Of Dust and Sand: a sci-fi short story collection

by Allen Kuzara

Killer bots anyone?

What about an eco-Armageddon?

And what really happened at Roswell anyway?

From ancient mysteries on Earth to far-future conflicts on other worlds, this collection of sixteen sci-fi short stories from the author of The Anti Life Series and the Final Update trilogy promises to take you on an adventure.

Whether it’s human-sized parasites, clone lovers, or intergalactic war—there’s something in this novel-length story collage for every science fiction enthusiast.

Genres: Science Fiction, Anthologies

249 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 25, 2019

Reviews

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entertaining Sci-Fi listening 🎶🔰

This was a free kindle e-book from Amazon. Oh how I love 💘 those free books 📚!I

Sixteen will written novellas by the author. Each story is different with interesting will developed characters lots of action, misdirection, and violence leading to each conclusion. As with all multiple story books 📚 some of the stories are more entertaining than others but that is normal. I would highly recommend this e-book and author to 👍 readers of Sci-Fi fantasy adventure novels 👍🔰. 2023 😀👒😡😮

This is my second book by this author and the best but that is normal in the world of books.

Happy reading 📚 and have fun 🌙😀

[Meenaz Lodhi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sociology, politics, ethical and moral concepts, computer-aided technocracy, it touches a wide range and concept of human behavior. To what lengths will a man’s desperation lead him to take drastic measures. These short tales kind of remind me of the Twilight Zone, where the ending always was unexpected, weird and thrilling, and brought shivers up and down my spine. These stories provoked the same feelings in me!
I was entranced from the beginning! It is innovative and wildly entertaining… an emotionally intense and page-turning read. Excellent anthology!

[Meenaz Lodhi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sociology, politics, ethical and moral concepts, computer-aided technocracy, it touches a wide range and concept of human behavior. To what lengths will a man’s desperation lead him to take drastic measures. These short tales kind of remind me of the Twilight Zone, where the ending always was unexpected, weird and thrilling, and brought shivers up and down my spine. These stories provoked the same feelings in me!
I was entranced from the beginning! It is innovative and wildly entertaining… an emotionally intense and page-turning read. Excellent anthology!
I received an early version of this book from the publisher and my review is entirely voluntary.

[Barbara Harrison · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are into gloom and doom, you will probably love the first half of the collection. The second half is a little more hopeful but still post-disaster.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Greg Mudd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read

Good collection of short stories, each story different from previous one. Well worth a read at any time of the day.

[Norma · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Bullets, beans and band aids ... A reason to be?"
In Of Dust and Sand, author Allen Kuzara has brought together sixteen short science fiction stories, written, he says in an afterward, mostly unpublished and prior to his moving on to novels. The stories are varied, though most have elements of room within them, especially the prospect suggested in, When Squirrels Attack, or the more personal, The One that Got Away. All are nicely written, have the appeal of earlier S.F. masters, though some feel more like the prelude to a longer story to be continued later - and what good stories they could be.
This is an interesting, often thought provoking collection, well worth reading, set both in space and on earth, easy to pick up to slip the odd story into short gaps of free time, to enjoy then think about in the succeeding period.
The titles included are:
The Geni Coefficient
Drawing a Blank
Janis Ex Machine
Let them Eat Cake
The Sound Barrier
Keep 'Er in the Road (a personal favourite)
The Eleventh Hour
Failure to Appear
The Builders
Of Dust and Sand
From Swords to Ploughshares
When Squirrels Attack
Awful Bigamy
War Hero
Life in the Clouds
The One that Got Away

[Tanya · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of short stories which will take you into space and beyond as you travel through each tale. Go far away and enjoy

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Jay Hayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

A couple of the stories were very interesting, so much so that I would enjoy reading it as a novel. A few of the stories seemed as if they were written as a prequel for a novel, almost incomplete.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[gerry latawiec · Rating 5 out of 5]

A likeable collection

Being a bit on the mature side now, I've read quite a bit so it's always a pleasure to come across something different. These stories kept me entertained as a good story should

[Chaz Wyman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice surprise

Got this for nowt on kindle. I found myself pleasantly surprised to enjoy all stories. Some were great, others less so but all worth the time. Looking forward to seeing more from this author

[Paul Sabin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not sure how to explain this collection of short stories. They are all interesting and contain a concept that is explored in the story, but they are very different in how they impacted me.

Some were really good and captivating. Very well developed and delivered with some sense telling a story, but there are always unanswered questions.

Others were like introductions to something more that just wasn't completed. They just seemed to end on a cliff hanger scene, like the old time movie serials in the 1940's, like The Rocket Men and Flash Gordon.

They are worth reading to me, just to get a glimpse into a different hypothesis of what could happen in Life.

They are what they are and the author is well aware that they are not his writing forte. Enjoy them for the variety that they represent and see if they inspire you in some way.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Andrew Shortall · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lot of people will tell you that writing short stories is always much harder than say, a novella or full length novel. Well, Allen makes it look easy! As with his other works that I've read, there's a great flow to every story in this anthology. Each story leaves you wanting more, but also with a sense of completion too. Imaginative, thought-provoking, exciting, and more. Each story is well written and has fantastic world-building and likable characters. Highly recommended for all fans of sci-fi! So good I'll have to read it again next month!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

a collection of short sci fi stories. Very good