Dark humour / funny horror

Science fiction | Killin Machine | JT Pearson

At first, it didn't read like a sci fi story at all. At all. We have this weird loner guy. And then we have a kitten. Then he has kittens, in the British sense of the term. And slowly the sci fi part emerges. And the horror part. Except that it's at least as funny as it's horrible.

I'm pretty sure I'm glad I live half a planet away from the story's location, given how it ended. But it was funny as anything.

If Stephen King wrote funny stuff, and was as funny as he does horror, he might aspire to write something like this.

You can read this for free on Smashwords till 31 July 2017.

Video games and time travel

Science fiction | Manhunt How Long Can You Run
By Colin D Grimes

I can't explain exactly what about this story I found chilling, but that's the word for a one-word review.

Rich kids use time travel to be hunted in the past. Justin has the current record, but he wants to break it. Again and again. Yes, certainly sounds like a spoilt brat playing yet another immersive video game.

Except that this time travel game can get you killed. So does he survive? And for how long? What happens at 'game over'?

The description is remarkably tongue-in-cheek, once you've read the story. ;)

Recommended for a quick read. A couple of grammar errors need to be fixed, but let's not cavil too much.

This short story is free on smashwords till 31 July 2017. 

Possessed by the ghosts of academia

Possession | AS Byatt

I was greatly impressed by her deep knowledge of a highly inbred part of academia, but the unsympathetic characters' tedious lives bored me to tears.

I still haven't finished the book, more than 10 years after someone gifted it to me. I think I'm at chapter 2, but am unlikely to ever go back and verify that.