James Pyles's Blog, page 27

Book Review of “Fire Time” (1974)

I wish I could say I liked Poul Anderson’s 1974 novel Fire Time. It was being offered from Amazon at a pretty low price and wasn’t available at my local public library. I’d read and liked other books by Anderson. I figured what the heck? The novel begins with several prisoners being transported to a […]

“Shoot the Devil II: Dark Matter” Coming Soon!

If you like my work, buy me a virtual cup of coffee at Ko-Fi. Some of my regular readers may remember that a short story of mine “Wolf in the Wind” was included in the 2022 Crucifixion Press anthology Shoot the Devil: Ten Tales of Humans Defeating the Demonic. It’s a collection of science fiction, […]

If I Could Turn Back Time

“No! This is not what I meant!” Eight-year-old Erin pounded her fists on the back of the chair and then recoiled when it hurt so much. She squealed in her too squeaky, little girl voice. She wanted to go back and fix the past. The experiment held that promise. The forty-two-year-old physicist stepped into the […]

Book Review of “Hacking Galileo” by Fenton Wood

If you like my work, buy me a virtual cup of coffee at Ko-Fi. I became aware of Fenton Wood (a pseudonym) when he reviewed my SciFi/Fantasy novelette Ice on twitter (but alas not on Amazon or goodreads). Curious, I took a look at his twitter/X account, which led me to his e-book Hacking Galileo. […]

The Exploding Candy Store

“Annoying,” Phil complained. One of the tiny cameras he had hidden throughout the candy shop showed him the place wasn’t empty. The clerk was out front having a smoke, but the customer with the backpack was still shopping inside. “Come on,” he whispered in the basement darkness, fingers poised on the toggle while his eyes […]

Book Review of “A Call to Duty”

If you like my work, buy me a virtual cup of coffee at Ko-Fi. After I returned my previous book to the library, I was wandering the stacks trying to decide if anything looked interesting. I eventually came across A Call to Duty (2016) by David Weber and Timothy Zahn. It’s the first book in […]

Dinner for Two

Larry sat at his usual table by the window, always dinner for one. His wife had died when their daughter Chrissie was four. He tried to be a good Dad, but that ended with the drunken car accident. Chrissie was ten when she died and it was his fault. A few weeks ago, he found […]

My Fantasy Adventure Novelette “Ice” has been Reviewed on twitter/X

I have exactly one book that is self-published on Amazon; Ice. My short description blurb says: At the end of time, the world is hot and men travel the vast oceans in merchant sailing ships. Captain Ki-Moon Yong of the Star of Jindo has discovered a new horror at the bottom of the Earth. Can […]

Neglect

If you like my work, buy me a virtual cup of coffee at Ko-Fi. “Screw it.” Sam’s aging body sat heavily onto the wrought iron chair. Long legs were stuffed underneath the matching table. The garden she had lovingly created looked like crap. He’d neglected everything over the summer. Now the morning air had the […]

Book Review of “Pushing Ice” (2005)

It’s been over five years since I read and reviewed one of Alastair Reynolds’ books so I guess reviewing Pushing Ice is long overdue. I actually keep a list of books I want to read. Which books I read and when depends somewhat on whether or not I can find them in my local public […]