Carlos Hazday

Four hundred years in the future, Kee and Loy live in a technological, repressive society. Medical science has advanced to the point DNA scans can detect deviations from the norm, and undesirable mutations can either be cured or culled from the population. When one of the protagonists exhibits undesirable traits, the other one races to discover a way to save him. A society where the powerful enjoy privileges while others struggle to get by may sound familiar. Mr. Owens' extrapolation of current conditions is not too far-fetched, prejudice has been around as long as humanity has. But so has the impetus to fight back against injustice. That's what the protagonists do, leading to a surprise ending. Aside from the implied exhortation to never give up, the author also reminds us our current world, with whatever problems it may have, is not as bad as some of the alternatives. This is a well-written story you will enjoy reading. Cheering at the end is optional.

My experience is different. I never wrote fiction before I joined GA and almost everything I've scribbled's out there for people to see.

Sometimes... More often I read and groan. "Damn this sucks" is more likely to come out of my mouth.

For a friend with an understanding heart is worth no less than a brother. Homer - The Odyssey On Saturday, July 7, 2018, Richard Leonard Peterson turned sixteen. Claiming CJ and Owen’s wedding two weeks before was enough of a celebration to last him a while, Ritchie asked there be no big party to celebrate. Now that he was old enough, he was more interested in getting ready for his maiden solo flight as a student pilot on Monday. “So Ozzie and I have kind of a present for yo

The Twilight of the Golds You get logic, ethics, faith, love, fear... All that and more in one of the most thought provoking movies I've ever seen

Best anthology entry I've read so far. Outstanding! Parker, you need to write more SciFi. I'll save the rest of my comments for a proper review. Buddy, you hit it out of the park.

@MacGreg Guess I missed your birthday Your present is today's status update... How appropriate I posted a pic from a modeling gig for a leather shop. LOL

News reports or online videos of returning military personnel surprising family is a sure way of guaranteeing tears in my eyes and gladness in my heart. Didn't cry this time but I've got a great case of warm fuzzies. Thanks for this little gem, Geron

I think you'll be Abel to handle it.

You steered him wrong and he should not have listened to you. Any real-world publisher would have broken it up into chapters. @Geron Kees If you dislike writing chapter-stories, write the next installment in the series in its entirety and then go back and break it up. In this one, wherever you put the markers for scene breaks would have worked well as chapter breaks. Good job, Mr. Kees.

I'll preface my review by saying I've never read any Hardy Boys stories. Mr. Kees has created a wonderfully intriguing and fast-paced story I found hard to put down. It would have benefited from being broken into chapters the way a publisher would have done had the book been printed on paper instead of being published electronically. The advice given to the author not to create distinct chapters did him a disservice. I'm glad I didn't abandon it when I struggled to find a stopping point; The House of Storms is a wonderful read. The nostalgic look at an earlier time, the careful use of language, and the stringing together of minor events and clues is masterful. I felt transported to a simpler era. Detective Ben Dane, his sons Frank and Joe, and their friends Chip and Tony deserve better than to be abandoned. The sleuths should make further appearances in future installments. There are minor technical issues, but the strength of the writing makes them irrelevant. In spite of them, I rate The House of Storms the highest possible at five stars.

@Toddten Thank you! I'm often inspired by news reports and this story was no exception. I don't believe every tale needs to follow the usual themes and enjoy challenging readers while entertaining.