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Souls: A Short Story Collection
There's magic and mystery around every corner, if you know where to look. This collection of eleven short stories from science fiction and fantasy author Terri Bruce explores the hidden corners of our world. Blending fantasy, horror, magical realism, and folklore, these tales will delight, mystify, and unsettle. Unicorns roam the New Hampshire countryside disguised as a biker gang. Portals to other worlds hide on commuter train platforms. And be careful of what really lurks at the bottom of those quaint wishing wells that dot the countryside. Strip away the veneer of everyday life and dare to see what lies just below the surface.
147 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 7, 2020
76 people want to read
About the author
Terri Bruce
14 books261 followersTerri Bruce has been making up adventure stories for as long as she can remember. Like Anne Shirley, she prefers to make people cry rather than laugh, but is happy if she can do either. She is the author of the paranormal/contemporary fantasy "Afterlife" series, which includes Hereafter (Afterlife #1) and Thereafter (Afterlife #2), and several science fiction and fantasy short stories, including "Welcome to OASIS" ("Dear Robot" anthology, November 2015), "The Well" ("It's Come to Our Attention" anthology, Third Flatiron Press, February 2016), and "The Lady and the Unicorn" (NH Pulp Fiction "Live Free or Dragons" anthology, Plaidswede Publishing, Fall 2016). Her third novel, Whereafter (Afterlife #3) releases March 15, 2016. Visit her on the web at www.terribruce.net.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
May 11, 2020
A collection of stories that will fuel your nightmares. Seriously I can comphrend the horror level of some the stories. While I thoroughly enjoyed reading them, a few stories were a little too slow.
However I will recommend to give this book a shot because it's definitely worth it
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
However I will recommend to give this book a shot because it's definitely worth it
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
March 26, 2022
Often it is a quick hit and miss with short stories, but i actually ended up enjoying some of them. But my favorite was Stone baby. it was so twisted, scary without being over-the top bloody and gory for my taste.
I got this eARC from Netgalley.
I got this eARC from Netgalley.
July 29, 2020
*I received a copy of this ebook for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
TW: Stone Baby short story has a trigger warning for miscarriage
I'll admit straight off the bat that I don't read short stories often, and I usually have a hard time getting into a story so quickly. I'm trying to read more short story collections to get better at that, but that's just a personal issue that I have. That being said, these stories were really fun and quick little adventures. My main "complaint" was that each one introduced a concept that hooked me and a premise that excited me, but I didn't get enough of it because the story was so short. Again, that's likely because I'm not used to short stories and someone who reads them more often likely won't have this issue.
I think this collection's strongest aspect overall was the unique concepts and the worlds we saw. Whether it was a fantasy or sci-fi, each story had such a unique setting or circumstances that I was really intrigued by right away. I also loved how many dark twists and turns we got, even when they were disguised as a light or familiar story they had dark undertones and twists that I loved.
My favourite story was definitely Welcome To The OASIS, I just loved that concept so much and it really stuck in my head, even after finishing the story I kept thinking about it and how many cool things could happen in that world. There weren't any stories that I didn't like, but Welcome To The OASIS will be the one that sticks in my head the strongest.
Overall I really enjoyed this collection and would recommend this to anyone who enjoys exploring unique or dark concepts in fantasy or sci-fi.
TW: Stone Baby short story has a trigger warning for miscarriage
I'll admit straight off the bat that I don't read short stories often, and I usually have a hard time getting into a story so quickly. I'm trying to read more short story collections to get better at that, but that's just a personal issue that I have. That being said, these stories were really fun and quick little adventures. My main "complaint" was that each one introduced a concept that hooked me and a premise that excited me, but I didn't get enough of it because the story was so short. Again, that's likely because I'm not used to short stories and someone who reads them more often likely won't have this issue.
I think this collection's strongest aspect overall was the unique concepts and the worlds we saw. Whether it was a fantasy or sci-fi, each story had such a unique setting or circumstances that I was really intrigued by right away. I also loved how many dark twists and turns we got, even when they were disguised as a light or familiar story they had dark undertones and twists that I loved.
