IR Verdict: NO TURNING BACK is an anthology of stories based on ideas plucked from a fine author's fertile and intelligent imagination. While the stories vary in quality, most of them are certainly entertaining and thought-provoking.

NO TURNING BACK is a collection of stories based on ideas gleaned from Dan Burns’s unique and interesting perspective on the world. Each story is followed by a short commentary explaining where the idea for it came from, and how it was developed – and in some cases, describing what he has done with the story since. Several of the stories are probably best describable as science fiction, though the anthology also includes a love story, “At the End of the Day,” a political speculation, “For a Few Laughs,” and one or two that simply fall under the catchall category of “literary fiction.”

These stories range widely through the genres, limited only by Burns’s imagination. Most of them are based on clever and interesting ideas, and many are developed with a skill that lets the core idea shine through beautifully. Some of them, particularly “The Pass” and the title story, are deeply haunting and emotionally powerful, while others, like “Adiós Amigo”, are pure humor. A couple of the tales, in particular “No Turning Back” and “Out of Touch,” are deft little prose-poems that leave the reader pondering imaginative possibilities for the backstories and futures of the characters involved. The author’s commentaries often serve as a helpful window on the authorial process, making them a possible resource for other budding writers.

Some of the stories do fall a bit short of the others – “An Unexpected Guest” is, for example, less a story than a wish-fulfillment fantasy of the author’s, without much plot or conflict. “Adiós Amigo”, while the core idea is amusing, is at times a bit too unkindly blatant in its mockery of the main characters, harping on their “flabby stomachs” and “foul and pungent” body odors. Some of the other stories, while well-written, feel almost incomplete. Burns has, to his credit, realized that “Letting Go” in particular needed to be expanded on, since the lead character and the story had far more to say – he could, very likely, successfully do the same with a number of these other stories, especially “Come Out, Wherever You Are,” and “The Dark Side”.

NO TURNING BACK is an anthology of stories based on ideas plucked from a fine author’s fertile and intelligent imagination. While the stories vary in quality, most of them are certainly entertaining and thought-provoking.

Reviewed by Catherine Langrehr for IndieReader

The past is a lingering, powerful specter for the characters in Dan Burns' (Recalled to Life, 2013, etc.) motley collection of short stories.

A former mayor tries to outrun a scandal [4], a spy reunites with a childhood friend [82], and an abuse victim struggles to outrun bad memories and the consequences of his own transgressions [100]: these are the kinds of characters who permeate No Turning Back, where the present is shaped by the past and the past is all but inescapable. The stories range from action film-like scenes between a former president and an Iranian leader [111] to a memorable fantasy in which authorRay Bradbury arrives for a surprise birthday dinner [183]. Burns' characters are haunted—by death and loss [37], past scandals [4], and often by their own mistakes [101]. The characters' pasts are well-developed for such short stories, but they have an unfortunate tendency to get weighed down in explaining their own backstories instead of depicting the action of the present. The result is that readers are sometimes left wading through tedious descriptions of the past, but there's no doubt that these long interpolations manage to emphasize the book's message: our pasts shape our present states in complex ways, and unless we can let go, they shape our futures, too. Each story is followed by a brief essay explaining the author's writing process and his thoughts about the story. The author also includes an eight-page introduction, meaning that these stories arrive wrapped in a hefty padding of context and explanation. More intellectual readers will enjoy this, while others may prefer to skip ahead to the stories, which have a variety of intriguing plots that will entice readers' interest even when the pace of the stories occasionally lags.

A diverse collections of stories about dealing with the past.

No Turning Back is a collection of short stories that meets the characters of each story at a pivotal place in their lives and then plays out those life-defining moments in spellbinding and unpredictable ways. Dan Burns takes his characters to the brink of the unknown and then pushes them over the edge so that they literally cannot turn back. What results are stories that make the reader question his/her own life and the many life-changing moments that have shaped who the reader is as a person. 

In Come Out Wherever You Are, Verne avoids the sudden and most unwelcomed limelight by going off the grid and living in a cabin in the woods. After ten weeks of solitude, Verne gets a feeling that something is off. He returns to civilization only to find his hometown very different than it was before he left. The decision to leave town, rather than face the sudden publicity, proved to be very beneficial for him and there was no turning back afterward. 

At the End of the Day takes a modern spin on the classic story of star-crossed lovers. Jen is twenty years Jeremy’s senior, and while attractive, she is not the obvious choice for a possible mate for Jeremy. However, they both decide to throw caution to the wind and begin a relationship that neither thought was possible. 

Adios Amigos is perhaps my favorite story of the book. Al and Margie are visiting Guadalajara, Mexico. Both are the very nightmare of a stereotypical American couple: loud, disrespectful, and fat, though Margie is the lesser of two evils. Al insists upon stopping at a street-side food stand on the way to the airport and sucks on an entire chicken for the duration of the ride. Margie is more cognizant of their (Al’s) rude behavior and tries to make excuses for him, though her patience is drastically waning. Finally, after chasing Al to their gate only to find that their flight has been delayed, Margie leaves Al to sit and sweat, waiting for the plane. What happens next is a complete shock and an utter delight. 

There are a few more stories within the collection, each contributing to the overall theme of not turning back. Every story is written with the finesse of an expert. Burn’s exceptional writing abilities should be no surprise since he is the author of breakout novel Recalled to Life, in addition to multiple screen plays and other novels. 

One of my favorite things about this book was that Burns allowed the reader into his creative thought process at the end of each story. As a fellow writer, I absolutely loved learning how he came up with his ideas and hungered for more on his process. 

While learning Burns’ thought process was an obvious benefit to reading this collection, the best perk was the inherent need to be introspective and reflective about my own life while reading about others who reached a point of “no turning back.” After finishing a story, I would often think about the times where I had a choice to make that ended up defining my life. It takes a special talent to create stories that not only tell a tale, but also enable the readers to deeply reflect on their own life choices. 

Overall, No Turning Back is an excellent collection of stories that span genre and subject matter. The theme of not turning back is apparent throughout each story, yet it is subtle enough to not feel forced. This book enables the reader to enjoy each story as it is, and as a collection, all the while thinking about his/her own life and what decisions have been made where s/he cannot turn back. It’s not every day that a book makes you contemplate your life. Dan Burn’s No Turning Back does just that and then some. 

Reviewed by Starza Thompson for Windy City Reviews.