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As It Seems
- GenresFantasyShort Stories
ebook
Published May 31, 2021
21 people are currently reading
37 people want to read
About the author
Eric Lewis
19 books28 followersEric Lewis is the author of The Heron Kings, an “excellent debut” that is “dark, brutal and bloody” and “fast-paced & gripping” with “a Robin Hood feel.” The sequel The Heron Kings' Flight is a "high-energy, atmospheric follow-up" and a "pulse-pounding adventure" that is "sure to please."
He is also the author of several works of speculative short fiction published in Nature, Speculative North, Cossmass Infinities, Electric Spec, Bards & Sages Quarterly, the anthology Crash Code, and various other pro, semipro and amateur venues. His short stories are also available in the collections Tricks of the Blade and As It Seems.
His greatest writing influences are Frank Herbert, Robert Graves, Sharon Kay Penman, Colleen McCullough, Peter S. Beagle and Joe Abercrombie. By day he is a research scientist weathering the latest rounds of mergers and layoffs and trying to remember how to be a person again long after surviving grad school.
When not subjecting his writing to one rejection after another he can sometimes be found browsing antique swords he can’t afford, or searching for the perfect hiking trail or archery range. Don’t ask where because he’s never lived anywhere for longer than five years.
He engages in shameless self-promotion on Twitter @TheHeronKing. Details, newsletter & blog at ericlewis.ink.
He is also the author of several works of speculative short fiction published in Nature, Speculative North, Cossmass Infinities, Electric Spec, Bards & Sages Quarterly, the anthology Crash Code, and various other pro, semipro and amateur venues. His short stories are also available in the collections Tricks of the Blade and As It Seems.
His greatest writing influences are Frank Herbert, Robert Graves, Sharon Kay Penman, Colleen McCullough, Peter S. Beagle and Joe Abercrombie. By day he is a research scientist weathering the latest rounds of mergers and layoffs and trying to remember how to be a person again long after surviving grad school.
When not subjecting his writing to one rejection after another he can sometimes be found browsing antique swords he can’t afford, or searching for the perfect hiking trail or archery range. Don’t ask where because he’s never lived anywhere for longer than five years.
He engages in shameless self-promotion on Twitter @TheHeronKing. Details, newsletter & blog at ericlewis.ink.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 10, 2022
As it Seems by Eric Lewis is a collection of short stories by a single author. The collection comprises mostly grimdark/fantasy, and a few stories that probably fit better into sci-fi.
The Cover: There seems to be a couple of covers for this book, I couldn't find the one I have here on Goodreads, but it has a robed figure striding forwards, face hidden beneath a hood, sword rested on his right shoulder and an axe hanging from his left hand. Both the image and the font are presented well and fit with the genre.
The Good Stuff: I liked the writing style, the world building, and the tone. I enjoyed that most of the stories were set in the same world; a dark, gritty, grim world. I quite like a bit of grimdark and this didn’t disappoint. The author certainly doesn’t buy into happy endings. One of the most notable things for me is that when it comes to anthologies, I’m usually only taken by a few stories. But, I also enjoyed every story in this book, and that is a big achievement by the author in my opinion.
The Bad Stuff: Okay, so this title is not without its faults. There are a few more typo’s than I would normally see in a book of this length. There are also some things that didn’t really gel for me. Things like a slave ship allowed to dock in a place where slavery is illegal, plumbers in a fantasy world, and modern terms like apartment, startup, and coffee break, that for me just don’t seem to fit with the world the author has created. This encroached on my enjoyment and held me back from fully immersing myself in some of the stories.
Overall, I can easily forgive the few typos and words/terms that I felt were out of place, simply because I really enjoyed this book. If you’re into slightly darker short stories by a single author, you should give this one a go. This one gets a back-stabbing, alchemical blasting, 4 out of 5 golden bookmarks from me.
The Cover: There seems to be a couple of covers for this book, I couldn't find the one I have here on Goodreads, but it has a robed figure striding forwards, face hidden beneath a hood, sword rested on his right shoulder and an axe hanging from his left hand. Both the image and the font are presented well and fit with the genre.
