Cora Buhlert's Blog, page 19

Cora is Elsewhere on the Web Today

The third local paper Kreiszeitung also reported about my Hugo win today. This article by Andreas Hapke focusses on the odyssey (chronicled here) that my poor Hugo trophy had to go through to reach me.

And here is the article in the print edition:

I like the headline of the print article: “Rocket arrived via crash landing.”

***

In other news, I’m over at Galactic Journey again today and review the 1967 West German horror movie The Snake Pit and the Pendulum, which is known under a bunch of alternate titles such as The Blood Demon, The Torture Chamber of Dr. Sadism (this one makes no sense, since the main villain is a Count, not a doctor) or Castle of the Walking Dead internationally. But whatever you want to call it, it’s a fun horror movie and quite graphic by German standards.

Don’t believe me? Watch the trailer below. Though be warned that in true 1960s German movie trailer fashion, the trailer gives away most of the plot:

Though I’m not the only person reviewing a movie on Galactic Journey today. Fiona Moore also shares her thoughts on the science fiction horror movie Quartermass and the Pit, Victoria Silverwolf weighs in on The Day the Fish Came Out, a psychedelic apocalyptic movie that I have to admit I never heard of before, and Jason Sacks shares his thoughts on Bonnie and Clyde, which is not even remotely SFF, but a classic of late 1960s cinema.

Masters-of-the-Universe-Piece Theatre: “Fake Out”

It’s time for another Masters-of-the-Universe-Piece Theatre photo story. The name “Masters-of-the-Universe-Piece Theatre” was coined by Kevin Beckett at the Whetstone Discord server. You can check out all the Masters-of-the-Universe-Piece Theatre Photo Stories here.

I have had some new arrivals, including at long last King Randor, so expect more photo stories in the near future. However, for now I’m posting an expanded version of a story that I originally posted as a Twitter thread some time ago.

Most of the characters we see in the various versions of Masters of the Universe come from a privileged background, good guys and bad guys both. Not just the obvious ones like Adam and Adora, who are both royalty, but also Skeletor (more on that later) and supporting characters like Stratos, Buzz-Off, Mer-Man and pretty much everybody in either version of the She-Ra cartoon.  Eternia seems to function much like the Holy Roman Empire with lots of small kingdoms, both human and non-human, governing their own people and Randor serving as King for the entire light hemisphere (Eternia is also tidally locked like Mercury in the old pulp stories, only that both hemispheres are habitable, which makes no scientific sense, but then this is a kid’s cartoon and the worldbuilding was never intended to stand up to close scrutiny) with the various other rulers as members of his council,.

At any rate, Eternia is littered with kings, queens and other aristocrats. There are a few exceptions such as Ram-Man, Clamp Champ or Mekaneck, about whose background we learn very little, though they don’t seem to be aristocrats. And Evil-Lyn has at least four completely different origins in different versions of the story and is a displaced Earth scientist named Evilyn Powers in some of the early comics, a street kid from an abusive family background in Masters of the Universe Revelation, the estranged daughter of a powerful magician who lives alone in a ruined city in the desert (Eternia is littered with ancient ruins as well) in the 2002 cartoon and the estranged daughter of Hordak in the recent Netflix CGI show. Honestly, Lyn, pick one.

One notable exception among the many characters with an aristocratic background in Masters of the Universe is Duncan a.k.a. Man-at-Arms. We never learn much about his background before he joined the Eternian Royal Guard – which is unusual for such a prominent character – but there are plenty of hints that even though as Man-at-Arms, Duncan is the number two person in Eternia, he was not born to privilege, but rose through the ranks due to his courage and intelligence.

For starters, whenever we see Duncan in a flashback – and there are quite a few flashbacks of him in the original Filmation cartoon, the 2002 cartoon and Revelation, usually involving Teela’s birth and childhood – he is always wearing the standard Royal Guard uniform, suggesting that he was a common soldier at this time.

Furthermore, Duncan and King Randor have known each other for a long time and fought side by side as young soldiers. They live in the same large building, they share meals together and are clearly friends – which is what makes Randor banishing Duncan from the palace and threatening him with execution at the end of episode 1 of Masters of the Universe: Revelation so shocking – and Randor frequently calls Duncan by his first name in non-formal settings. Yet Duncan never once calls Randor by his first name even in private, it’s always “Your Majesty”, “My Lord”, “My Liege” or something like that. And while I may be harsh on Randor on occasion, he doesn’t strike me as the type to insist on protocol in private and with friends.

In an episode of the 2002 cartoon, we meet Dekker, a retired old soldier who served as mentor to a young Duncan and Randor. At one point, Dekker remarks that he used to call King Randor “Randy”. I can’t for the life of me imagine Duncan ever calling King Randor “Randy”, not even as young men getting drunk together in some tavern, oggling the barmaids and maybe getting into a fight (and now I want a flashback episode of that). Instead, Duncan is always extremely deferential towards Randor, suggesting that even though he has a privileged position now, he does not come from a privileged background and is well aware that he could lose his position at a whim, which is exactly what happens in Revelation. As an extra blow, Randor also forbids Duncan from ever again welding as much as two pieces of metal together on pain of death, taking away Duncan’s only way of making a living and basically condemning him to a life of poverty. This is a staggeringly cruel thing to do to someone who was once a friend and no amount of grief and guilt and anger Randor feels can excuse what he does to Duncan.

By contrast, Teela grew up in the royal palace alongside Adam and never knew any other life. As a result, Teela views the royal family as part of her extended family and even says as much to Marlena at the beginning of Revelation. While Teela does call Randor and Marlena “Your Majesty”, she is not very deferential towards either of them. And of course, Teela is not deferential towards Adam at all, but bosses him around all the time. Of course, Teela’s insistence on constantly training Adam is born out of love and concern for his safety, but as an adult I can see how very exhausting growing up with an over-archiever like Teela must have been for Adam. Good thing that he loves her.

There is one episode of the original cartoon, where Adam – after he has just fought Beast-Man and some of his creatures as He-Man and is clearly tired – actually does try pulling rank on Teela, flat ot refuses to do any combat training and dismisses her. Adam promptly gets chewed out by Cringer of all people for the way he treats Teela, while a clearly shocked Teela complains to Duncan, who gently tells her that yes, Adam can do that, because he is the crown prince. Though it’s notable that Adam never pulls rank on anybody and immediately feels sorry for the way he treated Teela. By the end of the episode, Adam and Teela have made up and Adam – as He-Man – has also saved Teela’s life.

Teela also bristles notably, whenever someone treats her like a servant, as happens a few times, particularly when Adam’s terrible cousins come to visit the palace, whereas Duncan meekly accepts being treated like dirt. The fact that Adam does have cousins implies that Randor has siblings other than his villainous half-brother Keldor by the way, though we never see any of them.

So in short, while Duncan and Teela (and their extended family) may enjoy a privileged life in the royal palace right now, they do not come from privilege and could lose everything at a whim of King Randor, something that Duncan is only too well aware of and Teela less so.

In Man-at-Arms’ workshop:

“So, brother of mine, cause I know you’re just waiting for one of us to ask, what mechanical marvel are you working on today?”

“Why, how kind of you to ask, Malcolm. I’m making some new arm attachments for Roboto such as a blaster…”

“So I, too, can be a warrior like my father and my sister.”

“…and a grip which will allow him to grab objects.”

“Because making sure your robot son can actually grab things is obviously an afterthought. How about just making a mechanical hand for him? After all, mine works pretty well.”

“I wonder where Adam is. He promised he’d help us and yet he’s late… again.”

“Don’t worry, Teela. He’ll be along. Most likely, something came up.”

“Like napping in the stables or fishing in the Evergreen Forest, you mean?”

“Ah, the impatience of young love…”

“Shut up, Malcolm.”

“He-Man? Is something wrong? Cause we were actually expecting…”

“Yes, something is the matter. I am cleaning up the palace and kicking out gutter trash like you and your family.”

“He-Man, what…?”

“No, Father! What are you doing, He-Man?”

“I am very sorry, friend He-Man, but I cannot allow you to hurt my father.”

“Get lost, rustbucket! Back to the trash heap where you belong!”

“All right, that does it! Most powerful man in the universe or not, no one talks like that about my family. Eat steel knuckles, shithead!”

“Oh right, Fisto. A piece of shit even by the standards of your gutter scum family.”

“You’ll pay for that, muscle boy.”

“Here, let me rearrange your face for you. Cause it looks ugly.”

“Oh crap, he does pack a punch!”

“Stop it, He-Man! What’s wrong with you? I thought we were friends. I thought we were partners. I thought you cared about me. I thought you loved me.”

“Love you? Silly girl! No one will ever love you. You’re just a bit of fun, a nice pair of tits and a cute arse. You’re not worthy of leading the palace guard and you’re not certainly not worthy of love.”

“Why? Why do you say such terrible things?”

“You were fun… for a while. But now I will kick you out of the palace back into the gutter where you belong.”

“Leave my daughter alone, He-Man, and take on someone your own size.”

“Someone your own size? Don’t make me laugh, Duncan. You’re an insect, a maggot, scum from the gutter who wormed his way into the royal palace and King Randor’s friendship. But no more. The King knows exactly what you are and he wants you gone.”

“If King Randor wants me and my family gone, he should at least have the courage to tell me himself.”

“The King has better things to do than waste his time on a gutter rat like you. That’s why he sent me to take out the trash…”

“…starting with this butt-ugly tea set!”

“No, not the tea set.”

“Dude, you’ve insulted my family and now you’ve insulted my Mom’s tea set. Those are fighting words, arsehole.”

“I’m sorry I’m late, Duncan, but… He-Man? What on Eternia?”

“Oh, the cowardly Prince shows his face. Maybe I should kick you out along with this gutter scum, so someone more worthy can take the throne. I’m sure the King wouldn’t even notice that you’re gone.”

“You’re right, my father probably wouldn’t even notice that I’m gone. And I never claimed to be worthy or brave. But you are not He-Man.”

“Oh, so the cowardly Prince fights back? Time to show you what true power and might looks like.”

“You can insult me all you like, but that doesn’t change the fact that you’re not He-Man.”

“I am He-Man. I have the power. And now you die, worthless Prince.”

“Adam, no!”

“Leave him alone, you Faker!”

ZAPP!

BOOM!

“What on Eternia…?”

“Adam!”

“He’s blue?!”

“Are you shocked now? Shocked that your beloved hero He-Man is in truth a blueskin?”

“I have no problem with the Gar. But whatever you are, you’re not He-Man.”

“Of course I am He-Man. I am He-Man and I am a Gar, a blueskin. And now I will kill you, cowardly Prince.”

“Adam needs help, everybody.”

“Bzzt, I am He…”

“What on Eternia is that thing?”

“Some kind of robot.”

“Like me, you mean?”

“Not like you Roboto. This is an evil robot. Probably one of Skeletor’s. At any rate, this plot has Skeletor’s fingerprints all over it. I will examine this robot later.”

“Is that wise, Father? After all, he did try to kill us.”

“The robot’s positronic brain was damaged in the fight as was the holographic projector that made him look like He-Man. Trust me, Teela, he is quite harmless now.”

“Harmless or not, this thing creeps me out. But at least the tea set survived, does anyone want tea?”

“Okay, so Skeletor built a He-Man double. That I understand. But why make him blue?”

“Maybe he ran out of tan-coloured paint.”

“No, I think it’s because Skeletor wanted to tap into anti-Gar prejudice to antagonise the people against He-Man.”

“But anti-Gar prejudice hasn’t been a thing since the Great Unrest at the very least. Even my Uncle Keldor – the one we never talk about…

“And with very good reason.”

“Shut up, Malcolm.”

“…was half Gar. And all that stuff about the Gar conspiring to murder King Grayskull was always nonsense anyway. In Preternia, Grayskull himself told me that it was Hordak who killed him, not the Gar, and he should know.”

“Your tolerance honours you, Adam, but not everybody is as open-minded as you. Anti-Gar prejudice still lingers…”

“And with good reason, too. After all, we all know who it was that started a coup, attacked the Hall of Wisdom and tried to murder the Council of Elders. Even if we’re not supposed to talk about it.”

“Shut up, Malcolm. At any rate, anti-Gar prejudice it is a sore spot with Skeletor.  After all, he used to be one himself before he became whatever he is now.”

“Yes, come to think of it, his skin is blue. Odd, I never really thought about that…”

“Adam, when he said those terrible things, I thought, I feared that you…”

“Oh, come on, Teela, you know I would never say such awful things and neither would He-Man. After all, you’re family to me, all of you, and nothing will ever change that.”

“Aww, young love…”

“Shut up, Malcolm.”

***

Yup, it’s the introduction of Faker, a long-standing and rather strange Masters of the Universe character. For though Faker was conceived as an evil robot doppelganger of He-Man, he is the least convincing doppelganger ever, at least in toy form. Because in toy form, Faker is blue with orange hair, wears Skeletor’s armour and doesn’t even remotely look like He-Man.

The reason for this is economic. Faker is a cheap to make figure, because he requires no new parts, but is basically He-Man in a different colour scheme. Besides, the blue and orange really pops and attracts kids, at whom the toys were originally aimed.

The various cartoons show Faker actually looking like He-Man, at least until his robotic nature is revealed. Skeletor usually employs him to try to get into Castle Grayskull. There have been some toys versions of this more robotic looking Faker as well.

But what is the in universe reason for Faker being blue? There have been a couple of in universe explanations such as “The spell Skeletor used to create him went wrong and so he looks off.”

The explanation I like best involves the Gar, one of Eternia’s many humanoid species. For from the beginning on, Eternia has been portrayed as being inhabited by several intelligent species, most of them more or less humanoid. In addition to species like the Adreenoids a.k.a. the Bee People or the Aquaticans, i.e. the undersea dwellers led by Mer-Man or the Avions, the flying bird people led by Stratos, there have also always been characters that are basically human, but with skin colours not found on Earth.

In particular, there have been quite a few characters with blue skin such as the heroic warrior Sy-Klone, the evil warrior Kronis a.k.a. Trap Jaw, King Randor’s treacherous half-brother Keldor, the villainess Shokoti from the Filmation cartoons and of course Skeletor himself. I suspect that originally the designers and animators just gave some characters blue skin for aesthetic reasons, but eventually it was established that there was an entire species of blue-skinned humanoids named the Gar living on Eternia. There is a video about them here. As far as I know, the Gar are first mentioned in the episode of the 2002 cartoon that introduces Sy-Klone, though a comic might have mentioned them earlier.

There is some prejudice against the Gar on Eternia, probably due to the fact that they do have a rather high villain to hero quotient – of the most prominent Gar shown in the various cartoons, all but one are villains. In one of the comics, Adam and Adora’s heroic ancestor King Grayskull is also murdered by a Gar serving girl during an uprising of the Gar, which doesn’t exactly make them popular either, though in the 2002 cartoon King Grayskull dies in battle with Hordak. I guess King Grayskull lived so long ago that there are more legends than actual history surrounding him. Coincidentally, this would also explain why he is white in the 2002 cartoon and black in Revelation.

As for why Faker, who is a robot after all, has blue skin, Skeletor initially created him as an evil doppelganger of He-Man intended to worm his way into Castle Grayskull and/or the royal palace and cause havoc and destruction, including assinating King Randor and framing He-Man for the murder, which was supposed to happen in season 3 of the 2002 cartoon. And then, once he has caused maximum chaos and destruction, Faker was supposed to switch off the He-Man disguise and reveal himself as a being with blue skin to tap into anti-Gar prejudice – something that Skeletor as a Gar himself should be well aware of – and antagonise the people of Eternia against He-Man and his friends, so Skeletor can become king. Okay, so it is a convoluted plan, but then this is Skeletor we are talking about here and convoluted plans are something of a specialty of his. And this is far from the silliest plan to conquer Eternia Skeletor has ever come up with. Taking over a circus to sneak into the royal palace was definitely sillier.

***

I hope you enjoyed this Masters-of-the-Universe-Piece Theatre Photo Story. There will be more stories coming in the future, because I’m having a lot of fun doing these. Besides, having a King Randor figure makes a lot of stories possible that I couldn’t do before.

Disclaimer: I don’t own any of these characters, I just bought some toys, took photos of them and wrote little scenes to go with those photos. All characters are copyright and trademark their respective owners.

Cora is in the News Again

I was in the local paper Weser Kurier yesterday. Alexandra Penth interviewed me about my Hugo win and wrote a great article about it.

You can read the article here, though it is behind a paywall, unless you’re a subscriber to the paper. However, even with the paywall, you can see the photo that photographer Tammo Ernst took of me very carefully hugging my Hugo trophy, so the loose backing piece won’t fall off.

Here is a photo of the article in the actual print newspaper:

I was also a news item in the September edition of the alumni newsletter of the University of Bremen. Usually, they are more interested in alumni becoming CEOs, politicians or leading scientists (and we have a couple of those, but we also have a few actors, a prominent rapper and a sailing champion), but I am the only University of Bremen alumna to ever win a Hugo, so I rate a mention.

Spooky Retro Fun: Werewolf by Night

I will watch the rest of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law eventually, because I am enjoying the series, but first I decided to watch Marvel‘s one-shot Werewolf by Night special, because it’s not a lengthy commitment, but a single 53-minute TV-movie. And frankly, I find it refreshing that Marvel is still able to make standalone movies that are not three hours long. If your life is too busy to commit to lengthy series or epic movies, Werewolf by Night is the perfect spooky snack.

Werewolf by Night is based on the eponymous horror comic from the early 1970s, based in turn on a 1953 horror comic story of the same name from Marvel‘s Atlas Comics period.

Now I have to admit that I’m not a specialist in US horror comics in general and the horror side of the Marvel Universe in particular. I have no idea why I never took to US horror comics, since they offer the kind of more gothic horror that I usually like. But while I have read some EC Comics, I was never tempted to buy the huge beautiful reprint volume of vintage Tales from the Crypt and other EC Comics horror stories that my local comic shop used to carry. I suspect part of the reason is that I resented 1950s horror comics in general and EC Comics in particular for bringing about the Comics Code Authority and knee-capping all US mainstream comics, not just the horror and crime ones that Frederick Wertham and the usual busybodies objected to. Though come to think of it, Frederick Wertham objected to everything, even fairly innocuous superhero comics.

Another aspect might be that during my most active comic reading time, I wanted one thing and one thing only from US comics and that’s superheroes. For any other genre, I turned to European comics, particularly the Franco-Belgian ones. But European comics didn’t do superheroes, while American comics specialised in them. So the 1970s horror comics (when the Comics Code was relaxed enough that horror comics became possible again) by Marvel, DC and Warren didn’t supply what I wanted from US comics, namely superheroes. And because I knew about the history of the Comics Code, I expected them to be watered down horror compared to the 1950s stuff and had zero interest in watered down horror.

And so I only came across Marvel‘s horror characters, when they crossed over with their superhero characters. I do know who Man-Thing, Dracula, Morbius (now a very bad movie), Ghost-Rider (now a very pricy crowdfunding project) or Blade are, of course, and I even own a Comics Spain Man-Thing (or at least a Man-Thing knock-off, since I don’t think Comics Spain‘s monster figures were licensed*) figure. But I never read these characters’ solo titles and most of the Marvel horror comics had been cancelled anyway by the time I started reading Marvel comics. So I don’t have a lot of connection to these characters. Nor did I know that Marvel was making a Werewolf by Night TV-special, until the trailer dropped last month. I’m sure the special had been announced earlier, I just missed it among the plethora of Marvel announcements.

The trailer looked good, however, and since I found myself with some free time this weekend, I decided to invest it into watching Werewolf by Night. Nor was I disappointed, because Werewolf by Night is a lot of fun.

Warning: Spoilers below this point!

After a black and white rendition of the usual Marvel Studios opening, complete with werewolf claws ripping the comic pages, we get a title card in the style of 1930s black and white horror movies. Because Werewolf by Night is not just an homage to the Universal and RKO horror movies of the 1930s, it’s also shot almost entirely in black and white. Of course, this isn’t the first time Marvel has done a film in black and white, the first two episodes of WandaVision are also black and white and for a similar reason, to pay homage to vintage entertainment. Like WandaVision, which used practical effects for the first few episodes, Werewolf by Night also uses make-up effects rather than CGI for its monsters. The result is very effective, because in many ways Werewolf by Night feels like a vintage horror film you find on late night TV. All that’s missing is the “Mumien, Monstren, Mutationen” intro that usually accompanied these films.

The premise of Werewolf by Night is that Ulysses Bloodstone, last in a long line of hereditary monster hunters, has died and that his legacy, the fabled Bloodstone which weakens and can kill monsters, is up for grabs. Ulysses Bloodstone is a character from the Marvel Comics, though not one I’m familiar with. In the comics, Ulysses Bloodstone is a Hyborian Age (Marvel had the Conan licence at the time) barbarian who has a mishap with a meteorite and a monstrous entity intent on conquering Earth. This mishap leaves a blood-red jewel embedded in our hero’s chest, which renders him immortal. The monstrous entity responsible for his predicament escapes and so Ulysses devotes his very long life to hunting him down.

If that story seems familiar, that’s because it is. Because the story of Ulysses Bloodstone and remarkably similar to that of Karl Edward Wagner’s immortal warrior Kane, one of whose adventures just happens to be entitled Bloodstone. Both Ulysses Bloodstone and Karl Edward Wagner’s novel Bloodstone appeared in 1975, but Kane predates Ulysses as a character and first appeared in 1975. And the parallels are simply too glaring to be a coincidence.

Werewolf by Night tweaks the story of Ulysses Bloodstone somewhat. Here he is not immortal – quite obviously since he’s already dead by the beginning of the story – but a member of a family of hereditary monster hunters. And now that Ulysses has finally shuffled off this mortal coil, the Bloodstone is up for grabs. The Bloodstone artefact is also the only thing that’s in colour for most of the film, since it glows a suitably bloody red.

So the would-be inheritors gather at the Bloodstone estate to determine which of them is worthy to inherit the Bloodstone. And how better to determine who is worthy than by staging a competitive monster hunt on the grounds of the estate? The hunt is overseen by Ulysses’ widow – his second wife, it should be noted – Verussa (played by theatre and musical actress Harriet Samson Harris), aided by the Bloodstones’ servant Billy Swan and a bunch of goons with electrical cattle prods.

The gathered monster hunters are a motley and remarkably diverse bunch. There is a black hunter, an Asian hunter, an androgynous looking hunter (portrayed by actress Eugenie Bondurant) and a grizzled bearded white hunter with fifty kills played by Kirk  Thatcher, who has a remarkable resume , since he’s a special effects specialist, screenwriter, director of several Muppet movies and also the actor who played the “punk on the bus” in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home and reprised that role in season 2 of Star Trek Picard.

Two people also show up at the Bloodstone who don’t seem to belong. One is rather nervous fellow with weird facial make-up named Jack (played by Mexican actor Gael García Bernal) who only gives evasive answers. The other is Elsa Bloodstone (played by Northern Irish Laura Donnelly, who also played Jenny Fraser in Outlander), Ulysses’ estranged daughter from his first marriage, who has broken with the family tradition of monster hunting, but has now returned to claim her birthright. Verussa is not happy about this, but won’t deny Elsa either.

Elsa Bloodstone is a character from the comics, though she joined the Marvel canon after I had already stopped reading Marvel comics regularly, so I never encountered her. She seems to have been created to tap into the urban fantasy boom of the early 2000s, when young women dealing with the supernatural were all the rage.

With the players all in place, we and they are treated to a brief address by the reanimated (literally, via a crank) corpse of Ulysses, then the hunt is on. The prize, the Bloodstone, is affixed to the body of the monster to be hunted, which not just weakens the monster, but royally pisses it off. Then the monster and the hunters are set free in a maze-like structure. There are weapons hidden throughout the maze and the hunters are expected to hunt each other as well as the monster.

As a set-up, this is a mix of Agatha Christie’s Ten Little Racial Slurs (with bits of “The Superlative Seven” episode of The Avengers – Steed and Peel, not Marvel – thrown in, which was of course a riff on Ten Little Racial Slurs) and the spooky 1932 adaptation of The Most Dangerous Game. tThe mansion with its glass domed roof and the heads of monsters killed by Ulysses displayed all around the place is also reminiscent of the 1932 The Most Dangerous Game, which was famously shot on the jungle set from King Kong.

As influences for a spooky retro monster hunt film, these are fairly obvious choices. Though Werewolf By Night also reminded me of the West German Edgar Wallace movies of the 1960s, which – though nominally suspense movies – often crossed over into horror territory. The isolated mansion full of secrets and the motley crew of characters with secrets, including a supremely creepy elderly lady, certainly bring to mind several Wallace movies as do some of the costumes such as the hooded robes and masks the monster hunters don at one point and of course the stylish black and white photography, complete with sharp light and dark contrasts and strange camera angles, all influenced by the German expressionist cinema of the Weimar Republic. Outside Germany, the Edgar Wallace films aren’t that well known by the general public, but film buffs and directors often do know them – Quentin Tarantino is supposedly a fan – so I wouldn’t count the Wallace films out as an influence on Werewolf by Night.

Once the hunt has begun, Elsa tussles with Kirk Thatcher and takes out another monster hunter. She also runs into Jack, who does not want to fight her, but tells her that maybe they should just pass each other by. We also uncover Jack’s secret (well, one of them), when he runs into the monster that’s being hunted. Not only does the monster turn out to be Man-Thing, Marvel‘s answer to DC‘s Swamp Thing (though he prefers Ted for obvious reasons), but Man-Thing/Ted also turns out to be a friend of Jack’s. When Ted was captured by the Bloodstones, Jack went after him and infiltrated the monster hunt to rescue him.

