Book Review: A Little Short For An Alien

A Little Short For An Alien

By:  Frances Pauli

Publisher:  Smashwords

Publish Date:  August 16, 2012

Format:  eBook, 70pgs

Genre:  Science Fiction

Series:  Stand-alone

Recommendation:  For a few quick fun space reads, yes.

Book Synopsis:
Six inter-galactic short stories from author, Frances Pauli.

From The Fobidden Zone to the Alien-Human relations department, these short, alien-infested romps explore encounters with a diversity of imagined species, scenarios, and space disasters.

Join Dylan Lowwater, lackluster employee at Space Station H22-J231, Jo Lorey, wayward musician despersate to communicate with a threatened race, and Lieutenant Commander Roe, just plain desperate, as they struggle against out-of-this-world obstacles.

In a universe overflowing with tentacles and glow gin, sometimes adventure is easier to find than a date.

Purchase At:

Amazon ~ Kindle   /   Barnes & Nobles ~ Nook   /   Smashwords

My Thoughts and Summary:
Braided
8pgs
Lieutenant Commander Roe is stuck, really actually stuck, and kind of embarrassed about it.  One of his braids got caught when the automatic door closed.  He does his best to cover the fact, waiting for his help to show.  Meanwhile the Commander Diela, whom Roe finds hot, shows and while talking of lasers flirts with Roe.  But with out taking his promotion, meaning he had to cut his hair to get placed, she won't date him, even though she wants to.  Her standards, dating up the ladder.

Ha ha!  I enjoyed this one.  Great story to start off with.  I think this is one of my favorites in these short stories.

How can braids, space jelly-fish, lasers and promotions all be related.  It's well done here.  Unique space creatures and a quick story.

Escape from Damas Prime
9pgs
Rook is visiting his brother Tool, who just got the approval to breed with his wife.  Rook then mentions he has a meeting with a Progressive Thinker, or as Tool calls him a radical.  Even though it took a progressive thinker to climb out of the slime and take a host, Tool still worries over these thinkers and Rook's involvement.

There is an interesting life span and breeding ways for this race.  They remind me of tools as they talk, machines more than flesh and blood beings.  This is interesting with the race stuck on a planet and one leaving, against council, to see if the rest of the galaxy hates their kind or not.  To prove or disprove the council and move to the next phase of possible uprising.

This one left me wondering about Rook's adventures to come.

Sector Seven
6pgs
Dylan's stuck on the boring midnight shift.  Who will come to be drug tested at this hour?  Then an eight foot tall Ursine comes in.  A huge black and white bear creature.  When she falls to the floor and her belly moves, he realizes what's happening.

This evening at work for Dylan is about to get disrupted, yet he might like the change, or not.  This is a classic story, but still so fun to read when related to aliens.

A Brief Interruption
4pgs
Captain Jules is interrupted from his game by Dot, his ship computer.  The only time she's aloud to interrupt...when the ships attacked.

I enjoy a good banter between a living person and an AI, when done right and this one is.  It almost makes Dot seem to have a personality with Jules banter back.  I really did enjoy this story, and the humor here.

This one as well is one of my favorites here!

Tri-copier 6000OT
9pgs
We are back with Dylan at Alien-Human Relations Department.  Mail has come, but it's for another floor and department.  There's a new scanning machine, Tri-copier 6000OT and Dylan has a new kid working in the building with him.  When the kid leaves to his job Dylan goes through the mail left for medical.  What he finds will set him on a chase.

I laughed at the visual of this poor man when a medical woman finally appeared, the first time.  This was a fun read with Dylan.  This poor man never has a dull moment on his night shift.  With Alien-Human Relations, you just never know...

This man always thinks the night shift will be peaceful and quiet. ha ha!

Alien Embrace
30pgs
Miss Lorey is called here to help, yet she has no scientific background and is a musician.  She doesn't know how or why she can help.  She is needed to try and communicate with a recently found species on the planet that's being mined for its valuable ore.

This alien has a fey feel or draw to it for me.  This species could be in danger with just being found on a planet with an ore that is valuable to others.  The creatures seem to communicate through music, and Miss Lorey is known to be the best, along with a few other traits that work to their cause.  I'm curious and wonder if they and Jo will ever show up again. Here on this planet or somewhere else.

This one was the longest of the stories, and I really liked this creation.  A great ending to a fun space short story set.


I enjoyed all these reads for the fun they are.  This is one I would say if you want to kick back and enjoy fun space reads.  Do pick this one up, then just relax.



***I read this book for my own enjoyment.
***The review is of my personal thoughts as I was reading.