Oct 20, 2026
Great collection of stories.
At the time I read this, I had only read one novel from A.K. Frailey. But have intended to read more of them, and even have a few on my device ready to go. I have enjoyed many of the stories and reflections she has shared links to via social media, and greatly enjoyed them. Last year when I found out she had released It Might Have Been: And Other Stories and a collection of reflections, Heart Beats: Spiritual Being Human Journey. I immediately picked up both. I loved both of them. When I found out she had a new collection out, this volume, I grabbed it immediately and started reading it that day. The short stories in this volume are: Rain from a Cloudless Sky – Old Earth Mirror Image – Old Earth The Human Question – Planet Lux Horizon Line – 34 years After Old Earth Enemy Self Dedication – Newearth Invasion – Newearth I Never Had A Son – Planet Lux Alicina’s Journal – Newearth Year 25 Eldars – My Father’s Vision – Planet Crestar Life of Gorth – Ingilium Lugg the Mighty and the Oskilth Civil War – Planet Crestar Omega’s Homecoming – Mystery Planet Omega’s Creation – Mystery Planet Hope’s Embrace: A Bhuaci Poem – Planet Helm Save Our People From Despair – Planet Helm This Devil Doesn’t Lie – Newearth From Machine to Man – Newearth Off-World Faith – Newearth Romantic Reality – Newearth Trust Me – Newearth Never Forget – Planet Sectine II Mirage – Mystery Planet Mirage-Reborn – Newearth Mirage-Reborn – We Are LuKan – Mirage Reborn A New Life for Lucius Pollex – Space Alliance Grace Nelson’s Murder – Newearth Vera’s Wigs – Newearth Jeremy Quinn – Bothmal Prison Xavier Pax’s Illusion – Newearth Spaceship Docks Yelsa’s Choice – Newearth Jazzmarie – Spaceship Merrimack Riko’s Uncle Clem – Newearth Common Destiny – Newearth Now I See – Old Earth Out Last The Ages – Old Earth They Might Be Right – Old Earth Live – Old Earth Impossible Beings – Old Earth The Great Wall – Old Earth We Would Cry – Old Earth Of Gods and Men – Old Earth That’s What Turns Heads – Old Earth The Play Is The Thing – Old Earth A Fresh Thought – Old Earth Speck in the Universe – Old Earth Live With That – Old Earth A Tie That Can’t be Broken – Old Earth The novella is: To Make a Difference Some of the characters and places in this collection are familiar from other works of Frailey’s that I have read. So in part it was like a visit with old friends. This collection is just shy of 400 pages of masterfully written stories. It is immensely entertaining. After reading this collection I need to bump her unread novels way up in my ‘to be read pile’. I would need to read the collection again in order to pick a favorite story. There were so many great ones in the collection. Again while reading this collection I also thought about J.F. Powers, Powers was a master of short fiction. In his lifetime of work, he published 2 novels, and 5 collections of short stories. But both novels had multiple chapters that had been previous published as shorter fiction. I would love to see some of these pieces resurrected into a larger work. And know that I need to read the entire canon of Frailey’s fiction to put all the different stories into place. This is a great collection of short fiction. I only wish there was an index, or table of contents, but other than that it is another excellent collection, that I highly recommend. Check it out I am certain you will not be disappointed.
