Download or read book Darren Johnson s Best Short Stories of 2020 written by Darren Johnson and published by Darren Johnson. This book was released on 2021-03-15 with total page 1 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Time-traveling assassin couples. Death-thwarting biology speakers. Intragalactic Oblivanda competitions. 14 separate tales plus one immense crossover bringing them together because why not: THANK YOU FOR THE STORY: Cleaning up errant timelines is hard work. Sometimes, you just need to talk about your day with your significant other/archnemesis. FUTURE SERVANT: The future calls, desperately needing help. Elderly Vivian Allbretter answers. PLANNEDEMIC: How the pandemic "actually" happened. Think it's fake news? No. It's worse. THE REPRESENTATIVE EARTHLING ATHLETE: Chad Finworthy has been chosen to represent Earth in the cerebral sport of Oblivanda and save the galaxy. Now he just needs to score some goddamn points. THE FREQUENTLY DEPARTED: Mikal "Mike" Lund demonstrates his unique talent to a college biology class. THE SUPPORTERS: They support their cult leader no matter what. AGE IS MORE THAN A NUMBER: If you or a loved one suffers from time dilation, well, maybe don't orbit so close to a supermassive black hole next time. NPC PROTESTATIONS: When you and your army keep losing to the same guy, something ain't right. HOW TO THINK REPUBLICAN: Joining a cult requires more than just pure brainlessness, you know. DOCTORS DON'T KNOW ANYTHING: God is never wrong. Doctors are ONLY ever wrong. Wait, that can't be right... THE FOUND CHAPTERS: The best chapters appear to be missing from an amazing story. These are the rest. TRAINING'S END: Kidnapped and trained by the future, he’s back to save the present. The biggest challenge? His girlfriend. THE ABORTED ONE: He survived his own abortion, forced to wander the world as a fetus until saved by conservatives. That is, if you believe a single word of his story. A CHRIST-MOOSE STEER-ACLE: A holiday romance story like any other, except better because there's TWO puns in the title! THE GREATEST CROSSOVER OF ALL TIME 3: The bad guys from the stories above are screwing with the timelines and trying to invade Earth. It's up to the good guys to (1) realize this, (2) find one another, and (3) lay the smack down. Note: knowledge of the first two Greatest Crossovers is NOT required. Do you like crossovers? Who doesn't! Well, this is crossover-er than any of them!
Download or read book Darren Johnson s Best Short Stories of 2018 written by Darren Johnson and published by Darren Johnson. This book was released on 2019-02-04 with total page 236 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Including eight disparate tales ranging in length from short story to novella, plus one huge crossover tying them together: THE BABY HUNTER: When mutant superhuman babies cause the apocalypse, you need... The Baby Hunter. They hunt us. He hunts them. CHASING COWQUEST: After thirty years, it seems someone has finally broken Max's record on a mysterious arcade game called Cowquest. With his wife's permission, he's returning to his hometown to get it back. QUINCUNX: In the final game of the Scrabble Championships, one player makes a move no one saw coming. MALTZIE: A CAT'S AUTOBIOGRAPHY: For anyone that’s ever had a special little fuzzface in their life. Adopted as a kitten, Maltzie immediately forged a bond with his humans that only grew stronger with time. THE 2ND AMENDMENTERS: They worship the only Amendment that matters (to them). Second Amendment! TYRONE JACKSON AND THE HALF-COURT DUNK: Harry Potter meets Boyz n the Hood in this explosive parody. Includes special bonus features. IT WAS A GIFT FROM GOD, THEY SAID: Everyone on Earth is suddenly "blessed" with the gift of flight. Why question it? THE BEST DAMN COP ON THE FORCE: You don't get to be the best without taking a few risks. THE GREATEST CROSSOVER OF ALL TIME: They’re some of the worst, most poorly written characters ever created by one man in 2018. Now their worlds are about to collide. They thought they had problems before… Featuring all your favorite (and least favorite) characters from the above compilation. A thriller.
