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About Love Stories

Short Fiction Collection

Love Stories

Love Stories, a collection of seven previously published and five previously unpublished short stories. Available now

What is love? What can love drive us to do?

In these stories, love pushes us to revenge, to reach beyond the boundaries of life and death. To rescue a family member. To fight the good fight without even knowing it, or to risk everyone and everything to save someone who may or may not be worthy. To make the wrong decisions and walk into hell. To transcend who we are.

Love can make us both the best and worst versions of ourselves.

Reviews

Love Stories

Editorial Reviews:

“With LOVE STORIES, author Katherine Villyard marries her vast intellect and riveting imagination in a short-story collection of speculative fiction that shines with straightforward yet elegant prose.”
IndieReader

“Others explore, with wit and style, connections between technology and humans, and medical advances that allow people to wipe their minds or experience full body transplants. One science-fiction story in the classic mode turns on vastly different perspectives of an interaction between a human and an alien. While the mode, subjects, and lengths of Villyard’s stories vary, possibly too much for readers who prefer their genres fully differentiated, the collection offers a welcome reminder of the diversity of contemporary speculative fiction, while showcasing Villyard’s talent for character, memorable ideas, and surprises that reveal theme and complicate expectations.”

Booklife

“An imaginative collection that puts a modern spin on beloved fairy tales and myths.”

Kirkus Reviews

Reader reviews:

I thoroughly enjoyed how diverse and unpredictable all the stories were, most especially the endings – not a cliffhanger but leaves the reader with a yearning for just a little bit more.

One key thing to also appreciate is the lessons ( if one thinks deeply and critically ) from the stories on how our society operates, the future of AI, and also the reality of people with disabilities.

From aliens, witches, wizards, time travelers, AI – all the stories had a unique perspective and edge that was way out of the ordinary, I read this book in less than 3 hours after a hectic day at work. It was a such needed break from reality that I throughly enjoyed.
–Dennis Ogbeide on Goodreads

“Love Stories” is such a work that makes me understand why so many of today’s “classic novels” originated in newspapers, one chapter or short section at a time, which then evolved into ‘finished novels’ as popular titles were collected and published upon reader demand. While not every reader may engage emotionally with every story offered, many are sure to find something which demands a ‘fuller’ or longer telling of the story, more details, etc.

–D M on Goodreads

Katherine Villyard has an easy-to-read writing style and a unique imagination that kept me eager to discover the always unexpected endings of her stories. I found myself feeling emotionally affected by most of them. From androids to mermaids to wizards, these dozen stories cover a broad range of situations that show the many ways love can exist.

–Clifford Seely on Amazon

This anthology is a quick and entertaining read. Villyard shows her love of classical mythology by blending into several genres, including urban fantasy and far-future science fiction. Villyard also demonstrates a deep understanding of the world of technology companies, which comes in handy in several stories. I would definitely recommend checking this out.
–Matthew W. Quinn on Amazon

This is a great collection of devotional tales if you have time for a quick ‘snack’ on a lunch break, the bus ride home, or if you don’t have the concentration power to read a full one-thread novel.

–D M on Goodreads

Table of Contents:

  •  “Book of Shadows”
  • “Grandfather Paradox”
  • “In Sickness and in Health”
  • “In the Water”
  • “La Divina Commedia”
  • “The Last Wasicu”
  • “Minotaur”
  • “Ondine’s Curse”
  • “Saving Alan Idle”
  • “Toads and Roses”
  • “Transplant”
  • “Underworld”

Praise for the individual stories:

I instantly fell in love with this story, right about where I heard “He remembered sneaking out via lynx and curl to read Eileen’s blog,” because that’s when I punched the air and said “Haha! Linux-based AI!”

— Max e^{i pi} on the Escape Pod forums (on “Saving Alan Idle”)

What a wonderful short story… from the first to the last word it had me captivated!!!!
–Stephen on Goodreads (on “Saving Alan Idle”)

Like others, I really enjoyed the character of Alan. Great voice, interesting situation, interesting views on life outside. I especially liked his distrust/disdain for physical bodies because so often in AI stories all the AI wants is to have a physical body of his own. So this opposite desire was refreshing for me.

–Cutter McKay on the Escape Pod forums (on “Saving Alan Idle”)

Not sure that I liked the story, but I think it’s one that will remain with me..
–Statisticus on the Escape Pod forums (on “Grandfather Paradox”)

 

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Villyard’s artfully composed stories flow and, stylistically, her prose is vivid yet straightforward. Readers can dive astounded into her imaginative worlds in tales replete with surprising plot twists and endings. Both her fantastical and human characters are compelling and authentic. They reach out to grab the reader with intriguing thoughts, and dialogue that is genuine, never stereotypical, avoiding the genre’s tropes.

– INDIEREADER

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