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Do you believe in a place outside human knowledge-a place where myth and legend collide-where the unthinkable is the mundane?
Nothing is what it seems-noises are not what you think. Nothing is off limits-no place is safe.
Welcome to the Endlands.
12 authors. 17 short stories.
BrianRathbone
Posted May 6, 2011
A wonderful collection overall. Like many anthologies, some of the stories were not as good as the rest, but I found this to be a great tribute to Rod Serling.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.plappen
Posted November 3, 2011
Imagine a place just a little removed from reality, a place where nothing is as it seems, and where anything could be just around the corner. Imagine no more: The Endlands is here.
The birth of a baby in the average hospital becomes distinctly un-average when the woman gives birth to a baby with large, black eyes, bat-like ears and a form of telepathy. Thousands of such births are happening all over the world at the same time, as if God is introducing the newest species of mankind.
A trucker picks up a hitchhiker who takes him to an out-of-the-way place with the best barbeque ever. Waking up after being drugged, the trucker finds himself in a barrel of barbeque sauce. A sign on the wall says that all meat must marinate for 24 hours, before being cooked and served to the public.
A soldier has been taught, nearly from birth, that his homeland has been overrun with demons and vampires, who engage in all kinds of unholy rituals. Most of them have been liquidated, but not all. The soldier is going to a certain house to investigate a report of such activities. He bursts in, and kills the family inside, including children and a baby. Only then does he realize that they were human all along, and the only thing they had going against them was being Jewish.
In a seacoast town, whales suddenly start rising out of the water, like giant zeppelins. At first, it is very cool, attracting the world's media. It becomes un-cool when the whales swoop down on people and feed on them.
Charlie is one of those who is chronically early for everything. He has received his summons from the government, one with severe penalties for non-compliance. It seems as if the world is conspiring to make him late; the traffic is heavier than usual, he has a hard time finding a parking space and he must wait at the front desk to be checked in. Finally, he gets to the right room, and sits there alone, when the gas is turned on.
These are not specifically science fiction, or fantasy, or horror stories, but the sort of stories that could easily be made into episodes of "The Twilight Zone" TV show. In fact, the book is dedicated to Rod Serling. These stories will give the reader a kick in the psyche, and they are very good.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Great anthology for the price, like some of the other reviewers said, some stories are better than others; which is to be expected and I'm sure favorites will vary according to the reader's tastes. My favorites were - Room 422, Lost and Found, To Read or Not to Read, In the Small Hours, Best BBQ on the Interstate and They.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.The thrill uncertainty brings is nothing to the terror of the known.
The Endlands brings you to the borders of the some of the most thrilling, haunting, and demented places the world has to offer. The past, present, and future all holds secret horrors just waiting for the unsuspecting, the trusting, and the gullible.
There are 17 stories in here to invigorate your nightmares and taint your view of the moonlight. The things that go bump in the night are hungry, and they will not restrain themselves because you say "please." Stories of death, mutilation, experiments, dismemberment, and all sorts of unmentionable thrills lay in wait between the covers.
I really enjoyed this book. I flew through the stories, anxious to see what place the next story would take me. The stories ranged from graphic and gory to imaginative and discreet. Most of these stories gave me goosebumps at one point, but there were a few that fell short in comparison of the rest of the collection. I won't say which was my least favorite, because I do not want to taint your ideas of any of the stories, but I will tell you the ones that were my favorite on the creepy scale:
Room 422
A Night in Polidoria
Glass Prison
Into the Small Hours
THEY
Not saying that the rest of the stories are great, but these are my favorites out of the collection. There were a few that I had to rub my arms to erase the chills that had a race to my shoulders. A few of them let me down at the end. I'm not saying I'm hard to please, but maybe I am. Some of te stories had me ready to flip the lights on and call my mommy, but I reach the end and thought, "REALLY??"
If it weren't for those tragically poor endings on a few of the stories, this would have easily been a four star rating, but judging the book as a whole, I give this a good solid, 3 star rating and a high recommendation that you read the book. You may enjoy the endings I didn't care for, and I promise you you will find a handful of the stories worthy enough to made you tuck your feet up so they aren't dangling over the edge of the bed....
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Vol. 1 of "The Endlands" is a delight for lovers of the weird side of story-telling. The creator of this anthology is said to have been a fan of Rod Serling and The Twilight Zone, and that is definitely obvious in the story choices. Featuring short stories about everything from strange creatures masquerading as politicians to body-snatching demons, from cannibals to flying whales (yes, you heard me right!), the stories included in this anthology are sure to include something to please any lover of horror fiction or the macabre. The story settings range from fantasy, science fiction, near-future dystopianism, magical reality and to the just plain weird.
The writing is nicely done - it is obvious that each of the authors has experience and talent in spades. I tried - oh how I tried! - to read it slowly, to savor the stories, but I kept finding myself shredding through the virtual pages as fast as I could, eager to find the twist that would make this story stand out, excited to find what disturbing item I would find on the next page, in the next story. I highly recommend this book, full of wonderfully disturbing little gems of stories. Don't miss it!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted July 9, 2011
I downloaded this for a buck and received an exciting read. As with most short story books, I enjoyed some more than others. All-in-all, a well put together collection.
Notable indie writers included in this anthology to watch out for: Vincent Hobbes, Patrick Greene, Craig Wessel, Tamara Wilhite.
This book is well worth the dollar spent!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted July 4, 2011
Fun stories. Well worth the purchase!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted July 4, 2011
I saw this advertised on goodreads. The price was fair so I downloaded it. There are seventeen stories. I'd say most are horror (my fave genre), although some are more science fiction. Here are my thoughts: Room 422: Five star. A really great beginning. Dystopian and quite frightful (in a different way). Night in Polidoria: Four stars. Not the most original story, but well written and fun. Flying Fish: Three stars. Original, but didn't seem to go anywhere. Limbo Population 428: Five stars. Reminded me of a Stephen King story. I never saw the ending coming. Finders Keepers: Five star. One of my favorites. Very short, yet quite strange. Loose Ends: Three stars. Decent story. Didn't get into it, though it was short. To read or not to read: Five stars. My favorite story in the book. Phases of Normal: Five stars. At first i didn't think I'd like it. But the story developed and great ending. Propaganda: Five stars. This story has many implications and the author pulled off what I believe he intended. King of the Jungle: three stars. I did not really like this story. The hour of the Time: five stars. Very twilight zone and well written. Thanksgiving: Five stars. This story creeped me out. It's probably because I could see it actually being true. Into the small hours: Five stars. Great story. The Dragon of Delinar: Five stars. Never saw the ending coming! Best BBQ on the highway: Four stars. A bit slow, but interesting. Made me never want to stop at a restaurant on the highway. Glass Prison: three stars. Decent, but nothing special They: Five stars. My second favorite story. Good ending to a great book.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted July 3, 2011
I loved nearly all the stories in this book. They are all different and quite strange, with a mix of horror and science fiction. I highly suggest this book!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.RexTheTex
Posted October 15, 2011
After reading three of Mr. Hobbes' short stories, I opted to purchase this book. It was a fair price (unlike many mainstream books) and I appreciate that fact as my budget for reading is low these days.
I was unaware (thought I could have paid more atention) that this anthology was written by various authors, Mr. Hobbes' work included. Three of his free short stories were released for free, and the anthology contains two more of his stories.
I was especially a fan of the following stories: Room 422 (Patrick Greene), Phases of Normal (Tamara Whilite), The Best BBQ on the Interstate (Jennifer Chapman) and Thanksgiving (Jairus Reddy).
Of course, I very much enjoyed Mr Hobbes' stories, which included five. I was impressed with his variety of stories, as well of the variety of stories within this anthology. Each was different, though seemed to remain under the banner of the same theme (strange).
This book was not overall graphic and the stories were well edited. As with all anthologies, some were better than others, but overall this was a wonderful book. If you own a Nook, you should download this! Keep up the good work Mr. Hobbes and company.
Overview
Do you believe in a place outside human knowledge-a place where myth and legend collide-where the unthinkable is the mundane?
Nothing is what it seems-noises are not what you think. Nothing is off limits-no place is safe.
Welcome to the Endlands.
12 authors. 17 short stories.