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Enchanted Orbit
Dive into three tales from the fantastic realm between Fantasy and Science Fiction that explore themes of love, family, survival, and destiny.
The Girl Whom the Dragon Tattooed is a fantasy story in which a teenager’s first tattoo transports
her to a medieval world where dragons wage war on each other with armies of humans.
Plague of Rainbows is a science-fantasy story that follows the survivor of a devastating plague who has lost everyone he knows. He decides to take one last road trip to look for answers — and fish.
The science fiction story Stasis tells of a man who takes the ultimate geographic cure — he signs up
for a six-year stint to mine an asteroid. While there, he unexpectedly encounters the first intelligent machine.
The Girl Whom the Dragon Tattooed is a fantasy story in which a teenager’s first tattoo transports
her to a medieval world where dragons wage war on each other with armies of humans.
Plague of Rainbows is a science-fantasy story that follows the survivor of a devastating plague who has lost everyone he knows. He decides to take one last road trip to look for answers — and fish.
The science fiction story Stasis tells of a man who takes the ultimate geographic cure — he signs up
for a six-year stint to mine an asteroid. While there, he unexpectedly encounters the first intelligent machine.
106 pages, Paperback
Published October 17, 2018
4 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
February 27, 2022
I enjoyed this collection of three short stories by author Steven A Simpson.
The first, The Girl Whom the Dragon Tattooed, is a fun portal fantasy. Kelli and her friend Lily go to get tattoos for an 18th birthday celebration, but the tattoo Kelli finds in an old book in the back of the shop transports her to another world and time and conscripts her into the dragon’s army. I loved the sword fights, the medieval setting, and especially the dialogue and chemistry between Kelli and Commander Scar. This was a favorite! The second story, Plague of Rainbows, was my favorite of the three, and I found it a particularly interesting read during covid. Sam is scavenging looted stores in a post-apocalyptic USA after a virus has killed off most of the world’s population. He encounters several people, some infected. I’m a big fan of post-apocalyptic stories and I really enjoyed the conversation and the thought process that had gone into how everyday people might be impacted mentally by the events that played out. The world building was just really detailed and well thought out. Also, there was a great fishing scene! Stasis is the final story, and is a sci fi AI story. Dan is an engineer who has spent years in space and is finally coming home to Earth. While in space, he was alone for periods of time and some of his companionship was highly developed AI human like robots. The story raises all sorts of interesting questions of real vs not real.
The first, The Girl Whom the Dragon Tattooed, is a fun portal fantasy. Kelli and her friend Lily go to get tattoos for an 18th birthday celebration, but the tattoo Kelli finds in an old book in the back of the shop transports her to another world and time and conscripts her into the dragon’s army. I loved the sword fights, the medieval setting, and especially the dialogue and chemistry between Kelli and Commander Scar. This was a favorite! The second story, Plague of Rainbows, was my favorite of the three, and I found it a particularly interesting read during covid. Sam is scavenging looted stores in a post-apocalyptic USA after a virus has killed off most of the world’s population. He encounters several people, some infected. I’m a big fan of post-apocalyptic stories and I really enjoyed the conversation and the thought process that had gone into how everyday people might be impacted mentally by the events that played out. The world building was just really detailed and well thought out. Also, there was a great fishing scene! Stasis is the final story, and is a sci fi AI story. Dan is an engineer who has spent years in space and is finally coming home to Earth. While in space, he was alone for periods of time and some of his companionship was highly developed AI human like robots. The story raises all sorts of interesting questions of real vs not real.
June 22, 2020
Three unrelated stories in one novel to read, each that could be read in under an hour, maybe a half hour. But for the first story, which is clearly fantasy, this compendium could be considered solid science fiction. And the science fiction stories were by far the best of the three.
The second story, about surviving the apocalypse, was done well, with realistic dialogue. It was a nice change to explore the human suffering and ramifications of such a drastic change of circumstances all over the world, rather than shoot-'em-out over roving gangs and territory or fending off zombies. This story had some tender moments, like when a victim of the devastating virus begs to have her life ended. Definitely not a fate anyone would wish upon today's world.
The third story was very original, very good. It speaks of the loneliness in space and how humans would think up ingenious ways to divert boredom and lack of sexual companionship. I could see all this happening in a few hundred years, not just fiction but reality.
