Death & the Dream
“Infuses poetry into every line, creating breath-taking beauty even in the midst of horror.”
Sixteen haunting tales from J.J. Brown make up this set of noir fiction short stories set in the Catskill Mountains, Brooklyn, the Lower East Side, Greenwich Village, City Island and New York City’s science research labs.
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The Finest Mask
“Who knew that science combined with great fiction could entertain so wonderfully?”
What if the Europeans who came to North America 300 years ago had been susceptible to disease epidemics, but the 500 Indigenous nations’ people had not?
This is the alternate history world of J.J. Brown’s The Finest Mask, where people become accustomed to wearing masks to conceal their scars. A gene hunter travels from London to New York City in search of a gene for perfect skin to prevent ravages of infections. What he finds reawakens his heart.
Readers Are Saying
“At a time when there seems to be a growing willful ignorance of science and anti-intellectualism among a certain faction of the American population, J.J. Brown’s tale is both refreshing and hopeful.” – Reader review
“Speculative fiction, at least in the (writing) hands of J.J. Brown, is fascinating, fun and provocative, to say the least.” – Reader review
“The Finest Mask is not a horror story – yet it can scare us as much as a Stephen King short story, because of the speculation of what could be.” – Reader review
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US readers: Kindle short / Also in the short story collection Alt History 102
Mosquito Song: Dreams in Old San Juan
“A dark, magical story.”
After an unborn baby’s mysterious death, a New York City molecular biologist travels to Puerto Rico to investigate. Fears of a new pandemic virus carried by mosquitoes haunt her plans and her nightmares. Her next DNA experiments reveal a future she’s not ready to accept, in this tale from J.J. Brown.
Readers Are Saying
“A superb balance of scientific expertise with artistic sensitivities along with genuine compassion with those impacted by her work.” – Reader review
“A dark, magical story that pulls and twists the true thread of DNA research on deadly viruses into the fictional story of a flawed young geneticist named Antonia who, while recovering from a night of toxic drinking and promiscuous sex, flies to San Juan to pick up a fetal human brain sample to try to determine what killed an unborn baby.” – Reader review
“There are few books with scientist protagonists, let alone female scientists. Even Michael Crichton had women scientists as only secondary characters. And, the character of Antonia in Mosquito Song is flawed, human. She drinks herself unconscious and has indiscriminate sex in the process. Ah, the scientist stereotype, another one gone.” – Reader review
“What a great short story with a female character who is strong yet flawed, intelligent yet makes some bad choices while she follows her research job on DNA and viruses.” – Reader review
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