James Pyles's Blog, page 132

Has a New Civil War Been Declared?

Warning: This essay discusses issues of Donald Trump, racism, physical assault, and other forms of violence, hate crimes, and whether or not people are ultimately responsible for their own actions. If you think reading about all that might be upsetting to you, please find something else with which to occupy your time. By the way, […]

Ryazan

Jonathan Cypher was atemporal, so when he found himself leaving the Eurythmics concert, he wasn’t sure where or when he was. Almost everyone around him was speaking German. There was a screenwriter talking about filming the group’s performance later in the year, a couple arguing about marriage, an aging academic expressing his opinion to his […]

The New Dragon Saga: Training

Chapter 1: Buddy the Ambrosial Dragon had only been sporadically living with Landon and his family for the past year or so. Now that he had grown to his full stature (about the size of a school bus), he always had to shrink himself downwhen he came to stay with them, as he had right now. He […]

Inheritors

Lee watched his two grandchildren explore the garden. Once it was one of numerous community projects in this mid-sized northwestern city. Now it was a matter of survival. “What do you think? Think your grandkids will like it here? We’ve got plenty of children their own age, and my wife’s putting together a school curriculum.” […]

The Alien Find

“How long do you think he’d lain unconscious in that gully?” Elaine Allred gripped the shoulder of their guide Bill Davis as he pulled her husband’s limp form into the wrecked fuselage of the seventy year old B24 Liberator. “Probably most of the day. Good thing we found him before nightfall. Next time, you talk some […]

Wilderness Artifact

Toby and Elaine got out of their car at the trailhead at Upper Kananaskis Lake. Bill Davis, their guide, was waiting by his truck. “You folks ready?” Toby and his wife strapped on their backpacks. “Doesn’t seem that remote.” “It will be.” The Cree winked at them both. Elaine marvelled at the snow-capped mountains. “It’s […]

Are You Sure You Want to be a Cop?

“But why are you arresting me? He’s the racist!” Melissa Becker was struggling and putting up quite a commotion as Police Officer Irene Atkins pressed her against the side of her car and handcuffed her. “Need any assistance?” Atkins’s partner of four years Mike Shelton paused while taking a statement from the victim, 37-year-old Preston […]

Going Home After All These Years

“You embarrassed me this evening.” Myron was standing with Rachel outside the Hyatt Regency in San Francisco waiting for the valet to bring around the car. “It was the truth. What are you complaining about?” “Truth or not, you shouldn’t have said it.” “It’s over and done with. Here comes the car now.” He pulled […]

Why Some Creative Works May Never Win a Hugo Award

Okay, so the people on twitter who (very politely) accused me of being a moron because I was clueless about exactly what the Hugos are, and how creative works are awarded Hugo Awards are correct. I didn’t do my homework. I did have one woman accuse me of not even being a fan, and admittedly, […]

The Magical Backyard

“What’s that, Grandpa?” The little three-year-old girl was out in the old man’s backyard exploring as usual, while her grandfather watched from a chair on the patio. “It’s a dragonfly, Dani.” “Dragonfly?” She looked in wonder as the insect alighted onto one of the potted tomato plants at the edge of the concrete. “Yes, it’s […]