Which brings me back to the first story, a portal into a fantasy land. I didn't like it, for several reasons. One, it was like a dream, which is pleasant but nothing meaningful really happens. Two, the main character does nothing during the virtual reality dream. Three, there were some references to rape that jarred with the silliness of the story. So two side characters said it happened to them, which makes it okay to write about and read, since they're peripheral characters -- and it happens prior to the start of the story? They shrugged it off. The main character herself fights off a lustful advance, and it's okay to write and read about -- because another man comes into save the day? Phew. What if the hero didn't show up on time? Or no one else strong enough to prevent it cared? Also, I didn't like the inference that since it's the Middle Ages, men must have had some urge to pillage women -- I felt it was unfair tarring men this way.
Still, for those two science fiction stories, this author shows his deft writing, and I hope he thinks up more. I would read them for sure.
The second story, about surviving the apocalypse, was done well, with realistic dialogue. It was a nice change to explore the human suffering and ramifications of such a drastic change of circumstances all over the world, rather than shoot-'em-out over roving gangs and territory or fending off zombies. This story had some tender moments, like when a victim of the devastating virus begs to have her life ended. Definitely not a fate anyone would wish upon today's world.
The third story was very original, very good. It speaks of the loneliness in space and how humans would think up ingenious ways to divert boredom and lack of sexual companionship. I could see all this happening in a few hundred years, not just fiction but reality.
Which brings me back to the first story, a portal into a fantasy land. I didn't like it, for several reasons. One, it was like a dream, which is pleasant but nothing meaningful really happens. Two, the main character does nothing during the virtual reality dream. Three, there were some references to rape that jarred with the silliness of the story. So two side characters said it happened to them, which makes it okay to write about and read, since they're peripheral characters -- and it happens prior to the start of the story? They shrugged it off. The main character herself fights off a lustful advance, and it's okay to write and read about -- because another man comes into save the day? Phew. What if the hero didn't show up on time? Or no one else strong enough to prevent it cared? Also, I didn't like the inference that since it's the Middle Ages, men must have had some urge to pillage women -- I felt it was unfair tarring men this way.
Still, for those two science fiction stories, this author shows his deft writing, and I hope he thinks up more. I would read them for sure.
May 29, 2020
This is a collection of 3 novelettes. I’ll give a short review of each, a star rating, and then combine them for an overall rating:
The Girl that the Dragon Tattooed. This one was a fun fantasy story of a girl transported to an alternate world of dragons and armies that serve the creatures. I liked the idea of dragon warlords ruling the world, being served by people in their armies. I really think this could have easily been a full length novel itself, one that I would definitely read. I give it 4-stars.
Plague of Rainbows. I really liked this one, and what a time to be reading it. A man does his best to stay sane and survive after a deadly plague devastates the human species almost to the point of no return. There was a tough bit to get through that described too much fishing, and I can’t say I liked the ending that much nor the main character’s decision regarding another survivor. However, I enjoyed it. 3.5 stars.
Stasis. This was an eerie tale and another enjoyable one. A lonely miner returns from a 3-year shift on an asteroid only to find a problem with the computer guiding him home safely. I had hoped the story was going in another direction, but it ended in an unexpected way. 3.5 stars.
All in all this was a great read. No spelling/editing issues, no deal-breakers in any of the stories. I would recommend this to any fans of the sci-Fi genre. Taking the scores together, I round up to 4 stars.
The Girl that the Dragon Tattooed. This one was a fun fantasy story of a girl transported to an alternate world of dragons and armies that serve the creatures. I liked the idea of dragon warlords ruling the world, being served by people in their armies. I really think this could have easily been a full length novel itself, one that I would definitely read. I give it 4-stars.
Plague of Rainbows. I really liked this one, and what a time to be reading it. A man does his best to stay sane and survive after a deadly plague devastates the human species almost to the point of no return. There was a tough bit to get through that described too much fishing, and I can’t say I liked the ending that much nor the main character’s decision regarding another survivor. However, I enjoyed it. 3.5 stars.
Stasis. This was an eerie tale and another enjoyable one. A lonely miner returns from a 3-year shift on an asteroid only to find a problem with the computer guiding him home safely. I had hoped the story was going in another direction, but it ended in an unexpected way. 3.5 stars.
All in all this was a great read. No spelling/editing issues, no deal-breakers in any of the stories. I would recommend this to any fans of the sci-Fi genre. Taking the scores together, I round up to 4 stars.
November 5, 2018
Three Science Fiction and Fantasy Tales
“God, heaven, faith, miracles, angels, magic . . . Santa Claus. The magic that once upheld the world and had been beaten down, is coming back.”
These are three very different stories all in the broad genre of science fantasy. The first ‘The Girl Whom the Dragon Tattooed’ (love that title!) was a YA style story about a teen who had an unusual portal fantasy adventure. The Second, ‘Plague of Rainbows’ was a very dark post-apocalyptic science fantasy tale with a highly unusual twist and the third ‘Stasis’ explored the classic sci-fi topic of AI sentience, in a far from classic manner.
My favourite was The Girl Whom the Dragon Tattooed. As well as one of the best titles I have seen recently, it had adventure, humour, dragons and a great female main character!
Nothing in books, TV, or in movie CGI had prepared me for meeting a live dragon face to face.
What I Really Liked:
- The twists. All three stories had really unexpected twists.
- The humour. All three stories had some splashes of humour, Plague of Rainbows had some very, very dark humour, but The Girl Whom the Dragon Tattooed had some laugh out loud moments for me.
- The writing. Overall the quality of the writing in all three stories was very good, flowing and fluent and easy to read.
- The variety of style. Each of the three stories was very different not only in setting but in the approach of the author.
~Don’t worry, I won’t destroy mankind before I talk to you.~
What I Struggled With:
- Present tense writing. One of the things I struggle with is the use the limited medium of the present tense to tell a deep and complex tale. Plague of Rainbows is written in the present tense and that spoiled the story for me. I found my reading immersion continually broken by that jarring factor.
- Gender biased AI. I find it depressing that the idea AI has to be female is becoming so prevalent in fiction and in the real world. So much so that is it close to becoming an unquestioned norm. In fact, I can’t recall when I last read a story with male AI - and Stasis did not give me any. I could imagine the story re-envisioned with a female protagonist and male AI. That would really make it pop for me.
- The twists. Although unusual and unexpected, they also stretched credulity a little for me in two of the stories. Maybe not completely beyond suspension of disbelief, but certainly pushing the envelope very strongly
Overall:
I enjoyed this collection a lot and found the change of setting, pace and characters made it an interesting read.
Star Rating: 4
Who Would Enjoy this Book:
If you enjoy science fiction and fantasy and are looking for new takes on the genres, I can heartily recommend this volume.
“God, heaven, faith, miracles, angels, magic . . . Santa Claus. The magic that once upheld the world and had been beaten down, is coming back.”
These are three very different stories all in the broad genre of science fantasy. The first ‘The Girl Whom the Dragon Tattooed’ (love that title!) was a YA style story about a teen who had an unusual portal fantasy adventure. The Second, ‘Plague of Rainbows’ was a very dark post-apocalyptic science fantasy tale with a highly unusual twist and the third ‘Stasis’ explored the classic sci-fi topic of AI sentience, in a far from classic manner.
My favourite was The Girl Whom the Dragon Tattooed. As well as one of the best titles I have seen recently, it had adventure, humour, dragons and a great female main character!
Nothing in books, TV, or in movie CGI had prepared me for meeting a live dragon face to face.
What I Really Liked:
- The twists. All three stories had really unexpected twists.
- The humour. All three stories had some splashes of humour, Plague of Rainbows had some very, very dark humour, but The Girl Whom the Dragon Tattooed had some laugh out loud moments for me.
- The writing. Overall the quality of the writing in all three stories was very good, flowing and fluent and easy to read.
- The variety of style. Each of the three stories was very different not only in setting but in the approach of the author.
~Don’t worry, I won’t destroy mankind before I talk to you.~
What I Struggled With:
- Present tense writing. One of the things I struggle with is the use the limited medium of the present tense to tell a deep and complex tale. Plague of Rainbows is written in the present tense and that spoiled the story for me. I found my reading immersion continually broken by that jarring factor.
- Gender biased AI. I find it depressing that the idea AI has to be female is becoming so prevalent in fiction and in the real world. So much so that is it close to becoming an unquestioned norm. In fact, I can’t recall when I last read a story with male AI - and Stasis did not give me any. I could imagine the story re-envisioned with a female protagonist and male AI. That would really make it pop for me.
- The twists. Although unusual and unexpected, they also stretched credulity a little for me in two of the stories. Maybe not completely beyond suspension of disbelief, but certainly pushing the envelope very strongly
Overall:
I enjoyed this collection a lot and found the change of setting, pace and characters made it an interesting read.
