Mindshards: A Collection

by Brian Burt

This collection of speculative fiction spans the gamut from science fiction to fantasy to horror. Prowl the streets of New Orleans with a rogue police detective who has lost everything at the hands of the Voodoo gangs...and will do anything for revenge. Skip across the web of timelines in the multiverse with a temporal physicist determined to save his wife from a monster on all of them. Travel the rugged backroads of Southwest Ireland with an ancient goddess who weaves her magic spell to restore her vanished race. Mourn the sacrifice of an alien on a far-flung planet who sacrifices his death, not his life, to save his species from invading humans. A dozen tales of wonder and weirdness await!

Genres: Short Stories, Fantasy, Horror, Science Fiction, Fiction

230 pages, Paperback

Published November 2, 2022

About the author

As a long-time software engineer, I've always enjoyed writing code but was driven to compose other forms of alternate reality. About three decades ago (wow, I'm old), I got my first big break as an aspiring speculative fiction writer when my short story "The Last Indian War" won the L. Ron Hubbard Gold Award in the 1991 Writers of the Future contest. I continued submitting short stories to various magazines and anthologies, enjoying the process and learning a lot but "staying small" in terms of projects. Then, in 2013, my first novel -- Aquarius Rising: In the Tears of God -- was published by Double Dragon Publishing. To my surprise, it won EPIC's eBook Award for Science Fiction in 2014. I followed that first novel with a sequel -- Aquarius Rising: Blood Tide -- which won the Readers Favorite Gold Medal for Science Fiction in 2016. The final novel in the Aquarius Rising trilogy, The Price of Eden, was published a year later to conclude the series. Since that novel's release, I've mostly reverted to my roots, writing a series of short stories that have been published in various anthologies.



I really enjoy writing (and reading) fiction that covers the entire spectrum of speculative fiction, from hard SF to softer, sociological science fiction, fantasy, and even the occasional horror tale. Now that Double Dragon has closed its digital doors, I've just released a collection of short fiction (Mindshards) and will soon release a consolidated volume of the Aquarius Rising Trilogy, with additional content included. What's really fun about this "refactored trilogy" effort: my sons are contributing cover art and illustrations. What a blast!


To pay the bills, I now work in cybersecurity, spending my days battling the malign forces of darkness that haunt the InterWebs. On my own time, I continue to hack my own imagination, fighting to root out the twisted tales that worm their way into the deepest recesses of my brain. My wonderful wife and three sons help me by providing (brutally) honest feedback about what works...and what amounts to an epic fail. Even the dog gets his two cents in from time to time. (It's amazing how snarky a bark can sound to a sensitive writer's ear!)

Reviews

[Brian Burt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here is the review just posted by Essien Asian on Readers' Favorite:

A New Orleans policeman hell-bent on revenge, a time-traveling physics professor on a rescue mission, an American family trying to escape the wrath of a native American nature deity. As random as these events sound, they share one thing in common. They are parts of the several plots that make up Brian Burt's new book, Mindshards. This is a compilation of things that go bump in the dark. Walk through the wastelands of a dying planet, and experience the pain of watching your loved one die repeatedly, not to mention rescuing futuristic relics from an alien planet. Ghostly apparitions and ethereal killers stalk these stories. With some rather haunting poetry to go with it, sinister entertainment is in the offing once you summon the courage to pick up Mindshards.

Brian Burt's style of storytelling is unique. In Mindshards he displays his ability to alternate between different paces of a story despite maintaining the same fright-filled, suspense-dripping theme. He tests the limits of a reader's understanding of the urban legend scene while placating the romantic at heart with the kind of poetry only a true adherent would appreciate. The stories have very interesting storylines, replete with characters that words do little justice to describe, the plots are very descriptive, if not graphic and the pictures used to introduce them add a touch of the surreal to the book. Mindshards is a work without comparison, a thriller genre junkie's ultimate fix. Credit must go to Brian Burt for such creative work.

https://readersfavorite.com/book-revi...

And here is the review from Diane Donovan of Midwest Book Review:

Contemporary readers seeking to tap the roots of speculative fiction should look no further than the short pieces in Mindshards: A Collection. It serves as a strong example of hard-hitting speculative works representing the best of the genre and the best use of the short story format.

Speculative fiction focuses on changing the nature or perception of reality itself, placing characters in positions where they have to absorb, reflect, and act within these altered states.

The stories in Mindshards each place characters in extraordinary circumstances, weaving in equally astonishing responses to the bizarre that keep characters and readers guessing about outcomes.

Take the opening story, "Phantom Pain." Here, the first-person protagonist finds himself in Louisiana on a sports scholarship. Fresh from Chicago, the narrator initially doesn't understand either the culture or the legends of the bayou. He's about to find out (and so is the reader) as events immerse him in Creole culture via his wife and evolving community connections.

Brian Burt doesn't just describe this milieu. His words resonate and amplify with supercharged imagery designed to engross: "New Orleans doesn't just sing, friend; it jitters and jives and wails like a wild animal that can't be caged."

His knee blown in a sports injury, the narrator becomes a cop. And this is where his reality and perceptions are truly shaken as he is pulled into the underworld and dark culture flowing under Louisiana's appealing surface of artistic endeavors.

His encounter with Voodoo gangs gobbles a piece of him regularly (mind you, he's selling off these pieces willingly, not understanding their true cost). As a "crazy fever" spreads through the streets via these gangs, the narrator (who "doesn't believe in black magic...just black hearts") finds his world shaken.

Only when it's too late does he realize the price he really pays for selling his soul piece by piece.

Each story is steeped in emotional draws, from the hatred and despair in "Phantom Pain" and its powerful concluding thought ("Nobody sells his soul all at once. No, the Devil buys on the layaway plan.") to the ranging "Brilliant Blood of Souls" which tackles a ghoulish killer in Los Angeles and the bioplasma signatures that help a savvy cop identify perps ... until one apparently alters the impossible.

Speculative fiction readers who also enjoy crime scenarios will find the collection's prize-earning strengths lies not so much in 'whodunit' scenarios (or, 'why do it'), but in undercurrents of supernatural and impossible forces in such works as "Equinox," about a tiny Michigan town which harbors a magical milieu where "place and time fused together."

Place and time fuses in these short works, which are truly mindshards of the unexpected. Each story steeps revelations and thought-provoking moments in action that challenges each character (and their readers) to walk out of their ordinary worlds and the typical progression of life events.

Libraries strong in short stories, speculative works, and powerful writing will find Mindshards a work of literary and psychological prowess, while book clubs looking for strong examples of contemporary speculative works will find its stories compelling, offering much food for thought and lively discussions.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mindshards: A Collection

Overall, the stories are great. There was one that I didn't understand but I'm sure it's just me as writing in the rest of the stories were understandable. Some stories kept me intrigued the entire time and were right up my alley of mystery and gore. If you like short stories of mystery, gore, and sci-fi, I think you'd like this book! Thank you for my copy!

[TheyThemree · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nicely written but unfortunately inconsistent collection of short stories. While a lot of stories had interesting premises, they continued getting more and more convoluted until what made them interesting in the first place was no longer present.

As an anthology it was strong, with a wide variety of genres ranging from horror to fantasy and science fiction. The collection of stories was well-put together, even if the stories themselves weren’t the strongest. Still enjoyed it overall.

[Catherine Bruzdzinski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful story and great art work

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a Goodreads giveaway winner.

[Lisa Grønsund]

I received an advanced digital copy of this book, courtesy of the author and publisher, via Netgalley, for review consideration.

RTC

[Jk · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free Kindle copy of this book via the Goodreads Giveaways program and am thankful to everyone who had a hand in making that possible!

This collection of speculative fiction (with elements of science fiction, horror, detective/noir, fantasy and the supernatural) short stories is very creative and entertaining! These stories feature compelling writing and great world building and I love the super cool art pieces on each title page that serve to set the tone for the story ahead. There were of course some stories that I didn't care for but I really enjoyed the majority of them. The 5-star stand outs for me were: "Little Green Men", "Special Forces" and "Fire and Ice".

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Each of these stories gives a unique view on the varied topics. My favorites are Equinox and Phantom Pain. I highly recommend!