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Do Anything - A Mysterious Science Fiction Tale by [Luke Smitherd]

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Luke Smitherd

Do Anything - A Mysterious Science Fiction Tale Kindle Edition

by Luke Smitherd (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

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From the author of the international best-seller The Stone Man, shortlisted for Audible UK's Book of the Year Award 2015
In DO ANYTHING, Luke Smitherd brings you two more Tales Of The Unusual:
CLOSURE: A winter walk in the woods seemed like a great idea to Gary and his wife, Carla. But when another version of himself appears and kidnaps Gary's wife before his very eyes, Gary must decide whether or not to use the strange mechanical devices his duplicate has left him ... and then live with the choice.
YOUR NAME IS IN THE BOOK: When eleven year old John Diner comes home to find a immense, mysterious book lying on his bed - its cover torn off, every page an endless list of names, some of which even belong to people he knows - he assumes its some kind of phone directory. It has to be, right? Even when the only numbers inside are single digits; solitary and curious scores printed next to each person listed. A puzzle, for sure... and a warning. A desperate message from an unseen stranger, a man trying to explain a terrible truth.

John will find himself uncovering a darker reality than he can ever imagine, and the beginning of his road towards an impossible choice...

PRAISE FOR LUKE SMITHERD'S WRITING:
"A novel that intrigues, enthralls, horrifies, thrills, and hits the reader with an emotional resonance as only the best stories can." Ain'tItCoolNews.com
"Strong characterization, moral quandaries, mystery, and a whole lot of tense moments. Reading the final sentence was truly a bittersweet moment. " SFsignal.com, Hugo award-winning website
"I couldn't help myself and read this is one sitting." - simon211175, Amazon Vine Voice
"Fantastically written characters who make you care about them right from the off." - Andy Pettifer
"It was one of those books where you tell yourself you will read just one more page, then look at the clock and realise that it's 2 hours later. I would thoroughly recommend it." - Elaine Hosegood
"I have owned a Kindle for about 2 years and downloaded some excellent books ... but Luke Smitherd's works beat the lot." - Silversmith, Amazon UK Review
"As soon as I started reading I was completely sucked in, which very rarely happens for me. I couldn't wait to get home and read it each night. I laughed. I cried. I did actual real life gasps of horror."- Katie, Amazon Review
Want to download the first few pages of this book for FREE so that you can try before you buy? Click the 'Send Sample Now' button on the upper right hand side of this page to do just that!

Length: 76 pages	Word Wise: Enabled	Enhanced Typesetting: Enabled
Page Flip: Enabled

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Product details

ASIN : B0190IZ2PU
Publisher : Flying Body Press (January 1, 2016)
Publication date : January 1, 2016
Language : English
File size : 239 KB
Simultaneous device usage : Unlimited
Text-to-Speech : Enabled
Screen Reader : Supported
Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
X-Ray : Not Enabled
Word Wise : Enabled
Print length : 76 pages
Lending : Enabled

Best Sellers Rank: #957,307 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #587 in Teen & Young Adult Sci-Fi Mystery eBooks
- #2,873 in Time Travel Science Fiction (Kindle Store)
- #2,893 in Two-Hour Science Fiction & Fantasy Short Reads

Customer Reviews:
162 ratings

Customer reviews

5 star		81%
4 star		9%
3 star		6%
2 star		1%
1 star		3%

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Top reviews from the United States

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Bsm

ORIGINAL FICTION BY AN ORIGINAL AUTHOR- READ THIS!!!

Reviewed in the United States on January 1, 2016

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Luke Smitherd again plumbs the depths of his unique imagination to give us two more stories that amaze! This is the freshest, most original writing I have had the pleasure of reading.

In this book we stroll into the garden with a pretty average happy young couple with pretty average happy little lives. By the time we leave the garden these young people have the most extraordinary new circumstance to deal with. Can they Do Anything to put things right? Will they? Can they ever have their average happy little lives as an average happy young couple again?

Next we enter the life of a young boy at a turning point in his life. Unfortunately for him, he has no understanding of this, dismisses it, and continues on in a life that keeps turning. Intense, mysterious and shocking.

Reading Smitherd's work is seriously a vacation for the mind, and you will not want to return to reality so soon. I always make sure I have the time to read his books from cover to cover in one sitting, even if it requires sleepless nights. He is that good. Read this!

6 people found this helpful

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Zia Tiger

Another Home Run by Luke Smitherd

Reviewed in the United States on January 1, 2016

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I was first introduced to Luke Smitherd through The Stone Man. I've read a lot of his other works and really enjoy the stories and worlds he creates. In Do Anything (Tales of the Unusual) Smitherd continues his excellent story telling. While the book starts off oddly, not many books start with the chapter "Closure", it is an engaging read. Even though Do Anything is Sci-Fi, don't let that dissuade you from reading it if you are not into Sci-Fi, to me it's more human nature and a comment on society and where it is possibly heading.

If I could give half stars I would give it a 4.5, mainly due to length, 84 pages is not a lot for $2.99. However just because it is short doesn't mean that it doesn't deliver. It will definitely leave you wanting to discuss the book with others. I would highly recommend it for a book club, for there are a lot of great discussions waiting at the end of the book.

Also I would highly recommend reading the rest of Smitherd's other books. Each one is an incredible read. Smitherd is definitely a hidden gem in the literary world and I would also like to point out that he is in the running for Audiobook of the Year 2015 (UK) for The Stone Man, competing with the likes of J.K. Rolwing and Stephen King.

7 people found this helpful

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katrina

Tense and Totally Enthralling

Reviewed in the United States on January 1, 2016

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So tense and totally enthralling. So much going on in this book- the experiences and back-stories, and timeline changes, and the changing views make for a very, very exciting read. This author really knows how to weave a tale using alternate universes to make the reader question everything around them, and every decision they make, right down to the minutia and routine. If you can become so engaged in a piece of literature that you walk away from every read still contemplating what was written, throughout the day, then you know you've found an author to stick with. Luke Smitherd is this author- he never disappoints, and his imagination and style make him one of the best new authors out there today. His other books have the same powerful grasp, too- always exciting to get new stories from his extraordinary mind! Thank you and keep 'em coming, Smitherd!

4 people found this helpful

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Drac1968

Wonderful stories! Closure

Reviewed in the United States on January 1, 2016

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Wonderful stories! Closure , was my favorite story in Do Anything. I think anybody would do the same, if given the choice. And I believe anybody would recognize that everything is still the same, even if they knew the truth. YNIITB, was a concept that I have never read before. I actually made notes throughout the story of what I thought was happening and was going to happen. I was wrong EVERY time! Luke Smitherd knows how to write a story that will go completely different from what you think. Even the " afterward" is worth reading! He makes you want to read everything he has written, which I have! And I loved everyone of them . TDR is still my favorite. Now called In the Darkness, that's Where I'll Know You. Luke Smitherd has very quickly became one of my favorite authors! He's right up there with Stephen King in my opinion!

One person found this helpful

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JoanneG

Choices and Consequences

Reviewed in the United States on January 1, 2016

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The two short stories included in this book are all about choices and the consequences of those choices on ourselves and others. These stories may leave you with a palpable sense of unease because you'll be wondering what you would do in the same situations, whether you would be right or wrong, and whether your decisions would change your view of the very concepts of right and wrong. We don't like to think about things like that because it is uncomfortable to do so, but the characters in these stories are put in that situation, and, by default, so are we.

We probably believe we are moral people. We may believe that will never change--and that is the subject of these two stories. Maybe morality can never be set in stone. Maybe there are no absolute rights or wrongs. Maybe circumstances dictate morality. That is an uncomfortable thought because it means we may be capable of doing what we once thought was immoral--and so is everyone else. That threatens our sense of security and how far would we, or society in general, go to get that secure feeling back? Making rational decisions goes out the door when emotions (such as fear and love) are involved. Would we "do anything" to avoid facing those decisions, including letting someone else decide for us based on a system where morality IS set in stone?

The uneasiness you may end up feeling is the realization that your morals can--and probably will--change throughout your life. You may not always do what is viewed as the right thing and you will have to live with that. You may not be the person you always thought you were. These are the questions the characters face in this book.

1. Closure - In Closure, something precious is taken from a man, which leads him to take something from someone else. He doesn't care if what he did is right or wrong. He only knows that he HAD to do it and it was the right thing for him. Is that good enough? Does he even deserve the guilty conscience he sometimes has or is the entire situation the fault of someone else's bad decision? Does that absolve him?

2. Your Name is in the Book - Sometimes decisions have societal consequences. The people involved may genuinely believe they are doing what is best for everyone, but is that even possible, and, if so, how long can it last? If given the chance to be happy and fulfilled, can people return to living with uncertainty and fear? Or would they "do anything" to avoid going backwards? And what does that mean for the outliers, people who know that uncertainly, indecision, and sadness are normal parts of living?

I highly recommend this book and suggest you read it more than once to make sure you pick up all the subtle nuances in each story. You need to make sure you read the stories, as written, not the ones you may have assumed you were reading when you started. That makes all the difference in the world for this book.

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Top reviews from other countries

Jon Perry

Out of the closet!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 1, 2016

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Well I'm officially out! I've been a Smithereen now for some time and have read every novel and pretty much every novella Luke has published. However, despite promising myself and Luke, although he won't have heard my decree, that I would write book reviews as strongly suggested in every afterword I've never got around to actually doing it. So I was a secret Smithereen if you will. I'm delighted that I'm now out of the closet and can declare I am a Smithereen to the world, and all it took was a bit of bribery over an early release for 'Do Anything' under threat of blacklisting! So I've read everything from TPOTD, TSM, TBR (1-4), AHFOK, to the novellas of the Tales of the Unusual compilation1 and and now Do Anything. All I can say is read them all, and read them NOW. And then of course leave a review! (That's what you would say isn't it Luke?)
The headline of anything written by Luke Smitherd is how original, inventive and imaginative it is. It's always the idea and concept that grab me, and then I have to keep reading to see how it pans out, which is rarely as you might expect.
'Do Anything' continues this trend, although Luke has touched on parallel worlds previously. Personally I prefer the full length novels. I find the novella's too short - although I accept that this is the point - it's just that no sooner have I got into the book then it's all over.
Do Anything comprises two stories, Closure and Your Name is in the Book. No spoilers here, the former explores parallel worlds again, but adding in an agonising decision that each must make. What would you do? The second, not surprisingly, involves a huge list of names. What so they mean? Not quite what the main character concludes of course. Luke describes the end of this book as dark, even for him, which it is. However, this was the first time I've thought that, as I've alway been to wrapped up in the story to realise they tend to be a bit on the dark side.
So there we, my first review and I now await to be anointed a Smithereen. Not to much on the actual book being reviewed, but hopefully enough for you to read more than Do Anything, but to explore all the novels and become a Smithereen too. Oh, and write a review of course! :-)

9 people found this helpful

Thanagma (book-reader)

Two mind-twisting stories

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 1, 2019

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Wow, another pair of brilliant stories from Luke Smitherd – I have previously read and loved his ‘In The Darkness…’.

Both stories here are hard to review without giving out spoilers, but they are best read without knowing much about them except to say that they are mysterious and mind-twisting.

Story #1, ‘Closure’, is the shorter of the two stories, in which Gary and Carla are thrust into – well – an event beyond all explaining. A book about choices, it’s bewilderingly thought-provoking.

Story #2, ‘Your Name Is In The Book’, is longer and its concept is quite different. All John knows is that some people’s names are in a huge book, and that this is significant. Again, it’s thought-provoking with a strong sense of the choices we make, as well as some mind-twisting sci-fi.

Generally, I am not a fan of short stories, they tend to leave me a little flat – even with authors I love, I have often found their short stories to be disappointing. Happy to say that isn’t the case with these books – there’s a lot packed into both of them.

The author writes stories unlike any others I’ve read, the plots make my brain hurt (in a good way) trying to understand them, and the characters, dialogue and writing are great. Highly recommended.

One person found this helpful

Chris

Two very clever and well-crafted stories

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 29, 2018

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It's unusual for me to buy a cheap sci-fi book on Kindle and find it absolutely gripping - that's usually what differentiates well-known authors who can charge a higher price, and budding authors who don't usually go on to be famous because their writing isn't as good. "Do Anything" was a delightful exception - the characters were strong and you could relate to them, the style of writing is gripping and fast-paced, and the plots are brilliant. As soon as I finished reading this, I immediately bought two more books by Luke Smitherd - I'm half-way through reading "Kill Anyone" which is of the same exciting standard, and looking forward to reading "Stone Man" too.

One person found this helpful

R. G

Another cracking pair of stories from a top author!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 31, 2015

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Brilliant pair of stories from a fantastic writer. I won't spoil the plots, they are gripping and totally compelling.

Like all of Luke's writing these will keep you thinking for days afterwards, such fantastic concepts. Luke deals in ideas but makes everything feel 'real' as if it's really happening. Every book of his I've read has gripped me, this pair of stories is up there with my favourites - 'the Stone Man', 'Physics of the Dead and 'In the Darkness that's where I'll know you'.

I'm an unashamed fan, still amazed that Luke hasn't had more recognition but glad I've discovered his writing.

I've read a lot of Luke's work and feel he is set for bigger things - get it now while it's less than the price of a pint!

6 people found this helpful

Sarah H

Do Anything - but first read this!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 22, 2016

Verified Purchase

This is my first time reading the work of Luke Smitherd, normally I am an audible listener but have enjoyed his books so much I've made time to actually read and started here. I wasn't disappointed! There are 2 short stories in this book and as I've come to expect from a Smitherd story they both keep you guessing and take turns you weren't expecting.
The multi-verse is something that clearly interests the author as this isn't the first time he's explored it, having said that each time its done in a different and unusual way.
Keep up the good work Luke and I shall continue to read.

One person found this helpful