Star Rating: 4
Who Would Enjoy this Book:
If you enjoy science fiction and fantasy and are looking for new takes on the genres, I can heartily recommend this volume.
October 18, 2018
Traverse the bridge between fantasy and science fiction in these three novelettes exploring themes of love, family, survival, and destiny.
The Girl Whom the Dragon Tattooed is a fantasy story in which a teenager’s first tattoo transports her to a medieval world where dragons wage war on each other with armies of humans.
Plague of Rainbows is a science-fantasy story that follows the survivor of a devastating plague who has lost everyone he knows. He decides to take one last road trip to look for answers — and fish.
The science fiction story Stasis tells of a man who takes the ultimate geographic cure — he signs up for a six-year stint to mine an asteroid. While there, he unexpectedly encounters the first intelligent machine.
The Girl Whom the Dragon Tattooed is a fantasy story in which a teenager’s first tattoo transports her to a medieval world where dragons wage war on each other with armies of humans.
Plague of Rainbows is a science-fantasy story that follows the survivor of a devastating plague who has lost everyone he knows. He decides to take one last road trip to look for answers — and fish.
The science fiction story Stasis tells of a man who takes the ultimate geographic cure — he signs up for a six-year stint to mine an asteroid. While there, he unexpectedly encounters the first intelligent machine.
July 5, 2020
Three well written fantasy and sci fi short stories that romp along with good pace and energy.
Enchanted Orbit consists of three short and unrelated stories, so it’s a bit hard to review the overall book as one entity. It’s also a very short volume in total, so I was left with the overall impression that the author might be testing different scenarios to see which to develop into a full novel - although hasn’t the author already published a full novel called “The girl whom the dragon tattooed’ (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...) which is also the title of the first story and seems to be very similar? That confused me, although I haven’t read it, and so did the cover which didn’t represent the three stories, but really just the dragon tattoo one. That having been said, here are my thoughts on the three stories:
The first tells the story of a young rebellious girl who gets a tattoo much to her parents’ disapproval. She finds herself transported by her tattoo of a dragon to a fantasy Middle Ages ruled by dragons. I would have put it as a YA, although there’s an attempted rape in it. It has a lot of potential as a story of how the girl developed her understanding of her parents and her place in the world, but then is cut short by the format. The rather abrupt moral to conclude the story seems rather artificially imposed.
The second is set in a post-apocalyptic world that has been and continues to be ravaged by a virus. Very topical. There is a lot of tension as the main character heads out into the world on a mission to enjoy his last days/discover himself/end his life? It’s hard to say which, but that creates tension and he has some close shaves. The rather lengthy explanation of fly fishing in the middle does detract from that tension rather and seems a bit overdone in such a short story, but would work well in a longer novel. The plot twist reveal is signalled rather early in the book, which takes some of the impact away from the ending, but it’s still an interesting twist.
Of the three I enjoyed the third, Stasis, most as it’s very well written and feels very complete. The story of an thirty-year-old engineer sent out as part of a team mining asteroids is gripping and engaging and focuses on his romantic needs. This takes an interesting turn when they are satisfied by a synthetic human. The development of feelings both ways between artificial intelligent entities and a human is well told and has several twists, which I enjoyed. I did find the AI being female a bit predictable and want people not to gender technology as much as seems to happen in sci fi and the real world. But overall, I enjoyed the story and the plot twist at the end is particularly satisfying. In this story, the author gets the balance of technicalities and story telling just right.
Overall, Enchanted Orbit was a good, quick read and I definitely enjoyed Stasis most of the three. As an overall book it is a strangely unrelated and abbreviated collection, but shows good versatility on the part of the author and each story has its own potential.
Enchanted Orbit consists of three short and unrelated stories, so it’s a bit hard to review the overall book as one entity. It’s also a very short volume in total, so I was left with the overall impression that the author might be testing different scenarios to see which to develop into a full novel - although hasn’t the author already published a full novel called “The girl whom the dragon tattooed’ (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...) which is also the title of the first story and seems to be very similar? That confused me, although I haven’t read it, and so did the cover which didn’t represent the three stories, but really just the dragon tattoo one. That having been said, here are my thoughts on the three stories:
The first tells the story of a young rebellious girl who gets a tattoo much to her parents’ disapproval. She finds herself transported by her tattoo of a dragon to a fantasy Middle Ages ruled by dragons. I would have put it as a YA, although there’s an attempted rape in it. It has a lot of potential as a story of how the girl developed her understanding of her parents and her place in the world, but then is cut short by the format. The rather abrupt moral to conclude the story seems rather artificially imposed.
