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Indie Speculative Fiction of the Month for September 2021

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, adventure fantasy, YA fantasy, paranormal mystery, paranormal romance, fairy tales, space opera, military science fiction, planetary romance, post-apocalyptic fiction, cyberpunk, biopunk, LitRPG, cosmic horror, historical horror, psychological horror, vampires, dragons, demons, angels, fae, giants, space marines, aliens, fae princes, space mages, Martian invasions, Victorian zombies, crime-busting witches, crime-busting ghosts, amnesiac jailers, troubled insomniacs, Cthulhu 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:

Floaters by Gareth Boatman:

Fire and plague. Certainly no strangers to London Town. But when legions of living dead rise from the Thames’ fetid waters to feast upon the living, the city teeters on the brink of antihalation. And while floaters seek blood, another army takes advantage of the chaos. Boiling out of their rookeries of crime, marauders swarm through London’s affluent neighborhoods looting and burning.

Hooligans vs the Living Dead: A Victorian Zombie Adventure!

With the beleaguered police and the Queen’s army battling twin plagues—human and inhuman—London’s criminal youth gangs join forces to save their city. Will Tagget, leader of the Lambeth Lads, together with his enemies Bill Drummond of the Drury Lane Gang, bull-necked George Fish of the Elephant and Castle Gang, shillelagh-wielding Dirk Bogart of the New Cut Gang, Quincy Bird of City Road, along with their female counterparts—Lambeth Kate, Queen Jane, New Cut Beth, Razor Lil and Dirty Deidre—set out on an adventure the telling of which might earn a man a lifetime of free drinks. If he lives to tell it.

Will these violent gangs put aside their rivalries long enough to get the job done?

Proudly represented by Crystal Lake Publishing—Tales from the Darkest Depths.

Mind Over Magic by Lindsay Buroker:

As a bookish, introverted database programmer, Morgen Keller never thought she was a candidate for a midlife crisis. That was before her husband divorced her, her boss let her go, and her grandmother died. Forty wasn’t supposed to look like this.

When Morgen heads up to the small town of Bellrock, Washington, to settle the estate, she looks forward to taking a peaceful break from life and figuring out what she’s going to do next.

But peace isn’t to be had. The old farmhouse is full of witch paraphernalia, a fearsome werewolf has claimed the property, and contrary to what the family was told, Grandma didn’t die of natural causes.

Embroiled in a mystery, and heir to powers she knew nothing about, Morgen must turn to the only person who might be able to help: the werewolf who threatened to rip her throat out for trespassing.

This isn’t the fresh start on life that Morgen had in mind.

A Witch in Wolf Wood is perfect for fans of mystery, magic, slow-burn romance, and second chances.

Realmshaker by A.J. Epikos:

Rhonda is a noble giant, a huge savage beauty learning to become a ranger and a chieftess. But five centuries after a terrible war eliminated the noble giants’ civilization, Rhonda wakes up alone on a runic ritual site far from home. Her culture is plundered, erased, and nearly forgotten. Terrible beasts roam the land, and smaller beings are taking over. Stranger yet, there’s a mystical mechanism revealing to Rhonda her class, attributes, perks, star power, and more.

It’s the Star System!

And its master could be an eldritch thing covering the world, unknown to all except the giantess herself.

Follow Rhonda and her friends on an epic CONQUEST to collect star power, go berserk on their enemies, and make an impact no one can ignore. The noble giants’ civilization may have fallen, but it’s Rhonda’s birthright to shake the realm.

The Recruit by Rachel Ford:

How much is freedom really worth?

The world ended five years ago. Caleb Franks has lived in the shadows ever since, scraping together a meager existence on his homestead with his faithful friend, a Great Pyrenees named Elim.

Then the North American People’s Army shows up, promising a new way of life: ready food, security, community, and maybe even a family someday, if he proves himself worthy. All they ask in return is absolute loyalty.

Caleb will need to make a choice: security, or freedom. All that hangs in the balance is everything.

This is a post-apocalyptic novelette. It is a work of speculative fiction and though in no way graphic, may contain elements that some readers will find disturbing.

Simultaneous Times Vol. 2.5., edited by Jean-Paul Garnier:

From Space Cowboy Books in Joshua Tree, California: A free e-book companion to the Space Cowboy Books Presents: Simultaneous Times science fiction anthology podcast.

Featuring stories by: Cora Buhlert, Kim Martin, Brent A. Harris, Renan Bernardo, RedBlueBlackSilver, Robin Rose Graves, Douglas A. Blanc, Michael Butterworth & J. Jeff Jones – with illustrations by: Austin Hart, Dante Luiz, Chynna DeSimone, Douglas A. Blanc, & Zara Kand.

Once Bitten by Tina Glasneck:

He saved my life, only to steal it away with his dragon’s blood.

Midlife was supposed to be steady, where I’d find everything I needed and finally get it together.

Nope. Hollywood lied. Because here I was, again, trying to get my legs under me.

Literally.

I’d lost my job, fallen into the Atlantic, and woken up changed forever. Forever as in eternity forever because the blood my rescuer gave me to save my life had one itty bitty unforeseen consequence.

It made me a vampire.

I know, fang my life.

Now I’d need a miracle just to get through the day. And that miracle is Alistair, the handsome dragon shifter who saved my life and really shouldn’t exist. But he is very much a real man–and a real temptation.

And he’s offering me a fresh start that comes with a secret organization of supernaturals who live in the shadows.

Looks like I’m getting a chance to start over.

I just had to die to finally start living.

Ghostly Endeavour by Lily Harper Hart:

Harper Harlow is ready to move forward with her business, which just so happens to include taking ownership of the beleaguered Whisper Cove Cemetery. She and her partner Zander Pritchett have big plans … until the day they close on the property and discover a body on one of the well-worn pathways.

Cassie Clifton is recently divorced, a devoted runner, and an individual with a lot of secrets. She was estranged from her parents before her death and apparently desperate to get out of town. Why, though? Harper is determined to figure answers, no matter how hard she has to dig.

Harper’s husband Jared Monroe is on the case but the proximity of death to his new wife has him spinning. It was supposed to be a fun business endeavor, a way for Harper to continue running her cemetery tours without oversight. It’s turned into so much more.

Harper and Jared join together, and when they uncover ties between Cassie and one of their closest friends, they’re thrown for a loop. Have they embedded themselves with a killer?

It’s a race to the finish to find Cassie’s murderer and bolster Harper’s new business in the process. It’s going to take everything they have – every member of their motley crew of friends working together – to cross the finish line safely.

Death is stalking Whisper Cove again. Will they all survive to see another day?

Phantom Masquerade by A.L. Hawke:

And here is where I fall.

Mina Daaé dreams of performing on Broadway. Like her great ancestor, Christine Daaé, who sang at the prestigious Palais Garnier a hundred years before, Mina has the voice of an angel. But after graduating from Conservatoire de Paris, fortune fails her. Until the circus comes to town.

Mina’s close friend Toni Vollini offers her a role in his new Broadway play mixing Mozart with clowns. Known as The Harlequin, the musical is an inimitable adaptation of the opera Don Giovanni. Toni says Mina will soar, but with pathologic acrophobia, she’s afraid she’ll fall. And the ghost in her head says she will.

Toni and a ghost vie for her love, but Mina thinks her ghost is just another hallucination. Or is her ghost a phantom of the opera?

Phantom Masquerade is a contemporary adaptation of Gaston Leroux’s Phantom of the Opera integrating romance and the paranormal.

Cthulhu Wants You by Rhys Hughes:

A collection of short stories inspired by the Cthulhu Mythos of H.P. Lovecraft. These stories are not parodies or pastiches but darkly ironic fantasies that connect with the Mythos at a tangent. Open-minded devotees of Lovecraft may find amusement in the offbeat ideas, paradoxical plots, whimsical language and strange originality of these tales. But whether you know what you want or not, be assured of one thing: Cthulhu wants you!

 

 

A Dance with the Fae Prince by Elisa Kova:

She knew her hand in marriage would be sold. She had no idea a fae prince was the buyer.

Katria swore she’d never fall in love. She’s seen what “love” means through the cruelty of her family. So when she’s married off to the mysterious Lord Fenwood for a handsome price, all Katria wants is a better life than the one she’s leaving. Feelings are off the table.

But her new husband makes not falling in love difficult.

As their attraction begins to grow, so too do the oddities within her new life: strange rules, screams in the night, and attacks by fae that Katria never thought were real. When she witnesses a ritual not meant for human eyes, Katria finds herself spirited away to the land of Midscape.

Surviving the fae wilds as a human is hard enough. Katria must survive as a human who accidently pilfered the magic of ancient kings – magic a bloodthirsty king is ready to kill her for in order to keep his stolen throne – and her new husband is the rightful heir in hiding.

The power to save the fae is in her hands. But who will save her from a love she vowed never to feel?

A Crone to Pick by Amanda M. Lee:

Scout Randall knows what she is, more than a witch, more powerful than she ever thought imaginable. She’s only hit the tip of the iceberg on what she can do. Now she has to grapple with another problem.

When her former partner Evan was believed dead in a vampire attack, she blamed herself, mourned, and tried to move on. Now he’s back, and he’s more than anybody ever imagined, too. Unfortunately, nobody can find him.

When news reaches Scout that there’s been a potential vampire attack in neighboring Hemlock Cove, she packs her bags and hits the parnormal tourist destination with her boyfriend Gunner as backup. She’s not prepared for what she finds, including a gaggle of witches who like to cause trouble wherever they go.

Evan is there, lurking in the shadows and struggling with an identity he didn’t ask for, but death is stalking the town from multiple directions. Murder, mayhem, and monsters are afoot and Scout is determined to get to the bottom of it all … even if her life is in danger in the process.

The baddest motorcycle gang in the Midwest is about to meet the Winchester witches. The world will never be the same.

Blood and Jade by Ken Lizzi:

When an ancient sorcerer pursues an enchanted blade at any cost, only one man stands in his way.

Archaeologists uncovering a lost Mayan city unearth a magic artifact. An earthquake disturbs the operations of neighboring narcotraffickers. An ancient sorcerer and his mercenary henchmen arrive to claim the artifact.

When these three factions converge, Karl Thorson, ex-Special Forces, is thrust into action.

Dexicos Megistos, a nigh immortal sorcerer, wants to retrieve a mystical jade dagger. Alejandra Matamoros-Lopez wants to smuggle narcotics through the tunnels beneath the ruins, avoiding the notice of rival cartels. Professor May Chen wants to see if any sparks remain from her relationship with the head of the archaeological dig.

Karl Thorson just wants to do his job, and maybe have a cold beer.

Can he safeguard the archaeologists, especially the lovely Professor May Chen? Can he defeat a murderous band of narcotraffickers? And can he deprive the sorcerer Dexicos Megistos of the jade dagger?

The Black Parade Boxed Set by Kyoko M.:

Praised by Publishers Weekly as “slickly paced” and “overflowing with witty banter,” The Black Parade (Book One), She Who Fights Monsters (Book Two), and The Holy Dark (Book Three) tell the tale of Seer Jordan Amador, her snarky partner and paramour Michael, and a siege of ghosts and murderous demons out to cause Hell on Earth.

The Black Parade (Book #1):
Jordan Amador. 21. New Yorker. Waitress. Mild alcoholic. Murderer.

Two years ago, Jordan accidentally shot and killed a Seer: a person who can see, hear, and talk to ghosts with unfinished business. Her crime came with a hefty price, too. She has two years to help a hundred souls cross over to the afterlife or her soul is bound for hell. Tough break.

