James Pyles's Blog, page 21

Spring Into SciFi 2024 Coming Soon!

If you like my work, buy me a virtual cup of coffee at Ko-Fi. Almost there. My short story “I Don’t Want To Be Human” is featured in the upcoming Cloaked Press anthology Spring Into SciFi 2024. Click that link to pre-order a digital copy for download from Amazon to your Kindle device on March […]

Book Review of “Star Wars: The Last Command” (1994)

If you like my work, buy me a virtual cup of coffee at Ko-Fi. I just finished reading the third book in Timothy Zahn’s “Thrawn Trilogy,” The Last Command. Oh “spoiler alert,” it is Thrawn’s last command because he dies, which I didn’t see coming. Grand Admiral Thrawn having acquired the “Katana fleet” in the […]

Of Stuff and Muses

If you like my work, buy me a virtual cup of coffee at Ko-Fi. “Well, write something about it,” Muse demanded. In such an ordinary setting, her ephemeral existence, blond hair flowing as water-like as her sheer gown, she was so out of place. I answered in dismay, “Write what? It’s just someone’s family room. […]

Baffel’s Last Day

If you like my work, buy me a virtual cup of coffee at Ko-Fi. Baffel cautiously walked toward the now antique Conestoga wagon as if it might vanish. He perfectly remembered the wagon train’s journey along the Oregon Trail in 1824. The families had suffered such hardships. He did the best he could, but he […]

One Pale Blue Dot on Ice, Please

If you like my work, buy me a virtual cup of coffee at Ko-Fi. Another Valentine’s Day alone. Cassandra considered turning the heat up in her small apartment but her rental agreement said she paid for heating and cooling. She pulled the blanket higher around her while watching TV. The big news was that Voyager […]

Book Review of “Star Wars: Dark Force Rising” (1993)

If you like my work, buy me a virtual cup of coffee at Ko-Fi. I finished reading Star Wars: Dark Force Rising, book 2 in the Thrawn trilogy and I have to say I’m having a blast. It doesn’t quite nail down the original film trilogy, but it comes close. I suppose because more details […]

Review of the Movie: “Demolition Man” (1993)

If you like my work, buy me a virtual cup of coffee at Ko-Fi. Last night I finally got around to watching the 1993 film Demolition Man starring Sylvester Stallone as Detective John Spartan (some of these made up names are lame) and Wesley Snipes as Simon Phoenix. This is an action/adventure science fiction film […]

Counting Down From Seven

How did I get to be so old? No, don’t answer that. Maybe I’ll just sit on a bench here on the pier. That’s better. Only us retirees out on a Wednesday. What time is it? Says nearly 9:15 a.m. on this funky handheld the alien gave me. Well, he said he was an alien. […]

“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 […]