On the Verge of Lunacy

This is a collection of eight of Dean Koontz's early science fiction short stories. Although this was compiled without a theme in mind, readers will notice that most of the stories focus on the emotional and psychological effects of new worlds and new discoveries on man. If the reader is looking for detailed descriptions of a new planet, species or breakthrough technology, this is not a book that I will recommend. The stories here are more than just that. The ff. are the stories included in this volume: Soft Come the Dragons - a man who was forced by circumstances to solve the mystery of the dragons' ability to kill people through eye contact has unravelled an equally mysterious answer. A Third Hand - a mutant and reject tries to help his murdered friend and finds himself face to face with a formidable foe. A Darkness in My Soul - a successful product of an experiment was asked to unlock the secrets of the mind of a super genius (I wrote a review on this. If you...

I sold my mother. Yes that's right, I sold her as a prostitute. She raised us alone, all sixteen of us. And she doesn't have a decent job. We had three fathers but they all left my mother when she no longer had any use to them. Mama willingly gave herself and sacrificed for us. There were nights when we would go hungry. The little kids would cry and cling to her while we grown-ups pretend to be alright. We live in a small nipa hut with no water and electricity so we have to use lamps every night. Mama would go on with her work just to get us through the day. And she has to send the big kids to school, too. But we cannot concentrate on anything with empty stomachs. Sometimes we would chop her up so we could have something to eat. But she always came back only to be eaten again. Mama is an attractive woman. Most of her customers are foreign men. She was abused and raped many times but she doesn't care. We children didn't care, we want food, that's all. Her su...

He dropped to his knees when exhaustion finally claimed him. He was breathing hard and was bathing in his sweat but Kaidoh felt cold inside.   It was almost past 10 in the evening. He was supposed to take the bus but he figured that he could use the timefor a few minutes of jogging. He wants to be ready for the next match. He was walking home from Eiji's house, grateful that he cannot hear stupid Momo's stories when he saw Inui-sempai. He waved but Inui did not see him so he decided to observe his sempai first. He was busy tinkering with something but Kaidoh could not see what it was that interested Inui because it was dark.   "Haha...finally I found the ultimate recipe for my next project", he declared. Kaidoh could only see the flashlight he was holding. He moved closer cautiously, not wanting to disturb his sempai but curious at the same time. By being able to see what Inui was up to will make him ready next time he's asked to drink those awful concoctions....