T.F. Torrey's Things Worth Reading: First Lies

First Lies, an anthology by T.F. Torrey

Short stories better left unread

In the beginning, there were First Lies

In the beginning, as in many beginnings, there were deals with the Devil, attacks by unlikely demons, ghost dogs, strange things in a cemetery, long walks home, true love and true hate and true ambivalence. Hack Hammond fought Indestructum for his girlfriend and the world. Denis Grey took A Walk Down Main Street sometime after Clinton Irving vowed there would be No More Lonely Knights. Angela found quite a reason to Make It Big. Caspar Thomas should have thought things through before Four Hours, and Conrad Warner should have seen it coming in Dog Days. And everyone just stared at The Monument. In the beginning, there were First Lies: early short stories by T.F. Torrey.

Some of these stories have appeared in minor publications both on- and off-line. Though early work and rough, many of the tales here are genuinely good. Others are decent, but several are truly drivel. Read at your own caution.

Whether these stories are truly worth reading is surely debatable, but no collection of the work of T.F. Torrey would be complete without them.

Get It Now

The publishing arrangement of Provocative Press allows it to be available in a variety of formats and locations. Get it now from these fine sources …

Trade Paperback: Available best signed from the Author Direct, but also available (unsigned) in the U.S. through Amazon and worldwide through Lulu.
Hardcover: Exclusively at Lulu.
PDF E-Book: Now available as a FREE download, distributed through Lulu (no registration required). What are you waiting for?!

… or read on for more information.

Author’s Note

These stories tell a lot about me, if you know where to look. Working on this collection has put me in touch with the person I used to be, the person I probably still am, under it all. Looking at these stories now, it is amazing to me how many of them have a religious theme. I wasn’t aware that I was that kind of person. Many of these stories also deal with morbid themes of destruction and death, and I was aware that I was that kind of person.

First Lies, as a collection, profiles my early literary development. Entertainment without a plot progresses from the bleakness of Fear through the dark wonder of The Monument to the stark sadness of Keen Message. The metaphysical constructs of Empathy coalesce through the misty ghost of Shecky into the haunting possibility of No More Lonely Knights. High adventure grows from the wild ride of Blood and Gore through the concise drama of The Deal to the snap-flash powerhouse of Indestructum. The stories of First Lies foreshadow the elements and style of my later writings.

Previews and More

Like to read before you buy? You're in the right place with this book. Little by little, all the stories are finding their way online. Enjoy.

Indestructum: A fun story of when Hack saved the world.
No More Lonely Knights: A dark story exploring a question of souls, and mates.
Shecky: Denis Grey and his dog, and hope.
Ninety-Two Percent Water: Perhaps the most requested story from the book.
The Monument: It's been called beautiful and haunting.
Behind The Lies: The stories behind the stories.
Editions: Information about the various incarnations of First Lies.