James Pyles's Blog, page 59

2021 Helicon Award Winner for “The Three Billion Year Love”

First of all, no one is more surprised than I am to have won an award. I have no idea what the nomination process was or how I got on the list, but “wow.” I actually found out on Facebook first before I checked my email. Then once I did, I saw that Richard Paolinelli […]

Waif

Twin pairs of leather aeronaut’s boots crushed brittle green leaves and stems as gently as they could. Amanda Westcott and her love Wyatt Ellison approached the unconscious girl as quietly as if they were entering the room of a sleeping baby. “Oh God, Wyatt, you were right. She is here, but how?” Amanda appeared some […]

This Time the Curse Comes from Berkeley

“What, were you expecting a cauldron?” Dorothy’s voice communicated her indignation at her younger sister Emily’s surprise. “But a soup pan on the stove?” “All the recipe calls for is a metal container that’s heated.” “But a soup pan on the stove. That’s how you’re going to summon a…” “Not another word.” Twenty-seven year old […]

Review of The World of Science Fiction 1926-1976: A Personal Past and Uncertain Future

This my second and last review of the late Lester Del Rey’s 1980 book The World of Science Fiction, 1926-1976: The History of a Subculture. The first review was more political and cultural. This one is more personal. First of all, the copy I currently possess is a first edition. Like I said, the first […]

TICK TOCK: A Time Travel Anthology (500 Fiction) Available Now

Well, it’s too late to add the science fiction anthology TICK TOCK: A Time Travel Anthology (500 Fiction) to someone’s Christmas stocking, but you can buy for your New Year’s reading pleasure either as a digital book for your Kindle or as a paperback . There’s quite a number of time travel tales contained within […]

Review of The World of Science Fiction 1926-1976: “But What Good Is It?”

Finally finished The World of Science Fiction 1926-1976 by Lester Del Rey and I must say it is both very informative, and for long stretches, pretty boring. This is one of two (probably) reviews, and today’s write up is the most “controversial” of the two. The book was published in 1980 so 40 years of […]

“Fantastic Schools Vol 2” Available in Paperback

I just got the announcement from L. Jagi Lamplighter that Fantastic Schools Vol 2 is now available in Paperback. Previously, you could only read the book (from Amazon) by downloading it to your Kindle device. The anthology features my short story “Sorcery’s Preschool,” which chronicles the tale of a “gifted and dangerous” four-year-old girl being […]

Powered By I’m Not A Robot

No announcements or commentary today. 2020 has been a rough year for everyone and I thought maybe we should all approach the end of the year with a bit of humor. Since the name of this blog is “Powered by Robots” but I don’t often write about robots these days. I figured this short video […]

Who Is That Unmasked Man?

Anymore people’s avatar photos or other images depict a lot of folks wearing masks. I see this on Facebook, twitter, various blogs, and other social media venues. I’m calling BS on this. No, I’m not an “anti-masker” (funny how the word “anti” usually means either “stupid” or “evil”). I do wear a mask whenever I […]

“Tick Tock” Anthology of Time Travel Stories Coming Soon!

The Black Hare Press science fiction anthology Tick Tock will become available on December 15th, barely a week away. It features my short story The Tenth Second. This series is unique in that each story accepted had to be five hundred words long. Imagine dozens of such stories, each one about time travel or some []