Wyrd Worlds

by Steph Bennion (Editor), Josh Karaczewski (Contributor), L.L. Watkin (Contributor)

An anthology of short stories by an international collection of science-fiction and fantasy writers, covering a wide range of what is known as speculative fiction, from slices of fantasy and time travel to steampunk and science-fiction. The tales vary widely, yet are all born from the same drive to create, share ideas and above all to entertain:
TALES OF ERANA: THE BLUE PHIAL by Alexandra Butcher - A short story from the world of 'The Light Beyond the Storm Chronicles'. THE QRIM CHIEFTAIN by Stan Morris - When a haughty princess scorns a barbarian chieftain, her city pays the price. ANTIMATTER ME by Steph Bennion - The experiment had not been a success and now time was running out. Or was it running in? EXPLAIN THAT TO A MARTIAN by Gary Weston - Drinkers sometimes see all kinds of things. But even I wasn't expecting to see a four-eyed Martian in my lounge... THE IMAGINARY INVASION by Ubiquitous Bubba - When our reality is invaded by extra-dimensional beings, imaginary characters may be humanity's only hope. THE GUNS OF NAPOLEON by Peter Lean - A professor of history, a mysterious scientific institute and an impossible painting in a story of time travel. CAUSALITY by Neil Shooter - A dream of desolation and death. How can this end be a beginning? And how can a dream seem so real? NECROMANCER by Emma Faragher - Mal is a necromancer. Now her greatest debt is being called in and her skills are needed. On a murder investigation, no less. KIRA by Ross Harrison - Kira's town has so far survived the destruction wrought by the Government on so many others. But for how much longer? IN THE LAP OF THE GODS by Steph Bennion - There are those who would stop at nothing to keep certain inventions from becoming a reality. MONDAY IMPS by Alexandra Butcher - Have you ever wondered about Mondays? Why is it everything seems to go wrong? There is a simple answer... SEPARATE WARS ON THE SAME STREET by Josh Karaczewski - A new war is being fought on the rooftops and alleyways by men in mech suits. MESRIN STATION by L. L. Watkin - Jan was never an upstanding citizen, but he was never stupid either; and now they are all in more trouble than they thought... HALF-BLOOD by Barbara G. Tarn - Giordano discovers he's a half-blood. His search for his 'real' father will take him farther than he thought.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Short Stories, Anthologies

284 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 7, 2013

About the author

Steph Bennion is a writer and musician, born and bred in the Black Country but now living in Hastings, England. Her science-fiction stories are written as a reaction to the dearth of alternative heroes amidst bookshelves swamped by tales of the supernatural. For every aspiring vampire or wizard, the world needs an astrophysicist, an engineer, or at the very least someone who can make the trains run on time.

Reviews

[Michael Puttonen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anthologies are always tough to review, as the process requires judging the work of a group of dissimilar authors as a single entity. Wyrd Worlds is a collection of stories by an international pool of science fiction and fantasy writers, all of whom are self-published. Edited by Steph Bennion, who also contributes to the collection as an author, the book includes fourteen tales of various lengths and distinctive styles. Some are clearly stand-alone short stories, and others appear as excerpts taken from a larger narrative (although I could be mistaken about that). The writing is generally competent , though the editing is spotty, noticeable with some stories more than others. Any fan of sci-fi or fantasy genres can probably find a tasty tale or two to satisfy the palate, as the selection is broad. The stories include everything from persecuted elf herbalists to imaginary selves, from barbarians to time travelers to aliens. In a future time, ancient gods protect their turf, and on a world where a ruthless government shows no humanitarian impulse, a young woman strives to find her way. There are half-bloods, corpse-raisers, and hidden mischief-makers. As with all anthologies, the reader will find favorites among the stories along with others that hold lesser interest. For me, I found several engrossing and delightful, but I have to specifically mention The Imaginary Invasion by Ubiquitous Bubba, a clever and deliciously humorous tale that had me laughing out loud (as did Explain That To A Martian). Wyrd Worlds is worth a look, as the anthology is free and contains a number of tales worthy of the reader's time.

[Ron · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was okay. Just. Barely. Normally anthologies front load good stories to set the hook, then put mediocre stuff in the middle and end with a bang. Wyrd Worldsidn't do that arguably the worst stories were the third and last. The rest were okay. Only one, "Guns of Napoleon," rose enough above the tide to merit comment.

Okay at best.

[L.L. Watkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's close, but my favourite is The Invisible Invasion.

