An eclectic collection of short fiction with a mixture of genres including science fiction, horror, fantasy, western, and more.
"See those little circles there? Those are portals to another dimension."
After this wild declaration, 14-year-old Max's Weird Uncle Bob disappears. Then the teen receives strange messages over his electronic devices. He believes they are from his uncle, who has traveled beyond the boundaries of our known universe—a plane of existence that Max intends to visit.
"The Portals" begins this eclectic collection of short fiction with a mixture of genres including science fiction, horror, fantasy, western, and more.
– A man returns to consciousness with a slowly returning memory and a body that doesn't function normally. – A college student working overnight at a convenience store faces an unspeakable terror. – After attending his best friend's funeral, a young man confronts grief, guilt, and a ghostly apparition. – A band of killers track a desperado across the desert and to a deserted mission, where a final showdown ensues. – Strange music draws a young boy to an old mill in his town, where he is presented with a wondrous new world and a tough choice.
Join author Stephen Wise as he takes you on a journey into new dimensions filled with magic, creatures in the dark, and self-discovery.
Professional Reviews
Entertaining and Fascinating!
The book's title hints at the content, but it doesn't even scratch the surface of what is between the sheets. As a reader who enjoys short stories, I found this edition full of literary gold. All the contents are fun to read and thought provoking, and there is something for nearly everyone. The stories are quite diverse and include, along with sci-fi, horror, fantasy, and a western. One thing all the stories are thrilling reads.
The opening tale is about a 14-year-old kid whose weird uncle Bob disappears. Max misses his uncle and intends to find him when he gets messages from Bob on his electronic devices. What follows are stories from other portals that may or may not be from another plane of existence.
From the blurb on the back of the book, here is a small sampling of the eleven stories in this volume...
- A man returns to consciousness with a slowly returning memory and a body that doesn't function normally.
- A college student working overnight at a convenience store faces an unspeakable terror.
- After attending his best friend's funeral, a young man confronts grief, guilt, and a ghostly apparition.
- A band of killers track a desperado across the desert and to a deserted mission, where a final showdown ensues.
- Strange music draws a young boy to an old mill in his town, where he is presented with a wondrous new world and a tough choice.
And that barely describes the contents. There is so much more.
My favorite story of this collection is entitled Happy Camper. 24-year-old Ronnie reluctantly agrees to go camping with a couple of his friends. Normally, Ronnie spends his free time in his apartment gaming. When the trip begins, he is overwhelmed by everything he encounters. Every noise and movement cause him anxiety. He finds himself surrounded by nature and is experiencing nearly everything for the first time, and he is not enjoying his experience. He longs for the familiar surroundings of the city.
What happens to Ronnie is a kind of transformation as he discovers things about himself and what he is actually capable of.
My takeaway from Happy Camper is to always remain open to new and unfamiliar experiences. You never know what you might learn about yourself and others as well.
I recommend Portals of the Mind for any reader who enjoys a good short story collection. It is entertaining, and sometimes a little scary. Every story is a gem. The world building is excellent and the characters are fascinating. Stephen knows how to create characters a reader can care about in a very short space. I had a lot of fun reading this collection.
An Excellent collection of short stories!
This book has it all. Stephen Wise has written several entertaining short stories and a couple of poems. I read the entire book in one day. I totally recommend Stephen Wise's Portals of the Mind to all age groups. You won't be disappointed.
I really enjoyed the author's transition between genres
I absolutely adore this book. Set of short stories, rather. I really enjoyed the author's transition between genres, and the different formats of creation he used. There were stories in this book that gave me spine tingling chills and paranoia, as well as happy & sad tears. I love the order the excerpts were laid out. It almost feels like the author meant to take you on a short but intense journey through his life to date, and a little into other "territories" as well.
Overall, I think everyone should at least give it a try. This is definitely not your curl up in bed kind of book, but it will put a few extra bpm's your way, and eventually a smile on your face.
Lord Belmundus – The Omnibus One is a compilation of Books 1 through 5 of The Adventures of Lord Belmundus, a remarkable tale of other worlds, strange customs, beauty and warfare; and, in its grips, lands a young celebrity, who has the chaps to play
Lord Belmundus – The Omnibus One is a compilation of Books 6 through 10 of The Adventures of Lord Belmundus, a remarkable tale of other worlds, strange customs, beauty and warfare; and, in its grips, lands a young celebrity, who has the chaps to play
