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Bramble
What if the world was a darker, stranger place than you imagined?
The people who live on Old Market Street have always taken the track for granted; an old decommissioned railway line that ran along the bottom of their gardens. But then one day, bramble vines start making their way through the gaps in their fences, and as one family discovers, this is just the beginning.
Bramble and other stories offers tales of ghosts, monsters and intergalactic refugees. Tales of technology just out of our reach and stories that show just how powerful an idea can be.
Bramble and other stories is the second short story collection by Dale Parnell.
The people who live on Old Market Street have always taken the track for granted; an old decommissioned railway line that ran along the bottom of their gardens. But then one day, bramble vines start making their way through the gaps in their fences, and as one family discovers, this is just the beginning.
Bramble and other stories offers tales of ghosts, monsters and intergalactic refugees. Tales of technology just out of our reach and stories that show just how powerful an idea can be.
Bramble and other stories is the second short story collection by Dale Parnell.
190 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 6, 2019
2 people want to read
About the author
Dale Parnell
32 books14 followersDale Parnell was born and raised in Norwich, and moved to Staffordshire in 1999. He has been writing for almost thirty years, but it wasn’t until 2017 that he self-published his first collection, “The Green Cathedral”, a selection of seven contemporary fantasy short stories.
This was followed by a second collection in 2019, “Bramble and other stories”, this time branching out to include horror and science-fiction as well as fantasy.
Dale’s first foray into poetry came in 2018, when he was fortunate enough to have three pieces accepted for the anthology “Further Within Darkness & Light” from Nothing Books. Since then, Dale has featured in over forty fiction and poetry anthologies from some of the best independent publishers around the world.
In 2022, Dale released his third collection, “Foundations”, featuring a variety of short (mainly horror) stories that have been featured in previously published anthologies, along with a brand new, exclusive tale.
In 2023, Dale published his first novel, a science-fiction space opera, PYR.
Dale lives in Staffordshire with his wife and their imaginary dog, Moriarty. He is currently working on a follow-up to PYR, and his strangest wish is to find a copy of one his books for sale in a second-hand bookshop.
This was followed by a second collection in 2019, “Bramble and other stories”, this time branching out to include horror and science-fiction as well as fantasy.
Dale’s first foray into poetry came in 2018, when he was fortunate enough to have three pieces accepted for the anthology “Further Within Darkness & Light” from Nothing Books. Since then, Dale has featured in over forty fiction and poetry anthologies from some of the best independent publishers around the world.
In 2022, Dale released his third collection, “Foundations”, featuring a variety of short (mainly horror) stories that have been featured in previously published anthologies, along with a brand new, exclusive tale.
In 2023, Dale published his first novel, a science-fiction space opera, PYR.
Dale lives in Staffordshire with his wife and their imaginary dog, Moriarty. He is currently working on a follow-up to PYR, and his strangest wish is to find a copy of one his books for sale in a second-hand bookshop.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 8, 2020
Another collection of incredible, thought-provoking stories by Dale Parnell, equally as good as his previous short story collection “The Green Cathedral”. The stories are a mixture of sci-fi, metaphysics and horror. I like Dale’s unique style of subtlety but with an impactful horror that creeps up, leaving you feeling shocked or stunned. I loved all of the stories but my favourites were Adam 2.0, the funny but terrifying “Hair” and “Hungry” was particularly unnerving. A very talented author and I look forward to reading more of his work.
February 29, 2020
Just finished Bramble by Dale Parnell. I had been looking forward to this second collection of short stories as I enjoyed The Green Cathedral collection so much. They did not disappoint. The overarching theme is 'What if the world was a darker, stranger place than you imagined?' Dale's work is easy to read (although the content can be very unsettling - for me Hair and Due Date certainly were), and takes you into worlds that are almost like ours. The stories belong in various genres so there is something for everyone. My particular favourites in this collection were Memory of a Past Life, The Last Train Home and Adam 2.0.
December 20, 2019
It’s taken me a while (nothing at all to do with the book itself) but at last, I’ve finished Dale Parnell’s second, self-penned anthology, Bramble and Other Stories. And I have to say, it’s a cracker.
This collection of fifteen stories is eclectic, the genres wide and varied, a veritable pick and mix. It’s a real showcase of Parnell’s writing style (or should I say, styles?).
Each story is impressive, each brilliantly written, and if I’m totally honest, I can’t pick a favourite. They’re all equally excellent, just got different reasons. However, I do think penultimate story, Due Date and the finisher, The Garden, end this gem of an anthology perfectly.
There’s only one reason I didn’t afford a full, five stars to Bramble (four and a half is still bloody good!) is that the formatting wasn’t really for me. I’d prefer the start of new paragraphs to be indented, as I would any dialogue. There was also a smattering of typos/grammatical errors.
Those two, very small issues aside (purely picked up on due to taking a proof reading and editing course as I speak), I can honestly say Bramble is an accomplished addition to your bookshelf. I didn’t think Dale could improve upon his brilliant debut, The Green Cathedral, but now I take that back. He has!
This collection of fifteen stories is eclectic, the genres wide and varied, a veritable pick and mix. It’s a real showcase of Parnell’s writing style (or should I say, styles?).
Each story is impressive, each brilliantly written, and if I’m totally honest, I can’t pick a favourite. They’re all equally excellent, just got different reasons. However, I do think penultimate story, Due Date and the finisher, The Garden, end this gem of an anthology perfectly.
There’s only one reason I didn’t afford a full, five stars to Bramble (four and a half is still bloody good!) is that the formatting wasn’t really for me. I’d prefer the start of new paragraphs to be indented, as I would any dialogue. There was also a smattering of typos/grammatical errors.
Those two, very small issues aside (purely picked up on due to taking a proof reading and editing course as I speak), I can honestly say Bramble is an accomplished addition to your bookshelf. I didn’t think Dale could improve upon his brilliant debut, The Green Cathedral, but now I take that back. He has!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews