Little People: A Fantasy Story About Fathers, Sons, and Monsters

by Daniel Charles Wild

Five days after his estranged father's funeral, a young man is visited in his apartment by two tiny figurines from the father's basement model train diorama. They are desperate for help and claim that their world is in terrible danger. Their sun has been out for a week, the train has stopped running, and an unstoppable monster from the outside world has gotten into the basement. This is a wild adventure that may or may not be true about a son's discovery of and quest to save the hidden world his mysterious father left behind.

84 pages, Paperback

Published July 20, 2019

About the author

Daniel Charles Wild is the author of Little People: A Fantasy Story About Fathers, Sons, And Monsters, Horrible Writing: 10 Horror Stories You Probably Shouldn't Read, and Stories For Imaginary Friends: 50 Fantasy, Horror, Sci-Fi Stories, And Essays. He also writes fantasy, sci-fi, and horror stories under the pseudonym Becauseisaidsotoo that have been shared widely online, translated into multiple languages, and made into over 60 multimedia productions which can be found on YouTube, SoundCloud, iTunes, and Spotify.

Reviews

[Mark McLaughlin]

LITTLE PEOPLE is a powerful, poignant story. The main character is very likable, and the reader soon becomes thoroughly caught-up in his surreal adventure. I think the author should someday lengthen this novella into a full-length novel! :-)

[Lisa]

Little People is an interesting mix of Gulliver’s Travels and Stand By Me, with an environment particularly steeped in childhood memory. Its first-person narrative gives a particularly intimate connection with the narrator, and provides a fair amount of secondhand catharsis for anyone who has ever been estranged from someone they were close to. The level of detail in the world-building made the scenes very easy to visualize—almost to the point of reading more as a screenplay than a novella.

I will mention that this particular edition has large, wide-set text, giving it the appearance of a children’s book. While the language is accessible enough for readers of most skill levels, the mentions of violence and gore along with occasional mild swearing would categorize this as a book not suited for young readers. I personally found the juxtaposition a bit distracting.

[Leslie]

*Disclaimer: I was given a copy in exchange for an honest review.*

This novella was an easy read, and a good book to bridge between larger books in my to-be-read pile. The imagery was wonderful and painted all the scenes really well. I would say younger readers would even enjoy it as well. The narrator's perspective is good, and explores strained family relationships without getting overly dramatic, or slowing the progress of the story. And the ending is left with the door cracked (but not to the basement!) to allow for another story.

[Louise Audrieth]

This is an amazing story of misunderstanding and redemption, told in a straightforward readable style. It combines the fantasy of Gulliver's Travels with the heroic action of Alice Through the Looking Glass, but with more blood! A fun read with a thoughtful message of family relationships.

[Alan Balch]

This was such a fun book to read, a great mixture of fantasy, terror, and family ties.

What also makes it great is the length of it. Dan writes exactly what he needs to say with short punchy chapters, staccato action sequences and a satisfying ending.

Really enjoy able read!

[Megan]

A great escape into another world. A sweet story that captures the reader from the beginning and catapults you to the end.

[Daniel Wild]

Full disclosure, I wrote and published this novella. I illustrated the cover too. It’s a 20,000 word YA fantasy adventure story, but I think it will appeal to readers of all ages. It deals with some pretty large (and small) themes, and just a heads up—it might be a little dark. In it, a town is terrorized, an adult makes a terrible choice, and a child is badly hurt—and that’s just the first chapter. Things get even wilder after that.

Below is the title, and plot description.

Little People: A Fantasy Story About Fathers, Sons, and Monsters by Daniel Charles Wild

Five days after his estranged father’s funeral, a young man is visited in his apartment by two tiny figurines from the father’s basement model train diorama.

They are desperate for help and claim that their world is in terrible danger. Their sun has been out for a week, the train has stopped running, and an unstoppable monster from the outside world has gotten into the basement.

This is a wild adventure that may or may not be true about a son’s discovery of and quest to save the hidden world his mysterious father left behind.
It’s available on Amazon.

The first chapter is free. Check it out and let me know what you think. If you enjoy the story, please consider leaving a review on Amazon and here on Goodreads. Reviews help increase the book’s visibly, and let other readers know if it’s worth checking out.