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Feckless: Tales of Supernatural, Paranormal, and Downright Presumptuous Ilk
Updated 2020! THE Tales of Supernatural, Paranormal, and Downright Presumptuous Ilk
THE STORIES : These tales range from the extreme, the paranormal, the supernatural, the fantastic, the spooky, the creepy, the suspicious, the unpredictably psychopathic, and even the deliciously romantic.
THE The authors come to us from many different Science Fiction, Fantasy, Young Adult, Paranormal, Christian Horror, Mystery/Thriller, Romance, and Poetic Prose. Expect to find vampires, werewolves, demons, monsters, psychopaths and plenty of feckless victims hankering to be taken advantage of in the worst way. Each tale features one or more feckless characters; someone who just can't seem to succeed, someone who never gets it quite right, or just can't catch a break no matter how hard they try. This book should tickle fancies across the board, and will definitely frighten the sensitive-hearted, so tell your friends.
BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW, Content Rated PG-13 for mild language, sexual situations, and violence.
THE STORIES : These tales range from the extreme, the paranormal, the supernatural, the fantastic, the spooky, the creepy, the suspicious, the unpredictably psychopathic, and even the deliciously romantic.
THE The authors come to us from many different Science Fiction, Fantasy, Young Adult, Paranormal, Christian Horror, Mystery/Thriller, Romance, and Poetic Prose. Expect to find vampires, werewolves, demons, monsters, psychopaths and plenty of feckless victims hankering to be taken advantage of in the worst way. Each tale features one or more feckless characters; someone who just can't seem to succeed, someone who never gets it quite right, or just can't catch a break no matter how hard they try. This book should tickle fancies across the board, and will definitely frighten the sensitive-hearted, so tell your friends.
BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW, Content Rated PG-13 for mild language, sexual situations, and violence.
284 pages, Paperback
First published January 29, 2011
168 people want to read
About the author
Ellen C. Maze
43 books248 followersEllen says, "I'm friendly. I write about vampires and other paranormal critters. I believe in God. I love my readers. My books will creep you out, make you think, and stick in your head a long time."
NEWS FLASH: My Edgy Crossover Christian Horror/Vampire novel RABBIT:CHASING BETH RIDER is the #1 Customer-Ranked Horror novel on Kindle for several weeks now. The Kindle is $.99, the print copy $12.95 -- please go to Amazon and try it out! LINK: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B084YSCM9D?...
Book 5 - Conundrum - earned THREE 5-STAR RATINGS from Reader's Favorite. It is for mature teens/readers.
THE CORESCU CHRONICLES (Books 1-5) from Little Roni Publishers have garnered 5-star reviews across the board, including SILVER 5-STAR SEALS from Reader's Favorite. Yay! Go to http://www.ellencmaze.com for more info on this and all of my delicious tales!
SIGN UP FOR MY NEWSLETTER & never miss a release or perk: http://www.ellencmaze.com/contact-and...
LET'S BE FRIENDS: on facebook: 'Author Ellen C. Maze Main Page' & on Twitter: @authorellenmaze
BIOGRAPHY:
A recovering vampire/horror fanatic, Ellen uses her experience in that subculture to bring the Light into the vampire genre. Addicting and delicious, Ellen’s brand of story-telling is rife with deep character study and honest emotion.
PARENTAL ADVISORY Rabbit Saga Books 1 & 2 suitable for 13+, and Books 3-6 cover the POV of the vampires and have more language and mature themes. Mature 13 yr olds okay.
Ellen graduated cum laude from Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Alabama with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology and a minor in Sociology.
Ellen's Blog https://therabbittrilogy.blogspot.com
Ellen lives in Small Town Alabama with her family. A Brown Dog, a Yellow Dog, and a Siamese Cat that thinks she's a Dog.
Ellen has no holes in her neck…
NEWS FLASH: My Edgy Crossover Christian Horror/Vampire novel RABBIT:CHASING BETH RIDER is the #1 Customer-Ranked Horror novel on Kindle for several weeks now. The Kindle is $.99, the print copy $12.95 -- please go to Amazon and try it out! LINK: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B084YSCM9D?...
Book 5 - Conundrum - earned THREE 5-STAR RATINGS from Reader's Favorite. It is for mature teens/readers.
THE CORESCU CHRONICLES (Books 1-5) from Little Roni Publishers have garnered 5-star reviews across the board, including SILVER 5-STAR SEALS from Reader's Favorite. Yay! Go to http://www.ellencmaze.com for more info on this and all of my delicious tales!
SIGN UP FOR MY NEWSLETTER & never miss a release or perk: http://www.ellencmaze.com/contact-and...
LET'S BE FRIENDS: on facebook: 'Author Ellen C. Maze Main Page' & on Twitter: @authorellenmaze
BIOGRAPHY:
A recovering vampire/horror fanatic, Ellen uses her experience in that subculture to bring the Light into the vampire genre. Addicting and delicious, Ellen’s brand of story-telling is rife with deep character study and honest emotion.
PARENTAL ADVISORY Rabbit Saga Books 1 & 2 suitable for 13+, and Books 3-6 cover the POV of the vampires and have more language and mature themes. Mature 13 yr olds okay.
Ellen graduated cum laude from Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Alabama with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology and a minor in Sociology.
Ellen's Blog https://therabbittrilogy.blogspot.com
Ellen lives in Small Town Alabama with her family. A Brown Dog, a Yellow Dog, and a Siamese Cat that thinks she's a Dog.
Ellen has no holes in her neck…
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
February 6, 2013
(Note: I edited this on Feb. 6, 2013 to correct a minor typo.)
My Goodreads friend Ellen C. Maze is the editor of this collection (and the principal contributor as well, having authored 11 of the 25 selections; three more are by her husband, Kevin R. Maze, an author in his own right) and two of my other friends are represented as well, Krisi Keley only by an excerpt from her excellent novel, On the Soul of a Vampire. (Two other selections are also novel excerpts: Angela Dolbear's "Hunk," taken from The Garden Key, and Elizabeth E. Little's "Friends," adapted from part of her Twilight Nova. I didn't read these, preferring to wait until I can read the work as a whole.) All or most of the authors are part of the Treasure Line Publishing circle, and biographical information is given for each one in the back of the book. The common denominator of most of the selections is a speculative fiction element, usually of a supernatural sort, though a few are science fiction; but a couple are straightforwardly descriptive fiction tales of murder. Vampires appear in several stories; others feature ghosts, demons, werewolves, a dragon hiding in human form, or speculations about the afterlife --and some creatures and premises that only appear in these pages. It's hard to give very detailed descriptions of most of the individual stories without including spoilers. But it can be said that, though the description notes that the writers are coming from a "Biblical worldview," that doesn't guarantee happy endings. Like life, some of these tales are very dark and tragic. Also, while only the ones noted above are novel excerpts, a number of others read as if they could be; more than one of the writers tend to begin stories in the midst of a situation and explain it as he/she goes, and to leave you without a neat resolution and wanting more. (Again, that's much like life --and beats stories that go on and on too long, leaving you wanting LESS, not more!)
In her body of work here, Maze shows a real talent for the short format, IMO. "Canaan" is an edited version of one of the 20 stories in her Loose Rabbits of the Rabbit Trilogy; but my favorites among her offerings here are "88" and "Magier." Little's "Pink Slip," the opening story of the book, is a flash fiction too short to be anything but an appetizer; but her "Imprisoned" is more substantial. Teric Darken's "Man" is a somber parable of the darker aspects of human nature (and like most parables, it's not intended to be realistic, as the reader quickly realizes when a talking albatross is a major character). In contrast, his "Road Trip" is one of the few really humorous pieces here (though much of its humor is gallows humor), with a jocular self-referential tone that reminds me of some of Giovanni Gelati's many collaborations with other Trestle Press authors. :-) Kevin R. Maze's "dtour" is one of the most stylistically unusual works in this collection (or anywhere in literature), consisting entirely of an exchange of text messages; but he manages to make it extraordinarily effective. Another of my favorite stories in the collection was Kat Heckenbach's "Delete." The one story here that didn't work for me is Pete Turner's "Quack," which I found shallow and psychologically and theologically implausible (its message actually reminded me of some aspects of the 1990s "Heaven's Gate" cult!). But my assessment of his "Shocked" is much more positive.
Overall, this is a collection I'd highly recommend to speculative fiction fans --not just Christian readers, but anyone who likes the genre. It won't be everyone's cup of tea, but I think readers who like something off the beaten track would enjoy it!
My Goodreads friend Ellen C. Maze is the editor of this collection (and the principal contributor as well, having authored 11 of the 25 selections; three more are by her husband, Kevin R. Maze, an author in his own right) and two of my other friends are represented as well, Krisi Keley only by an excerpt from her excellent novel, On the Soul of a Vampire. (Two other selections are also novel excerpts: Angela Dolbear's "Hunk," taken from The Garden Key, and Elizabeth E. Little's "Friends," adapted from part of her Twilight Nova. I didn't read these, preferring to wait until I can read the work as a whole.) All or most of the authors are part of the Treasure Line Publishing circle, and biographical information is given for each one in the back of the book. The common denominator of most of the selections is a speculative fiction element, usually of a supernatural sort, though a few are science fiction; but a couple are straightforwardly descriptive fiction tales of murder. Vampires appear in several stories; others feature ghosts, demons, werewolves, a dragon hiding in human form, or speculations about the afterlife --and some creatures and premises that only appear in these pages. It's hard to give very detailed descriptions of most of the individual stories without including spoilers. But it can be said that, though the description notes that the writers are coming from a "Biblical worldview," that doesn't guarantee happy endings. Like life, some of these tales are very dark and tragic. Also, while only the ones noted above are novel excerpts, a number of others read as if they could be; more than one of the writers tend to begin stories in the midst of a situation and explain it as he/she goes, and to leave you without a neat resolution and wanting more. (Again, that's much like life --and beats stories that go on and on too long, leaving you wanting LESS, not more!)
In her body of work here, Maze shows a real talent for the short format, IMO. "Canaan" is an edited version of one of the 20 stories in her Loose Rabbits of the Rabbit Trilogy; but my favorites among her offerings here are "88" and "Magier." Little's "Pink Slip," the opening story of the book, is a flash fiction too short to be anything but an appetizer; but her "Imprisoned" is more substantial. Teric Darken's "Man" is a somber parable of the darker aspects of human nature (and like most parables, it's not intended to be realistic, as the reader quickly realizes when a talking albatross is a major character). In contrast, his "Road Trip" is one of the few really humorous pieces here (though much of its humor is gallows humor), with a jocular self-referential tone that reminds me of some of Giovanni Gelati's many collaborations with other Trestle Press authors. :-) Kevin R. Maze's "dtour" is one of the most stylistically unusual works in this collection (or anywhere in literature), consisting entirely of an exchange of text messages; but he manages to make it extraordinarily effective. Another of my favorite stories in the collection was Kat Heckenbach's "Delete." The one story here that didn't work for me is Pete Turner's "Quack," which I found shallow and psychologically and theologically implausible (its message actually reminded me of some aspects of the 1990s "Heaven's Gate" cult!). But my assessment of his "Shocked" is much more positive.
Overall, this is a collection I'd highly recommend to speculative fiction fans --not just Christian readers, but anyone who likes the genre. It won't be everyone's cup of tea, but I think readers who like something off the beaten track would enjoy it!
February 1, 2011
I compiled this collection to not only share my own short fiction, but to introduce my readers to these wonderful author friends of mine! I am confident that readers of the paranormal and supernatural will enjoy these tales very much.
I think I'll go list a Goodreads Giveaway for it right now! Be watching for it!
Note that the stories are told from a biblical worldview. That doesn't mean they all have happy endings, but some of the characters have that worldview. IT'S FUN!
~Ellen C Maze, Author, Editor, Chaos Management
I think I'll go list a Goodreads Giveaway for it right now! Be watching for it!
Note that the stories are told from a biblical worldview. That doesn't mean they all have happy endings, but some of the characters have that worldview. IT'S FUN!
~Ellen C Maze, Author, Editor, Chaos Management
May 16, 2011
There have been a lot of technological advances since I started buying books 30 years ago, but my favorite has to be easy, accessible paper recycling. Now when I make the mistake of purchasing two covers surrounding a giant pile of dreck, I don't feel guilty about tossing it.
July 8, 2020
Love short stories! I wish I had the time to just curl up and dive in to this wonderful anthology, but life's duties call.
March 5, 2019
I was amused, horrified and tickled senseless by this collection of tales ranging from vampire hunters who don't know their hunters to a boy raised on a island discovering the horror that is modern man. There are so many great tales here that I can't even pick a top 10. Each one is superbly written and thoroughly engrossing and a few even resulted in food stuffs making slower progress to their destination than normal (a major thing for those who know me). All I can say is if you like a good story, pick this collection up.
March 24, 2011
I just found out I won a copy through the Goodreads first reads program! I'm so excited to get this one! THANK YOU GOODREADS!
I love books like this for several reasons. The first being it's an easy one to pick up and read a quick story when you have little time to enjoy reading. The second reason is that the stories were great! Yes, some where better than others but I really appreciated the dark humor in a lot of them! And my third reason is that you get a taste for some new authors that you may not have tried otherwise. I have to say that my favorite was Ellen C. Maze! I just loved "Vegas", "Comeback", "Gloves", and "Magier"!
So, to sum it all up, if you have a busy schedule and want to treat yourself to some twisted tales, then this is the book for you!
I love books like this for several reasons. The first being it's an easy one to pick up and read a quick story when you have little time to enjoy reading. The second reason is that the stories were great! Yes, some where better than others but I really appreciated the dark humor in a lot of them! And my third reason is that you get a taste for some new authors that you may not have tried otherwise. I have to say that my favorite was Ellen C. Maze! I just loved "Vegas", "Comeback", "Gloves", and "Magier"!
So, to sum it all up, if you have a busy schedule and want to treat yourself to some twisted tales, then this is the book for you!
April 21, 2011
Now this was an amazing book filled with very talented authors. I can honestly say that I loved each and every short story. Can I say which one was my favorite? No I can't for they were all great reads and highly entertaining. Ellen Maze – besides being an amazing author herself – sure knew how to pick excellent stories that keep you turning the page and get excited about the next story. A must read for all people who love stories of things that go bump in the night and are sick and tired of horror stories that are just gore fests.
March 28, 2011
Fantastic and Fun. Enjoyed different writing styles with some fabulous authors.
August 11, 2011
An eclectic group of writers with an eclectic group of stories! One of my favorite short stories was Stu Loudon "Thirst."
read-partially
November 27, 2012Added 8/6/12.
2012 - I picked up Feckless at our library and have read two of the short stories so far (the first two). They drew me right in. Each one had a good twist at the end that I didn't see coming. Easy reading too. The writing is good. I hope to read more of the short stories in this book.
==================================
BOOK DESCRIPTION FROM AMAZON:
Publication Date: January 29, 2011
THE TITLE: Feckless: Tales of Supernatural, Paranormal, and Downright Presumptuous Ilk
THE STORIES: These tales range from the extreme, the paranormal, the supernatural, the fantastic, the spooky, the creepy, the suspicious, the unpredictably psychopathic, and even the deliciously romantic.
THE STORYTELLERS: The authors come to us from many different genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Young Adult, Paranormal, Christian Horror, Mystery/Thriller, Romance, and Poetic Prose. Expect to find vampires, werewolves, demons, monsters, psychopaths and plenty of feckless victims hankering to be taken advantage of in the worst way. Each tale features one or more feckless characters; someone who just can't seem to succeed, someone who never gets it quite right, or just can't catch a break no matter how hard they try. This book should tickle fancies across the board, and will definitely frighten the sensitive-hearted, so tell your friends.
=================================
2012 - I picked up Feckless at our library and have read two of the short stories so far (the first two). They drew me right in. Each one had a good twist at the end that I didn't see coming. Easy reading too. The writing is good. I hope to read more of the short stories in this book.
==================================
BOOK DESCRIPTION FROM AMAZON:
Publication Date: January 29, 2011
THE TITLE: Feckless: Tales of Supernatural, Paranormal, and Downright Presumptuous Ilk
THE STORIES: These tales range from the extreme, the paranormal, the supernatural, the fantastic, the spooky, the creepy, the suspicious, the unpredictably psychopathic, and even the deliciously romantic.
THE STORYTELLERS: The authors come to us from many different genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Young Adult, Paranormal, Christian Horror, Mystery/Thriller, Romance, and Poetic Prose. Expect to find vampires, werewolves, demons, monsters, psychopaths and plenty of feckless victims hankering to be taken advantage of in the worst way. Each tale features one or more feckless characters; someone who just can't seem to succeed, someone who never gets it quite right, or just can't catch a break no matter how hard they try. This book should tickle fancies across the board, and will definitely frighten the sensitive-hearted, so tell your friends.
=================================
April 9, 2012
Good solid read. Fun short stories with a suspense/horror twist.
October 14, 2013
Feckless is full of great and entertaining stories by a great mix of authors. The characters are gripping and I found myself staying up well past my bedtime to finish many of the stories.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews