Publisher's Synopsis
Artificial Intelligences, Space Elevators, Time Travel, Robots. The very short stories in this book were all published and podcast in various e-zines internationally during the years 2018 to 2021. A number were also broadcast. The book starts with a series of flash fiction stories connected to the novel 'Chronoscape', and features various speculative genres: fantasy, horror, humor, science fiction; there is also a little magic and one romance.
These are some of the five star reviews from website editors in the US and UK: I've published a few of these stories at my web zine Fiction on the Web - I love how much Roger Ley can pack in to a super-short story. He builds his characters with just a few deft strokes, gets you ready for a great punchline, and then blindsides you with a dark twist. These stories are like jellybeans: you're never sure what flavour you're going to get, and it might be earwax, but you can't help yourself from having just one more. The problem with short stories is that all too often writers don't write a story, they write a scene. Roger Ley establishes his characters and settings, puts together a compelling plot, and tosses in an unexpected twist with a satisfying finish! He's mastered the art of compact writing. Roger Ley has a quirky and offbeat way of looking at the world that leads to some very imaginative ideas. I've been pleased to publish Roger on my own website - The Short Humour Site - and have really enjoyed this latest collection of his work. Definitely worth a read! From the author of the time travel novel "Chronoscape," is a brand new take on all things sci-fi. Journeying through this speculative collection of short stories is like travelling in the Twilight Zone. Each story is uniquely intriguing, some with horrifying premonitions of unholy futures; some with glints of hope in an alternate reality. Roger Ley is a fantastic new writer, and one whose work I shall follow closely. He has an offbeat vision of the future, exploring the kind of issues probed by Black Mirror. This vision would unsettle if Ley didn't manage to bring such humanity to bear on the bizarre tableaus that may lurk in our not too distant future. His writing is spare and unpretentious, which allows his story-lines and characters to take center stage. Very easy to dip into - you won't regret downloading this!