My favourite story was definitely Welcome To The OASIS, I just loved that concept so much and it really stuck in my head, even after finishing the story I kept thinking about it and how many cool things could happen in that world. There weren't any stories that I didn't like, but Welcome To The OASIS will be the one that sticks in my head the strongest.
Overall I really enjoyed this collection and would recommend this to anyone who enjoys exploring unique or dark concepts in fantasy or sci-fi.
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June 30, 20203.5 stars for entire book Individual ratings below
My lover like night 2.5 stars
Overly flowery and descriptive not my writing style. The best part is her comments on when this was taking being written and what was happening in her life(explanation) that commentary is in bounds enjoyable.
Before the evolution comes smoke 3.75 stars
Fairly long for a short story sci fit and it is probably going to be my favorite.
Death and the horse 4 stars
Death is a necessity, sometimes even a mercy, but we don’t revel in it.”
Death and origins of myths yes please very good
Stone baby 2 stars
Searching for death 2 stars
The tower 2 stars
This one had so much potential for a higher rating but this one needs a little more length to have depth and better emotional impact/comprehension. Did love the crusader idea though
Welcome to OASIS 4 stars
The lady and the Unicorn 3 stars
The ghosts of Acadia 2 stars
I know this is the most personal for the author as she really and truly based the character of herself and a person who once irritated her but I just didn’t like it
The Greeley Street Apothecary 3 stars
The Well 3 stars
My lover like night 2.5 stars
Overly flowery and descriptive not my writing style. The best part is her comments on when this was taking being written and what was happening in her life(explanation) that commentary is in bounds enjoyable.
Before the evolution comes smoke 3.75 stars
Fairly long for a short story sci fit and it is probably going to be my favorite.
Death and the horse 4 stars
Death is a necessity, sometimes even a mercy, but we don’t revel in it.”
Death and origins of myths yes please very good
Stone baby 2 stars
Searching for death 2 stars
The tower 2 stars
This one had so much potential for a higher rating but this one needs a little more length to have depth and better emotional impact/comprehension. Did love the crusader idea though
Welcome to OASIS 4 stars
The lady and the Unicorn 3 stars
The ghosts of Acadia 2 stars
I know this is the most personal for the author as she really and truly based the character of herself and a person who once irritated her but I just didn’t like it
The Greeley Street Apothecary 3 stars
The Well 3 stars
May 31, 2020
Lets talk about that cover. I love the artwork, but the font used is extremely off-putting to me. I almost wish the title was smaller, perhaps subtle between the two figures. It looks like what a middle school boy would use on a school project. Find a nice picture, then search for a cool font to go over it even if the font doesn't really "work." For a middle school student, they can get away with it. For a professionally published book, maybe not. This cover kept me up last night as I laid in bed debating if I really wanted to read this or not, That's how bad that font is. You can't judge a book by it's cover. Except sometimes you can.
Let me just say that I didn't hate this. But I also didn't love it enough to want to own a copy of it. What possible readers have to understand is that this is collected fiction. Not every story will work for everybody. I had Unnatural Creatures on a shelf next to me while I read this and lord knows I did not love every one of those stories. Its really about personal taste. With that being said, i'm choosing not to do a review story by story as I originally planned. For the two or three I really liked, I don't feel like it's necessary to spew negativity over the rest of it since it didn't jive with me.
Now, with that being said...I did notice that the stories I liked the best were the more contemporary ones or the ones written closer to the present date. I liked that each story had a blurb in the beginning explaining when they were written and what for. It showed me that Terri has great potential as if you sorted the stories chronologically then they get better and better. I also feel like the first story was one of the weakest in the book. For a short story collection, you should start with something that is going to make someone want to read the next one. It didn't work. I see the potential and I actually trust Terri as a writer and storyteller. Based on what I thought was good, I would absolutely give her another try if she publishes something new. This particular collection didn't work with me, but I'm interested.
One last thing...I did not like the introduction to the book. It pulled me out right away and made me feel like a student was trying to justify everything we were about to read next by telling us about themselves. The Cover plus the introduction plus the weak first story resulted in a bad combination. This book may be a pass for me, but Terri Bruce is not.
