Return to Hades and Other Adventures

by Iseult Murphy

A time cell. A dying alien. A former slave, desperate to get answers.Ebony, fugitive, with only the lonely life of a space dog scavenging in the junk belt to return to. A time travel technology that can kill. New perspectives. Old enemies. Any room for hope?Will Ebony find peace, or will she regret her return to Hades?A collection of 12 fantasy, horror and science fiction stories. Time travel with a space dog. Search for a missing child with a woman who can hear the song of creation. Find out where a leprechaun really keeps his gold. Get lost in worlds that will thrill, entertain and leave you wanting more.

158 pages, ebook

Published November 26, 2019

About the author

Iseult Murphy started writing at a young age, entertaining her family with magazines that she wrote and illustrated as a child. In her teens, she won several local and national short story competitions, including three time overall winner of the RDS Young Science Writers competition, and had work placed in international writing competitions such as the BBC Wildlife Poetry competition.
Iseult is drawn to horror, fantasy and science fiction, as she feels that the most difficult aspects of life can be best explored through the lens of speculative fiction.
She currently resides on the east coast of Ireland with four dogs, a couple of humans and a cat. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys reading, art and spending time with her animals.
Iseult’s speculative fiction short stories have appeared in over two dozen venues, most recently in Liquid Imagination and Frost Fire Worlds.

Reviews

[Hail Hydra! ~Dave Anderson~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

We will have each other, and we will be free.

[Valinora Troy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can’t recommend this collection of short stories highly enough. All twelve stories are imaginative, original, and gripping. They cover a range of horror, fantasy and science fiction – all my favourite genres! It’s hard to pick a favourite, but a special mention has to go to the titular story, Return to Hades. This is one of the best sci-fi stories I have read, dealing with grief and loss and an original means of time travel, set in a world of servitude and exploitation. Heart of Gold is a great tale, humorous but with a dark undercurrent as we meet some characters from Irish folklore who live side by side with humans in contemporary Dublin. Nothing is quite what it seems in any of these stories, as each packs a delightful twist or commentary on the human condition. I would love to read more of all these worlds the author introduces us to, from where the sinister Topper plies his trade in Forget About Me to the captivating and exciting fantasy world of A Tracker Becoming and A Lion in Colossus. I have a soft spot for the narrator’s zombie detective uncle in Dead Jimmy and the Ghost, and The Secret of the Gazebo, though short, packs a punch. Some tales are darker than others, but a skein of darkness is woven through them all. Hugely enjoyable read.

[Catherine McCarthy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection is a mix of fantasy, (incorporating Irish folklore) horror and sci-fi. All of the stories are well written and imaginative, so much so that at times I felt as though I was encroaching on someone in the middle of a dream. Many were quite surreal in their descriptiveness.
Return to Hades, a sci-fi story had an emotive undercurrent which explored the desperation of loss and searching. This story had a cinematic quality.
My personal favorite within the collection were the horror stories like Just the Two of Us and Blood, both written in the first person which really drew me to the characters. I also enjoyed Forget About Me and found it somewhat personal and touching.
All in all, a clever collection which exemplifies the diverse strengths of the writer.

[Ruth Benziger · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my second novel reading Murphy’s work and it only gets better. Not only does she provide you with engaging stories, she entertains and leaves an imprint. Murphy is gifted in showing us a picture, keeping us engaged, and providing the reader with entertainment. In, “A Tracker Becoming,” the author paints a vivid picture full of action, imagery, and adventure. It was the first in this collection and sets the tone for the remainder of the collection.

Her characters, settings, and adventures allows the reader to follow along. The versatility in genre shines through. The raw and realness makes you connect to the character and story in a way that leaves you wanting more. I often fond myself wanting to read more. In Murphy fashion, she’s incredibly talented and I look forward to reading more of her work.

[David Rae · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderful collection of short stories by one of the most assured and thought provoking writers of short horror and fantasy to day. It ranges from huge world building pieces like A TRACKER BECOMING that builds a whole new way of looking at the world in a wonderful poetic style, and gives a mini-epic tale of magic, prejudice, sexism and hope. Too short sly snapshots like THE SECRET OF THE GAZEBO which changes your ideas of horror and beauty, and challenges so many of your preconceptions. Wonderful surreal urban fantasy, thats laced with humor and wit, like HEART OF GOLD. And RETURN TO HADES a cience fiction story all about loss and desire.These stories never disappoint.but enthrall and lead you in to each new world and leave you wanting more.

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

[Michael Haensel · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author brings deep emotion and a keen sense of what to include in her stories. The styles are different enough that some of these will be a hit, some will be a miss, and which are which will vary by reader. Read this for the stories you like. You won't regret it! (Personally, I'm a fan of anything with Uncle Jimmy, Zombie P.I.)

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

[Pat Eroh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Usually, I find some stories awesome, some good and some okay, but then find a few that I do not like. All of these stories were at least on the good scale for me but there are some really awesome stories in this book.

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

[James Sale · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful, and fully engrossing book. I was surprised at how many of Murphy’s stories drew you into their perfectly imagined - if somewhat weird - world and kept you there. The ultimate test of any fictional writer (though this is true of non-fiction as well) is: does this compel you to read on? The answer here is a resounding yes. Indeed, the first story in the collection of 12, and arguably the best, A Tracker Becoming, was so good, so intriguing as a concept, I thought that either a whole series of stories could be generated or one big novel. Essentially, the tracker of the title has some sort of psychic power that tunes into disharmonies in things and the environment; ten children are missing and she seeks to track them down; we then enter a strange world of psychic horror. However, given the parameters set, all is credible as the plot progresses. One great aspect of Murphy’s work is the plotting: she doesn’t write poetry or flowery ‘stuff’, but there is this strong, sinewy prose that carries you along and delivers. I strongly recommend this book; it is a fine collection from a young writer who has great things ahead of her in her writing career.

[PAR]

Return to Hades and Other Adventures by Iseult Murphy A collection of 12 fantasy, horror and science fiction stories. Time travel with a space dog. Search for a missing child with a woman who can hear the song of creation. Find out where a leprechaun really keeps his gold. Get lost in worlds that will thrill, entertain and leave you wanting more. Iseult has a way of crafting his story, masterfully interwoven with progressive world building, action, and delving deeply into his characters persona without overdoing one thing or another. I highly recommend this novel. I gave this honest, voluntary review after being given a free copy of the book with no monetary compensation.