Extinct Doesn't Mean Forever [Kindle Edition]

Phoenix Sullivan (Editor)

Book Description

Echoes of yesterday touch the lives of ordinary people in extraordinary ways in 18 provocative stories by some of the best up-and-coming authors of mainstream and speculative fiction around the world.

1. Jase was her ghost in the machine, a shaded memory captured in synthesized pixels. Near enough to see, too distant to touch. Could they still connect? - LAST SEEN by Amanda le Bas de Plumetot

2. She didn't realize how deep her loss ran, until a saber-tooth cat helped heal the past and point her toward a future she didn't know she needed - PAST SURVIVORS by Sarah Adams

3. Vesna discovers from an unexpected source just how old the dance of love truly is - FOOTPRINTS ON THE BEACH by Aleksandar Ziljak

4. John doted on the French touring car he'd lovingly restored. Can his dead wife teach him other things are worthy of his love too? - THE RESTORATION MAN by Simon John Cox

5. When a single mum returns home to Tasmania with her young son, her efforts to settle back in take a strange twist - A DARK FOREST by Jen White

6. Keeping a baby dinosaur secret from prying TV people and scientists is no easy task, except when your family have been keeping sacred traditions secret for generations - MY OWN SECRET DINOSAUR by Jo Antareau

7. When a Neanderthal skeleton arrives at her museum, Cassie learns a woman dead for thousands of years still has something to teach the living - THE LANGUAGE OF ICE by David North-Martino

8. With human hunters closing in, Kerg concocts a desperate plan for survival. Just one problem: he isn't the only one looking out for family - TWILIGHT OF THE CLAW by Adam Dunsby

9. Lucia doesn't believe in angels -- but she might believe in a little boy cloned from a forgotten race - THE ANGEL GENOME by Chrystalla Thoma

10. Geri's father finds the remains of an alien culture, proof we're not alone. But he leaves Geri feeling more alone than ever - IN RING by Scott Thomas Smith

11. Had it been left to protocols rather than human ingenuity, Commander West's expedition might have overlooked one of Mars' greatest treasures - BONES OF MARS by D Jason Cooper

12. Endless Power, Inc prepared Angel for the physical dangers of harnessing a new energy source. But no one prepared him for how to cope afterward - HUNTING THE MANTIS by Adam Knight

13. Bridges of meaning built through symbols alienate as much as connect. But the Virtual Bridge Sri plans could reconnect the lost hopes of a dying civilization - CONNECT by Kenneth Burstall

14. Fleeing with the last remnants of the Oshen race, Indigo has only one chance to ensure his people are never forgotten - INDIGO'S GAMBIT by Adam Israel

15. When his pampered world loses the technology it depends on, extinction looms faster than lonely survivor Levo could ever expect - BLOOD FRUIT by Shona Snowden

16. When a new bio-weapon in the wars on drugs and terror gets out of control, can the supplier really be held responsible? - A THORNY DILEMMA by Rory Steves

17. Capturing mammoths was all in a day's work for Deke. The saber-tooth cat, though, was going to require something bigger than an elephant gun - INVOICE H10901: 3 WOOLY MAMMOTHS by Robert J. Sullivan

18. After George makes a momentous discovery, the distractions start piling up. His wife cooks up a surprise to remind him love is always worth sacrificing for - DISTRACTIONS by Peter Dudley

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

The stories in this anthology are also available for sale separately.

Product Details

• File Size: 394 KB
• Print Length: 212 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: Steel Magnolia Press; Second edition (January 29, 2012)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B004SUOWMU
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #120,784 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars An interesting take on a popular trope April 1, 2011

By Lori T. Strongin

Format:Kindle Edition

This anthology features fiction from several new and indie authors with differing takes on creatures long thought extinct or imaginary returning to the modern world, some with more success than others. One tale in particular stood out to me--The Angel Genome by Chrystalla Thoma. Scientists have managed to "Jurassic Park" a child from what they believe is fossilized angel DNA, but the protaongist of this tale couldn't care less. Lucia is mourning the death of her own child and doesn't know how to cope with the loss. The beauty of this story isn't so much the SciFi elements, but the human ones, where the cloning/genetic restructuring debate takes on a much more "human" face.

All in all, Extinct Doesn't Mean Forever is a fun read with nineteen enjoyable approaches to this fiction trope.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Worth unearthing April 9, 2011

By Michael Tice

Format:Kindle Edition

A solid anthology of well-written stories. A few gems among them, and no stinkeroos.

The book starts off strong with Amanda le Bas de Plumetot's "Last Seen". The authoress is also a poetess of some note, and it shows in some of the careful words and sensitive phrases in the piece. I also very much enjoyed the second story, Sarah Adams' "Past Survivors". Although the story is set more outside Los Angeles than inside Los Angeles, it has an authentic feel of LA to me, perhaps because I've hiked some of those same hillsides, though I've never spotted a Smilodon.

One drawback of the anthology, I found, was that the stories are arranged in loosely thematic groups. Although a rational approach, I think a more chaotic approach may have helped keep those themes fresher for the reader. One can only read so many stories in a row in which extinction serves as a metaphor for human loss. Perhaps I suffered unduly from this, since I ploughed through the book at break-neck speed. I suggest a more leisurely pace, or skipping around.

I do quite like Kyle Aisteach's story a lot, though I must confess to being a personal friend of the author. I think it comes at the basic theme of the anthology from a novel and effective angle.

The second half of the book slows down somewhat. Some of the stories are longer and some of them frankly wear out their welcome. Stories I particularly enjoyed include Adam Israel's "Indigo's Gambit" and Shona Snowden's "Blood Fruit". Peter Dudley's humorous "Distractions" makes for a satisfying finale.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Nineteen strong voices sing a nice song April 7, 2011

By Kay Elam

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

The editor of Extinct Doesn't Mean Forever is Phoenix Sullivan, and I've followed her blog since last summer. When I saw her call for submissions in September, I didn't know what to expect. She updated her blog readers about once a month so we felt a part of the project from start to finish. I don't know how it's usually done, but she gave detailed feedback to every submission, both those accepted and rejected. (No, I didn't submit.) By the time the anthology was finished, my interest was piqued. I wasn't disappointed.
The variety of the 19 selections provides something for all readers. There are stories I'd read as bed time stories to children of almost any age and a few I'd read only to older children or adults. Without exception, however, each story is solid enough to stand on its own.
My personal favorite was My Own Secret Dinosaur by Jo Anarau. Told in the fresh voice of a child who has found a dinosaur egg that had been frozen all these years, the author follows the child's thought process as he decides first how to hide, then how to save his new pet. It is well-paced and fun as the young boy overcomes obstacles like dinosaur diet, sibling sassiness, and parental pride.
I will definitely recommend Extinct Doesn't Mean Forever to my friends.