Stunning collection with solid power throughout, a rare feat where every story is as good as the last. Had to purchase a physical copy to keep close at all times

Promise is a stunning collection of unnerving and original science fiction short stories, ranging from good to exceptional. Some of these stories had me literally gasping, frightened, and heartbroken for the protagonists. Nogle has a unique voce and her writing style is interesting, The way that she weaves entire world's and civilizations, forges deeply nuanced emotional connections and societal interactions, with such a limited word count, is truly phenomenal. This is one of the best and most readable short story anthologies that I have had the pleasure to read.

The ideas were very unique and creative but I felt that they were not really detailed, not so in-detail written. A lot of interesting questions arose from the stories that were not answered in deep details.

Chrisi Nogle shares A LOT of creativity in this collection. However, most of her pieces felt incomplete to me. Perhaps if they are read in a book club the vague endings and ambiguous meanings would be a fun starting point for discussions. I liked about half of the stories in the collection

<b>Enjoyed the most: </b>
Finishers (favorite)
A Game Like They Play in the Future (most memorable, reflective)
An Account (best ending)
Lovey (reflective)
Cubby (good ending, emotional)
Fables of the Future (good ending, weird, matrix vibes)
Substance (the weirdest)

Instead of DNF, I took a long, long time to read this collection. (Sep 21 - Nov 28)

Thank you to Net Galley for the review copy!

A collection of some really creepy short stories. Loved all of them and how weird they were. Definitely a great read for any horror lovers out there.

When I received the advanced reader copy for this book I was so excited. I'd never actually read any of Nogle's work myself, but I have a friend who keeps recommending Nogle’s previous book: Beulah. So needless to say, I went into this with high expectations.

And I was not disappointed. Nearly everything I read here was beautifully written and just weird enough to make me really pay attention. As is the case with all collections, there were some parts that just didn’t get me as much as the rest of it. But those parts were far overshadowed by the genuine desire I had to keep reading.

I especially enjoyed the story Finishers, which was about a mother/daughter duo working on some robots (Androids?) and making them look just right for their new lives. The vibes in this one was just immaculate, I didn’t know what was going on half the time – but in a good way. In the way that made me curious to know more and keep reading.

I’ll recommend Promise to others who may not be completely familiar with the sci-fi genre and who are looking for an interesting way into it.

Promise is a collection of short stories that I would describe as more science fiction/speculative/dystopian than horror, although a couple of the stories are quite disturbing. Subjects range from people in pods and a yellow backpack that allows time travel to alternate worlds, worm queens, and robots.

This collection was a mixed bag for me. Some stories left me wanting more while I struggled to finish others. If you enjoy the genre, it's worth a read, but I recommend skipping any stories that don't immediately grab your attention.

Not sure I can add much to the other (very lengthy!) reviews on here. A collection of shortish short stories, speculative, SF, or 'weird' SF with something different to offer whether in character, perspective or different approaches to story and theme. As always difficult to give a short story collection more than 4 stars, as much as anything it's personal views as to whether they all work for you or not. But most did, well worth tracking down.

4 Stars!

Promise is the second story collection I have read by Christi Nogle, after The Best of Our Past, The Worst of Our Future which was also released by Flame Tree Press, so I came into the collection with some expectations of what I was going to find. These expectations held true for the most part, and Promise is another grouping of speculative fiction that touch upon both science fiction and horror but always keep the author’s unique voice at the forefront.



The first story in the collection is “Cocooning” and the story seems to sum up the collection as a whole to some extent. In this story, a couple and their dogs are taken by a mysterious group after apparently being infected by, well, something. It is never really clear what happened although the events of the story make it seem like it could be an alien infestation and the group that forcibly quarantines them may or may not be the government (or any official group connected with a legitimate agency). As the story progresses, things get weird, and then they get weirder. The reader is left guessing at what is really happening and Nogle does little to clarify the situation. The story is confusing and vague, but it is also a compelling read that kept me going to the end. I still do not know what was happening in the story, but I enjoyed reading every word of it.





“Finishers” was another story that shined for me. This tale of a mother and daughter who sculpt robots into whatever their vision for them is was a fascinating story. It pulls in the idea of creation as well as identity as they start with a blank slate and bring their vision to robotic life. It is a quiet tale that is haunting in the way it touches on larger themes and makes the reader think about more than what lies on the page. “Flexible Off-Time" brings to light the cost of leisure time. Everyone wants more time to themselves, but what price does that time off bring with it. Sometimes the cost outweighs the benefits or does it.



