Tales of the Unusual

By: Luke Smitherd

Narrated by: Luke Smitherd

Length: 7 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's Summary

From the author of the Audible #1 bestsellers The Stone Man, The Physics of the Dead, and In the Darkness, That's Where I'll Know You.

Five more stories from Luke Smitherd to keep you intrigued, shocked, and asking what you would do...

HE WAITS: Quite literally, no escape. Because he's always with you. And in the real world - the world of you, the listener - "He Waits" will stay in your mind in a way that you won't expect...

KEEP YOUR CHILDREN CLOSE: A campsite. A family holiday. A broken down car. And an approaching breakdown truck that is just the start of Shelley's nightmare. By the time the sun sets, someone in that field will be dead, and Shelley must somehow make sure it isn't one of her children.

THE JESUS LOOPHOLE: Published here for the first time, in any format. Obsession, revenge, and a very big question: can God's system of sin and redemption be played to your own advantage?

CLOSURE: A winter walk in the woods seemed like a great idea to Gary and his wife, Carla. But when another version of himself appears and kidnaps Gary's wife before his very eyes, Gary must decide whether or not to use the strange mechanical devices his duplicate has left him...and then live with the choice.

YOUR NAME IS IN THE BOOK: When 11-year-old John Diner comes home to find an immense, mysterious book lying on his bed - its cover torn off, every page an endless list of names, some of which even belong to people he knows - he assumes its some kind of phone directory. It has to be, right? Even when the only numbers inside are single digits; solitary and curious scores printed next to each person listed. A puzzle, for sure...and a warning. A desperate message from an unseen stranger, a man trying to explain a terrible truth. John will find himself uncovering a darker reality than he can ever imagine, and the beginning of his road towards an impossible choice.

©2015 Luke Smitherd (P)2017 Luke Smitherd

Great Collection-Eerie Stories That Make You Think

I read each of these novellas separately when they came out; now it's nice to have them all in one place for when I want to read/listen to them again. And I definitely want to read them again.

All the stories in this collection have one thing in common: they put you into the characters' shoes and leave you wondering what you would do in their place. The characters are real people, very well-defined, so you know what they are feeling as the stories progress. You are invested in what happens to them.

The characters go through fear, horror, and disbelief, but they also care about each other very much. Sometimes that love is the driving force behind the story and that's why the stories are so relatable. You don't want bad things to happen to the important people in your life, but that is a possibility in all these stories. That heightens the tension and the feeling that you can't turn the pages fast enough to find out what happens (or have the narrator talk faster).

Very briefly,

1. He Waits - Probably the scariest story written by Luke Smitherd. Don't start it before you go to bed.

2. Keep Your Children Close - A family on vacation faces an unknown evil.

3. The Jesus Loophole - Filled with symbolism, the story asks if you can get around God's rules.

4. Closure - A happy couple goes for a walk in the woods and nothing is ever the same. Or is it?

5. Your Name is in the Book - Can you win against a system that is set up for you to lose?

I originally rated all five of these stories as Five Stars, so I am obviously rating this collection the same way. These stories are original, well-written, and beautifully told as the characters struggle with the situations they find themselves in--and you struggle right along with them.

I highly recommend this book.

OUTSTANDING!!

An awesome collection of shorts... The least of the stories is very good, and the best are simply excellent... Bit of worlds other than this theme... Stories that'll make you think, not to mention check to see if the lights are on;). Superbly wrought tension, and some fantastic, and disturbing, reveals and reversals... Right up there w/ my fave short fiction writers like King and Ellison... I particularly enjoy the subtle, and not so subtle, linkages and interconnectedness of these tales specifically, but also w/ the author's other works... The puzzle becomes even more intriguing... The narration is superior... If you like short fiction, enjoy the occasional heebie jeebies, or appreciate chewing over what you've just read you'll love these offerings... Worth the price/credit...

Another great one by Smitherd

The author always manages to draw me in. I think the fact that he narrates his own work takes it to another level because he is keenly aware of the tone, inflections, and emotions of the characters since he is the one who creates them.

Getting ready to download more of his works.

Loved each story, as always

Luke's writings always give you just enough answers to keep you happy with the outcome, and not enough answers to keep you from wondering and wanting more. Those questions lead to more questions... but the beauty of his style is that there are no real answers to those questions. What do YOU think? How do YOU feel after this particular story?

Plus, he reads his own work, so you get to listen to his voice. Not half bad.

Snoozefest

Narration wasn't too bad for an author self-reading his own works, but I found the stories boring and couldn't finish listening to more than half the book.

amazing!

I love this guy so much. I found him with his other anthology weird dark and this is just as good. I love that his ideas are intentionally so unique. so worth listening to.

I loved the stories, but..

the last "sample" was an unnecessary tease. not cool. since this is a short story book, I was expecting the last 13 minute part would be a bonus story. instead, it was just a snippet.

3¾ Stars

Didn't quite make "Great" but it is very good. The last story was my favorite but liked them all to varying degrees. This is my second book by LS but it won't be my last. He has an unusual style with twists other authors don't seem to master. I am always looking for books that can offer more than the mundane hashed out old stories I've already heard 100 times. LM seems to hit the mark in that area, and originality is hard to find.
If you are searching for the "little something different" for you collection I recommend you give his books a try, but probably not for youngsters.

