Tales from Another Dimension
How will HG Wells react when he awakes 200 years in the future on a strange planet, faced with a terrible truth?
Two young brothers make a frightening discovery about their neighbours. Do robots secretly want to rule us all? A scientist goes to the extreme in order to change the future of mankind. But is it possible to change our destiny?
Tales From Another Dimension is a strange and fantastical collection of 10 short stories by Oban-born author Robbie Sheerin, whose new book 'invokes frightening twists and turns with each story'.
'Travel to other dimensions and meet strange characters – sometimes human, and at times not so human. They will make you question the solidity of the Earth and mankind. Explore prejudice, fear, imagination, kindness, empathy, and human frailty.'
Robbie was a pupil of Oban High School between 19931997, and was active with the local basketball club. After leaving school he owned his own window-cleaning business in Oban, with customers including The Royal Hotel, Oban Fish and and Chip Shop, The Dungallen House Hotel, as well as various homes in the Oban area. He moved to the United States in 2003, but still has family living in Oban.
'Growing up in the busy town of Oban was fun and spawned some of my fondest memories,' he said. 'Looking out into the bay from McCaig’s Tower and seeing Lismore, Kerrera, and Mull was like seeing strange planets floating in the expanse of space. Each had secrets and mysteries hidden within their deep history. It certainly had an impact on my imagination.'
The book is available on Amazon and Apple Books, and find out more on Robbie's website www.talesfromanotherdimension.com
Excerpt
'The wind howled, and rain lashed against the metal roof. Raj looked up at the roof, hoping it wasn’t going to rip open. The heavens opened and unleashed a deluge, the rain pounded on the roof like thousands of little rubber hammers trying to get inside. The thought of running back to the main building worried Raj a little. His wet fingers fumbled on the buttons of his jacket while he prepared to face the daunting storm.
'He swung open the door to greet a vast array of puddles and streams rushing into rivers he’d have to ford. The door slammed behind him.
'He bolted for the main building, key card in hand, until he opened the door and rushed inside.
'Raj sighed, relieved to be safe from the rain and wind, never mind the erratic thunder and lightning—until a sudden rumble shook the building. A huge bolt of lightning struck the roof. Everything went black as Raj tumbled to the floor. He lay in the dark as another rumble of thunder hammered the skies outside. He could feel the power vibrate through his chest and covered
his ears in hopes of blocking out the nightmarish sounds.
'After a few moments, Raj stirred and tried to peer into the darkness, but it was in vain. His eyes had not adjusted and he could not see a thing. He scrambled for his flashlight, but then had a sinking feeling as he realised he had left it in the generator building.
'He wondered why the generator had not been activated since power was lost from the main grid. He sat encompassed by darkness, his sight gone but replaced with heightened hearing. Even through the noise of the rain lashing against the roof, he heard the small motors and servos whirling and whining with each of the robots’ movements.
'Then he saw the small, blue glowing lights of their eyes.
'Something was wrong. When power failed, they were preprogrammed to shut down and enter sleep mode. Instead, they had gathered and were standing in a group. Raj began to feel a little afraid, trapped with one hundred robots that were not following their programming protocols. Maybe the lightning had created a power surge causing a magnetic field that possibly had a negative – even dangerous – effect on the positronic brains of the robots.
'He needed to find another flashlight and return to the generator building to restore power.'