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Horatio
On October 15, 1979, two men take to the road, leaving their town behind, waiting for the peanut farmer president to come onto the radio to make an important announcement about the future of all mankind. In the hours leading up to the broadcast, Jamie and Harry will look back on their relationship, and what it means to live in defiance like there's no tomorrow.
Horatio, a free short story from the mind of Tj Klune, exclusively at author's site.
Horatio, a free short story from the mind of Tj Klune, exclusively at author's site.
38 pages, ebook
First published December 6, 2019
1 person is currently reading
934 people want to read
About the author
T.J. Klune
69 books61.6k followersTJ KLUNE is a Lambda Literary Award-winning author (Into This River I Drown) and an ex-claims examiner for an insurance company. His novels include The House in the Cerulean Sea and The Extraordinaries. Being queer himself, TJ believes it's important—now more than ever—to have accurate, positive, queer representation in stories.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 86 reviews
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December 6, 2019NOW AVAILABLE FOR FREE at:
http://www.tjklunebooks.com/new-blog/...
On October 15, 1979, two men take to the road, leaving their town behind, waiting for the peanut farmer president to come onto the radio to make an important announcement about the future of all mankind. In the hours leading up to the broadcast, Jamie and Harry will look back on their relationship, and what it means to live in defiance like there's no tomorrow.
Horatio, a free short story from the mind of Tj Klune, coming December 6, 2019, exclusively to tjklunebooks.com
http://www.tjklunebooks.com/new-blog/...
On October 15, 1979, two men take to the road, leaving their town behind, waiting for the peanut farmer president to come onto the radio to make an important announcement about the future of all mankind. In the hours leading up to the broadcast, Jamie and Harry will look back on their relationship, and what it means to live in defiance like there's no tomorrow.
Horatio, a free short story from the mind of Tj Klune, coming December 6, 2019, exclusively to tjklunebooks.com
December 25, 2019
Meeting, falling in love, fear, moments of despair, and hope. All the hope left in the entire world.
This short story had all of that and more.
“I didn’t need anyone to complete me, but then I didn’t know I was missing anything to begin with. I was, though. I was missing you. It’s big. This. You and me. It’s bigger than the world. I thought I always had a philosophical understanding of the way things were supposed to be. You upended that. You changed everything for me.”The story didn't have a definitive, black-or-white ending, but I'm consciously choosing to believe that everything worked out okay in the end.
4 *blue-one-story-house* stars.
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This short story is free on the author's web site at:
http://www.tjklunebooks.com/new-blog/...
See All My Latest Reads (Review Quick-Links)
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January 10, 2020
3.5 What Operation Hope!! Stars
Told in single POV, 1st person, it’s a standalone novella. It was very short; you can read it in under an hour. It was beautifully written but it was sad! The ending wasn’t clear but you could guess how it’s gonna end. I wish the operation hope was real! Hope you enjoy it!
Told in single POV, 1st person, it’s a standalone novella. It was very short; you can read it in under an hour. It was beautifully written but it was sad! The ending wasn’t clear but you could guess how it’s gonna end. I wish the operation hope was real! Hope you enjoy it!
December 6, 2019
Beautifully written. Mysterious. Wanted more.
"You were this…light. Beautiful. Mysterious. Devastating. I was entranced by you. The way you moved. I’d never seen anyone like you before. And I remember thinking, who are you? How did you come to be here? Where have you been before now? I didn’t need anyone to complete me, but then I didn’t know I was missing anything to begin with. I was, though. I was missing you. It’s big. This. You and me. It’s bigger than the world. I thought I always had a philosophical understanding of the way things were supposed to be. You upended that. You changed everything for me."
"You were this…light. Beautiful. Mysterious. Devastating. I was entranced by you. The way you moved. I’d never seen anyone like you before. And I remember thinking, who are you? How did you come to be here? Where have you been before now? I didn’t need anyone to complete me, but then I didn’t know I was missing anything to begin with. I was, though. I was missing you. It’s big. This. You and me. It’s bigger than the world. I thought I always had a philosophical understanding of the way things were supposed to be. You upended that. You changed everything for me."
December 23, 2019
3.75 stars
Very beautiful and almost poignant short.
It was lovely. It was sad. It kept doing this a lot. Maybe not doing it enough. It gets tiring after a while. But reinvigorating all the same.
Available as a freebie on the author's site: http://www.tjklunebooks.com/new-blog/...
Very beautiful and almost poignant short.
It was lovely. It was sad. It kept doing this a lot. Maybe not doing it enough. It gets tiring after a while. But reinvigorating all the same.
Available as a freebie on the author's site: http://www.tjklunebooks.com/new-blog/...