I am a fan of reading short fiction, but I also find it very difficult to review collections and anthologies as the stories can vary so much. It is difficult to truly rate a collection because some stories will invariably resonate much more than others. Promise is a strong collection in that none of the stories were bad, per se, but some were much better than others. Nogle has a strong voice, and it comes through this collection. Fans of horror may not find too much to revel in with this collection, but readers looking for short stories that are sure to make the mind spin will find a lot to love in these pages. Most of the stories in this collection are speculative and hard to pin in a single genre, but they are all sure to make the reader think. Promise is recommended for those who are brave enough to fill in the blanks and maybe learn something about themselves along the way.



I would like to thank Flame Tree Press and NetGalley for this review copy. Promise is available now.

Welcome to “Promise.” The latest collection from genre luminary Christi Nogle, and a unique blend of speculative fiction stories that run the gamut from horror to science fiction. Each story contained within “Promise” has an average count of ten pages, and each delivers so much within the pagecount. Nogle writes like a poet. Each word is well-chosen and positively full of emotion and passion. Longing and darkness permeate her stories and “Promise” is a terrifically curated collection.

The touching, yet unnerving “Finishers” showcases some of Nogle’s finest writing. A mother and daughter craft robotic bodies while dreaming of an escape from a mundane existence. A bizarre premise that is grounded by the prose and characterization. At its core, this is a story of family love and difficulty and captures personal tension like a dragonfly in amber.

Parental relations are not the only ones explored throughout “Promise.” Nogle shows herself adept at taking apart romantic entanglements, such as “”A Game Like They Play in the Future” where a woman encounters a potential partner through an addictive game of reality, but the circumstances are far more than they appear. One of the finest of the collection, dealing with the dangers of blending reality and fiction and who you approach.told through Nogle’s rich prose.

“Flexible Off-Time” is a tale of a woman who serves as caretaker to her ailing father who desires to attend a writer’s retreat. Showcased through the frustrated eyes of a caregiver, Nogle shows the dream of every writer: more time to write. But in typical Nogle fashion, she shows how the wish can be twisted to horror while her prose causes the reader to second guess what they experience.

Taking well-worn and innovative tropes in turn, Nogle spins inventive and immersive yarns. If “Promise” is the name, then Nogle well lives up to the concept in this knockout collection.

I would like to thank Flame Tree Press and Anne from Random Things Tours for an advance copy of this collection in exchange for a fair and honest review

Publisher – Flame Tree Press

Published – Out Now

Price – £12.95 paperback £3.92 Kindle eBook

Promise collects Christi Nogle’s best futuristic stories ranging from plausible tech-based science fiction to science fantasy stories about aliens in our midst: chameleonic foils hover in the skies, you can order a headset to speak and dream with your dog, and your devices sometimes connect not just to the web but to the underworld. These tales will recall the stories of Ray Bradbury, television programs such as Black Mirror and The Twilight Zone, and novels such as Little Eyes by Samanta Schweblin or Under the Skinby Michel Faber. They are often strange and dreadful but veer towards themes of hope, potential, promise

Stories can be very simple where a leads to b and then c. Stories can be snapshots of a moment and leave the reader room to think what comes next and some stories fit play with all of those and create something different. In Christi Nogle’s beguiling short fiction collection Promise we have an unusual sweeping collection of tales that an unsettle and play with time and identity in many unexpected ways.

Among the stories I enjoyed in this collection were

Cocooning – The opening tale is a great example of how Nogle pays with expectations. We hear of a character and their partner Donny who no longer do any exercise and then things get quickly weird – mirrors are all covered up; there are strange special agents in rubber suits going around the neighbourhood and very soon the couple are taken to a mysterious cell for observation. Our lead character takes this in all calmly telling us of their experiences and then slowly we move into strange body horror and with little explanation bar a few hints as to what’s been going on we see a bigger tale emerge. Its very neatly executed and manages to be disturbing without ever becoming too graphic.

Laurel’s First Chase – a mother and daughter walk through the woods. But we soon find that they have a sinister purpose. Nogle lets us into the minds of someone not quite human and we watch them as they watch their potential victims. We try to understand them and it’s a great feeling of alienness and humanity at the same time as we try to guess their actions. Unsettling again without getting graphic.

Finishers – we move into the future with a mother and daughter who make robots. Here Nogle creates a whole world and history but does through brief scenes and recaps as we slowly get to understand the world these people now live in and the dangers they face. There is a running theme of isolation and loneliness in this tale and even potential escape will have dangers and the outcome remains nervously uncertain.

