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Stranded Angels
Ali has a going trading business with three mules to carry his goods. Okay, it’s not making him rich, but he gets along. He’s also got a good wife, a child, and a beautiful slave girl who actually gets along with his wife. Life should be good.
But there are also the thieves who raid the countryside (and trading caravans) and kill anyone who tries to resist.
Oh — and some visitors from space who have a secret cave in the mountains full of strange items … and diamonds, and a problem they want Ali to solve.
Life can be so complicated, but the reward may be tremendous — if Ali can survive.
Main 55,200 words (equivalent to 207 pages in mass market paperback form)
11,300 words (42 pages) special additional Close Encounters from Primordial Times to the Present section.
Rated "G" .
But there are also the thieves who raid the countryside (and trading caravans) and kill anyone who tries to resist.
Oh — and some visitors from space who have a secret cave in the mountains full of strange items … and diamonds, and a problem they want Ali to solve.
Life can be so complicated, but the reward may be tremendous — if Ali can survive.
Main 55,200 words (equivalent to 207 pages in mass market paperback form)
11,300 words (42 pages) special additional Close Encounters from Primordial Times to the Present section.
Rated "G" .
249 pages, ebook
First published May 30, 2012
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
April 1, 2015
Take the world of the Arabian Nights. Mix in a healthy helping of Ali Baba and the Fourty Theives. Ditch the magic. Add aliens with a problem. And you have Stranded Angels.
Ralph has done a masterful job of converting an implausable fantasy into a believable science fiction story. There’s a lot of the original left to chew on (not the Disney version, but the original work that seems to have been added to the Arabian Nights collection well after it was first written.
The author has spent a lot of time in the area (and speaks a number of the languages with varying degrees of fluency). He’s also seen evidence of alien presence even to this day (I’ll let him tell you about it in the added piece at the end). While I don’t agree with all of his conclusions, I do believe he saw what he said he saw and that it does point to goings on that seem to be beyond our present level of technology.
The story itself, is delightful and I loved the twists and turns he’s introduced. I found myself cheering Ali on while worrying about his survival prospects. I know how the original story ends, but Mr. Joseph-Mirani has his own ending and the entire outcome was in doubt which lead to a certain degree of tension (time for me to shut up before I give it away).
I’d recommend this story to anyone old enough to read and appreciate the Arabian Nights stories. With a “G” rating, it’s safe reading for all ages from Mid-grade to old codgers like me. I doubt if younger children would understand it well enough to appreciate the yarn.
Note: I work for the publisher, but I can say anything I want to. So take it for what it's worth.
Ralph has done a masterful job of converting an implausable fantasy into a believable science fiction story. There’s a lot of the original left to chew on (not the Disney version, but the original work that seems to have been added to the Arabian Nights collection well after it was first written.
The author has spent a lot of time in the area (and speaks a number of the languages with varying degrees of fluency). He’s also seen evidence of alien presence even to this day (I’ll let him tell you about it in the added piece at the end). While I don’t agree with all of his conclusions, I do believe he saw what he said he saw and that it does point to goings on that seem to be beyond our present level of technology.
The story itself, is delightful and I loved the twists and turns he’s introduced. I found myself cheering Ali on while worrying about his survival prospects. I know how the original story ends, but Mr. Joseph-Mirani has his own ending and the entire outcome was in doubt which lead to a certain degree of tension (time for me to shut up before I give it away).
I’d recommend this story to anyone old enough to read and appreciate the Arabian Nights stories. With a “G” rating, it’s safe reading for all ages from Mid-grade to old codgers like me. I doubt if younger children would understand it well enough to appreciate the yarn.
Note: I work for the publisher, but I can say anything I want to. So take it for what it's worth.
Displaying 1 of 1 review