The Last Ereph and Other Stories

by J.D. Byrne

Kol runs down the corridor, agents of His Eminence hot on his heels. He needs escape, a way out, but all he sees is a heavy wooden door. Does salvation or capture lie behind it? In “The Last Ereph,” he finds the answer and more than he could have ever expected.

That and nine other short stories make up this debut collection from an exciting new voice in science fiction and fantasy. Other stories include:

• “Of That Alluring Fruit,” in which a young woman is tempted to risk all to discover the secret of a mysterious island.
• “The Dragon of the Bailey,” in which a prisoner seizes his opportunity for freedom when it presents itself in the least likely of forms.
• “To Watch the Storms,” in which careful observation brings reward to a weary traveler.
• “The Missing Legion,” set in the world of the forthcoming novel The Water Road, in which a big game hunter stumbles into a harrowing ritual he was never meant to see.
• And “Memory of Water,” in which a man is haunted by dreams of a past he cannot escape.

Ten exciting stories – ten new worlds.

136 pages, Paperback

First published March 2, 2015

About the author

JD Byrne was born and raised around Charleston, West Virginia, before spending seven years in Morgantown getting degrees in history and law from West Virginia University. He's practiced law for more than 20 years, writing briefs where he has to stick to real facts and real law. In his fiction, he gets to make up the facts, take or leave the law, and let his imagination run wild. He lives outside Charleston with his wife and the two cutest tiny dogs the world has ever seen.

Reviews

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great collection of short stories in the sci-fi/fantasy genre. Though this book falls outside of the genres with which I am most familiar, I found the writing style accessible and the stories quite interesting. The author created some complex, vivid, and dramatic worlds, as well as telling stories about worlds that seemed like ours, but with a definite futuristic twist.

I found some of the tales very thought-provoking - like "Fine Print" which was quite exceptional. Some had eerie qualities - like "The Missing Legion" which felt like a cross between fantasy and ghost story. There was also some humor, some emotionally gut-wrenching plots, and some with interesting interactions between characters.

The final story in the collection, "The Last Ereph", was probably my favorite. I could see sitting down to read more about those characters and that world in a full-length novel. It was fascinating to me how well-developed these characters and this world could become in so few pages. It left me wanting more in a good way.

[Raving Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

This really was a great little collection of short stories by an author who knows how to craft words into a quick tale the reader can enjoy.

My personal favourite was "The Dragon of the Bailey" in which it tells the story from the dragons point of view which I thought was quite clever.

The only thing I could say against this book was the story The Mask didn't seem to have an ending and I felt there could have been more to it. Also "Jury Duty" didn't really grab me like the others did but was still well written (as was "The Mask).

All round a good read of nice bit sized stories.

You can check out the full review and more reviews on my website https://ravingboutabookreviews.wordpr...