What Do You See When You’re Both Asleep – not all the tales are horror and in this bit of SF we have a device that dog owner uses to explore the mind of their pet to understand them better and it’s a heartwarming tale.

Flexible Off-Time – this is my favourite tale in the collection. A young woman needs a break from life to do something she has always wanted – to write the autobiography of her father. Her solution is using something called Off-Time a VR system that allows you to live many days in a much shorter piece of time. But out narrator is stuck. Nogle excels at creating this eerie feeling of reliving one day again and again. The house slowly alters and decays and eventually our narrator senses other people live in this world. It’s a tale of obsession, loneliness and escape and is a great piece of writing.

An Account – a strange eerie yet heartwarming tale of a daughter and mother talking about their mother’s ability to live in many alternate lifetimes. The tale is explained, time is played with and there is a sense of one generation aiding the other. Its unusual and really works to create the bond between the two characters.

The Laffun Head – Another favourite in the collection is a subtle exploration of grief. A son gives his parents a new electronic communication device - it can take the form of anyone and answer calls and even engage in conversation but when the husband unexpectedly loses his wife, he decides to make the tale take up her persona. This tale is unsettling – is this just clever electronics or has his wife come back from death? It’s a tale of love and loneliness and the future may be uncertain for the characters but the relationship between them is never in doubt.

Cubby – an unusual tale of a daughter and mother travelling from the far future to meet her partner. It’s a tale of life lived backwards and forwards in time, losing themselves and finding hope again. A strange circular tale that works well.

Promise is a collection of strange and often open-ended tales that are fascinating, hypnotic and make you ponder what happened next to our characters. Very little in life is simple and these tales remind us not all endings are sad or happy but often a mixture of both and things will always change. Well worth a look if you enjoy the more experimental side of science fiction.

This collection was heavy on vibes and light on substance. It was like reading the outlines or synopses for a bunch of stories rather than reading the stories themselves. Many of the stories fell into the trap of being vague in an attempt to be mysterious/engaging, but instead they were just confusing and not fleshed out.

In a Nutshell: A speculative fiction anthology. The author has imagination for sure, but the content was too unstructured for me.

This is a collection of twenty stories of speculative fiction. However, despite the common genre, the stories are quite distinct from each other in terms of content. The stories come from a variety of sub-genres such as sci-fi, absurdist, horror and light fantasy.

The author’s wild imagination is amply visible in the stories, as she covers themes that are as weird as promised. Every story has an original element, some of which are truly unique. The lengths of the stories vary, but each has enough pages to flesh out its plot.

Based on the above, the collection should have blown me away. But the fact is that none of the stories worked well for me. I am an avid reader of short fiction in varying genres, so it’s not like this failed so miserably for me because of the length or the story structure or the genre. Looking at other readers’ feedback makes me feel like I fell short of the minimum requirements for this novel rather than the other way around.

I knew that the stories would be surreal, I was still hoping that they would have some kind of structure or flow. But they proved too ad hoc in development for my taste. Despite the adequate number of pages in each story, it felt like the ideas were explored only at a surface level. The stories seemed like they began in between a situation, and the endings were also abrupt. Many of the stories appeared to have been terminated at the penultimate point, leaving me dangling in vain for some kind of closure. A couple of the stories left me confused because the narration didn’t offer me any clue about the identity of the narrator, without which I found it tough to visualise the proceedings.

As always, I rated the stories individually, but not even one of them touched the four star mark for me. The range of ratings was between 1 star to 3 stars. The best stories for me were “Finishers” and “Cubby”.

The blurb compares the stories to Ray Bradbury’s work, but I honestly feel that the comparison is farfetched. Simply having a futuristic sci-fi vibe in the tales isn’t enough to make it resemble Bradbury’s work.

That said, mine is very much an outlier opinion for this collection. A majority of readers have relished it for the novelty it offers. So do read other reviews before you make up your mind about this anthology.

The author does have potential in terms of imagination, so I won’t write her off my list just yet. But maybe I wouldn’t try an anthology in future but would wait for a longer work. After all, she is the WINNER of the 2022 Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a First Novel.

2 stars.

My thanks to Flame Tree Press and NetGalley for the DRC of “Promise”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book. Sorry this didn’t work out better.

When I read a new author I tend to ask myself a couple of questions. Are the characters going to keep me interested and is the story going to move at a pace that will help the book.

This is a bit of a weird story but I can feel fear from the characters as they are infected by something. They keep wanting to do something to get the dogs out of their place and to family. It's the first story. I felt like with the first story you were living their lives with them and were part of the story.

Laurel's first chase. It feels a bit strange and while it is well written and enjoyable it just didn't for me as if it was as good or fantasy story that I have read. It needed a bit more oomph for me to really make it stand out. It did have a good premise and I enjoyed it but I wished to have more background or information of the characters.

Finishers. An interesting idea and I think it shows a lot of what I like in stories. Characters that are interesting even if I am confused with a story that is relatively entertaining. I think that a lot of what I see with this is that it should be a full book with more backstory

A Fully Chameleonic Foil. Interesting item that was created but just seemed like the story was not complete. Well really no story for me but enjoyed the reading about the item .

What do you see when you're both asleep. I giggled at this story as a dog owner this was perfect. I would love to have a translator for the dogs as you know it would be interesting to know what they actually are feeling.


Flexible Off Time. An interesting story but I honestly didn't know what to think as it didn't seem to fit with what I expected.




With all books that have multiple stories it is hit or miss where some stories will wow you and others you will just be bored from.

(4.25)

I'm going to preface this review by saying that weird, sparse, science fiction is my genre of choice so my reviews trend higher for books like this.

I absolutely adored Promise. It's a collection of fantastical, weird science fiction, short stories and a fab way to kick off short story month.

In Promise no two stories are the same, they span hard and soft sci-fi, horror and weird fiction. Their were stories in here then left me bereft, some that made my heart ache and some that gave me so much inspirational energy I didn't know what to do with myself. Quite a few times I had to put the book down to sit with the feelings each offering gave.

In the opening story a woman and her daughter hunt their first prey together in the forests near Bend, Oregon, in another a planet of sightless, food obsessed worms explore their consciousness through a quiet observation of earth, later we hear the pitch of a travelling saleswomen trying to sell a weird tinfoil shape-shifting toy to local families. The stories aren't interconnected, I wouldn't even say most the themes travel through the collection but there's something about the way each one made me feel that gave the book a gorgeous cohesiveness.

As with most short story collections the quality is a little uneven but I would say 80% of this was a 5 star read for me and well worth it if you fancy experiencing a whirlwind of feelings.

Thanks Netgalley and Flame Tree Press for this advanced reader copy.

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<p>Thanks to Random Things Books Tours and Flame Tree Press for my copy. Here's my honest review from the heart. </p>
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<p>The writing style is very quirky and unique. It has a very fresh present about it. Each short story had its own feel to it. Some sort of thing reminded me of Black Mirror. We have the downright eerie to the downright strange. Within the collection of short stories, I had a few that stood out to me as favourites: The Promise, The Earthly Garden and Fables of The Future. It definitely one to check out.</p>
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Post on Insta nd Blog 22nd Septmber

These stories were strange, imaginative and fun. Again like with most story collection I found myself enjoying some of them more than the others. I'd say this one had couple really great ones, and rest of them were either okay or I didn't really enjoy that much.

Gonna keep my eye out for the author's future work 'cause I did enjoy her writing style.

A strong, varied collection. Quite memorable and unique stories. Nicely done.

Thanks very much for the free copy for review!!

Promise was my first time reading a collection of science fiction short stories, and I will say that the author does not disappoint. The stories range from quirky to chilling, reminding me a bit of Black Mirror and the scary and amazing things that can await humans in the future. From time travelers forming cults, to tourist vacations to the future generations - each short story gives a glimpse to a possible future, a possible past and the way that humanity will have to adjust, adapt and will ultimately reshape itself in the face of this future.

This collection of weird science fiction stories certainly lived up to its ‘promise’. Every story was strange, unsettling and had interesting commentary on what it is to be human… or not human, as the case may be! Most of the stories were first published elsewhere but a few are new to this collection.

For concepts, this book gets full marks. There are original (as far as I can ascertain) and memorable ideas, within the themes of body transformation, robots, time travel and unusual family bonds. I have to admit that none of the stories had the wow factor I look for in a short story collection. The ideas were great, but I didn’t find the voices compelling and the endings were vague. Several times I was surprised to reach the end of a story which seemed like it ought to have continued. They were sketches, rather than complete stories. The marketing compares the author to Ray Bradbury and I can see that his ideas might have been an influence, but Nogle’s writing style is nothing like him. There is also the inevitable comparison to Black Mirror, but I’m not sure that’s quite right, as the sci-fi element in the show can be quite subtle and moreover the stories are not particularly weird.

In summary, if you’re looking for something weird to read, check out Promise, but be aware that some of the stories don’t have proper endings.

[Review to be on my blog, 29th August]