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You're in for a Ride: A Collection of Science Fiction/Speculative Fiction Short Stories
If You Had The Devil In Your Sights, Would You Pull The Trigger? The Perfect Read For Your Commuting A force field stumps a group of intrepid explorers. Two time-travelers mess with time at their own peril. And what happens when not one, but two dark prophecies clash head-on? These are just a few of the stories in You’re in for a Ride, a collection of speculative and science fiction short stories that explore our perception of the world around us. Is there more to the world than we can see, or can our senses deceive us? "Each story is like watching an old episode of the Twilight Zone" ~ C. Mackay
134 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 3, 2016
7 people are currently reading
15 people want to read
About the author
Nicholas C. Rossis
21 books120 followersNicholas C. Rossis lives to write and does so from his cottage on the edge of a magical forest in Athens, Greece. When not composing epic fantasies or short sci-fi stories, he chats with fans and colleagues, writes blog posts, and enjoys the antics of two silly cats and his baby daughter, all of whom claim his lap as home. His books have won numerous awards, including the Gelett Burgess Children's Book Award.
In addition to his best-selling series, Pearseus, he writes short science fiction/speculative fiction stories, many of which have appeared in various collections and anthologies. These include Infinite Waters, which was voted one of the best 50 Indie books of 2015.
What readers are saying about Nick's fantasies:
"Most avid readers still have books from their childhood which they read over and over again. 'Runaway Smile' has joined the list."
"From the very first sentence I realized I was not reading a book, I was going on an adventure."
"Each story is like watching an old episode of the Twilight Zone."
For more on Nick or just to chat, visit him on:
Blog: http://bit.ly/1G79bQS
eNovel Authors: http://bit.ly/1JZEQct
Facebook: http://on.fb.me/18lyLr5
Twitter: http://bit.ly/1dKgsPT
Google+ : http://bit.ly/1IkzR22
In addition to his best-selling series, Pearseus, he writes short science fiction/speculative fiction stories, many of which have appeared in various collections and anthologies. These include Infinite Waters, which was voted one of the best 50 Indie books of 2015.
What readers are saying about Nick's fantasies:
"Most avid readers still have books from their childhood which they read over and over again. 'Runaway Smile' has joined the list."
"From the very first sentence I realized I was not reading a book, I was going on an adventure."
"Each story is like watching an old episode of the Twilight Zone."
For more on Nick or just to chat, visit him on:
Blog: http://bit.ly/1G79bQS
eNovel Authors: http://bit.ly/1JZEQct
Facebook: http://on.fb.me/18lyLr5
Twitter: http://bit.ly/1dKgsPT
Google+ : http://bit.ly/1IkzR22
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 18, 2019
A fascinating collection of imaginative short stories, each with a splendid twist at the end. As always with collections, a few stood out among the rest (hence only four stars). There are many gems here, but ‘A Crystal too far’ was my favourite: it is one of the shortest stories, but by far the sweetest.
Mr Rossis’s writing style is smooth as silk and a pleasure to read. If you enjoy speculative and science fiction short stories, I recommend you hop aboard for the ride.
Mr Rossis’s writing style is smooth as silk and a pleasure to read. If you enjoy speculative and science fiction short stories, I recommend you hop aboard for the ride.
June 17, 2017
Another collection of short story masterpieces (with excellent twists in the tales) from the author of 'The Power of Six', which I also thoroughly enjoyed.
See my review also at:
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See my review also at:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B...
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01...
https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B01M...
https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/...
March 17, 2017
I loved this collection of short stories by Nicholas C. Rossis. Each story brought forth either a smile, a laugh, and occasionally a chill. HIs collection has it all.
His stories are well written and filled with excitement that keeps you on the edge of your seat. "You're in For a Ride" will definitely take you on a wild ride to many places, will heighten your senses, and leave you wanting more.
I can't wait to read more of his writing.
I was provided with a copy of the book and voluntarily chose to review it
His stories are well written and filled with excitement that keeps you on the edge of your seat. "You're in For a Ride" will definitely take you on a wild ride to many places, will heighten your senses, and leave you wanting more.
I can't wait to read more of his writing.
I was provided with a copy of the book and voluntarily chose to review it
October 14, 2016
Combining thought-provoking ideas and sudden reframing with pared down prose, Rossis provides a collection that is faced-paced without being shallow.
As with many of Rossis’ other collections, this book contains several short stories interspersed between sections of another.
‘You’re in for a Ride’: an ancient creature seeks the last few victims it needs to complete its plans; meanwhile authorities close in on what they believe is a serial killer.
‘A Crystal Too Far’: a team of soldiers and engineers attempt to break into an alien energy store.
‘You Can’t Fight a Prophecy’: an anthropologist is commissioned to help a team of marines rescue a captive from the jungle.
‘Heavy Sits the Frown’: a peasant dreams of replacing the king.
‘Royal Duties’: the heir to the throne is forced to undergo a horrifying ritual.
‘Shoot the Devil Redux’: two Jews time travel back in time to 1930’s Germany with a plan to change the future. Note: while much of the premise is the same as ‘Shoot the Devil’, it is not a simple redraft.
‘Shh – the Baby’s Sleeping’: a doctor fights to allow a patient to keep her happy delusions rather than be cured.
This edition also contained three stories reprinted from previous collections.
