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Openings without Closure
A good story, novella, or novel ;has a beginning, a middle, and an end.
The beginning hooks you, with an engaging idea, or interesting and sympathetic characters, or a compelling setting, or some combination of these.
But that's not this book.
This book is an experiment: a collection of forty beginnings with neither middles nor ends. Forty openings where the author has started his tale, assembled the players, presented the crux or central theme or mcguffin, wound it all up but stopped short of pressing "go."
You will find science fiction and fantasy and horror here. Bizarre aliens, long bearded dwarfs, even demons. Humor and philosophy, hope and despair. In short, you will encounter the full range of the human condition presented through the lens of genre fiction.
But you won't find any closure.
You'll be left to ponder "what happens next?" and "how might it all end?" and even "is the author ever going to come back and finish writing this?"
As for that last question, the answer is a definite maybe. It all depends on which of these openings readers like best.
The beginning hooks you, with an engaging idea, or interesting and sympathetic characters, or a compelling setting, or some combination of these.
But that's not this book.
This book is an experiment: a collection of forty beginnings with neither middles nor ends. Forty openings where the author has started his tale, assembled the players, presented the crux or central theme or mcguffin, wound it all up but stopped short of pressing "go."
You will find science fiction and fantasy and horror here. Bizarre aliens, long bearded dwarfs, even demons. Humor and philosophy, hope and despair. In short, you will encounter the full range of the human condition presented through the lens of genre fiction.
But you won't find any closure.
You'll be left to ponder "what happens next?" and "how might it all end?" and even "is the author ever going to come back and finish writing this?"
As for that last question, the answer is a definite maybe. It all depends on which of these openings readers like best.
252 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 12, 2020
2 people are currently reading
5 people want to read
About the author
Lawrence M. Schoen
129 books233 followersLawrence M. Schoen holds a Ph.D. in cognitive psychology, is a past Astounding, Hugo, and Nebula, nominee, twice won the Cóyotl award for best novel, founded the Klingon Language Institute, and occasionally does work as a hypnotherapist specializing in authors’ issues. He is a chimeric cancer survivor.
His science fiction includes many light and humorous adventures of a space-faring stage hypnotist and his alien animal companion. Other works take a very different tone, exploring aspects of determinism and free will, generally redefining the continua between life and death. Sometimes he blurs the funny and the serious. Lawrence lives near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with his wife and their dog.
His science fiction includes many light and humorous adventures of a space-faring stage hypnotist and his alien animal companion. Other works take a very different tone, exploring aspects of determinism and free will, generally redefining the continua between life and death. Sometimes he blurs the funny and the serious. Lawrence lives near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with his wife and their dog.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
December 28, 2025
A surprisingly satisfying collection, considering that, according to the author, they are unfinished.
The theme is that this is the author's Idea File, wherein he's deposited ideas that he's begun to one extent or the other to develop, but are lacking (in his opinion) a satisfying conclusion.
While it is true some few are too short, I wouldn't consider the majority lacking in this sense..., they don't generally give any sense of being incomplete, like a cliffhanger.
Definitely Worthwhile Reading As Is!
The theme is that this is the author's Idea File, wherein he's deposited ideas that he's begun to one extent or the other to develop, but are lacking (in his opinion) a satisfying conclusion.
While it is true some few are too short, I wouldn't consider the majority lacking in this sense..., they don't generally give any sense of being incomplete, like a cliffhanger.
Definitely Worthwhile Reading As Is!
Displaying 1 of 1 review