James Pyles's Blog, page 129
August 22, 2018
Peace on Earth
We launched the candles. The tribute was organized by telephone and mail so it was really hard, but we did it. “Hi. I’m Jill.” She startled me. I’d been listening to other people talk, but I assumed they were already friends, I mean real life friends. “I’m Dave. Pleased to meet you.” We shook hands […]
August 21, 2018
Part 2 of “This is the World of Science Fiction and WorldCon?”
Okay, so in doing research to respond to some of the readers of my flash fiction story We Don’t Want Your Kind Here, I had to revisit my essay Who is a Nazi and Why Should I Care?. This led me to search the #WorldCon76 and #WorldCon2018 twitter hashtags for any mention of Nazis, which led me […]
We Don’t Want Your Kind Here
The sign said “No Entry” in two languages, but Allen saw the young couple approach the main doors from the side and go in any way. He knew the sign was directed at him, not him personally, but you had to be a member in good standing of the Party to even be considered. The […]
August 20, 2018
This is the World of Science Fiction and WorldCon?
Well, the progressives running the SF/F industry, including WorldCon, like to think of themselves as the “good guys” and on the “right side of history,” but there doesn’t seem to be any shortage of hate of anyone who might even be slightly conservative. I guess not being inclusive is okay as long as the groups you […]
The New Dragon Saga: Wargames
Chapter 2: War, except the Master didn’t call it war, he called it “the Games.” Games, but these games were deadly. It had been weeks, no…months ago when seventeen-year-old Landon had stood in the main Arena at training camp with the other recruits, all kidnapped as he was, from all over the Earth, and from […]
Future Tension
Adam had to look up the word Hemmablind to find out what his wife meant. Yeah, it described him pretty well. He just didn’t notice all of the little imperfections in and around the house. The tear in the back screen door, the weeds growing in the flowerbed, they were all the same to him, […]
August 19, 2018
It’s Not a Scarecrow
“You know, I don’t think the flower bed is in danger from crows, Lindsey.” Kurt stood with his six-year-old daughter admiring their handiwork. “I know that, Daddy. I just thought the flowers could use some company when we’re not around.” She stood, hands on hips, pride written all over her face. “Well, you sure made […]
August 18, 2018
The Chernobyl Man
The tourists have been here for quite a while, but due to the dropping radiation levels, I’m unconscious most of the time. Pretty soon, I’ll fade away altogether, though I expect that will be a blessing. At first, I wasn’t sure if I was dead or not. Of course, the Chernobyl accident killed everyone, including […]
August 17, 2018
Legendary
The sun simmered red as it slunk towards the jagged horizon. Herman Pope and Krista Hubbard stood watching it from the parking lot at the Houston Space Center anticipating their last day on Earth. “When will the Object reach perihelion?” The twenty-eight year old systems engineer grasped the older gentleman’s hand without taking her gaze […]
August 16, 2018
Death Unmasked: A Book Review
Disclosure: Almost three months ago, author Rick Sulik asked me to review his 2015 novel Death Unmasked. We had an email discussion and I agreed with the understanding that I would provide an honest review, no holds barred. I subsequently received a kindle edition of the book and finished reading it yesterday. You should probably […]
