Published: Jan. 14, 2012
Words: 8,418 (approximate)
Language: English
ISBN: 9781452449258

Short description

In this fantasy-comedy Hym and Hur are a young couple who never age and have been in love for more than a century. They also possess magical abilities, two of which are either to play pranks on humankind or to perform good deeds. Enacting both at once is now what gets them into trouble, especially since it's the unruly character of Death they must deal with to bring their plans to fruition.

Extended description

In this fantasy-comedy Hym and Hur are a young couple who never age and have been in love for more than a century. They also possess magical abilities, two of which are either to play pranks on humankind or to perform good deeds. Enacting both at once is now what gets them into trouble, especially since it's the unruly character of Death they must deal with to bring their plans to fruition.

The prank Hym and Hur have come up with must first be agreed upon by Death, who happens to be a rambunctious, difficult character. Once agreed upon, the prank is set in motion. Hym and Hur soon discover Death had tricked them into a contract with dire consequences for all of us.

During their attempt to break the contract, Hym and Hur try to save the relationship of an earthbound couple, knowing they are truly meant for each other. A good deed that will bring Hym and Hur even more trouble.

Tags

comedy, humor, fantasy, paranormal, short stories, short story, comedies, fantasy comedy

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Reviews

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Review by: Chrissy on Sep. 15, 2012 :
Did I enjoy this book: Hym and Hur was alright. It was a very short story that I read in under an hour. But for me, it just didn't make much sense.

The main characters, Hym and Hur, were cute and they want to do good in the world - even though Hym likes to play pranks every now and then. But their names made the story a bit difficult for me to read. I wanted to read he and she every time Hym and Hur were written because it would have been "more correct" that way. (And I realize the characters names are meant to be fun...it just made it a bit hard to read for me.)

The end of the story came about rather abruptly. (And, yes, I do understand this is a short story and it will end quickly. But it was just a bit too quick.) But the ending was happy and a good one. It fit the story.

Would I recommend it: If you like short, quirky stories with a message, then yes, you should read this one. Otherwise, I would not recommend this book.

Will I read it again: I will not.
(reviewed long after purchase)

Review by: Sheila Deeth on June 25, 2012 :
A thoroughly enjoyable short story, Phillip Frey’s Hym and Hur has pleasingly thought-provoking humor, combining a delightful premise with thoroughly enjoyable execution. The author’s light touch with matters of heaven and hell blends perfectly with the innocent mood of his oddly ancient protagonists, Hym and Hur, as they plan their next curious prank.

The human protagonists are pleasing too as their perils stretch before them, but the reader’s eyes are kept firmly fixed on the mystical—how will Hym and Hur get everyone out of the mess their foolish tricks have created?

An odd misused word can easily be forgiven in such a short pleasing piece. The grown-up fairy-tale feel of the writing is thoroughly enjoyable and the story wends its way to an appropriate conclusion without ever devolving into analysis of what’s going on. I hope I might meet Hym and Hur in more pranking short stories some day.


Disclosure: I received a free ecopy of this story from the author in exchange for my honest review.
(reviewed long after purchase)

Review by: Jenny Bates on June 22, 2012 :
I found this story a little incomplete. I felt like it was rather abrupt and did not really develop any of the characters enough for it to be more than just a very short story. I like short stories, but this tried to establish too much for it to just be a short story.
(reviewed within a month of purchase)

Review by: Alisia on June 13, 2012 :
This is a short story about an immortal couple who have abilities. They help people and play pranks on them, but it must be approved by Death first. As they think of pranks, they come up with a way to help people, Death approves it. But is it because he wants to see HYM and HUR do good? Or does he have his own plans?
I thought that it was a good short story. I just wish that we could have gotten to know the characters more. Like how did Hym and Hur become immortal or were they always?
SPOILER: I liked the part where Archie and Sarah were drinking champagne and every time they picked up the bottle there was more in it. I knew it had to be Hur or Hym and I was right! Sneaky little immortals.
I also liked that we got to see what happened with Archie and Sarah in the end.
It was very interesting to see this version of Death. Yes, he wisely and a trickster, just like them all. But he wasn't so doom and gloom as most Deaths. He was happy with his job and he let it show.


Anyone who has a little bit of time and is looking for a book they can start and finish, I suggest this one!
(reviewed within a week of purchase)

Review by: Hal Ackerman on May 14, 2012 :
This is a new and inventive twist to the notion of trying to trick Death--a pretty resourceful trickster himself. Naming his characters Hym and Hur made me think of Samuel Becket, a writer, who like Frey, celebrates odd and minimalist evocative prose. In a relatively short piece, this tale manages to do so much. it gives us a feeling of a long lasting (albeit strange) love relationship, a young couple whose first kiss was shared New Year's eve 1904. it gives us an interesting portrait of overly self-protective and over busied Los Angelenos and of the city itself. And, without giving away any spoilers, an inventive playfully serious excursion into the psyche of Death. It does all this while being unpretentiously literate.
(reviewed within a month of purchase)

Review by: wistfulskimmie on May 10, 2012 :
This is the story of Hym and Hur, a couple who have been in love a long time and never age. They love playing pranks on people with their special powers. This time however they have made a deal with Death in exchange for a good deed. They may choose someone to save people from dying by touch alone, for 24 hours. But this is Death and there is always a loophole....

This was a deliciously funny little tale. I loved the pranks Hym & Hur played and the funny interventions they made into peoples lives, whether for the best or not. The story ran smoothly and the characters were believable. The end was very sweet and I would love to read more of this author's work.
(reviewed the day of purchase)

Review by: Tiffany Sill on May 09, 2012 :
Originally Posted At: http://reviewsalatiffany.blogspot.com/

To start off this review, let me tell you I actually liked this story. I've never really been a fan of short stories, they end too soon. This one I would have loved to see this story a little bit longer. I think that maybe a better back story for the characters would have been really appreciated.

The characters are one thing in particular that I really want to share about. These characters were very comical and they felt very thought out to me. Hym is a personal favorite, I loved his practical jokes! Even if there were only a few. Death was hilarious! He was amazing in his first scene. I didn't get a very strong impression with Hur, I have no idea why. Sarah and Archie's relationship was very cute.

There were a few scenes that I found very memorable in this story. The first is the bar scene with death, very funny. :) I loved Death, I don't know why but I did. The zombie scene was another memorable one. I love zombies! I really didn't think that there would be any in this story, but it was great and very comical. The last one that I want to announce is the Iraq scene. I teared up a bit to put it simply. It was very sad and I think it put that realistic aspect in there that the book neede.

To conclude this review, I want to say that this story is one I would recommend. I enjoyed it and I'm not really a fan of very short stories. This story is one of those ones to read when you have a break or something to just relax and enjoy.
(reviewed within a week of purchase)

Review by: Rich Meyer on May 09, 2012 :
Excellent short story from Phil Frey. I hadn't thought of it before seeing the other reviews but, yes, this could easily be an episode of the Twilight Zone, or a less-murderous episode of Tales from the Darkside.

I found the tale to be very enjoyable, well-written and with some excellent characterization. The three pseudo-antagonists in the tale are handled quite well. Everyone has a personality that is believable.

This one is definitely worth a read!
(reviewed the day of purchase)

Review by: Laurie Kilpatrick on Jan. 28, 2012 :
Lovely short story which has a whimsical quality with some mischievous darker tones. I agree with the reviewer that compares this to a Twilight Zone episode. I too would love to see this longer or even 3 dimentional. Mr. Frey is adept at switching genres, this and "Dangerous Times", can't wait to see what's next. Excellent job.
(reviewed within a week of purchase)

Review by: Crescent Suns e-Books on Jan. 26, 2012 :
Anyone here old enough to remember the Twilight Zone? How about the early short stories of Isaac Asimov? If you are you'll get my meaning when I say reading Hym and Hur was like watching an episode of the Twilght Zone or reading one of Asimov's early stories. It has that "old time" feel to it which I find comforting and refreshing. Not many people write the way the "old masters" did and I think that's a shame. Hym and Hur is a brief, but interesting concept that perhaps could be expanded on a bit (Which is why I only gave it four stars), but still, it gets the story across in a fun way that made me feel as though I was sitting in front of the old black and white TV we had when I was a kid watching Rod Serling introduce this week's show.
Definitely worth reading.
(reviewed the day of purchase)

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