Publisher's Synopsis
In this extraordinary collection of 'dark' short stories, Award-winning writer Matthew C. Woodruff explores the timeless questions of Joy, Fear, Love, Loss, Foreboding and Incomprehension. All set around particular holidays, the characters in these twelve stories experience things we can only imagine. These stories will make the reader stop to wonder if anyone ever really knows those closest to them or even the world around them. After a night of New Years Eve revelry, a man awakens to strange, inexplicable and unknowable circumstances... is this real or all in his mind? A handsome stranger reunites a grieving mother with her lost daughter on Valentines Day- but not in a way anyone would want. Easter was celebrated long before Christianity and now these two mothers are connected over thousands of years and by the twin fates of their daughters. A wedding should be a wonderful experience, but what if you are waylaid into an unknown realm? A Mothers Day gift offers one person the chance of a lifetime, or does it? An unusual universe where life unfolds one fateful box at a time offers a wonderful Father's Day gift. Life was mundane for Dana, but the after-life? Well, that was nothing like he expected. One police sergeant has always had the unusual ability to 'see' a person's soul - one Halloween he gets the chance to find out what his own looks like. Meshelle always had a strange sense of foreboding when destiny was about to take a unkind hand in her life, this Christmas season was no different. These and all the tales are full of humor and honesty, peculiarity and chills. Each of these tales will leave a lasting impression on the reader and make you look at the universe in a new way.EDITORIAL REVIEWS: Award-winning Woodruff's panache for writing shines in his second collection of short stories with the wildly imagined worlds, powerfully drawn realistic characters, and an unsettling portrayal of the profound emotions of joy, fear, loss, love, foreboding, and incomprehension. Some stories are funny with lighter moments ("Lenny the Djinn"), but the major chunk is dark and chillingly unsettling (The Dark New Year, Just Desert). Woodruff's best skill is examining the depth of the fear in the human mind, and that's what stays at the heart of the book's theme. The powerful illustrations perfectly match the collection's ominous mood, making an immediate impact on readers' minds. This haunting collection draws on the deepest emotions of love, grief, fear, foreboding, and hope and will stay at readers' minds long after they finish the book. This is a marvelous collection from a very talented writer. - Prairies Book Review Woodruff pens magnificently dark stories in TALES from the AETHER: Extraordinary Tales of Dark Fiction, Dark Humor and Horror. This collection makes you wonder what goes on in the mind of this author, and that you're so glad he put it on paper. -Amy's Bookshelf Reviews
