Lucky 13: Thirteen Tales of Crime & Mayhem

by Edward J. McFadden III (Editor), Danielle Ackley-McPhail (Contributor), Sarah A. Hoyt

THE POWER OF LUCK. Your luck can change in an instant. A flip of a coin can ruin a life, or change it for the better. But is luck real? A random blip in the space time continuum? The wrath or favor of a higher power? Is it magic? Is it just a matter of numbers and probability? Can it be controlled? Luck is elusive, a mystery wrapped in an enigma. Luck is Relative. Good luck. Bad luck. Hard luck. Your luck can run out, or you can luck out. Is luck truly a lady? TAKE A CHANCE... With these thirteen tales of horror, fantasy, science fiction, and everything in between as talented writers from every conceivable genre weave tales of luck. What it means to them, and more importantly, the world at large. Tales by Trent Zelazny, Jessica McHugh, Matt Schiariti, Sarah A. Hoyt, Brady Allen, Danielle Ackley-McPhail, Patrick Thomas, Robert E. Waters, g. Elmer Munson, Diane Raetz, Georgina Morales, John L. French, and Michael Laimo. The odds of reading a great story are in your favor. But the age old question remains... do you feel lucky?

240 pages, Paperback

First published May 23, 2014

About the author

Ed cut his teeth reading John Christopher, Tolkien, Poe, Brooks and Zelazny, and graduated to Joe Haldeman, Allen Steele, Arthur C. Clark and Jack Vance. For the last twenty years he’s done a deep dive on apocalyptic fiction, and he really enjoyed learning at the feet of Elmore Leonard, Philip K. Dick, Lawrence Block, Ray Bradbury, Carl Hiaasen, Stephen King, Joe Lansdale, and F. Paul Wilson. His recent publications include Hell Creek, Too Much Grit, The Cryptid Club, Keepers of the Flame, Quick Sands, Sandbagged, Dogs Get Ten Lives, Barracuda Swarm, Dinosaur Red, Drop Off, and Jurassic Ark. His sea thrillers, The Breach and Shadow of the Abyss were Amazon #1 Best Sellers and the audio version of The Breach was a #1 Hot New Release. His other novels include Throwback, Sea Tremors, Primeval Valley, AWAKE, The Black Death of Babylon, and HOAXERS. He lives on Long Island with his wife Dawn, and their daughter Samantha.

Reviews

[Don Weiss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gangsters, ghouls, and the gods themselves populate this anthology, another entertaining brew of diverse genres in the Padwolf 13 series, held together by one common thread: Luck, that random phenomena which some people have, some people don’t, and still others will do anything to master, no matter what it takes.

The theme of luck is so broad that it allows the individual writers free reign to tell their own stories, which will appeal to the readers depending upon their own specific tastes and expectations. Thus, the collection consists of such widely varied tales as a horror/suspense thriller from Matt Schiariti, “A Dollar and a $cream”; Danielle Ackley-McPhail’s sci-fi/adventure “The Devil’s Own Luck”; an update of the Greek pantheon of gods in a contemporary mythological mystery helmed by Diane Raetz, titled “Missing: Apple of Discord”; and “Cursed Luck” by John L. French, told in the vein of an intense vigilante graphic novel. Other inclusions are just as enriching, exploring different aspects of luck and the situations arising from them, leading to many surprising directions.

LUCKY 13 is enjoyable and re-readable, with enough changes of pace to keep things fresh and exciting.