"What on Earth"

Available in EPUB, MOBI, and PDF formats. Read on your Kindle, phone, tablet, computer and more

What on Earth is a short story collection for readers who enjoy the strange, the dryly comic, and the quietly unsettling. In these stories, James Field explores worlds where the everyday collides with the absurd — from bungled encounters with alien artefacts to gypsy spells, haunted bell towers, and scientific experiments that go wrong in very ordinary ways. Along the way you’ll meet eccentric characters, improbable partnerships, and ideas that refuse to behave themselves. Recurring figures like Bert and Alf navigate a series of increasingly odd situations and mysteries best left unexplained, while other tales range from darkly comic to gently surreal. Some stories may raise a smile, some may give pause, and a few may leave you quietly wondering what exactly just happened. Written with understatement, wry observation, and a light touch of the uncanny, What on Earth will appeal to readers who enjoy satirical fiction with a restrained, offbeat edge — particularly those who appreciate elements of Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett, or Jasper Fforde, without the need for constant punchlines. Each story offers a different glimpse into a world where nothing is quite as it seems — and where reality is always more flexible than you expect. By downloading this book, you’ll also receive my occasional newsletter with reading and writing updates, written quietly from the Arctic. You can unsubscribe at any time.