Edging Past Reality - a collection of short stories (Paperback)

~ David Fingerman (Author)
Key Phrases: great pit, snow crabs, Judge Donnell, Edmund Kane, Doc Kelly (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Get ready to expect the unexpected when you read this collection of chilling short stories

The short stories of Edging Past Reality will take you to the precipice of reason and then push you over the edge.

If you think you can always believe your eyes, and you're sure that what you believe is true, it's time to check your certainties at the door ... and start Edging Past Reality. In this collection of short stories, as you're warned in the introduction, ''the most common and familiar elements of life ... explode into a circus of horror.'' Imagine an inviting, lush meadow that turns shockingly deadly. A mirror that holds more than mere reflections. A trial where your life hangs by a call-in vote.

David Fingerman, a master of the unforeseen and unpredictable, will take you on a number of seemingly ordinary journeys and then smoothly veer off course, surprising you with twists and turns that propel you toward destinations that are not only unexpected, but often terrifying.

About the Author

David Fingerman has worked in the Hennepin County Court System for over twenty years. He now writes full time and lives with his wife in Minneapolis

Product Details

• Paperback: 263 pages
• Publisher: Two Harbors Press (November 14, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1935097075
• ISBN-13: 978-1935097075
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,335,956 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazingly creative, December 2, 2008

By	Susan Seitel (Minneapolis, MN USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Story after story begins with normal, likeable characters doing normal, every day things in this amazingly creative book of short stories, and ends with shocking - nearly always horrifiying - surprises. For sci-fi lovers, and even those new to the genre, this book will be a treat. Well-written and creative, it's a great holiday gift for those who like to read about the unthinkable.

5.0 out of 5 stars Edging Past Reality" ~ my review ~ prepare to be scared., December 16, 2009

By	Elizabeth O'Leary "Elizabeth O'Leary" (FORT EDWARD, NEW YORK, US) - See all my reviews

"Get ready to expect the unexpected" ~ The first six words on the back cover. Truer words were never spoken. David's collection of short stories is written in the style of "Twilight Zone", "Night Gallery", "Alfred Hitchcock Presents", with a little "Outer Limits" thrown in for good measure. Just when I thought I could see where the story was going, out of nowhere, David would take me in another direction, giving me yet another 'boo' in the process.

Because it is a collection of short stories, this one took me awhile to read. At any given time, I am reading 3-4 books at once. I kept this one in my car to read while I am waiting for my teenager. On more than once occasion, I'd be deeply ensconced in a story, she'd open the car door, and I'd let out a scream, scaring both of us in the process.

Because each story is entirely different from another, it is difficult to say which one is my favourite. I will say the one that made the hair on my arms stand on end the most was "The Blue Light" because it was just plain spooky. The story "Edging Past Reality"made me think for days....'what the heck?' If I say any more, it'll ruin the story.

David is a very talented writer~he can bring us absolutely anywhere with his words. I recommend that if you like to be scared....go for a ride on David's rollercoaster that doesn't stop in the park, it continues until it is "Edging Past Reality".

5.0 out of 5 stars Edging Past Reality written by David Fingerman as reviewed by Nancy Silveria, December 14, 2009

By	Nancy Silveria "Telleroftales64" (Johnston, RI USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

Edging Past Reality written by David A. Fingerman is a 263-page book that takes you on a journey through time. David shifts the reader steadily through life with his sections: Too Young To Know Better, Old Enough To Know Better, Is This A Mid-life Crisis, and Senior Moments.

It takes a talented writer to create short stories that capture the intensity of fleeting characters and imagery. David A. Fingerman is such a talent. Each story lends the reader to a brief attachment, an attraction almost, to the scene at hand. It flirts with you, stirring memories and providing sustenance for the mind, before it jumps out of the shadows to scream GOTCHA!

~If you enjoy brief encounters of spine tingling thrills, like watching Night Gallery and Twilight Zone, then this book is for you.
~If you crave your fear unexpectedly and mind bending, remember reading Stephen King, John Saul, and Ken Eulo, then this book will creep over you with delicious delight.
~If you demand your justice served cold, then Mosquito Tim is your appetizer:
~If you digest your sanity served with a twist, then the title story Edging Past Reality is your cocktail on the rocks.
~If you enjoy your Mother Nature with raw animalistic instinct, then A Walk in the Woods is your badge of courage.
~If you want your chivalry with undying loyalty, then Nothing But Air is your eternal showdown.

I loved all the stories. They rocked me gently in the cradle on the bough of the most diverse tree of tales. One in particular shook my nerves and stalked me in the twilight. The story that slithered into my sleep, playing denizen in my velvet black, was The Scream Box:

"The people closest to the box noticed first. A hush quickly spread throughout the bar. Helen stared out from inside the box, not moving. Her skin matched the white of her blouse except where the eyeliner streaked down her cheeks. Her eyes, open wide, stared straight ahead with an insane look. Gary reached in to help her out of the box. Without moving her eyes she grabbed his arm, digging her fingernails into his skin."

I can't wait to read another David A. Fingerman book, and I highly recommend Edging Past Reality to anyone with a penchant for goosebumps. He is delectable and his stories are a feast of racing heartbeats and ironic chills. He is the master of the Petrified Forest, where every word he pens casts a spell you won't soon forget.

~But don't read Edging Past Reality late at night, curled up in bed with nothing but the Itty Bitty book light casting shadows on your walls, because then you won't be sure if your reading David's book, or if you're in it!