At one point, Jack and the injured Elsa wind up hiding out in a stunning Art Deco crypt housing the remains of several generations of Bloodstones. Since Jack accidentally closes the door, which cannot be opened from the inside, they’re trapped – at least until Elsa breaks open one of the sarcophagi, which contains a key, allowing the superstitious inhabitant to escape her tomb after death. Jack binds Elsa’s injured leg and confesses that he just wants to save his friend. Elsa isn’t interested in killing the monster – she just wants the Bloodstone. So Jack and Elsa make a deal. Elsa will help Jack free Ted and escape and gets the Bloodstone in return. Elsa also tells Jack where on the exterior wall to plant an explosive charge, which will allow Jack and Ted to escape.

The plan goes wrong, when Jack accidentally arms the charge too early and has to rush to the wall to attach it, where it promptly falls off. Jack barely manages to duck for cover, when the charge goes up, drawing all the remaining monster hunters. Ted manages to escape through the breach in the wall, while Elsa uses a claw-like implement to remove the Bloodstone from Ted’s back. Jack tries to pick up the stone and promptly collapses, writhing in pain, which is the effect that the Bloodstone has on monsters. Jack may appear human, but he’s not.

Considering that the special is called Werewolf By Night, it’s kind of obvious what Jack is, even if – like me – you’re not very familiar with the respective comic, the backstory of which is explained here.

When Jack comes to again, he finds himself locked in a cage together with Elsa, courtesy of Verussa who considers this the perfect opportunity to get rid both of a pesky stepdaughter and a monster that she believes must be exterminated. Jack assures Elsa that he doesn’t want to hurt anybody and that he always makes sure to lock himself up on the night of the full moon, so he won’t accidentally harm anybody. However, the full moon is still several days away, so Elsa should be quite safe with him. Elsa, however, points out that the Bloodstone can transform Jack into his werewolf form instantly – no full moon needed. And since Jack and Elsa are locked up together, Elsa deduces that this is exactly what Verussa plans to do.

In response, Jack begins to nuzzle Elsa, so he will remember her scent and her as a friend. Then Verussa, her goons and the surviving hunters show up, clad in hooded robes and wearing masks. Jack begs them that if they want to kill him, they should do it while he is in human form, because once he changes, there will be no mercy. Verussa just crackles evilly. She does not believe in mercy and clearly also doesn’t believe that she and her squad of hunters wouldn’t be able to best a werewolf.

So Verussa holds out the Bloodstone and Jack begins to transform. Now CGI and modern make-up effects allow for making very convincing werewolf transformations – the days of lycantropy sufferers hiding behind furniture or rocks and then emerging as fully transformed werewolves are long past (though an episode of Buffy did that as late as the late 1990s, but then Buffy seemed to have a very low budget). And the iconic transformation from An American Werewolf in London, still considered the gold standard of werewolf transformations, is more than forty years old by now. So in short, a movie with the full financial power of Disney and Marvel behind it, could give us a killer werewolf transformation.

Interestingly, however, Werewolf By Night chooses a more subtle and subdued approach than the full bright light transformation from American Werewolf in London. We do get a glimpse of Jack’s hands turning into giant paws and his eyes changing that seems directly inspired by American Werewolf in London, but most of the transformation takes place off-screen and the horror is conveyed via the terrified expression on Elsa’s face, while on the wall behind her we see Jack’s shadow change from man to werewolf.

Personally, I think the more subtle handling transformation is exactly the right choice here. For starters, it fits with the overall retro feel of Werewolf By Night, whereas a full CGI transformation would have broken the retro illusion. Besides, forty-one years after An American Werewolf in London, we know what werewolf transformations look like on screen, because we’ve seen it done so many times that a full-on bright light transformation no longer has the same impact and capacity to shock as it did back in 1981.

Furthermore, the kind of vintage horror movies that Werewolf By Night is trying to evoke here tended to thrive on suggestion rather than showing the horrors outright like movies from the 1970s and beyond. So the more subtle approach is exactly the right one here.

As Jack had warned her, Verussa quickly learns that transforming Jack was a very bad idea. Werewolf Jack manages to grab hold of Verussa through the bars of the cage and proceeds to strangle her. She is saved by the cattle prods of her goons – for now – but Jack has managed to tear through the bars of the cage.

Jack and Elsa now proceed to make short work of the surviving hunters. This is as good a moment as any to note that Werewolf By Night is quite a bit gorier than the usual Marvel movie. There are limbs chopped off, skulls split and blood flows, though thanks to the black and white it’s not as lurid as it normally would be. Considering that Disney and Marvel are very concerned about their family-friendly, the amount of gore and violence is still unexpected, especially considering that some busybody woman in Texas has freaked out over Hocus Pocus 2, one of Disney+’s other offerings for the spooky season, beleaving that watching the film will unleash hell and the devil upon her home and her family, which would actually be a reason to watch this completely superfluous film. So if some people freak out over Hocus Pocus 2 of all things, how will they react to something like Werewolf By Night?

Jack and Elsa deal with the hunters, but Verussa uses the Bloodstone to weaken Jack, whereupon her cattle-prod wielding goons proceed to beat him up. Elsa stops Verussa, Jack regains his strength and deals with the goons. He launches himself at Elsa, but let’s go off her at the last moment, because he recognise her scent and her as a friend. Jack then flees out into the night.

Elsa is left alone with the furious Verussa who grabs a shotgun and tries to shoot her. However, Ted arrives like a Man-Thing ex machina and kills Verussa. “He went that way”, Elsa says to Ted, since he’s clearly looking for his pal Jack. So Ted takes off after Jack.

Exhausted, Elsa settles down in an armchair, while butler Billy Swan, the only other survivor of the night, brings her a drink. “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” begins to play on a grammophone and Elsa pulls the Bloodstone out of her pocket. From the Bloodstone, colour spreads across the screen, turning the film from black and white to colour.

The subtext is not exactly subtle here. Ulysses and the other monster hunters used to view the world in black and white terms. Humans are good and monsters are evil and must be exterminated. However, while Jack and Ted are monsters, they are not evil. And while Ulysses, Verussa and the hunters may have been human, they were evil.

Interestingly, this also mirrors how the portrayal of werewolves, vampires and other classic monsters has changed over the decades and how monsters were gradually humanised and given a point of view, until they became viable romantic prospects in the early 21st century. Though unlike vampires, who were portrayed as unambiguously evil well into the 1990s, werewolves have been portrayed as cursed and unhappy souls since the 1920s. “The Werewolf of Ponkert” by H. Warner Munn, the first werewolf story written from the POV of a werewolf, was published in Weird Tales in 1925 and spawned several sequels.  The Wolf Man, the classic horror movie which invented much of what is considered werewolf lore these days from whole cloth, came out in 1941 and also portrays its werewolf Larry Talbot as a tortured soul. That said, tortured souls or not, werewolves still inevitably died at the end of their stories well into the 1980s – An American Werewolf in London ends with the titular werewolf killed. However, the 1960s gothic soap opera Dark Shadows (which had a great werewolf character played by a young and hot David Selby**) and horror comics of the 1970s like Man-Thing, Swamp Thing and Werewolf by Night did a lot to humanise monsters and eventually paved the way for the urban fantasy and paranormal romance boom of the 2000s.

Old style monster hunters like the various Bloodstones except for Elsa, who exterminate monsters on sight, no longer fit into the 21st century, where we have had humanised monsters for decades now. In fact, Buffy was pushing it 25 years ago, which is probably why I never liked Buffy, even back when Joss Whedon was considered god and disliking Buffy a terrible heresy. A movie where monsters are evil and must be exterminated – whether cursed souls or not – belongs firmly into the black and white era. The switch to colour, albeit the weirdly faded colour of an unrestored old movie or TV show, at the end clearly signifies that we are in a different world now, where monsters can be villains, heroes or just ordinary guys trying to get by.

Talking of which, at the very end we see Jack waking up in human form and in colour in a makeshift camp in the woods. Since the transformation destroyed his clothes, he is wrapped in one of the robes worn by the monster hunters. Ted is there as well and he’s even made coffee.

Werewolf By Night was a satisfying one-shot movie, though there is the possibility of a sequel. It’s also almost entirely separate from the wider Marvel Cinematic Universe – the only link is an illustration of the Avengers in a book early on – and can be enjoyed even by people who’ve never seen a Marvel movie before.

I’ve said before that the greatest strength of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is that it’s vast and that you can tell all sorts of stories in it. Of course, you can theoretically say the same about the Star Wars universe and yet Star Wars has struggled to tell stories beyond the saga of the Skywalker family. Marvel, on the other hand, is not afraid to experiment and give us technothrillers (Iron Man), WWII movies (Captain America: The First Avenger), epic fantasy (Thor), gonzo space opera (Guardians of the Galaxy, Thor Ragnarok), 1970s style political thrillers (Captain America: The Winter Soldier), heist movies (Ant-Man), martial arts flicks (Shang-Chi), teen drama (Spider-Man, Ms. Marvel), plucky female lawyer show (She-Hulk: Attorney at Law) and even sitcoms (WandaVision). The most recent Marvel movies have been a tad lacklustre, whereas most of the Disney+ offerings have been less afraid to try something new, probably because the stakes are lower, even with a very expensive TV show.

Werewolf By Night is another example of Marvel trying something different, namely making a full foray into horror – after dipping in their toes in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. And not just any old horror either, but gothic retro style horror. The result is a lot of fun, especially if like me you prefer pre-1970 horror to later takes on the genre.

I do hope we see more shorter standalones from Marvel (and maybe Star Wars), which are not only less of a time commitment than a TV series or a two to three hour movie. Especially since such specials are the perfect place to experiment with new characters, genres and styles.

 

*For that matter, why do we know next to nothing about Comics Spain, maker of some of the best PVC figurines ever? I did find a couple of YouTube videos in Spanish, but nothing in English. And no one seems to know what happened to the company, they just vanished sometime in the 1990s.

**I had a huge crush on David Selby as a teenager, though not for his role Dark Shadows, which I had no idea existed at the time, but as Richard Channing from Falcon Crest, which my Mom and Grandma watched religiously. I’m not even sure why I fell for Richard so hard, since he was an older character compared to Lorenzo Lamas and William Moses, who would have been more appropriate crushes, and supposed to be a villain besides, but then in the 1980s iteration of “rich people being awful” soap operas, the villains were inevitably the most interesting characters.

Non-Fiction Spotlight: Cents of Wonder: Science Fiction’s First Award Winners, edited by Steve Davidson and Kermit Woodall

After the Hugos is before the next Hugos, so I’m continuing my Non-Fiction Spotlight project, where I interview the authors/editors of SFF-related non-fiction books that come out in 2022 and are eligible for the 2023 Hugo Awards. For more about the Non-Fiction Spotlight project, go here. To check out the spotlights I already posted, go here.

For more recommendations for SFF-related non-fiction, also check out this Facebook group set up by the always excellent Farah Mendlesohn, who is a champion (and author) of SFF-related non-fiction.

Today’s featured book takes us back to the early years of the genre and Hugo Gernsback’s cover contests in Amazing Stories in the late 1920s.

Therefore, I am pleased to welcome to my blog Steve Davidson, editor of the present day Amazing Stories as well as of Cents of Wonder: Science Fiction’s First Award Winners, as well as co-editor and creative director Kermit Woodall and Lloyd Penney, who handled the proofing.

Responses to Cora’s questions were offered by all three individuals involved in creating this book – Steve Davidson, publisher, Kermit Woodall, Creative Director and Lloyd Penney, proofing.  Each responded individually and their answers were combined by Steve, so some repetition is unavoidable.

Tell us about your book.

Kermit Woodall (KW) Cents of Wonder is a unique collection of the first science-fiction stories to win an award.

Steve Davidson (SD) It’s an anthology of all of the stories to win, place or receive honorable mention from the very first two writing contests ever held in the field of science fiction.

The stories represent the first attempts by new, previously unpublished authors to understand the requirements of the new genre of “scientifiction” and try their hands at delivering on concepts that had not yet been articulated – creating the suspension of disbelief and rewarding that with a sense of wonder.

As such, we regard it not just as an anthology, but as a tool, useful for SF historians, academics in the field and a no-pressure way to introduce new readers in the field to some of its important developmental history. These are the stories that would inspire following generations of famous SF writers, who would themselves go on to write works that excited, inspired and informed the authors we read today.

Cents of Wonder was also conceived as a fun way to utilize archived material, collected and presented in a way not previously published, that would allow us to exercise our skills, experiment with various concepts and create something “cool”.

KW: Part of my work was to carefully restore the original artwork to accompany the stories. This required more than scans, a great deal of hand-restoration was required and AI tools as well.

Tell us a little about yourself

SD: Well, as many know, I was lured into the trap of science fiction by the television show Fireball XL5 and never looked back. (Well, except for the 35 years I spent as a professional paintball player, during which time I was named Paintball Person of the Year for 1992 and declared a Top 100 Player of All Time in 1999.)

I managed to get involved with fandom in the early 70s, attending some of the first ever Star Trek conventions, ultimately managing the Hugo Awards Banquet at Suncon in 1977.

Along the way I’ve published and contributed to fanzines, worked on various conventions and pontificate on the fannish issues of the day, first with my (now defunct) blog The Crotchety Old Fan and now through editorializing on the Amazing Stories website.

Oh, right. In 2008 I applied for and eventually received the trademark(s) for Amazing Stories, with no intention other than making sure the name remained in fannish hands. (It was fated to become the title for a series of Canadian travel books. Fortunately, that applicant dropped their application, clearing the way for mine.)

I’d theorized that the name could bring in enough licensing fees to support a magazine, a theory that proved true, initially, when we licensed the name to NBC/Universal for Spielberg to use for his reboot of the 1984 series of the same name.

Since then, we have been at loggerheads with NBC over contract breaches. NBC was formally notified of breach and (2nd) termination of the contract a couple of years ago and we are now involved in picking up the pieces.

KW: I’m a writer, artist, and website developer. Both of my parents were artists as well as my sisters. I’ve enjoyed science-fiction starting in my childhood!

Lloyd Penney (LP): I am a long-time science fiction fan, and also long-time professional editor/copyeditor/proofreader, and I was never able to combine the two until about four years ago, when I learned that old friend Ira Nayman had been appointed the editor-in-chief of the newest incarnation of Amazing Stories. I congratulated him, and asked if he needed any help…he said yes, and this new career of mine started.

What prompted you to write/edit this book?

KW: It was Steve’s idea, and once he told me, I was excited about the idea and jumped in fully.

LP: Well, Steve asked…I have enjoyed fannish and SF history, and this book shows off some of what happened at the very beginning.

SD:  (That’s right, blame me.  You guys ever see a bus you didn’t like?  :))

When you are a publisher, you have several major expenses associated with a product and one of them is usually “content”.

Because most other associated expenses can’t be significantly reduced, we needed to find a good way to utilize low-cost and no-cost content. In the case of fiction, that means looking to works that are in the public domain (utilization of which will not piss of its fans).

But we also wanted to utilize PD materials in significant ways that contribute to the field’s knowledge; we’re not happy in just grabbing ahold of a bunch of short SF pieces from Project Gutenberg and filing off the serial numbers. We wanted to collect, organize and comment on specific aspects of the field.

When we realized that Gernsback had conducted two writing contests and that the entrants that were published had never been collected together in one place, we knew we had hit pay dirt.

Why should SFF fans in general and Hugo voters in particular read this book?

SD: Well, the first answer is, of course, that Hugo Voters should be familiar with whatever they choose to vote for – we’re not conducting popularity contests here.

I think that Fans would want to read this book for several reasons. First, all of the stories were written between 1926 and 1929, by (with two exceptions) previously unpublished authors. Anyone just getting started with writing in the field can probably gain a big boost to their resolve (to get published) by reading these contest entries that DID get published.

They’ll also gain a better understanding, I think, of where this field has come from.

And any reader who manages to relax their sensibilities and criticisms long enough to achieve a sense of wonder while reading these stories will be rewarded when they realize that there was a time in our history when each and every one of these tales was not just possible, but plausible.

LP: The history of science fiction and fandom explains to us all why we read what we read, why we do what we do. It is a way to preserve that fabulous past in a modern book, to teach future generations that love this genre. It adds extra dimensions to this love, and the Worldcon gatherings that are of fable and legend.

KW: Historically, it’s priceless. It’s also quite entertaining to see some of the first SFF short stories from nearly 100 years ago.

Do you have any cool facts or tidbits that you unearthed during your research, but that did not make it into the final book?

KW: You’d be better off asking Steve, I’m afraid. I learned everything from him.

SD: Not so much something we didn’t include as anyone who knows me will tell you I tend to over-explain and prefer to transmit ALL of the detail rather than mere summary, but rather an expansion of some things not covered in great detail.

First – every single author’s blurb was accompanied by their street address, something that no one would presume to do these days.

This was done so that readers and other authors could contact them – yes, they were deliberately doxxed by their publisher.  This is a small clue into how much things have changed since 1926.

The same information accompanied letters to the editor and is credited with being one of the main contributing factors to the creation of science fiction fandom.

Another elaboration is that Clare Winger Harris is known as the first female author to appear in print under her own name (even though her spelling of it is not the common one).

What is touched on briefly in the book is the fact that Gernsback applauded her efforts and explained in his intro to readers that it was unusual for women to be involved in the scientific and engineering fields, because (not in so many words) enculturation steered them away from such things.  For 1927, recognizing this was pretty “woke”.

But there’s more as well. In the letter column in later issues, she plays a fairly prominent role in commenting on and critiquing other authors, and gets mansplained along the way (which ultimately makes the ‘splainer look foolish).

There’s at least one book to be found in the letter columns of the early SF magazines.

SFF-related non-fiction is somewhat sidelined by the big genre awards, since the Nebulas have no non-fiction category and the Best Related Work Hugo category has become something of a grab bag of anything that doesn’t fit elsewhere. So why do you think SFF-related non-fiction is important?

SD: WELL.

Right now I think the primary reason is because we are rapidly losing interest in and respect for anything and everything that preceded some arbitrary “modern era” date – throwing the baby out with the bathwater, largely (IMO) owing to a broad-spectrum indiscriminate rejection of anything carrying the “taint” of baby-boomerism. (Which many of my era are perceiving as increasingly rampant ageism.)

The human species has one and only one real tool for examining its near term future and that is through the lens of actual experience. This is usually referred to as “history”. Cue Santayana’s quote about repetition.

But also because SF Fandom IS a discrete culture. Fiction from that culture are its artifacts, while non-fiction is its lore and mythology. When a culture loses connection to its lore, it ceases to be a discrete culture.

I do believe that Science Fiction Fandom and its culture is a unique happenstance in history, with values and tenets that are well-worth preserving and passing on to newer generations, who should do what every prior generation of fans has done: keep the good stuff and ignore the rest. But lets be careful about what we ignore.

If you subscribe to some of the literary theories put forth by Gary Westfahl, which can be found fully expressed in his book The Mechanics of Wonder The Creation of the Idea of Science Fiction (which I do), you’ll understand completely why non-fiction is so important: in order to have a discrete genre, you need to define its boundaries – this qualifies, that does not – and those boundaries are defined through critique and analysis. Someone says X is a work of Science Fiction, someone else disagrees. In writing out their arguments, we uncover additional nuance in those definitions.

Put another way – non-fiction in this field is a mirror we hold up to ourselves in order to figure out how we’re doing and where we ought to be going.  Without it, we are rudderless and dissolute.

LP: It shows us why we do what we do, and illustrates what many fans call timebinding, the collection and display of history of SF.

KW: Many people treat SFF as merely popular fiction and fail to realize there is a rich history in our genre as well. When I was young I read Damon Knight’s THE FUTURIANS about some of the first fan groups. I recently read Alec Nevala-Lee’s group biography ASTOUNDING. It’s compelling stuff.

Are there any other great SFF-related non-fiction works or indeed anything else (books, stories, essays, writers, magazines, films, TV shows, etc…) you’d like to recommend?

KW:  (See my previous answer!)

LP: Many of the important works are collectibles in the truest form, but if it were possible to reprint them, I would recommend All Our Yesterdays and A Wealth of Fable, both by Harry Warner, Jr., The Way the Future Was by Fred Pohl, The Eight Stage of Fandom by Robert Bloch, Asimov on Science Fiction by Isaac Asimov…so many more books to consider.

SD: Yes, starting with the Westfahl book (and others of his) previously mentioned.

There seem to be two basic “theories” regarding the genre; one, espoused by Aldiss in his Billion Year Spree essays, which states that SF is merely a continuation of the myth-making that began with writing down the spoken word epic poem of Gilgamesh. The other recognizes that myth and allegory and fable existed previously and may have shared some fantastical elements with a genre we call Science Fiction, but that SF is its own particular, specifically defined and unique thing, with a set of special rules and a body of exemplars, all based on a definition first put forth inside the pages of Amazing Stories magazine in 1926.

It’s sort of like how we use the measure of “horse power” to describe the strength of an engine. We use the analogy, but everyone recognizes full well that really cool, complicated and advanced engineering and technologies are built into that engine.

I would encourage anyone with the slightest interest to read Trillion Year Spree, the Fan History books mentioned, the Westfahl, the many, many excellent histories by Mike Ashley concerning the magazines and those books mentioned by my colleagues.  Its all great stuff.

Where can people buy your book?

ALL: It’s available, or soon to be available, through all major eBook stores and in print from Amazon.com

On our website – www.amazingstories.com (direct link store.amazingstories.com), and on Amazon.

Where can people find you?

KW: https://amazingstories.com
https://www.facebook.com/AmazingStories/
https://twitter.com/AmazingStories0

Kermit is also a web developer at https://woodalldesign.net/

LP: Mostly on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lloyd.penney.1

SD: On Facebook, on the website and in Florida at the Amazing Stories HQ and the Amazing Stories TV Channel Twitter also.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOLMuMDvjPeIwEb88hovV3g
https://www.facebook.com/SteveAmazingDavidson
https://twitter.com/AmazingStories0
www.amazingstories.com

We’ll also be launching a kickstarter for a new themed issue of the magazine very soon now, with some great authors contributing!  Please keep an eye out!

Thank you, Steve, Kermit and Lloyd, for stopping by and answering my questions. Do check out Cents of Wonder: Science Fiction’s First Award Winners for a fascinating look into the early years of our genre.

About Cents of Wonder: Science Fiction’s First Award Winners:

Now!
Together!
For The First Time Anywhere!                                 

Pulled straight from the pages of the leading magazines of their age, 14 stories by the people whose imagination, creativity, and scientific acumen helped define the genre that would become known as Science Fiction.

Between 1926 and 1930 Hugo Gernsback hosted the science fiction field’s inaugural writing contests, first in Amazing Stories, and then again in Science Wonder Stories, the genre’s first two magazines devoted entirely to the publication of scientifiction tales.

These are the authors whose tales of wonder and speculation inspired the writers you’re more familiar with, writers such as Asimov, Bradbury, Le Guin, Heinlein, Brackett, Moore, and others.

Before there was science fiction, before there were Fans, before conventions, before comics, before cosplay, these fourteen pioneers stepped off into the unknown of imagination and helped entire generations learn to willingly suspend their disbelief, engage their sense of wonder, and take off for the stars! And they won awards for it!

Steve was kind enough to send me this print copy of “Cents of Wonder”, which arrived today together with “A Night in Lonesome October” by Roger Zelazny

***

Are you publishing a work of SFF-related longform non-fiction in 2022 and want it featured? Contact me or leave a comment.

Non-Fiction Spotlight: Rising Sun Reruns: Memories of Japanese TV Shows from Today’s Grown-up Kids, edited by Jim Beard

After the Hugos is before the next Hugos, so I’m continuing my Non-Fiction Spotlight project, where I interview the authors/editors of SFF-related non-fiction books that come out in 2022 and are eligible for the 2023 Hugo Awards. For more about the Non-Fiction Spotlight project, go here. To check out the spotlights I already posted, go here.

For more recommendations for SFF-related non-fiction, also check out this Facebook group set up by the always excellent Farah Mendlesohn, who is a champion (and author) of SFF-related non-fiction.

Today’s non-fiction spotlight is something of a premiere, because this is the first non-fiction spotlight I’ve posted for a book to which I contributed. Though that’s far from the only reason to check it out.

So I’m thrilled to welcome Jim Beard, editor of Rising Sun Reruns: Memories of Japanese TV Shows from Today’s Grown-up Kids, to my blog today.

Tell us about your book.

RISING SUN RERUNS is an ode to all the great imported Japanese TV shows we watched as kids from the 60s up to the 90s. Twenty-five writers have gathered to tell tales of their childhoods spent watching such shows as ULTRAMAN, SPEED RACER, KIMBA THE WHITE LION, JOHNNY SOKKO, BATTLE OF THE PLANETS, ROBOTECH, STARBLAZERS, and MIGHTY MORPHIN’ POWER RANGERS.

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I’m a writer, editor, and small press publisher of adventure fiction and pop culture non-fiction. I love the classic pulp style of storytelling, and I love sifting through memories to paint pictures of times gone by.

What prompted you to write/edit this book?

RISING SUN RERUNS is the third in a series I call “Memories from Today’s Grown-Up Kids.” I look for things I loved as a kid that I think others might enjoy not only writing about, but also reading about. I loved imported Japanese TV shows when i was growing up, and they seemed like a perfect theme to continue the series.

Why should SFF fans in general and Hugo voters in particular read this book?

In all honesty, not only because they themselves might have spent their own childhoods watching the shows, but because I hope they’ll also see some common threads and connective tissue between those times of their own and the writers who are presenting their personal memories. It can be such a wonderful feeling to read one of these essays and say, “Hey! That’s ME right there! That kid is me!”

Do you have any cool facts or tidbits that you unearthed during your research, but that did not make it into the final book?

Only that I came across even more shows I wish we had included in this volume – the wealth of Japanese series is amazing, and I’m continuously surprised to discover more that made it to our shores that I didn’t know about before.

SFF-related non-fiction is somewhat sidelined by the big genre awards, since the Nebulas have no non-fiction category and the Best Related Work Hugo category has become something of a grab bag of anything that doesn’t fit elsewhere. So why do you think SFF-related non-fiction is important?

