Excerpt – Something Better by Jim Bates

StoreyBook Reviews 

 

 

Synopsis

 

For Quinn and his young family, life in 2220 in the aftermath of global warming was a depressing dead-end existence with no future past the mandatory forty-year life span at which point you were unceremoniously put to death and turned into compost. But only if you lived that long. One day Quinn makes a fateful decision with a disastrous effect, and it forces him and his wife and son along with a friend to flee the confines of The City in search of a different life. Something better. But first, they need to elude the World Order Security Police who are dispatched to track them down with orders to shoot to kill. Will they make it? Read their inspiring story and find out.

 

 

Amazon

 

 

Excerpt

 

When they were seated on the Carrier, Matt said to his dad, politely, “Thank you, Daddy, for taking me. I had a really fun time.”

Quinn smiled. He loved his son, and he was glad he’d been able to spend time with him. Once a week wasn’t often enough. “I had fun, too.”

The first stop was the building where children of Matt’s age were kept. Quinn wanted to hug him but knew the World Order frowned upon signs of affection. After a brief hesitation, he thought, what the hell, why not? and grabbed Matt in a big bear hug, knowing the surveillance cameras would catch him and punish him accordingly, taking a day off his LifeLine. Too bad, he thought, holding his son tighter. Matt hugged him back. He felt his son’s sweet breath on his neck and it made him smile. The hug was worth it.

Finally, Matt squirmed away, giggling. “I’ll see you next week, Daddy.”

“Okay, son. The History Center, right?”

“Right.”

“See you then. Bye, bye.” Quinn waved.

The Transport Carrier then headed for the concrete building where Quinn and his wife lived. He watched the landscape passing by outside his window, featureless and grey with dust and ash everywhere. Relentlessly depressing. His mind drifted back to the exhibit he and Matt had seen. He loved the colors: the green trees and the blue pond. The red cardinal. Not the grey decay he and his wife and son lived in every day. It’d be a week before he’d see Matt again and he was already looking forward to it. In fact, at that moment he made a fateful decision. When they got together next time, he was going to hold his son again. Tight. No matter what the consequences. LifeLine be damned. It’d be worth it.

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Jim’s stories and poems have appeared in nearly five hundred online and print publications. His collection of short stories, Resilience, is published by Bridge House Publishing. Short Stuff, a collection of flash fiction and drabbles is published by Chapeltown Books. Periodic Stories, Periodic Stories Volume Two, Periodic Stories Volume Three – A Novel, and Periodic Stories Volume Four are published by Impspired. Dreamers, a collection of short stories, is published by Clarendon House Publishing. Something Better, a dystopian adventure novella, and the novel, The Alien of Orchard Lake, are published by Dark Myth Publications. In the fall of 2022, his collection entitled Holiday Stories was published by Impspired as was his collection of poetry, Haiku Seasons. In February 2023, Periodic Stories Volume IV was published, as was his collection of poems, The Alchemy of Then, both by Impspired. In June 2023, a collection of flash fiction, Dancing With Butterflies, was published by Impspired.In July 2023, his YA novella The Battle of Marvel Wood was published by Impspired. His short story “Aliens” was nominated by The Zodiac Press for the 2020 Pushcart Prize. His story “The Maple Leaf” was voted 2021 Story of the Year for Spillwords. He was voted December 2022 Author of the Month for Spillwords. He also reads his stories for Talking Stories Radio and for Jim’s Storytime on his website. He lives in a small town west of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

 

Website

 

Recommended Posts

Music nonfiction Spotlight

Spotlight – The Music of The Hudson Valley by Mercedes Barreto

  Synopsis “What does the music of The Hudson Valley mean to you? Enjoy ‘Volume I’ of this written music collection, featuring bands, musicians, and more from the Hudson Valley in upstate N.Y. This photo book features several musicians from The Hudson Valley and their photos, which represent them and their artistic backgrounds as Hudson […]

StoreyBook Reviews 
Book Release excerpt Historical romance Trailer

New Release & Excerpt – Thistle in the Mistletoe by Margaret Izard

  Synopsis A kiss under the Mistletoe brings good fortune, but can a Christmas wedding stop a deadly feud? The soft beauty beside him at the altar would make the perfect bride. Roderick MacDougall would do anything to stop the feud without more bloodshed. Too bad the gorgeous woman is the daughter of his greatest […]

StoreyBook Reviews 
fiction Giveaway Historical

New Release & Giveaway – The Nine Lives of Tito d’Amelia by Ettore Farrattini Pojani

  The Nine Lives of Tito d’Amelia By Ettore Farrattini Pojani Italian Literature / Historical Fiction Publisher: Bayou City Press Pages: 326 Publication Date: October 11, 2024     Synopsis This is the first (and only) English-language version of the award-winning Italian novel, The Nine Lives of Tito d’Amelia. Nine Lives is a love story […]

StoreyBook Reviews