The Kitchen Imps and Other Dark Tales

by A.L. Butcher

A selection of short, dark fairy tales of wicked imps, enchanted kitchens, cunning thieves and confused wizards.

Suitable for all ages.

Genres: Short Stories, Fantasy

40 pages, Paperback

Published May 30, 2016

About the author

British-born A. L. Butcher is an avid reader and creator of worlds, a poet, and a dreamer, a lover of science, natural history, history, and monkeys. Her prose has been described as ‘dark and gritty’ and her poetry as ‘evocative’. She writes with a sure and sometimes erotic sensibility of things that might have been, never were, but could be.
Alex is the author of the Light Beyond the Storm Chronicles and the Tales of Erana lyrical fantasy series. She also has several short stories in the fantasy, fantasy romance genres with occasional forays into gothic style horror, including the Legacy of the Mask series. With a background in politics, classical studies, ancient history and myth, her affinities bring an eclectic and unique flavour in her work, mixing reality and dream in alchemical proportions that bring her characters and worlds to life.
She also curates for a number of speculative fiction themed book bundles on BundleRabbit.
Her short novella Outside the Walls, co-written with Diana L. Wicker received a Chill with a Book Reader’s Award in 2017 and The Kitchen Imps won best fantasy for 2018 on NN Light Book Heaven.

Alex is also proud to be a writer for Perseid Press where her work features in Heroika: Dragon Eaters; and Lovers in Hell – part of the acclaimed Heroes in Hell series. http://www.theperseidpress.com/


http://libraryoferana.wordpress.com/

Reviews

[N.N. Heaven · Rating 5 out of 5]

We’ve all wondered what happens to all those socks and missing items in the dryer. We’ve walked into the kitchen in the morning and stared in disbelief as items are placed in odd places. It’s not the kids who are up to no good but those mysterious kitchen imps.



This collection of short stories, while for the whole family, will make adults chuckle and nod their heads in agreement. These modern-day fairy tales take the reader away to a magical world where mischief abounds, and anything is possible.

After reading Butcher’s erotic dark fantasy series, these stories are a breath of fresh air. The writing style is highly humorous and reminded me of Roald Dahl. Highly recommend!



Favorite Story: The Joy of Socks. Just when I think I have a handle on the mystery of missing socks, I discover it’s not my dryer’s fault at all but these inane creatures creating havok. I laughed several times throughout this story.



My Rating: 5 stars




This review first appeared: https://www.nnlightsbookheaven.com/si...

[Johanna Aldridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolute pleasure to read…
The smooth, almost poetic flow of this book is rather addictive and most entertaining. The author is highly skilled at painting pictures with words, and I can now imagine my kitchen at night, with tiny dark shadows scuttling about and creating mayhem. I’ve always had a soft spot for imps, possibly because when I was in the Brownie Guides I was sixer of the imps in my pack, but that was a long, long, LONG, long, time ago!
And there’s the missing socks mystery, which the author duly solves for us all!
Some tales, as the title suggests, don’t include imps, but are just as exciting to read. Take for instance the story of the greedy king who wanted a treasure house built to protect his loot but began to lose it anyway...
This talented author is definitely one to watch out for, though I do wish there had been a few more stories... does that make me greedy too?

[Todd Oliver · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This is a collection of cute and funny short stories. The narrator is great. lived his voice!

[Deedra]

These stories are very informative on where our dirty socks,sewing supplies and buttons go when we can't find them.J.Scott Bennett narrates this short book very nicely.
I was given this book free for an honest review

[Wanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a new to me author who I envy her imagination. I love stories with imps and mischievous shenanigans. This author did not disappoint and I look forward to reading other stories past and present.

[Aurora · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection was, hands down, the best hour I've spent with an audiobook in a very long time. Short stories are always an unknown quantity. Either they're wonderful and you end up wishing there was more to come or they're not and you promptly forget about them. The Kitchen Imps were neither. I fell in love with them from the opening sentence. They're funny, cleverly written and probably not suitable for young audiences but their antics tickled my funny bone while explaining some of those age old questions about the mysteries that arise in every household. What does happen to those odd socks? How did those jars and shelf foods end up on the kitchen floor, and why does the dog look so innocent?
And then, there's a story about a king, a thief and getting the best of the authorities.
The stories are well written and read by a tallented narrator who brings the characters and the settings to life with a vividness that puts you right in the centre of the action.
If you're looking for a quick read that will entertain and delight you, this one should be at the top of your TBR.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Kitchen Imps and Other Dark Tales contains short stories that include:
The Kitchen Imps, The Joy of Socks, Monday Imps, and The Secret Kitchen. The book was easy to read and had a poetic type of flow in it, which I absolutely loved and made it fun to read. I found the book to be very entertaining. My favorite was “The Joy of Socks”. It made me think of someone stealing your socks and keeping them, like in the Disney movie Halloween town when the grumpy mad and everyone’s junk but it wasn’t junk to him. Such a great short book. Defiantly recommend for sure.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened the to audiobook of this collection. This is a fun collection of short fantasy stories! From imps causing mischief and blaming the family dog, to a tale of a greedy king and a thief, there’s a good variety. It’s a short listen which was nice because I don’t have a ton of time for audiobooks, but I really enjoy them! The narrator is very good and makes the stories come to life. My favourite story was the final one about the thief. I was completely absorbed in that tale!

[Darlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved these short stories-they were fun and unique. They're billed as dark tales and although The House of Treasure was on the dark side the tales of the imps had me laughing out loud. If you are looking for an explanation about why your socks are missing, how things end up on the floor and why Mondays are Mondays-blame the imps!

[JoAnne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of intriguing and well written short stories. Some humorous stories about Imps -- learn about why Imps behave the way they do and what can happen when they are about. I found myself laughing out loud from reading about their antics, I also found the story about the greedy king intriguing.