Because of the width and breadth of SF and Fantasy in pop culture, and how we all as fans have connection points throughout it. I personally love coming across a non-fiction book on a subject I love, whether well-known or obscure, and while I myself am chugging away on doing my own publications, I can’t wait to see what other editors and publishers are doing. We’ve only scratched the surface of what can be discussed, debated, and delivered in SFF non-fiction.

Are there any other great SFF-related non-fiction works or indeed anything else (books, stories, essays, writers, magazines, films, TV shows, etc…) you’d like to recommend?

Just off the top of my head, a few of my all-time favorites (and ones that inspired me in my publishing) are THE OFFICIAL BATMAN BAT-BOOK by Joel Eisner, MONKEE MAGIC by Melanie Mitchell, KAIJU FOR HIPSTERS by Kevin Derendorf, MONSTER MASH by Mark Voger, and the forur volumes of THE ALL-STAR COMPANION by Roy Thomas. I can also recommend anything by writer/editor Rich Handley, and pretty much anything Twomorrows Pub. puts out.

Where can people buy your book?

 

Where can people find you?

On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/thebeardjimbeard

On Twitter: @writerjimbeard

On Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/author/jimbeard

Thank you, Jim, for stopping by and answering my questions. Do check out Rising Sun Reruns: Memories of Japanese TV Shows from Today’s Grown-up Kids, because it’s a great anthology. And no, I’m not just saying that, because I have an essay in the book.

About Rising Sun Reruns: Memories of Japanese TV Shows from Today’s Grown-up Kids:

TIME FOR TOKUSATSU!

From the 1960s to the 1990s children in the West were gifted with a bounty of amazing TV shows to watch and enjoy—but it wasn’t nearly enough to satisfy their voracious appetites for adventure! It took an intriguing immigration of imported shows from the East to fill their afternoons with all the fun and fantasy they craved!

Grab a TV tray and hunker down in the family den with a group of grown-up kids as they reminisce about their favorite exotic Japanese TV shows of yore! In these pages you will find glowing memories of flights of fancy such as Ultraman, Johnny Sokko and His Flying Robot, Astro Boy, Battle of the Planets, Space Giants, Speed Racer, Robotech, and many, many more—including a few you may never even heard of!

Writer-editor Jim Beard adds to his Memories from Today’s Grown-Up Kids series of pop culture nostalgia books with RISING SUN RERUNS, a tantalizing trip into the past when discovering a strange show from Japan alongside your other favorite series was not a weird thing at all…it was downright wonderful!

Cover Illustration by Adam Benet Shaw
Logo Design and Formatting by Maggie Ryel

 

About Jim Beard:

 

Jim Beard pounds out adventure fiction with classic pulp style and flair.

A native Toledoan, he was introduced to comic books at an early age by his father, who passed on to him a love for the medium and the pulp characters who preceded it. After decades of reading, collecting and dissecting comics, Jim became a published writer when he sold a story to DC Comics in 2002. Since that time he’s written official Spider-Man, X-Files, and Planet of the Apes prose fiction, Star Wars and Ghostbusters comic stories, and contributed articles and essays to several volumes of comic book history.

His prose work also includes GOTHAM CITY 14 MILES, a book of essays on the 1966 Batman TV series; SGT. JANUS, SPIRIT-BREAKER, a collection of pulp ghost stories featuring an Edwardian occult detective; MONSTER EARTH, a shared-world giant monster anthology; and CAPTAIN ACTION: RIDDLE OF THE GLOWING MEN, the first pulp prose novel based on the classic 1960s action figure.

Jim is also the co-publisher at Flinch Books, a small-press pulp house.

***

Are you publishing a work of SFF-related longform non-fiction in 2022 and want it featured? Contact me or leave a comment.

Masters-of-the-Universe-Piece Theatre: “Help”

It’s time for another Masters-of-the-Universe-Piece Theatre photo story. The name “Masters-of-the-Universe-Piece Theatre” was coined by Kevin Beckett at the Whetstone Discord server. You can check out all of the Masters-of-the-Universe-Piece Theatre Photo Stories here.

At Snake Mountain:

“You called, Lord Skeletor?”

“Yes, my Evil Warriors. I called you here to hear and execute my latest glorious plan.”

“D… does it involve capturing Adora for the Mighty Hordak?”

“All in due time, Mantenna. After all, Hordak and I have a deal. He – or rather you – help me capture Man-at-Arms and I shall help him recapture Princess Adora.”

“Ahem and why are we capturing Man-at-Arms, boss?”

“So he can build machines and weapons for us, Trap Jaw. And tell me all about the secrets of Castle Grayskull and how to kill He-Man, while he’s at it.”

“Uhm, I’m pretty sure Tri-Klops won’t like that, boss. After all, he is our tech guy.”

“I don’t care what Tri-Klops thinks. If he doesn’t want to be replaced, maybe he should come up with inventions that actually work.”

“More importantly, my Lord, why do you think Man-at-Arms will help you? Have you forgotten that he hates your guts and with good reason, too? After all, you murdered his lover before his eyes and had him thrown into the dungeon together with the Orolax. He will never, ever agree to work for you.”

“He will, if he knows what’s good for him, Lyn. Cause if he doesn’t cooperate, he’ll feel pain like he’s never felt before. After all, Beast-Man is itching to use that new whip of his on some soft human flesh.”

“Last I saw, Duncan’s flesh was anything but soft. In fact, his muscles are impressively hard for a man his age… You can torture him all you want to, but he still won’t work for you and he won’t talk either. He’d rather die.”

“Then he will die. But first, we’ll get to have some fun with him, Lynnie.”

“Oh, I can sure think of many ways to have fun with Duncan. Many, many ways…”

“Then what are you waiting for? Bring me Man-at-Arms! Preferably alive and in one piece!”

“As you command, my Lord.”

“Okey-dokey, Boss.”

“W…why are we wasting time with this? We should be finding and capturing Adora, so I can go home.”

“Shut up, Hordling!”

“M… my name is not Hordling. It’s Ma…Mantenna.”

***

Meanwhile, in the garden of Eternos Palace:

“I really like this new power and armour upgrade, Adam. We should go somewhere more private, so I can very thoroughly inspect all the changes.”

“Ahem, Teela, you know that I have to change back before we…”

“Of course. But until then, I get to admire the view. So come on, He-Man. Let’s go on an extended patrol of the outer perimeter. A very extended patrol…”

“Guys, guys…!

“Orko, what the…?!”“What’s the matter, Orko? Is anything wrong? Is the palace under attack?”

“No, I just wanted to show you my latest magic trick.”

“That’s really nice of you, Orko. But maybe later. We were just about to embark on a patrol of the outer perimeter.”

“Oh, can I come? I can help you keep an eye out for the bad guys. And maybe we can have a picnic like in the old days?”

“I’m sorry, Orko, but it’s too dangerous. Skeletor’s minions could attack at any moment.”

“That’s okay. My magic actually works properly now… well, most of the time.”

“There might be Shadow Beasts. And Rock Monsters…”

“…and Dragons.”

“Shadow Beasts and Dragons? Are you sure you don’t need any help? Cause I fought Shadow Beasts in Subternia and…”

“We’ll be fine, Orko, honestly. Why don’t you head over to Dad’s workshop? I’m sure he could use some help and maybe you can show him your new trick.”

“Okay, guys, if you don’t want my help…”

***

Later, at the outer perimeter:

“Poor Orko. I feel sorry about leaving him behind. After all, we do take Cringer along sometimes.”

“Cringer makes a nice soft pillow. And he doesn’t talk.”

“Orko doesn’t talk either. After all, he kept He-Man’s secret for years.”

“Maybe we shouldn’t have foisted him on Dad. He’s busy enough as it is.”

“Oh come on, your father loves Orko. And besides, his magic does work now… well, most of the time.”

“Yes, Orko only managed to break a single egg, since he came back. Of course, it did land on Dad’s head, but still…”

***

Meanwhile, in Man-at-Arms’ workshop:

The little toolbox is intended for dollhouses, but it’s the right scale, so I got one for Duncan.

“So, brother of mine, because I know you’ll only be grumpy if I don’t ask, what mechanical miracle are you working on today?”

“Why, thank you for asking, Malcolm. It’s a techno-magical sword for He-Man, just in case he is ever separated from his Power Sword. The Sorceress and I were working on it, before she… she… sniff.”

“And how would He-Man ever be separated from his Power Sword? After all, that boy truly packs a punch. Prince Adam, on the other hand, tends to lose his sword. The sword that we’re not supposed to notice looks exactly like the Power Sword.”

“Shut up, Malcolm!”

“Man-at-Arms, Man-at-Arms, can I show you my new magic trick?”

“Sigh. Not now, Orko. I’m engaged in some very delicate techno-magical work here.”

“Magical? I can help. My magic works now… well, most of the time, and…”

“Orko, this is very delicate work. He-Man’s life could depend on me getting this right.”

“So you don’t want my help either? Just like Adam and Teela. They didn’t want to take me along on their patrol of the outer perimeter.”

“Oh, I bet they didn’t.”

“Shut up, Malcolm.”

“Nobody wants me. I’m just a liability.”

“That’s not true, Orko. We’re all glad to have you back with us.”

“Then why didn’t Adam and Teela take me along on their patrol?”

“Because they… well, they want to do whatever you and Dree-Elle do, when you’re all alone.”

“You mean they… they’re rubbing noses?!!”

“Snort.”

“Yes, Orko, Adam and Teela are rubbing noses.”

“Oh, I’m sure they’re rubbing a lot more than that.”

“Shut up, Malcolm!”

“Please, Man-at-Arms, can I help? I’ll be good, I promise.”

“Sigh. All right, Orko, you can help. But no magic, understood? Just hand me the tools from the toolbox.”

“No magic, as you command. Just tools.”

“All right, then give me a hammer, please.”

“That’s a wire cutter, Orko, not a hammer.”

“Sorry, Man-at-Arms. I’ll get it right, I promise.”

“Snicker.”

“Malcolm…”

“Yes, I know, I’ll shut up.”

Yes, Orko is worthy.

“Not that hammer, Orko. Where did you even get that? That’s not yours.”

“That nice Thor we met lately said I could keep it, if I can carry it. Odd, it’s not even all that heavy. After all, it’s not as if I’m He-Man.”

“Just put that away and give me a proper hammer.”

“That’s more like it. Thank you, Orko.”

“You’re welcome. I’m always happy to help.”

“I know, Orko, I know.”

CRASH! BOOM!

“What the…?”

“In the name of Skeletor, Overlord of Destruction, stay where you are or face the consequences.”

“Stay back, Orko! We’ll handle this.”

“Yeah, we’ll just take out the trash.”

“Well, you clearly want to do this the hard way. Hordling, do your thing!”

“Th… the name is Ma… Mantenna, not Hordling.”

ZAPP!

“C…can’t move.”

“The Hordling…”

“Mantenna. For the last time, my name is Mantenna.”

“Whatever. He has frozen you with his stun beam. You, Duncan, are now a prisoner of Skeletor. Chain him up, Trap Jaw.”

“Got to help them. I’ve got to help Man-at-Arms and Fisto. But how?”

“Skeletor has plans for you, Duncan. So do I.”

“If Skeletor thinks that I’d ever work for him, then he’s mistaken. I’d rather die.”

“That’s exactly what I told him, but he just wouldn’t listen. And make no mistake, Duncan, he will kill you. He’s always hated you, since long before he was Skeletor. But if you’re nice to me, maybe I’ll make you my personal pet.”

“Leave him alone, Witch. He’s spoken for and I’m gay.”

“Is that so, Fisto? Maybe we should take you along for Tri-Klops to play with then.”

“I really must help them. But how? I know.”

POOF!

“Oh, we’ll have a lot of fun before Skeletor finally kills you, Duncan. So much fun.”

CONK!

“What in Eternia…?”

“Orko?!”

“Stop threatening my friends, Lyn. I don’t want to fight you, but I will, if I must. And my magic works much better now, since you brought me back from the dead.”

“I’m really not in the mood for this, Orko. Hordling, freeze him!”

“Ma… Mantenna. The name is Mantenna.”

ZAPP!

“His stun beams won’t work on me, Lyn. I’m immune against Horde tech and magic. So stand down. I don’t want to hurt you, but I will.”

“Ah well, for old times’sake. And because I do have a soft spot for you and for Duncan here.”

“Hordling, take Trap Jaw and go!”

“The name’s still Mantenna.”

“What a pity, Duncan! We could have had so much fun together.”

ZAPP!

CLATTER…

“Looks like today is your lucky day, Duncan. But don’t think I’ll be so merciful next time we meet. Unless you make it worth my while, that is…”

“What do you want, Lyn?”

“Isn’t that obvious? And here I thought you were smart.”

“Ugh, he’s heavy.”

“Be seeing you.”

“Ske… Skeletor won’t like this, Evil-Lyn. And the… the Mighty Hordak won’t like it either. Cause the Mi… Mighty Mordak had a deal with Skeletor. We help you capture h… him and Skeletor helps us capture Adora.”

“Let me worry about Skeletor, Hordling. As for Hordak, you may want to remind him who it was that freed him from Despondos and that he’s very welcome.”

“You freed Hordak from Despondos, Lyn?! Cause I don’t think that was a good idea.”

“Well, it seemed like one at the time. Bye, boys. I’m sure we’ll meet again. Nice tea set, by the way.”

“Don’t mock me, Lyn.”

“I wasn’t mocking you, Duncan. It is a nice tea set.”

“Man-at-Arms, Fisto, are you all right?”

“Thanks to you, little friend.”

“Uh, now that was something else. Is there anything you want to tell me about you and Evil-Lyn, brother?”

“Shut up, Malcolm.”

“Dad, Uncle Malcolm, Orko, what happened here? Why is there a huge hole in the wall? Did Ram-Man forget his keys… again? Or did one of Orko’s spells misfire… again?”

“We had visitors. Evil-Lyn, Trap Jaw and a Horde creature named Mantenna.”

“What…? What did they want? Did they want to steal the new sword or…?”

“From the looks of it, I’d say that Evil-Lyn wanted to make your father her own personal sex slave.”

“What?!

“Shut up, Malcolm. Teela, put the guards on high alert! I fear the Horde may be going after Princess Adora again.”

“Adora? By Zoar, we much protect her. I’m not letting the Horde take her again.”

“And we will, He-Man. We will protect Adora. They got lucky today. They won’t get lucky again.”

“This is all our fault. We should never have left the palace undefended. Dad and Adora might have been taken, while we…”

“It’s all right, Teela. We handled it. And it’s all thanks to Orko here. Come on, little buddy, let me give you a big hug.”

“Oh, Man-at-Arms is feeling manly emotions.”

“Don’t push your luck, Orko.”

***

Inspired by the unlikely bond Orko and Evil-Lyn develop during their adventures in Masters of the Universe: Revelation as well as by the fact that the same show also revealed that Evil-Lyn has a thing for Duncan.

I hope you enjoyed this Masters-of-the-Universe-Piece Theatre Photo Story. There will be more stories coming in the future, because I’m having a lot of fun doing these.

Disclaimer: I don’t own any of these characters, I just bought some toys, took photos of them and wrote little scenes to go with those photos. All characters are copyright and trademark their respective owners.

 

First Monday Free Fiction: Rude Awakening

Welcome to the October 2022 edition of First Monday Free Fiction.

To recap, inspired by Kristine Kathryn Rusch who posts a free short story every week on her blog, I’ll post a free story on the first Monday of every month. At the end of the month, I’ll take the story down and post another.

October is the spooky month, so let’s have a spooky story. This one is a story from my collection Demon Summoning for Beginners and  recounts what happens when a college student accidentally summons the eldritch forces of Cthulhu.

So follow Billy Choi as he experiences a…

Rude Awakening

It had been a long day and an even longer night for Billy Choi. A long night full of beer and pot and potato chips and attempting to decipher ancient manuscripts for his MA thesis on occult beliefs in New England in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century.

So when Billy finally fell asleep in his dorm room amidst scattered potato chips, empty beer bottles and scrolls of parchment — not even aware that the ancient scrolls and grimoires he’d analysed for his thesis had started to glow eerily in the dark — he certainly deserved a good night’s rest. Too bad he didn’t even get that.

For his dreams — and a really sweet dream of finally getting to third base with Melanie Simmons it was, too — were roughly interrupted by a wailing noise, as if a hundred cats had decided to get amorous all at once. The wailing was following by a persistent scratching sound, like the world’s longest nails on the world’s biggest chalkboard.

“Go away,” Billy mumbled, for in his dream, Melanie had just invited him to a round of skinny dipping in the lake by the campus and she was just about to take her top off and Billy was just about to get a good look at what he’d wanted to see and touch ever since he’d first seen Melanie in the Fantastic Literature of New England class earlier this semester.

However, the sounds did not go away. On the contrary, they grew even worse, even louder, noisier, impossible to ignore. In Billy’s dream, Melanie paused on the cusp of taking her top off and instead began to speak in a deep rumbling voice of death and doom and finally coming home to Earth to devour all that defiled it.

Even in the middle of the best dream he’d had in ages, Billy thought that the pot he’d smoked last night probably hadn’t been a good idea. Instead of going to a reputable dealer — insofar as there was such a thing as a reputable drug dealer — Billy had bought the pot from Jason Whitmore instead. And Jason was known all around campus not just as a notorious stoner but also notoriously broke. So it made sense that he’d tried to sell bad pot to Billy.

And still the wailing, the scratching and the deep rumbling voice did not go away, though Melanie did, swallowed up by a gigantic mouth sprouting monstrous tentacles. So Billy finally, reluctantly opened his eyes.

The sky outside the window was red, blood red. Must be one hell of a sunrise, only that sunrise usually came far too early for any civilised person to be awake to see it. And the scratching sound was someone knocking on or rather scratching on the window of Billy’s dorm room.

“Go away. Leave me alone.”

He turned over in bed and was just about to close his eyes again, when a thought occurred to him.

“Unless you’re Melanie. But you’re not Melanie, aren’t you?”

Of course not. Because if it were Melanie who was knocking on his window in the middle of the night — or dawn or whatever this was — it would mean that finally something would go right in Billy’s life. And the universe just didn’t like him that much to make anything in his life go right.

“You sssummmoned ussss,” the voice outside the window said. Definitely not Melanie. Unless she’d turned into a basso profundo overnight that was.

With a sigh, Billy turned over in bed again and forced his eyes open.

“Go away,” he repeated.

And then he saw it. A thing of tentacles and too many teeth and impossibly long fingernails that was scratching at his window, trying to get in. It wasn’t the only thing of its kind either. There were more of them out there, things with tentacles, wings, horns, scales, bones jutting out of their bodies at impossible angles and teeth, so many teeth. They were currently demolishing the quad and chasing professors and early bird students around the campus. And steadily, more and more of them were arriving, pouring out of a blood red vortex that had opened in the sky above the university.

What the flying fuck…?

Billy blinked, but when he opened his eyes again, the things outside the window were still there.

“You sssummmoned usss,” the thing with the nails at the window repeated.

Billy sat up straight in bed. “No, I most certainly didn’t. And now go away and let me sleep.”

“You sssummmoned usss,” the creature repeated, “We havvve commme to fulllfilll yourrr everrry wissssh.”

“Well, I want a pony and a lifetime supply of beer and Melanie Simmons naked in my bed. But some things just aren’t going to happen.”

“Asss you wisssh,” the creature at the window said.

It turned to its fellow monsters — for that’s what they were, monsters, real genuine bona-fide monsters — and said something in a language that sounded like a whole choir of opera singers clearing their throats all at once. Upon the say-so of the monster at the window, the other monsters swarmed out.

Barely a minute later, a tentacle dumped the bronze statue of the founder of the university on horseback onto the lawn in front of Billy’s window. A second after that, a second tentacle dumped a beer truck, a whole bloody beer truck onto the walkway that led up to the dorm. The driver jumped out of the cab and ran away screaming.

Open mouthed, Billy stared at his wishes coming true in the most grotesque way possible. And then things got even worse, for the clawed horror at his window finally managed to shatter the glass.

Before Billy could react, could even as much as scream, another tentacle appeared, wrapped around the shapely body of Melanie Simmons. Melanie screamed and her screams were loud enough to drown out even the pandemonium caused by the creatures. The tentacle, however, did not let go off Melanie. On the contrary, it proceeded to rip off her top — just like a monster in a cheesy B-movie which always first ripped off the beautiful girl’s clothing before devouring her. Melanie screamed some more.

“Hey you, leave her alone!” Billy yelled. He clenched his fists like a boxer, though no amount of boxing training could possibly stop a tentacled eldritch horror.

“Asss you wisssh,” the thing with the long nails said, while the tentacle dumped Melanie — naked as the God Billy didn’t believe in had made her — right into Billy’s bed. Dazed, Melanie grabbed hold of the blanket, pulled it up to cover her remarkable curves and screamed some more.

“What are you doing?” Billy yelled at the creature with claws, “You can’t just grab people and statues and beer trucks.”

“We sssservvvve yourrr will, William Bartholomew Choi,” the creature at the window said, “You sssummmoned ussss.”

“No, I didn’t, I…”

Billy did his best not to stare at Melanie who was here, naked in his bed, and in the process noticed the scrolls and grimoires scattered on the floor, where he’d left them the night before. They were glowing.

Memories came back, scattered and incomplete. Beer, pot and researching his MA thesis. Reading out the preposterous spells in the silliest, most ridiculous voice possible. A papercut, for such was the lot of the scholar. A droplet of blood falling onto the scroll, just as Billy read the words out loud.

“Oh God, I did, didn’t I?”

“Yesss, you sssummmoned ussss to ssservve yourrr will, massster,” the creature with the long nails said.

“Okay, I… this was all a mistake, okay? Just go away.”

The creature stared at him with blood red eyes.

“You wisssh usss to leavvve, massster?” it intoned.

“Yes, I… I just want you to go away, okay. It was a mistake and I’m really sorry, but I… Just go away, please.”

The creature with the long nails and the too many teeth bowed. “Asss you wisssh, massster.”

And then, as quickly as they had appeared, all of the monsters were sucked back into the blood red vortex in the sky, before it suddenly popped close.

Billy looked out across the ruined campus, the fallen statue, the beer truck… — oh, how he’d love to have a beer right now — and finally at Melanie, who had at last stopped screaming, though she was still in his bed and still naked.

“Look, I… I’m really sorry about all this,” he stammered and handed her the nearest piece of clothing, which just happened to be his Miskatonic University shirt, “This… this was all an accident, an honest mistake. It should never have happened. And it won’t happen again.”

Melanie was staring at him, his blanket pulled up to cover her curves. “You… you’re Billy, aren’t you? You’re in my Fantastic Literature of New England class?”

“Yes, I… Wait a minute, you know my name?”

Melanie flashed him a smile that was a lot shyer than one might expect, considering she was naked in his dorm room, in his bed.

“Of course. I always remember the cute ones.”

The End.

***

That’s it for this month’s edition of First Monday Free Fiction. Check back next month, when a new free story will be posted.

New Releases, New Arrivals and Other News

This was a busy week for me, because I have not one but two new releases to announce.

For starters, issue 0 of New Edge Sword & Sorcery Magazine has just come out with fiction and non-fiction by Howard Andrew Jones, Brian Murphy, Milton J. Davis, Nicole Emmelhainz, David C. Smith, Dariel R.A. Quiogue, Remco van Straten and Angeline B. Adams, Bryn Hammond, J.M. Clarke, T.K. Rex, Robin Marx, editor Oliver Brackenbury and yours truly. The cover art is by Gilead.

My piece in issue 0 of New Edge is an essay about C.L. Moore and Jirel of Joiry. The electronic edition of New Edge No. 0 is free and the print editions are fairly cheap, so what are you waiting for? Get it here!

And while on the subject of C.L. Moore, two weeks ago I was on the Postcards from a Dying World podcast, discussing C.L. Moore’s debut story “Shambleau” with host David Agranoff and editor/author Greg Cox. You can listen to the episode in question here.

I also have an essay in Rising Sun Reruns: Memories of Japanese TV Shows from Today’s Grown-up Kids, edited by Jim Beard. My essay is about watching anime shows on West German TV in the 1970s and 1980s with a particular focus on the Captain Future anime show. Get the book here.

In other news, my Hugo win was mentioned in the alumni newsletter of the University of Bremen.

Meanwhile, my quest to get nice plastic recreations of all the heroes and villains of my youth continues with another cartoon favourite from the 1980s, Defenders of the Earth.

Now the Defenders of the Earth cartoon is a lot more obscure than He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, She-Ra: Princess of Power and other heavy hitters of the era, even though it featured an all star cast of classic comic characters, since the show had Flash Gordon, the Phantom, Mandrake the Magician, Lothar and their respective kids team up to battle Ming the Merciless.

Nowadays, heroes teaming up to fight a villain who’s too powerful for one of them to deal with alone is common in filmic media and this is indeed how the Marvel Cinematic Universe was built. But back in the 1980s, crossovers and shared universes didn’t really exist in filmic media, not even in cartoons based on comics which had been doing that sort of thing for decades, because of the mistaken belief that too many heroes were confusing for the viewer. Even the various Marvel and DC based cartoons that were around in the 1980s and 1990s did not cross over with each other, even though the characters lived in the same universe and often the same city.

Defenders of the Earth really was a pioneer, since it brought together four of King’s Features classic newspaper comic heroes from the 1930s (plus a guest appearance by Prince Valiant).  Of course, in my mind all the characters from all the media I consumed as well as my original creations already lived in the same universe and interacted with each other, but seeing this actually happen on TV was something of a sensation, if blunted by the fact that Flash Gordon and Ming were the only characters I recognised from the 1930s Flash Gordon serials, which I had watched a few years before and did not particularly care for, because they were really badly dated by the mid 1980s. I can now appreciate the 1930s Flash Gordon serials for what they are, but viewed from the POV of a teen in the 1980s who’d seen Star Wars, Star Trek and Battlestar Galactica, they really were underwhelming, though Charles Middleton did make for a great Ming the Merciless.

I remember sitting in the living room, watching cartoons, when my Mom came in and asked me what I was watching. “It’s a Flash Gordon cartoon,” I told her, “Only that there are a bunch of other people in it as well.”

“Oh, it’s Phantom,” my Mom exclaimed and settled down to watch, because it turned out that she had been a fan of the Phantom newspaper comic strip decades before, when the local paper was still running comic strips. We eventually identified Mandrake as another vaguely remembered comic strip character from way back, though neither of us remembered or recognised Lothar from the Mandrake comic, probably because comic Lothar looked quite different. And by the way, can we celebrate for a moment how amazing it is that Mandrake the Magician could have a black best friend who was very much his equal in a comic that debuted in 1934? Yes, the way Lothar is drawn in the early comics is quite racist by modern standards, but the fact that we have a black superhero in the 1930s is amazing in itself.

Anyway, I quickly fell in love with the Defenders of the Earth cartoon, probably my last real cartoon love. There were many cartoons I liked after that – Miyuki, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Gargoyles, the 1993 X-Men cartoon, Batman: The Animated Series, the 1990s Jonny Quest, The Simpsons, the night forgotten WildC.A.T.S. cartoon – but Defenders of the Earth was last one I was obsessed with, because I was ageing out of the demographic for western cartoons by that time. Indeed, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon premiered only a year after Defenders of the Earth, but while I watched it and liked it all right, it would never occur to me to buy Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles action figures, because I had aged out of the target demographic by then.

As for why this particular cartoon, which was never all that popular, appealed to me so much, I guess it was the found family aspect I loved, because Defenders of the Earth is essentially the story of four single dads banding together to raise their kids and fight an alien invasion.

Which brings me to another thing Defenders of the Earth did way before any other western cartoon did it, namely kill a prominent character on screen. There is of course Bambi’s mother, whose death traumatised generations of children, but otherwise western cartoons didn’t kill off any characters before the 1990s. Defenders of the Earth, however, kills off Dale Arden in the first episode. And Dale isn’t just killed, Ming literally tortures her to death. There isn’t any blood, but by mid 1980s standards this was shocking stuff, because no one ever really died in cartoons. Anthony from Candy, Candy was the only other cartoon character I’d seen die on screen at the time and that was anime, where the rules are different. Transformers – The Movie killed off Optimus Prime on screen, also in 1986, but I did not see that film until much later.

Pretty much any cartoon or toyline that was popular during my youth has by now come back, usually in a much nicer form than back in the day. Of the heavy hitters of the 1980s, M.A.S.K. and Jem and the Holograms are the only ones which never really came back – I’ve even seen new Strawberry Shortcake toys around. Defenders of the Earth, however, was always a more obscure cartoon and so I expected the chances of ever seeing a revival and/or action figures were about as high as the chances of ever getting a Galaxy Rangers or Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors or Sabre Rider and the Star Sheriffs revival and/or toys, i.e. pretty low.

So imagine my surprise when I saw gorgeous action figures of Flash Gordon, Phantom and Ming the Merciless in their Defenders of the Earth look to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the cartoon in 2021. There also are versions of the characters that are based on the original comic strip look, but I prefer the cartoon look, especially for Ming, who looks way too much like the yellow peril cliché he started out as in his comic strip look.

I initially dithered because of the price tag and then considered getting just Phantom, who was always my favourite, but then I got a really good deal on all three Defenders of the Earth figures and pulled the trigger. Yesterday, they arrived and they look great:

Flash Gordon and Ming the Merciless are fencing, which is only fair, because Ming did murder Flash’s wife. I had problems getting Phantom to hold his gun, so he’s just flexing his fists for now. Though I did get him a jungle friend in the form of a Schleich panther (Phantom’s daughter Jedda has a pet panther in the cartoon). I wanted to get him a wolf, too, since Phantom has a wolf companion in the comics, but the drugstore did not have a Schleich wolf. The little blue critter is Zuffy, who was the alien pet of Mandrake’s young son in the cartoon, but was packaged with Phantom for reasons unknown.

BTW, my Mom, who doesn’t even recognise or remember He-Man, in spite of being right there in the room with me, when I watched the cartoon, immediately recognised the Defenders, when I showed them to her.

The manufacturer NECA is also making Mandrake the Magician and Lothar in their cartoon look and they will join their pals as soon as they become available. I also really hope they’ll make the four kids, because the family aspect was one of the big draws of the cartoon for me.

In the women and motherless way of 1980s kids cartoons, the Defenders of the Earth were portrayed as four single dads. Flash was a widower and it was implied that Phantom was, too. As for Mandrake and Lothar, both were portrayed as straight in the newspaper comic, but the cartoon implied that they were a couple, which went completely over my head as a kid, but is very obvious when rewatching these cartoons as an adult. Indeed, 1980s cartoons are full of characters that are obviously gay, when you rewatch them as an adult, and also gave us plenty of examples of non-standard families. The usual busybodies were way too worried that those cartoons were trying to sell us plastic toys (well, they were and still do) and glorified violence to realise that those cartoons were also selling us positive examples of gay couples and non-traditional families along with plastic toys and those little safety tips and moral messages tagged on at the end. And yes, I’m certain that this was 100 percent intentional, so well done, cartoon studios.

However, as explained here, in my head canon, Phantom found a new love after losing his wife and is in a longtime relationship with Maud Daniels who looks a lot like She-Hulk, but is a character I created after buying a She-Hulk figure without knowing the character’s name or backstory. And since there’s currently a She-Hulk series running on Disney+ (more reviews of that coming soon), there’s also a very nice She-Hulk figure in the Marvel Legends action figure series, which matches the Defenders of the Earth figures in scale. So I ordered her and Phantom will soon be reunited with Maud.

In the meantime, I also had some fun having Flash and Phantom fight Ming over my Hugo trophy, which looks like something out of the original Flash Gordon comic strip:

 

Indie Speculative Fiction of the Month for September 2022

It’s that time of the month again, time for “Indie Speculative Fiction of the Month”.

So what is “Indie Speculative Fiction of the Month”? It’s a round-up of speculative fiction by indie and small press authors newly published this month, though some August books I missed the last time around snuck in as well. The books are arranged in alphabetical order by author. So far, most links only go to Amazon.com, though I may add other retailers for future editions.

Once again, we have new releases covering the whole broad spectrum of speculative fiction. This month, we have urban fantasy, epic fantasy, cozy fantasy, paranormal mystery, planetary romance, space opera, military science fiction, science fiction romance, near future science fiction romance, weird western, horror, speculative poetry, vampires, werewolves, wizards, dragons, aliens, space cadets, cursed thieves, blood curses, artificial intelligence, magical tea shops, talking cats, crime-busting witches, intergalactic playboys and much more.

Don’t forget that Indie Speculative Fiction of the Month is also crossposted to the Speculative Fiction Showcase, a group blog run by Jessica Rydill and myself, which features new release spotlights, guest posts, interviews and link round-ups regarding all things speculative fiction several times per week.

As always, I know the authors at least vaguely, but I haven’t read all of the books, so Caveat emptor.

And now on to the books without further ado:

Nightswept Episode 1 by Odette C. Bell:

They say night will always lift. Day must come. But when the light threatens to leave the Coalition for good, only two cadets will stand in its way.

When Samantha, a promising cadet with a chip on her shoulder, barely survives a cataclysmic attack on an observation world, it takes her memories and leaves her with an ancient gift. A force now resides in her mind, and it has removed all her recollections. She can only recall one memory – and one man – Bastien Vanguard, the galaxy’s richest playboy and her greatest enemy.

Bastien can’t stand her, but only he can unlock her memories and save the Coalition before it’s too late. For forces align to tear it down once and for all. Can two enemies come together to save the Milky Way, or will they tear each other apart?

….

Nightswept follows a playboy and an amnesiac cadet fighting to save the universe from darkness. If you love your space operas with action, heart, and a splash of romance, grab Nightswept Episode One today and soar free with an Odette C. Bell series.

Nightswept is the 19th Galactic Coalition Academy series. A sprawling, epic, and exciting sci-fi world where cadets become heroes and hearts are always won, each series can be read separately, so plunge in today.

Star’s Guardian by Odette C. Bell:

To protect, is to change the course of history. Fail, though, and you’ll fall.

Grace Smith is about to fall, and there’s nothing that can stop her. She was destined to lose the sacred energy pumping in her veins since birth. The multiverse has always had a plan for her, and now that dark plan unfolds, one dead body at a time.

Grace is used to running from the dark forces hell-bent on murdering her, and she’s good at it. Then she runs into the one man she can’t escape. Alex Round, Supreme Outer Guardian. When he picks her up on a backwater planet by accident, he thinks she’s a pointless distraction. Then hell unravels, and the fabric of reality fractures with it. At its heart sits the one woman he must now protect, no matter what.

Can someone who has run her whole life stop still long enough to accept the help of the only man who can save her? Or will she tumble into the arms or danger and take the rest of the multiverse with her?

…

Star’s Guardian follows a runaway and a lieutenant fighting through secrets to save a lost universe. If you love your space operas with action, heart, and a splash of romance, grab Star’s Guardian Book One today and soar free with an Odette C. Bell series.

Tales from a Magical Teashop by Casey Blair:

Add a dash of joy and imagination to your day with tales of a magical tea that summons cats to snuggle or enables its recipients to exhale sparkles, hilarious combat with aggressive fantasy ingredients while others turn invisible out of shyness, and the day-to-day management of a shop dealing in the unexpected. These are quick stories ranging from silly to bittersweet that can be read as you wait for your tea kettle to boil.

Tales from a Magical Teashop is a stand-alone short story collection set in the world of Tea Princess Chronicles that functions as an introduction to the series with hidden gems for those who’ve read it, featuring scenes set in a shop serving teas made from magical ingredients as well as bonus scenes from the perspectives of fan-favorite characters.

Brew up a cup of tea, and enjoy a little interlude away at a magical teashop!

Light-hearted, comforting, and satisfying, brighten your day with a collection of magical teashop stories from the world of the cozy fantasy series Tea Princess Chronicles.

Queer Weird West Tales, edited by Julie Bozza:

Frontiers have always attracted the Other – where they find that the Other is always already there. These 22 stories explore what happens when queer characters encounter weirdness on the edge of the worlds they know.

Authors include: Julie Bozza, J.A. Bryson, Dannye Chase, S.E. Denton, Miguel Flores, Adele Gardner, Roy Gray, KC Grifant, Peter Hackney, Bryn Hammond, Narrelle M Harris, Justin Warren Jackson, Toshiya Kamei, Catherine Lundoff, Bunny McFadden, Angus McIntyre, Atlin Merrick, Eleanor Musgrove, Jennifer Lee Rossman, Lauren Scharhag, Sara L. Uckelman, and Dawn Vogel.

United We Kill by Jonathan P. Brazee and J.N. Chaney:

Humankind is under the gravest threat in its history.

The enemy Naxli keep advancing, taking humans prisoner and destroying human worlds. But this isn’t the Naxli’s first rodeo, and humanity is not alone.

Other races have suffered at the hands of the enemy, and they’ve proposed that humanity join them and present a united front to defeat the Naxli once and for all.

The Congress of Humanity deploys the First Human Expeditionary Brigade to join with the alien military to take the fight to the Naxli. But with seventeen known “allies,” all with different goals and perspectives, how can they form a unified, integrated fighting force? It’s been hard enough for humans to cooperate throughout history, and now the problem has just logarithmically increased.

Still, a mission is a mission, and Gunnery Sergeant Reverent Pelletier, Perseus Union Marine Corps, is going to do what he can to create an effective fighting unit, even if he has to beat in some alien heads to get it done.

Orbs of Wisdom by Lindsay Buroker:

With his mother’s life at stake and the entire world threatened by powerful dragons, the sand in the hour glass is running out for Jak Freedar. He and his allies must find the ancient Orbs of Wisdom and hope they hold the solutions to the problems plaguing humanity and the dragons before it’s too late.

This is the final installment in the Dragon Gate saga!

 

 

Mark of the Fool by J.M. Clarke:

The gods chose him. He said no.

After his parents died, Alex Roth had one desire: become a wizard. Through hard work, he was accepted into the University of Generasi, the world’s greatest academy of wizardry…

Fate, however, had other plans.

On his eighteenth birthday, he is Marked by prophecy as one of his kingdom’s five Heroes, chosen to fight the Ravener, his land’s great enemy. But his brand is ‘The Fool’. Worst of the marks.

Rather than die or serve other Heroes like past Fools, he takes a stand, rejects divine decree…and leaves. With his little sister, his childhood friend, and her cerberus, Alex flees for the university, hoping to research the mystery of the Ravener. He’ll make lifelong friends, learn magic from mad wizards, practice alchemy, fight mana vampires and try to pay tuition.

There’s one small problem. The Mark insists on preventing the Fool from learning and casting spells, while enhancing skills outside of divinity, combat, and spellcraft…

…that is, unless he learns to exploit the hell out of it.

Blood Curse by Rachel Ford:

A terrible curse. A dangerous weapon. An impossible mystery.

With all the residents of Little Eerie turned to goblins by an ancient blood curse, Apprentice Wizard Idun Wintermoon and sellsword Liss Forlatt are in a race against time to undo the curse before goblin hunters show up and kill the hapless villagers.