[Ubiquitous Bubba · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since I am one of the contributing authors to this anthology, I will comment only on the work of the other authors.

I really enjoyed this anthology. I've always believed that you can tell practically any kind of tale within the construct of speculative fiction. The contributing authors have demonstrated this concept very well. There is something here for almost everyone. The stories vary in length, style and subject matter, but they are unitied in the common theme of untamed imagination.

Some of the tales are companions of the author's existing works. Many of the stories were written especially for this collection. All of them are written by talented independent authors. Editor and Chief Author-Wrangler, Steph Bennion has pulled together an ecclectic pack of authors to create this anthology. There is a spirit of camaraderie between these people that is uncommon in this field.

That's probably enough about the authors. What about the stories?

In this book there are fantasies featuring worlds of magic, political intrigue, dark forces, mystery and romance. There are stories of cutting edge physics, futuristic warfare, space stations, and intersteller travel. Some feature aliens, time travel, alternate histories, and questions about the nature of existence.

If you like reading fantasies, science fiction, adventure, speculative fiction, political intrigue, romance or humor, then this anthology is for you. If you enjoy reading short stories, this has your name written on it. If you love to seek out new authors, hear new voices, and expand your horizons, your starship awaits. If you are a fan of free stuff, you now have reason to celebrate.

[Josh Karaczewski · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m sure literary salons still exist in the major cities, where the literati get together and discuss their work in beautifully-lit rooms over drinks and catered treats. If invited to one of these, I would be the guy in the outermost ring of conversation, going back and forth from the buffet table to the bookshelves, listening in, probably not initiating any conversations unless I saw someone like myself pick up a book from the shelves that I had also read. If someone was taking pictures, I would only get in by photobombing it.

Instead of physical literary salons to attend, I have Goodreads Groups. I ‘listen’ in on interesting conversations a lot more than I participate, and most of the time I’m reading my ‘friend’s’ reviews, or comparing their read books list to mine. When writers in the Smashwords Authors group began setting up an anthology in the summer of 2013 I managed to storybomb my piece, “Separate Wars on the Same Street” into this anthology. To read some background on my story, go to this blog post [http://oralrandomly.blogspot.com/2014...].

Reading this anthology is like going to an intimate story reading: it will give you a sense of some of the excellent work being created and published on Smashwords (and elsewhere); wildflower worlds and characters that bloom outside of the influence of mainstream publishing house nurseries.

As in all anthologies, choosing favorites is a matter of taste, not quality. So the stories most to my taste in the anthology are:

The Qrim Chieftan
Antimatter Me
The Imaginary Invasion
Necromancer

[Barbara Tarn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm in the anthology, so I didn't count my own story. I divided the star rating by 13 stories.
My favorites are (in no particular order - or better in the order I read them in the anthology)
The blue fial
Explain that to a martian
The Imaginary Invasion
Monday Imps
Mesrin Station

[Chris The Story Reading Ape · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good way to assess various writers.

I always enjoy anthologies, because they offer me the opportunity to assess the various contributing authors.
As usual I enjoyed some of the tales more than other, but that is a personal preference thing - overall, the stories were well written.

See my review also at:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B...

[Dawn W · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent variety of stories, make great quick reads for break time.

[Frank Aaker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wyrd Worlds is an anthology containing stories by fourteen international sci-fi and fantasy indie authors. Many of the stories did nothing for me, and typos abound, but since the book is free, I'm not complaining.

'Explain That To a Martian' by Gary Weston, and 'Kira' by Ross Harrison are both worth a five-star rating. 'The Imaginary Invasion' by Ubiquitous Bubba, and 'Casualty' by Neil Shooter are worth four-star ratings. The rest drag the overall rating down to two point seven, so I round 'Wyrd Worlds' up to three stars.

This really is a collection of The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. But 'Wyrd Worlds' is well worth reading just for The Good.

[Roger Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent science fiction anthology by a variety of good writers. I got into most of the stories and was left with wanting more. A couple of the stories could have edited a little better.

[Chris Bullock · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice selection of science fiction and fantasy, by as yet largely unknown authors. Anyone interested in science fiction will find some thought provoking stories here. Well done on this first anthology - I look forward to reading the second Wyrd Worlds.

[Victoria Zigler · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting collection of stories, some of which are very entertaining.

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

A series of short stories that take place in different realms. Some are introductions to other series of books. Most were at least interesting.