This
collection of short stories (both science fiction and general
fiction) represents a journey for everyone involved. The author
depicts elements from his own journey through life with writings
covering many years of personal experience and experimentation
with writing form and style. Readers venture on journeys into
many “what if” scenarios; and the characters within
the stories journey from place to place and people to people
for their individual adventures.
Although some of the stories are flash fiction at just 66
words, most of the pieces are several pages long. The stories
cover themes including revenge, lust, and greed, sometimes
set within the publishing industry. Florida usually serves
as the backdrop, but other stories take place in Chicago,
and even on other planets. Each story has the element of surprise
for the reader.
Seven of the short stories focus on the adventures of a hideous
human-sized teddy bear (Slotski Bear) with sharp claws and
bloody fangs. At the beginning of these stories, Slotski sits
atop a garbage heap where he repeatedly gets discarded. A
spirit bear with magical qualities to help people (though
with a generally crabby disposition), Slotski gets selected
by people who unknowingly need him for help. When his work
is done, he gets dumped in the trash again to start another
adventure. The Slotski stories (which appear at the beginning
of the book) should be the highlight for most readers because
of their originality, humor, and disturbingly creepy scenarios.
Author’s Notes are included after most of the pieces,
often explaining the inspiration for the story or elaborating
on a plot twist. Journey is a fun, entertaining read for lovers
of science fiction and general fiction who are open to viewing
the world differently.
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