If you have been reading my reviews for a long time, you may know that I am a big fan of author, Christopher Meeks. I have had the opportunity to read and review most of his books. However, I hadn’t read his book of short stories, ‘The Middle-Aged Man and the Sea’. I bought the ebook a long time ago but didn’t have the opportunity to read it. Then, a few weeks ago Christopher contacted me to let me know that he created a audiobook version on CD and on Audible and offered me a free download code to Audible. I couldn’t refuse!
My Thoughts on Middle-Aged Man and the Sea by Christopher Meeks
The Audible version is narrated by the author, Christopher Meeks, himself. It includes 13 quintessential short stories about the human condition. With his trademark sense of humor and quirky, yet realistic characters, Meeks takes us on a journey through the lives of his characters and we even a glimpse into ourselves.
Many people who claim not to like short stories, usually say because they don’t feel complete. I dare naysayers of Short stories to read this book. Okay, so the endings aren’t wrapped up in nice neat bows but neither is real life. “They all lived happily ever after” are the kind of stories we tell children to make them feel safe and secure.
These stories have kernels of truth hidden within them. They cover, marriage, middle age, and old age. The thread throughout is human relationships and how we dealt with them. Of course, this wouldn’t be a Christopher Meeks book, if there weren’t some references to pop culture sprinkled with in.
Usually, I find short stories in a collection hit and miss however, ‘The Middle-aged Man and the Sea’, is quite an even collection. I really loved them all.
As for the narration, it was good. There were a few places that you could hear the wetness that can accumulate in ones mouth. I haven’t detected this when I have listened to a more seasoned narrator. However, with practice, I believe Christoper Meeks could go from good to great with his narration skills. I hope he records more of his books.
5/5 Writing
4/5 Narration
I received a free download code for the Audible version for my honest review.
About Christopher Meeks
Christopher Meeks first published short fiction in a number of literary journals, and the stories are available in two collections, The Middle-Aged Man and the Sea and Months and Seasons. Recently, he’s focused on crime novels. His first, Blood Drama had a graduate student writing a thesis on David Mamet in a struggle with a ruthless killer and bank robber. The new A Death in Vegas is a mystery based on the death of a young woman and the wrong man charged with it. Visit Christopher Meeks online at chrismeeks.com.
Buy Middle-Aged Man and the Sea by Christopher Meeks
During that last summer, as if in punishment for being happy, Kate was diagnosed with cervical cancer.
The last time we used the wishing stone was at the hospital the morning she died.
On that day, all three of us made a silent wish, certain the others had wished the same. Kate died that afternoon and I never thought about it again. It was the last time I believed in magic, in love or in the existence of God.
Then, after three miserable lonely years, the unthinkable, a second chance . . . Warwick.
Praise for Machines of the Little People (The Eve Project- Book 1)
“The plot is unique, I must say that I haven’t read a Sci Fi book so original in a long time. It has everything, mystery, suspense, romance, eccentric characters, conspiracy theories, and of course the little people with their machines! Crazy, Wild, Excellent Written. Highly Recommended!!!”- Julia Damatto, Romorror Fan Girl
“the real joy of this book is not the plot itself. The real joy is the way in which Maus keeps his readers constantly off guard, stringing them along for pages before flipping the situation on its head and forcing readers to reevaluate whatever they thought they knew. Normally, that just pisses me off, but the way Maus manipulates his readers makes us squeal with delight at every turn. There is an energy to his novels, a sense of urgency tinged with wonder. We trust that wherever he takes us–and it won’t be somewhere we expect–it will be an adventure in the truest sense of the word. And then we have the characters. At the end of the day, it’s the characters that make a Maus book what it is. Definitely recommended for anyone who just wants a cracking good story. “-Jonathan Cook, Author ‘Youth and Other Fictions’
“Anyone who loves a good science fiction/fantasy story would have a hard time putting this one down.”- Lisa Binion, Author ‘Softly and Tenderley’
Praise for Wishing Stone (The Eve Project- Book 2)
“More great Sci-Fi adventure from Tegon Maus. He doesn’t just give us a good Sci-Fi story. He gives us a story with great characters and a unique story and is able to include many other genres in his Sci-Fi stories. Comedy, drama and action. Let’s pray for a book three in the series.”-Erik Nelson, Author ‘Unlawful Protection’
“This is a great science fiction story, which follows on nicely from The Eve Project: Book 1, Machines of the Little People, however could easily be read as a stand-alone. It has it all for science fiction fans, top secret scientific projects, a great storyline, twists and turns round every corner, yet, at its very core lies, dare I say it, a love story. It has a great finish, however, at the end, all I wanted to know from the author – is there is another book in the series coming? I hope so”-Susan Keefe, Author ‘Toby’s Tales’ Series
“I enjoyed The Wishing Stone even more than the first book, even though, again, it’s not my usual read. I really liked the eccentric scientist characters Ben meets at Warwick, and as with book one, Tegon Maus did a great job of keeping me guessing what was really going on right to the very end. I look forward to finding out what book 3 has in store!”-Nick Stead, Author ‘Hybrid’
My Thoughts on Wishing Stone by Tegon Maus
‘The Wishing Stone’ is the 4th book I have read by Tegon Maus. In my opinion is is tied for his best with his book ‘Bob’. It has his trademark quirky characters and humor in spades! We get to know Ben and his brother in-law, Roger so much more than we did in book 1. We find out much more about the condition Ben has that makes electronic devices stop working and sometimes even explode, B.C.E.D. (Bio-Chemical Electrical Discharge). This is a really condition some people have and I have discovered that I am actually one of them! However, I have a very mild form. All battery operated watches stop working within a day or two of when I start wearing them. I use to think it was just the fairly cheap watches I bought but even when I wear expensive ones, they stop. I have found that I can only safely wear digital watches. It’s very frustrating but no where near as frustrating as the condition is for Ben!
Roger has put inhibitors on Ben to help counteract his condition but they no long help like they use to. It is with desperation for a cure or at least a way to better control it, that Ben finally agrees to go with Roger to a place that can better help him. He has never been away from Southern California before. Roger and Ben’s girlfriend, Audry, drive Ben to a facility out in New Mexico. They don’t dare fly, knowing that is possible for Ben’s condition to interfere with a plane. Once there, they are greeted by old kinds of odd people. When he is brought to where he is to sleep for the duration of his stay, it turns out to be an exact replica of his house, down to every last detail, including the dishes he left in his sink.
Two of the lab workers, Marcie and Digby befriend Ben and come to his quarters just about every morning and have breakfast with him. They are both very talkative but when he tries to find out what the facility is and does, they just ignore him and keep on chattering. He can’t get straight answers from anyone, including Roger, who it turns out runs a secret lab on the campus and is well known by everyone who works there.
I could go on and on however, I risk giving away spoilers if I did. As I read on, I like Ben was in the dark and had the same questions he did. I could not turn the pages fast enough to find out! What is this place for? What is in Roger’s secret lab for and why has he really brought Ben there? Ben is only suppose to be there for 4 days but that time slips by quickly and he is still there.
I enjoyed Book 1 of ‘The Eve Project’, ‘The Machines of the Little People’ however, as often happens with book 1 in a series, it was slow to start while it introduced the character, etc. However, book 2, ‘The Wishing Stone’ takes of like a rocket and I feel the G-force all the way through! It is a great character study but with action. This book has it all. I recommend it for those who love science fiction but I also think those who enjoy dystopian and even literary fiction, like myself, will love this book! I can hardly wait for book 3!
I received this ebook for my honest review.
5/5, it really can’t get much better than this!
About Tegon Maus
Tegon Maus was raised pretty much the same as everyone else… devoted mother, strict father and all the imaginary friends he could conjure. Not that he wasn’t friendly, he just wasn’t “people orientated”. Maybe he lived in his head way more than he should have, maybe not. He liked machines more than people, at least he did until I met his wife.
The first thing he can remember writing was for her. For the life of him he can’t remember what it was about… something about dust bunnies under the bed and monsters in my closet. It must have been pretty good because she married him shortly after that. He spent a good number of years chasing other dreams before he got back to writing.
It wasn’t a deliberate conscious thought, it was more of a stepping stone. His wife and himself had joined a dream interpret group and we were encouraged to write down our dreams as they occurred. “Be as detailed as you can,” we were told.
He was thrilled. If there is one thing he enjoys it’s making people believe him and he likes to exaggerate. Not a big exaggeration or an outright lie mind you, just a little step out of sync, just enough so you couldn’t be sure if it were true or not. When he writes, he always write with the effort of “it could happen” very much in mind and nothing, he guarantees you, nothing, makes him happier.
He has consistently placed in the top 3 in 189 writing contest in a variety of genres and has been featured in magazines a couple of times to raise money for Saint Jude’s Children’s Hospital.
Note: The Wishing Stone is currently on sale for only $0.99. Take my word for it, that is a steal! The sale ends the end of March, so go grab it!
Giveaway of The Wishing Stone by Tegon Maus
This giveaway is for the ebook and is open worldwide. It ends on March 19, 2016 at 12 am pacific time. If you buy the book and then find out you have won it, we will gladly send it to the friend of your choice! Entries are accepted via Rafflecopter only.
Ben Harris’s sister died of cervical cancer more than three years ago… his best friend and her husband, Roger Keswick, disappeared the day before the funeral. For the next six months everyone from the local police to the Department of Defense searched for him but to no avail… it was as if he had simply fallen off the face of the planet only to reappear at work as if nothing were out of the ordinary.
Then by the purest of coincidences Ben finds himself pulled back into Roger’s life only to discover he has remarried… to Jessica… a woman the looks, sounds and acts just like his dead sister. To complicate things Roger is insistent his home, his car, his life is infested with tiny elf like creatures he calls the Katoy. He claims they run massive machines under his house and watch his every move… every move that is until Jessica is found bludgeoned to death in his living room and Roger is nowhere to be found . . . again.
Praise for Machines Of the Little People by Tegon Maus:
“Tegon Maus is an author that I read when I need a wild and crazy ride! His characters are always so quirky and unique. I am pretty sure I’ve never encountered the type of characters that are in these books in any other books! They’re hilariously flawed and extremely well-developed. They could just walk off the page…though you wouldn’t want them to. I just absolutely recommend this science fictiony type of book to those of you who appreciate great, quirky characters and wild, conspiracy theory type plots. I am seriously glad that I was introduced to his writing.”-Christy Maurer, Christy’s Crazy Corners
“As the saying goes, it takes all sorts. This is certainly the case with the characters in this story. As this story unfolds the characters are all so amazing, from psychic elderly ladies, to nine ‘sisters’ and sinister spy like characters and agents. Then, if that is not exciting enough, add to the equation a blossoming love affair, secret research projects and deadly weapons and you soon come to realise that this book is captivating from the first page. Oh, and don’t forget those little people – and their machines…”-Susan Keefe, Book Reviews by Susan Keefe
“The SF angle was pretty neat, but the mystery is what drives the story. The characters come alive, and the writing is fast-paced and exciting, keeping the reader turning the pages.”- Virginia E. Johnson, Amazon Reviewer
About Tegon Maus:
Tegon Maus was raised pretty much the same as everyone else… devoted mother, strict father and all the imaginary friends he could conjure. Not that he wasn’t friendly, he just wasn’t “people orientated”. Maybe he lived in his head way more than he should have, maybe not. He liked machines more than people, at least he did until I met his wife.
The first thing he can remember writing was for her. For the life of him he can’t remember what it was about… something about dust bunnies under the bed and monsters in my closet. It must have been pretty good because she married him shortly after that. He spent a good number of years chasing other dreams before he got back to writing.
It wasn’t a deliberate conscious thought, it was more of a stepping stone. His wife and himself had joined a dream interpret group and we were encouraged to write down our dreams as they occurred. “Be as detailed as you can,” we were told.
He was thrilled. If there is one thing he enjoys it’s making people believe him and he likes to exaggerate. Not a big exaggeration or an outright lie mind you, just a little step out of sync, just enough so you couldn’t be sure if it were true or not. When he writes, he always write with the effort of “it could happen” very much in mind and nothing, he guarantees you, nothing, makes him happier.
He has consistently placed in the top 3 in 189 writing contest in a variety of genres and has been featured in magazines a couple of times to raise money for Saint Jude’s Children’s Hospital.
Middle-Aged Man and the Sea by Christopher Meeks
Middle-Aged Man and the Sea by Christopher Meeks
