Sunday, February 2, 2014

Strange Worlds / Paul Clayton


Reviewed by: Pete Barber

Genre: Short Story Collection

Approximate word count:  50-55,000 words

Availability    
Kindle  US: YES  UK: YES  Nook: YES  Smashwords: YES  Paper: NO
Click on a YES above to go to appropriate page in Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords store

Author:

Paul Clayton is the author of a three-book historical series on the Spanish Conquest of the Floridas-- Calling Crow, Flight of the Crow, and Calling Crow Nation (Putnam/Berkley), and a novel, Carl Melcher Goes to Vietnam (St. Martin's Press), based on his own experiences in that war.

Carl Melcher Goes to Vietnam was a finalist at the 2001 Frankfurt eBook Awards, along with works by Joyce Carol Oates (Faithless) and David McCullough (John Adams).
Clayton's latest book-- White Seed: The Untold Story of the Lost Colony of Roanoke-- is a work of historical fiction.
Paul currently lives in California, with his son and daughter.
Description:

Thirteen stories, mostly set in the future and remarkable for how different they all are, considering they come from one person’s mind.

Appraisal:

Varied and quirky, I had a lot of fun wandering through Paul Clayton’s imaginings. Try this for a range of topics: A genetic experiment that goes horribly wrong and threatens the inhabitants of a small island. A life-sucking being masquerading as a cat in a nursing home as it feeds on the life forces of the patients. A UPS truck that delivers a cloned baby (they had to send it back because it was too dark skinned!). Dead people who return to life for a few days. Brains transplanted into robots to extend life. My favorite was a poignant tale of the last ‘real’ human living in a world of clones who desire his memories because they have none of their own. And that’s only six of the thirteen. Yeah, like I said—a lot of fun. 

Format/Typo Issues:

Too few to mention.


Rating: ***** Five stars

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