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The Gloaming
Michael Hodges' debut novel THE PULLER was optioned for film, and his follow-up novel, THE INVASIVE became a best seller. THE GLOAMING pays tribute to those apocalyptic and First Contact themes with 16 epic tales.
Fletcher's Mountains: A man travels cross-country, post-oil and WW III, in search of his old friend's cabin in the Montana mountains. But someone is following him....
Lost Planes, Lost River: Cessna's belonging to the Wildlife Service keep crashing as the Service attempts to aerially snipe a wolf pack for livestock depredation. The FBI is called to investigate.
Hydra: A top scientist discovers a way to extend the human life span by decades, but grapples with the reality humans will be the only species left on the planet if implemented.
Uncommon Ally: After meteors wipe out most of mankind, the meteors that crashed into the ocean infect the seas with invasive species. A young rebel snipes the invasive's from shore, and finds an uncommon ally in the great white shark.
Fletcher's Mountains: A man travels cross-country, post-oil and WW III, in search of his old friend's cabin in the Montana mountains. But someone is following him....
Lost Planes, Lost River: Cessna's belonging to the Wildlife Service keep crashing as the Service attempts to aerially snipe a wolf pack for livestock depredation. The FBI is called to investigate.
Hydra: A top scientist discovers a way to extend the human life span by decades, but grapples with the reality humans will be the only species left on the planet if implemented.
Uncommon Ally: After meteors wipe out most of mankind, the meteors that crashed into the ocean infect the seas with invasive species. A young rebel snipes the invasive's from shore, and finds an uncommon ally in the great white shark.
- GenresShort Stories
145 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 1, 2018
About the author
Michael Hodges
50 books148 followersMichael Hodges is an American speculative fiction writer. His debut novel, The Puller, was released on April 24, 2015. Film rights for The Puller were purchased by Sonny Mallhi, producer of the film classic "The Strangers". The Puller was acquired by award winning publisher PYR in 2021. Tentative release date is November 2021. Michael's latest release is a short story collection called "The Gloaming". Michael's short stories have been published in over twenty magazines and anthologies, and he's a member of the Horror Writers Association and the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.
He's also taught writing with Game of Thrones editor Anne Groell. His novel, "Black Friday" was called a "Glorious work of literature" by Horror Novel Reviews.
Along with writing fiction, Hodges is a professional nature photographer, with work appearing in Outside Magazine (Best Adventure Photography of the Year) and newspapers, amongst other places. Animals often play a big role in his fiction, and the two art forms feed each other. He loves hearing from readers at:
facebook.com/MichaelHodgesAuthor/
or his website:
https://michaelhodgesfiction.com/
He's also taught writing with Game of Thrones editor Anne Groell. His novel, "Black Friday" was called a "Glorious work of literature" by Horror Novel Reviews.
Along with writing fiction, Hodges is a professional nature photographer, with work appearing in Outside Magazine (Best Adventure Photography of the Year) and newspapers, amongst other places. Animals often play a big role in his fiction, and the two art forms feed each other. He loves hearing from readers at:
facebook.com/MichaelHodgesAuthor/
or his website:
https://michaelhodgesfiction.com/
Ratings & Reviews
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 9, 2026
The best stories in ‘The Gloaming’ immersed me in a moment in time and used that moment to get me to reflect on the things we do now that make such dismal futures or unhappy presents possible. The longer stories pulled me into a narrative and engaged me in the fate of the protagonists as they faced unpleasant realities. The shorter ones slid into my imagination like splinters, lodging themselves there and making me pay them more attention than something of their length should have.
The stories deal with people dealing with discontinuous changes in their lives that they may or may not be able to adapt to. The discontinuities range from apocalyptic wars, alien first contact, irreversible climate change through to facing the imminence of one's own mental decline. Many of the stories take place in the shadow of loss, but some are about discovery and hope. The common thread seemed to me to be that the protagonists' reactions to the discontinuity reveal who they are.
This quote from the first story, ‘Fletcher’s Mountains’, which describes a man’s return to the mountains of Montana in the aftermath of a global war, illustrates the point. Fletcher is reflecting on his countrymen’s reaction to sky-high gas prices resulting from World War III:
"People went insane. Fletcher knew they always had it in them. You could see it in the highways at night, the meanness. When someone was driving with one headlight and their brights on to cover up for it, they’d get flashed back by oncoming drivers. That ain’t a kind country. More like an I got mine country. There were other things, too. Lost pets with ID tags scratching at neighbor’s doors, the neighbors refusing to answer. This was the kind of meanness. Not something people paid attention to every day. But he saw it, just under the skin like a virus, waiting for weakness. And boy did they show weakness. When people could no longer afford to buy gas, they began to kill each other, taking each other’s stuff."
I’m glad I read ‘The Gloaming’. Some of those stories will stick with me, and I’ll be looking for more of Michael Hodges work. I think it would have been a much stronger collection if it had had fewer stories in it. Some of the stories felt like downloads from the author’s Work In Progress file rather than completed works.
The stories deal with people dealing with discontinuous changes in their lives that they may or may not be able to adapt to. The discontinuities range from apocalyptic wars, alien first contact, irreversible climate change through to facing the imminence of one's own mental decline. Many of the stories take place in the shadow of loss, but some are about discovery and hope. The common thread seemed to me to be that the protagonists' reactions to the discontinuity reveal who they are.
This quote from the first story, ‘Fletcher’s Mountains’, which describes a man’s return to the mountains of Montana in the aftermath of a global war, illustrates the point. Fletcher is reflecting on his countrymen’s reaction to sky-high gas prices resulting from World War III:
"People went insane. Fletcher knew they always had it in them. You could see it in the highways at night, the meanness. When someone was driving with one headlight and their brights on to cover up for it, they’d get flashed back by oncoming drivers. That ain’t a kind country. More like an I got mine country. There were other things, too. Lost pets with ID tags scratching at neighbor’s doors, the neighbors refusing to answer. This was the kind of meanness. Not something people paid attention to every day. But he saw it, just under the skin like a virus, waiting for weakness. And boy did they show weakness. When people could no longer afford to buy gas, they began to kill each other, taking each other’s stuff."
I’m glad I read ‘The Gloaming’. Some of those stories will stick with me, and I’ll be looking for more of Michael Hodges work. I think it would have been a much stronger collection if it had had fewer stories in it. Some of the stories felt like downloads from the author’s Work In Progress file rather than completed works.
June 6, 2018
I loved this collection for so many reasons, (incredible description that pills you in, unique and interesting characters, fresh and gloomy macabre plots) but my absolute favorite thing is the voice. This author has found it and using it loud and clear. I love it. It adds a depth to the stories and sets them apart from anything else I've ever read. Excellent!
March 1, 2017
An excellent collection of stories from one of my favorite writers. Dark, deep, and scary, these tales are sure to give you the shivers and stay with you for a long time. But warning: You may never go in the woods again!
March 9, 2026
This collection just wasn’t for me just couldn’t engage with the stories for some reason.
May 16, 2017
Dark and rather depressing. I like his novels but these short stories aren't nearly as good.
October 3, 2020
Page Turner! Creative, imaginative, fun and Fluid!
The Gloaming, a collection of sixteen tales quickly draws you in and immerses you in character, transporting your minds eye to time and place. You will find yourself turning pages quickly with suspense and animation. As each tale wraps up, you want another story. Turning the final page of Divinity one cannot help but wonder, pondering the tales, and a connection? Great for many ages!
The Gloaming, a collection of sixteen tales quickly draws you in and immerses you in character, transporting your minds eye to time and place. You will find yourself turning pages quickly with suspense and animation. As each tale wraps up, you want another story. Turning the final page of Divinity one cannot help but wonder, pondering the tales, and a connection? Great for many ages!
March 20, 2026
interesting but weird
While I enjoyed this book, some of the stories didn’t really tie things up and left me hanging. However, it’s different and I liked it a lot.
While I enjoyed this book, some of the stories didn’t really tie things up and left me hanging. However, it’s different and I liked it a lot.
September 27, 2020
Intriguing Short Stories
I truly enjoyed each story in it own right!! Easy to read and honestly I couldn’t stop till I finished the book!! Some I would love to see made into a full fledged novel... as my curious mind just wanted to know more!!
I truly enjoyed each story in it own right!! Easy to read and honestly I couldn’t stop till I finished the book!! Some I would love to see made into a full fledged novel... as my curious mind just wanted to know more!!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews