story from start to finish with an incredible storyline in only 30 pages. There's a popular saying that sometimes less is more, and "Snakes" proves that sometimes less is more. Author Travis Herrmann has written other books as well including a series titled "The Ronin" series which I cannot wait to read. I am without a doubt interested in seeing what else this talented author has to offer his readers.
I want to say thank you to Book Funnel and author Travis Herrmann for my arc of "Snakes". This is a short story at only 30 pages and it starts strong and finishes with a punch. I absolutely loved this one and it kept me intrigued from start to finish. I finished it in one sitting, as it was only 30 pages, on one of my night shifts, and it left me thinking, wow I really liked this one. "Snakes"is a brilliant short horror story.
The book focuses on single mom Eddie and her young daughter. After a failed relationship she is forced to move back into her mother's old dilapidated trailer with her daughter. She is forced to take a job as an exotic dancer at a local dive bar to make ends meet and to take the best possible care of her daughter. As a single mom, she will do whatever it takes to provide for her child.
As soon as Eddie moves into the trailer, she learns that she and her daughter are not it's only inhabitants. The trailer has it's own residents - snakes. Work as an exotic dancer is less than ideal as well. She must contend with fighting off the drunk, disgusting patrons who frequent the bar; but when a mysterious stranger finds his way to the bar, Eddie's entire life will change. How will these changes affect the upbringing of her young daughter?
"Snakes" is a fantastic short story that leaves it readers feeling satisfied. It definitely manages to take a story from start to finish with an incredible storyline in only 30 pages. There's a popular saying that sometimes less is more, and "Snakes" proves that sometimes less is more. Author Travis Herrmann has written other books as well including a series titled "The Ronin" series which I cannot wait to read. I am without a doubt interested in seeing what else this talented author has to offer his readers.
April 26, 2012
This book was quite a surprise for me. It is a very small book but it was very well written.
I received this book from GoodReads.
I received this book from GoodReads.
July 6, 2012
Wow, that was a twist. creepy and sexy. I won the book from GoodReads First Reads.
November 17, 2012
This book is short but intense. I so did not see that ending coming. Just as I'm getting caught up in the lives of Eddie and Joy...that was one crazy twist!
I won this book through Goodreads First Reads.
I won this book through Goodreads First Reads.
January 17, 2022
This is a good but short and dark story. The characters are very realistic and draws then drawn into their emotional issues. The ending is a collision of the final sex. The story is powerful and thoughtfully. I had to back and re-read the story to fully understand.
October 1, 2019
Well written, believable characters. The man reminded me a bit of the dark man in Stephen King's the last stand.
April 26, 2016
Good story.
Good story, but too much swearing. It is possible to write a good book and not have to use such language. And, just because a person lives in a trailer park, does not mean they lack language skills...
Good story, but too much swearing. It is possible to write a good book and not have to use such language. And, just because a person lives in a trailer park, does not mean they lack language skills...
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews