What do you think?
Rate this book
A Betrayal and Other Stories
In the title story, "A Betrayal," a doctor travels into the countryside to help a young patient, only to deliver a diagnosis with which the girl's family vehemently disagrees. The peculiar narrator of "Sedgefield's Diary" recoils in horror when he discovers that the hourly diary he keeps has taken on a life of its own and now threatens his very existence. The bereaved wife in "The Lake of Flies" takes matters into her own hands when she learns the truth surrounding her husband's death. In "Barnegat Inn," a strange visitation becomes the background for a poignant recitation on the nature of time. The themes of loss and betrayal between rival siblings are explored in "The Crystal," a story pulsating with an ethereal, otherworldly quality. And in "A Journey Through the Wormhole," a decades-old feud between rival scientists threatens to upend a scientific revolution.
Kindle Edition
Published May 20, 2018
About the author
Brian Biswas
7 books5 followersBrian Biswas has published over sixty short stories in the United States as well as internationally. An Anthology, A Betrayal and Other Stories, was published by Rogue Star Press in 2018. He has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. He is listed in the International Writers and Authors Who's Who, Marquis Who's Who, and the Internet Speculative Fiction Database.
Brian writes in a literary style reminiscent of magical realism, irrealism, or fabulism, which attempts to convey a slightly exaggerated but internally consistent sense of reality. He also writes straightforward science fiction, fantasy, and horror (often tinged with fantastic elements).
He was born in Columbus, Ohio, received a B.A. in Philosophy from Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio and an M.S. in Computer Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina with his wife, Elizabeth, and an ever changing assortment of animals.
Brian writes in a literary style reminiscent of magical realism, irrealism, or fabulism, which attempts to convey a slightly exaggerated but internally consistent sense of reality. He also writes straightforward science fiction, fantasy, and horror (often tinged with fantastic elements).
He was born in Columbus, Ohio, received a B.A. in Philosophy from Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio and an M.S. in Computer Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina with his wife, Elizabeth, and an ever changing assortment of animals.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
June 3, 2018
Fans of Night Gallery, The Twilight Zone, vintage science fiction, magic realism, and - well, fans of good stories and good literature, hurry, and get your hands on this beautiful volume. Over the years, Brian Biswas published his fiction in various professional magazines. How would you ever find them all online now, or in bookstores? Well, you wouldn't.
The beauty of ebooks and anthologies is finding a collection of stories all in one handy place. All nineteen stories are startling, thought-provoking, fun to ponder and filled with mystery. Human nature never fails to surprise, startle, or shock us, even though we already know we are capable of the diabolical wickedness and angelic altruism.
I had to look up irrealism - The belief that phenomenalism and physicalism are alternative "world-versions," both useful in some circumstances, but neither capable of fully capturing the other. Also, an estrangement from our generally accepted sense of reality.
Well, that makes it all the more challenging for the reader--and fun!--especially for readers who love puzzles.
The strange, vivid imagery of dreams is a hallmark of all Brian's fiction. I love his attention to visuals. A blue parrot is more than just a bird in the backstory in "A Journey through the Wormhole." And the scientist, who appears to overly trusting and optimistic, pulls a surprise twist on the reporter looking for a scoop. Throughout the story, a sense of irrealism is underscored in the way these men are not named, other than the scientist and the reporter. Truly, this is one of the best stories ever published in Perihelion Science Fiction, and if forced to choose one favorite in an anthology full of great stories, this one is it.
In "This Old Man," several types of images recur, from rainbows formed by the Fountain of Saint Gabriel to iridescent wings and birdsong, and most vividlyh, a lizard who makes three appearances, always right before (spoiler deleted).
The science in this fiction is accurate, plausible, and often mind-blowing. I especially love the details in "The Worms of Titan":
*Titan is a dark place, its surface one-tenth as bright as Earth. The daytime temperature is about ninety-eight kelvins. Titan’s atmosphere is composed primarily of nitrogen (ninety-seven percent) and methane (two percent), with the remainder consisting of trace amounts of noxious elements such as hydrogen cyanide. A forbidding world, certainly, but one teeming with organic compounds, many deep within lakes that cover much of the surface, and which make human exploration difficult. It was a welcome surprise, then, when in the spring of 2186... *
Over the years, Brian Biswas has published his fiction in various professional magazines. How would you ever find them all online now, or in bookstores? Well, you wouldn't.
The beauty of ebooks and anthologies is finding a collection of stories all in one handy place.
I read Brian Biswas for the first time via Perihelion Science Fiction ezine, and as always, the editorial judgment of Sam Bellotto Jr was vindicated. Sam has an eye for intelligent writing, fresh prose, and something beyond the usual offerings of science fiction short stories. Do not be deceived by the sweet, nostalgic vibe to these stories. Dark undercurrents can swiftly turn the fantastic into a cautionary tale or a reminder that even the best of us can throw away our values and betray our humanity when faced with unexpected temptations. The challenge is to talk about these things in a book review without spoiler after spoiler! For now, let me say a lonely light housekeeper welcoming a stranger in the night, and a scholar who is followed around by a strange bird, left me screaming why, why, why did you go over the edge and... do that. And that's the beauty of fiction right there, exploring the darkest recesses of the human soul, the complex motivations, the questions nobody can answer.
Not a single lemon in the bunch! Buy with confidence.
For my longer review, see carolkean.wordpress.com.
The beauty of ebooks and anthologies is finding a collection of stories all in one handy place. All nineteen stories are startling, thought-provoking, fun to ponder and filled with mystery. Human nature never fails to surprise, startle, or shock us, even though we already know we are capable of the diabolical wickedness and angelic altruism.
I had to look up irrealism - The belief that phenomenalism and physicalism are alternative "world-versions," both useful in some circumstances, but neither capable of fully capturing the other. Also, an estrangement from our generally accepted sense of reality.
Well, that makes it all the more challenging for the reader--and fun!--especially for readers who love puzzles.
The strange, vivid imagery of dreams is a hallmark of all Brian's fiction. I love his attention to visuals. A blue parrot is more than just a bird in the backstory in "A Journey through the Wormhole." And the scientist, who appears to overly trusting and optimistic, pulls a surprise twist on the reporter looking for a scoop. Throughout the story, a sense of irrealism is underscored in the way these men are not named, other than the scientist and the reporter. Truly, this is one of the best stories ever published in Perihelion Science Fiction, and if forced to choose one favorite in an anthology full of great stories, this one is it.
In "This Old Man," several types of images recur, from rainbows formed by the Fountain of Saint Gabriel to iridescent wings and birdsong, and most vividlyh, a lizard who makes three appearances, always right before (spoiler deleted).
The science in this fiction is accurate, plausible, and often mind-blowing. I especially love the details in "The Worms of Titan":
*Titan is a dark place, its surface one-tenth as bright as Earth. The daytime temperature is about ninety-eight kelvins. Titan’s atmosphere is composed primarily of nitrogen (ninety-seven percent) and methane (two percent), with the remainder consisting of trace amounts of noxious elements such as hydrogen cyanide. A forbidding world, certainly, but one teeming with organic compounds, many deep within lakes that cover much of the surface, and which make human exploration difficult. It was a welcome surprise, then, when in the spring of 2186... *
Over the years, Brian Biswas has published his fiction in various professional magazines. How would you ever find them all online now, or in bookstores? Well, you wouldn't.
The beauty of ebooks and anthologies is finding a collection of stories all in one handy place.
I read Brian Biswas for the first time via Perihelion Science Fiction ezine, and as always, the editorial judgment of Sam Bellotto Jr was vindicated. Sam has an eye for intelligent writing, fresh prose, and something beyond the usual offerings of science fiction short stories. Do not be deceived by the sweet, nostalgic vibe to these stories. Dark undercurrents can swiftly turn the fantastic into a cautionary tale or a reminder that even the best of us can throw away our values and betray our humanity when faced with unexpected temptations. The challenge is to talk about these things in a book review without spoiler after spoiler! For now, let me say a lonely light housekeeper welcoming a stranger in the night, and a scholar who is followed around by a strange bird, left me screaming why, why, why did you go over the edge and... do that. And that's the beauty of fiction right there, exploring the darkest recesses of the human soul, the complex motivations, the questions nobody can answer.
Not a single lemon in the bunch! Buy with confidence.
For my longer review, see carolkean.wordpress.com.
Displaying 1 of 1 review