Amazon Category:  Science Fiction Publisher: Publish America ISBN-10:  160813685X Type: Fiction Pages: 265 Copyright: January 26, 2009 ISBN-13: 9781608136858 A collection of 16 sci-fi / fantasy stories. From back cover - Sixteen compelling tales of science fiction and fantasy. In this exciting collection, Dan Brock takes you from one side of the galaxy to the other. You will travel back and forth through time and space. Battle unusual creatures. Come face to face with imminent danger. Find yourself on strange new worlds, plus at times right here on our own…or is it? By the end of it, you will definitely be able to lay claim to having traveled into the unknown to somewhere out there.

Some darn fine writing
For the most part this is a very strongly written book. The plots are fairly original and the relationships between characters are dimensional. Dan includes just enough romance to keep the stories interesting and doesn't overdo it to the point of making it a sappy "girls only" book. The only story that I didn't really enjoy was `Sphere God Of The Air.' It wasn't a bad story, it just seemed a little too rushed to move the plot along. I think there was a lot more detail that could've been put into some of the scenes. Probably the most enjoyable for me was `Backward Messages' as it has a paranormal feel to it and was something along the lines of what I would've written ('Lost At Sea` was a close second). And some of the stories tend to fall more into the realm of fantasy than science fiction. In addition, Dan is also a very talented illustrator. Although, the front cover of the book absolutely sucks. I don't know what Dan was thinking on this one.

One thing that really impressed me here was the section where he tells about how he came up with the stories. Unlike some other writers out there that I know of who would write an entire different book just to tell you how they came up with everything, Dan figured that you've already paid for the stories once so there's no point in making you pay extra to find out how each one was thought up. In my opinion that marks him as a respectable writer.

So when it all comes together, I'd recommend the book to fans of Conan, Star Trek, Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, The Twilight Zone and (gag) The X-Files.

Soon to be a sci-fi classic!
Dan Brock is one of the best science fiction writers I've read thus far. Every one of the stories in this book was original and fantastic. It's hard to say which of the stories I liked best because they're all so good, but if forced to choose I would say either "Galactic Brigade" or "Wrecked In The Void" stand out. Although, not every story is what most would consider actual science fiction in that they aren't all taking place on other planets with space ships and laser blasters. "Swords And Serpents" for example is more along the lines of "Conan The Barbarian" and "Voices From The Past" is something like what you might see on an episode of "The Twilight Zone." I believe that's one of the things I like best about the book is that it's not just the same story over and over again. He seems to have touched on every angle of the science fiction genre, futuristic / outer space, fantasy, strange / unusual, creepy... it's all here. And I can't wait for more "Zonar" and "Galactic Brigade" stories! Although, it'll be interesting to see where the "Zonar" saga is going to go from here. The artwork in the book is also very good. All in all, I believe if you are a fan of science fiction and or fantasy stories, your library is not complete without "Somewhere Out There."

It's a shame there isn't a six star rating
This was a great book. I sat down with it intending to read just the first few pages to get the feel of what it¿s about. The next thing I knew I was halfway through the entire book! I especially loved A Winters Solitude, it is a classic tale of deception and revenge. It looks as if Swords And Serpents and Galactic Brigade are each going to be a series which should be cool. I definitely recommend picking this book up.