December 6, 2019
”There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”
There are more things in Heaven and Earth than we could possibly know, but I know the endless universe that is Jamie. And he knows me. It’s all I need. - Harry
All of TJ’s stories are a gift, and this one is the same. How he can break the heart and fill it up at the same time never stops knocking me flat. ❤️
There are more things in Heaven and Earth than we could possibly know, but I know the endless universe that is Jamie. And he knows me. It’s all I need. - Harry
All of TJ’s stories are a gift, and this one is the same. How he can break the heart and fill it up at the same time never stops knocking me flat. ❤️
December 8, 2019
I don't even know what to say about some of TJ's stuff. This is one of those. It's a story you need to experience. It was lovely, melancholy, poignant and really beautiful.
it's also free on his website
it's also free on his website
December 8, 2019
TJ knows how to make you laugh as well as cry.
He did both here. A beautiful short story.
http://www.tjklunebooks.com/new-blog/...
He did both here. A beautiful short story.
http://www.tjklunebooks.com/new-blog/...
January 4, 2020
No one writes love like TJ Klune. I can hardly believe I live and get to read his stories.
Read
January 30, 2022“What happened to free will?”
He snorted inelegantly. “Who knows? It’s one of the great secrets of the universe. Maybe it was fate, maybe it was destiny, or maybe it was nothing at all and we’re just two people in the middle of cosmic nonsense clinging to each other because we can.” He waved his hand dismissively, almost hitting me in the face. “It doesn’t matter. Here you are. Here I am. And there’s no other place I’d rather be. You intrigue me.”
“You don’t know me.”
“I will.”
This was so quietly beautiful and haunting. I couldn't stop reading until I got to the end.
I thoroughly recommend it to everyone! Lovely story.
He snorted inelegantly. “Who knows? It’s one of the great secrets of the universe. Maybe it was fate, maybe it was destiny, or maybe it was nothing at all and we’re just two people in the middle of cosmic nonsense clinging to each other because we can.” He waved his hand dismissively, almost hitting me in the face. “It doesn’t matter. Here you are. Here I am. And there’s no other place I’d rather be. You intrigue me.”
“You don’t know me.”
“I will.”
This was so quietly beautiful and haunting. I couldn't stop reading until I got to the end.
I thoroughly recommend it to everyone! Lovely story.
December 7, 2019
“Maybe it was fate, maybe it was destiny, or maybe it was nothing at all and we’re just two people in the middle of cosmic nonsense clinging to each other because we can.”
Even with a short story, TJ captures my heart with his words and his characters once again. I loved Harry and Jamie and I loved their journey, as brief as it was. This little story packs a punch as much as anything else written by TJ. I love him and his obsession with Oregon and the phrase “Not yet,” and I loved the lesson to be learned in this story.
Even with a short story, TJ captures my heart with his words and his characters once again. I loved Harry and Jamie and I loved their journey, as brief as it was. This little story packs a punch as much as anything else written by TJ. I love him and his obsession with Oregon and the phrase “Not yet,” and I loved the lesson to be learned in this story.
December 7, 2019
3.5
"I’d never been anyone’s anything before, much less a muse. I was a speck of sand on an infinite beach, waiting for the tide to come in and wash me away. And here he was, the ocean, the waves, and I drowned in him.
It's sad, it's cute, it's devastating. It's just simply beautiful.
"I’d never been anyone’s anything before, much less a muse. I was a speck of sand on an infinite beach, waiting for the tide to come in and wash me away. And here he was, the ocean, the waves, and I drowned in him.
It's sad, it's cute, it's devastating. It's just simply beautiful.
December 12, 2019
Actual Rating: 3.5/5
Beautifully written but there wasn't much to it really.
Beautifully written but there wasn't much to it really.
December 25, 2019
Wow, that was different. And it doesn't have a clear ending. And I liked it! 😁 I can guess how the story continues and it's sad. They had a great romance!
January 9, 2020
He shrugs, squeezing my hand again and again like the beat of a heart. “You were this…light. Beautiful. Mysterious. Devastating. I was entranced by you. The way you moved. I’d never seen anyone like you before. And I remember thinking, who are you? How did you come to be here? Where have you been before now? I didn’t need anyone to complete me, but then I didn’t know I was missing anything to begin with. I was, though. I was missing you. It’s big. This. You and me. It’s bigger than the world. I thought I always had a philosophical understanding of the way things were supposed to be. You upended that. You changed everything for me. I—”
TISHEI LO HIZO DE NUEVO (una remera que diga)
Jamie y Harry se conocen en una fiesta. Harry sintiéndose incómodo en su propia piel, sabiendo lo que es y lo que está destinado a ser. Jamie es todo lo contrario; aventurero, intrigado por la vida y todos los secretos que oculta. Ellos colisionan, se aman a su tiempo y lo hacen a pesar de saber poco del otro ¿cómo se puede medir "conocer al otro"? Ellos se conocen y eso es lo que importa. No importa que a las 5.30 el presidente pueda decir que todo está acabado, que el día del juicio final llegó. Ellos se tienen. Ellos se aman. Ese es su legado, para lo que nacieron y existen.
LO AMÉ
creo que quedó claro.