Download or read book Darren Johnson s Best Short Stories of 2019 written by Darren Johnson and published by Darren Johnson. This book was released on 2019-11-29 with total page 299 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Flying monuments. Quantum, time-traveling historians. Controllable back hair. Unidentified bussing objects. 14 separate tales plus one immense crossover bringing them together because why not: SPEEDING STEALTH BUS: Its attacks on pedestrians both terrorized and crippled the nation. Now it's back and just as stealthy — and violent — as ever. THE GREATEST LOVE STORY THAT ALMOST WAS: They had the perfect relationship until fate stepped in. You won't see *this* sappy story around the holidays. SINGLE ELIMINATION EARTH: Eight billion competitors forced to fight to the death against their will. One winner. THE LAST CHANCE: He's been unsuccessful for ages. It consumes his every thought. And now, as the last human on Earth, he has one more chance. SITUATIONAL: Even though their lives are the same, they don’t feel quite right. Something is either wrong with them — or everyone else. A QUICK, NEIGHBORLY PROBLEM: The ride's over and your language skills suck. Let the insults fly! 5 YEARS THE VILLAIN: Kidnapped by aliens, he’s been given five years to help humanity clean up their act. The catch? He’s marooned in an alien spacecraft stuck in orbit. One can’t save the human race without pissing a few billion of them off. THE LESSON: If you don't brainwash your kids, who will? Oh, Father O'Malley! Yay! THE UNWONTED 5: Five strangers with "useless" powers come together to form something more. Sorry, bad guys. THE REARRIVALS: The old gods are back and tearing things up, baby! You know, maybe someone *should* question them. INTERVIEW WITH A CANDIDATE: A HORROR STORY: Even the devil would be disgusted by this guy. Do they not care in Alabama, or what? STUR TRONK: Captain Alex Q.T. Pecks has been charged with maintaining the peace. I give it a week. LIMO RIDER: He's used to riding in limos. However, he's also used to being let out. TIME TRAVEL ROMANCE: As Written by a 12-year-old Purely for the Money: subtitle says it all. THE GREATEST CROSSOVER OF ALL TIME 2: All the bad guys from the stories above are teaming up to take over the world(s) and then some. All the good guys are trying to stop them. Note: knowledge of the first (2018's) Greatest Crossover is NOT required. Heck, it's not even recommended. You like crossovers? Well, this is crossover-er than any of them!
Download or read book The Best American Short Stories 2019 written by Anthony Doerr and published by Best American Series (R). This book was released on 2019-10 with total page 403 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: #1 New York Times best-selling, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Anthony Doerr brings his"stunning sense of physical detail and gorgeous metaphors" (San Francisco Chronicle) to selecting The Best American Short Stories 2019. #1 New York Times best-selling, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Anthony Doerr brings his"stunning sense of physical detail and gorgeous metaphors" (San Francisco Chronicle) to selecting The Best American Short Stories 2019. Doerr and the series editor, Heidi Pitlor, winnow down twenty stories out of thousands that represent the best examples of the form published the previous year.
Download or read book Aiming High written by Darren Prince and published by . This book was released on 2018-10-02 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Aiming High is the astonishing story of sports and celebrity agent Darren Prince, who battled addiction while representing some of the biggest names in the world. After a drug overdose, many demoralizing nights, and mornings where he couldn't get out of bed without a prescription in hand, Darren hit rock bottom at the top--and in the process discovered the true meaning of success.
Download or read book Bob Dylan in London written by K G Miles and published by McNidder & Grace. This book was released on 2021-02-04 with total page 131 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'A must have for Dylan enthusiasts, lovers of London, and anyone with even a passing interest in the history of music. I devoured it in two sittings - and I loved it!' Conor McPherson, playwright, Girl from the North Country This is both a guide and history on the impact of London on Dylan, and the lasting legacy of Bob Dylan on the London music scene. Bob Dylan in London celebrates this journey, and allows readers to experience his London and follow in his footsteps to places such as the King and Queen pub (the first venue that Dylan performed at in London), the Savoy hotel and Camden Town. This book explores the key London places and times that helped to create one of the greatest of all popular musicians, Bob Dylan.
Download or read book Suzi Quatro in the 1970s Decades written by Darren Johnson and published by Decades. This book was released on 2022-07-28 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'If you talk about the '70s, I was a hardworking artist. I did nothing but tour - recording, touring, TV, you know. I had constant jetlag. Constant black shadows under my eyes but, oh, what a ride! What a wonderful ride. And I'm still doing it now.' Suzi Quatro. With a succession of hit singles, including eight UK top twenty hits and two number ones, sell-out tours and six studio albums, Suzi Quatro was an enduring presence throughout the 1970s, the decade that saw her move away from being part of an all-girl band in Detroit and relocate to England for a solo career that challenged old stereotypes and helped redefine the image of the female rock icon. Taking each year in turn this book takes a detailed look at Suzi Quatro's career throughout the decade where she enjoyed her greatest successes, including a comprehensive overview of each album and single released during that period, her touring schedule and her frequent media appearances, including that famous guest role in Happy Days. As well as making extensive use of press archives from the era, Suzi Quatro In The 1970s also includes personal reflections from an exclusive interview with Suzi herself.
Download or read book Means of Ascent written by Robert A. Caro and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2011-11-23 with total page 594 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Means of Ascent, Book Two of The Years of Lyndon Johnson, Robert A. Caro brings alive Lyndon Johnson in his wilderness years. Here, Johnson’s almost mythic personality—part genius, part behemoth, at once hotly emotional and icily calculating—is seen at its most nakedly ambitious. This multifaceted book carries the President-to-be from the aftermath of his devastating defeat in his 1941 campaign for the Senate-the despair it engendered in him, and the grueling test of his spirit that followed as political doors slammed shut-through his service in World War II (and his artful embellishment of his record) to the foundation of his fortune (and the actual facts behind the myth he created about it). The culminating drama—the explosive heart of the book—is Caro’s illumination, based on extraordinarily detailed investigation, of one of the great political mysteries of the century. Having immersed himself in Johnson’s life and world, Caro is able to reveal the true story of the fiercely contested 1948 senatorial election, for years shrouded in rumor, which Johnson was not believed capable of winning, which he “had to” win or face certain political death, and which he did win-by 87 votes, the “87 votes that changed history.” Telling that epic story “in riveting and eye-opening detail,” Caro returns to the American consciousness a magnificent lost hero. He focuses closely not only on Johnson, whom we see harnessing every last particle of his strategic brilliance and energy, but on Johnson’s “unbeatable” opponent, the beloved former Texas Governor Coke Stevenson, who embodied in his own life the myth of the cowboy knight and was himself a legend for his unfaltering integrity. And ultimately, as the political duel between the two men quickens—carrying with it all the confrontational and moral drama of the perfect Western—Caro makes us witness to a momentous turning point in American politics: the tragic last stand of the old politics versus the new—the politics of issue versus the politics of image, mass manipulation, money and electronic dazzle.
Download or read book The Feather Thief written by Kirk Wallace Johnson and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2018-04-24 with total page 338 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As heard on NPR's This American Life “Absorbing . . . Though it's non-fiction, The Feather Thief contains many of the elements of a classic thriller.” —Maureen Corrigan, NPR’s Fresh Air “One of the most peculiar and memorable true-crime books ever.” —Christian Science Monitor A rollicking true-crime adventure and a captivating journey into an underground world of fanatical fly-tiers and plume peddlers, for readers of The Stranger in the Woods, The Lost City of Z, and The Orchid Thief. On a cool June evening in 2009, after performing a concert at London's Royal Academy of Music, twenty-year-old American flautist Edwin Rist boarded a train for a suburban outpost of the British Museum of Natural History. Home to one of the largest ornithological collections in the world, the Tring museum was full of rare bird specimens whose gorgeous feathers were worth staggering amounts of money to the men who shared Edwin's obsession: the Victorian art of salmon fly-tying. Once inside the museum, the champion fly-tier grabbed hundreds of bird skins—some collected 150 years earlier by a contemporary of Darwin's, Alfred Russel Wallace, who'd risked everything to gather them—and escaped into the darkness. Two years later, Kirk Wallace Johnson was waist high in a river in northern New Mexico when his fly-fishing guide told him about the heist. He was soon consumed by the strange case of the feather thief. What would possess a person to steal dead birds? Had Edwin paid the price for his crime? What became of the missing skins? In his search for answers, Johnson was catapulted into a years-long, worldwide investigation. The gripping story of a bizarre and shocking crime, and one man's relentless pursuit of justice, The Feather Thief is also a fascinating exploration of obsession, and man's destructive instinct to harvest the beauty of nature.