Let me just say that I didn't hate this. But I also didn't love it enough to want to own a copy of it. What possible readers have to understand is that this is collected fiction. Not every story will work for everybody. I had Unnatural Creatures on a shelf next to me while I read this and lord knows I did not love every one of those stories. Its really about personal taste. With that being said, i'm choosing not to do a review story by story as I originally planned. For the two or three I really liked, I don't feel like it's necessary to spew negativity over the rest of it since it didn't jive with me.
Now, with that being said...I did notice that the stories I liked the best were the more contemporary ones or the ones written closer to the present date. I liked that each story had a blurb in the beginning explaining when they were written and what for. It showed me that Terri has great potential as if you sorted the stories chronologically then they get better and better. I also feel like the first story was one of the weakest in the book. For a short story collection, you should start with something that is going to make someone want to read the next one. It didn't work. I see the potential and I actually trust Terri as a writer and storyteller. Based on what I thought was good, I would absolutely give her another try if she publishes something new. This particular collection didn't work with me, but I'm interested.
One last thing...I did not like the introduction to the book. It pulled me out right away and made me feel like a student was trying to justify everything we were about to read next by telling us about themselves. The Cover plus the introduction plus the weak first story resulted in a bad combination. This book may be a pass for me, but Terri Bruce is not.
January 19, 2021
You'll be thinking about these strange and fantastical stories long after you finish reading them. I know this to be true. Unicorns just haven't been the same for me since I read "The Lady and the Unicorn" when it first came out in 2018. The chilling and heartbreaking tale of the "Stone Baby" is another that will unexpectedly come to mind, particularly when you're touring Gothic cathedrals. Terri Bruce offers a mixture of science fiction, fantasy, magic and horror in these eleven stories, which include thought-provoking new tales like "The Ghosts of Acadia" and "The Greeley Street Apothecary." All in all, an enjoyable, imaginative and unforgettable collection!
August 7, 2020
This is a wonderful put together collection! There is something for everyone.
I loved how each short read brought something different and yet had engaging characters and smooth storylines.
Overall each one is very well written, fun to read and provides a few hours of distraction during the stay at home time. The best part is you can start and stop if something comes up with a new read in little spurts.
I loved how each short read brought something different and yet had engaging characters and smooth storylines.
Overall each one is very well written, fun to read and provides a few hours of distraction during the stay at home time. The best part is you can start and stop if something comes up with a new read in little spurts.
August 23, 2020
11 short fascinating stories of horror, sci-fi and fantasy I can’t pick a favourite I enjoyed them all immensely but some of the stories could be made into a novel but I guess that’s the way this author wanted them to be and I guess that’s why they are called short stories lol. If you’re a fan of these kind of stories then this is definitely the book for you and I highly recommend these stories and sorry guys no spoilers.
August 31, 2020
The plots in each of these are engrossing and allow the reader to become invested in the stories even though they are not super long.
Short explanations are expertly included into the storyline, along with descriptions and imagery necessary to the plot, while not being overwhelming.
Her characters are well fleshed out, and they “grow” emotionally during the stories even though they are not long.
Great reads and I love how you get different things from each one.
Short explanations are expertly included into the storyline, along with descriptions and imagery necessary to the plot, while not being overwhelming.
Her characters are well fleshed out, and they “grow” emotionally during the stories even though they are not long.
Great reads and I love how you get different things from each one.
September 19, 2020
This is an enjoyable collection of 11 short stories all by the author Terri Bruce. The stories cover an array of genre including horror, magic, fantasy and more. They all have an element of science fiction and horror. The length of each story is just right. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.
July 9, 2020
I thought this was a great selection of fantasy/horror short stories. Each story I found engaging and held my interest. Each was well written and had a great flow. I would recommend this collection.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
April 27, 2021
I cannot tell you which story is the best, or even which one you should start with. They are each and eve3ry one so good that I sped straight from one to the next without even stopping for food. A fabulous way to spend and afternoon/evening/late night.
May 17, 2020
11 short stories that I found enjoyable. I would read a story on my breaks at work to make my night go by.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews