N. R. Bates is on Tour
July 31 thru August 9
with
The Fall Of Icarus
(Fantasy/Magic Realism/Short Stories)
Release date: March 31, 2015 at NR Bates Publishing
65 pages
ISBN: 978-0-9931905-6-8 (mobi)
ISBN: 978-0-9931905-7-5 (epub)
ISBN: 978-0-9931905-8-2 (print)
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My Review
An errant elevator, Greek myth, and a girl who can fly. Each of these stories can stand on their own. Together they make a strong statement for making our own choices, seizing opportunities, and following our own paths.
As these are short stories, I can’t give much more description.
I did get a feeling that some of these stories were left unfinished. Could have been given a real ending. That brought me back to their messages which I mentioned in the beginning of my review. Maybe leaving an open ending was so I could choose how it would go.
What I enjoyed was putting myself in each character’s shoes. What would I do? Would I succeed? Could I have done something different?
When a book can make me do that. Make me pause, think, ask questions, I know I’ve been reading some strong writing.
4 Stars
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Synopsis
Three interconnected short-stories set in Paris explore the issue of choice, survival and transformation. In the first story, a young man on his first business trip is waylaid by an aberrant elevator. In the pivotal tale, a young scientist re-imagines the Greek myth of Icarus and his fall to earth. In the final story, a young woman who cannot recall her own name relates the fantastical tale of a girl who can fly.
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Here’s a glimpse inside!
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About The Author
NR Bates was born in London, grew up in Wales, and lived in Canada and Bermuda. He shares his life with his wife and his house with seven cats, one dog and the subtropical wildlife of lizards, wolf spiders and ant colonies that seek out a better life indoors. He is an oceanographer and scientist, and has published more than one hundred and thirty scientific papers on ocean chemistry, climate change and ocean acidification. He is a Senior Scientist at the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences and Professor of Ocean Biogeochemistry at the University of Southampton, UK. His novels focus on epic fantasy and magic realism, and inspired by his deep love of the ocean and environmental sciences.
Buy the book | on Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk
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You can enter the global giveaway here
or on any other book blogs participating in this tour.
Be sure to follow each participant on Twitter/Facebook,
they are listed in the entry form below.
Entry-Form
Visit each blogger on the tour:
Tweeting every day of the Tour will give you 5 extra entries each time!
[just follow the directions on the entry-form]
Global giveaway open internationally:
5 participants will each win a digital copy of this book
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Pretty cool cover. 🙂
sherry @ fundinmental
Sherry. Thanks so much for your kind comment on the cover.
It sure is!
thanks for your very interesting review. Now I am intrigued about the ending issue! Quite tricky indeed to write short stories, I am gld it prompted to you to reflection. And I really like your graphics, cool lok! Emma at FBT
Thanks so much. This was an interesting reading experience. I enjoyed thinking beyond the stories:)
I echo Emma’s thanks for your participation in the tour and posting of a very interesting review of the short-stories. As you guessed, I left the endings of the stories purposefully somewhat open (a little ambiguous) so that the reader could mull over what might happen next. It was great that you asked those questions about what would occur next with the characters. Did the elevator land next to the young man at the end of the story and if so, did he take the plunge for a second chance? Did the young woman/girl return to gather more stories? I leave that to the reader to ponder what they would do in the characters place! and hope they are not too upset by there not always being an truly definitive ending to a story…much like life…
NR Bates
Yes, much like life. I like that. You know…. I’m still thinking about these:)
I’m curious as to what role the elevator played in the story
I wish I could tell you!
This sounds really interesting! Thanks for the review!
You’re welcome and thanks for stopping by!