For its seemingly effortless whimsy and wit, go boldly forth and seek out this most enterprising compilation of disparate short stories. But don’t make the mistake of thinking there’s some kind of titularly Trekkie assembly required. The connections to Star Trek in Thomas P. Balázs’ down-to-earth debut collection Omicron Ceti III – named after a fictional planet in the episode "This Side of Paradise" — are restricted to the book’s title story in which a character is a fan of the show, and consumed with a need to count in threes. (To the therapist who asks about this obsession: “First, I don’t agree it’s an obsession. Second, I happened to like to number. Third, get off of my case.”) And the links also come into play as each of Balázs’ three sections is preceded by an epigraph from the TV episode, quotations which, if taken as an evolving whole, suggest a thematic reach, if not grasp, for an elusive paradise … Keep Reading »
--Gordon Hauptfleisch, on Blog Critics.
--Gordon Hauptfleisch, on Blog Critics.
Don’t let the sci-fi tinged title fool you, the rich stories in Balázs’ debut collection are earthbound and invariably human. Billed as a triptych, the book is carved into three sections of three thus giving us nine stories in all. It opens slowly with Niddah—a tale of a schoolgirl who must face family, classmates, and herself as she deals with her changing, menstruating body—but quickly builds with My Secret War and the title story Omicron Ceti III, the latter of which is a Star Trek reference.... Keep Reading »
--Mel Bosworth, on Outsider Writers.
--Mel Bosworth, on Outsider Writers.
... Balázs has an interesting style throught the stories I've read—he's somewhere between black humor and bleak while keeping his characters more upbeat while they work toward being alone. It's a highwire act and he's able to make it all the way across each time. His characters seem headed to places his readers wouldn't want to go but we follow them very willingly as he gives us ample reason to. ... Read Review
“Though many of the characters in Omicron Ceti III deal with isolation, either falling deeper into themselves or struggling to connect with others, each story is so unique in terms of voice, atmosphere, and narrative that they feel like undiscovered planets, strange new worlds. With this dazzling collection, Thomas Balázs boldly goes into unknown territory, and you should count yourself lucky to follow him wherever he travels.”
Kevin Wilson, author of Tunneling to the Center of the Earth and The Family Fang
Kevin Wilson, author of Tunneling to the Center of the Earth and The Family Fang
Thomas Balázs’s dark wit shines in these strange, often comic, yet wholly human tales of characters who grasp onto their obsessions for ballast as they navigate an uneasy reality and their own slippery selves.
--Laurie Alberts, author of Lost Daughters, The Price of Land in Shelby, and Tempting Fate, among others
--Laurie Alberts, author of Lost Daughters, The Price of Land in Shelby, and Tempting Fate, among others
One of the many things I love about Thomas Balázs’ debut collection is how confidently his characters steer the leaky hulls of their lives onto rocky shores. Sound bleak? It isn’t. Blindfolded, gangplanked, still imagining they're at the helm, they whistle merrily nonetheless. That’s what is so remarkable about these stories. Somehow, Balázs manages to infuse stories that in lesser hands would seem unremittingly bleak with humor, compassion, charm, and ample vitality. Their lives might be a wreck, but Balázs never abandons them.
--Robin Hemley, author of Turning Life into Fiction, DO OVER! and Nola
--Robin Hemley, author of Turning Life into Fiction, DO OVER! and Nola
Reviews of Horror Library
Honorable Mention in Best Horror of the Year, Volume 10
“Though I haven't yet finished them all, it's not too soon to give a shout-out to those that have already made an impression. Among them are Thomas P. Balazs's "Waiting for Mrs. Hemley" and Josh Rountree's "Snowfather." Oh, and editor Eric J. Guignard's intros are pure Twilight Zone goodness.”
GOODSCARES
GOODSCARES