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The Resurrection Tree and Other Stories

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A collection of nine dark short stories about life, death and the choices we make in-between. A mix of creepy, disturbing contemporary fantasy and science fiction stories in one book.


In "The Resurrection Tree", a young girl changes the course of her family's life in one moment of panic.
In "The Chaos Police", in the future, every action you take has a consequence, and you only get so many chances.
In "Jazz On The Radio", a Professor finds he cannot escape the past he so desperately wants to.
In "Seaview Hotel", an unusual group of individuals make a pilgrimage to a remote Scottish beach.
In "Fake Mary", you are not even safe inside your own memories.
In "The Last Villain", pride comes before the fall of mankind.
In "Lord Of Shadow", a small boy becoming emotionally detached from his parents finds solace in the darkness.
In "Making Gods", two linguistics experts find an awkward romance over ancient carvings.
In 'The Colours of Jupiter' a group of scientists undertaking a radical experiment to prove the nature of time end up discovering more about their own nature.

150 pages, Paperback

First published March 26, 2015

340 people want to read

About the author

Tony Cooper

25 books22 followers
Tony Cooper was born and raised in Scotland. He followed the traditional route of becoming a writer/artist by studying Medicine then making videogames for 16 years.

His grimdark urban fantasy superhero series is currently at three books, POWERLESS, KILLING GODS and DIE FAMOUS, and a tie-in comic book SOME KIND OF HERO.

He also created the graphic novel THE MURDER CLUB: USELESS DEATHS, a psychological thriller about a pair of schoolkids who plot to kill a fellow student.

He has also release a collection of dark short stories titled "The Resurrection Tree and Other Stories", and the science fiction comedy novella "Higgs & Soap: Galaxy Delivery".

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5 (31%)
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
Profile Image for Erika.
89 reviews397 followers
June 23, 2015
3 stelle e mezzo.

"But even if it's nothing, the fear of it is real. Isn't it Dad?"


Se non fosse stato per il giveaway non avrei mai conosciuto questo libro e nemmeno il suo autore. Ero molto curiosa di leggerlo, sia per l'ambience e le premesse un po' creepy e sia per la gentilezza e la devozione con cui Tony Cooper si è rivolto a me. All'inizio le storielle non mi hanno convinto ma, andando avanti, sono diventate sempre più intriganti e inquietanti. Però c'è anche da dire che questo libro ha avuto molti alti e bassi e non mi è comunque piaciuto del tutto.

"I feel my right arm is suddenly warm and see a shadow covering it. I smile. The only things that care about me now are the shadows, and they are the only things I care about too."


Le short stories presenti in questo libro sono nove in totale, alcune belle, altre semplicemente carine e altre ancora davvero deludenti. Lo stile di scrittura di Tony Cooper è molto scorrevole, ma altalenante: alterna termini molto semplici ad altri troppo ricercati e la cosa mi ha un po' confuso e, secondo me, ha rovinato l'atmosfera di molte storie. Non mi è stato possibile affezionarmi ai personaggi perché le storie sono estremamente corte e non c'è una particolare analisi psicologica di nessuno di loro; Mi sono quindi sembrati distanti, come se li guardassi attraverso una spessa lastra di vetro infrangibile. L'atmosfera, come suggeriscono il titolo e la copertina, è molto inquietante, tetra e creepy e ogni storia porta con sé degli elementi sovrannaturali, horror o macabri che rispettano molto bene il tema scelto dall'autore. Il più grande problema che ho avuto con questo libro, ad ogni modo, è stata la lunghezza delle storie: erano troppo corte. In alcune gli avvenimenti si accavallavano, si confondevano, si mischiavano e non mi permettevano di seguire la narrazione in maniera fluida. A volte, devo ammettere, mi pareva di rincorrere mille fili ingarbugliati.

Ecco i ratings che ho dato a ciascuna storia:
- The Resurrection Tree 3.5
- The Chaos Police 2
- Jazz On The Radio 2.5
- Seaview Hotel 4.5
- Fake Mary 3.5
- The Last Villain 1
- Lord Of Shadow 5
- Making Gods 4.5
- The Colours of Jupiter 5

In conclusione, la lettura di questo libro è stata molto piacevole e Tony Cooper ha ottenuto pienamente il suo scopo: mi ha inquietato moltissimo. Però alcune storie mi sono sembrate ridicole e particolarmente bruttine, quindi non è stato un libro bello per intero. Ed è un vero peccato! Avrei voluto che mi fosse piaciuto di più, ma purtroppo non è stato così. Molto carino, in ogni caso.
Profile Image for Kim Cowie.
Author 9 books3 followers
August 15, 2017
I bought this book in the dealer's room at Edge-Lit 6
This is a collection of nine modern horror stories. In the title story, a young girl finds that a tree in her garden has the power to bring things back to life, but not in a nice way. In 'The Chaos Police' a man is arrested for committing careless acts that cause others to be involved in fatal accidents. In 'Seaview Hotel' an odd group of characters gather to witness a terminal event.
Mostly the story ideas are good but suffer in the execution. The story endings sometimes left me wondering what the point was. The prose has dull patches and the services of a skilled editor would have helped to eliminate these and inject a greater sense of drama.
The book appeared free of typos but I spotted a small number of layout faults.
Verdict: Some good story ideas but the writing doesn't sparkle.
Profile Image for H.A. LYNN.
120 reviews70 followers
June 11, 2015
Picked up this book from Amazon after it was re-tweeted by another author I follow.
I was a big fan of the majority of stories, save two (not my cup of tea), but other than that my only complaint was the formatting on my kindle, which caused me to get a little confused during some of the stories.

I'll be doing a full review on my blog lynnook.weebly.com and rating on Amazon.

Profile Image for Emma Naranjo.
15 reviews1 follower
July 19, 2015
I received this book as First Read Giveaway, and I really enjoyed these short stories. My favorite had to be "The Last Villain".
3 reviews
July 23, 2015
I received this book as a First Read Giveaway. Very enjoyable book of short stories!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews

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