Mindjack Short Story Collection

Mindjack Origins #1-5

by Susan Kaye Quinn

Mindjack Short Story Collection - companion stories to the bestselling Mindjack Trilogy

This collection contains ALL the Mindjack short stories – five novellas, two deleted scenes, two flash fiction pieces, and more.

CONTAINS
Novellas – Mind Games, The Handler, The Scribe, Keeper, The Locksmith
Deleted Scenes – two scenes from Free Souls
Flash Fiction – Leaving Gurnee, Seeds of Promise

READING ORDER
Original Trilogy – Open Minds, Closed Hearts, Free Souls
Mindjack Short Story Collection

SUMMARIES OF STORIES
Mind Games: Raf, a regular mindreader, wants to take Kira—the only girl in school who doesn’t read minds—to the mindware Games, but his friends have other plans.

Leaving Gurnee: flash fiction of a scene that occurs between Open Minds and Closed Hearts, told from Xander’s point-of-view.

The Handler: The first recruit in Julian Navarro’s mindjacker revolution threatens to derail his plans to ensure jacker freedom in a mindreading world.

The Scribe: Sasha Rimbali stopped using his mindjacking skill to erase souls in order to keep from going mad, but when a beautiful female jacker is threatened, he has to decide if there is any cause worth the cost of using his ability one more time.

Keeper: Seventeen-year-old Kira Moore is determined to be part of the second-chance mission to free her fellow mindjackers from FBI Agent Kestrel's secret prison, but Jacker Freedom Alliance leader Julian believes she's too valuable to risk in the operation.

Seeds of Promise: Anna Navarro, leader of the Jacker Freedom Alliance, spends her time in FBI Agent Kestrel's secret prison enduring his torments... and awaiting the time for her revenge.

DELETED SCENE: Kestrel’s interrogation

DELETED SCENE: Drinking the Water

The Locksmith: In a world filled with mindreaders, Zeph is a mindjacker who wants to stay hidden—even if it means the cute mindreader in his Latin class is forever out of his reach. He locks and unlocks minds for a ruthless mindjacker Clan in exchange for protection and the chance to have a normal life with his parents and little sister. But when a girl he doesn’t know reveals the existence of mindjackers to the world, Zeph is forced to make a choice: unlock—and ultimately destroy—the mind of a young jacker changeling… or turn his back on everyone he loves.

Genres: Science Fiction

ebook

First published October 10, 2015

About the author

CLICK HERE for a FREE STORY

Susan Kaye Quinn has designed aircraft engines and researched global warming, but now she uses her PhD to invent cool stuff in books. Her works range from hopeful climate fiction to gritty cyberpunk. Sue believes being gentle and healing is radical and disruptive. Her short fiction can be found in Grist, Solarpunk Magazine, Reckoning, and all her novels and short stories can be found on her website. She is the host of the Bright Green Futures podcast.

SOLARPUNK
collections
Bright Green Futures: 2024 (edited by SKQ)
Halfway to Better

novels
Nothing is Promised series
When You Had Power
You Knew The Price
Of Kindness and Kilowatts
Yet You Cry When It Hurts

short stories
A Moon Goddess to Watch Over Me (Luna Station Quarterly) (hopepunk)
It's in the Blood (Reckoning 8)
Once and Future Kilowatts (Solarpunk Magazine)
Rewilding Indiana (Little Blue Marble)
Seven Sisters (Grist)
The Joy Fund (DreamForge Magazine)

SCI-FI
Singularity Novel Series
The Legacy Human
The Duality Bridge
The Illusory Prophet
The Last Mystic

Stories of Singularity
Restore
Containment
Augment
Awakening
Harvest
Defiance
Resistance

YA SF
Mindjack Series
Open Minds
Closed Hearts
Free Souls
Locked Tight
Cracked Open
Broken Wide
Mindjack Short Story Collection

WATCH the award-winning live-action Mindjack Book Trailer!

STEAMPUNK ROMANCE
Royals of Dharia
Third Daughter
Second Daughter
First Daughter

CYBERPUNK
Debt Collector
LIRIUM (Season One)
WRAITH (Season Two)

WATCH the Debt Collector Book Trailer

ANTHOLOGIES
Synchronic
Telepath Chronicles
AI Chronicles
Dark Beyond The Stars
Future Chronicles
Cyborg Chronicles
CLONES: The Anthology

MIDDLE GRADE FANTASY
Faery Swap

WATCH the Faery Swap Book Trailer

CONTACT SUSAN
Susan's Website | Sue on Bluesky | Sue on Mastodon
Susan's Email: sue@twistedspacepub.com

Reviews

[Veronica of V's Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of short stories, vignettes and novellas in the Mindjack universe is a perfect companion for readers of the Mindjack series. For those who have read the trilogy (OPEN MINDS, CLOSED HEARTS, FREE SOULS) it is great to get insight from other characters in this world.

The book opens with the bittersweet MIND GAMES featuring Kira's childhood friend Raf, who is desperately in love with Kira but cannot express his feelings for her, due to her inability to read minds. His kind of love, that for a "zero" which Kira is, is considered wrong and unhealthy, and is turned against him to pressure him into being someone he is not. It's definitely melancholy!

There are some great flash fiction and world building elements added here, with excellent insight from the author regarding the world she has detailed. I naturally enjoyed THE HANDLER, because I pretty much love Julian. Watching him build his army of Jackers from the beginning is a thrill. I've always wondered about quiet, reticent Sasha, and his mind-overwriting power. It was a fearsome thing to consider, and his aversion to his own gift is acutely rendered in THE SCRIBE. In KEEPER, Kira's obsessed with being on the strike force for the next JFA mission: attacking Kestrel's stronghold and rescuing trapped jackers from experiments and torture. Julian won't let her go knowing that Kira's secondary objective is to kill Kestrel--and it's clear Julian doesn't want Kira in harm's way. So, Kira develops her new talent in secret, hoping to make herself invaluable as a strike force member. And, in THE LOCKSMITH we get another game-changing jacker who has really difficult decisions to make.

All these kids are unique, but wonderfully written, and their moral compass is definitely pointing due North. I enjoyed these little bites of Mindjack, and wonder if we'll get to read a post-Kestrel Mindjack book any day... *crosses fingers*

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

What is it like to live in a world where nothing can ever truly be kept secret? What is it like to live in such a world knowing that your own secrets places the lives of those you love in danger?
This is a wonderful collection of short stories told from the perspective of various characters from the fast-paced, action-packed world of the Mindjack Trilogy, a world full of risk and intrigue that is ruled by the mindreaders of the majority, mindreaders who fear and shun those who don't read minds like them.
For anyone that may be new to the Mindjack world, this collection serves as an introduction to the world and gives you a sense of how it differs from our own. For those who are familiar with the novels in the trilogy, it fleshes out some of the backstories of the characters that appear in the series, giving you greater insight into each one.
Susan Kaye Quinn does a great job of using complimentary stories from different perspectives to build the nuances of the greater Mindjack world; each protagonist has different abilities, and has a specific role to play in the larger story. As there is much to be learned about each character, there is also much to understand about how all of their experiences work together.
For those who are anti-spoiler, I would suggest reading the novels before reading this collection, but the collection can also be enjoyed as in intro to the novels or as a standalone.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this collection of short stories.It was a nice little treat to have new glimpses into the Mindjack world.My favorite stories were Mind Games and Leaving Gurnee.I loved that the author includes picture quotes,flash fiction and deleted scenes,I highly recommend this companion set to any fan of The Mindjack series.I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

[Lola · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy in exchange for an honest review

As this is a short story collection I will review each novella in this collection and include the summary of my review here. For my full length review of each novella look on goodreads or amazon. At the end of this review I sum up my thought of this collection as a whole. Before I started reading this collection I had already read and reviewed Keeper and the Locksmith. So I used the review of my first read for those. I did re-read both stories while reading this collection. Mind Games I already had read, but not yet reviewed, so I did review that one now. The other short stories I hadn't read before and reviewed after I finished them.

About the collection itself:
This collection is really nicely formatted and build-up. Before every short story there's a bit of info about the short story and it's place in the series. This helped get a feel for where the story would be about and when it takes place. The order is mostly chronologically and how the author recommend you read them. I read most of the series before I started the short stories and it works great to read them that way, but you can also read the short stories in between the full length novels depending on when the short stories take place.

Mind Games
I really enjoyed this novella. We get to see Raf his point of view and how mindreaders think and treat Zero's, it's really appalling to see how they think of zero's and also a bit about Raf as he's having feelings for them. It really shows how the society things about zero's. It's a nice addition to the series.

The Handler
I really enjoyed this novella, we get a feel for Julian, his mindjack power and the start of the revolution and the why behind it. I felt like we got a good feel for Julian his character in this novella and I feel like we understand him better now and why he is so determined to get this plan of revolution started. We also see Anna and Sasha and understand how they got involved with the movement. And Julian has to make a difficult decision in this novella. I also liked how this novella illustrated how powerful and frightening the mindjack powers are. A great addition to the series!

The Scribe
I really enjoyed this novella/ Sasha stays very mysterious in the full length novels and I enjoyed getting his point of view. I thought it really added something and I got a good feel for his character and it was interesting learning more about Sasha and how his ability works. It shows an interesting point of view we never get int he full length novels and shows us the beginning stages of the revolution and also how Ava joins. There's a difficult decision Sasha has to make in this one and it's even a bit dark and shows the frightening impact of Sasha his mindjack powers on others and the effect using them has on him. And I really liked seeing Ava though Sasha his eyes.

Keeper
Keeper is a nice short addition to the Mindjack series. I would recommend this short story for fans of this series. It gives some extra background and depth to Kira and her new powers.

The Locksmith
This is a fun little novella set in the Mindjack world where we get to know Zeph, what he can do and the situation he's in. I read this in one sitting and after finishing it I can only say I am looking forward to more Zeph and am excited Susan is writing more books about him. There is a mention of Kira, but this novella can be read as a standalone or anywhere in between the other novels and novella's in this world.

Deleted Scenes – two scenes from Free Souls
These were two scenes that got deleted from the final edition of the book. I did enjoy reading them and it was interesting to have read these scenes, but they also aren't as vital to the plot so I guess that's why they got removed. Still I am happy this way we still get to read these tow scenes. The first one Kestrel's Interrogation gives us a disturbing view into Krestel's mind. The other scene Drinking the Water shows a conversation between Julian and Kira and I did enjoy this one and it made me curious what the effects of the water will be.

Flash Fiction – Leaving Gurnee, Seeds of Promise
These two flash fictions were really short, but still added a bit to the main story. They aren't long enough to really say a lot about, but I was still happy we got these two stories. Leaving Gurnee is about Xander, I couldn't remember much about the first book and how these events tie in with the rest of the story, but it does show an event we don't get in the book.

Extra's:
Then there is a small piece about Jackertown slang, not all of which end up in the full length novels and a conversation between Julian and Raf, which was quite interesting and fun to read. This never happens in the story, but it was a fun what if these two talked with each other about Kira.

To summarize: I really enjoyed the Mindjack series and it was great to be back in that world for a bit with this short story collection. Mainly it gives us the background story from some characters who's point of view we don't get in the book: Raf (Mind Games), Julian (The Handler) and Sasha (the Scribe). Then there is a short story from Kira her point of view (Keeper) which shows us some events that explain Kira her new power. And a short story that is a set-up for a new spin-off series told through Zeph's point of view (The Locksmith). All in all these were all great short stories, they aren't necessary to read to enjoy the main series, but I did think they added some interesting bits and I am definitely happy I read these. I would recommend this short story collection for fans for the series or for people who are new to the series to read alongside the main series.

[Pat Raab · Rating 4 out of 5]

I so enjoyed all the background and other information on various characters, and the start of the movement based at "Revolution HQ". Raf and Kira at school, Xander's rescue, Julian's belief in a better future, Anna taken captive, Sasha running away from a past where his talent was abused, and a most unusual addition in the form of the Locksmith - so many different scenarios and experiences, good and bad. I was totally caught up in this collection of mini-stories.

[Liza · Rating 4 out of 5]

The collection "drops in" at various points in the series.

You don't need to have read the books to appreciate the characters in the short stories. On the other hand, the "spoilers" in these stories want really disrupt the main books (sometimes I really like knowing what's going to happen and waiting...).

Great visions of the future.

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great set of stories

These short stories really helped to fill in details about the supporting characters in the Mindjack series from their points of view. Be sure to read the first 3 novels before you read these short stories.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Re-read as a collection

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone has a story, whether good or evil, it is there inside everyone. There are backstories. Parts that could not be put into the novel because it would just be too bulky (?) is that the right word? Anyway, these are stories about some of the main characters that flushes them out a little more than could be done in the main stories. It makes them more human lets you know a little more how the jacker thing works compared to how the reader thing works. The mind is a beautiful thing and a vast world to work with. Many, many more stories to write and I hope Susan writes them for a very long time.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mindjack Short Story Collectionincludes five novellas, two deleted scenes, and two pieces of flash fiction. The novellas are Mind Games (before Open Minds; about Raf’s feelings for Kira), The Handler (about the first of Julian’s recruits – a very dangerous handler), The Scribe (about Sasha and why he is reluctant to use his powers), Keeper (about Kira and her desire to be sent on missions even though Julian doesn’t want her to; shows how she began to learn to control her body with her mind), and The Locksmith (simultaneous to Open Minds; the story of a mindjacker, Zeph, who can lock and unlock people’s minds). The flash fiction (very, very short, but packed with action) pieces are Leaving Gurnee (about when Kira’s parents and Xander were attacked and had to flee their home) and Seeds of Promise (a glimpse into Anna’s time in Kestral’s prison). The deleted scenes are Kestrel’s Interrogation and Drinking the Water. Both of the scenes are referred to in Free Souls. Before each novella and short story is a little background information and guidance on when it should be read. I enjoyed these extra bits very much. I read everything in the collection at once. I think it would have been better to have read the parts as directed through the collection. Either way works, though. I highly recommend the Mindjack Short Story Collection to all fans of the Mindjack trilogy.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Susan Kaye Quinn grabs your attention with these short Mindjack Stories. This book is a series of five short stories taken from her Mindjack Series. It introduces you further to the five main characters and expands on their stories. It delves into each character's feeling, lives, thoughts,and worries, plus more. The book is excellent and leaves you wanting more. The book is excellent if you have never read the Mindjack Series. It gives you just a little taste of each character and leaves you wanting more. Or if you have read the series it expands on it to explain more. Either way they are all excellent. Quinn has an imagination so unique that you can't help wonder where it comes from. She writes a lot about mind control and deeper subjects. This book makes you wonder can our minds evolve into this, mind control, mind jacking, mind reading and a host of others. Don't miss these stories whether you have read the main series or are just beginning your journey. You will enjoy the book to the fullest either way.

[Denae Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect companion

Reader thoughts: I loved revisiting the mindjack world and characters that are so much more detailed than I realized from merely Kira's trilogy. I also liked the deleted scenes; even SKQ's throwaway chapters are well worth reading. Sasha seems much sweeter, Julian more determined, and Kira more reckless than ever.

Writer thoughts: Stories like this make me wonder if a lot of authors write scenes about side characters that never make it in the book. An author like SKQ has such a good handle on her characters and her world, it would not surprise me if this is common practice for her to write scenes from side characters' povs just to understand them better. Perhaps I should do more of that just so I understand what my side characters are thinking.

[Brandy Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mind boggling

Totally different than anything I've ever read. Love the extra books and deleted scenes from the trilogy. I really enjoyed reading this.

[Gen Giggles · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good set of stories that expand the world in a useful and entertaining way.