Endless Worlds Volume 1

By: Ken Mann, K. C. May, James Peters, E. R. Robin Dover, S. J. Bryant, Peter Koevari, Matthew Wright

Narrated by: David Swanson

A fantasy, science fiction, and horror anthology featuring seven short stories by well-received authors. They may scare you, thrill you, and capture your imagination. If you enjoy high-quality short stories that will excite you, then this is for you!

E. R. Robin Dover’s “The Trees” (horror):

In a remote desert region of southwestern New Mexico, centered along the Rio Grande, is an ancient grove of trees permeated with an evil that has always existed. In silence, it screams out to be touched – and does so with one mind. It calls out for the succulent meat within its shells to be consumed. When the time is right, it gives up its fruit – spreading influence and forbidden knowledge – disseminating control found only in a very special evil.... Joel Johnson made sacrifices that changed the Grove. But Joel has also changed. He is deeply in love with this forest of darkness, witnessing things no one else has seen. He feels them absorbing and consuming him. And he likes it.

S. J. Bryant’s “The Unconnected” (science fiction/cyberpunk):

Tanguin is a mercenary hacker delving deep into the servers of a mega-corporation to pay for her parent's addiction. She must fight past anti-hacker software in the form of roving gangs and malicious killers, when she discovers that nothing is what it seems.

James Peters’ “Carbon to Carbon” (science fiction):

A ruthless mercenary is hired to eliminate the last surviving member of a family killed by a negligent mega-corporation. Is there any shred of humanity left in this killing machine? This story mixes two parts testosterone, one part social commentary, seasoned with a touch of dark humor.

Matthew Wright’s “Missionary” (science fiction):

Trapped on a haunted starship, chaplain Cam Suttler has to find new strengths in himself to rally the crew before darkness destroys their minds.

Ken Mann’s “Ravens Nest” (fantasy/horror):

In search of assistance after a breakdown, Patrick must find an escape from a mansion that holds him captive, evade the demons that taunt his mind, and find his missing girlfriend.

K. C. May’s “The Awakening” (science fiction):

Dr. Benjamin Sykes, a brilliant neurosurgeon and engineer, has developed a device to cure psychological and neurological disorders. He awakens a comatose schizophrenic, only to learn the patient believes his hallucinatory friend is a manifestation of God. Can Ben find a way past his consuming need to fix people and separate the delusion from the religion without destroying the patient he's worked so hard to save?

Peter Koevari’s “Dusted Dreams” (horror/science fiction):

Warhawk Log, March 17, 2118: It was meant to be a dream mission. Set up a last resort Data Center for the Earth Defense Network, have the trip of a lifetime to Mars, and return home to my waiting family. The terrors I encountered, I never saw coming. I am Hamid Miya, and this is my story.

©2016, 2017 Endless Worlds Publications (P)2017 Endless Worlds Publications

A good Anthology of current Science Fiction themes

What did you love best about Endless Worlds Volume 1?

The variety of stories some you like more then others but having a diversity of themes and genres within Science Fiction gives the listener a good taste of what is available within this
sphere.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Enjoyed The Unconnected because of similar themes to The Matrix.

Have you listened to any of David Swanson’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No.............. he is more then capable to tackle the variety of characters.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No............. but it is an interesting series that most listeners will enjoy.

Any additional comments?

This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

A great mix of Sci-fi and horror

Endless Worlds Volume 1 contains six stories, each abut an hour long. They are varied in style, focus and (to an extent) quality. All are entertaining, although some will be soon fade, while others will stay with you for a long time. The stories are mostly sci-fi in nature although most (if not all) mix genres. Particularly horror. There is a sci-fi setting, but as the story goes on it descends into horror as the situation becomes apparent.

I think the one that will stick with me most, is S. J. Bryant’s “The Unconnected”. It has a generic "she discovers that nothing is what it seems" in the blurb, yet what she discovers and the implications of it are... horrific. And yet very logical. It's hard to describe without spoilers, but it plays on a similar situation to a very famous sci-fi movie, but with a much, much darker outcome.

Overall, a great collection.

Narration by David Swanson is enjoyable. Probably a 3.5/5, but rounded up here. He is clear, well paced and easy to understand. Characters voices, accents and emotions are there in his narration but are generally subtle. So you can tell who is talking and following along without any issue, but ultimately I would have preferred a little more characterisation.

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

Top Notch Sci Fi collection

I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

This was a fantastic collection of sci-fi stories written by some great authors. Some had a horror element as well. I thought the narration was quite good from David Swanson and really helped bring these short stories to life. Well worth the credit if you ask me.

An Entertaining Listen

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes It is quite entertaining.

What did you like best about this story?

The multiple short stories. You can listen to one or all, it's up to how much time you have.

What about David Swanson’s performance did you like?

The way he was able to do so many different voices!! It really added to the telling of these stories.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Not really.

Any additional comments?

This was a very entertaining listen that I enjoyed. Each story stands alone and if you like a mix of horror and scifi then this collection is for you.

I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Diverse Stories

A diverse collection of short stories, ranging from Horror to Science Fiction. A couple were only mildly interesting, but most were very well written and entertaining.The narrator did a good job.

Great

Great stories I enjoyed them all and the narrator did a great job
Thank you for the stories

good collection of short stories

I liked this collection of short stories. Like many multi-author collections, some I liked better than others, but overall, they were all good. There's a mixture of sci-fi, fantasy and horror, which I really liked.
There is a second volume that I'm going to listen to. I look forward to it.

I requested this copy of the audiobook and have voluntarily left this review

Good mix of SF stories

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. Let's start by saying that I enjoyed this book, which contained some pretty "hard" sci-fi stories. I enjoyed them all, and even found myself rewinding to hear certain parts again. There wasn't a bad story in the batch, although I suddenly lost my desire for pecan pie...go figure. Suggested for readers of hard sci-fi, or as i call it...thinking man's sci-fi. ;)

Seven scifi/horror shorts to delight!

This collection features seven scifi and horror-themed short stories. Each is written by a different author, but they all share David Swanson's thoughtful, professional narration. Previous reviewers have left detailed synopses for each story, which I won't attempt to rehash here. However, three stories really stood out to me for their uniqueness and for deserving to be longer, more full bodied stories.

▪️ My #1 is K C May's scifi story, The Awakening.
▪️ Second place goes to The Unconnected, a cyber scifi story by S J Bryant.
▪️ Finally there's Peter Koevari’s Dusted Dreams, a horror-tinged scifi story that had it all: zombies, aliens, AND a virus!

Some stories were better than others, but they all contain some form of interesting concept. I recommend reading or listening to this collection and finding your own favorite.

(I requested this free review copy audiobook and voluntarily posted this unbiased review.)

Great collection

Great collection of varied stories. Great narrator, he has a very clear and pleasant voice. I received a free review copy of this audiobook at my request and I have voluntarily left this review.