Customer Reviews

Winds of Change

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Angels, repentense, and the utimate judgement collide is this winner from Jason Brannon ! When survivors from the end of the world are confronted with their own weaknesses, doubts and an Angel gone bad, what will the ultimate outcome be?

Jason shows extreme promise in this short epic. Love his writing style and my only wish was that this book was 300 pages :) But though this book is a short read, it is mighty! Download it now and read it tonight, you will thank me!

As with ALL Permuted Press books, this one follows their standard practice of only providing us with the BEST books in the genre!!! So while you order or download this book, get a few more from PP and then you can thank me by posting your own reviews. Happy reading :)

Borrowing from The Mist and divine-being tales alike, this story reads like a lengthy plot summary, with flat characters spending their time in terror wondering aloud about who done it. Underwhelming, and my first disappointment with a Permuted Press title.

These seductively horrifying tales were my introduction this author's talents and, if his writing is new to you as well, then you are in for a treat, my friend. This volume collects two novelettes and a novella that are as brain-bending as anything ever conjured by J. G. Ballard, whose work was brought to mind by these sure-handed forays into realms of the bizarre penned by Mr. Brannon. The title story is a tightly constructed nightmare about a group of total strangers who become trapped in a hardware store while the winds outside turn anyone who dares venture outdoors into pillars of dust. In "Quartet", members of a string quartet are held captive in an oceanside conservatory by sea creatures. The quartet must produce music in order to keep the creatures at bay, but for how long will they be able to play? "Graffiti" brings together a supernaturally talented young tagger who becomes friends with a homeless man who helps the boy when one of the deadly voodoo gods summoned by the boy's graffiti escapes from the city wall upon which it has been painted. These tales are dreamlike, disturbing and darkly satisfying. A beautifully imagined and skillfully wrought collection. Bravo! For more information about this author, please visit www.jbrannon.net.

I thought the plot was intriguing somewhat and the ending was good but the rest of the story felt flat. People didn't seem to be freaking out as much as you'd think they would. It needed more umph. Felt like it was missing something but I don't know what.

I wouldn't pay more than 99 cents for the story but if you get it for free, it is worth a read.

This was a quick read that reminded me of Stephen King's "The mist." I enjoyed the imagery this author was able to provide. Small details were scattered throughout the setting and character descriptions that made the story easy to relate to. My only gripe is that the ending seemed rushed.

This was a steal for a free download!

Straight off when I started this book I was reminded of Stephen King's The Mist. It had the same setup with the people being stranded inside a store while the world outside had become dangerous for them. I have to admit I liked King's book much better.

This book was not a winner for me. I normally love Permuted's titles, but this one left me with a bland taste in my mouth. However, it was free and I can't complain about that!

Every once in awhile a new author comes onto the scene with a vengeance. Jason Brannon is one of those authors. He's been around for a bit, quietly producing amazing fiction in the small press, but I think Winds of Change will be what propels him into the mainstream. Winds of Change consists of three riviting horror stories. The title story, Winds of Change, utilizes isolation and takes the idea to a whole new level. People are turning into pillars of salt and a small group of survivors are trapped in a hardware store. The story excels in the character developement and some of the theories the group comes up with are quite plausible in this post 9/11 world. Quartet was another interesting study in isolation and despair and I wondered through the whole piece how Jason was going to end it and I was pleasantly surprised that he didn't take a cop out ending but rather brought the tale to a satisfying ending that made sense and fit the story.

Pick this one folks and even better yet, seek out Jason's other published work. You won't be disappointed and you can get in on the ground floor of an author's career and watch him grow in his craft.


R. Thomas Riley
www.rthomasriley.com

The book started out with a bang and didn't disappoint through out the book. One of those that makes you wonder and guess what I didn't figure out the end until the end that is a rearity. :) This book can easily be read in a day or two.
Characters run from theories of Appocolips to Terristist, Can you guess which one it is?

When supernatural forces do battle on earth, only one species can lose--humans. "Winds of Change," a novella by Jason Brannon (Permuted Press, March 2011) is the exciting tale of a group of individuals left in a hardware store when the world begins to end.

If you liked Stephen King's "The Mist," you'll want to read this one too. Brannon originally wrote "Winds of Change" in 2008, but Permuted Press has recently released it as a stand-alone Kindle edition, and at $1.99 it's definitely worth a read.

Though he's somewhat unfamiliar on the gothic scene, Brannon is an experienced horror novelist and short fiction writer. He's the author of "The Cage," "The Order of the Bull," and no less than four short story collections. His experience shows up in "Winds of Change." The characterizations are exceptionally fleshed out, the horror-humor is entertaining, the Kindle formatting is fantastic, and the nod to traditional Judeo-Christian values is refreshing without being overtly religious.

The novella begins with Matt, who manages a hardware store, relaying the terror he experiences as he watches everyone who steps outside turn into a pile of salt. Those in the store each have a different theory, but we never know what's causing the apparent destruction of mankind until the end, and Brannon keeps the suspense going the whole way through.

He also has a well-developed sense of symbolism, and uses it to great effect. The hardware store speaks to the devices of man juxtaposed to the pile of salt we all eventually turn into. This forces us, on an emotional level, to deal with our impending mortality in the face of greater issues that are dealt with by the characters such as sin and confession, the power of man vs. the power of God, and the fact that we will all turn to our beliefs and even our superstitions when faced with a change in the expected order of our world--whether we want to or not.

However, for all its merits, the story ends in a deus ex machina (day-es ex mah-ken-ah--translated: god from the machine). In ancient Greek plays, in order to wrap up all the elements of the plot, it was common for a god-character to be lowered mechanically onto the stage. He would then magically set all things right. In modern literature, it refers to an ending that's too convenient and not properly motivated, and it comes across as false. In "Winds of Change," this deus ex machina clashes with the 95% of the story that's nothing less than captivating.

Nevertheless, it's an entertaining read and it's priced to sell. If you want a good novella to keep you company over a couple of nights or on a long trip, this is one to get.