Writer's profile for 'Ian Hobson'
Email address	ianhobsonuk@yahoo.com

Ixatemit (standard:science fiction, 3419 words)
Author: Ian Hobson	Added: Apr 03 2004	Views/Reads: 4176/2641	Story vote: 0.00 (1 vote)
A lonely young night-time Internet surfer finds himself travelling in time…
The Police Car (standard:drama, 1020 words)
Author: Ian Hobson	Added: Apr 09 2004	Views/Reads: 4486/0	Story vote: 0.00 (1 vote)
As I drove home, I was overtaken by a speeding police car. I wondered where it could be going...
Astrantian Tales - Part 1. Callistephus and the Emerald (youngsters:fantasy, 2719 words) [1/3] show all parts
Author: Ian Hobson	Updated: Apr 17 2004	Views/Reads: 5176/2849	Story vote: 0.00 (1 vote)
This is the first of three (or perhaps more) children's stories set in the fairytale land of Astrantia. If you are looking for a bedtime story, then look no further.
Brackentree (standard:drama, 2820 words)
Author: Ian Hobson	Added: Apr 19 2004	Views/Reads: 3984/2442	Story vote: 0.00 (4 votes)
A family rent a holiday home in Scotland, thinking that they’ll have the place to themselves…
Survivors (standard:adventure, 2894 words)
Author: Ian Hobson	Added: Apr 24 2004	Views/Reads: 4056/2601	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
In early 2003, as America, Britain and Spain pushed for war without UN agreement, I wondered where it might lead. Meanwhile a deadly virus was beginning to spread…
Death by Torchlight (standard:drama, 2033 words)
Author: Ian Hobson	Added: Apr 28 2004	Views/Reads: 4019/2482	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
This story, written for the BBC Chaucer Short Story Competition, was inspired by Chaucer's 'The Pardoner's Tale.'
The Writer Awoke before Dawn (standard:humor, 1677 words) [1/2] show all parts
Author: Ian Hobson	Updated: May 03 2004	Views/Reads: 4390/2374	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
A slanted look inside the mind of a short story writer.
A Bullet to the Head (standard:action, 2652 words)
Author: Ian Hobson	Added: May 09 2004	Views/Reads: 4555/2647	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
A revenge story, inspired by a UK TV documentary. (I've no military experience, so I'm wondering what an old soldier might think of this)
The Looking-Glass (standard:fantasy, 895 words)
Author: Ian Hobson	Added: May 14 2004	Views/Reads: 4128/0	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
The dapper-looking grandfather clock in the hallway struck nine, and with a wink, lifted its top hat and bowed stiffly towards Astana, before resuming its regular pose and its steady tick… tock.
Did the Earth Move For You Darling? (True story) (standard:other, 1101 words)
Author: Ian Hobson	Added: May 29 2004	Views/Reads: 4120/2325	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
It was rumoured that, within two days, some enterprising Turkish businessman had tee-shirts, printed with the words ‘I SURVIVED THE MARMARIS EARTHQUAKE’, on sale – though we never actually saw any.
The De Lorean (standard:science fiction, 2290 words)
Author: Ian Hobson	Added: May 31 2004	Views/Reads: 3990/2376	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
When Dianne told me the story of the time she stayed with her aunt, in a 'mansion, stacked to the ceilings with antiques', and about 'the De Lorean'; I thought that maybe she was making the whole thing up. But then she showed me the photograph...
The Cloak of Invisibility (standard:fantasy, 414 words)
Author: Ian Hobson	Added: Jun 14 2004	Views/Reads: 4283/2	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Sam lay in the grass with his head resting on his pack and his legs crossed at the ankles. He turned a page of the novel he was reading. His companion lay nearby, looking up at the grey sky...
White Thigh Above Stocking Top (standard:drama, 2141 words)
Author: Ian Hobson	Added: Jul 02 2004	Views/Reads: 30937/11024	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Inspired by Cowgirl 11's 'What is Sexy?'
Ghosts (standard:Ghost stories, 2363 words)
Author: Ian Hobson	Added: Jul 25 2004	Views/Reads: 4061/2642	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
'Behave myself?' exclaimed Bosworth, indignantly. 'I'm a ghost! I'm supposed to get up to mischief.'
Metamorphosis (standard:fantasy, 1000 words)
Author: Ian Hobson	Added: Aug 09 2004	Views/Reads: 4206/2555	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
I wrote this for a competition: 1000 words max. – story to start with the words 'Given the amount of time Brantley had been down the hole, it was amazing his single, lid-less eye could still focus.'
The Strid (standard:drama, 1571 words)
Author: Ian Hobson	Added: Aug 20 2004	Views/Reads: 4458/2361	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
My first ever short story... Rex stopped at one of the water filled holes and lapped at the cold clear water, whilst Harry, still holding Rex’s makeshift lead, stepped closer to where the water thrashed and churned between the rocks…
Carnival Day (standard:humor, 1854 words)
Author: Ian Hobson	Added: Sep 15 2004	Views/Reads: 3957/2539	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
This started life as a 1000 word competition entry. The story had to begin with the words 'I was prepared to listen to her advice about the cheese, but why was she dressed as Joan of Arc?'
The Catcher in the What? (standard:humor, 1028 words)
Author: Ian Hobson	Added: Oct 12 2004	Views/Reads: 4067/0	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
If you've read J. D. Salinger's 'The Catcher in the Rye', you may make some sense of this. If not… best read something else.
The Invitation (standard:humor, 1000 words)
Author: Ian Hobson	Added: Nov 22 2004	Views/Reads: 4355/2542	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Another short story competition entry. Story to start with the words 'It was only after clicking 'Send' that Rebecca realised what she had done'.
Candle in Barbed Wire (standard:drama, 3277 words)
Author: Ian Hobson	Added: Dec 20 2004	Views/Reads: 4016/2618	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
A group of Amnesty International members come together for their monthly meeting… Perhaps not the easiest of reads, but hopefully the ending will make the effort worthwhile.
The Alternative Route (standard:Ghost stories, 753 words)
Author: Ian Hobson	Added: Jan 08 2005	Views/Reads: 4107/0	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Another competition that I didn't win: A story in no more than 750 words, to begin with the words 'It started off as nothing more than a leisurely Sunday afternoon drive'.
The Troller's Gill Hound (standard:Ghost stories, 974 words)
Author: Ian Hobson	Added: Jan 30 2005	Views/Reads: 4277/3	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Tom Trowler had had one too many. As he made his way out of the Grouse Inn in semidarkness, he missed the step and stumbled forward, almost falling flat on his face...
The Miracle Worker (standard:drama, 2591 words)
Author: Ian Hobson	Added: Feb 28 2005	Views/Reads: 4816/2725	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
It was just an ordinary summer's day; or so Verity thought, as she walked along with her woollen shawl around her shoulders and an arm through the handle of her woven basket...
Saturday (standard:drama, 747 words)
Author: Ian Hobson	Added: Mar 20 2005	Views/Reads: 4014/3	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
As I drew back the curtains and looked across the fields I felt something was different...
Old Haunts (standard:drama, 751 words)
Author: Ian Hobson	Added: Apr 24 2005	Views/Reads: 3913/3	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Chatham Dockyard? The Cavalier? Probably a ship then. Or maybe it's a pub. Yeah, why not a pub? But who's this Toby character, and why is he leaving for good this time?
Spadework (standard:drama, 751 words)
Author: Ian Hobson	Added: Jun 12 2005	Views/Reads: 3729/2	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Lesley finished filling in the entry form for the Kent Village of the Year competition. Should she tell the full story?
Earth-ship (standard:humor, 2060 words)
Author: Ian Hobson	Added: Jul 25 2005	Views/Reads: 3872/2390	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Stardate: 3015. Earth-ship Centipede. Somewhere in the universe. (Warning: contains twenty-first century language)
Weekend Jaunt (standard:drama, 746 words)
Author: Ian Hobson	Added: Sep 19 2005	Views/Reads: 3983/0	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
"There's something wrong with the brakes!" Tim shouted. Claire screamed. Would this just ruin their weekend away or would it ruin the prospects of them spending their whole life together?
Woody and Zipper's Great Adventure (standard:fantasy, 1719 words)
Author: Ian Hobson	Added: Oct 16 2005	Views/Reads: 4023/2324	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
He knew about the monsters. His mother had warned him…
Woody and Zipper's Great Adventure (youngsters:adventure, 1720 words)
Author: Ian Hobson	Added: Nov 26 2005	Views/Reads: 5338/2995	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
He knew about the monsters. His mother had warned him…
Catananche and the Artesian Well (youngsters:fairy tales, 2961 words)
Author: Ian Hobson	Added: Dec 25 2005	Views/Reads: 4472/2491	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
'Witches can look any way they like,' said Malus. 'Maybe it's time we left, before she puts a spell on us…' Another story from the fairytale land of Astrantia.
Asperula's Rainbow (youngsters:fairy tales, 2534 words)
Author: Ian Hobson	Added: Jan 08 2006	Views/Reads: 4671/2544	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
'I don't have black cats in my garden; they're bad luck. Now shoo, before I turn you into goat!' Another bedtime story from the fairytale land of Astrantia.
The Wishing Cave (youngsters:fairy tales, 2988 words)
Author: Ian Hobson	Added: Jan 29 2006	Views/Reads: 5102/2684	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
'But wells are very dark, and we might fall in and never be seen again.' Anther bedtime story from the fabled land of Astrantia.
The Wolf, the Witch and The Dining Room Table (standard:horror, 930 words)
Author: Ian Hobson	Added: Feb 18 2006	Views/Reads: 4165/2438	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
ADULT fantasy.
The Home Front (standard:Ghost stories, 2309 words)
Author: Ian Hobson	Added: Mar 11 2006	Views/Reads: 4175/2565	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
'That should keep the bastards out.' The boards were all an inch thick and the nails all four inches long…
Luzula and the Biloba Tree (youngsters:fairy tales, 2976 words)
Author: Ian Hobson	Added: Apr 25 2006	Views/Reads: 4715/3059	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
'I like your parasol,' said the sleek black cat, 'it's a lovely shade of green.' Another bedtime story from Astrantia.
Luzula and the Northern Lights (youngsters:fairy tales, 3145 words)
Author: Ian Hobson	Added: May 12 2006	Views/Reads: 5139/3240	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
She had never been invited to enter Asperula's cottage before and she found this, and the fact that she was expected, just a little scary…. Another bedtime story from Astrantia (following on from Luzula and the Biloba Tree).
The Da Vinci Cube (standard:humor, 2860 words)
Author: Ian Hobson	Added: May 22 2006	Views/Reads: 3912/2195	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
If you've read The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, then you might make some sense of this. If not, best read something else.
The Secret of Fire Mountain (youngsters:fairy tales, 3340 words)
Author: Ian Hobson	Added: Jun 06 2006	Views/Reads: 6633/3235	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
But suddenly there was a scream. A scream so loud and so frightening that everyone on the hilltop froze in terror… Another bedtime story from Astrantia (following on from Luzula and the Northern Lights)
Friendly Enemies (standard:drama, 2319 words)
Author: Ian Hobson	Added: Jul 12 2006	Views/Reads: 3850/2330	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
A story inspired by Bernard Cornwell's Starbuck Chronicles and by the American Civil War picture cards I collected as a boy in the 1960's.
