Little Bit

Little Bit (Juvenile SF)

By Thomas Owen

Create Space

ISBN #978-1500426668

Price $5.36

66 Pages

Rating 4-Stars

“Though Aimed At Juvenile Readers, Fun For All Ages.”

An alien spacecraft explodes in space, and then enters into our atmosphere, and crashes into the sea near a small village. An alien Pet is ejected as it’s falling, and when the cage accidentally opened as it hits rocks, the shape shifter hides within the rocks. It’s not long before a woman and her pet cat walk along the beach looking for items the night’s storm may have washed on shore. The cat, TC, sniffs out the alien pet, and the creature quickly assumes its shape before the woman finds it. Thinking it’s a poor stray cat washed up from the sea, the woman takes it home with her. Now, the alien cat attempts to fit in, learning how to act like a cat. Meanwhile the crew of the disabled spaceship have been rescued, and now they’re looking for their pet. And the military has discovered the alien cage it arrived in, and know it’s not of this world. Fearing a possible virus or something equally deadly, they quarantine the village and start a door-to-door search, taking all the animals for testing.

This was a short, but fun little tale, and though aimed at juvenile readers, all ages will like it. A cat person’s delight. Highly recommended for any animal lover.

Tom Johnson

Author of THESE ALIEN SKIES

Every Night Our Devils Come

Every Night Our Devils Come (Horror)

By Thomas Owen, James Gitschlag, James Sarjent

Create Space

ISBN #978-1493761388

94 Pages

Price $5.95

Rating 5-Stars

“Nightmares of Horror.”

This horror anthology contains four tales of vampires and other monsters. “Blood Moon” by Thomas Owen features four vampires in the old country that feast on villagers in the countryside; there may even be a fifth. “Young Bones” is the retelling of an old folktale by James Sarjent, but with a happy ending this time, and a warning not to read the original tale. Thomas Owen is back with “Every Night” about an old Victorian house on the market that may already have occupants. The final tale by James Gitschlag, “For Whence Does My Help Come,” follows General Robert E. Lee towards the final battles between the North & South. A mysterious visitor to his tent in the dark of night, calling himself General Tepish, offers Lee victory for a favor. Should he take it?

I remember sitting at a small campfire outside the house as my uncles told us kids scary stories by flickering flame light on many dark nights. The stories left us frightened of the dark, imagining ghost, vampires, and other monsters in the woods where we lived. The four tales collected in this anthology was a throwback to those times. Scary, and well told, bringing the horror of monsters to the forefront of our imagination in a way the old storytellers did in years past. Normally I don’t read horror tales because modern writers tend to vulgarize a yarn for the sake of shock, leaving little to the imagination of the mind. The reader won’t find any of that here. These are tales that invade your mind, and leave you wondering about those eyes shining from the darkness. This is an anthology horror fans will love. Highly recommended.

Tom Johnson

Echoes Magazine 

Sherlock Holmes And The Adventure of The Modern Cinderella

Sherlock Holmes And The Adventures of The Modern Cinderella

By Thomas Owen

ISBN 978-1461167167

Amazon

Paperback $5.95

Kindle $2.99

53 Pages

Rating 5-Stars

“A Delightful And Fun Read.”

Inspector Lestrade brings Prince Anthony of Grautania to Sherlock Holmes with an odd story: While attending a masked costume ball at the home of Lord Chesterville, a masked lady caught his attention, and they spoke together for a while. He became smitten with her, but at a certain time she claimed she had to go, and raced off, losing a slipper in her haste. Now Prince Anthony wants desperately to find his mysterious Cinderella of the Ball.

Dr. Watson and Sherlock Holmes visit Lord Chesterville’s home, the scene of the mysterious happening, where things appear not quite above board. How had the young masked lady disappeared so easily, and could there be more to her than just a mere guest of the Ball? The mind of Sherlock Holmes sees more than he lets on, and suddenly makes a mysterious trip to France, leaving Dr. Watson wondering what he is up to.

For the most part I have passed up Sherlock Holmes as reading material because of the Victorian period in which the stories were written. I’ve tried to read early works set in the period, but found the archaic writing hard to follow; at least to keep my interest. Thus, I did not bother with Sherlock Holmes. But I must say, this short novel by Thomas Owen, combining the master detective with a certain fairy tale, is a delightful, and fun read. Although the reader will quickly figure out the mystery of the masked woman, we don’t discover all the truth until Sherlock Holmes reveals it at the end.

Tom Johnson

Detective Mystery Stories