My Kyrosmagica Review of Glimpses by Hugh. W Roberts

http://hyperurl.co/42ou22

Goodreads Synopsis:

After publishing some of his short stories on his blog, Hugh W. Roberts, who suffers from dyslexia, received numerous requests to publish his short stories in a book.

Here, at last, are 28 short stories that will take your mind on a rollercoaster of a ride into worlds that conceal unexpected twists and turns.

‘Glimpses’ allows the reader a peek into the lives of everyday people who are about to have life lead them on an unpredicted path. From a mysterious deadly iPad app, to a hole in the fence that is not all it seems, to a strange lipstick that appears to have a life of its own, you will encounter terror, laughter, sadness, shock and many other emotions on journeys which promise a thrilling and gripping climax.

If you are a lover of shows such as ‘The Twilight Zone’ and ‘Tales Of The Unexpected’, then you’re in for a real treat with this first collection of short stories from Hugh.

Dare you take a glimpse into the lives of these unsuspecting characters?

“If you’re looking for a thoroughly entertaining read, Glimpses is the book for you. Each story has been cleverly crafted; through Hugh’s wonderful imagination, he has the ability to whisk you away to many different worlds, past, present and future. Every story makes a compelling read and just when you think you know what’s going to happen next, Hugh masterfully reveals a brilliant twist. With bite-size and longer stories, Glimpses is a must-read. I loved it.” – Esther Newton, Writer, and Author.

My review:

Welcome, this is my first review of 2017. Happy New Year!!! Happy Reading!!!

This is undoubtedly an excellent collection of short stories from Hugh W. Roberts.

In my opinion, short stories are so difficult to write as the author has to encapsulate so much into such a rigid format and end on an engaging twist too.  Hugh effortlessly manages to introduce us to such a wide range of well-crafted stories, encompassing several genres, ranging from Science Fiction, Supernatural, Thriller, Drama, Humour, LGBT, to Horror, with something for everyone in this entertaining compilation.

When Hugh jokingly remarked that his horror stories might give me nightmares I really didn’t believe that this kind-hearted chap could write that scary a horror story, but I was so wrong!!!!  The particular one that stays in my mind the most is undoubtedly Needles, which definitely made me wince a lot and with a title like that it’s no wonder! Other favourites of mine in the horror category are The Easter Bunny,  The Gingerbread House, and Lipstick. You can see I do like to read horror! I also have a soft spot for The Cake Decorator, (Thriller) and The Last Train to Aldwych (Ghost). Every single story in the compilation is a little nugget of imagination. Hugh may be dyslexic but he certainly has no difficulty on the imagination score! His powers of imagination and creativity are first class. Often dyslexic people are amazingly talented, and Hugh certainly is.


My advice:

Glimpses is highly recommended for all short story enthusiasts. Go get a copy!!

My rating:

4 stars.

Competition Time….

To celebrate the launch of Glimpses Hugh is offering six wonderful Amazon gift prizes. Follow the link here to find out more: Hughs Views and News Competition

Do check out his most recent post about this as Hugh has kindly given us a clue!

A clue from Hugh – Glimpses Competition

Please do support Hugh and buy a copy of his book, and if you could share a review even better…

DISCLAIMER: “We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.”  

My opinions are my own and any reviews on this site have not been swayed or altered in any way by monetary compensation, or by the offer of a free book in exchange for a review. 

Amazon buying link:

Universal buying link for Glimpseshttp://hyperurl.co/42ou22

I recently interviewed Hugh on Kyrosmagica. Here’s the link:

Hugh W. Roberts Awesome Author Interview

Have you read Glimpses? Do leave a comment below and let me know…

Soon I will be reviewing Ruth Hatfield’s The Colour of Darkness, the second book in the Book of Storms Trilogy, so keep a look out for that.

Bye for now, back to my books…

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Glimpses

Monday Blog: A Visual Taster – Edinburgh International Festival

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This Monday I am taking part in Rachel Thompson#MondayBlogs  http://badredheadmedia.com/mondayblogs/

This is a continuation of an idea that I began on May 6th, which featured Deacon House Café, a great place to stop for a coffee before buying your tickets for shows.

Every August I head up to Edinburgh for The Edinburgh International Festival and Fringe. I just love all the craziness that seems to accompany the city at this time of year. So I thought I’d share with you some of my photos from last year’s festival  to put you in the mood for attending this year, or if you live too far away, here’s a little taster for you to enjoy!

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Fancy a bit of robot fun?

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Look, you can even get your photo taken with him.

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Or maybe you’d rather be plastered in a pile of leaflets? That’s one way to get much needed attention! Hope this hard working young man’s work contract includes a tea break, and the odd toilet stop, poor chap.  Charlie Chaplin’s smiling down on everyone, he’s ok, he’s got top billing.

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If all else fails, wear black, collapse onto the road and stay there, just hope and pray that nobody trips on you as they go pass! Luckily this is a pedestrianized area, no cars, lorries, or buses, thank heavens. The lengths that these performers will go to in order to get their show noticed.

Have you been to The Edinburgh International Festival? Have you performed there? Do let me know I’d love to hear your stories.

Deacon House Café: Edinburgh International Festival

 

 

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I always enjoy travelling up to Edinburgh in the bonnie month of August for the Edinburgh International Festival. There is so much going on, there are so many shows to see, dance acts to watch, comedians to listen to, as well as an abundance of street performers.  The city is heaving with excitement and drama. I love it.

So with that in mind I thought I would do a sequence of posts to get you in the mood for the forthcoming Festival, here is my first of these featuring my photographs of Deacons House Café, which is a short walk from The Festival Fringe Box office.

The guy below isn’t one of the merry troupe of actors taking part, he is guarding Brodie’s Close. This is most definitely a spot to stop by. Deacon Brodie was a respected cabinetmaker by day, but he was also a thief by night, and he and his friend and co-crook Smith were hanged at the Tolbooth Prison in the High Street on 1 October 1788, before a crowd of 40,000.

I stumbled upon this quaint coffee house, Deacon House café, 3 Brodie’s Close, 304 Lawnmarket, Royal Mile, Edinburgh on my way to pick up tickets for some Festival shows. It is in the very hub of Festival land within short walking distance of Edinburgh Castle, Waverley Station and George IV Bridge.

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The photo below is a bit blurry, so here’s what the plaque says: The ground floor of the café was once Deacon Brodie’s workshop. The vaulted ceiling in the kitchen dates back to 1420, and is one of the oldest ceilings in Edinburgh. This part of the building was the brew house for the Abbey which occupied this site. The Thistle Room upstairs was part of Deacon Brodie’s dwelling. The ornate ceiling dates from 1645. The room is still the meeting place of the Celtic Masonic Lodge. The extraordinary tale of Deacon Brodie, upright citizen by day, and burglar by night inspired Robert Louis Stevenson to write his macabre novel The Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mr Hyde. The story is depicted in our mural inside.

As you can see they serve a wide variety of yummy food, this is a real gem of a find, well worth a visit, so don’t forget to stop by on your way to buy your tickets for shows!

 

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Here’s another view lit up with pretty lights:

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And a close up.

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Opposite the café, if you fancy anything a bit stronger, you can pop into Deacon Brodie’s Tavern, where they sell real ales. The Deacon Brodie Tavern is featured in Nicolson pubs of distinction, see the links below.

I’ll be doing some more on the Festival soon. I hope this little feature on Deacons House café  got you in the mood for exploring what Edinburgh has to offer this year, it certainly made me hungry for more…..

Links:
http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/edinburgh/pubguide/deaconbrodiestavern.html
http://www.nicholsonspubs.co

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Brodie.uk/

http://deaconshousecafe.foodplaces.co.uk/?photos=1