Hieracium and the Great Wave (youngsters:fairy tales, 3388 words)
Author: Ian Hobson	Added: Jul 25 2006	Views/Reads: 6238/2969	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
…his thoughts were of sailing off to foreign lands where battles were waiting to be fought, and where princesses waited to be rescued... Another bedtime story from Astrantia.
Hieracium and the Lady of the Lake (youngsters:fairy tales, 3098 words)
Author: Ian Hobson	Added: Aug 01 2006	Views/Reads: 6261/3257	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Tritoma moved cautiously in the darkness, guided only by his sense of smell and the touch of his whiskers against any obstacles he found in his path, while Hieracium followed closely… Hieracium and Tritoma’s adventure continues.
Hieracium and the Earthquake (youngsters:fairy tales, 3186 words)
Author: Ian Hobson	Added: Aug 04 2006	Views/Reads: 6118/3025	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Much later, when Hieracium woke, Tritoma was gone, but soon the cat returned, licking his lips. ‘Water rat,’ he said, guiltily… Another bedtime story from Astrantia (Following on from Hieracium and the Lady of the Lake).
The Coffin (standard:mystery, 1342 words)
Author: Ian Hobson	Added: Sep 04 2006	Views/Reads: 5007/2509	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
I locked the door and turned around and there it was: a coffin!
Teenage Dirtbags (standard:drama, 2397 words)
Author: Ian Hobson	Added: Oct 18 2006	Views/Reads: 3725/2336	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Toddy glanced in his rear-view mirror then wound his window down and showed the driver his middle finger… WARNING: THIS STORY CONTAINS STRONG LANGUAGE!
The Uninvited (standard:science fiction, 1540 words)
Author: Ian Hobson	Added: Dec 29 2006	Views/Reads: 3663/2237	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
A short story by Ian Hobson and Dianne Herring. We wrote this via the Internet, adding a few lines and e-mailing it back and forth.
A Unicorn's Breakfast (youngsters:fairy tales, 2785 words)
Author: Ian Hobson	Added: Jan 11 2007	Views/Reads: 6941/3216	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Have you ever wondered what unicorns have for breakfast? No? Well, I have to admit that I haven't either, until now...
The Cerberus (youngsters:fairy tales, 3283 words)
Author: Ian Hobson	Added: Jan 24 2007	Views/Reads: 7941/3269	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
The porcupine's name was Echinops and he was getting old and rather deaf; too deaf to hear the warnings of the magpie that had flown overhead and squawked, 'Don't go into the woods today. There's danger!'
The Dragon Awakes (youngsters:fairy tales, 3142 words)
Author: Ian Hobson	Added: Feb 15 2007	Views/Reads: 7226/3446	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
The dragon had slept for three hundred years, thrice cursed by three sisters, three witches, who had raised her and loved her and named her Firethorn.
The Seal Hunter (youngsters:adventure, 2057 words)
Author: Ian Hobson	Added: May 29 2007	Views/Reads: 6639/3103	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Only a few days had passed since the three of them had emerged into the sunlight from their winter hideaway beneath the snow...
A Saxon's Tale (standard:adventure, 3499 words)
Author: Ian Hobson	Added: Aug 08 2007	Views/Reads: 3600/2348	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
It was more than sixty days since Eadwynne had wept as we left, begging us not to go. But as I kissed her, and our daughter, Leofwynne, I promised her we would return.
The Black Pointy Hat (youngsters:fantasy, 2141 words)
Author: Ian Hobson	Added: Sep 13 2007	Views/Reads: 6709/3203	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Not that the scarecrow minded how he looked; he was, after all, just a scarecrow, without a single thought in his head...
A Tale of Two Kingdoms (standard:fantasy, 6591 words)
Author: Ian Hobson	Added: Oct 10 2007	Views/Reads: 3668/2283	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Once upon a time there were two kingdoms, and each had two castles... A long story, but in four easily digestible parts. See if you can guess the twist in the tale.
The Ploughman's Apprentice (standard:horror, 3718 words)
Author: Ian Hobson	Added: Jan 24 2008	Views/Reads: 3495/2250	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
He dropped the skull and jumped backwards, shuddering at the sight of its grinning jaws and earth-filled eye sockets…
Imagination (youngsters:mystery, 2745 words)
Author: Ian Hobson	Added: May 25 2008	Views/Reads: 7539/3340	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Imagination? Just make something up? I scratched my head and had a think...
The Affinity (standard:adventure, 2715 words)
Author: Ian Hobson	Added: Sep 29 2008	Views/Reads: 3606/2250	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
There was something about the old man's voice; it was as though I knew it. I was trying to remember. But everything was still black. I had no sense of self. I was surely dead...
The Affinity II (standard:adventure, 3387 words)
Author: Ian Hobson	Added: Oct 18 2008	Views/Reads: 3563/2164	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
He spat at me and backed away towards the middle of the road as I followed him. 'I am Carrak,' he said, 'and it is I who will kill you, if you do not tell me where the gold is.'
The Affinity III (standard:adventure, 3153 words)
Author: Ian Hobson	Added: Nov 03 2008	Views/Reads: 3860/2335	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Recap: Michael Collington, having inherited his grandfather's house, finds a letter that tells him where to find a sword with the power to propel him into another world, where he rediscovers his other identity: Lord Astavar. But soon after reacquainting
The Affinity IV (standard:adventure, 2692 words)
Author: Ian Hobson	Added: Nov 23 2008	Views/Reads: 3689/2271	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
If you missed the earlier episodes of The Affinity, the story starts here: http://www.nicestories.com/unreg/s/story.php?id=8387
The Affinity V (standard:adventure, 3051 words)
Author: Ian Hobson	Added: Dec 18 2008	Views/Reads: 3712/2084	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
If you missed the earlier episodes of The Affinity, the story starts here: http://www.nicestories.com/unreg/s/story.php?id=8387 Recap: After being attacked by pirates, and then by a Kraken, Lord Astavar, Layana and Miglio have fled the sinking ship.
The Affinity VI (standard:adventure, 4593 words)
Author: Ian Hobson	Added: Jan 05 2009	Views/Reads: 3953/2203	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
If you missed the earlier episodes of The Affinity, the story starts here: http://www.nicestories.com/unreg/s/story.php?id=8387
The Elf, the Trollgood and the Magic Sword (youngsters:fantasy, 1496 words)
Author: Ian Hobson	Added: Jan 17 2009	Views/Reads: 6696/2885	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
An elf finds his way barred by an ugly creature.
The Waif and the Ferryman (standard:drama, 2325 words)
Author: Ian Hobson	Added: Feb 06 2009	Views/Reads: 3579/2386	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
'Bad boy!' Thomas shouted, leaving the bull and rushing across the deck to stop the donkey from eating Mary's flowers.
The Elf, the Dwarf and the Magic Flute (youngsters:fantasy, 1474 words)
Author: Ian Hobson	Added: Jan 30 2010	Views/Reads: 8242/3841	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
The dwarf, dressed in colourful woollen leggings and jacket, looked like almost any other dwarf, except for one thing: he was actually quite tall; just as tall as Ripley in fact...
Lost Love (standard:romance, 2404 words)
Author: Ian Hobson	Added: Feb 17 2010	Views/Reads: 3622/2277	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
A story inspired by a sixties pop song. I'll let you guess which one and who sang it. Some strong language.
The School Concert (standard:humor, 1965 words)
Author: Ian Hobson	Added: May 28 2010	Views/Reads: 3206/2130	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Based on a true story – I should know, I was there. Very strong language from the start.
The Secret Oath (standard:fantasy, 1447 words)
Author: Ian Hobson	Added: Oct 18 2010	Views/Reads: 3464/2064	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Maglanda's uncle is rich and powerful, while her half-cousin, Davitt, is just a novice in the castle guard. This might be a prologue for something longer but, for now, it's just a short story.