Download or read book DeadStar written by Nick Griffiths and published by New Generation Publishing. This book was released on 2022-01-25 with total page 284 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What's it like to reach for the stars, but end up floating in a tin can? Garth Tyson wanted to be the next David Bowie. He fell short. Waaaay short. Burnt out, he fled the stage at Glastonbury '85, having been pelted with mud, and was never seen again. You're familiar with the stars of this era: the Adam Ants, Duran Durans and Depeche Modes - musicians who successfully navigated punk and New Wave to become icons. Bet you've never heard of Garth Tyson - singer, brother, dreamer. Stallholder. That's why we're here. Decades after Garth's disappearance, former bandmates, friends, relatives, lovers, music-biz execs and two fans (you try finding more) reunite to tell Garth's compelling, tragicomic tale. Can any shed light on what really happened to him? Not everyone appears willingly. Here's Garth's 80-year-old mother, Doreen Thyssen: 'I don't like people who dig dirt. Fuck off.' The charmer. Loved Daisy Jones? Try this perfectly squalid British version.
Download or read book Prof Mule written by Darren Johnson and published by Independently Published. This book was released on 2019-01-21 with total page 280 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Adjunct professor Craig Fortran has a problem. He must get a shipment of drugs to an alluring woman his wife doesn't know about. He's doing it for the money ... to help his wife. Because she's sinking, and they're broke, and he loves her. The drug runners call him Prof. Mule. His academic colleagues call him a lightweight. And now the cartel is angry. "Prof. Mule" is a fantastic caper; a story of love and transformation. Of drugs and tough guys. Of horrible backstabbing professors at a mediocre college. And it's a story about how everyone is pretending, and everyone is corrupt.
Download or read book Thank You Octopus written by Darren Farrell and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2014-05-01 with total page 40 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Fans of Mo Willems will love this funny bedtime story! Ahoy! It's bedtime, and Octopus is here to help his buddy get ready. First up is a bath (Thank you, Octopus) . . . in egg salad (No, thank you, Octopus)! Then it’s time to brush teeth…with paint brushes! And don't worry, Octopus made sure there were no monsters under the bed…because they’re all in the closet! No, thank you, Octopus! Each page turn brings new wordplay and laughs in this hip, nautical-themed take on bedtime and friendship . . . ending with a great big surprise for Octopus and sweet dreams for two best friends.
Download or read book Entropy in Bloom written by Jeremy Robert Johnson and published by Start Publishing LLC. This book was released on 2017-04-24 with total page 296 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For more than a decade, Jeremy Robert Johnson has been bubbling under the surface of both literary and genre fiction. His short stories present a brilliantly dark and audaciously weird realm where cosmic nightmares collide with all-too-human characters and apocalypses of all shapes and sizes loom ominously. In "Persistence Hunting," a lonely distance runner is seduced into a brutal life of crime with an ever-narrowing path for escape. In "When Susurrus Stirs," an unlucky pacifist must stop a horrifying parasite from turning his body into a sentient hive. Running through all of Johnson's work is a hallucinatory vision and deeply-felt empathy, earning the author a reputation as one of today's most daring and thrilling writers. Featuring the best of his independently-published short fiction, as well as an exclusive, never-before-published novella "The Sleep of Judges"--where a father's fight against the denizens of a drug den becomes a mind-bending suburban nightmare--Entropy in Bloom is a perfect compendium for avid fans and an ideal entry point for adventurous readers seeking the humor, heartbreak, and terror of JRJ's strange new worlds.
Download or read book A Night in the Lonesome October written by Roger Zelazny and published by . This book was released on 2023-09 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "In the murky London gloom, a knife-wielding gentleman prowls the midnight streets with his faithful watchdog Snuff - gathering together the grisly ingredients they will need for an upcoming ancient and unearthly rite. And all manner of players, both human and undead, are preparing to participate."--Publisher.
Download or read book The Checklist Manifesto written by Atul Gawande and published by Metropolitan Books. This book was released on 2010-04-01 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The New York Times bestselling author of Being Mortal and Complications reveals the surprising power of the ordinary checklist We live in a world of great and increasing complexity, where even the most expert professionals struggle to master the tasks they face. Longer training, ever more advanced technologies—neither seems to prevent grievous errors. But in a hopeful turn, acclaimed surgeon and writer Atul Gawande finds a remedy in the humblest and simplest of techniques: the checklist. First introduced decades ago by the U.S. Air Force, checklists have enabled pilots to fly aircraft of mind-boggling sophistication. Now innovative checklists are being adopted in hospitals around the world, helping doctors and nurses respond to everything from flu epidemics to avalanches. Even in the immensely complex world of surgery, a simple ninety-second variant has cut the rate of fatalities by more than a third. In riveting stories, Gawande takes us from Austria, where an emergency checklist saved a drowning victim who had spent half an hour underwater, to Michigan, where a cleanliness checklist in intensive care units virtually eliminated a type of deadly hospital infection. He explains how checklists actually work to prompt striking and immediate improvements. And he follows the checklist revolution into fields well beyond medicine, from disaster response to investment banking, skyscraper construction, and businesses of all kinds. An intellectual adventure in which lives are lost and saved and one simple idea makes a tremendous difference, The Checklist Manifesto is essential reading for anyone working to get things right.
Download or read book At the Mouth of the River of Bees written by Kij Johnson and published by Small Beer Press. This book was released on 2012-09-25 with total page 300 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A sparkling debut collection from one of the hottest writers in science fiction: her stories have received the Nebula Award the last two years running. These stories feature cats, bees, wolves, dogs, and even that most capricious of animals, humans, and have been reprinted in The Year's Best Fantasy & Horror, Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year, and The Secret History of Fantasy. At the Mouth of the River of Bees 26 Monkeys, Also the Abyss The Horse Raiders Spar Fox Magic Names for Water Schrodinger’s Cathouse My Wife Reincarnated as a Solitaire Chenting, in the Land of the Dead The Bitey Cat The Empress Jingu Fishes Wolf Trapping The Man Who Bridged the Mist Ponies The Cat Who Walked a Thousand Miles The Evolution of Trickster Stories Among the Dogs of North Park After the Change Kij Johnson's stories have won the Sturgeon and World Fantasy awards. She has taught writing; worked at Tor, Dark Horse, and Microsoft; worked as a radio announcer; run bookstores; and waitressed in a strip bar.
Download or read book Following Fake Man written by Barbara Ware Holmes and published by Yearling. This book was released on 2009-02-25 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Homer Aldrich Winthrop was a neurologist who died of a neurological illness. That’s all Homer Jr.’s mother will say about his father, who died when he was 2, and any prodding for details results in silence, evasion, or sudden migraine headaches. So by age 12, Homer’s given up asking. But on an unexpected trip to Maine, Homer finds himself in a place where his father had lived. In this one coastal village there must be millions of facts about his father. Now Homer must face his biggest fear–maybe there’s a reason his father is such a secret. Maybe there are things he really doesn’t want to know. Still, Maine gives him courage. There’s something about the people he meets and the breadth of the sky that convince Homer to search for the truth–to solve the mystery of his own life.