Each of the stories is distinguished by an interesting idea; a ‘what if….?’ strong enough to lift the necessarily brief form of the short story above a simple description of a few events.
As with previous works, this collection features two of Rossis’ trademark choices: twists in the tail; and minimal use of names, descriptions, and other trappings of character and place
While not every story has a sharp change in perspective at the end, most of them do. Therefore, while none of the endings are incompatible with the set-up, this is very much a collection for people who find a certain joy in seeing how an author has balanced ambiguous evidence with giving a reader a sporting chance; rather than those who feel cheated by not having everything they need to know what’s going on.
In his afterword, Rossis states that he avoids these details to prevent the reader’s previous associations from tainting the story. And this approach does increase the reader’s immersion in the story in some cases. However, there are potentially exceptions: most notably a story where the protagonist’s gender is only revealed toward the end, which is likely to leave readers who had assumed the opposite with their mental image crashing around their heads.
Unfortunately, there are a couple of instances where these two characteristics amplify each other’s negative impact, creating a story where the twist is more abrupt because the unstated information is something a reader would immediately notice in real life but almost never assume to be the case.
Unlike previous collections, the eponymous story spread throughout book does not frame the other stories. As such, while it is an enjoyable tale, the intervening works provide more of a distraction from rather than an insight into events; therefore readers who take a break part way through the book might find they have lost the thread of ‘You’re in for a Ride’.
Overall, I enjoyed this collection. I recommend it to readers seeking brief yet intriguing tales of science-fiction, fantasy, and horror.
I received a free copy from the author with no obligation to review.
As with many of Rossis’ other collections, this book contains several short stories interspersed between sections of another.
‘You’re in for a Ride’: an ancient creature seeks the last few victims it needs to complete its plans; meanwhile authorities close in on what they believe is a serial killer.
‘A Crystal Too Far’: a team of soldiers and engineers attempt to break into an alien energy store.
‘You Can’t Fight a Prophecy’: an anthropologist is commissioned to help a team of marines rescue a captive from the jungle.
‘Heavy Sits the Frown’: a peasant dreams of replacing the king.
‘Royal Duties’: the heir to the throne is forced to undergo a horrifying ritual.
‘Shoot the Devil Redux’: two Jews time travel back in time to 1930’s Germany with a plan to change the future. Note: while much of the premise is the same as ‘Shoot the Devil’, it is not a simple redraft.
‘Shh – the Baby’s Sleeping’: a doctor fights to allow a patient to keep her happy delusions rather than be cured.
This edition also contained three stories reprinted from previous collections.
Each of the stories is distinguished by an interesting idea; a ‘what if….?’ strong enough to lift the necessarily brief form of the short story above a simple description of a few events.
As with previous works, this collection features two of Rossis’ trademark choices: twists in the tail; and minimal use of names, descriptions, and other trappings of character and place
While not every story has a sharp change in perspective at the end, most of them do. Therefore, while none of the endings are incompatible with the set-up, this is very much a collection for people who find a certain joy in seeing how an author has balanced ambiguous evidence with giving a reader a sporting chance; rather than those who feel cheated by not having everything they need to know what’s going on.
In his afterword, Rossis states that he avoids these details to prevent the reader’s previous associations from tainting the story. And this approach does increase the reader’s immersion in the story in some cases. However, there are potentially exceptions: most notably a story where the protagonist’s gender is only revealed toward the end, which is likely to leave readers who had assumed the opposite with their mental image crashing around their heads.
Unfortunately, there are a couple of instances where these two characteristics amplify each other’s negative impact, creating a story where the twist is more abrupt because the unstated information is something a reader would immediately notice in real life but almost never assume to be the case.
Unlike previous collections, the eponymous story spread throughout book does not frame the other stories. As such, while it is an enjoyable tale, the intervening works provide more of a distraction from rather than an insight into events; therefore readers who take a break part way through the book might find they have lost the thread of ‘You’re in for a Ride’.
Overall, I enjoyed this collection. I recommend it to readers seeking brief yet intriguing tales of science-fiction, fantasy, and horror.
I received a free copy from the author with no obligation to review.
November 7, 2016
I always enjoy the stories written by his author. I love the Time Travel Gadget thingy... If I could jump forward in time, I would for sure have a good sneak peek at the next week's lottery numbers. This hilarious phrase had me double up with laughter "My eyes were about to pop out of their sockets and go to the sink to throw some water on them. They must have looked like Kermit the Frog’s if he caught Miss Piggy in bed with a garter-wearing Gonzo" I would recommend that you read this book too!
December 3, 2016
A Sci-Fi Readers Kind of Read!
You're in for a Ride is a sci-fi reader's dream book. Plenty of macabre and unusual stories that will keep you up at night or dreaming dark dreams.
This author is talented in this genre, writing about the unexpected and bizarre. I have read other books by this author and have been entertained by his creativeness. I look forward to seeing what he will come up with next.
You're in for a Ride is a sci-fi reader's dream book. Plenty of macabre and unusual stories that will keep you up at night or dreaming dark dreams.
This author is talented in this genre, writing about the unexpected and bizarre. I have read other books by this author and have been entertained by his creativeness. I look forward to seeing what he will come up with next.
April 13, 2017
A nice varied collection of sci-fi that challenges the reader in each tale. A great example why short stories are the emperor of fiction writing with a different galaxy in every one.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews