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Beautiful Lies, Painful Truths
There's an ironic beauty between humanity's love of Life and fear of Death. Life seemingly brings joy, happiness, hope, and love. Death can end sadness, illness, suffering, and pain. We asked writers to "Let the title and quote take your imagination, your story, wherever it wants to go."
Join them now as an international blend of authors, both fresh and seasoned, bring you an exceptional menu of speculative fiction, mystery, realism, horror, and the supernatural. If your palate varies from the macabre to the dramatic, Beautiful Lies, Painful Truths provides an assortment of tasty treasures that will chill, delight, and give you food for thought.
Join them now as an international blend of authors, both fresh and seasoned, bring you an exceptional menu of speculative fiction, mystery, realism, horror, and the supernatural. If your palate varies from the macabre to the dramatic, Beautiful Lies, Painful Truths provides an assortment of tasty treasures that will chill, delight, and give you food for thought.
384 pages, Paperback
First published November 14, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
November 13, 2017
Beautiful Lies, Painful Truths is an anthology edited by Karen T. Newman that's all about death. Even though that's the subject matter the mood isn't always dark. This anthology spans several genres including Science fiction, horror, mystery and even some humor. Well written and well-edited, this book may be long but it's hard to put down.There aren't any bad stories here but to keep this review from being to long, I decided to just talk about a few stories:
Family Ties by Cara Fox deals with a daughter whose father just happens to be the grim reaper. The daughter's name is Zoe and where the reaper's job is to take souls, Zoe has the ability to save them but there is a price to saving souls. I loved how this story gets into the balance between life and death and the idea that in some situations a long life can be a curse.
Where I would look at Family Ties as being horror ,With Infinite Complacency
by Steve Cameron is a science fiction tale. This story follows astronauts in a space station as they witness the end of civilization due to nuclear war. They can't return to earth due to contamination and are stuck alone in space. I love the concept in this story and the twist at the end. I also loved the idea how would you feel if you were alone in the universe?
Proving that this anthology has a wide range of stories another great tale is Death and the Horse by Terri Bruce. This is a fantasy story about Death needing a horse in able to do his job a little faster. This story throws in a lot of different mythological characters and has a good sense of humor to it, showing that stories about death can be funny.
The Fall by Paul K. Metheney is another one with a comedic edge to it that focuses on a man who is about to jump off a cliff. Before he does, God shows up and says he will fix his life if the man can ask 20 good questions about the meaning of life. This is such a good simple story and I love how it touches on the philosophy of life and it makes a good point about accepting the bad with the good.
Pondering Eternity Over Waffles at Last Call by JCC Downing is another one that gets into the philosophy of life quite a bit. This one deals with a young woman and an older man who manages to become friends but the man has a big secret. Once again this is a simple tale with some deep meaning to it and the idea that you can't have good without the bad is center stage.
Another good one that is very different from every other tale in this book is Selfie Warfare
by Shaun Avery. The story looks at the concept of how social media effects two people. While pleasing a virtual audience is shown as a bad thing for both characters, they both react in different ways to the problem. I think a good question raised here is what are you missing out on if you live your life online?
I think the thing I enjoyed most about this anthology is that even though it's about death, it isn't a sad book. Most of the stories include themes on how precious life is and how the choices we make effect us. There are several genres included in this book and they all look at the philosophy of life a little differently. This book has a little bit of everything and no matter what form of literature you like there will be something in Beautiful Lies, Painful Truths that you will enjoy.
Family Ties by Cara Fox deals with a daughter whose father just happens to be the grim reaper. The daughter's name is Zoe and where the reaper's job is to take souls, Zoe has the ability to save them but there is a price to saving souls. I loved how this story gets into the balance between life and death and the idea that in some situations a long life can be a curse.
Where I would look at Family Ties as being horror ,With Infinite Complacency
by Steve Cameron is a science fiction tale. This story follows astronauts in a space station as they witness the end of civilization due to nuclear war. They can't return to earth due to contamination and are stuck alone in space. I love the concept in this story and the twist at the end. I also loved the idea how would you feel if you were alone in the universe?
Proving that this anthology has a wide range of stories another great tale is Death and the Horse by Terri Bruce. This is a fantasy story about Death needing a horse in able to do his job a little faster. This story throws in a lot of different mythological characters and has a good sense of humor to it, showing that stories about death can be funny.
The Fall by Paul K. Metheney is another one with a comedic edge to it that focuses on a man who is about to jump off a cliff. Before he does, God shows up and says he will fix his life if the man can ask 20 good questions about the meaning of life. This is such a good simple story and I love how it touches on the philosophy of life and it makes a good point about accepting the bad with the good.
Pondering Eternity Over Waffles at Last Call by JCC Downing is another one that gets into the philosophy of life quite a bit. This one deals with a young woman and an older man who manages to become friends but the man has a big secret. Once again this is a simple tale with some deep meaning to it and the idea that you can't have good without the bad is center stage.
Another good one that is very different from every other tale in this book is Selfie Warfare
by Shaun Avery. The story looks at the concept of how social media effects two people. While pleasing a virtual audience is shown as a bad thing for both characters, they both react in different ways to the problem. I think a good question raised here is what are you missing out on if you live your life online?
I think the thing I enjoyed most about this anthology is that even though it's about death, it isn't a sad book. Most of the stories include themes on how precious life is and how the choices we make effect us. There are several genres included in this book and they all look at the philosophy of life a little differently. This book has a little bit of everything and no matter what form of literature you like there will be something in Beautiful Lies, Painful Truths that you will enjoy.
November 12, 2017
Aside from the two stories I have in this book, which I do not include in the review, this is an excellent anthology. The premise comes from an old saying: “Life asked Death, ‘Why do people love me, but hate you?’
Death responded, ‘Because you are a beautiful lie, and I am a painful truth.’ ” ~Anonymous
The authors have created a variety of stories that range from the supernatural to the macabre. These short stories will have you pondering the relationship between Life, Death, truth, and lies and where you, and the rest of humanity, stand in the mix. I will give you a glimpse into just a few of these stories.
The anthology begins with a metaphysical short story from author, Cara Fox called "Family Ties" which provides the reader with a chilling tale about Death and a nurse trying to keep people away from him, as well as her shocking connection with him.
"With Infinite Complacency" by Steve Cameron, is a sci-fi saga about the end of the world, cosmic lies, and bananas. If that wasn't enough to whet your interest, Steve writes with authenticity about his characters and their true-to-life scientific environment.
"Death and the Horse" by Terri Bruce is the slightly tongue-in-cheek, whimsical fantasy portraying the personification of Death, equines, and characters of myth.
"The Half-Dead Man" by Michael J. Hultquist, despite its title, has nothing supernatural, but is a macabre narrative of family, fear, and the final truth that will scare the pants off of you.
Conscius Sibi (Latin for "On Being Conscious to Oneself") by T. Gillmore is a sci-fi story that reveals one man's deceptively shocking origins and the fantastic truth behind his family.
"The Devil’s Embrace" by S.D. Hintz takes the story of a married couple in crisis and turns it on its head with a supernatural twist.
"The Look" by Robert Petyo is the realistic drama of a divorcee suspecting her ex of the worst kind of lie.
"Slosh" by J. Ryan Blesse depicts a graphic narrative of betrayal, pain, and death as real as today's headlines. Blesse's story is so startling painful, it doesn't need to have supernatural or fantasy elements to make it horrifying.
These are just a sampling of the fantastic short stories contained in Beautiful Lies, Painful Truths. The book is nearly 400 pages long and a tremendous value for the price. The stories are fast reads, and you will finish wanting more. I heavily recommend you check out Beautiful Lies, Painful Truths Volume I.
Death responded, ‘Because you are a beautiful lie, and I am a painful truth.’ ” ~Anonymous
The authors have created a variety of stories that range from the supernatural to the macabre. These short stories will have you pondering the relationship between Life, Death, truth, and lies and where you, and the rest of humanity, stand in the mix. I will give you a glimpse into just a few of these stories.
The anthology begins with a metaphysical short story from author, Cara Fox called "Family Ties" which provides the reader with a chilling tale about Death and a nurse trying to keep people away from him, as well as her shocking connection with him.
"With Infinite Complacency" by Steve Cameron, is a sci-fi saga about the end of the world, cosmic lies, and bananas. If that wasn't enough to whet your interest, Steve writes with authenticity about his characters and their true-to-life scientific environment.
"Death and the Horse" by Terri Bruce is the slightly tongue-in-cheek, whimsical fantasy portraying the personification of Death, equines, and characters of myth.
"The Half-Dead Man" by Michael J. Hultquist, despite its title, has nothing supernatural, but is a macabre narrative of family, fear, and the final truth that will scare the pants off of you.
Conscius Sibi (Latin for "On Being Conscious to Oneself") by T. Gillmore is a sci-fi story that reveals one man's deceptively shocking origins and the fantastic truth behind his family.
"The Devil’s Embrace" by S.D. Hintz takes the story of a married couple in crisis and turns it on its head with a supernatural twist.
"The Look" by Robert Petyo is the realistic drama of a divorcee suspecting her ex of the worst kind of lie.
"Slosh" by J. Ryan Blesse depicts a graphic narrative of betrayal, pain, and death as real as today's headlines. Blesse's story is so startling painful, it doesn't need to have supernatural or fantasy elements to make it horrifying.
These are just a sampling of the fantastic short stories contained in Beautiful Lies, Painful Truths. The book is nearly 400 pages long and a tremendous value for the price. The stories are fast reads, and you will finish wanting more. I heavily recommend you check out Beautiful Lies, Painful Truths Volume I.
November 14, 2017
An incredibly amazing anthology.
Every author in this anthology should be commended for their work in this collection. Bringing in life and death into a collection of stories, all by different authors, and how their writing is varies, but brings to life, this grand collection. I believe there was a lot of thought into what authors would be contributing their work, and how this work will be displayed. I've read each of the 23 stories, and enjoyed each one. The love of life, humanity, mankind, and then the fear of death and what is beyond. I liked each story, but a couple of them stand out for me. S. D. Hintz's "The Devil's Embrace", was powerful and something unnerving, but it was an exceptional piece of work. There is something about Gil's fascination with his neighbor Morton. Another story that I enjoyed, so much I read it a couple of times is Robert James's "In Dark Places." It was well-written and compelling. The kind of story that hits on emotions, especially when she answered the phone of her late husband. Each story was glorious in of itself, and I am glad that I was able to read such brilliant works of art.
Every author in this anthology should be commended for their work in this collection. Bringing in life and death into a collection of stories, all by different authors, and how their writing is varies, but brings to life, this grand collection. I believe there was a lot of thought into what authors would be contributing their work, and how this work will be displayed. I've read each of the 23 stories, and enjoyed each one. The love of life, humanity, mankind, and then the fear of death and what is beyond. I liked each story, but a couple of them stand out for me. S. D. Hintz's "The Devil's Embrace", was powerful and something unnerving, but it was an exceptional piece of work. There is something about Gil's fascination with his neighbor Morton. Another story that I enjoyed, so much I read it a couple of times is Robert James's "In Dark Places." It was well-written and compelling. The kind of story that hits on emotions, especially when she answered the phone of her late husband. Each story was glorious in of itself, and I am glad that I was able to read such brilliant works of art.
February 15, 2018
Excluding my story “Slosh” from this review, there are some incredible pieces of short fiction in this anthology. Among my favorites
With Infinite Complacency by Steve Cameron
In Dark Places by Robert James
Again and Again by A.G. Lopes
Heaven’s Eyes by S.R. Betler
The Devil’s Embrace by S.D. Hintzsche
The Look by Robert Petyo
Pondering Eternity Over Waffles at Last Call by JCC Downing
Proud to have “Slosh” among these stories.
With Infinite Complacency by Steve Cameron
In Dark Places by Robert James
Again and Again by A.G. Lopes
Heaven’s Eyes by S.R. Betler
The Devil’s Embrace by S.D. Hintzsche
The Look by Robert Petyo
Pondering Eternity Over Waffles at Last Call by JCC Downing
Proud to have “Slosh” among these stories.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews