Joe Vasicek

“Everyone secretly wants to be a slave,” the slaver lord tells his prisoner, Tamara. But Tamara only wants to free her sister, Theodora, and telling the slaver lord this only makes him laugh. Soon Tamara finds herself locked up with fellow prisoner Davit Alamani and, although she desperately wants to find Theodora, she isn’t certain she can trust Davit.

Will Tamara find the help she needs? And will she be able to free Theodora?

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This short story, filled with action and bravery, show more reveals how different people react to danger as it shows the lengths to which some will go to achieve freedom while others will happily remain under someone else’s control. This gives readers much to ponder as the fanciful tale posits some would give up freedom if it meant they would have no responsibility for the ramifications of their actions.

Strong characters, each holding their own agenda, keep the plot twisting with surprising revelations. Stunned to discover that not everyone wants to be free, Tamara remains determined to rescue and free her sister. The unanswered question here is if Theodora wants the freedom Tamara is so anxious to give her.

Although readers do not learn if Tamara is ultimately successful in her quest to free her sister, the conundrum of freedom or security, of liberty or security remains.

Recommended. show less

Review of eBook

A wonderful feeling of lightness, of floating, of becoming, of awakening.

And then . . . falling.

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This wonderfully inventive [very] short story takes the readers into the life of a snowflake from its awakening and growing awareness to its falling away from the cloud-mother to its death on the land. Remember, mother tells her snowflake children, every end is a beginning and every death gives way to rebirth.

Lyrical, poignant, and magical, it’s a story that will remain show more with the reader long after the final page has been turned.

Highly recommended. show less

Review of eBook

Humanity is on the verge of disappearing, apparently a situation that has had significant oversight by the narrator. It is, the narrator says, coming not with a bang but with a whimper . . . and the replacement for humanity has arrived.

The narrator is overseeing the growth of technology and its effect on civilization. Suggesting that those who survive will become, thanks to technology, the transhuman race, the narrator boldly states that transhumans will finally reach the show more stars.

What does that mean for the continuation of humanity? And just who is taking over?

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An unidentified narrator speaks rather unkindly about humanity and the continuation of civilization. An off-hand comment in the closing sentence of the story [“. . . if you valued your humanity, you never would have clamored for such an artificial, virtual, existence . . . and one such as I could never have been born.”] suggests that the narrator is an Artificial Intelligence. Further, it claims its contact with extraterrestrials has gone unnoticed by humanity.

While readers will admit that technology may hold too strong a place in peoples’ lives, it hardly seems possible that the entirety of humanity would fall under the spell of technology as overseen [and apparently manipulated] by the narrator/AI. Readers may find that a bit too difficult to accept.

Unfortunately, some of the comments made by this narrator/AI in the unfolding story are political in nature and detract from the telling of the tale.

All in all, it’s an interesting narrative with a unique mindset. Maybe humanity should pay attention to the over-utilization of technology.

Recommended. show less

Review of eBook

Jason Starfall and his starship, “Peace, Love, and Friendship to All Peoples,” are on their way to Kanab 1a, a hot earth planet that Jason believed had once been a spawning ground for the Leviathan Celestia, otherwise known as the Space Whale.

But he’s not alone. The “Resilience,” captained by Michelle Walker, wants to keep him from nearing the planet. Working for the separatists [who call themselves the patriots], they aren’t certain Jason isn’t working for the show more corporatists. But all Jason wants is to explore the planet in hopes of finding some space whale scales. Rumored to be made of incredibly tough material, Jason wants to use them for ship armor and hull plating.

What he doesn’t know is why the separatists are there . . . and that the scales are something spectacular.

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This science fiction short story, part of the author’s Short Story Singles, is set in an unknown section of the universe; it introduces readers to the home of several pods of space whales. The interaction between Michelle and Jason is believable; both are starship captains determined to complete their missions. As they come to understand each other, they move from “enemy” to “cautious acquaintance.” Whether or not they can move toward being friends remains to be seen; whether or not Jason accomplishes his goal will be determined by the time the reader reaches the end of the unfolding narrative.

A clever and intriguing premise is the basis for this captivating tale; readers will find it difficult to set this one aside before reaching a satisfying ending.

Highly recommended. show less