Dark Tomorrows, Second Edition [Kindle Edition]

Amanda Hocking (Author), Joel Arnold (Author), J. L. Bryan (Author), Michael Crane (Author), S.W. Benefiel (Author), Daniel Pyle (Author), Robert J. Duperre (Author), Vicki Keire (Author)

Book Description

Upgraded to second edition on 9/3/2011.

Psychics. Aliens. The occult. Zombies. Starships.

This baroque collection of stories explores the darkness that waits ahead of us, from the monster lurking around the next corner to sweeping dystopian visions of the future. It includes multiple stories by J.L. Bryan, three drabbles by Michael Crane, two shorts by Amanda Hocking, the entire "Day of Sacrifice" novella by S.W. Benefiel, and additional contributions from paranormal/horror authors Joel Arnold, Robert J. Duperre, Vicki Keire, and Daniel Pyle.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

J.L. Bryan studied English literature at the University of Georgia and at Oxford, with a focus on the English Renaissance and the Romantic period. He also studied screenwriting at UCLA. He enjoys remixing elements of paranormal, supernatural, fantasy, horror and science fiction into new kinds of stories. He is the author of The Paranormals trilogy (Jenny Pox, Tommy Nightmare, and Alexander Death), the biopunk sf novel Helix, and other works. Fairy Metal Thunder, the first book in his new Songs of Magic series, will be available by October 2011. He lives in Atlanta with his wife Christina, one baby, two dogs, two cats, and assorted attic squirrels. His website is jlbryanbooks.com.

Amanda Hocking lives in Minnesota and writes young adult paranormal romance and urban fantasy mostly. Her self-published works include the My Blood Approves series, the Trylle Trilogy, Hollowland (the first book in The Hollows series), and Virtue. The Trylle Trilogy has made the USA Today Bestseller list and was recently optioned for film by Media Rights Capital, with screenwriter Terri Tatchell adapting the books for screen. Her new young adult four-book series Watersong will be out from St. Martin's Press in 2012. Visit amandahocking.blogspot.com to learn more.

Product Details

• File Size: 419 KB
• Print Length: 220 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: JLBryanbooks.com; 2 edition (September 2, 2011)
• Language: English
• ASIN: B004H8FWAE
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Not Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #316,086 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Looking forward to more from this author April 12, 2011

By Binary Code

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book of very short stories is entertaining. I'm looking forward to J.L. Bryan's future work. I read thbis because I'm a HUGE fan of Amanda Hocking. She has 2 short stoies at the end of this book and they are both, surprisingly, terrible! I was not impressed with her work here at all which is weird since her novels are fantastic. But it was because her name is associated with this book that I read it in the first place and it introduced me to an up and coming author with talent so it was a good thing.

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars New material, and done well! March 12, 2011

By Nicole Enerson

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Dark Tomorrows is a collection of several short stories mostly by J. L. Bryan, an author I am just beginning to see the potential of. I was simply amazed at how strong of a writer he is and how quickly I latched on to his work.

There are two very short stories by Amanda Hocking at the end, and while they are original they lack purpose and closure. [minor spoiler] At one point, a man who beleives he is Jesus Christ incarnate vaguely warns the protagonist of a fly. Later, we see a fly in the protagonist's soup. Setting aside the cliche, that's all that happens with it. [/minor spoiler] The dialogue between her characters is not believable, in addition to being distracting.

Bryan's stories are very insightful, and full of elements of the supernatural--aliens, vampires, and briefly-established magic. But none of the stories end on a "good" note; in fact, the first story is rather graphic, but it suits the story very well. But this book is certainly not meant for the faint-hearted.

Bryan certainly dominates this collection. I give him 5 stars.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome collection October 12, 2011

By Larry Kollar

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I can't say there was a single clunker in this entire anthology. The three that really stood out for me were "The Fortune Teller's Lament" by JL Bryan, "Day of Sacrifice" by SW Benefiel, and "Bad Code" again by JL Bryan. I think I'll remember the first two for decades to come, the same way I still remember Ray Bradbury's "The City."

The anthology is grouped into two collections, "The Present" (contemporary settings) and "The Future" (sci-fi or at least futuristic settings).

The only story that didn't really fit was "The Second Coming of Pippykins" by Amanda Hocking. I don't have anything against the story itself, it's just that it didn't seem dark at all to me. Her other contribution, "Of Shoes and Doom," was funny even with a dark ending.

Formatting and editing were good, nothing to complain about.

I'd have paid for this if it wasn't free. I'm not sure why other reviewers are dinging it so hard.