TISHEI LO HIZO DE NUEVO (una remera que diga)
Jamie y Harry se conocen en una fiesta. Harry sintiéndose incómodo en su propia piel, sabiendo lo que es y lo que está destinado a ser. Jamie es todo lo contrario; aventurero, intrigado por la vida y todos los secretos que oculta. Ellos colisionan, se aman a su tiempo y lo hacen a pesar de saber poco del otro ¿cómo se puede medir "conocer al otro"? Ellos se conocen y eso es lo que importa. No importa que a las 5.30 el presidente pueda decir que todo está acabado, que el día del juicio final llegó. Ellos se tienen. Ellos se aman. Ese es su legado, para lo que nacieron y existen.
LO AMÉ
creo que quedó claro.
December 9, 2019
I don't know how he does this. How can TJ write a short story with this much feeling, so much hope, and so much heart? I read it on Friday, then I read it again, and again, and then again today. It's beautiful and not what I thought it would be. I really don't even know what I thought it would be, just not this. And that's dumb of me because I know better.
I had tears, and my heart was filled with the love that Henry and Jamie have. It made me think about my own relationship. And it made me feel so good.
I had tears, and my heart was filled with the love that Henry and Jamie have. It made me think about my own relationship. And it made me feel so good.
December 6, 2019
‘‘But I think it all comes down to this: in the end, we found each other. Through all the chaos, through all the bluster and noise, we found each other. In this little corner of the world, we cling together because we choose to, fate or destiny or happenstance be damned.’’
Absolutely beautiful.
Absolutely beautiful.
December 6, 2019
Beautifully, beautifully written. I want to keep quoting lines from this, it's so good. Unfortunately, I didn't really connect to the characters though. I especially didn't really like the love interest.
Rep: gay black main character, gay love interest
CWs: sex, alcohol, weed, racism
Rep: gay black main character, gay love interest
CWs: sex, alcohol, weed, racism
January 23, 2020
This is the perfect short story if you ask me. The way this story is told is both masterful and powerful and you'll be left wondering what happens next yet also be satisfied with where it ends.
Available for free on TJ's blog.
Available for free on TJ's blog.
December 8, 2019
I had a little cry and a goofy smile. I love love and I adore TJ.
Xx
Xx
February 19, 2021
Despair, tension, and the end of the world, yet this story still tells a beautiful and short love story. If you have ten minutes to spare, I do recommend reading this.
September 19, 2024
Coincido totalmente con la reseña que decía que la forma en que TJ Klune escribe el amor es única.
December 7, 2019
"There are more things in Heaven and Earth than we could possibly know, but I know the endless universe that is Jamie. And he knows me. It’s all I need.
Let the fire come, if it does.
It won’t matter.
We’re already burning."
I feel like Klune took all that homophobic bullshit that has been spewed about the queer community, every single thing and has made it into this ultra romantic, end-of-the world thing because we've been told all our lives. We were meant to burn in the fires of hell, but little did they know we're already burning up with everything that sparks to life when we finally realize that we're unlike everyone else in this sad, inconsequential world. That we aren't bound to fit into the shapeless, uncomfortable forms that most people expect romance to be and can love, and be loved how we know, in our burning hearts, we deserve to be loved.
We discovered the boundless in-between in Horatio's Heaven and Earth.
Let the fire come, if it does.
It won’t matter.
We’re already burning."
I feel like Klune took all that homophobic bullshit that has been spewed about the queer community, every single thing and has made it into this ultra romantic, end-of-the world thing because we've been told all our lives. We were meant to burn in the fires of hell, but little did they know we're already burning up with everything that sparks to life when we finally realize that we're unlike everyone else in this sad, inconsequential world. That we aren't bound to fit into the shapeless, uncomfortable forms that most people expect romance to be and can love, and be loved how we know, in our burning hearts, we deserve to be loved.
We discovered the boundless in-between in Horatio's Heaven and Earth.
January 21, 2020
A beautifully crafted short story about two men awaiting a momentous announcement and reflecting upon how they found each other and coming to realize
Visit my blog, Sinfully Good Gay Book Reviews
I didn’t need anyone to complete me, but then I didn’t know I was missing anything to begin with. I was, though. I was missing you. It’s big. This. You and me. It’s bigger than the world.
Visit my blog, Sinfully Good Gay Book Reviews
December 6, 2019
Thank you TJ for this beautiful little love story. One of the things I love about TJ's writing is how quickly I fall in love with his characters and feel what they're feeling deep down in my soul. It gets me every time.
December 6, 2019
This could be a full length novel for sure. Beautifully written and inspirational.
December 6, 2019
One of the best and most beautiful love stories I have ever read.
December 6, 2019
"...I didn’t know I was missing anything to begin with. I was, though. I was missing you."
This is fantastic. It's short and beautifully structured and moving and I grinned at the end.
This is fantastic. It's short and beautifully structured and moving and I grinned at the end.
February 13, 2020
Short, but BOOM!
December 17, 2019
Thank you TJ. 😘
Displaying 1 - 30 of 86 reviews