Deceptive Visions

By Daniel McMillan

3 Stories by exciting new science fiction storyteller Daniel McMillan, author of Eve of Ascension, that remind us: DON'T BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU SEE...

 

Sanctuary -After Mary Russell has her ingenious proposal rejected by the tech company she works for, she decides to move on and create her vision without them. In realizing her life's ambition, everything else in her world is torn apart. She should have been more careful what she wished for.

 

Komodo -A battle hardened Galactic war veteran whose reason for living has been taken from him faces off against impossible odds. He could be reunited with his dead wife sooner than he thinks.

 

The Mantle -An anonymous, mysterious hero from a desolate future passes down what he has learned to the next generation of saviors, a boy he encountered while responding to a "calling". What he doesn't know about his powerful young student surely couldn't hurt him, right?

 

These twisted tales will have you questioning your own vision! 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Vector11Studio
• Release date: Jul 23, 2019
• ISBN: 9781099508080

Daniel McMillan

Daniel McMillan is the author of several Science Fiction novels and collaborative titles in other genres, many of which have become Amazon Bestsellers. He is a prolific writer and avid self-motivator.  Daniel doesn’t do things in small measure: he speaks multiple languages, plays several instruments and expresses his creativity through drawing, painting, sculpture and music. He started studying science - focusing on physics - and spirituality at age 11 and was curious about the overlap in these disparate areas of study. Sci-Fi is his go-to, but he isn’t one to limit himself and enjoys exploring writing in multiple genres. Dan is married to Tahera Yeasmin, inarguably one of his greatest accomplishments to date. Visit https://books2read.com/rl/danielmcmillan/  to learn more.

Book preview

Introduction

EACH OF THE STORIES contained herein represents a completely different state of mind for me when they played themselves out in my head, prompting a thoroughly divergent way of telling each. They were conceived in three unrelated ways and written in isolation from one another-separate in every conceivable fashion.

So, what follows are three very distinct journeys of the imagination. You may want to stop and give your head a shake after finishing one before you move on to the next!

I’ve always enjoyed unpredictability. Not the ridiculous Scooby Doo kind where all the facts are revealed after the point, but the type where developments, sequentially and over time, can lead to an outcome very disparate from the originally assumed destination. I like not knowing what’s going to happen next.

Although I will agree that there is a certain amount of comfort that comes from a safely told, predictable storyline, I think we all find ourselves much more engrossed in tales where unforeseen things happen. For the cerebrally adventurous among us, it’s the ‘not knowing’ that drives us forward and stimulates us to enjoy a story more profoundly.

Even when we hear a new piece of music, it catches our attention when something unexpected is included - an interesting bridge or lyric for example - and it just somehow works and increases the enjoyment of the whole. We like to be caught off guard and pleasantly surprised in the process.

Without setting that as a goal when I wrote these, I always try to ensure that the reader will be taken somewhere they did not expect to be while maintaining the integrity of the story. Hence the name of this collection.

Sanctuary came from a picture of an old garage, prompting me to wonder what could be going on inside. I wanted to contrast the simple and unassuming exterior of the small building to the significant happenings within it.

Komodo is written from the protagonist’s point of view and in his voice. I wanted to juxtapose science fiction with a backwoodsy kind of character - like rednecks in space - and Komodo is the result of that. What if there was a moonshine-running family who lived on a distant planet?

The Mantle came to me in a different way altogether, and the story begged to be told in yet another manner. It is darker than either of the preceding stories and helps to punctuate that things are not always what they seem.

All three narratives twist initial appearances into something other than what is expected. That is the common thread that unites the tales in this volume.

So, DON’T BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU SEE. Not while you’re in these fictional worlds, and certainly not while you’re out in the day-to-day world!

You never know what outcomes await you or where your story is leading you. That’s what makes life interesting.

Enjoy!

Daniel McMillan

Sanctuary

DON’T FORGET YOUR PACKAGE, Mary, Olivia said as she shut down her computer, anticipating a quiet walk home after a lengthy day of staring at its screen.

I won’t, Mary reassured, patting the parcel on her desk. I wouldn’t leave this here.

You’ve turned into a real shopaholic there, young lady, Olivia snickered. I thought I was big into retail therapy, but I’ve gotta hand it to you. You’re the reigning queen.

Mary Russell laughed as she put her arm through her purse straps and scooped the box from her cluttered workspace. Well, I do love this stuff.

Mary wasn’t joking. The contents of the parcel meant more to her than anything, including attention from Olivia, perhaps the most favoured among all the computer experts at Essence Computers, Inc.

Eight months ago, she would have greedily embraced Olivia’s acknowledgement of her existence, but her life had transformed since then. Mary was glad for the spirited dialogue from her colleague, but she thought maybe the delicate, pretty blonde was more apt to talk to her at this moment because her arms were full and she was in a rush to leave. Murphy’s law.

She had more interesting matters to take care of now than to covet the attractive woman’s morsel of praise. Mary thanked her when Olivia bid her good night, but did not return the sentiment as she left her workstation.

Mary bore the parcel with both hands to the coatroom, set it gently on a bench, and threw her handbag next to it before slipping on her light brown jacket. She checked her pocket for her keys, ensured that she still had the key card clipped to the simple leather belt that divided her white top from her tan skirt, and then gathered her things once more.

The plain-faced, thirty-something computer hardware and software specialist bustled to the elevator and smiled at well-wishers, careful not to engage anyone in exchanges of pleasantries that might slow her down. Riding to the main lobby, she chatted with an IT guy, but only because it was more awkward not to while the lift delivered them to the first floor. As soon as the doors opened, she said Bye, cutting him off