The second is set in a post-apocalyptic world that has been and continues to be ravaged by a virus. Very topical. There is a lot of tension as the main character heads out into the world on a mission to enjoy his last days/discover himself/end his life? It’s hard to say which, but that creates tension and he has some close shaves. The rather lengthy explanation of fly fishing in the middle does detract from that tension rather and seems a bit overdone in such a short story, but would work well in a longer novel. The plot twist reveal is signalled rather early in the book, which takes some of the impact away from the ending, but it’s still an interesting twist.
Of the three I enjoyed the third, Stasis, most as it’s very well written and feels very complete. The story of an thirty-year-old engineer sent out as part of a team mining asteroids is gripping and engaging and focuses on his romantic needs. This takes an interesting turn when they are satisfied by a synthetic human. The development of feelings both ways between artificial intelligent entities and a human is well told and has several twists, which I enjoyed. I did find the AI being female a bit predictable and want people not to gender technology as much as seems to happen in sci fi and the real world. But overall, I enjoyed the story and the plot twist at the end is particularly satisfying. In this story, the author gets the balance of technicalities and story telling just right.
Overall, Enchanted Orbit was a good, quick read and I definitely enjoyed Stasis most of the three. As an overall book it is a strangely unrelated and abbreviated collection, but shows good versatility on the part of the author and each story has its own potential.
June 20, 2020
Enchanted Orbit is a collection of three sci-fi/fantasy tales by author S.A. Simpson. The stories are all an easily-consumed length, and I enjoyed the chance to partake in three very different themes: Magic-Travel/Dragon/Warfare, Post-Apocalyptic Struggle, and Sci-Fi/Sentient A.I.
I'm a little perplexed why Steven A. Simpson and S.A. Simpson are two different authors. Steven A. Simpson is credited with “Wizard Blues” from 2013, and “The Girl Whom the Dragon Tattoed” from 2015, which is apparently where the first story is derived from.
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect based on this book cover, but the cover eventually grew on me, and with the first few pages any concerns were quickly alleviated. Mr. Simpson is a very good writer, and these are very nice stories.
I was very impressed with the knack he showed for YA fiction in the first story. He did a terrific job taking us inside the mind of a teenage girl and inside her remarkable fantasy adventure. It was a strong opening.
The second tale wasn’t really my cup of tea. As I mentioned in a previous review, I’m pretty burned out with apocalypse/survival/everyone’s dead/zombies/whatever. Authors write about it because readers and writers clearly love it, however, so I’m certain this story will resonate with a lot of readers.
Although dragons and apocalypses are interesting, I think Mr. Simpson’s skills really shined in the third story. I suspect classic sci-fi is his forte. There was a certain tension and gritty realism sustained throughout the story, and it had all the elements of gripping sci-fi.
If I had to complain (and I always do), I think these are fairly tried-and-true themes. We’ve got dragons, a disease-borne apocalypse, and artificial intelligence showing unexpected emotion in a 2001-esque fashion. I’d like to see Mr. Simpson let his hair down in future books, and really explore some uncharted waters in the fantasy and sci-fi genres.
Bottom line: Crisp writing and three completely different worlds will keep the reader engaged. Lovers of fantasy, sci-fi, and the short-story format will enjoy these tales quite a bit. 4/5 stars and a job well done!
I'm a little perplexed why Steven A. Simpson and S.A. Simpson are two different authors. Steven A. Simpson is credited with “Wizard Blues” from 2013, and “The Girl Whom the Dragon Tattoed” from 2015, which is apparently where the first story is derived from.
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect based on this book cover, but the cover eventually grew on me, and with the first few pages any concerns were quickly alleviated. Mr. Simpson is a very good writer, and these are very nice stories.
I was very impressed with the knack he showed for YA fiction in the first story. He did a terrific job taking us inside the mind of a teenage girl and inside her remarkable fantasy adventure. It was a strong opening.
The second tale wasn’t really my cup of tea. As I mentioned in a previous review, I’m pretty burned out with apocalypse/survival/everyone’s dead/zombies/whatever. Authors write about it because readers and writers clearly love it, however, so I’m certain this story will resonate with a lot of readers.
