A Place of Unfinished Sentences

“Intense, beautifully realised and ice-sharp”

Featured at Creative Writing at Leicester by Everybody’s reviewing……

EDITORIAL REVIEWS

“F C Malby’s stories capture characters teetering on the edge of precipices in their lives, sometimes literal, sometimes metaphorical, as they decide whether or not to take a leap of faith into the unknown. These intense, beautifully realised and ice-sharp stories momentarily suspend us over an Everestian abyss.” Jonathan P Taylor, author and Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing, University of Leicester

“In this impressive collection of 65 short and very short stories, F C Malby gives us sharply honed glimpses into the profundity of the ordinary and the impact of the extraordinary. Malby’s characters deal with choices and their consequences, with themes of life passages, nature and the sea. Her prose is strong with much implied and left to the interpretation of the reader. Highly recommend.” Barbara Byar, novelist, short story author and Fiction Editor, Variant Literature

“Resplendent with lush language and the delicate intricacies of human behaviour, F. C. Malby’s “A Place of Unfinished Sentences” is a masterclass in the portrayal of mighty worlds in tiny stories. Each story opens up a new dimension and ignites a different emotion upon its reading. Malby expertly ties up the ends of the stories, while being uncompromising in the vitality of their message and purposefulness, holding the discerning reader’s interest through the pages. Like Malby’s previous works, this collection is worth many re-reads.” Mandira Pattnaik, author of Where We Set Our Easel

READER REVIEWS

5.0 out of 5 stars Captivating and thought-provoking short stories

“A Place of Unfinished Sentences is a beautifully crafted collection of short stories that explore the complexities of human emotions and relationships. Each story is a window into a moment, a feeling, or a life that lingers in your mind long after you’ve turned the last page. The writing is evocative, drawing you in with vivid descriptions and relatable characters. While some stories leave you wanting more, this only adds to their charm, making the collection feel like a series of snapshots from lives that continue beyond the final sentence. A highly recommended read for anyone who appreciates the subtlety and depth of well-told short stories.”

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully written, descriptive and thought provoking.

“As a short story novice, I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book but I’d loved F.C. Malby’s ‘Dead Drop’ & very much wanted to read ‘A Place of Unfinished Sentences’. I was not disappointed; this too is beautifully written, descriptive and thought provoking.”

“5.0 out of 5 stars An opportunity not to be missed.”

“This is an intriguing and thought provoking read.”

F. C. Malby’s second collection includes stories that have appeared in In Defence of Pseudoscience (Reflex Fiction) and Wild Seas, Wilder Cities (Pigeon Books), and published in the Flash Flood Journal for the 10th Anniversary of National Flash Fiction Day, 2021 as well as The South Shore Review, Issue 6, for the National Flash Fiction Day Edition, 2022. It also includes stories placed in competitions and literary magazines, along with new, unpublished work.

The sentences we leave unfinished, questions surrounding sudden loss, a decision on a train. This second collection covers themes of relationships and memory, exploring what happens when memory fails. It looks at beginnings and endings, weaving through themes of generations, family, uncertainty, and what happens when experiences change us.

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