Alternate Endings - Short Stories of Speculative Fiction (Paperback)

Alternate Endings features a dozen short stories of fantastic fiction. These are tales about people who grasp at the chance to fulfill their greatest desires. They suspect the road not taken doesn't always end happily and know the path they're on can lead to unexpected places. Choices change the course of lives. Each new day offers opportunities that propel them toward alternate endings. Inside you'll find stories about: A woman who buys a flea market treasure containing an ancient surprise. An alien invasion unites Jeremiah and his Man-in-Black father as they face attack. A trinket from an Egyptian bazaar brings Roland to a rendezvous with the future. Sam's last chance to recapture fame lands the entire film crew in a fight for survival. Select tourists are invited to participate in a special ritual in a sacred Hawaiian site. Joseph undertakes a startling journey to bring his missing sister home. A scientific breakthrough in genetics has devastating transformative results. The construction of a new lunar business enterprise stirs up passions. A has-been boxer confronts a young tough and gets an unexpected second chance. His grandfather's ghostly return from the grave complicates Zeke's life. Reporting to his new assignment, Corporal Evans faces a legendary enemy. Paul's lifelong handicap turns out to be a blessing in disguise. Excerpts: "Sam flipped his middle finger at the shiny CNN chopper. Damn news vultures would replay the image for days. The studio and the network had sold them down the river. Years of experience in show biz had taught him the best way to survive a season, was to win viewers. If they could get the public rooting for the surviving members of the documentary film crew, they'd have a better chance of climbing out of this caldera while they still had the body parts to do so. Americans love the underdog." - Adventure in the Caldera "Knuck raised his gaze and admired the span of the grand art deco architecture. The graceful lines of the elegantly arched design sat silhouetted against the fathomless gloom of the dark sky. He knew the bridge, all right. Not far from here was the fateful place he should have met his wife so many years before. He recalled every detail of that night with startling clarity. Afterwards his world went numb. Everything good had been stripped from his life. All because he'd been late. Yeah, he knew this place." - Late for Life "Fairy tales turned them into something soft and sweet but that's public relations bullshit. The truth is, they're vicious beasts. Evolution made them beautiful and lethal. Their hooves are natural weapons, sharp as chipped flint. The tail on an immature foal is whip-hard and the feathery wisps of hair can flay skin to the bone with a single swipe. Mature males have venomous bites capable of causing instantaneous paralysis. In the gestation period, the females snort flames and the damned stuff acts just like napalm, sticky as jelly and burns hot as phosphorescence. They live for centuries and mate for life." - Shadow in Moonlight"