Great collection of stories!

Another fine release from Luke Smitherd. Five rather different stories:
1) Closure: Slightly creepy, with a few twists. Typical Smitherd story (that's a compliment).
2) He waits: Creepy and reminiscent in part of his book "In The Darkness, That’s Where I’ll Know You".
3) The Jesus Loophole: All about remorse and sin. I'm probably not religious enough to really appreciate this story.
4) Your Name is in the Book: Love this one! Part growing-up story, part boy-meets-girl-loses-girl, and part what-the-heck-is-going-on (again typical Smitherd!).
5) Keep your Children Close: The true gem of the collection. This horror story gets under your skin. Tension is built perfectly and to very high levels in this story. This is Lovecraft stuff. Masterful!

Luke Smithered narrates his own book here, as in many of his other releases. To me he has the perfect voice for his stories. Very enjoyable! Keep it up, Mr Smitherd!

Great reads!!!

I am a huge Steven King fan and love his short stories. It is so hard to find intriguing stories like these. Luke did a fabulous job entertaining me. I liked the stories so well, I bought his book, the stone man. cant wait to read it.

Little Nuggets of Smitherd-fuelled Craziness!

I don't usually go for short story collections. It has always felt like I'm getting the left overs that the author(s) didn't feel were worth making into a full meal. This is of course unfair as telling short stories is an art form in itself. However having listened to the likes of "The Stone Man" and "The Physics of the Dead" I've come to recognise that Smitherd is a very interesting author and decided to give this one a go.

I am glad that I did. These are very enjoyable little insights into Luke's writing approach. They contain some of what are becoming Smitherd motifs like the mysterious stranger who knows more than the lead character and of course the little carrots of dread such as the announcement that someone will finish up dead at the very start of "Keep Your Children Close". In fact the visit to the house by strangers in "Closure" almost feels like a dry run for a similar visit in "Kill Someone". The absolute highlight for me was actually "He Waits". A real chiller and mind-bending concept that grows in menace the more that you think about it.

As a genuine bonus there are some excellent brief thoughts from the author at the end. To someone who has never been through it the writing process can be fascinating so getting some insight into it from an author like Smitherd is a real boon to me. There is also an excerpt from one of Luke's other short story collections "Weird Dark".

I'm rating this as five stars based very much in the context that it's one of the very best of the relatively small number of short story collections that I've read myself. Personally I'd always recommend one of his full-length novels like "The Stone Man" or "Physics of the Dead" as a starting point with Smitherd books but as a collection these stories give a good indication of his style. Each of them contains interesting ideas but also manages to squeeze in enough character development to make the people interesting. Smitherd has a great way of painting ordinary people into extraordinary situations.

In short, a thoroughly good read.

couldn't stop listening

couldn't stop listening. I usually listen to audiobooks to fall asleep to at night but that was not going to happen with this one. really kept my interest. refreshing new stories. looking forward to more. narrator - very pleasant voice and was very easy to listen to

The ideas just keep flowing :)

Luke's stories and story telling continue to evolve - his latest collection is excellent and compliments his previous works well. Thank you and I'm looking forward to what's next from Luke as it's guaranteed to be very good ( no pressure!!)

Blown Away By This Audiobook

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would highly recommend this to a friend. The stories and narration are both top-notch.

Which character – as performed by Luke Smitherd – was your favourite?

I enjoyed them all, Luke is a wonderful narrator.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I was absolutley blown away by both "Your Name Is In The Book" and "Keep Your Children Close".

Any additional comments?

I would also recommend The Stone Man by Luke Smitherd. It's one of my favorites stories.

Great collection of distinctive stories

Up to Luke Smitherd's usual high standards, this collection hovers around fantasy and sci-fi without ever losing sight of reality.

Loved every minute!

Listened to this pretty much in one go (mostly sitting on a train, so I was kind of a captive audience!) Although I had read a couple of the stories before, it was nice to listen to them being narrated by Luke - there is always something a bit special when the author is also the narrator. I am most definitely a fan of Mr Smitherd and that dreaded day when I read something of his that is not as good as, if not better than his previous stuff is a long, long way off I think!

This man can write.

I have devoured all of Lukes work. The book is brilliant. His second short stories, two of which I want, yes, want to hear more from.
I ended up going to bed far to late, as I could not turn the darn book off.
Each Story well thought out and written. I was very pleased when I discovered Luke narrated the book Don't get the man big headed :) but he is very good, and you never know exactly what your gonna read. Brilliant.

Brilliant and disturbing

Brilliant - I loved these stories. Each individually crafted into a perfect little nugget of story.

The Jesus Loophole disturbed me so much that I couldn't carry on with it for several months which was frustrating - but down to the writing being so good that I was properly terrified of what was coming next! And I suspect I have a slightly nervous disposition...!

But utterly brilliant - I really can't get enough of Luke Smitherd's writing. And I cannot recommend highly enough.

Gripping listen

Great listen, thought provoking intriguing stories with great plot twists. My first Luke Smitherd book-will definitely listen to more

One of the most interesting books I have read

The stories in this book were incredibly interesting and the ideas were fascinating to explore.

"Keep your family close" was my absolute favourite.