A Year of the Monkeys: Short Fiction by the Infinite Monkeys chapter of the League of Utah Writers

by Jenn Adams, Julie Frost, Jonathan Humphries

There is a theory that says if you give typewriters to one hundred monkeys, and let them type for one hundred years, they will eventually reproduce the works of Shakespeare. We decided to put that theory to the test - with a few minor modifications. We didn’t have one hundred monkeys - but we did have the membership of a League of Utah Writers chapter that calls itself “The Infinite Monkeys.” Most of them didn’t have typewriters, but worked on laptop or desktop computers, smartphones, and tablets. And instead of one hundred years to perfect their prose, we gave them one year to get from blank page to published anthology. So while you won’t find any reproductions of Shakespeare here, what you will find are thirty-five short stories that will make you laugh, make you cry, make you think, and sometimes make you glad you don’t live in the unsettling worlds of the imagination. Featuring #1 Amazon bestselling author Michael Darling’s "Sailing on the Sands of Burning Tides," the award-winning stories, "What We Leave Behind" from Masha Shukovich, and "Stone Soup" from Leigh Saunders, together with a brand new story, "A Friend in Need," from the award-winning Caryn Larrinaga. Also includes stories by: Jenn Adams, Jenna Bowman, Scott Bryan, Julie Frost, Effie Graves, Joni B. Haws, Laurie Heath, Sariah Horowitz, Jonathan Humphries, Norm Jenson, Craig Kingsman, Gregory Lemon, C.H. Lindsay, Victoria Lisowski, Terra Luft, Anna Marasco, Justin C. Matthews, J.T. Moore, Jared Quan, Talysa Sainz, Rachael J. Sparks, P.A. Sterling, Jennie Stevens, Scott E. Tarbet, L.D.B. Taylor, Richard Timothy, Patrick M. Tracy, Heidi Voss, Johnny Worthen, Rashelle Yeates, and Daniel Yocom.

478 pages, Paperback

First published August 21, 2018

Reviews

[Daniel Yocom · Rating 5 out of 5]

The stories in A Year of the Monkeys provides something for just about every type of reader. With the theme becoming a showcase of creativity, writers dove into the areas they were comfortable with along with dipping their toes into a new style.

I already mentioned some stories have earned awards, which isn't surprising when looking at the authors involved. Caryn Larrinaga, who was nominated for a Dragon Award for a novel has a story, “A Friend in Need.” Michael Darling, a #1 bestselling author on Amazon has “Sailing on the Tides of Burning Sand.” Others have published novels: Jared Quan, “Last Outpost on the Zombie Highway:” Johnny Worthen, “Counting;” and L.B.D. Taylor, “Lilith’s Ale.” There are authors published in Writers of The Future anthologies like Leigh Saunders “Stone Soup” and Julie Frost “Portrait of the Artist as a Young Werewolf.” Many have numerous other credentials for stories published in collections and magazines.

These talented authors not only developed their own works, they helped others develop their tales. Each story is well crafted by the author with the help of a team of editors to present a level of work you'd expect from larger publishing houses.

A Year of the Monkeys is a wonderful introduction to the new authors, and to established authors you may not know yet. The cross between genres also gives a great cross-section of work that keeps the individual stories fresh.

For the complete original, complete review please visit guildmastergaming@blogspot.

[Scott]

As author I decline to leave a star rating.

[Amy Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoy the stories