Borrowed Souls

by Paul B. Kohler

Jack Duffy is average. He lives an ordinary life with a mediocre job. He is a distracted husband, lives in a comfortable apartment, and is married to an extraordinary wife. That’s how he would explain it.

At the end of an unusually bad day, his life is turned upside down. The only thing that can catch him from falling is the soul collector.

Will he be allowed to keep his soul, or will he have to give it back?

Genres: Paranormal

81 pages, Paperback

First published March 4, 2014

About the author

Paul B Kohler is the International Bestselling author of the highly acclaimed novel Linear Shift. His recent work includes Turn, Detour, and Reversion, from The Humanity's Edge Trilogy, along with several short stories. His short story, Rememorations, was included in The Immortality Chronicles - The Best Anthology of the Year as voted in the 2016 Preditors and Editors Readers Poll. Rememorations was also nominated for Best American Science Fiction.

Reviews

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this in one sitting. The story moves right along at a brisk pace from first page to last. It's a short story, but a lot goes on in it. I could see the direction it was heading, but the very end was still a surprise. I could see this story as Twilight Zone episode. I enjoyed reading it.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading Borrowed Souls. It was an interesting story with a twist of an ending. I would love to read a follow up to it!

[Kris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very good read. I couldn't put it down, my husband kept trying to talk to me and I tried to ignore him to keep reading. It was not boring or overly wordy, which are the two things I look for in a review. I would recommend this book. It was very entertaining.

[Precious-Books.blog · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pages: 385

Publisher: Global Endeavor Publishing; 1 edition (December 31, 2015)

Cover: ★★½

Book: ★★★½

My Review:

Have you ever wondered what happens next? Are there angels singing in the background as you ascend into heaven or do you cease to exist? In this newest release by Paul Kohler you meet Jack Duffy. A man struggling to live his life in New York City with his wife. No friends and a terrible boss, combined by the discovery of his wife’s unfaithful behavior lead him to attempt suicide. While he is wavering between life and death, his grim reaper gives him a choice. Jack can either take his reapers’ soul as well as his job or jack can give up his own soul and end his life for good. I found it hard to get into this book at first, but was sucked into his world by the fourth chapter. I would recommend giving this book a try.

**I was provided an advanced readers copy of this book for reviewing purposes**

[Tony Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a subject that has always fascinated a lot of people: what happens when we die? In this very original story, Paul Kohler gives us his version of what this may entail. To start with, we first meet Jack Duffy when he is shaken awake by a bus driver having, apparently spent six hours on the bus in a drunken stupor. He then meets a stranger who seems to know him well. Wilson, the stranger, is a soul collector and he soon tells Jack that his soul is due to be collected because he is, actually, dead. He takes him through his last day which explains how he came to be in this state. Jack is then offered an alternative to dying which involves him becoming a soul collector. To find out how this all works out, you will have to read the book. It is entertaining, thought provoking and is easy to read. I’m sure that everyone who reads this first part of Borrowed Souls will be eager to read the rest of the series.

[Jada Ryker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thinking Outside the Box

Jack Duffy comes to his senses on a bus. He feels disoriented, and a sense of loss and despair.

The driver thinks Jack is drunk, and escorts him off the bus.

As he walks the unfamiliar streets, Jack realizes he’s being followed by a man in a white fedora.

When Jack asks the man what he’s been doing the past sixty years, he tells Jack: “I lend an ear when it’s needed.”

Borrowed Souls, by Paul Kohler, is a riveting short story. It also offers a cross-section of life in a bureaucracy, with a petty, tyrannical functionary as a boss.

“[He] was trying to fit his head through the neck of his secretary’s blouse. It would have fit, too, if it weren't for her still being in it."

[P.S. Winn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting read with a twisted ending for readers to love. Jack Duffy is a bit disoriented as he finds himself waking up on a bench and meeting a stranger. The man is Wilson Oliver and meeting him, Jack's life will never be the same. Great job on this book that takes readers imaginations on a thrill ride they may be thinking about long after they finish the last page. The author does an amazing job writing a story with a quirky flair and an incredible tale.This author seems to know what readers like and delivers consistently with amazing reads.

[Doreena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Borrowed Souls is a fantastic story that moves along at a fast pace. This is one you won't be able to put down!

Imagine waking up on a bus, not knowing how you got there. The driver assumes he's drunk and helps him off the bus...

Now imagine sitting next to a perfect stranger and he knows more about you than you do...

I absolutely, thoroughly enjoyed this quick story. Definitely a fantastic read.

[John Hancock · Rating 5 out of 5]

a Very nice little story. I won't give too much away except that it goes beyond the veil of what we understand life to be. And it does it in a humorous way (both dark humor and regular humor) If you've got a few minutes to spare, like being in line at the DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles), you'll enjoy the wait and probably have to be pushed by those behind you to move on.

Lots of fun, well written.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book! The book will draw you in from the beginning! It makes you think and keeps you on your toes throughout. If you are interested in the afterlife this book will make you question your existence and what happens afterwards! Another great book by Paul B. Kohler. I can only hope that he will consider writing a sequel to this one! This is a must read!

[Bobby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic little book. Read it in one sitting. A man wakes up on a bus with no recollection of how or why he is there, until he meet a man on a park bench who helps him remember. This is my first book by this author but will not be my last. I will definitely be checking out his other books as well. Thanks for the great little story Paul.

[Charla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked Borrowed Souls because it has a “what if” feel to it that I could apply to my own existence. What if I survived death to have a conversation with a man there to collect my soul? The writing is simply, straight-forward, clear and clean. Good editing is evident. It is a quick read and engaging story.

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! It is short, read it in 30 minutes, but the story is interesting, different, and made me keep turning the pages to find out what the heck happened! I highly recommend this little gem!

[Roger Hawkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting take on a old figure. Paul does a great job defining/building his characters. I thought that the reader was excellent, the story as well. My only complaint would be that I didn't want the story to end so soon.

[Colette Chadwick · Rating 5 out of 5]

We have all had bad days, but hopefully they won't end like this. Intriguing and a little creepy...perfect. This short story fits perfectly into a lunch hour.

[Judy Ward · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book got my interest from the first page. I hope there will be a follow up. The end of the story left me wanting to find out what happens to this man next. A very good read.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very engaging new look at what or in this case who the grim reaper really is.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed. Was heartbroken it was so short. I wanted more!!!

[Jessica Kong · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short, yet very enjoyable read by Paul B. Kohler. Fate is twisted and evil, but at times satisfying. This book leaves you thinking in the end.

[Emmy · Rating 2 out of 5]

•audiobook•

I was given a promo code for Book 1 and thought I would try the prequel first. I should have known better. Most prequels turn me off from the series.

I’ve always worked in Corporate America and have many friends and acquaintances in different businesses. I’ve never known anyone in “upper management” who treated others like what’s his name’s boss.
Having car problems, I’m even more baffled why he opted to drive a few blocks for lunch. I didn’t buy the reason provided by the main character.
And the thing at the pharmacy? Oh my. Which country is this in? It was ridiculous.
It’s clear the intent was to share a bad day, but I felt it was a poor conveyance and I wasn’t sympathetic nor empathetic. I could care less. This was a character who would clearly be better off dead because he was wimpy, spineless, and lacked the common sense a cockroach possesses.
With hopes of being able to forget I read this, I’ll check out the first full book in a while and see a stronger story line is written.

2 stars because it was cohesive and structurally sound.

[Terri Weitze · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book with a kind of ho-hum ending. What happens when you die? What if someone gave you a chance to go on, doing a job of collecting the souls of the dying? What happens when you don't think it's fair that the soul you collecting should be collected? And a lot more questions to boot. I kept worrying this would slip into religiosity, but it did a good job avoiding that. The characters are pretty good - not great, but okay. The plot does have quite a few twists and turns, I just felt let down by how it all ended - others may find it sweet.

[PJ Lea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started off really enjoying this book, a very mysterious look into the afterlife. Unfortunately about 1\3 of the way through it began to lose my interest. I left it for a few days and tried again, after struggling through a couple more chapters it grabbed me again and I really enjoyed the rest of the story. I pondered on giving it 3 stars but it is overall too good of a book for that, so it gets a 4 out of 5

[Jennifer Pine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm going to be honest, Borrowed Souls left me wanting more. I felt it was rushed, and would have liked more character development, such as Winston's history and more of Cindy and Jack's back story. Overall, it was a great story and concept, I just wish there was more of it.

(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.)

[Shea Cummings · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entertaining and unique read.