Impossibilia

Aurora Award Finalist

Doug's first collection contains three novelettes, including an award winner and an award finalist. Stories of wonder with characters that you won't forget. Characters who, like any of us, have things they hide inside—secrets, fears, aspects of themselves they keep locked away. Or try to.

Only their things are a little…different.

•A painter who talks to Vincent van Gogh
•A shapeshifter hunting one of his own
•The secret to being the luckiest man alive

Welcome to Impossibilia!

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"Rarely have I seen such an apt title to any book! Douglas Smith has given us three amazing stories that are so unusual and beautiful that no other name than Impossibilia could possibly describe this collection. Each tale was rapture and ecstasy, magical and mysterious, perfect and implausible. In short, I loved them all from the first word to the last. ... I don't know what else to say without spoiling things for you so I won't say anything else, except READ THIS BOOK!!!" — Mass Movement Magazine

"The three stories collected in 'Impossibilia' are very different, covering almost the entire range of speculative genres. The writing is superb. Douglas Smith is an artisan and his stories beautifully crafted. ... In my search for the perfect short story, the three in this volume certainly qualify." —SF Crowsnest Book Reviews

"Both thematically and stylistically, these stories sometimes recall the work of better known authors, including Harlan Ellison, Theodore Sturgeon, and Ray Bradbury. But Smith puts such a personal stamp on his stories, and invests them with such depth of feeling, that they transcend the dangers of … imitation and emerge as wholly original. … There is a certain exhilaration that comes from reading the book's complex and powerfully emotional stories couched in that deft and smooth prose. It is easy to see why PS Publishing considers Smith an author who deserves more attention. … [Smith deserves] to be known to by a very wide audience indeed." —Dead Reckonings review magazine

"Highly, highly recommended." —Fantasy Book Critic

"The stories in this collection reach from van Gogh's rural France to the classic travelling fair to the far lost forest, and from timeshift to shapeshift to the activity of luck. That's range, or at least a glimpse of range, in the grand manner that harks back to Bradbury and Sturgeon and Ellison" —Chaz Brenchley, award-winning UK writer

"Each story [in Impossibilia] is unique and different, showcasing a different aspect of Douglas Smith's talent. [...] A fun romp that delivered something different [with] stories that are exhilarating, enjoyable, and well above competence." —Bibliophile Stalker - Speculative Fiction Reviews

"A book that ably demonstrates what Smith is capable of as a writer, added to which, anyone who references Springsteen songs in their titles is going to get the thumbs up from me." —Black Static Magazine

"In the three novelettes that comprise Impossibilia, Douglas Smith [lays] bare the psychological and emotional fragility that motivates his characters." —The Fix

"Aptly named, Impossiblilia introduces the reader to Douglas Smith's magical reality where the impossible is readily accepted as normal. ... [The] three letter perfect stories behind the expressionist cover art admirably display Mr. Smith's considerable creativity." —Hellnotes

"Stories with hope are stories I need. ... I would very cheerfully read more stories by this author. ... Worth reading: definitely." —The International Review of Science Fiction