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 at Amazon and Lulu.com
- Hardcover exclusively at Lulu.com
- Download for FREE! at Lulu.com
… or read on for more information.
News
The latest news about First Lies, as reported in my weblog:
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
There are several places to read preview of the book:
- See the cover in better detail at Amazon (and another preview coming soon).
- Preview the first section of the book at Lulu.com.
- Read The Monument at Lit.org.
- Read the whole book in a sleek interface at Scribd, even embed it on your own site, if you want.
Edition Information
Third Edition
This, the current edition of First Lies, should be the final edition. This edition features a beautiful new cover in the Provocative Press signature style, and it for the first time incorporates the Behind The Lies section. The publishing arrangement of Provocative Press allows it to be available in a variety of formats and locations.
Trade Paperback (ISBN: 978-0-9713697-0-2)
Most who want a physical copy of the book will want the trade paperback, currently available through Lulu.com and Amazon.
Casewrap Hardcover (ISBN: 978-0-9713697-1-9)
For those libraries demanding a sturdy volume, First Lies is available in a beautiful casewrap hardcover edition, exclusively available through Lulu.com.
E-book (No ISBN) — FREE!
The PDF e-book of First Lies, an exact copy of the trade paperback and casewrap hardcover editions, is now available as a FREE download, distributed through Lulu.com (no registration required).
Second Edition (trade paperback, no ISBN)
The second print edition of First Lies was a little bigger and a little nicer than the first edition, and it sold for significantly less. It briefly available at Lulu.com in both trade paperback and e-book editions. It is no longer available through official channels, and no copies are likely to ever turn up.
First Edition (trade paperback, ISBN: 1-58898-318-8 )
The first edition of First Lies was produced as an experiment to test the feasibility of online publishing. Unfortunately, the experiment yielded mixed results. It certainly was possible to print and sell books online. Getting paid, however, was another matter. A small quantity of the first edition (most signed!) are in circulation from time to time, but none are available through official channels at the moment.
