Writers and Readers discussion

A quartet of dark short stories (10,000 words) to thrill and chill.

The Yellow Lady
Grave robbing is a dirty business, in more ways than one. When he disturbs the grave from a childhood scary story he discovers it's not always treasure to be found.

This Empty Place
At the heat death of the universe, Death contemplates his existence.

Forced Entry
Terrorists seize an average suburban house. A Special Forces hostage rescue team is sent in and encounter more than they were trained for.

The Reluctant Demon
A young demon prepares to take his possession exam.

UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/An-Odd-Quarte...

US: http://www.amazon.com/An-Odd-Quartet-...

An Odd Quartet is now available from Kobo:

http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/An-Odd...

Some wonderful new reviews for On Odd Quartet:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, 23 May 2013
By kit tinsley - See all my reviewsAmazon Verified Purchase(What is this?)
This review is from: An Odd Quartet (Kindle Edition)
This book was a truly amazing collection of four short stories. Each one was imaginative, beautifully written and clever. I was particularly amazed by the second story, which managed to span the entire life of the universe in so few words.

5.0 out of 5 stars Each story was a Great Read, 22 May 2013
By Chris Graham (Manchester, UK) - See all my reviewsAmazon Verified Purchase(What is this?)
This review is from: An Odd Quartet (Kindle Edition)
I thoroughly enjoyed every story and loved each twist in their endings.
I will certainly be reading more stories from this author

4.0 out of 5 stars An Odd Quartet, 19 May 2013
By Jason Purdy - See all my reviewsThis review is from: An Odd Quartet (Kindle Edition)
This was a quick read and each story was engaging and flowed well.

The first story about the ghost had an interesting start and ending, with good character development and an interesting spin on things. The ghost was clichéd but the uniqueness of the rest of it makes up for it.

The second story featuring Death and the death of the universe was an interesting character study, but clichéd at times. The reference to Lovecraft at the end was a great touch, and for the most part, it was a strangely heart warming story.

The third story fell a bit flat for me, mostly because of the style, but it was the creepiest of the bunch and gave a real feeling of dread. It was an interesting experiment that could be enjoyable with an expansion, but as for my personal preference, military language in books always makes me switch off.

The final story was the most creative and interesting, a good example of turning conventions and expectations on their heads. An interesting picture of hell is painted, and it's a story, like the third, that I'd love to read more of.

Overall the stories were brief and engaging, a nice, easy and enjoyable read. I'm not usually a massive fan of short story collections but this one was a belter.

A new review for An Odd Quartet has been posted on Jonathan Hill's blog:

"I recommend this book to all fans of darker stories. It's an enjoyable collection of shorts and you'll race through them eager to find out how each finishes. What stands out for me is that everything here is turned on its head. Where will your sympathies lie? And which is worse: evil itself, or the being that manipulates the evil to their own purpose?"

http://www.jhillwriter.com/2013/06/re...

Thanks to Anita Kotlarska I now have a shiny new cover for An Odd Quartet. I think it's pretty cool! Check out her sight at:

http://anitakotlarska.wix.com/anitak

An Odd Quartet is a collection of four dark short stories, each with a twist in the tale.

The Yellow Lady

A grave robber encounters a ghost from a story he was told as a child.

This Empty Place

At the heat death of the universe, the Grim Reaper contemplates his existence.

Forced Entry

A special forces team enters a sunurban house to rescue a family taken hostage, they encounter more than they were trained for.

The Reluctant Demon

A young demon prepares to take his possession exam.

This Drabble Enhanced edition also includes some of my favourite drabbles (100 word stories).

Praise for An Odd Quartet:

"I loved these short stories. Especially the one titled The Reluctant Demon. This is a great concept that I have never thought of before and really loved it."

"I liked it. A nice assortment of tales, each presented in a slightly different manner. Very original!"

"Michael Brookes' writing style is easy and accessible. He can certainly turn out a story you will remember."

"This book was a truly amazing collection of four short stories. Each one was imaginative, beautifully written and clever. I was particularly amazed by the second story, which managed to span the entire life of the universe in so few words."

Available from:

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1akCw09
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/15az69r

Barnes & Noble (Nook): http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/an-od...

iTunes (US): https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id63...
iTunes (UK): https://itunes.apple.com/uk/book/id63...

Kobo: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/An-Odd...

Cool new review from Amazon:

I enjoyed reading this collection of four short stories particularly 'The Yellow Lady': a ghost story with an unusual twist. I liked the writing style in 'Forced Entry' which gave a fairly predictable story-line a strong sense of urgency and unease. 'The Reluctant Demon' was really good with a great twist at the end and some very funny contrasts between the young demon and its parent. I liked the way the stories were written: clear, direct, slightly tongue-in-cheek and I was interested to see what else the author could offer so after checking out the sample I downloaded his novel The Cult of Me (The Third Path).

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1akCw09
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/15az69r

'An Odder Quintet' is coming out soon, so now is a great time to read my first short story collection 'An Odd Quartet'. If you haven't then you could win a copy in the giveaway I'm hosting on my blog:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

Have you read 'An Odd Quartet'?

If not visit http://www.kuforum.co.uk/kindleusersf... in the next hour and I'll send you a free copy!