PTS [Kindle Edition]

James Melzer (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

In this short story, Anthony Delgato is an ordinary businessman living in a post-9/11 world. He may have survived that day, but when his subway stops on a bridge 200-meters above ground, Anthony will realize what it really means to suffer from Post Traumatic Stress.

“James Melzer has taken the mundane, twisted it, and doused it in a blood-chilling bucket of paranoia. When the subway engine in PTS stops, the fear revs into overdrive.” ~ J.C. Hutchins, author of Pesonal Effects: Dark Art and 7th Son: Descent

About the Author

James Melzer is the award-winning author of ESCAPE (Simon & Schuster/Permuted Press - 2012), the upcoming young adult zombie novel, TEENAGE WASTELAND (Permuted Press - 2012), and his short fiction has appeared in publications from Library of the Living Dead Press. Melzer currently lives in Pennsylvania with his wife, daughter, and husky.

Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 16 KB
• Publisher: Double J Media; 1 edition (March 8, 2010)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
• Language: English
• ASIN: B003BIGG24
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #478,505 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

More About the Author

James Melzer is the award-winning author of HULL'S LANDING (Double J Media - 2011), as well as ESCAPE (Simon & Schuster/Permuted Press - 2012), and his short fiction has appeared in publications from Library of the Living Dead Press. Melzer currently lives in Pennsylvania with his wife, daughter, and husky. When he's not writing he enjoys snickerdoodles and Pepsi.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Would have made a great episode of "Twilight Zone", October 7, 2011

By 

J. Chambers (Georgia, United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: PTS (Kindle Edition)

Note: This review was originally published at Red Adept Reviews on September 20, 2011.

Overall: 5 stars

I don't often buy or read single short stories on Amazon, but PTS sounded interesting, especially since I would be reading it the week of the tenth anniversary of 9/11.

The title "PTS" was a reference to PTSD - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Most people associate PTSD with military personnel who have been in combat, but in PTS, the victim, Anthony Delgato, had narrowly escaped death while working in the World Trade Center on 9/11. When his Toronto subway car came to a sudden stop on a spindly old bridge high in the air, when no announcements were forthcoming over the PA system, Anthony had to face the terrifying possibility that he was under attack again by terrorists. As he analyzed his fellow passengers, he noticed one fellow who might be a terrorist. Should he wait it out and hope it was only a mechanical breakdown, or should he take out the terrorist before he could blow them all up?

This was a very short story, but it perfectly illustrated how certain circumstances could trigger a reaction from a victim of PTSD. In the story, Anthony's violent response to the perceived threat made perfect sense, as horrifying as the outcome was.

Rod Serling would have loved this story.


PTS has 104 Kindle locations. Text-to-Speech and Lending are enabled.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Great Short Story, March 12, 2010

By 

Dennis Owens Jr. (St. Louis, MO) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: PTS (Kindle Edition)

This is another great story in the Deviant Dollar series. These are great stories that are in the vein of the original Twilight Zone.

This story does a great job of quickly portraying a sympathetic protagonist, and placing him in a tense situation. Anyone interested in reading a great story for a great price should pick this story up.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gripping and Very Realistic, March 11, 2010

By 

J. Hudock - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: PTS (Kindle Edition)

Once again, Melzer takes the seemingly mundane,everyday experience and turns it into a gripping and macabre event. An ordinary ride on the subway will never feel the same again, but maybe that's best, as you'll never know who's riding along.