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A Pulse Returned
When Askoo kills an old woman to gain her connection to the Good Earth, he is sentenced to die in the caves of the Atkolat. Panno, his adopted brother, risks his father’s trust by freeing him. But little did Panno realize the depravity of Askoo, and how far he would go to gain back his power. Askoo’s murderous rampage threatens not only the lives of peaceful strangers, but the fate and leadership of their tribe. Panno would sacrifce anything to restore balance, but not even he dreamed of how much he’ll have to lose.
- GenresFantasy
38 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 3, 2012
40 people want to read
About the author
Kristal Shaff
5 books129 followersKristal Shaff grew up with books (and drove her mom crazy when she wouldn't leave the library); her first job was even shelving books at the library. She loves anything creative, and you can often find her exploring strange and fantastical worlds in her choices of movies and fantasy fiction. Kristal resides in Iowa with her farmer husband, numerous pets, and 4 awesome kids. When she isn't writing, she is a professional face painter who enjoys making children smile.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 7, 2012
A First Reads Review - A Pulse Returned by Kristal Shaff
Well, this is a little difficult to review, being as I'm used to reviewing book here and not short stories, but I shall make the attempt. This story really does a lot for itself, and establishes a foreign and fantasy world rather effortlessly, blending the familiar with the strange. Nothing is stated, nothing is slowed down, and I like how the author takes us with into this strange place where the soul is basically a source of power. It makes things interesting, and it makes the world introduced here seem much bigger than what we're shown, with depth and mysteries remaining after the one story is told. It is successful, then, in that it leaves me wanting more, wanting to learn more about the setting even as the characters' journeys are largely resolved.
If I had a complaint about the story it would be with the "bad guy" that is introduced, the quasi-brother of the main character, who comes off a bit overly evil, without a lot of depth. He is not solely evil, as his actions do seem to spring from an innate selfishness and entitlement he feels as son of the leader of the people, which is contrasted nicely then by the main character, who is humble and self sacrificing and much more the traditional hero. Of course, the main character is also the reason things go wrong, so it all works nicely as he tries to make amends for basically screwing everything up.
The greatest challenge in reviewing this story was the length, really, because the story is only a short story, not even really a novella, it goes very quickly, and nothing is examined as in depth as it could have been. Given, there was not enough here to have made a full novel, but I guess I felt that certain aspects of the main character's personality, and some of the interactions between him and the rest of the people in his life, might have been nice. As it is, the story shows a small series of incidents with fitting clarity and force, and I enjoyed what was there. Though it could have done better avoiding making its characters so black and white, this is a short story and so I recognize that space is a factor.
In the end, I just liked the story. It was a quick read, a very interesting experience, that made sense and didn't fall apart or get distracted. It all came together, all worked, and I can appreciate that. Though not perfect, it does a fine job with the characters and an excellent job with the setting. That said, I give it a 4/5.
Well, this is a little difficult to review, being as I'm used to reviewing book here and not short stories, but I shall make the attempt. This story really does a lot for itself, and establishes a foreign and fantasy world rather effortlessly, blending the familiar with the strange. Nothing is stated, nothing is slowed down, and I like how the author takes us with into this strange place where the soul is basically a source of power. It makes things interesting, and it makes the world introduced here seem much bigger than what we're shown, with depth and mysteries remaining after the one story is told. It is successful, then, in that it leaves me wanting more, wanting to learn more about the setting even as the characters' journeys are largely resolved.
If I had a complaint about the story it would be with the "bad guy" that is introduced, the quasi-brother of the main character, who comes off a bit overly evil, without a lot of depth. He is not solely evil, as his actions do seem to spring from an innate selfishness and entitlement he feels as son of the leader of the people, which is contrasted nicely then by the main character, who is humble and self sacrificing and much more the traditional hero. Of course, the main character is also the reason things go wrong, so it all works nicely as he tries to make amends for basically screwing everything up.
The greatest challenge in reviewing this story was the length, really, because the story is only a short story, not even really a novella, it goes very quickly, and nothing is examined as in depth as it could have been. Given, there was not enough here to have made a full novel, but I guess I felt that certain aspects of the main character's personality, and some of the interactions between him and the rest of the people in his life, might have been nice. As it is, the story shows a small series of incidents with fitting clarity and force, and I enjoyed what was there. Though it could have done better avoiding making its characters so black and white, this is a short story and so I recognize that space is a factor.
In the end, I just liked the story. It was a quick read, a very interesting experience, that made sense and didn't fall apart or get distracted. It all came together, all worked, and I can appreciate that. Though not perfect, it does a fine job with the characters and an excellent job with the setting. That said, I give it a 4/5.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 25, 2012
A Pulse Returned was a great short story. At first, it was a little confusing with all the different sounding names, but I figured it our easily enough after a few pages. I’m still not 100 percent sure what an Atkolat is. From how the author described them, I think they are a vampire-like creature. The story went along smoothly. Even though it was short, the plot captivated me. I was excited when The Pack found the little girl. I hoped she was going to be in the story a little longer than what she was. I thought the book had a great ending. It was really shocking. I hope that if the author ever writes a sequel about Panno's son, she includes more on the Atkolat culture. I am very excited to read her debut novel, The Emissary, coming out in December of 2013.
December 16, 2013
Disclaimer: the author and I participated in NaNoWriMo write-ins together this year.
I was a bit confused when this story started: who were the Atkolat, and what exactly did it mean to lose one's pulse? But as the story progressed, I figured it all out without the author needing to add in descriptive narrative, something I thought was very well done.
Although this is just a short story, the characters were still more two-dimensional than I'd prefer. I would've liked to have seen more development of the minor characters, as well as females - maybe Panno's mother, especially given his wife's appearance at the end.
Overall though, this was a unique, well-written story.
I was a bit confused when this story started: who were the Atkolat, and what exactly did it mean to lose one's pulse? But as the story progressed, I figured it all out without the author needing to add in descriptive narrative, something I thought was very well done.
Although this is just a short story, the characters were still more two-dimensional than I'd prefer. I would've liked to have seen more development of the minor characters, as well as females - maybe Panno's mother, especially given his wife's appearance at the end.
Overall though, this was a unique, well-written story.
August 4, 2012
I was privileged to be an editor for this short story and enjoyed it more and more every time I read it. Many short stories feel rushed or incomplete with characters who fall flat, but this short not only feels complete but has fully-fleshed out characters that I connected with right away. It's original, action-packed, sucked me right in, and kept me on the edge of my seat. Just a great story about brotherly love, betrayal, and sacrifice with an ending that managed to be both heartbreaking and hopeful. Wonderful story!
February 9, 2019
For a short story this had a lot of depth to it. I really enjoyed it and am adding the author to my 'watch for new books' list.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews