TED'S TALES THREE by a bunch of tentacles rather than legs.” What their actions might mean for humanity’s future is an unanswered question. In “Cured,” a narrator with a rare blood type is the subject of a future, experimental plague treatment from helpful extraterrestrials with unforeseen side effects. In “Treestones,” a virtuous young pioneer\u002Dsettler couple in the 1880s do a good turn to a Kiowa shaman, who rewards them with practically eternal life. However, the couple must deal with the fallout of remaining conspicuously unchanged. The more earthbound stories include “The Bread Problem,” in which a young Italian American proudly takes charge of the family bread\u002Dbaking business but resorts to extreme measures when faced with a mob shakedown. A similar gangland background appears in “Funny You Should Ask,” in which a former wise guy thinks, mistakenly, that he’s gotten out of the syndicate without repercussions. The narrator of “From Head to Toe,” meanwhile, escapes dire peril on a wilderness hike but is exhilarated, not traumatized, by the experience. “Making a Difference” follows the routine of a military sniper who’s recruited for the war on drugs. Not all the tales feature such deadly dramatics\u003B the protagonist of “Wound Up,” for instance, gains self\u002Dconfidence by being thrust into the unplanned role of opening for a rock band who’s late in setting up. The author calls his oeuvre “books to read before bed for grownups” though not in the bawdy sense, but rather in the notion of uncomplicated, nongraphic, plainspoken narratives that wrap up in a minimum of pages. A few of the pieces, such as “Test Day” and “Red Hot,” intriguingly have the mien of the story genre known as the conte cruel, in which nasty conclusions await main characters who don’t really seem to deserve such terrible fates. However, most of these stories in this collection don’t seem to aspire to O. Henry\u002Dstyle head\u002Dspinning twists\u003B indeed, many of them bring down the curtain as early as possible, at the point at which the reader realizes what the plot is. In the stories in the horror/SF/fantasy vein, Delgrosso most recalls an unsung and prolific short\u002Dstory master of yesteryear: William Sambrot, who was anthologized only once, in 1963’s Island of Fear and Other Science Fiction Stories, but is worth seeking out. Other works feel like flash fiction—workshop\u002Ddeveloped, bite\u002Dsized pieces—and they generally come across as the types of tale that used to fill up fiction pages when popular family magazines like The Saturday Evening Post were newsstand mainstays." - Review & Purchase Guide | BookBookOwl

Name: TED'S TALES THREE
Availability: InStock
Rating: 5 (1 reviews)
ISBN: 9781327004

Our Review

This collection of short fiction delivers a satisfying variety of speculative and contemporary tales, from alien encounters and magical curses to gritty mob dramas and wilderness survival. The stories are designed as "books to read before bed for grownups," offering uncomplicated, plainspoken narratives that wrap up neatly without graphic content, making them ideal for a quick, engaging read. Readers will find themselves transported from the 1880s frontier in "Treestones" to a modern rock concert stage in "Wound Up," with each story establishing its premise and conflict with admirable efficiency.

What makes this compilation distinctive is its range, blending science fiction and horror with more earthbound character studies, often recalling the concise, punchy style of classic magazine fiction. While a few tales lean into the conte cruel genre with nasty conclusions for their protagonists, most resolve as soon as the central idea is clear, providing intellectual satisfaction without unnecessary length. Adult readers seeking thoughtful, bite-sized fiction that sparks the imagination without demanding a major time commitment will find this collection a perfect match for their nightly reading ritual.

TED'S TALES THREE

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