When Breaks The Maelstrom


Fiction - Anthology
265 Pages
Reviewed on 06/26/2026
Buy on Amazon

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Author Biography

Rev. Dr. Eugene Barnes brings a wealth of diverse experience to his work, graduating Cum Laude from Slidell Baptist Seminary in 2001. His expertise in employment, economic development, community organizing, youth development, technology, and banking/housing has been a catalyst for improving the physical and financial health of communities. With over 50 years of experience in social work and community organizing, starting with the NAACP in 1965, Dr. Barnes's understanding of the complexities of community change is enriched by his experience in private and public caregiving institutions. His commitment to empowering citizens to shape public policies and programs is evident in his past role as Board President of National People's Action in Chicago. He has been instrumental in the formation of nearly 80 national nonprofits. His most recent accomplishment was being invited to the White House by then-President Barack Obama for the signing of the historic Financial Reform Bill of 2010. In 2012, Dr. Barnes held the first Faith-Based Conference in Champaign, IL, bringing houses of worship together to effect change within the community. Dr. Barnes is listed in the 2000 edition of Who’s Who of International Entrepreneurs.


PODCAST:
REVELATION UNVEILED: AN UNTOLD STORY https://open.spotify.com/episode/5uUH2IvVNem2I8sMsrp6tM?si=H_hmV4_EQ0qKkhpfN6mquw

CHAINED IN DARKNESS ANTHOLOGY/KINDLE
https://a.co/d/0jedyNA3

WHEN BREAKS THE MAELSTROM/KINDLE
https://a.co/d/0dU5bnFF

MASAMI KO, JAPANESE BOUNTY HUNTRESS/KINDLE
https://a.co/d/0iGnvW15



    Book Review

Reviewed by Doreen Chombu for Readers' Favorite

When Breaks The Maelstrom by Eugene Barnes is a collection of dark fantasy and science fiction stories. The book takes readers on wild rides into the minds of people about to commit murder, to the American Old West to investigate a sharpshooting case, and to the seaside where a lonely widow is lured to the sea by a mysterious creature. Singh Mohan and his wife, Sharma, build a magnetically propelled spaceship to leave Earth, and prisoners in a Nazi concentration camp plan an escape. Enjoy the adventures of Masami Ko, a Japanese bounty huntress in the American West; join Shania as she learns about her parents' unconditional love for her from a stranger; and follow a gifted hacker as he goes through many financial hoops to get his crush a gift. Go to an advanced cyber universe where children create metagames, and to a planet where possession of diamonds is a criminal offense. Finally, read about the origin of sin and the war in heaven, and a story about a group of aliens who aborted the invasion of Earth after witnessing the resurrection of a man after three days.

When Breaks The Maelstrom is a captivating collection of stories that takes you to various locations and introduces you to intriguing characters. The narrative jumps from a war-torn place to a mysterious planet in outer space and then back in time. Every story comes with a lot of layers, pulling in all sorts of social issues at once. Take "The Man of My Dreams"—mental health, psychic abilities, government secrets—it’s all in there. Eugene Barnes just keeps you guessing, always making you wonder what’s around the corner. Sometimes, you’ll notice the stories even connect, and that helps you see the characters change and grow. What really grabbed me, though, was how often the book comes back to the same message: just how fragile people really are. Our minds, our emotions—they rest on shaky ground that can crumble fast. The stories dig into real stuff like betrayal, prejudice, loneliness, chasing redemption, and that gnawing fear of what we don’t know. So go ahead—jump into space, flip through time, and see what these stories say about the thin line our reality and minds walk every day.