To unravel the secret of the blood curse, they’re going to need to get their hands on the blood of a royal. A present day, very much alive royal.

And it just might be easier to pull dragon teeth.

Older, Wiser, Witchier by Lily Harper Hart:

Four women. Four great loves. One great partnership.

It’s been years since Ivy Morgan, Harper Harlow, Maddie Graves, and Rowan Gray married the loves of their lives and decided to settle down. Since that time, they’ve joined together to form a fearsome magical quartet. The plan was to stand with one another. Now that plan is being put to the test.

While out morel hunting with her brother, daughter, and nephews, Ivy stumbles across a body, a ritual dagger causing her to fear they’re dealing with something more dangerous than a normal human. Right away, she calls for reinforcements from her magical friends…and they come running.

Ivy’s magic has grown, and she’s much stronger than she used to be. That doesn’t mean she’s ready for what’s coming, especially when it becomes apparent that her daughter might be following in her mother’s footsteps, and being drawn into a dangerous world she doesn’t understand.

A local real estate developer is dead, his wife is missing, and there’s a random ghost hanging around stirring up trouble. Ivy has her hands full, and things are about to get worse.

Magic is might, and this particular foursome is ready. What if they’re not strong enough to fight off a new threat, however? What will it mean for them as a group?

They’re about to find out, and the answer might be more than they can bear.

Note: This series follows the events of the Ivy Morgan, Harper Harlow, Rowan Gray, and Maddie Graves series. It’s set seven years after the events of those series. You do no need to read those series, but if you want more of the characters, that’s where you can find them.

Game of Crones by Amanda M. Lee:

Scout Randall thought killing the master vampire threatening those she loved would make everybody safe. She was wrong.

One dying utterance changed everything.

Yolanda Stratton haunts Hawthorne Hollow like an oily shadow of death. Gunner, the son she tried to kill, tries to pretend that he doesn’t care that she might have answers. He’s not fooling anybody. Graham, the husband who wishes he would’ve killed her twenty years before, is resigned to the games she will play. And Scout? She’s ready to face off with the face of abject evil, even if it comes at a cost.

Just who will be paying that price, however?

Yolanda won’t explain why the lone zombie that appeared behind the Rusty Cauldron boasted the same symbol she had branded into her shoulder years before. She won’t explain why the past is playing so heavily into the present. She definitely won’t explain why the new witch in town is after Scout…and isn’t afraid to play dirty to end her life.

Scout is a witch with a plan but outthinking an enemy she doesn’t understand could be the end of her.

There’s a whisper on the wind…and it speaks of death. Who will fall?

Moral Code by Lois and Ross Melbourne:

Dr. Keira Stetson has two passions: ethical artificial intelligence—AI with a conscience—and creating technology that improves children’s lives. Trapped in an earthquake-flattened building with a half-dozen panicked five-year-olds, she fears the worst. When billionaire Roy Brandt leverages his mysterious nanite technology to rescue them, she’s both grateful and intrigued.

Impressed by his prototype technology but alarmed at its potential for exploitation, Keira merges her company with Brandt’s. The merger gives Keira access to much-needed funds for the development of her own tech, and access to Brandt’s powerful minuscule robots. In turn, she and her AI assistant, Elly, embed Keira’s trademark Moral Operating System in Brandt’s nanite SmartDust to rein in its power.

But Brandt’s technology has been kept secret for a reason. Though he’s adamant about using the Dust to improve life, not destroy it, corporate raiders and the military have other ideas. They want to weaponize Brandt’s nanites. Suddenly, everything Keira has worked for is in jeopardy. Exposed to the worst humanity has to offer, she and Elly must fight to use this newfound tech for good and keep it out of the wrong hands…before it’s too late.

Spacer’s Bet by Bonnie Milani:

The attack came out of nowhere. Suddenly a hunting pack, flashing Lupan IDs, dropped out of Jump to fire on the unarmed ore hauler Shojai.

Isfahan “Iz” Hauler Shojai had only an instant to wonder why before the attackers’ guns ripped open Shojai’s cargo bay.

The cargo bay where her ditzy younger brother Kansas was working. The bay whose crew was sucked out into the void. Like herself, Kansas was genetically engineered to survive vacuum. But his protective shell couldn’t hold forever. Battling time and the chaos of a wounded ship, Iz launched herself into the vacuum of the gutted hold to rescue her brother.

Badly damaged Shojai limps into RockPort only to discover that the port is now under the ‘protection’ of Moscow, a woman whose laws are as harsh as the blue ice of her liege world, Streiker. She demands all fees up front. Worse, the voices Kansas ‘hears in his head’ have him spouting a language he doesn’t even speak. But Moscow does.

Already fearing repercussions, Iz drags Kansas away from a dockside murder. But she soon learns that there is far more at stake than just their own lives. They must get to the near-mythical world of Earth or risk the destruction of the human Commonwealth itself.

It doesn’t help that Moscow’s cat attaches itself to Kansas. Especially because the cat seems to have an agenda of its own…

West of Hell: Weird Western Horror Stories by James A. Moore:

Want to go on a Western Adventure?
Join three highly talented authors on a thrilling journey into the past that’s perfect for readers of Western thrillers, horror, mystery, fantasy, and of course the supernatural.

DEAD MEN by James A. Moore: And the Dead shall rise. Jonathan Crowley is having a problem with dead men. They just keep getting back on their feet. From the ghost dancers at a strange burial site to the corpse of a man he literally just killed, the dead refuse to lay down and die, and now it’s up to Crowley and his traveling companion Lucas Slate to try to figure out why the dead are restless and determined to kill whatever crosses their paths.

THE TRICKSTER OF PARADISE by R.B. Wood: Never trust a cave painting with an agenda.
In the old west, the people of Paradise live in harmony with the local Sioux tribe until the U. S. Army arrives with false accusations and their deeply rooted prejudices. While the strange newcomer known as “Mortimer” watches; a sixteen year old boy and an ancient legend must come together to fight the invaders, save the town and win the day. Can the desires of an ancient legend and the wishes of a young man survive the encounter with Death watching their every move?

LAST SUNSET OF A DYING AGE by Michael Burke: Ibuki Shibuya is a disgraced samurai, a fugitive from the vengeance of his former master. His flight leads him to the American Southwest where he discovers a mutilated body in the Arizona desert. He eventually finds himself in Copper City, a frontier town plagued by a series of grisly murders.
A motley cast of characters populate the town and Ibuki becomes embroiled in affairs both mundane and extraordinary as he resolves to assist the sheriff in solving the strange murders. Perhaps he will even meet the honorable end he seeks in doing so. All the while, a strange man, dressed in black, who knows more than he says, lurks outside of Copper City.
Events come to a head when the truth is laid bare. Ibuki, along with both friends and foes, learns that not all remnants of a dying age have given way to progress.

Crystal Lake’s Dark Tide series will continue soon with more tales of Mystery Thrillers and Horror Books, including themes of more Weird Western, Sherlock Holmes, Grief Horror, Body Horror, Halloween, Space Horror, Mystery fiction, and Psychological Thriller books.

The Cursebound Thief by Megan O’Russell

The world wants a hero. The curse needs a thief.

The party of the decade stands between Jerek Holden and saving the people he would do anything to protect. After twelve years, he’s finally found a way to break the curse that ripped all magic from the world and destroyed the peace that took generations to build. All he needs is one, simple artifact. But he can’t steal the heliostone alone.

A girl with a soul of fire.
A vampire bound by a vow.
A werewolf bent on revenge.
A knight torn between honor and duty.
A hacker to keep them all alive.

The fate of magic lies in their hands?if they can survive long enough to pull off the heist of the century.

The Purpose of Reality: Lunar by Steve Simpson:

Steve Simpson’s remarkable collection of poetry and illustrations is dream-like, playful and wildly inventive. Here is a selection of the beings within:

The detective, who carelessly morphs into birds and insects, and cannot choose between brooding and moping, until a stylish grayscale client with retrolescent highlights appears.

Proteus, Homo Sapiens Beta, who discovered fire and put it out, who created a rudimentary encyclopedia that he pedaled across Gondwanaland on weekends.

Millie, the intrepid librarian, unperturbed by the Dark Solarian or the fearsome kilowasp, who insists that her underlings pay for bibliotactical losses.

The adorable Deija Vitro, Martian Princess of Glass, whose fans line the streets waving Windex spray. Wollongong will never be the same, because her armies have razed it to the ground. “No one will miss it,” she reassured an infatuated follower.

The Purpose of Reality: Solar by Steve Simpson:

Steve Simpson’s mesmerizing collection of short fiction and illustrations is surreal and wildly imaginative, with touches of playfulness throughout. Here is a selection of the beings within:

At Claire’s school, the walls were cardboard, and her chain-smoking math teacher never allowed numbers to be mentioned. He used a drawing of a press to flatten slices of air into tissue paper for kites, and he was Claire’s favorite, because all the other teachers were ghosts. One day, with a little pasta and a little mambo, everything changed.

The negentropy wars didn’t end the world, there were survivors, and in Santarém, the gringo electrician needed medicine to save his daughter’s life. To get it, he had to cross the Amazon River, where the Negentropy Horizon divided Brazil. The locals believed you could look across the river and see directly into hell. The electrician wasn’t superstitious, but he decided netting was a good idea, to keep the insects off.

Aldona worked in the Damasco Auto scrapyard, and when the electromagnet on the crane burned out and dropped the blue Passat, no one saw the electric-winged shape that had been trapped by the magnet. After all, there was nothing to be concerned about: the alien space fleet had been driven away by the earth’s nuclear defenses.

Remnant Faction by Glynn Stewart:

It is the first and final duty of any warship to put herself between the innocent… and the enemy.

Henry Wong and Sylvia Todorovich have gathered the interstellar powers of the Ra Sector into a tentative alliance—an alliance that is tested by the return of the Sector’s former rulers: the Kenmiri Remnant.

The Sector’s only hope of withstanding a genocidal faction of the Kenmiri is the Twelfth Fleet of the United Planets Alliance. But when Wong’s scouting flotilla collides with the Kenmiri, he discovers they now have a weapon that could easily destroy Twelfth Fleet.

Wong and Todorovich are stranded on the wrong side of a world the Remnant have burned, and they only have one way to meet their allies before it’s too late.

If Henry Wong is to save his people and his allies, he must take his ship on a deadly run into the hostile star systems of the Kenmiri Remnant: the very species he doomed to a slow death.

The Gods Awoke by Marie Vibbert:

If the Gods were real, could you believe?

Hitra, high priestess of Revestre, already has enough on her hands: political upheaval, a distractingly attractive male servant, and an upcoming harvest festival. But when a column of flame from the heavens sends a city into tumult, it upends more than just her schedule. Now, Hitra must deal with a religious schism, ethnic strife…and a God growing out of control.

“An innovative slant on a fantastic religion, its worshippers and divinities!
~Mary A. Turzillo, Cosmic Cats and Bonsai”

“Even in a conflict on the scale of Gods, Vibbert masters the art of making small things matter.”
~Lorelei Esther, illustrator, The Kitra Saga

“Creative, quirky, fun, Vibbert delivers a wild new take on divine gods and their petty squabbles in The Gods Awoke!”
~Tobias S. Buckell, Crystal Rain

Bad Tidings from Queen Sophie by Danielle Williams:

As heard on the NoSleep Podcast

When her beloved kitty Queen Sophie starts acting odd, Cass turns to a mysterious app to bridge the communication gap.

But she soon discovers that no mews is good news…

BAD TIDINGS FROM QUEEN SOPHIE is a quick fright perfect for any animal lover who’s ever wondered what their pet is trying to tell them.

* * *

If you’re looking for scares that unnerve instead of nauseate, look no further. Horror stories from Danielle Williams lean towards slow-burn scares and the unsettling. If you take your creeps with a PG-13 sensibility—think THE SIXTH SENSE, THE OUTER LIMITS, or classic TWILIGHT ZONE—this is a story for you.

Stranger Shores by Katie Zaber:

Busy learning how to kill with her gift of life, Princess Megan craves time to practice how to heal, but knows that only death will win the upcoming war.

For the first time in Megan’s life, she has fallen in love, and with the wrong man, at that. As much as she loves Mana, will she have to end their relationship to keep her promise to the soon-to-be king of the Syreni, Prince Aenon?

Meanwhile, Kevin is busy preparing for his child with Dana and trying to keep Megan out of trouble. When Brynjar takes him to the Saoirson Fighters’ hideout, he realizes he knows nothing and if he wants answers, he’ll have to talk to people he never expected to meet and never wanted to.

On Earth, Carmia is learning what makes this foreign world spin. She discovers an island with inhabitants that appear primitive but are more sophisticated than anyone on Dalya. Their technology is more advanced than the inventions in her dreams. She flirts with the idea of staying on Earth forever until tragedy sends her sailing back to Dalya and into a deadly storm. She promises to return and never leave Earth again.

At the same time, the king of the Paradise Kingdom and secretly all of Dargone, Megan’s father, plans his next move against his daughter, giving her a surprise she will never expect.