The Good Stuff: I liked the writing style, the world building, and the tone. I enjoyed that most of the stories were set in the same world; a dark, gritty, grim world. I quite like a bit of grimdark and this didn’t disappoint. The author certainly doesn’t buy into happy endings. One of the most notable things for me is that when it comes to anthologies, I’m usually only taken by a few stories. But, I also enjoyed every story in this book, and that is a big achievement by the author in my opinion.
The Bad Stuff: Okay, so this title is not without its faults. There are a few more typo’s than I would normally see in a book of this length. There are also some things that didn’t really gel for me. Things like a slave ship allowed to dock in a place where slavery is illegal, plumbers in a fantasy world, and modern terms like apartment, startup, and coffee break, that for me just don’t seem to fit with the world the author has created. This encroached on my enjoyment and held me back from fully immersing myself in some of the stories.
Overall, I can easily forgive the few typos and words/terms that I felt were out of place, simply because I really enjoyed this book. If you’re into slightly darker short stories by a single author, you should give this one a go. This one gets a back-stabbing, alchemical blasting, 4 out of 5 golden bookmarks from me.
May 11, 2023
As a big fan of grimdark, I thoroughly enjoyed this collection.
The premise is fantastic- every story is not what it seems or will have some unique revelation. I enjoyed the varied approach to the short stories- some set in a pseudomedieval fantasy era, while others were set in the future. Yet all had a sense of foreboding and drama which I enjoyed.
Lewis has an outstanding ability to establish compelling characters within the confines of a short story- sometimes just the length of a regular book chapter. Yet I found several of the characters to be better written than in some 500-page epic fantasies I've read!
Some of the setups and payoffs were really rewarding, however some of the short stories are a bit bare bones and had predictable twists, which was why I couldn't give this collection five stars. But if I could give 4.5 stars I would, because it is definitely worth a read.
I highly recommend this collection (also I adore the cover art, it's sick).
The premise is fantastic- every story is not what it seems or will have some unique revelation. I enjoyed the varied approach to the short stories- some set in a pseudomedieval fantasy era, while others were set in the future. Yet all had a sense of foreboding and drama which I enjoyed.
Lewis has an outstanding ability to establish compelling characters within the confines of a short story- sometimes just the length of a regular book chapter. Yet I found several of the characters to be better written than in some 500-page epic fantasies I've read!
Some of the setups and payoffs were really rewarding, however some of the short stories are a bit bare bones and had predictable twists, which was why I couldn't give this collection five stars. But if I could give 4.5 stars I would, because it is definitely worth a read.
I highly recommend this collection (also I adore the cover art, it's sick).
December 18, 2023
The 18 short stories are:
- The Slavemaster's Penance
- The Heron King
- Christmas Truce
- Past Imperfect
- Demon of the Mount
- Justice Enough
- Cold Calculation
- Illicit Alchemy
- Relative
- Company Man
- One Noble Too Many
- Remind Me
- A Hard Peace
- What We're Looking For
- Decoy
- It Weighs On You
- In The Blood
- Two Tips
These are extremely short and grim stories - some shorter and more grim than others - that delve into the horror side of fantasy. They feature twists, negative, and positive outcomes for the characters featured. These are character-driven stories set in fantasy and sci-fi settings.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
- The Slavemaster's Penance
- The Heron King
- Christmas Truce
- Past Imperfect
- Demon of the Mount
- Justice Enough
- Cold Calculation
- Illicit Alchemy
- Relative
- Company Man
- One Noble Too Many
- Remind Me
- A Hard Peace
- What We're Looking For
- Decoy
- It Weighs On You
- In The Blood
- Two Tips
These are extremely short and grim stories - some shorter and more grim than others - that delve into the horror side of fantasy. They feature twists, negative, and positive outcomes for the characters featured. These are character-driven stories set in fantasy and sci-fi settings.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
June 10, 2024
2nd book in the My Paper Quest subscription. Nice little collection of fantasy stories. Kind of like scenes from a bigger novel or novels. Nice little twists given away by its title .. things are just not “As it Seems”
June 10, 2024
A fun collection of mostly fantasy short stories, with many of the longer ones based in the world of the author's main series. Definitely made me interested in checking those out
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews