Visions in Light & Shadow

By: John L. Flynn

Narrated by: Geoffrey Boyes

Length: 6 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

Strange, haunting, bizarre, brilliant, and transcendent are some of the words that describe Visions in Light and Shadow, a collection of short stories from three-time Hugo nominee John L. Flynn.

Journey into his wondrous imagination to the last great library where a robot librarian awaits the return of its human patrons, to the planet Jupiter where strange lifeforms halt the progress of a mining platform, to a ravaged wasteland where the last survivors practice a strange ritual, to a warm, tropical beach where a creature of the night stalks its prey, to the city of tomorrow where two homeless vets struggle against an evil corporate raider, to a bizarre crime scene which baffles even the world's greatest detective, and to other shadow worlds which are filled with visionary, often-surreal intensity.

©2000, 2019 John L. Flynn (P)2019 John L. Flynn

Christmas Arrived Early with this Great Book!

John Flynn is an exceptional writer, with a narrative style that is very likely the envy of all his competitors. That exceptional, narrative style is on display here with a handful of truly memorable short stories as Flynn hopscotches between the various genres of science fiction, fantasy, horror, and mystery. Visions in Light & Shadow introduces readers to Rupert, a robot tending the last remaining library, thousands of years after man vanished off the face of the earth; the Jovians, an alien species fighting to protect their home on Jupiter from greedy developers who want to mine their world dry of a rare energy source; seven-year-old Martha Goodman who develops a "gift" of verse; the last remaining vampire on the "day after" a nuclear holocaust, and a number of other protagonists in visionary, sometimes hostile and chilling worlds of tomorrow. Pick any story from the table of contents, and listen as Geoffrey Boyes adds to the magic with his winning vocal talents. Any one of those stories would fit nicely in Rod Serling's Twilight Zone or Joe Stefano's Outer Limits. There was a time, not that long ago, when short stories ruled the marketplace, and writers like Ray Bradbury were king. Today, it seems, writers have forgotten how to write the short story, and instead channel their limited talents into telling overly-bloated tales that simply don't merit a novel. Flynn earned multiple Hugo nominations, writing short stories of incredible complexity and characterization that when he made the switch to writing novels, he has produced one bestseller after another. He still writes incredibly complex novels that are populated with richly developed characters against a highly-detailed background. He spent the time writing short, so that he could write write exceptional novels. Thank you, Audible, for publishing this audio book, and giving us a look behind the scenes of one of today's best writers.

A Genuine Work of Art!

Visions in Light & Shadow is a collection of short stories written by Author John Flynn. Reading Flynn's short stories, in particular his Hugo-nominated short story "A Gift of Verse," is like watching the New Year's day marathon of "Twilight Zone" episodes. Each one of them is a morality tale set in the proverbial "twilight zone." Flynn's running commentary provides some insight into why he wrote a particular tale, but it's really the stories themselves that have a whole lot more to say that what evolves within the confines of the Sci-Fi settings. They are all memorable in their own way!

Top Quality SF

The audio version of Visions in Light and Shadow was a Christmas gift. I had read John Flynn's short stories in their original form in science fiction magazines I collected back in the 1980s and 1990s. The stories were released in a limited edition that I never had the chance to purchase in 2001, but it's great to see that Amazon.com and Audible have both launched new versions one in print and one in audio version for a whole new generation of science fiction fans to discover. Every story is Top Notch. But I'll recommend "A Gift of Verse" and "Who Gods Destroy" as my two favorites. Back in 2002 or perhaps it was 2003, Flynn's "A Gift of Verse" was nominated for a Hugo award for the Best Short Story of the year. Well deserved because this was truly the Best Short Story that year. Through machinations behind the scenes, the nomination was rescinded. Apparently, it had been nominated in the wrong year as it had been published a year earlier, or at least that's what they said. "A Gift of Verse," especially with the outstanding narrative voice of Geoffrey Boyes, is simply the Best Short Story in Science Fiction from any year! The story talks about how the mob manipulates public opinion to the point that a man who is a poet is put to death for simply writing excellent poetry. I suspect the mob wanted to silence Flynn's outstanding work, and stripped him of the Hugo nomination in order to silence him. Well, the joke is on the mob because here we are, 17 years later, and Flynn's great short story is reaching another generation. The mob will never win! Similarly, "Whom Gods Destroy" is about a robot so in love with humanity's art and literature that it is willing to fight a different mob to preserve our heritage for those unborn generations. Again, excellence always wins out. Read and celebrate these two great stories, as well as the rest of the collection here in audio book form. You'll never find a braver writer or better work!

A Rare Collection of the Very Best!

I have been a fan of Author John Flynn since his first Hugo Nomination in 2002. I voted for him, and was there at the Hugo Ceremony in San Jose when John autographed one of his books for me. Visions in Light and Shadow is a collection of John's very best short stories. Those stories include John Flynn's "A Gift of Verse," which was nominated for a Hugo in 2003, but then taken away from him because the story had appeared the year earlier. Regardless of when it appeared, this is probably one of the Best Short Stories ever written for the genre of Science Fiction! Other short stories that were published in the 1980s and 1990s and 2000s are on display here for you to listen to Geoffrey Boyes' narration and contemplate. John began writing thrillers in 2014, and I have actually missed his science fiction writing. The thrillers are outstanding, but I always thought Flynn's speculative work about the future was exceptional. Most editors in the late nineties and the early 2000s were smart in buying the author's short stories because they always added class to SF magazines. Now, with this beautifully-illustrated volume, you've got a rare collection of the very best. Enjoy!

Captivating stories! Highly recommend!

I bought Visions in Light and Shadow in order to read a selection of the three-time Hugo nominee’s short stories. Wow! I’m glad I did. This great collection was well worth my time. Each one of the stories is very good. Reading them from beginning to end is like spanning the author’s great career. I was enormously pleased with these captivating tales of science fiction and mystery. Any one of them could be made into a full length movie, or an episode on The Twilight Zone. Great performance of the narrator Geoffrey Boyes.

Hugo-Nominated Author & His Great Stories!

Visions in Light & Shadow is an outstanding audio book! A great one to introduce people to the exceptional writing of John L. Flynn, and definitely a gem for anyone who loves a good short story. Before Flynn started writing his best-selling Kate Dawson series of mystery/thrillers, he wrote science fiction, fantasy and horror. In fact, he was nominated four times for the Hugo Award (the Science Fiction Achievement Award), the fourth nomination having to be rescinded by Hugo administrators because the story was nominated in the wrong year. "A Gift of Verse" is included here, and you decide yourself if it didn't deserve to be included as one of the best short stories of 2003. The author's outstanding writing is also reflected in these other great short stories. Both "A Gift of Verse" and "Whom Gods Destroy" are my favorites in this collection, but almost any one of the stories deserve recognition for their exceptional story-telling abilities. Flynn is one of the best writers working today; he has great story sense, and really knows how to create interesting and very believable characters. I love Kate Dawson, his heroic homicide detective from the Kate Dawson thrillers. Just listen to the first five minutes of "Verse" or "Whom," and you'll be hooked like I was.

Excellent Collection of Short Stories!

Before John Flynn became a best-selling author of thrilling detective stories, he wrote short science fiction for the pulp science fiction magazines. This collection of Flynn's short stories is really an outstanding one, and is newly released as both an audio book and a print collection of his best stories. The stories are not all science fiction. There's a horror story about Spring Breakers being stalked by a female vampire; there's a mystery/detective tale written like the Sherlock Holmes stories, with the world's greatest detective facing his most difficult whodunit; there's even a fantasy tale in which time seems to repeat its great biblical prophecy. The others are speculative fiction at its best. My favorite was "Interfacing Rush" because it's a cyberpunk tale with a lot of heart as two homeless vets take on a multimillionaire like Trump or Bloomberg who cares nothing for people. The clover solution to the story turns the tables in what may have been a great O'Henry tale a century ago. You'll love meeting Rupert, Robby the Robot's literary descendant, and a time traveler who arrives a bit too soon to trade his latest purchase at the Sears of the future. Flynn's Hugo-nominated tale is also here, in its original form. A great short story, and in any form, one of the great short stories of the last 100 years. Listen to these works on this great audio book and you'll have a great time!

AMAZING STORIES WITH UNPREDICTABLE ENDINGS.

These are Hugo nominee’s short stories (third or fourth time.) After reading and listening it I understood why. I love all the stories and not able to say what was the best. I believe it would be excellent movies if the author will write movie scripts. I was reading the book and bought it in an audio version. Excellent work of the narrator Geoffrey Boyes. Highly recommend this book to everyone.

Brilliant Stories & Social Commentary!

John Flynn is more than a popular, bestselling author of thrilling detective novels; his new audio book, Visions in Light & Shadow, is a collection of short stories that reveals he is a social historian and commentator about the human condition. Mark Twain, Jean Shepherd, and Ray Bradbury seem to have inspired him to write these tales. Each story is unique and teaches a lesson about the human spirit; some of those lessons are a brutal reflection of the negative that we see all around us every day, and other stories suggest that hope can prevail if we just try to love and understand each another. “A Gift of Verse,” Flynn’s Hugo-nominated short story, pays homage to Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” and Bradbury’s “The Smile,” by introducing us to a seven-year-old Martha Goodman who questions the choices her parents and society have made after a nuclear-holocaust has laid waste to her world. They are traveling the dangerous, bombed out road to town to witness a hanging. The “good” reverend and town elders have decided to hang a poet” because his poetry “intoxicates” young people’s brains and causes them to abandon their chores. Basically, the verse runs contrary to the conservative, right-wing values of the community. Martha doesn’t understand their reasoning, and after she listens to the poet’s last words (before he is hanged), she can find nothing bad about them even though the local folk fear him so much. She has received “a gift of verse” from the poet. Like this one, there were very few happy endings in the stories, but the sad stories still teach us a great lesson about what lies inside each person. It really is quite an intriguing and extraordinary collection. You’ll love Flynn’s excellent storytelling ability, and then will spend time afterwards contemplating what he was saying. Thank you, Audible, for publishing a truly amazing book.

A Great Read! Showing Flynn's Wide Narrative Reach

I've read several of John Flynn’s Kate Dawson thrillers and at least one science fiction novel over the years, but the chance to read a selected handful of Flynn’s stories in a single collection, like Visions in Light and Shadow, seemed too good to pass up as an audio book. As you might expect, the collection of stories – as chosen by the author himself – is a wonderful read, showcasing his wide narrative reach, which includes fantasy and science fiction, horror, and mysteries, and his incredible use of words and phrases that are lyrical and prosaic. Few writers today have as much fun describing settings or building characters as Flynn who confesses his writing was influenced by the great F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ray Bradbury. Each story in the collection is framed by a short introduction written by the author, explaining his inspiration or motivation to write that particular story. For example, Flynn’s Hugo-nominated short story, “A Gift of Verse,” was inspired by Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” and Bradbury’s “The Smile,” and takes place in that mythical community just adjacent to Jackson’s and Bradbury’s small town America. Seven-year-old Martha Goodman and her family travel to Collinsville, Illinois, over a crater-pitted road in their horse-and-buggy to witness a hanging; the setting appears to be pre-Civil War America, but is in fact years after a nuclear holocaust has destroyed most of the world, and left the handful of survivors barely clinging to life. Goodman’s family and the other townsfolk have agreed to put everyone they deem guilty of destroying their world to death; on that particular day, they are hanging a real enemy of the people, a poet. The seven-year-old sees nothing wrong with the poet’s last words, as he recites a poem liberally from The Psalms, and puts his final words to memory as she returns home with her family. The story is both chilling and horrifying, but is of course a metaphor for all those groups who seek to silence others with their self-proclaimed censorship. Other stories in the collection are much more optimistic, particularly the novella that inspired Flynn’s science fiction novel, The Jovian Dilemma. All the rest of the stories are inspired by the author’s vast imagination, including a short-short story about a time traveler who insists on returning a tool he bought seconds before at the Sears & Roebuck in another continuum. “Satisfaction Guaranteed” is both funny and satirical. I’m giving the collection 5 stars for Flynn’s outstanding writing and imagination and Geoffrey Boyes excellent narration. Listen to the dialect Boyes assumes for “A Gift of Verse” and you’ll experience yet another master at work with this performance.