James Pyles's Blog, page 20

“I Believe In Science” (Wait! Let me Explain)

For years, the concept of “science” as been politicized, as if it were possessed ONLY by one political party, as if the other political party and its members were still in the literal stone age. Worse, this party says “I believe in science” as if science were a theology or philosophy. A Christian would say […]

The Word

Griffith had been searching for the last syllable, the last few letters of The Word for twenty centuries. It was rather anti-climactic that he should find it on a cheap bookshelf in this hovel. He ran a grateful finger over the binding of the black tome on the lower shelf. The spine contained a letter […]

Book Review of “Children of the Lens” by E.E. “Doc” Smith

If you like my work, buy me a virtual cup of coffee at Ko-Fi. Yesterday, I finished Children of the Lens (1954), the last in E.E. “Doc” Smith’s Lensmen series. By rights, it’s a book I should have started and finished over fifty years ago. The works of Smith as well as Edgar Rice Burroughs […]

Book Review of “Star Wars: Heir to the Empire” by Timothy Zahn (plus a few extras)

Yes, this is a book review, but I need to lay a little groundwork first. If you like my work, buy me a virtual cup of coffee at Ko-Fi. When online strife over what “Star Wars” as a franchise has become gets to be too much, I always return to watching the original trilogy. Nothing […]

Zone 7

If you like my work, buy me a virtual cup of coffee at Ko-Fi. “The recorder’s on. Go ahead and read what’s on the card.” Mr. Newman had a soft voice and it sounded creepy, not like Dad’s or Grandpa’s. “My name is José Raymond Phillips. I’m ten years old. My family has been assigned […]

Dinnertime

Sam grasped the fence post as nausea doubled him over. The throb on this right side spread around to his back. He wondered just how long seventy years of debauchery would take to kill him. “Can’t be.” He tried to shake off his headache and clear his vision. “It is. But it can’t be. They’ve […]

2024 Hugo Award Nominations Meltdown

I didn’t think I’d ever write about the Hugo Awards, Worldcon and SFWA again. I entered the game too late for the 2015 Sad Puppies drama and trauma (and I’m glad I did). However, that event and the chatter in subsequent years led me to take a hard look at Worldcon and the Hugos. When […]

My Novelette “Ice” is FREE from January 20-25, 2024! Download NOW!

Here it is. My 2021 SciFi fantasy thriller “Ice,” is a FREE download from Amazon onto your kindle device from Saturday, January 20th to January 25th, 2024 Pacific (USA) Time. That’s right, FREE. It’s certainly been cold enough in a lot of places lately, but not as cold as the world of Ice. In the […]

Time Travel Stories Are Just Wish Fulfillment

If you like my work, buy me a virtual cup of coffee at Ko-Fi. “I told you it wouldn’t work. Now will you leave me alone? I’m trying to get something written.” Ken Carson sat staring at a blank Word page on the computer screen without an idea of what to type. “We just need […]

Haunting Ice

Twelve-year-old Isabella used to resent having to spend two-weeks in January in Dad’s frozen cabin in the middle of nowhere. Two solid weeks of cold, gray suck. She was in the mud room getting ready to go outside so Dad and step-mom could “try to make her a baby sibling.” “Disgusting.” She grabbed her skates. […]