Although dragons and apocalypses are interesting, I think Mr. Simpson’s skills really shined in the third story. I suspect classic sci-fi is his forte. There was a certain tension and gritty realism sustained throughout the story, and it had all the elements of gripping sci-fi.
If I had to complain (and I always do), I think these are fairly tried-and-true themes. We’ve got dragons, a disease-borne apocalypse, and artificial intelligence showing unexpected emotion in a 2001-esque fashion. I’d like to see Mr. Simpson let his hair down in future books, and really explore some uncharted waters in the fantasy and sci-fi genres.
Bottom line: Crisp writing and three completely different worlds will keep the reader engaged. Lovers of fantasy, sci-fi, and the short-story format will enjoy these tales quite a bit. 4/5 stars and a job well done!
November 7, 2018
This book contains three different SFF stories. The first deserves major credit just for the title—The Girl Whom the Dragon Tattooed. In this one, an eighteen-year-old celebrates her passage to legal adulthood by getting the tattoo her parents would never let her have before. She goes to the tattoo parlor intending to get something like a flower, but ends up with dragon around her arm. Only it turns out her tattoo transports her to a realm where there are, in fact, real dragons.
The next story is more somber. A plague has swept the world, and everybody Sam loved was killed by it, as was almost everyone else. He goes for one last fishing trip—and ends up with more than just fish.
The final story, Stasis, tells of a man who takes a multi-year job as an asteroid miner, but he winds up waking a computer to sentience.
Overall, a nice selection of tales, all very different, yet all cohesive and well-told.
The next story is more somber. A plague has swept the world, and everybody Sam loved was killed by it, as was almost everyone else. He goes for one last fishing trip—and ends up with more than just fish.
The final story, Stasis, tells of a man who takes a multi-year job as an asteroid miner, but he winds up waking a computer to sentience.
Overall, a nice selection of tales, all very different, yet all cohesive and well-told.
January 6, 2019
Well written entertaining stories
I enjoyed all three stories. Each story was engaging and the characters well thought out. They were 'normal' people. Each character could be related too and the writing such that one wants to know what happens to each. If the other had to write a second volume, which continues the stories of all three, I would definitely buy it. Kerri's story is fantasy and dragons rule. Sam's story is science fiction with a post-apocalyptic virus world. Daniel's story is also science fiction but involves space and AI.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys science fiction or fantasy. If you enjoy both, this book is definitely for you.
I enjoyed all three stories. Each story was engaging and the characters well thought out. They were 'normal' people. Each character could be related too and the writing such that one wants to know what happens to each. If the other had to write a second volume, which continues the stories of all three, I would definitely buy it. Kerri's story is fantasy and dragons rule. Sam's story is science fiction with a post-apocalyptic virus world. Daniel's story is also science fiction but involves space and AI.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys science fiction or fantasy. If you enjoy both, this book is definitely for you.
November 7, 2018
I was offered free access to this book in exchange for an honest review.
4* - 15/20.
A quick, entertaining read.
Full review and critique here: https://rhianwriting.wordpress.com/20...
4* - 15/20.
A quick, entertaining read.
Full review and critique here: https://rhianwriting.wordpress.com/20...
August 4, 2021
This collection of three short stories is an easy, overall enjoyable read. The tales are unrelated to each other and take the reader on a continuum from fantasy to science fiction.
Each story is written in the first person and they all do a great job of capturing the distinct voices of the individual main characters. I enjoyed the second and third stories the most, but felt the first one had potential that it didn’t quite reach. It unfortunately didn't break away much from such tired tropes as the male ‘hero’ arriving in the nick of time to save the day. It also did not seem as polished as the second and third stories, with an ending that felt too abrupt and a connected moral that was a little too much ‘in-your-face’.
Still, all three tales were diverting. For those who love both fantasy and science fiction, these nicely written stories are worth reading.
Each story is written in the first person and they all do a great job of capturing the distinct voices of the individual main characters. I enjoyed the second and third stories the most, but felt the first one had potential that it didn’t quite reach. It unfortunately didn't break away much from such tired tropes as the male ‘hero’ arriving in the nick of time to save the day. It also did not seem as polished as the second and third stories, with an ending that felt too abrupt and a connected moral that was a little too much ‘in-your-face’.
Still, all three tales were diverting. For those who love both fantasy and science fiction, these nicely written stories are worth reading.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews