The First Ten Focus Group Feedback for Tales from the Aether: Extraordinary Tales of Dark Fiction, Dark Humor and Horror
Because Tales from the Aether was Book of the Day, some of our most trusted members have carefully looked over the cover, the description, and other aspects of this book as a part of purchase-intent focus group. We then asked each participant in the focus group if they planned to buy and read the book, and why they planned to buy and read the book or not. Their answer to that question and reasons are displayed below. We call this awesome feature The First Ten Focus Group.
Keep in mind, the responses from the members are not reviews. This is purchase-intent focus group which means the participants are people who have NOT yet bought or read your book. A purchase-intent focus group is an important and extremely useful marketing tool for any product, not just books. For other products, you might walk on the street and show people an item in a package and poll them about whether they would buy if or $X or not. These kind of focus groups are one of the ways big marketing companies find the ideal price points for products and test the effectiveness of different packaging. The focus group can help you identify your market so you how to target ads of your book, and it can (but may not) provide you new useful info about your "packaging" (e.g. your book cover, your book synopsis on Amazon, etc.). The point of the focus group comments is to give you information from people who have not bought or read your book about why they plan to buy your book which will help you in marketing the book. These are not reviews or critiques of your book because they are not from people have read the book. This is a marketing tool, not reviews. The trick of book marketing and book advertising is that you have to convince people who have not read your book yet that your book is worth buying and reading. For marketing, it doesn't matter much if people love your book after reading it if you cannot convince potential buyers before they read it that they will love it.
IMPORTANT: Any score over 10% is considered very good. And any score above 0% is acceptable. This is because we only poll about 20 or so readers, and all readers have to say "no" to almost all books. Over a million books are published each year. Even a very active reader cannot come close to even reading 1% of books out there.
This is also why publishing books is such a tough industry.
Vickie Noel
This book's cover reminds me of "Aladdin and the Genie" and would have made me sample the book outside the program. The fact that the title reveals the content of the book as dark fiction and horror has made me pause though. These are not aspects I enjoy reading about. While reading the sample, I was exposed to the author's wit and writing prowess in his use of rich vocabulary. I was floored. The suspense as Jay tried to figure out where he lay was palpable. I knew I'd be reading the book strictly for more expressive ways of describing situations when I read the sentence(s), "The air felt oppressive, strange smells assaulted his nostrils...Jay felt befuddled." However, I observed a lot of comma errors, one of which included omission of the said punctuation mark before a coordinating conjunction. "Today is Monday, New Year's Day and even though he had partied with his friends and imbibed liberally the night before, Jay distinctly remembered going to sleep in his own bed." There should be a comma after "New Year's Day." Grammatically, the book is well-edited, but I really do have an issue with the comma errors especially their absence after connective adverbs like "momentarily," "suddenly" and so on. This should be improved upon. I saw an OBC review which was enthusiastic but didn't influence my decision. My decision to read further is basically because of the author's sterling use of words to express emotions.
First Ten review added on May 4, 2020, at 5:00 am by Vickie Noel.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Ekta Kumari
The book is a collection of short stories that combine dark themes with humor. All stories are set around holidays of the year and portray strong emotions, such as fear, loss, foreboding, and love. I thought the book to be very interesting based on its review and would have sampled it as I was enticed by the concept. The thing I liked the most while sampling is the ominous feel in the narration. The very first story gripped my attention, and the author is quite successful at bringing out the themes of fear, suspense, and drama. As for the editing, I didn't find any errors and would rate the book as professionally edited. I did read an official review for this book. Lastly, I've decided to read the whole book as I thoroughly enjoyed the sample.
First Ten review added on May 4, 2020, at 4:50 am by Ekta Kumari.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Fu Zaila
The cover could have been better, and in my opinion, undermines the brilliance of the stories inside. The review was very encouraging, and the blurb was also interesting. The sample was very engaging. I loved reading the foreword and the first short story. Jay's unusual dream and the effect of it was psychologically and mentally profound and thrilling. It was strange to see Jay reverting back to make his room as dark as it was in the dream, but in a way, it made sense. His confusion regarding the current day when his friend called about the meeting, and Jay's fear and dread in his dream, were very cleverly presented. There wasn't anything to dislike, and the writing was clearly professionally edited. I was intrigued by the first story, so I would love to read further, even though I'm not a fan of anthologies.
First Ten review added on May 4, 2020, at 4:30 am by Fu Zaila.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Aditi Sapate
I probably wouldn't have chosen to read this book based on the title, cover and genre, as I don't usually read dark comedy books. The official OnlineBookClub review informed me that this book is actually a collection of short stories and not just one big story. While I was sampling the book, I read Jay's story of the dark new year and thought that it was short and crisp. However, I did not really see the meaning behind it, as I usually don't read these kind of books. I won't be reading the whole book, but I do think this book will be a refreshing read for people who read dark humour tales. The sample did not contain any grammatical errors.
First Ten review added on May 4, 2020, at 2:32 am by Aditi Sapate.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Annelore Trujillo
I would not have sampled this book based on the genre, blurb, OBC review, cover, and title. I didn’t think these short stories would be for me. This is the author’s second collection, and I wasn’t into the first collection. After reading the first ten pages, I won’t be finishing this book. The first story seemed kind of intriguing to me. Where was he and why couldn’t he find the floor? I kept wondering who was watching him and what would happen. Unfortunately, it ended super quickly without any type of resolution, which was disappointing. It wasn’t a cliffhanger type of ending that I could be on board with. It just ended. I also thought the stories had a little too dark of a theme for me. I did like the picture at the beginning. It did seem to be professionally edited.
First Ten review added on May 4, 2020, at 12:31 am by Annelore Trujillo.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Jeremie Mondejar
I sampled this book based on the program. I don't know what the word 'aether' means, I googled it, and the meaning is 'upper air.' The floating Gennie on the cover page gives me an idea that this book is a dark humor involving 'oxygen-related' plots. Jay's New Years darkness experience connects me with the title. It's quite freaking out lying in a floating bed in a complete darkness, thirsty and naked. The abrupt ending seems frustrating, but I understand the author's point of telling the Aether's tale. The OBC reviewer pointed out that this book is a collection of imaginative short stories, which I love to read, but the meaning of the title ruined my interest. I already guessed the rest of the story, it will be composed of 'oxygen-related' plot. Fortunately, I like the narrative, it is vivid and clear. It is well-written and flow smoothly, but I notice minor errors.
For improvements, I recommend another round of editing to polish some flaws. "Is there is someone else here with me?" The second 'is' must be omitted. The word 'considering' is one word (con- sidering on location 49% on Kindle).
First Ten review added on May 4, 2020, at 12:31 am by Jeremie Mondejar.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
SurroundedByBooks
I liked the cover. It gave me a sense of what the book was about as did the blurb. The distinctive picture of the genie makes the book stand out. The choice of title font is appealing too. I wouldn't have picked up this book normally because I don't like to read short stories. The official review is positive but it does highlight how dark these stories are. I thought the first story was fine but not for me, and so I won't be continuing with this book. From the review, I believe a lot of people will enjoy this book. It seems to be edited well.
First Ten review added on May 3, 2020, at 11:52 pm by SurroundedByBooks.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Scerakor
From the cover, blurb, and review of this book, I wouldn't have read it. Although the subject matter seems interesting, I'm not a big fan of short story compendium. After reading the first 10 pages, I didn't change my mind, and therefore will not be buying and reading the rest of this book. I did enjoy the intrigue the author shows the reader even from the first story. As the reader follows along as Jay tries to figure out where he is and what is going on, the reader gets more and more interested. That being said, short story books are not for me and this didn't seem interesting enough to pique my curiosity. The book seemed well written and edited and there wasn't anything I would have wanted to change from the sample I read. The official review didn't affect my decision at all.
First Ten review added on May 3, 2020, at 10:21 pm by Scerakor.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Jsovermyer
The cover art and title, Tales from the Aether, are both very intriguing and made me excited to read the sample. This book is a collection of short stories filled with horror and dark humor. Each story is based around a holiday such as New Year's Day, Easter, and Halloween. The first story, "The Dark New Year", is about a man who wakes up on New Year's Day in a completely dark room. It is not his bedroom and he isn't sure where he is or how he got there. The story was frightening, and I was expecting something terrifying to happen. I was disappointed in the ending. The official reviewer liked the book snd gave it a high rating. I found no grammatical or spelling errors and believe it has been professionally edited. I didn't like the first story and will not be finishing this book.
First Ten review added on May 3, 2020, at 10:17 pm by Jsovermyer.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
DC Brown
Tales from the Aether is characterized by the author as dark fictional tales. The sample was just that, a rather odd tale of a man waking from a long night of drinking. Or was he?! From the cover art and the general description of the book, I don't think it's one I would pick up. The first tale made one think, what is reality? The second, about a mom and daughter who wanted to open a bed and breakfast, was not complete in the sample. It was not obvious where the story was heading, which is a good thing. The sample was well edited. After reading the sample, I did not change my mind about reading it. I do not enjoy dark stories or horror stories.
First Ten review added on May 3, 2020, at 9:57 pm by DC Brown.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
MsH2k
The book cover looks kind of creepy, and the subtitle told me enough to know that I probably wouldn’t be reading this book, but I may have read the blurb out of curiosity even if I had not been part of this program. Wow! The sample pages took off before I even got my seat belt fastened! The writing was engaging, and before I knew it, I had finished the first story. I felt like I was with Jay, experiencing the darkness in the room with a bed suspended in the air somewhere. Yep, it’s going to be creepy, and I will not buy the book because I don’t like dark themes, but I enjoyed experiencing the sample pages. I did not notice any grammatical errors in the sample pages, and I have no suggestions for improvement. The featured OnlineBookClub review was very good; it had no bearing on my decision not to read this book.
First Ten review added on May 3, 2020, at 6:36 pm by MsH2k.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Kaitlyn Canedy
The cover reminds me of the story of Aladdin but in a darker sense. Based on this assumption, I decided to give the sample a try. After reading it, I can say that I am giving it a pass. Dark humor is not my cup of tea, and it would make no sense to read a book that I cannot connect with. I can say that I enjoyed the creativity that the author used in his book, and those that enjoy dark humor will likely enjoy what the author has to offer. There are no notable grammatical errors in the sample that I could find. I cannot think of any improvements that the author can use in his book to make it any better. There is an Official OnlineBookClub review, and it confirmed what I had assumed from the sample. Because of this, it just solidified my decision to skip Tales from the Aether.
First Ten review added on May 3, 2020, at 4:14 pm by Kaitlyn Canedy.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Juliana_Isabella
I wouldn't have chosen this book because I don't usually read dark fiction, but the positive review convinced me to try it. I didn't find any grammatical errors in the first ten pages, and I was happy to find that the book wasn't so scary that I didn't want to finish it. Unfortunately, I found that the first story wasn't scary at all, and the ending was more of a letdown than anything. Because there was no suspense, I won't finish the book.
First Ten review added on May 3, 2020, at 3:03 pm by Juliana_Isabella.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
LeDiplomatique
I would have chosen Tales from the Aether by Matthew C. Woodruff based on the title and cover illustration because they piqued my interest. After sampling the first pages of the book, I was drawn into the first story, The Dark New Year because the author was creative in making it suspenseful and imaginative. The first story left me wondering what had happened to Jay in his unconscious moment. This is because it was apparent that his dark moment had not been 'just a dream' since he had a scar in the small of his back upon waking up. I will be reading the book due to its sense of humor. I did not come across any errors and did not see anything to improve because the author has utilized his literary aspects well. I most love that the stories are imaginatively construed. The first one left me wondering if Jay's pee moments had been real. I came across the official review by Adedayo+23 and I was amazed to learn that the author's understanding of the art of short stories shone through his entire book.
First Ten review added on May 3, 2020, at 11:13 am by LeDiplomatique.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
gen_g
Based on the cover and title, it seems like science fiction, due to the use of the word "aether". As I am not in the market for science fiction, I would not have sampled it. However, I have come across a positive review of this book. After sampling, there are a couple of errors present. In the Foreword (0% in the sample), the author introduced his first book title, but instead of an opening quotation mark marking the beginning of the title, it starts with a closing quotation mark: "...book, (')26 Absurdities...". I am unable to format opening and closing quotation marks here, so the mark in the bracket that I have put in in the quote above is the erroneous one that I am referring to. Also, at 6% in the sample, there is a missing comma to mark the introductory clause: "As soon as he woke(,) Jay felt...". I would suggest more editing. I appreciated the fact that the author included a short foreword before his stories. We learn that despite the heavy topics that his books usually cover/the heavy topics that his books tend to contain, he still tries his best to incorporate humour into his stories for the reader. Like in the first story titled "The Dark New Year", there was a bit of the dark and dramatic, as Jay realised from the moment that he woke up that something was wrong. In fact, he doesn't want to open his eyes because he feels that someone is here in his room due to the faint rustling sound he hears. The humour comes in when, personally for me, that his bladder decided to make itself known since he really had to use the toilet. However, I will not be purchasing the book today, as the errors are rather distracting for me; I will wait for an edited version, as I prefer a smooth reading experience.
First Ten review added on May 3, 2020, at 6:35 am by gen_g.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Alice Heritage
I don't often read horror, so I would have been unlikely to sample this book on my own. I was intrigued by the robust OBC review, though. I won't buy this today, however, because I have enough dark short stories to be going on with. Also, there was a bit of a disconnect between the narrator's voice and the characters' points of view. The editing seemed reasonably good, although I noticed two errors in the ten pages: "give into" should read "give in to" and "Some the mornings" should read "Some of the mornings". I liked the way the horror of the situations came across - the description of being trapped on a floating bed in the pitch darkness was suitably frightening. Phrases like "devoid of any clothing" pulled me out of the story because it's unlikely the character would think in these words - also his nakedness is mentioned later. So that could be improved. I also wondered if eyes would adjust to show something of surroundings even in pitch darkness, but I suppose the reveal at the end of the story sheds some "light" on that.
First Ten review added on May 3, 2020, at 5:28 am by Alice Heritage.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Lorraine De Vos
I would have chosen to sample this book based on morbid curiosity. The title is interesting and the cover sparks curiosity. The first ten pages were amazing, I loved the originality of the story and I was completely glued to the pages trying to figure out where Jay found himself in the darkness. The book does appear to be professionally edited. The official OnlineBookClub review was very well written and confirmed that I will be adding this book to my reading list. I have no recommendations for improvements.
First Ten review added on May 3, 2020, at 5:16 am by Lorraine De Vos.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Cristina Chifane
I absolutely love the cover, so I would have read this book even without the first ten program. I generally like reading short stories, but I'm not so fond of the horror genre. However, I think the author's dark humor mentioned by the OBC reviewer gives the short stories in this collection the original vein I'm looking for in a book. There are no editorial reviews and only 4 customer reviews; therefore, I solely decided to read the book based on the sample and the OBC reviewer's recommendation. The first story in the collection, "The Dark New Year", was a joy to read, especially because it made me feel Jay's growing tension and left me wondering what would happen next. In terms of editing, I noticed one extra "is" ("Is there (is) someone else here with me?" - 33% of Sample), one extra hyphen and a blank space in the middle of a word ("con- sidering" - 47% of Sample), and a missing preposition ("Some (of) the mornings she felt a small amount of energy [...]" - 88% of Sample). I like the open endings and the way the stories make you think. Apart from another round of proofreading and editing, I have no suggestions for improvement. Since I also started the second story, "Amy's Valentine", I'd like to continue reading the book and find out more about Mary's tale.
First Ten review added on May 3, 2020, at 3:52 am by Cristina Chifane.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Sanju Lali
It was evident from the book cover and the title that this book is a collection of short stories, knowing that, I considered reading the official review of this book before buying and reading because I was curious to know more about these stories, and the way they are written. The official review was great and helped me to know that this book is a collection of short stories and in the first story focuses on a young man who found his world shrouded in darkness when he wakes up on a New Year’s Day. This idea piqued my interest to sample the book. After reading the first ten pages, I found that this book was professionally edited as I did not notice any grammatical or typing errors. The thing l liked the most in this book is the elegantly depicted scene of Jay, who was lying alone on the bed and lost in darkness after celebrating a New Year with his friends. All the minor details were nicely presented. Unfortunately, after the completion of the story, I felt stranded because there was no convincing climax. Sleeping for more than 32 hours and urinating by standing on the bed in a dream seems unnatural. Therefore, I lost interest in reading the rest of the book. I suggest the author consider revealing the plot at the end of the story instead of ending it abruptly. After looking at all these aspects, I decided not to purchase and read this book today. I will wait until the author considers my suggestions so that the book gives a pleasurable experience for me.
First Ten review added on May 3, 2020, at 3:22 am by Sanju Lali.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
J_odoyo
After sampling the first ten pages of this book, I have realized that TALES from the AETHER is an engrossing collection of short stories written by an award-winning author, Matthew C. Woodruff. In the pages I’ve read, Matthew tells tales of dark fiction, filled with dark humor, in this collection. The first story, “The Dark New Year”, is humorously crafted. A reader is filled with fear as he/she reads through the dreadful situation Jay finds himself in—in a dark room while lying in a bed of great height—not knowing that it was just a strange dream. The second story was a bit sad to read: Maria has been bereaved, and she is struggling to cope up with the reality that her friend, Amy, is no more. I noticed some sentences with punctuation errors while others were just hard to read—involving misplaced words. For instance, “Is there is someone else here with me?” This makes me doubt whether the book was professionally edited.
I liked the title as well as the book’s cover page, which could easily attract my attention. His stories are gripping and well written, and I could not find anything to dislike about it (in the pages I've read). The book also had a positive OnlineBookClub review, which gave insight into what the book is all about. One of the good things with this book is that it involved a professional review, which is very vital while buying a book. It could have been a very easy thing, for me, to decide whether to buy this book or not, because all that I always look for (editorial reviews) were provided. Having read the sample and the OnlineBookClub review, I’m not going to finish reading this book, because I’m not a fan of this genre. Moreover, I don’t like books involving dark humor like this one.
First Ten review added on May 3, 2020, at 2:18 am by J_odoyo.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Stephanie Runyon
Normally I don't read books from the science fiction/fantasy genre. I am not the person anyone would want to take in a horror movie either. Woodruff created the perfect book of short stories and the OBC review backed that up quite well. The character development and situations were executed flawlessly for being in a short story. In what I read, the suspense scared the heck out of me, but the anticipation of what could happen kept my curiosity to continue reading. I didn't see anything to improve upon, but I don't think I can handle the intensity of this book. I will be passing on it for now.
First Ten review added on May 3, 2020, at 1:17 am by Stephanie Runyon.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Juliet+1
Based on the title, cover, blurb, and OBC review, I thought I would enjoy "Tales From the Aether." I usually like both dark humor and short-story collections, so having them together in the same book would be ideal. But reading the first ten pages changed my mind. The first story didn't seem particular "dark," just mildly quirky and not very entertaining. The first few pages of the next story also had little to offer – just a mother grieving her daughter's death. The writing and editing are fine, but these early pages are not what I expected. I do not intend to finish reading the book.
First Ten review added on May 2, 2020, at 11:44 pm by Juliet+1.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Mbrooks2518
The description of the stories in this book intrigued me, so I would have read the sample even without The First Ten. The first story in the book and the official review made me even more interested, so I am going to buy the book. I like that there are also some lighter stories to balance out the darker horror ones.
There was an editing mistake on page 8 that said, "Is there is someone else here with me?" The second is shouldn't be there. Besides this error, nothing needs to be improved.
First Ten review added on May 2, 2020, at 11:16 pm by Mbrooks2518.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
HRichards
I normally wouldn't have picked this book up since I don't really like short stories. Having read the sample I won't be continuing on with the book since I didn't really like the story that started out. The sample deals with a man who is trapped floating on a bed that seems to have no edge when he tries to get off of it. He is missing his clothes and can't figure out what happened to get him trapped in this void. The writing is fine and I didn't notice any grammar errors. The author seems to have a very unique idea for a book, but I'm not really interested in horror stories. Those who like short stories might like this book.
First Ten review added on May 2, 2020, at 8:28 pm by HRichards.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Kajori Sheryl Paul
'Tales From The Aether' is a book written by Matthew C. Woodruff. The title, cover, and Amazon review did a good job at convincing me to give this book a try.
The sample of the book leads me to believe that it is an collection of short stories. The stories have a dark theme. I liked the second story ‘Amy's Valentine' more than the first, and would like to know what happened go Maria afterwards. I like the illustrations. They are abstract, but relevant. I found some missing commas. For example, there should have been a comma after “woke" in “As soon as Jay woke he found...” Also, it should have been “Some of the mornings she felt.. “ instead of “Some the mornings..” I do not think that it is professionally edited. The editing can be improved. I will give this book a try as I like reading books of this genre as of now.
First Ten review added on May 2, 2020, at 6:49 pm by Kajori Sheryl Paul.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Kia
Based on the blurb and OnlineBookClub review of this book, I would not have chosen to read it. I'm not much of a fan of either spooky or short stories, so this doesn't seem like it would be the book for me.
After reading the first ten pages, I stand by my initial assessment. Not only is the content not for me, I found the writing to be a little choppy. For example, the first sentence, "As soon as he woke, Jay felt something was wrong", feels like it's missing a word. "felt that something" perhaps? The tense also keeps changing throughout the first story which I found highly distracting. I won't be finishing this book.
First Ten review added on May 2, 2020, at 6:29 pm by Kia.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Chelsy Scherba
The first story about Jay’s nightmare was bizarre. He went to bed on New Years and awoke in a strange room. After trying to escape, his cellphone woke him up and his friend told him he wasn’t at work. The other stories are equally strange. I liked that the review shared some of them. I’m curious about the person who has a shared life with someone in the past. The book is well-edited without errors. I love the cover image. I don’t generally read anthologies so I’ll wait for now to purchase. I’ll keep the book on my list for the future though. I would not have found this book outside of the program.
First Ten review added on May 2, 2020, at 5:52 pm by Chelsy Scherba.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Brenda Creech
The cover on this book caught my eye, but the title did not pull me in to make me want to check it out automatically. After reading the review, and realizing this is a book of short stories, I wasn't sure if I wanted to read the entire book. I am not much of a short story fan. I read the available sample, and I decided I would not be reading the rest of the book, at least not now. The sample consisted of the first two stories in the book, so I didn't have much with which to work. However, I found only one error in the portion I read, which was a missing word in a sentence. In "Amy's Valentine," the sentence "Some the mornings she felt..." needs the word 'of' after 'some.' I did not see anything I thought needed improving. I just couldn't seem to get interested in either story. Also, I did not understand either story.
First Ten review added on May 2, 2020, at 5:50 pm by Brenda Creech.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Verna Coy
Had I not sampled this book through the First Ten program, I would not have chosen it because the title and cover don’t appeal to me. For this reason, I don’t intend to buy and read the whole book today. Reading the first ten pages confirmed my first ideas about the book. It’s not quite my style because the fantasy elements have a darkness I’m not fond of. Based on what I read the book seems professionally edited. I didn’t see errors in the first ten pages.
What I liked most about what I read is the way the author communicates the feelings of the main characters in his stories. The emotion, fear, angst, they’re all communicated very well. I know that fans of stories edging into fantasy fiction will enjoy this book. As far as improvements, considering the genre, I could see no need for any in what I read. I did read the Official Online Book Club review and found it insightful. It didn’t affect my views of the book.
First Ten review added on May 2, 2020, at 5:03 pm by Verna Coy.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Sarah_Khan
At first glance, I did find the cover and title intriguing, they made me want to find out more. While I do like horror, I am not a huge fan of short stories so I do not know if I would have sampled this book if it was not part of the First Ten program. I did catch an editing error in the first short story (Dude, Its Tuesday, we have the analyst meeting in ten minutes). I liked the creepy feel of the first story. Jay in pitch darkness, hanging off the bed and not feeling the floor, is something I will not forget anytime soon. After having said that, I am not quite sure I got the whole story because I felt that it was unfinished. The OBC review was positive and does not mention any editing mistakes. The beginning of the book and the review were still not enough to make me commit to reading the rest. My one suggestion to the author would be to clarify the endings, there is a thin line between a cliffhanger and an unfinished story.
First Ten review added on May 2, 2020, at 4:43 pm by Sarah_Khan.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Laura Ungureanu
This book has such a fascinating cover and title. I liked the OBC review, it made me want to check the book out. The sample reminded me of Haruki Murakami's writing. It gave me an eerie feeling because it didn't make any sense how Jay woke up in a different place. It's scary because it's a relatable situation(Jay seems like a normal guy who partied on New Year's Eve). I liked the style, but dark stories are not my cup of tea. I don't have such a strong heart, so I better stay away from this genre. It seems professionally edited.
First Ten review added on May 2, 2020, at 3:57 pm by Laura Ungureanu.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Odette Chace
I am intrigued by the premise of the book. However, based on the cover, I am not sure if the book is predominantly a horror book or one of humor. From the official Online Book Club review, it seemed to be predominantly a collection of horror stories, but the funky font on the cover tells a different story. The synopsis on Amazon didn't say much of anything, so I am glad I had the official OBC review to read. I noticed quite a few errors while I was reading, and I have included several:
"Today is Monday, New Year's Day[,] and even though he had partied with his friends and imbibed liberally the night before..." (6% of sample). Imbibed is used with an object. You imbibe water, wine, etc.
"Is there is someone else here with me?" (31% of sample) Extra is.
"Suddenly the bright lights and left-over fear and adrenalin[e] overcame his reason" (67% of sample).
I thought "The Dark New Year" ended rather abruptly. I also really didn't like that in "Amy's Valentine" it had to be included in parentheses that the "story is told in another place" (84% of sample). That really took me out of the story. While I liked where the first story was going, the abrupt ending makes me wonder if it is worth it to get invested in any of the other stories. For that reason, I won't be finishing this collection.
First Ten review added on May 2, 2020, at 3:35 pm by Odette Chace.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Laura Lee
The Amazon blurb was well-written, but what really attracted me (besides the fantastic cover image) was the book review. The descriptions of the stories sounded interesting and when I read the sample pages, they seemed to be professionally edited. What I liked best was the pacing of the first story. You could feel the fear and tension of the main character. The ending was rather inexplicable and I didn't care for how it raised more questions than it answered. Ultimately, I decided not to read the book. I don't really care for short stories. I prefer longer stories that bring more info in. The second story contained in the sample pages was very, very short. I couldn't tell if that were the entire story, or the sample pages ended mid-story. If that was indeed the full story, it seemed rather pointless and further turned me off wanting to read more.
The book review was well-written enough that, on that alone, I would have wanted to give the sample pages a try. Aside from that, though, I would not have read them as I don't care for short stories. If you do, though, and if you like dark humor, give the book a try. You'll probably like it as it seems well-written and well-edited.
First Ten review added on May 2, 2020, at 3:17 pm by Laura Lee.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Drakka Reader
The cover of the book is already striking and I like most dark fiction, so this book was already something I was interested in. The review confirmed that the book consisted of multiple stories, all of which appear to be good. Obviously, I was already ready to see this book.
Reading the first ten pages, my interest was justified. The author has a way with words and creating a feeling, what with the first story involving nothing but a man on a bed with seemingly nothing below him and strange noises around him. There was a vague fright in the story, more of an eerieness that I enjoyed. I liked the book enough to want to see the rest of it.
The book didn't have any mistakes that I saw, seeming well-edited. I enjoyed the author being able to make short stories, which rely on being able to both end quickly and start with you interested. If there was anything to improve, I would have liked more pictures, as the stories each start with one. More pictures could have boosted the effect.
Starting with the review and reading the pages, I already want to see the rest of the short stories eventually.
First Ten review added on May 2, 2020, at 3:02 pm by Drakka Reader.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Damis Seres Rodriguez
When I first saw the book I was quite excited to read the sample. The cover is quite appealing and the official review made the book look great. I probably would have given it a try if I saw it elsewhere. However, the sample that I read was a completely different story. Given the introduction, I expected a darker story, or at least, something that made me giggle. What I found instead was rather plain, even boring. I didn't find any major errors, but the good edition doesn't make it up for the content. I don't think I'll finish this book.
First Ten review added on May 2, 2020, at 2:20 pm by Damis Seres Rodriguez.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
ErikaP13
Tales from the Aether is a collection of short stories set at certain holidays during the year. The official review gives a good summary of what each short story is about. the first story is about a man waking up surrounded by darkness. As someone who is not entirely comfortable in the dark, I have to give credit to the author. Every word managed to strike a chord of unease within me, which is exactly what I guess the author intended. There were a few errors in the first few pages, ranging from punctuation mistakes (page 3: "His mind whirled seeking an explanation that made sense but without more input he just didn't have enough data to form a justifiable conclusion.") to odd wording (page 6: "Is there is someone else here with me?"). Considering that these short stories are supposed to be dark in nature, the cover is well designed. Had it not been for First Ten, I would probably not have read this book at all. Stories of this nature are not my cup of tea. As such, I will not be reading the rest of this book either.
First Ten review added on May 2, 2020, at 2:11 pm by ErikaP13.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Maria Esposito
I knew I would not be interested in this book before I sampled it. In fact, I am not into short stories and the horror genre. While the cover and title are quite interesting, I know I would lose interest in the book because I am not into the book's genre and format. Furthermore, the book has only one negative review on Amazon, which further confirmed my initial decision to not buy the book. Reading the first ten pages did not change my mind. In the first short story, Joy wakes up naked in a stranger's bed on New Year's Day. How did he get there? He vividly remembers heading home and sleeping in his own bed after partying. What is worse, is that Jay is completely surrounded by darkness. Although the author does an amazing job of creating a grotesque and vivid picture of the situation Jay finds himself in, I am not going to buy the book because I do not like horror. My favorite thing about this book is the writing style, which is captivating and paints a vivid picture of the scary situation that the main character is in. I did not find anything that I thought should be improved: I am simply not into the book's genre and format. The book seems professionally edited since I did not detect any errors. I came across an official review of the book on this website, but this had no influence on my initial decision.
First Ten review added on May 2, 2020, at 1:54 pm by Maria Esposito.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
AvidBibliophile
The cover art feels ominously enchanted, possibly alluding to the darker side of supernatural magic. The Amazon product description adequately provides a variety of snippets and teasers from the short stories within, and I also enjoyed seeing the inclusion of spooky illustrations throughout. In the foreword, the opening apostrophe surrounding a previous book title is facing the wrong direction, and the 10th line of text is mistakenly indented. On page 2, the medical term (aneurysm) appears incorrectly spelled as "aneurism" and on page 4, there is a duplicate word typo in the question: "Is there is someone else here with me?" On page 5, the word "con- sidering" appears with an unnecessary hyphen and space in the center of a line, so I am led to assume this title needs another round of editing. The one published OBC review is persuasively positive and complimentary in tone, mentioning the book's linkage to holidays throughout the year, with a nice inclusion of humor for overall balance. The 3 currently posted Amazon user ratings are slightly more polarizing in their subjective impressions. Since I don't generally enjoy horror short stories with distinctly abrupt endings, I'll be passing on this one, but it sounds like fans of dark humor and dark fiction might encounter many spine-tingling tales to enjoy.
First Ten review added on May 2, 2020, at 1:19 pm by AvidBibliophile.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Diana Lowery
I am not sure what the genie and the lamp on the cover have to do with tales of horror, and the title had a word that I had to look up the meaning of, so I was not inspired to read these short stories. After reading the first ten pages, I did get caught up in the Kafka-like prose and was enjoying the story when it ended abruptly and another story started. The review, however, was favorable, so I will keep an open mind and put this on my to-read list. There was a missing word in the second story in the 3rd paragraph. The word "of" should be between "some" and "the mornings." The first story had a weird format issue at location 45%. The word con- sidering was all on the same line. Otherwise, the book appears to be well-edited.
First Ten review added on May 2, 2020, at 1:19 pm by Diana Lowery.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Kaylee Elmer
I love short stories, so I was eager to read the first ten pages of this book. I loved the part I read. A man named Jay wakes up after a night of drinking and is in complete darkness and has no idea how he got there. I'm super curious to find out what happened to him. It was well-written and professionally edited. The review I read gave it high praise and mentioned the stories all revolve around holidays, which I think is interesting. I definitely want to read the rest of this book.
First Ten review added on May 2, 2020, at 1:13 pm by Kaylee Elmer.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Howlan
The cover is quite unusual and suits the book well. The synopsis and the Official OBC review mentions this book to have a collection of dark witty fiction stories. The first ten pages were quite nice. The first short story "The Dark New Year", features Jay as he goes to sleep on New Year's eve and wakes up to find in an all dark space with no boundaries. It has an unexpected ending and the writing feels eerie and interesting. The narration is straightforward and easy to understand. The second chapter "Amy's Valentine" features Maria and her daughter Amy as they move to a dilapidated old house in Siena, Florida to open a "Bed and Breakfast". But Amy's untimely death leaves Maria alone in the house. Well, things are pretty dark in this first ten pages and yes, it has quite a few moments of dark humor. However, I am not going to buy and read this book today as the first story ended quite abruptly, and as a customer review in Amazon reviews state that all stories end abruptly. So, without a clear purpose to the stories, I do not think I will enjoy reading twelve stories with no meaning to the stories going forward. No typos were found in the first ten pages. I would have enjoyed it if the structure of the book was a bit different for example if they were interlinked with each other.
First Ten review added on May 2, 2020, at 12:32 pm by Howlan.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Shrabastee Chakraborty
I was first attracted by the cover and then the contents. This genre suits me. The official OBC review rates this 4 stars. The first ten pages were without editing issues. The first story features Jay on a new year's day when he finds himself in an unfamiliar place. He cannot remember the details of the last night. More disturbingly, he feels there is something or someone in the room with him. The author's tone has an ominous quality that makes the readers feel the discomfort. I would say it fits the dark themes perfectly and wouldn't suggest any improvement. I intend to read the book.
First Ten review added on May 2, 2020, at 10:51 am by Shrabastee Chakraborty.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Emy Katherine
The captivating cover caught my attention, but I would not have read the book based on the genre. I am not interested in reading a collection of twelve short stories revolving around the themes of love, hope, loss, or fear. Therefore, I did not change my mind after reading the sample and the OBC review. However, from what I have read, those who enjoy reading intriguing tales of dark humor and horror will appreciate this book. The characters were quite relatable; in fact, while reading the first story, "The Dark New Year," I could easily feel the fear and desperation of the main character, Jay, as he mysteriously found himself alone in a dark place. Also, I appreciated the black-and-white illustrations included in the book. The writing style was descriptive, but I found some spelling and punctuation errors that distracted me from my reading. For example, there should be a comma before "Jay" in the following sentence: "As soon as he woke Jay felt something was wrong." (location 25 of 145 • 17%) There should also be a comma after "Wherever he was" in the following sentence: "Wherever he was there was absolutely no light." (location 42 of 145 • 28%) Also, it should be written, "Dude, it's Tuesday" instead of "Dude, Its Tuesday." (location 109 of 145 • 75%) All things considered, I would only suggest another round of editing.
First Ten review added on May 2, 2020, at 10:29 am by Emy Katherine.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Theresa Moffitt
The cover of this book is intriguing and looks to be a horror novel. The title suggests that it is a compilation of different stories. Since I enjoy reading horror novels, I would have picked this book up based on the cover alone. When I read the Online Book Club review of this book, it increased my desire to read the book. The OBC review was a favorable review that gave the book 4 stars and explained that the author’s stories each center on a holiday. I didn’t see or read a customer review of this book, but the OBC review provided enough information for me that I didn’t need to see another review. The first ten pages were interesting and drew me into the story immediately. The main character was out with his friends for New Years Eve and remembers returning home at the end of the night. However, he woke up in a different place. The first ten pages focus on this character trying to find out where he is and what happened to him. I didn’t see any area that the author could improve upon. I also didn’t see any errors, so I believe the book was professionally edited based on the first ten pages. I enjoyed reading the first ten pages and I also enjoyed the description of the remainder of the book provided by the OBC review, so I will finish reading this book.
First Ten review added on May 2, 2020, at 10:28 am by Theresa Moffitt.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda
I wanted to read this book already just from seeing the cover. I love dark humor and horror stories! The blurb is excellent because it gives the reader a brief summary of each story. The ratings are polarized and it seems readers either love the book or hate it, which happens often with dark humor and touchy subjects. This didn't diminish my enthusiasm and I would've bought the book based on first impressions.
I loved the first pages and I devoured the first story. The foreword is very funny, the first illustration is truly eerie and I was hooked wanting to know what had happened to Jay. I literally laughed out loud when the author says something a lot of us have thought: "Jay hated scenes in movies where a character heard a noise in his house and walked through it saying ‘hello?’ as if some burglar or serial killer would respond to the genial request for communication. He considered it weak writing." The only thing I disliked is the constant repetition of "Jay" in opening sentences. It gives the feeling of juvenile writing. There are also some phrases worded strangely, such as "he had on no clothes" instead of "he had no clothes on".
I found a couple of editing mistakes, a missing apostrophe and incorrect uppercase in position 109: "Dude, Its Tuesday, we have the analyst meeting in ten minutes. I’ve been trying your cell all morning. Are you still at home?” The book has an official review that furthered my enthusiasm. The only improvement I would suggest is a second round of editing. I will gladly buy the book!
First Ten review added on May 2, 2020, at 9:58 am by María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
cpru68
Had I not been a part of the first ten program through the online book club, I would not have read the sample pages of this based on the cover, title and blurb because I don’t like books that are horror related or dark in theme.
The first ten pages were well written, and I didn’t detect any errors in punctuation, spelling or grammar, so it seems this has been professionally edited. I won’t be finishing this book because like I mentioned, I don’t like horror stories. The first one has a good hook to it so that readers who like this type of novel will be drawn into the life of a man who is in sudden darkness in a place not recognizable. The sensory deprivation was vividly described and easy to visualize, so this writer definitely has great writing talent. This just isn’t the genre for me. The review was great but didn’t convince me to read the book to the end.
I have no suggestions for improvement, and I appreciate the opportunity to have read the first ten. I will send it out on my social media for others to look into.
First Ten review added on May 2, 2020, at 9:36 am by cpru68.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Total ~ 30%
Tales from the Aether earned a score of 30%.
In other words, out of the top-level reviewers who read at least the first 10 pages of this book, 30% plan to read the whole book.
IMPORTANT: Any score over 10% is considered very good. And any score above 0% is acceptable.
Over a million books are published each year. Any given person could not even read .0001% of the books out there. This means readers have to be very selective. Even taking the time to look over reviews and blurbs, let alone read samples, is more time than most readers can afford for most books. The First Ten is a powerful focus group that addresses those issues. It creates a helpful tool for authors, publishers, and other readers.
Go to main Bookshelves page for Tales from the Aether