As if that weren’t bad enough, two days before her deadline a handsome pain-in-the-ass poltergeist named Michael strolls into her life. His soul is the key to her salvation, but the cost just might be more than she can handle. Solving his death puts her right in the crosshairs of Belial: a vain, bloodthirsty archdemon who won’t rest until she’s his slave. Can she rescue Michael and save her own soul, or will they both be dragged down into the clutches of the eternal black parade?

She Who Fights Monsters (Book #2):
The dynamic supernatural duo of Seer Jordan Amador and her husband the archangel Michael is back in the sequel to the bestselling urban fantasy novel, The Black Parade, trying to solve a deadly case. Someone is methodically hunting down and murdering Seers one by one. After six months with no leads on the killer, Jordan and Michael are forced to work with their worst enemy—the archdemon Belial: a self-professed Prince of Hell who is dead set on stealing Jordan for himself. However, with the archdemon’s help, they pick up on the trail of the serial killer and plan to stop him no matter what the cost.

When the shocking truth behind the murderer’s identity is revealed, Jordan begins asking herself if she is still fighting for the good guys or has she become one of the monsters she is desperately trying to stop?

The Holy Dark (Book #3):
Sarcastic demon-slayer extraordinaire Jordan Amador has been locked in a year-long struggle to hunt down the thirty silver coins paid to Judas Iscariot. The mere touch of these coins is enough to kill any angel.

Jordan’s demonic opposition grows more desperate with each coin found, so they call on the ultimate reinforcement: Moloch, the Archdemon of War. Moloch puts out a contract on Jordan as well as her estranged husband, the Archangel Michael. Now Jordan and Michael will have to find a way to work together to survive against impossible odds and stop Moloch’s plan, or else he’ll wage a war that will wipe out the human race.

Flight to Bern Village by Jason Osiar:

While a war rages in space, a revolutionary group of humans, shapeshifters, and telepaths gather to prove their races can live together in peace. They believe in peace enough to erase their memories and begin a primitive city on a secluded planet, Vastus.

Generations later, conflicts on Vastus force people to flee their city. Meanwhile, a few Peace Bringers arrive on a broken-down space station to observe the inhabitants on Vastus. What they see is anything but encouraging, and they must deal with problems of their own. Vastus Station is falling apart, and the relationships between the occupants are equally precarious.

The Awakening by Dusk Peterson:

Barrett Boyd has awakened from death to a new and baffling life. He knows that he is a guard in the queendom’s royal prison, the Eternal Dungeon. But why do the prisoners matters so much to him? Who are these other guards who appear to have claims over him? And how will he survive while he finds his new place in this world?

As Barrett seeks to make sense of his surroundings, he must contend with a would-be love-mate, a grumbling rebel, deadly enemies, and the challenge of how to wield his expanded skills.

This suspenseful novel can be read on its own or as the first volume of Dungeon Guards, an alternate history series about nineteenth-century prison workers who seek love and companionship as they fight together against danger.

Dungeon Guards is part of Turn-of-the-Century Toughs, a cycle of alternate history series about disreputable men on the margins of society, and the men and women who love them. Set in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, as well as in a future that never existed, the novels and stories take place in an alternative version of America that was settled by inhabitants of the Old World in ancient times.

Now the Midcoast nations of this world have reached a turning point: the old order is about to be overthrown. Brought together in friendship and romance by the danger of rising events, the people of the Midcoast nations must learn to adjust to a new world.

Honored six times in the Rainbow Awards for LGBTA literature, Turn-of-the-Century Toughs presents an epic tale of adventure, friendship, romance, and class struggles.

Black As Night by Anthea Sharp:

One princess. Two realms. And a reckless choice that could destroy kingdoms…

Rose Valrois has escaped the sorcerous red priests and returned to the castle beside the enchanted Darkwood, but her troubles are far from over. Her stepsister, Princess Neeve, is more secretive than ever, and as war threatens, Rose’s mother pushes her toward a political alliance, even as her heart is torn between a heroic prince and the Dark Elf guardian of the forest.

But when Neeve makes a terrible choice, the fate of two kingdoms hangs in the balance. Rose must risk her freedom, her world, and even her heart to save her sister. Can she bear to make that sacrifice? Does she even have the choice?

Mage Commander by Glynn Stewart:

Some soldiers are the shields of innocent souls
Others are the fanatics of their cause
And for them…no war is ever truly over!

Tempered on the anvil of the war against the secessionist UnArcana Worlds and tested against the evil of Project Orpheus, Mage-Commander Roslyn Chambers has risen through the ranks of the Royal Martian Navy to serve as second-in-command of one of their most prestigious battlecruisers, Duke of Magnificence.

A desperate call for help sends Roslyn and her new ship deep into the frontiers of Protectorate space, where they discover that hold-outs of the UnArcana Worlds’ fleets have returned to plunder innocent ships across the Fringe.

To protect the innocent and serve her Queen, Roslyn Chambers must rise to the task before her. She must learn to command—both herself and a warship of the Mage-Queen of Mars!

Murder at Magic Lake by Sandra Ulbrich Almazan

After losing her job, twenty-nine-year-old Abigail Ritter isn’t looking forward to returning to her hometown of Magic Lake, Wisconsin, for her grandmother’s birthday party. All she has to offer her family is her own special fruit juice and tea blend. But when Grandma suffers a fatal accident in her apartment building, The Grand, Abigail’s cousin Brian is blamed. Abigail will have to step up and investigate with the help of her best friend Sam, an intriguing detective, and a magical stuffed fox named Sherlock. Abigail’s got a plan for the Grand and its shuttered restaurant, but will she solve the case or drown in a sea of suspects?

Armagarden by Bryon Vaughn:

Getting away from NeuralTech was the easy part.

Staying out of the far-reaching sight of Brenna and the Garden is another matter. It doesn’t help that the Department of Defense is still hunting Jenny Mercado and her man Leo like dogs, and now there is a new mysterious force that threatens to destroy everyone they hold dear.

The very concept of escape is quaint in this brave new world of surveillance, and when their world is brutally shattered, Jenny and Leo must decide whether to keep running, or to find the courage to punch back.

ARMAGARDEN is the thrilling conclusion to the NeuralTech Rising trilogy, and will have readers pondering the nature of memory, and of reality, long after they have read the last page.

Martian Invasion by James David Victor:

The stakes are escalating and no place in the galaxy seems to be safe, but Earth still has the Breaker Marine on their side.

Holly Cropper and her squad of Marines are finally being recognized for their accomplishments, but not even an awards ceremony is safe. When they are attacked by more of the very robots they just defeated, the entire planet of Mars might become collateral damage. Can Holly and her team track down and destroy all these robots or will they destroy everything on the red planet?

Martian Invasion is the third book in the Star Breaker series. If you like fast-paced space adventures with interesting characters who battle aliens, evil corporations, and space pirates, Holly Cropper and her team of Marines are ready to share their epic adventure with you.

Evolving Crane by Dave Welch:

An alien massacre brings the multiverse to war…

When Agent Lawson moves to London, Crane (her known felon boyfriend) is left to raise their child alone.

But as matters send him over the edge, Crane is abducted by aliens.

Now, trillions of galaxies away, the battle rages on, steering death across the stars. Uncanny events occur when Crane is molecularly augmented and shoved into this cosmic war.

Chrystine’s Sleep Solution by Danielle Williams:

It’s been over a year since insomniac Chrystine Brown got a full night’s rest. So she’s astounded—and relieved—when her new sleep music app puts her in a sound slumber and keeps her there.

But the app’s soothing interface conceals a horrifying secret.

A secret that’s become a part of her.

A secret she may never escape…

* * *

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 The Twilight Zone—this is a story for you.

Indie Crime Fiction of the Month for September 2021

Welcome to the latest edition of “Indie Crime Fiction of the Month”.

So what is “Indie Crime Fiction of the Month”? It’s a round-up of crime fiction by indie 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.

Our new releases cover the broad spectrum of crime fiction. We have hardboiled mysteries, cozy mysteries, historical mysteries, Jazz Age mysteries, WWII mysteries, traditional mysteries, paranormal mysteries, crime thrillers, spy thrillers, psychological thrillers, revenge thrillers, action thrillers, adventure thrillers, historical thrillers, police officers, private investigators, amateur sleuths, FBI agents, ex-CIA agents, spies, reformed thieves, con artists, assassins, organised crime, serial killers, missing persons, stalkers, influencers, real estate fraud, murderous circuses, crime-busting witches, crime-busting socialites, crime-busting journalists, crime-busting ghosts, murder and mayhem in London, New Orleans, Denver, Florida, Wisconsin, Malta, Syria, India and much more.

Don’t forget that Indie Crime Fiction of the Month is also crossposted to the Indie Crime Scene, a group blog which features new release spotlights, guest posts, interviews and link round-ups regarding all things crime 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:

Impact by Mark David Abbott:

An honest man in a dishonest world.

Detective Inspector Rajiv Sampath still believes he can make a difference.

Fifteen years ago when he joined the Indian Police Service as a fresh recruit, he was full of big ideas and pure ideals about how he could make the world a better place by upholding the law.

Now, after years of working in a world that seems to reward dishonesty and self-interest, he could be forgiven for turning a blind eye.

But he won’t give up.

Follow Inspector Sampath as he does whatever it takes to make sure justice is served… even if sometimes he has to skirt the boundaries of the law.

Followers by Christina Bergling:

You never know who is on the other side of the screen.

Sidney, a single mother with a dull day job, has big dreams of becoming a full-time horror reviewer and risqué gore model. Between managing a cellphone store, honoring her soccer mom duties, and wrangling her hostile ex-husband, it seems building her following and interacting with her fans is the only authentic outlet she has—and the validation it gives her is proving to be a little addictive. She’ll overlook her responsibilities for it. She’ll neglect her real-life friendships for it. She’ll even pose nude in bathtubs of blood for it.

If her growing pool of online followers is any indication, her efforts are working, and things are looking good for her Elvira-esque aspirations. Her website is gaining traction, and every day it seems more and more people are sliding into her DMs to chat with her and tell her how amazing she is. In fact, Sidney has so many followers that chatting with them is getting to be a job in itself. More than a job, it might even be getting a little risky….

When Sidney travels to the mountains to attend a horror film festival, she is flattered to find that one of her followers has come to meet her. But he might not be the only one who has gone out of his way to get up close and personal with her. When Sidney is attacked on the way back to her hotel late one night, she learns that real-life horror is not a game, and being stalked isn’t flattering—it’s terrifying, and it could get her killed.

Believing the incident to be a fluke, Sidney decides to forget the attack and focus on her life again. Only this might not be so easy. Because Sidney—and her loved ones—are in serious danger. This stalker isn’t just your average stalker. He knows her every movement, and he knows each step of her routine. In fact, he’s right behind her…and when he gets close enough, he won’t take no for an answer.

Followers is a mystery and thriller with a strong female protagonist that blends women’s fiction with horror.

Proudly represented by Crystal Lake Publishing—Tales from the Darkest Depths.

Viper’s Nest of Lies by Daniella Bernett:

Twice dead… A living nightmare

The discovery of a blood-encrusted stiletto knife in journalist Emmeline Kirby’s bag at Heathrow Airport sets in motion a chain of events that ensnares everyone she holds dear. The body of Sebastian Jardine is soon found in the boot of Superintendent Oliver Burnell’s car, leading to accusations that he and Emmeline conspired to commit murder. Desperate to clear their names, she turns to Philip Acheson of the Foreign Office for help. But when two Special Branch officers arrive to arrest him, he is forced to go on the run.

Gregory Longdon, Emmeline’s husband and a jewel thief/insurance investigator with ties to the criminal classes and MI5, is the only man Philip can trust. Gregory is on his own quest to prove her innocence in a game that makes no sense. Jardine was no stranger. His old friend was a former Interpol agent, who soured on the law and succumbed to his baser instincts. The real problem is Jardine died five years earlier. A fancy pink diamond with a murky provenance that men are willing to kill to possess holds the key to the truth. From London to Malta, Emmeline and Gregory are drawn into a web of corruption and revenge. Will they forfeit their lives for justice?

A Lesson in Murder by Verity Bright:

When Lady Swift is invited to her old school, she walks through familiar classrooms, finds her favourite books in the library… and surely that’s not a body? Time for a lesson in murder!

Autumn, 1921. Lady Eleanor Swift is invited to her old school, St Mary’s, as a guest speaker. Her favourite teacher, Mrs Wadsworth, has asked that Eleanor talk about her intrepid travels around the globe – travelling the Silk Road by bicycle, crossing the Himalayas and even befriending the Maharaja of India. But in the circumstances, perhaps it would have been a good idea to talk about her career as a daring detective…

Because no sooner has Eleanor brushed up on her times tables then she is greeted by terrible news: Mrs Wadsworth has been murdered. Eleanor is utterly devastated but she owes it to her dearest teacher to find out who killed her and why. So, alongside Gladstone the bulldog, it’s best paw forward to track down a villain.

But when the art teacher is also found dead, Eleanor is sure someone is trying to do away with the people who taught her everything. As Eleanor delves into possible motives, she discovers a clue in the most unlikely place: her mother’s old school diary. Does the route to the murderer lie within a secret passageway her mother uncovered? Can Eleanor nail the culprit in time or is the killer coming for her next?

Something Wicked by Beth Byers:

Smith is a man who knows when to say no. He avoids the cases where he’ll never get paid. The cases for which no resolution is possible. And, most of all, the heart-rending cases. The ones that start with the tear-filled eyes of a mother, a sister, or a friend. The ones that haunt a man. The ones that push him to his limits. He says no before he gets pulled in, and he doesn’t look back.

His wife, Beatrice, however, does not. And thus begins the adventure that will push their love to the limits and cause them to risk everything that matters. And this time, they don’t have their friends to help them along the way.

Florida Sinking by David Crosby:

Water, water everywhere–

Deadlier than you’d think!

In Will Harper’s latest hardboiled, action-packed adventure, Floridian families are shocked–and occasionally killed–when their brand-new houses start falling into the earth. The culprit? Lethal sinkholes worsened by climate change. But government officials and one particularly greedy developer keep turning a blind eye.

And as the homeowners suddenly realize their sinkhole-ridden land is worthless, they’re sometimes driven to homicidal behavior…

Will, a semi-retired investigative reporter turned amateur sleuth, is too big-hearted not to get involved. While researching a hard-hitting expose on climate change and the quality of water in Florida, he discovers the deceitful real estate developer is constructing an entire development on top of a massive sinkhole. Whole neighborhoods could slide into the muck!

The developer will stop at nothing to conceal his intricate fraud, but luckily, Will comes equipped with his ever-sharp prose, his commitment to Florida social issues, his beloved trawler, The Wanderlust, and a little help from his friends.

Still, the shoddy real estate cartel’s a behemoth— fortunately for the reader, it won’t be easy!

Beyond Sacrifice by Alicia Dill:

Concepcion Chapa, an Army veteran, FBI special agent, and the orphaned daughter of two CIA agents, has lived a life of sacrifice for her country. When she learns that her parents may not be dead, just undercover, she allows herself to be recruited as a killer-for-hire for the CIA. Faking her death and undergoing surgery to change her looks, Concepcion leaves everything behind-her friends, family, and country. Under the identity of Sofia Paltrini, she travels the globe doing the dirty work of the US government. But in a world of subterfuge and hidden motives, no one is quite who they seem. Concepcion is left not knowing who to trust and wondering if there’s a way to live a life for herself that’s beyond sacrifice.

Eye for an Eye by Rachel Ford:

First mistake: they kidnapped his niece and nephew.
Second mistake: they didn’t kill him when they had the chance.
Now, they’re going to rue the day they were born.

Former Army intelligence analyst Owen Day is on vacation in Random Lake, Wisconsin with his niece and nephew. It was supposed to be a quiet getaway.

But sometimes the best place to hide is in plain sight. When Owen crosses paths with a band of dangerous fugitives posing as tourists, his family becomes a target.

When they take his niece hostage in a desperate endgame, there’s only one way to ensure her safety: find the fugitives, and eliminate them. Down to the last man.

Ghostly Endeavour by Lily Harper Hart:

Harper Harlow is ready to move forward with her business, which just so happens to include taking ownership of the beleaguered Whisper Cove Cemetery. She and her partner Zander Pritchett have big plans … until the day they close on the property and discover a body on one of the well-worn pathways.

Cassie Clifton is recently divorced, a devoted runner, and an individual with a lot of secrets. She was estranged from her parents before her death and apparently desperate to get out of town. Why, though? Harper is determined to figure answers, no matter how hard she has to dig.

Harper’s husband Jared Monroe is on the case but the proximity of death to his new wife has him spinning. It was supposed to be a fun business endeavor, a way for Harper to continue running her cemetery tours without oversight. It’s turned into so much more.

Harper and Jared join together, and when they uncover ties between Cassie and one of their closest friends, they’re thrown for a loop. Have they embedded themselves with a killer?

It’s a race to the finish to find Cassie’s murderer and bolster Harper’s new business in the process. It’s going to take everything they have – every member of their motley crew of friends working together – to cross the finish line safely.

Death is stalking Whisper Cove again. Will they all survive to see another day?

A Crone to Pick by Amanda M. Lee:

Scout Randall knows what she is, more than a witch, more powerful than she ever thought imaginable. She’s only hit the tip of the iceberg on what she can do. Now she has to grapple with another problem.

When her former partner Evan was believed dead in a vampire attack, she blamed herself, mourned, and tried to move on. Now he’s back, and he’s more than anybody ever imagined, too. Unfortunately, nobody can find him.

When news reaches Scout that there’s been a potential vampire attack in neighboring Hemlock Cove, she packs her bags and hits the parnormal tourist destination with her boyfriend Gunner as backup. She’s not prepared for what she finds, including a gaggle of witches who like to cause trouble wherever they go.

Evan is there, lurking in the shadows and struggling with an identity he didn’t ask for, but death is stalking the town from multiple directions. Murder, mayhem, and monsters are afoot and Scout is determined to get to the bottom of it all … even if her life is in danger in the process.

The baddest motorcycle gang in the Midwest is about to meet the Winchester witches. The world will never be the same.

Hard Hitting and Misleading by Amanda M. Lee:

Avery Shaw is back from her honeymoon and on the prowl for a story. She wants to prove that marriage hasn’t softened her – nothing ever could – and the way she’s going to do that is by rocking the news world with something monumental.

Then a body drops in her neighborhood, only blocks away from her house, and the hunt is on.

The victim is divorced, having an affair with a married co-worker, and generally unlikable. Avery has multiple places to look for a suspect … and then another woman dies only a block away from Avery’s house and the entire dynamic of the story changes.

Avery’s new husband Eliot is worried, enough so that he taps Sheriff Jake Farrell to help. Avery’s anger with Jake hasn’t diminished but now they’re working as a group to track down a deadly killer.

Avery doesn’t want help but she needs it, because someone is watching her house and, more importantly, her. Eliot is beside himself and begins upgrading their security system but it doesn’t feel like enough.

Avery is supposed to cover the news, not become part of it. This time the headline that’s coming for her includes the word “victim,” however, and she’s having none of it.

She’s a strong, capable woman, and if she has to take down a serial killer, she’s going to do it … as long as she’s not taken down first.

Her team is large and in charge and it’s going to take all of them working together. Even then, they may not be strong enough to stem the tide of death washing over Macomb County.

It’s time. Avery is ready for war.

Ricochet by Ty Patterson:

Cutter Grogan came to Syria to search for a missing woman.
He found old enemies who greeted him with violence

A missing woman in the Middle East isn’t the assignment Cutter would take on, but when an old client makes the request, he can’t refuse.

Samira Latif’s disappearance is shrouded in darkness. His client doesn’t have much information for him. The missing woman’s connection to one of the most powerful people in the US remains unexplained.

On arriving in Syria, he finds everything he was told was a lie. His old enemies haven’t forgotten him and have laid out a welcome.

Was he set up from the start?

The Girl in the Woods by A.J. Rivers:

I’m all alone now… But I just have to make it there.
I need to keep going… Keep…

A beautiful woman’s body is found frozen on the ground.
And many questions that no one can answer arises.

When Emma Griffin joined the FBI, she had hopes that she could find out the truth about her own past. But over time she realized that it was more than just herself. She wanted to be a voice for the victims. To bring justice for those that are no longer with us. To rid this world of evil doers, hunt down those who destroyed lives, and be the voice for the voiceless.

But what happens when she’s asked to help someone who not only inflicted unbearable pain to her life, but to the lives of many?

After Emma’s wedding is disrupted by a phone call from a voice from the past that starts her on a new chase, she’s forced to face one of the most difficult decisions of her career.

Would you exonerate a killer in the search for truth and justice?

Only Emma can put the clues together.
Could she clear the name of the man she loathes, or will all clues lead back to him?

Truth has consequences.
And the big bad is back and this honeymoon is coming to an end…

Deliver Us From Darkness by L.T. Ryan:

An unexpected clue in his son’s disappearance leads Mitch Tanner to Denver. But there are forces at work who will stop at nothing to send Tanner – and his son – home in a body bag.

When Tanner’s search for his son leads him to Denver, Colorado, an old friend is ready to help out. But things go sideways when Bridget Dinapoli is assigned a similar case. Nothing is as it seems as Tanner and Bridget race to stop a suspect. But when the trail goes cold, they find themselves being pulled into something much more sinister. It will take everything they have to save Tanner’s son, and themselves.

The Seer by Eva Shaw:

It’s February 1942. War grips the world. Asian hate runs rampant, and New Orleans is a dangerous place for Chinese-English scientist Thomas Ling as he collides with self-proclaimed psychic Beatrix Patterson. She’s a good liar with an excellent memory, which in truth is her only gift—well, that and conning the well-heeled out of their money and secrets.

Hired by the US Army to use her connections to expose Nazi saboteurs and sympathizers, Beatrix recruits the reluctant Thomas. Together, they pit their skills against a government conspiracy, terrorist cells, kidnappings, and murderous plots. As Beatrix grapples with the truth of her own past, she must come to terms with her ruse. Exposing the Nazi war machine about to invade the country could cost Beatrix everything she’s worked so hard to build. But the information she and Thomas uncover could change the outcome of the war.

The question remains: will anyone believe a liar and a suspected traitor?

Murder on Mallowan Court by Lee Strauss:

Murder’s afoot!

As Mrs. Ginger Reed~also known as Lady Gold~waits impatiently for the coming of her baby, new neighbours move onto Mallowan Court. The Foote family is very much like Ginger’s own, if not the mirror opposite: Mr. and Mrs. Foote an unhappy couple; Mr. Rothwell an aging, irate patriarch; Miss Charlotte, whom Scout finds to be a tantalizing, if confusing specimen of young ladyhood; along with a similar collection of staff.

The sudden passing of a Foote family member is determined to be unsuspicious, but something about this strange family doesn’t sit right with Ginger.

When the doctor banishes Ginger to her bed to await the coming birth, she has to depend on the information brought to her by her good friend and former sister-in-law, Felicia.

Can the two ladies solve the crime before the baby comes?

Murder at Magic Lake by Sandra Ulbrich Almazan

After losing her job, twenty-nine-year-old Abigail Ritter isn’t looking forward to returning to her hometown of Magic Lake, Wisconsin, for her grandmother’s birthday party. All she has to offer her family is her own special fruit juice and tea blend. But when Grandma suffers a fatal accident in her apartment building, The Grand, Abigail’s cousin Brian is blamed. Abigail will have to step up and investigate with the help of her best friend Sam, an intriguing detective, and a magical stuffed fox named Sherlock. Abigail’s got a plan for the Grand and its shuttered restaurant, but will she solve the case or drown in a sea of suspects?

Pineapple Circus by Amy Vasant:

Now in the center ring… murder!

Newly-minted private detective Charlotte Morgan, resident orphan of the Pineapple Port 55+ community, discovers she might not be an orphan after all. Stunned by the news, she distracts herself with a cat burglar who left a smear of make-upped whiskers on a sliding glass door, and a path straight to “Clown Town” a retirement community for retired circus performers. When a fortune-teller doesn’t see her own death in the cards, Charlotte’s burglary becomes a murder investigation!

Charlotte’s neighborhood moms, Mariska and Darla, can’t help with this one. They’re busy infiltrating an underground golf cart racing ring, led by a shady operator and her toady sidekick…

When another circus performer falls victim to the Big Top Killer and Stephanie goes missing, Charlotte finds herself walking a highwire of danger…this killer isn’t clowning around!

Cora Goes to the Virtual 2021 Octocon

Octocon is the Irish national science fiction convention, which normally takes place every October in Dublin, Republic of Ireland. However, as you may have noticed, 2021 is not a normal year and therefore Octocon is virtual this year. Which means that I can attend.

The virtual 2021 Octocon takes place from October 1 to 3. Registration is free, though donations are encouraged.

The full program is here and I encourage you to check it out, because there is a lot of great content.

You can find me on the following panels:

Saturday, October 2, 11:00 Irish Summer Time (UST+1): Around the World in 80 Pictures

Sakuya (moderator), Cora Buhlert, Ann Gry, Christopher Hwang

Whether you call them bandes dessinées, historietas, fumetti, manga or comics, stories told by pictures in a sequence have a long history and a global appeal. Regional traditions can influence each other through publishing styles and cultural ideas, and in this panel we’ll take a sightseeing tour through the shared history of comics.

Saturday, October 2, 15:00 Irish Summer Time (UST+1): The Fantasy Genre Before Lord of the Rings

Elaine McIonyn (moderator), Cora Buhlert, Jack Fennell, Dr Helen Conrad-O’Briain

Tolkien popularised fantasy set in a fully realised secondary world with no direct link to our own. Yet there were authors working before The Lord of the Rings came to rule the demesne, including E.R. Eddison, Robert E. Howard and our own Lord Dunsany, whose books go in strange directions separate from those of Tolkien and his imitators. Join our panellists as they explore the work of these early fantasy writers.

Sunday, October 3, 15:00 Irish Summer Time (UST+1): Uncovering the Hidden Treasures of the Past

Ian Moore (moderator), Deirdre Thornton, Cora Buhlert, Michael Carroll, Cheryl Morgan

Science fiction as a genre looks to the future, but authors of the past can still have a lot to say to us even though their work may have fallen out of print and become a distant memory. Why have some writers and works been consigned to the vaults of history while others have remained on the shelves, and what would our panel most like to see restored from the archives?

So what are you waiting for? Register and join us at Octocon. It’s going to be a lot of fun.

Foundation is “Preparing to Live” and deviates from the books a lot

I’m still not sure, if this will be an ongoing series of episode by episode reviews, but I did watch the second episode of Foundation on this shit show of an election night. Reviews of previous episodes (well, just one so far) as well as two actual Foundation stories may be found here BTW.

But before we get to Foundation, I wanted to let you know that I’m over at Galactic Journey again today for a joint article in appreciation of Cele Goldsmith Lalli, editor of Amazing Stories and Fantastic from 1958 to 1965 and editor of Modern Bride for a long time thereafter.

My colleague John Boston, Galactic Journey‘s resident Amazing reviewer, focusses on Cele Goldsmith Lalli’s career at Ziff-Davis Magazines in general and how she turned around the fortunes of that old warhorse Amazing and its younger cousin Fantastic. My half of the article focusses specifically on Cele Goldsmith Lalli’s role in bringing about the sword and sorcery revival of the 1960s, because she published sword and sorcery in Fantastic, when no one else would. Cele Goldsmith Lalli also rescued Fritz Leiber’s Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser from oblivion, introduced John Jakes’ Brak the Barbarian and Roger Zelazny’s (Zelazny was one of several authors Cele Goldsmith Lalli discovered) Dilvish the Damned and even published one of Michael Moorcock’s Elric stories.

So in short, Cele Goldsmith Lalli was a highly influential editor and one who should be better remembered.

And now on to the second episode of Foundation, which has nothing whatsoever to do with the books, largely because it covers a period of time that the book skips over, namely the long journey of those who will eventually become the Foundation to Terminus. In the book, the story only starts up again 35 years after the Foundation settles on Terminus and skips the trip there as well as the early pioneer years.

Since episode 2 covers ground that the book doesn’t, writers Josh Friedman and David S. Goyer have a lot of liberty regarding what to do. Mostly, they use this liberty wisely – except for one baffling and utterly infuriating decision near the end of the episode.

Warning. Spoilers beyond the cut!

The episode follows two different narrative strands. One is the journey of the Foundation members to Terminus, the other the investigation who is behind the terrorist attack on Trantor’s space elevator in the last episode.

On Trantor, the Imperial Triumvirate and their aide Demerzel are still trying to figure out who is behind the terrorist attack on the space elevator, which left 100 million people dead. And so the episode opens with Demerzel overseeing the torture of a woman who runs an illegal biohacking lab and implanted the bombs into the terrorists. However, the clues don’t lead anywhere.

The most likely suspects are the delegations from the rim kingdoms of Anacreon and Thesbis, since the terrorists sang a hunting song and said a prayer in their respective languages. However, in endless interrogations, the heads of the delegations keep claiming that they’re innocent and know nothing.

Brother Day doesn’t believe them. Brother Dusk does, but also knows that they will be executed for the crime anyway, because a culprit is needed and who cares if it’s the right one. Young Brother Dawn just finds the whole thing deeply disturbing.

There’s also a subplot that Brother Dusk finds his health declining. He heads to the destroyed sections of Trantor and goes to see a priest of the religious fanatics of Synnax, who of course survived the attack. Brother Dusk wants to know if the priest can foresee the future and if Gaal Dornick can, but gets no satisfying answers.

While Brother Dusk goes to see the priest, parts of the unstable ruins collapse. Brother Dusk is unhurt, but Demerzel is hit in the shoulder by a fragment, which leads to repair scene which reveals that she is a robot. We also learn that the Emperors know what Demerzel is as well as a bit about the “robot wars”, which ended with the humans destroying all robots not named Demerzel a.k.a. Daneel.

Unless it turns out that the robots were innocently persecuted, this moment is a bit eye-rolly, because a robot uprising is not possible in Asimov’s universe due to a little thing known as the Three Laws of Robotics.

If I hadn’t read the books, I would assume that the most likely culprit for the terrorist attack (because the fall guys from Anacreon and Thesbis clearly didn’t do it) is Demerzel herself, probably to get revenge for the robot wars. At any rate, all signs point at her. Though I really hope they won’t go that route, because it would completely undermine Daneel’s character.

Meanwhile, Brother Day decides to channel his inner Ronan the Accuser (who is of course Lee Pace’s other great space opera role) and mete out Imperial justice on Anacreon and Thesbis who are deemed responsible for the attack, even though they most likely are not. And so he stages a public execution for the edification of the public on the site where the stalk of the space elevator hit Trantor.

First, Brother Day has both Thesbis and Anacreon bombed in retaliation for the terrorist attacks and forces the delegates to watch a holographic projection of the bombings. Because bombing random planets is absolutely the way to go when you want to prevent your Galactic Empire from falling apart. Never mind that Anacreon and Thesbis are still needed for future installments, so don’t bomb them too much. Also, I wonder what impact the bombing of Anacreon and Thesbis will have on future developments. Is the reason that Anacreon and Thesbis no longer have Imperial technology (cause I’m pretty sure they won’t go with nuclear power in the series, cause that bit was outdated even by the time I first read the books in the late 1980s post-Chernobyl) by the time of “The Encyclopedists” and “The Mayors” that they had the shit bombed out of them?

After the bombings, Brother Day has all members of the two delegations except for the two leaders hanged in the ruins of Trantor. The twitching bodies of the sworn enemies hanged side by side certainly makes for a great spectacle, however, the whole thing feels off. Because whenever someone is threatened with execution in Foundation or any other Asimov science fiction story, the execution method is either the gas chamber, as in “The Wedge”, or lethal injection, a fate that Hari Seldon himself and Dors Venabili narrowly escape, when the violate the taboos of some religious fanatics in Prelude to Foundation. This pattern is very notable. In Asimov’s work, executions – when mentioned – are always by gas chamber or lethal injection. I suspect it’s because Asimov was a chemist and probably felt those were the best methods to kill people.

But of course, gas chambers or lethal injection are not nearly as photogenic as people kicked from some kind of concrete platform and twitching and kicking at the end of a rope, while the citizens of Trantor applaud. As deviations go, it’s also fairly minor.

Brother Dawn is not a fan of public executions, so Demerzel assures him that being Emperor won’t require making such decisions all the time, that most of the time there are no public executions. “How often do we have to do this?” a disturbed Brother Dawn asks. “You do this every single time”, Demerzel replies, which sure sounds ominous.

The 9/11 parallels in the Trantor scene are very notable, from the shots of the ruined city to Brother Dusk declaring that he can smell and taste the ashes of the dead – something that residents of Lower Manhattan reported after 9/11. And of course there are the retaliatory attacks on two random planets/countries, which are not actually responsible, but look guilty enough.

9/11 parallels have become a lot less common compared to the early 2000s, when every science fiction show on the air had to have one. The new Battlestar Galactica and Star Trek Enterprise are probably the worst culprits. Is a blatant 9/11 analogue appropriate for Foundation? Well, Isaac Asimov was a near lifelong New Yorker, though he was actually born Petrovichi, then Soviet Union, and emigrated to the US with his family at the age of 3.  Had Asimov lived longer (he died in 1992 of AIDS, having contracted HIV from a blood transfusion in 1983), he might well have experienced the September 11, 2001 attacks. He would have been 81 then and he would certainly have had opinions. So I don’t think that Asimov would have objected to the 9/11 parallels in the show, even though they’re not in the book for obvious reasons.

In general, the Trantor scenes are interesting and visually impressive, though they have next to nothing to do with the books. We already know that Lee Pace is good at playing Galactic tyrants and his Brother Day is a step up from Ronan the Accuser, because Pace manages to find the balance between his harsh public persona and the private persona which shows tenderness towards Brother Dusk and particularly young Brother Dawn, who are the only real family he has. Laura Birn will never be my idea of Daneel, but her take on Demerzel is quietly sinister.

The whole clone dynasty plot still feels as if it wandered in from a completely different book. But the idea of a perpetual dynasty of white male rulers who are all the same person and manage to reproduce without any women at all is a very golden age science fiction thing. I suspect John W. Campbell would have approved as would teenaged Isaac Asimov who wrote outraged letters to the science fiction magazine of the 1930s that he wanted no women in his SF, thank you very much. Adult Asimov was quite embarrassed by those letters.

The other plot strand follows the colonists who will one day become the Foundation on their multi-year (because the Empire wouldn’t give them a jump ship) trip to Terminus. In the books, the original settlers of Terminus are a bunch of nerds who want to assemble the greatest encyclopaedia of all time. In true 1940s style, no attention is paid to how those nerds will keep warm, where the power comes from, who’ll cook their meals and wash their clothes and how they’ll survive on an inhospitable planet.

The series attempts to remedy that and shows us the laundry workers of the Foundation, the guards of the Foundation (who barely know where to aim their rifles), the reproduction medtechs of the Foundation and the miners of the Foundation. In general, this is a good thing. That said, the fact that many, if not most of the people aboard that ship are not nerdy encyclopedists but regularly folks makes Hari Seldon seem even more like a sinister cult leader leading his followers to the promised land of Jonestown Terminus.  Now the fact that the Foundation does come across like a fanatic cult is something that even comes across in the original stories, as I noted in my review of “The Wedge”. It’s even more apparent in the series, especially since according to calculations, more than thirty percent of the colonists will die within a few years. “Well, at least the percentage is dropping”, Hari Seldon exclaims with inappropriate cheer.

Because the colonists have a lot of time on the ship, they occupy themselves by using the holodeck to train for all sorts of work someone will have to do while on Terminus. And so we are treated to a simulation where a group of nerds cosplaying as miners are attacked by a monster called “Bishop’s claw” and all die. That scene is probably supposed to inject some action into the otherwise quite talky shipboard scene, but it also made me grit my teeth, because there are no aliens in Foundation and in Asimov’s science fiction in general. And while the Bishop’s Claw is just a random monster and not intelligent, it still doesn’t fit here, because unlike the Star Wars universe, Foundation is not set in a universe where every random cave is inhabited by a monster. Nor do I think Asimov would have approved since he was not a fan of the bug-eyed monsters of early science fiction.

When the colonists are not playing simulations or sitting in meetings about the encyclopaedia (nice moment where Gaal points out that the worlds of the Empire can’t even decide on a unified number system), they do what a lot of humans cooped up on a cramped spaceships over long period of time do – they fall in love, have relationships and have sex.

The latter is a problem – no, not because John W. Campbell’s editorial assistant Kay Tarrant is lurking somewhere in the background, eager to exercise any hint of impropriety from the stories published in Astounding/Analog – but because a baby boom on a spaceship with limited resources is not a good idea. Never mind that the radiation of deep space may harm fetuses. And so the reproductive medtechs of the Foundation extract eggs and embryos from female members of the Foundation to freeze them for later use. This seems like a sensible policy, until one of Gaal’s friends manages to get pregnant from a one-night stand and decides that she wants to have the baby now, because who knows if she’ll survive Terminus. Gaal tries to talk her out of it and apparently succeeds, because the next time we see the young woman in question, she’s drinking wine, hinting that she is no longer pregnant.

Meanwhile – to the surprise of no one except Hari Seldon who can be mightily blind for someone who can calculate the future – Gaal Dornick and Seldon’s adopted son Raych end up in a relationship. There are two sex scenes, which will satisfy the folks who want Foundation to be more like Game of Thrones* and which will make Kay Tarrant rotate in her grave. Gaal and Raych also talk of building a cabin together and having kids, once they reach Terminus.

This sounds so nice and idyllic that something has to go wrong and so of course, something does.  Because Hari Seldon, it turns out, is not at all happy about the relationship between Raych and Gaal. It’s not quite sure why, because he’s clearly fond of both Raych and Gaal. Gaal suggests that Hari might be jealous and indeed, that’s a possibility, because some of the looks Hari gives Gaal are not very paternal. Not to mention that Hari watching her swim (and Gaal swims a lot in the ship’s swimming pool) is kind of creepy. Honestly, I’d hoped that we would leabe Asimov’s occasionally dirty old man moments to the books, especially since this one never even happened in the books?

Raych, meanwhile, claims that Seldon doesn’t like relationships in general, because he believes they distract people from what is important, namely the plan. Now there are Asimov characters who really do view relationships as an unnecessary distraction – Susan Calvin is the most notable example and my teenaged self loved her for it.

However, Hari Seldon is never portrayed as anti-relationship anywhere in the books. Book Hari marries Dors Venabili and adopts Raych. And book Raych is married as well and has a daughter called Wanda. Hari Seldon is very fond of his granddaughter. In the books, Hari Seldon clearly has no problem with people, including people close to him, having relationships.

TV Hari, however, is not at all pleased that Raych and Gaal are in a relationship and so he behaves like a jerk and publicly recounts the story of how he caught young Raych trying to steal books to support his alcoholic father, which clearly embarrasses Raych.

Raych is understandably pissed off, but nothing about the exchange seems like more than a regular parent-child argument. And indeed, Raych ensures Gaal that they have this same argument every two years or so.

However, the next time Gaal goes swimming and counting prime numbers in the ship’s pool (which for some reason is always empty when she’s in there), she has a premonition that something awful is going to happen. And come to think of it, Gaal also claimed that something was wrong with the space elevator moments before it exploded. So is Gaal a precog? Psionics do exist in the Foundation universe (well, the stories were published in John W. Campbell’s Astounding, so of course psionics are a thing), though only as telepathy. They also don’t show up until book 2, when they do so in an explosive fashion.

At any rate, a spooked Gaal clambers out of the pool and races to Hari Seldon’s quarters, where she finds Hari bleeding out on the floor with a stab wound in his chest, while Raych is standing over him with a knife in his hand. And yes, the knife is Raych’s – since we see him with it in the first episode.

So Raych Seldon has just murdered his adoptive father because of what’s essentially an argument over a girl. I’m sorry, but what the fuck…? This not only doesn’t happen in the books, it also makes zero sense. Though at least I now know which scene so infuriated Rob Bricken of io9 that he wanted to tear his TV to pieces. And yes, I sympathise.

For starters, Hari and Raych are fond of each other. They are fond of each other in the books and in the TV show, until Hari randomly decides to be a jerk because of reasons. And yes, Hari Seldon never reaches Terminus. The books imply that he died of old age and indeed, book Hari is a lot older – in his 80s or even 90s – than TV Hari, who is played by 60-year-old Jared Harris. And while it’s possible that book Hari did get murdered after all, he certainly wasn’t killed by Raych, since Raych is dead at that point. Also, if Hari gets murdered by the end of episode 2, will he have enough time to record all of those holographic pronouncements which will enliven the rest of the series?

Once Gaal stumbles upon Raych standing over the body of his father, a bloody knife in his hand, Raych grabs her and drags her to the nearest escape pod (amazingly, no one even tries to stop them, even though they’re on a packed colony ship), shoves her in, puts her in suspended animation and shoots her out into an asteroid field, because of reasons. Honestly, the only explanation for Raych’s behaviour is that he had a sudden psychotic break.

From a narrative POV, I can see why they would put Gaal in suspended animation, so they can keep the character around longer than she would normally be. As for killing off Hari, murder at the hand of his adoptive son makes for a more dramatic cliffhanger than dying in bed of old age. But it still doesn’t fit the spirit of the books at all. The Foundation people are nerdy encyclopedists, not killers. Not to mention that the Foundation has just lost the only two people capable of understanding and interpreting the Seldon plan. Luckily, all the real work is done by the Second Foundation back on Trantor.

It seems to me as if the producers are scared of making Foundation the way it should be made, as a series of largely self-contained stories with a completely different cast each episode or two and Hari Seldon and maybe the Emperors Three as the only continuing characters. Personally, I think that people would watch that – after all, people are happily watching anthology shows like Black Mirror, Love, Death + Robots, Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams and all of those American Something or Other Story shows. Because audiences in general are smarter than Hollywood producers give them credit for. And the fact that the Foundation series has been read and enjoyed by countless people who had zero issues with its episodic structure shows that audiences have no problem with this format. Just as they have no problem accepting that Foundation is not an action packed story. It does have cliffhangers – several in fact – but they’re usually a character saying “Now I have the solution” or the memorable “Stars in heaven, now I know” and not bloody murders.

Of course, there currently is a flurry of comments on Twitter by people who not only bounced hard off Foundation, when they tried to read it, but who also seem to be personally offended by the existence of the books and their continuing popularity, which they view as an attempt to exclude them personally from the genre for not liking Foundation.

Now I have no problem with people not liking Foundation. There are plenty of beloved books I don’t care for. I also have no problem with people whose gateway into the genre was not Foundation or another SF classic such as Heinlein’s juveniles, but something completely different. There are as many gateways into the genre as there are fans and all of them are valid.

However, what annoys me is the standard narrative of a budding female fan who is urged to read Foundation by a male relative, bounces hard off the books, because they are so sterile, male, white and sexist and decides that science fiction is not for her. Until she chances to read Ursula K. Le Guin (or maybe Octavia Butler, but mostly Le Guin) and realises that science fiction does not have to be stale and male and sterile. Therefore, Foundation is bad and the only people who like it are old white man.

Now I was a budding female fan, when I found Asimov and Foundation during a long stopover at Athens airport in the late 1980s. No one handed the books to me – my parents didn’t read SF – I found them on my own, because it was the only science fiction novel in the spinner rack at the airport bookstore. Nor was Foundation the first SF book I read. I’d read Star Wars novelisations and Anne McCaffrey before and of course, I’d loved plenty of media science fiction. However, Foundation literally blew my mind. It blew my mind so much that I forgot the stuffy airport with the broken air conditioning system or the fact that I had a shitty aisle seat on the plane, next to some woman who kept drinking hard alcohol and just behind the curtain that separated business class an economy, a curtain that the flight attendant would always sweep into my face, while passing. Because the book was just so good. It was so good that I ran out and bought everything by Asimov I could get my hands on except for his non-fiction and the Black Widowers mysteries.

The fact that there were so few women in Foundation didn’t bother me, probably because I read Prelude to Foundation first, which does have female characters. The whiteness did not register, because Asimov hardly ever describes his characters anyway and I never viewed all of them as white. The fact that the characters are cardboard didn’t bother me either, though in retrospect a lot of what I thought I remembered about the characters only existed in my head, so my imagination supplied what Asimov did not. And the sterility, i.e. the relative unimportance of romantic relationships and yes, sex, was actually a plus, because sixteen-year-old Cora was not particularly interested in reading about romance and not at all interested in reading about sex.

As I said above, everybody’s gateway into the genre is different. And while Foundation wasn’t the gateway for me – that honour belongs to Star Wars, Star Trek, Raumpatrouille Orion and the Captain Future anime – the books were very important to me once. And yes, I accept that many people don’t like them, but please don’t dismiss my experience as someone to whom those books once meant a lot.

After discovering Foundation, I read a lot of SF, mostly classics from the 1940s and 1950s, which were still readily available in print at the time. And yes, I also discovered Ursula K. Le Guin (The Word for World is Forest was the first one I read) and enjoyed her work. But it doesn’t hold the same importance for me that Asimov’s work does.

Back to episode 2 of Foundation, Camestros Felapton also reviewed the episode and seems to enjoy it. Though I agree with him that while Foundation the show is entertaining enough, it’s not quite must-see TV nor compelling drama. And at least the second episode is also not the Foundation that blew my mind more than thirty years ago.

I will watch and probably review the next episode, but the final judgment is still out.

 

 

*The constant comparisons between Foundation and Game of Thrones are something I really don’t get, because both series have nothing in common apart from being both part of the large SFF genre. However, no one would think to compare NCIS and Grey’s Anatomy, even though they’re both set in the contemporary US, because both shows are completely different animals which do different things and appeal to different audiences. So why must Foundation or indeed any other new SFF show inevitably be the next Game of Thrones? Why can’t it just be its own thing?

Foundation enjoys “The Emperor’s Peace” and turns out better than expected

Before we get to the meat of the post, I’d like to point you to my latest article over at Galactic Journey, where I review the first episode of the classic West German science fiction TV series Raumpatrouille Orion, which debuted in September 1966, only nine days after Star Trek. I will be reviewing the remaining episodes of Raumpatrouille Orion as well, so stay tuned.

Getting to do episode by episode reviews of Orion, while pretending to be a viewer in 1966 who’s never seen the show before, is something something I’ve been looking forward a long time now.

By contrast, the adaptation of Isaac Asimov’s classic Foundation series was something I was less looking forward to than dreading. Now you have to know that Asimov’s work in general and Foundation in particular were very, very important to me as a budding teenaged science fiction fan. They blew my mind and were my favourite books at the time. So a bad adaptation of Foundation would hurt me in a way that e.g. the shitty Earthsea adaption of the 2000s or the terrible Sci-Fi Channel Dune miniseries didn’t.

And I had good reason to fear that Foundation would be terrible, because Asimov adaptations have traditionally always been terrible and Foundation is probably the most difficult of his works to adapt. If you want to adapt Asimov, an Elijah Bailey/R. Daneel Olivaw police procedural would be the way to go (and in fact I’m surprised that no one ever made one) or maybe Powell, Donovan and Calvin: Robot Trouble Shooters, starring David Tennant as Mike Donovan, Adrian Lester as Gregory Powell and Cate Blanchett as Susan Calvin. Hey, I can dream, can I?

But Foundation? Yes, my 16-year-old self would have killed for a Foundation TV show and indeed she is the reason I watched and reviewed it, because she would not forgive me. But my 48-year-old self says, “Ahem, better leave that one alone and film something that’s easier to adapt and also more suited to modern sensibilities.” Because Foundation is less a novel or several, but a series of interconnected short stories from the 1940s, which span a period of 500 years and have no continuing characters except for Hari Seldon’s wisdom dispensing hologram (and Daneel, if you want to include him). Worse, the characters that make up the cast of the individual stories are rather underdeveloped and not particularly memorable. Also, the first five stories, which make up the first book, are a little dull, heavy on the talking and low on action. All the really exciting stuff, which will leave you at the edge of your seat with your jaw dropping open, happens in books 2 and 3. So in short, Foundation is extremely difficult to adapt, probably impossible, if you take Hollywood’s insistence that their audiences are stupid into account.

But no one wants my opinion and so, after decades of trying, Apple has finally adapted Foundation series for its streaming service. This was another reason for caution, because though Apple’s streaming service throws a whole lot of money at “prestige” shows, hardly anybody really seems to watch those or care – except for that one weird sitcom starring the “Shame, Shame” woman from Game of Thrones and a guy in a track suit, which has won every Emmy in existence this year. As for their other shows, the most popular one seems to be For All Mankind, a US-aggrandizing space race alternate history which I have zero interest in. There’s also a post-apocalyptic show starring Jason Momoa as a badass blind fighter which sounds great in theory, but which no one seems to watch in practice, and something called The Morning Show which starrs Jennifer Aniston and is advertised all over the place. Those ads make me actively angry, because apparently advertisers believe that just because I’m a woman, I will be interested in a workplace show starring Jennifer Aniston. Advertise Foundation to me or the Jason Momoa show or even For All Mankind, cause I might actually watch those. I will never watch a workplace show starring Jennifer Aniston.

Early reviews for Foundation were also not exactly encouraging either. Leaving aside the nonsense ones from mainstream reviewers who neither like nor get SF and probably should be watching that Jennifer Aniston show, the reviews by critics who actually like SF were mixed. Those who have not read the books generally seemed to like it. Those who have read the books were a lot more divided. Some seemed to like it, some say it’s not as terrible as they had feared and some disliked it such as Steve Davidson of Amazing Stories and Rob Bricken of io9, whose review probably has my favourite headline of them all: “They Said Foundation Couldn’t Be Filmed and It Still Hasn’t Been.”

I expected to find myself agreeing with Steve Davidson or Rob Bricken, who disliked it, but instead I found myself in agreement with Camestros Felapton and Ben Lindbergh of The Ringer, who was positively surprised that Foundation was not as terrible as he had feared.

However, “not as terrible as I feared” does not necessarily mean “good”. So let’s see how “The Emperor’s Peace”, the first episode of Foundation, holds up.

Warning: Spoilers beyond this point!

“The Emperor’s Peace” follows the plot of “The Psychohistorians”, the first story in the first Foundation book, which was specifically written as an introduction for the publication of the book version in 1951. Now “The Psychohistorians” is short, only thirty pages in the 1983 Panther Books paperback edition that I have. It follows Gaal Dornick, a math prodigy from the backwater planet of Synnax, who arrives in the Imperial capital of Trantor to work with star mathematician and creator of the science of psychohistory Hari Seldon. Gaal wanders around Trantor a bit to take in the sights, meets a random traveller named Jerril who turns out to be a spy and winds up getting embroiled in the conflict between Seldon and the authorities of the Galactic Empire, who find his gloom and doom predictions disruptive. When Gaal Dornick refuses to refute Seldon’s theories, Seldon and Dornick are put on trial for sedition and exiled to the planet Terminus at the furthest edge of the empire, something that Seldon reveals he had planned all along.

All this actually happens in the first episode of Foundation, which is a good sign. And yes, Jerril the Imperial spy (played by League of Gentlemen‘s Reese Shearsmith) is also in the original story, as is Gaal’s lawyer Lors Avakim, now gender-swapped and portrayed by German-Iranian actress (German viewers will remember her from Der letzte Bulle and lots of other TV appearances). Nor is Proschat Madani the only German castmember. , who plays the prosecutor at Hari Seldon’s and Gaal Dornick’s trial, is also German. Those two actors had me bothered, because I knew I recognised them from somewhere, but didn’t know from where and never even thought to consider German TV. The end credits also reveal that parts of Foundation were filmed in Germany (the Imperial library and the bit where Gaal and Jerril walk in the garden) and that the show was supported by German film grants. Now I think that German film grants should support German and EU productions (and try being a German filmmaker who wants to make an SF show with a fraction of Foundation‘s budget) and not Hollywood productions. On the other hand, at least this once a German film grant (and therefore my taxes) has supported the production of something I actually watch.

However, because “The Psychohistorians” is so very short and also not particularly thrilling, the writers filled up the rest of the one hour and ten minute long episode (at least ten minutes too long IMO) with all sorts of the stuff that is not in the story. Some of this works, some of it doesn’t.

In “The Psychohistorians”, Gaal Dornick is a cypher. We learn literally nothing about them except that they are a math prodicy from the planet Synnax and that they use he/him pronouns. In the TV show, Gaal Dornick is a young woman of colour, played by British actress Lou Llobell. I fully support this (and most of the other) gender swaps, because a) Gaal Dornick’s gender had zero impact on their role in the story, and b) there are exactly two female characters in the first Foundation book, both minor and both appearing only in the last story in the book, “The Big and the Little” a.k.a. “The Merchant Princes”. However, an all-male universe may have been acceptable in Astounding in the 1940s (and it was eye-rolly even back then), but not in the 21st century, so some characters are now female. As for people complaining that Foundation‘s universe is racially and culturally diverse, shut the fuck up. In the Galactic Empire novel The Currents of Space, set a few thousand years before Foundation, Asimov explicitly writes that the majority of the inhabitants of the Galactic Empire are mixed race and various shades of brown. Extremely light-skinned or extremely dark-skinned people are the exception. Oh yes, and Asimov wrote this in 1952, so honestly, just shut up.

Gaal’s homeplanet Synnax is now not just a backwater, but a waterlogged world ruled by religious fundamentalists who hate science and technology and tend to execute scientists and mathematicians as heretics. As backstories go, this one is really cliched and Gaal’s anxiety about her homeworld, her religion, etc… also takes up way too much screentime, but I’ll accept it, if only because I know that the “evil religious fundamentalists persecute scientists” plotline would have had John W. Campbell wetting his pants in joy.

The episode spends a lot of time following Gaal around first Synnax, then aboard a jump ship, then onto the spaceport/space elevator of Trantor and finally around Trantor. Occasionally, the show succumbs to 2001 syndrome and is a little too in love with its visuals and lingers longer than is strictly necessary. However, the visuals are absolutely gorgeous, so I’ll happily forgive them. Gaal’s homeworld of Synnax looks like the sort of obscure rim world from the Star Wars universe, where the Mandalorian and Baby Grogu might put in a pitstop. The spaceships look pleasantly reminiscent of Chris Foss, whose artwork adorned the covers of the Panther editions in which I first read those stories. The design of the Imperial capital of Trantor, meanwhile, goes for a gorgeous totalitarian Art Deco look, i.e. the variant of Art Deco favoured by early 20th century dictatorships, complete with murals, giant statues of the Emperor, etc… Considering that the Foundation stories originate in the 1940s, i.e. during the heyday of totalitarian Art Deco, this seems oddly appropriate.

That said, though my 16-year-old-self dreamed of getting to see Trantor (preferably, I would have moved there right away), my 48-year-old self was not nearly as thrilled to see Trantor, gorgeous as it is, than I would have thought. But then, I and everybody else of my generation already had our “Oh my God, it’s Trantor and it looks even more amazing than I thought” moment, when we got our first glimpse of Coruscant (which is Trantor by another name) in the Star Wars prequels in the late 1990s. By comparison, the real Trantor looks gorgeous (though I no longer want to move there, just visit), but the novelty is gone.

Jared Harris does not really match my mental image of Hari Seldon, but turns out to be perfect in the role, probably because “Professor who delivery infodumps and makes them sound interesting” is a role that Harris is really good at, also see Chernobyl. And indeed, he gets to give a fine primer of psychohistory, what it can and cannot do, during his trial. Harris also projects the exact right mixture of weariness, earnest concern and arrogance. This Hari Seldon is one hologram you’ll believe when he shows up to dispense cryptic advice.

One change from the books is that Seldon’s adopted son Raych, who dies in Forward the Foundation, is still alive in the series. However, since this Raych (played by British actor Alfred Enoch) is extremely handsome – a fact that is not lost on Gaal either – I have zero issues with this. No Dors Venabili, unfortunately, but then she might be a bit difficult to explain.

The most baffling change from the books is the role of the Galactic Emperor Cleon. Now the Galactic Emperor plays as much of a role in the first Foundation book as the US-president plays in a random episode of NCIS or Law and Order: SVU, namely none. Emperor Cleon is purely background detail and never even appears on stage. One of his successors does – in “The Dead Hand” a.k.a. “The General” – but that does not happen until the second book.

So what does Foundation do? It not only give the Galactic Emperor a big role, but also hires not one but three actors (Terrence Mann, Lee Pace and Cooper Carter) to play him.  Because in the TV version of Foundation, Cleon isn’t just one person who will eventually be succeeded by his son or daughter, but a triumvirate of clones of different ages named Brother Dusk (an elderly man played by Terrance Mann), Brother Day (a man in the prime of his life played by Lee Pace) and Brother Dawn (a child played by Cooper Carter). Apparently, the original Cleon cloned himself several centuries ago and Cleon clones have been ruling the Empire ever since. When Brother Dawn grows up, he will eventually become Brother Day and then Brother Dusk. None of this ever happens in the book. If anything, it seems to be borrowed from Ann Leckie’s Imperial Radch trilogy with its multi-bodied Emperor. Not that I wouldn’t love to see an Imperial Radch TV series, but the clone Emperors simply don’t fit into the Foundation universe IMO. I suspect when you’ve got Lee Pace, currently the go-to actor for ever so slightly unhinged galactic tyrants, you want to use him as much as possible. And since the emperors are all clones, Pace can simply reappear in future episodes set decades or even centuries down the timeline. However, Pace could also simply reappear as his own grandson. Members of aristocratic dynasties often resemble their ancestors – see the Habsburgs and their very notable facial characteristics, which were likely due to inbreeding.

The episode also spends almost as much time on the antics of the three Imperial clones as on the adventures of Hari Seldon and Gaal Dornick, even though IMO we don’t need to see the Emperors at all. And what do the Imperial Three do? Well, Brother Day shoots an uppity painter and sprays blood all over a spectacular mural, they eat roast peacock together, impart some lessons in governance to Brother Dawn and then receive two delegations from the rim worlds of Anacreon and Thesbis (those who’ve read the books will recognise the names as two of the future four kingdoms) to resolve a conflict. For reasons best known to themselves, the people of Anacreon dress up as tree trunks, while everybod from Thesbis looks like an extra from a Janelle Monaé video.

The whole Anacreon and Thesbis subplot is not in the book – the four kingdoms don’t appear until the second story. I suspect the reason they included it is to introduce the four kingdoms as a location and to hint at the fact that the Empire is already falling apart at this point in its history. Also, terrorists from Anacreon and Thesbis provide the episodes sole action sequence, namely a spectacular terrorist attack on Trantor’s spaceport/space elevator, which leaves the space elevator destroyed and millions dead. Now Trantor does not have a space elevator in the books – space elevators not yet being a thing in the 1940s and 1950s. But honestly, that’s one change I don’t mind at all, because it looks cool and also provides an impressive mass destruction sequence. I suspect it will also resonate with US audiences less than three weeks after the US remembered the twentieth anniversary of September 11, 2001.

The chief aide/adviser of the Emperors Three is Demerzel, played by Finnish actress Laura Birn. Now Demerzel is actually in the books, namely in the 1980s/1990s prequels Prelude to Foundation and Forward the Foundation, billed as Eto Demerzel. Like Gaal Dornick and Salvor Hardin for that matter, Eto Demerzel is male in the books and female in the show. Unlike Gaal and Salvor, however, this is one gender-swap that I do mind. Because you see, the character known as Eto Demerzel in the Foundation prequels is massively important in the Asimov universe. Because Eto Demerzel is one of the many aliases of R. Daneel Olivaw, robot extraordinaire and self-appointed guardian of humanity. Daneel gets a lot more description – and yes, personality – than Gaal Dornick or Salvor Hardin ever do. And while Laura Birch looks suitably robotic, I have serious issues with R. Daneel Olivaw being portrayed by a woman. Gender-swap the bloody Emperors Three before you gender-swap Daneel.

The terrorist attack spooks the Emperors Three and Daneel and they wonder whether there isn’t something to Hari Seldon’s dire predictions of the impending collapse of the Empire after all (Daneel, being Daneel, already is convinced anyway). And so they decide to exile Seldon and most of his followers (except for those who will be left behind to form the Second Foundation) to Terminus, a planet on the far edge of the Empire, which of course was Seldon’s plan all along. Terminus is where the prime Foundation will compile the Encyclopaedia Galactica, be a haven to preserve technology, science and learning and eventually become the nucleus of the new Empire.

One last baffling decision on the part of the producers is to open and close “The Emperor’s Peace” with a scene set on Terminus (played, as usual for forsaken backwater planets, by Iceland) in approx. 35 Foundation Era, where a bunch of kids try to get as close as they can to the Time Vault, where Hari Seldon will put in his first holographic appearance soon, before they are repealed by its forcefield. One of the kids gets too close and collapses and is rescued by a young black woman who introduces herself as Salvor Hardin (played by none-binary British actor Leah Harvey). Readers of the book will of course recognise the name, though this Salvor is quite different from their book counterpart. For starters, Salvor Hardin is male in the books, though as with Gaal Dornick, there really is no reason why Salvor couldn’t be a black woman or a black non-binary person instead. Salvor Hardin in the books is also Mayor of Terminus (and therefore the defacto ruler of the Foundation). This Salvor is someone who patrols the perimeter of Terminus City with a landspeeder and a rifle and who also happens to be the only person who can approach the Time Vault.

There is no real reason for the Terminus sequences to be in the first episode at all. Yes, Foundation tends to jump around in time, but this is an unnecessary time jump. I suspect the idea is to introduce Terminus, the Time Vault and Salvor to the audience, but again this is not necessary at this point. Save Salvor and the Time Vault for when they’re needed.

There’s also a voice over narration, spoken by a female voice, which namechecks a lot of locations and characters that will become important later on – Salvor Hardin, Hober Mallow (I hope he will get to remain male, because I want to see him engaging in nude sunbathing and cigar smoking with male friends), The Mule (Peter Dinklage, please, cause he would be absolutely perfect), Star’s End. I’m not sure who the narrator is, though I suspect it’s either Bayta or Arkady Darrell. As for the purpose of that voice-over, I suspect the idea is to reassure viewers, “Yes, we’ve read the books and we get them. Please bear with us.”

The basic premise of Foundation – the Galactic Empire will collapse, ushering in a Dark Age lasting 30000 years, unless we follow Hari Seldon’s plan, which will shorten that Dark Age to a mere 1000 years – is still one of our genre’s broadest and most mind-blowing canvasses. Asimov borrowed the idea – and several of the plots from The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon, a favourite source of story ideas among early and mid 20th century SFF writers. Of course, we now know that the idea of the Middle Ages as “the Dark Ages” is faulty and based on Enlightenment era prejudices. However, it still makes for a compelling narrative.

Foundation‘s take on the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire is viewed through the lens of WWII and Cold War anxieties about the role of the US in the world, something which became a lot more notable to me, when I reread the first four stories for the Retro Hugos recently. Also – and this must be said – psychohistory (which is actually portrayed as a branch of the social sciences in the books, whereas it’s a math discipline in the series) is complete and utter nonsense. It does not work, never did and never will. It’s pure fiction.

But nonsense or not, Foundation‘s core narrative of the decline and eventually destruction of a once mighty civilisation and the small group of enlightened people who fight to stave off the dark ages is still incredibly powerful, especially when read at the right age. It’s a story that speaks to smart teenagers who are beginning to see that there is so much wrong with the world that could be fixed, only that no one listens to them, and who fear that things will get worse instead of better, because the signs of decay and decline are there, if you look for them. There is a reason that the series has influenced countless people, people as disparate as Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Steve Jobs, Paul Krugman and Osama Bin Laden, though they all took different lessons from it, some of them very harmful indeed.

The WWII and Cold War anxieties that influenced Asimov no longer apply nor does the late 1980s lens through which I interpreted those stories. But the great thing about Foundation is that you can apply the basic story of impending doom and collapse, unless the smart chosen ones do something about it, to any age.

Two of the main concerns of our age are climate change and the covid pandemic, both of which also have an “enlightened scientists versus reactionary politicians who just won’t listen” conflict baked in. So it’s kind of obvious that Foundation will be viewed through those lenses by younger viewers who are only encountering the story now for the first time. That said, I hoped that the show would let viewers draw their own parallels and conclusions and not turn Foundation into an obvious covid and/or climate change analogue, even though that’s very seductive.

Luckily, they did not do a covid analogue, probably because the series was already in production, when the pandemic hit. And indeed, it would be unsuitable, because the complete and utter failure of all the mathetical models to predict the pandemic (usually involving horror scenarios with countless people dead and ill) only shows that no, psychohistory doesn’t work, not even on a very limited scale.

However, there is a shoehorned in line where Gaal says something that the superstitious people on her planet refused to listen to the scientists who said that there sea levels were rising which is actively painful. Because while Foundation can be interpreted as a climate change parable. it doesn’t really work, because the main message of Foundation is “Science, technology and math can solve everything.” Or, as Hari Seldon says to Raych, “Everything is going to be all right. We’ll find a solution.” This is a hopeful message, but it’s not the message peddled by groups like Fridays for Future (who staged a giant “climate strike” on the day the first episode dropped) or Extinction Rebellion, who are highly technophobic and see regression and not technological progress as the solution to climate change.

Fridays for Future or Extinction Rebellion did not exist in the 1980s, when I first read Foundation. Nonetheless, I recognise their message, because the technophobic and regressive environmentalism was just as virulent in the 1980s as today, even if the main concerns (acid rain, forest die-back, the ozone hole, nuclear disasters) were different. Then as now, this strain of environmentalism was particularly strong in schools and universities and among the Green Party. Being a rather argumentative teenager, who talked back and asked questions, as well as someone whose father worked in the environmental industry and who therefore knew a thing or two, I often got into arguments and fights with those people. I also was bullied for defending my Dad and the waste disposal company he worked for at the time. I don’t want to go into details, except that these experiences left me with a high appreciation for the engineers and scientist who actually work to solve environmental issues and an intense dislike for the Green Party and groups like Greenpeace who have no solutions, only proclamations of doom and admonitions to change our wicked ways. And when my teen self first read Foundation, I immediately identified the technophobic and regressive strain of environmentalism as a threat and potential source of decline.

So you can see why I was angry at Gaal’s line about rising sea levels, because while Foundation could be viewed as a climate change parable, Hari Seldon would not be protesting with Fridays for Future or Extinction Rebellion nor would he vote Green. Instead, he’s hang out at events like the renewable energy meet-up I attended two weeks ago, where the people who are actually looking for solutions and implementing them are. And believe me, you don’t see stereotypical eco-activists there nor does anybody there vote Green. Instead, it’s farmers, engineers, craftsmen and small business owners who largely vote conservative.

To get back to Foundation, I was pleasantly surprised that the first episode actually stuck to the book and that at least some of the added subplots made sense. So I’m cautiously optimistic for the rest of the series.

Because we’re apparently all couch potatoes who have nothing better to do with our lives than consume a lot of streaming video, Apple dropped the first two episodes all at once. I will review the second episode, though I’m not sure if I’ll do episode by episode reviews, because this stuff takes up a lot of time.

Also, don’t expect commentary on the German general election from me tomorrow, because it’s very likely there will be none. I have rarely dreaded a general election so much as this one, because there are no good choices here, there is a very high chance that things will get worse for me personally, no matter who wins (As a single, self-employed woman without children and with retirement savings, I’m the enemy for all of them), and all three would-be chancellors are varying levels of incompetent and just plain terrible. Not to mention that this was most toxic election campaign in decades with disgusting hastags trending on Twitter almost every single day. This was truly an election to vote for the lesser evil and hope that the worse evil won’t come to pass. I don’t even want to think about it and I certainly don’t want to talk about it.

New Kurval Adventure Available: The Frozen Citadel

As the title of the post indicates, this is a new release announcement.

However, it’s actually a double new release announcement, because I also have a story in Simultaneous Times Vol. 2.5, a free e-book anthology published by my friends of Space Cowboy Books, a science fiction bookstore in Joshua Tree, California.

The story in question is “Little Monsters”, which so far was only available in audio, produced by the Simultaneous Times podcast. Now, you can also read it and enjoy the beautiful illustration by Austin Hart, which captured the story perfectly.

So what are you waiting for? Get your copy of Simultaneous Times Vol. 2.5 today! It’s chock-full of great science fiction and – best of all – free.

The other new release I have to announce is the latest story in my Kurval sword and sorcery series.

The Frozen Citadel is the first story out of the 2021 July Short Story Challenge to see publication. Like The Plains of Shadow and The Wolf of Rajala, this is another Kurval story set before his time as King of Azakoria, when Kurval was plying his trade as a mercenary and kinghood seemed impossible far away.

Like many of the July Short Story Challenge stories, The Frozen Citadel was inspired by several pieces of fantasy art, namely this one, this one and this one, all by Nele Diel. Another inspiration was a throwaway line in King’s Justice that Kurval had slain the serpent Khalikidai at some point in his past.

And talking of King’s Justice, it has got a great new cover by Marin Iurii, which you can see on the left. Not that the old cover by Mike Heywood was bad, but the CGI art didn’t match the more painted look of the other covers anymore.

Meanwhile, the cover art for The Frozen Citadel is by the always amazing Tithi Luadthong. You can see it below.

The Frozen Citadel introduces a new character to the Kurval series, namely Kurval’s friend and fellow mercenary Tsabo. Tsabo initially was created because Kurval needed someone to talk to while wandering across the icy wasteland. The character then strutted into my brain fully formed, as a big black man with a shaven head.

Tsabo was originally created only for this one story. But even though sword and sorcery is normally characterised by loner heroes, my characters tend to acquire a regular supporting cast. And so Tsabo will reappear in the Kurval adventure Twelve Nooses, which is coming soon.

But for now, accompany Kurval and Tsabo, as they venture into…

The Frozen Citadel
Before Kurval became King of Azakoria, he plied his trade as a wandering mercenary and sword for hire.

Kurval and his friend and fellow mercenary Tsabo are planning to take up service at the citadel of Harjula in the frozen north of the kingdom of Simola. But when they finally reach the citadel, they find it deserted, its inhabitants in the thrall of dark magic…

The new sword and sorcery adventure by two-time Hugo finalist Cora Buhlert and her occasional alter ego, 1930s pulp writer Richard Blakemore. This is a short story of 5900 words or approx. 22 print pages in the Kurval sword and sorcery series, but may be read as a standalone. Includes an introduction and afterword.

More information.
List price: 0.99 USD, EUR or GBP
Buy it at Amazon US, Amazon UK, Amazon Germany, Amazon France, Amazon Netherlands, Amazon Spain, Amazon Italy, Amazon Canada, Amazon Australia, Amazon Brazil, Amazon Japan, Amazon India, Amazon Mexico, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, Apple iBooks, Google Play, Scribd, Smashwords, Thalia, Weltbild, Hugendubel, Buecher.de, DriveThruFiction, Casa del Libro, Vivlio and XinXii.

A Mixed Bag: Some Comments on the 2021 Dragon Award Winners

Dragon Con, a big media con in Atlanta, Georgia, is actually going ahead in person this year, though they require proof of vaccination and masks, much to the chagrin of the usual suspects. Therefore, the 2021 Dragon Awards had an actual in person ceremony, though most of the winners failed to show up, since a packed convention centre is not exactly the safest place to be during the current covid surge.

The full list of the 2021 Dragon Award winners may be found here. There were also a couple of other awards handed out at Dragon Con. And so the winners of the 2021 Eugie Award, the 2021 Mike Resnick Memorial Award for Short Fiction and the winners of the 2021 Julie Award and the 2021 Hank Reinhardt Fandom Award have been announced as well. All seem to be highly worthy.

The Dragon Awards have been chronicled at this blog since their inception in 2016. The Dragon Awards were conceived as an award for the sort of broadly popular works that tend to be overlooked by the Hugos or Nebulas. The Dragons also have categories for multiple subgenres as well as several gaming categories.

So much for the theory. In practice, the Dragons have a tangled history, because the Sad and Rabid Puppies and other far right SFF fans originally tried to claim the Dragons as their own. Then the big Kindle Unlimited content mills discovered the Dragons, so we saw a bunch of finalists from that corner. Finally, as the Dragon Awards became better known among the general Dragon Con membership and the wider SFF community, the ballot started to look more like the popular people’s choice type awards they were intended to be.

In fact, the finalists for the 2020 and 2021 Dragon Awards looked very much like a mainstream SFF award with hardly any of the WTF? finalists that characterised the first few years of the award.

So how do the winners of the 2021 Dragon Awards measure up? Let’s take a look at the individual categories:

The winner of the 2021 Dragon Award for Best Science Fiction Novel is Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. Now I have to admit that Andy Weir’s brand of science fiction is not to my taste, though he is very popular and far from an unsurprising winner. My own vote was for A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine.

The 2021 Dragon Award for Best Fantasy Novel goes to Battle Ground by Jim Butcher, the latest novel in the Dresden Files series. This is an unsurprising win, because the Dresden Files series is hugely popular and there hadn’t been a new novel published in this series since Skin Game in 2014. Jim Butcher is also a Dragon Con regular and was one of the few winners who actually showed up in person to accept his award. Coincidentally, this was also my choice.

The winner of the 2021 Dragon Award for Best Young Adult/Middle Grade Novel is A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher. I’m a big fan of T. Kingfisher a.k.a. Ursula Vernon and A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking is a lovely novel, so I’m very happy that it won. This was also my choice in this category.

The 2021 Dragon Award for Best Military Science Fiction Novel goes Gun Runner by Larry Correia and John D. Brown. Now I’m very much not a fan of Larry Correia and find reading his fiction about as pleasant as a visit to the dentist, but he is very popular plus Baen Books has always had a strong presence at Dragon Con. My own vote was for Fleet Elements by Walter Jon Williams.

The winner of the 2021 Dragon Award for Best Alternate History Novel is 1637: No Peace Beyond The Line by Eric Flint and Charles Gannon. Now I have to admit that the popularity of the 1632 series baffles me. The basic idea is not bad, but the first book was so riddled with errors (and not errors introduced due to the jonbar point/Nexus event, but just plain old errors) that I abandoned it. Maybe subsequent books are better, though I’ve never gone back to find out. However, Eric Flint is another author with a strong fanbase at Dragon Con and was apparently also involved in the creation of the Dragon Awards. My own vote was for Charlaine Harris BTW, who’s exactly the sort of popular but overlooked by awards author the Dragons were made for.

The 2021 Dragon Award for Best Media Tie-in Novel goes to Firefly: Generations by Tim Lebbon. I’m happy for Tim Lebbon, one of whose original novels we featured at the Speculative Fiction Showcase. Though I’m surprised that Star Wars: Thrawn Ascendancy by Timothy Zahn didn’t take this one, but then the Thrawn character maybe isn’t as iconic for younger Star Wars fans as he is for those who read Heir to the Empire when it came out in 1992, ending a several year draught of new Star Wars content. Meanwhile, the MacGuyver people, who campaigned so hard to get a MacGuyver tie-in novel on the ballot, don’t have enough clout in the larger genre community to win. My own vote was for Penitent by Dan Abnett, by the way.

The winner of the 2021 Dragon Award for Best Horror Novel is The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher. This was something of a surprise, since The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones has won every other horror award there is this year (and well deserved, too).  However, it’s a pleasant surprise, because as I said above, I’m a big fan of T. Kingfisher a.k.a. Ursula Vernon, so this book was also my choice. Coincidentally, I think this is the first time that an author has won two Dragon Awards in the same year.

The 2021 Dragon Award for Best Comic Book is the current run of X-Men. This is hardly surprising, because X-Men is a popular mainstream superhero title and was Marvel’s bestselling title in the 1980s and 1990s, though it has fallen from those heights in recent years. My own vote was for Monstress.

The winner of the 2021 Dragon Award for Best Graphic Novel is The Magicians: New Class by Lev Grossman, Lilah Sturges and Pius Bak. This win surprised me a bit, probably because I never really connected to The Magicians. But both the novel series and particularly the TV series were very popular indeed. My own vote was for PULP by Ed Brubaker and Sean and Jacob Phillips, which pushed all my buttons.

The 2021 Dragon Award for Best TV Series goes to The Expanse, which I seem to recall has won in this category before. It’s also a very popular (and good) series, though I expected one of the two Marvel/Disney Plus series to win. My own vote was for WandaVision BTW.

The winner of the 2021 Dragon Award for Best Science Fiction or Fantasy Movie is The Old Guard. This is one win which makes me really, really happy, because I enjoyed The Old Guard a whole lot. I mean, how could I not enjoy an update on the Highlander concept (and I and my whole circle of friends were huge fans back in the day) with a badarse female lead and a sweet and deadly gay couple? And of course, this was also the film I voted for.

I can’t say much about the gaming categories, because I’m not a gamer. That said, I kept seeing ads for that Harry Potter mobile puzzle game on my phone for several months and they annoyed the hell out of me. But I guess Harry Potter is still popular, J.K. Rowling’s recent bad behavious notwithstanding.

All in all, the Dragon Awards increasingly look like the award for broadly popular works that they were intended to be. Not all the winners were my choice and there are a few I dislike intensely, but none of them were unlikely winners.

The Dragon Awards are still a lot whiter and a lot more male than the Hugos and Nebulas – and no woman not named T. Kingfisher won in the fiction categories – but then mass popular vote awards often tend male and white, because books by established and popular white male authors still get more promotion and attention.

So in short, the Dragons are on track to what they wanted to be in the first place. There are several very good winners, a few that are not to my taste, but none that are an embarrassment to the award.

So let’s see what 2022 brings!

 

First Monday Free Fiction: The Revenant of Wrecker’s Dock

Welcome to the August 2021 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.

The foggy season is beginning, so it’s an excellent time to visit the quaint little seaside town of Hallowind Cove,  where it’s foggy some 340 days of the year (the other twenty-five days are lovely and sunny). However, that’s not the only problem Hallowind Cove has, for the town is also known as “the Harbour of the Weird”, because strange things keep happening there.

The first Hallowind Cove story The Revenant of Wrecker’s Dock was originally written for a shared world anthology that fell through, so I scrubbed off the shared world serial numbers and self-published it. Afterwards, I’ve revisited Hallowind Cove and its equally quirkey inhabitants a number of times and there’s at least one more story coming in the series.

So accompany Paul MacQuarie, a newcomer to Hallowind Cove, as he spends an evening at The Croaking Foghorn pub and faces…

The Revenant of Wrecker’s Dock

Paul pulled up the collar of his coat against the ever-present fog that enveloped the town of Hallowind Cove. His hair was damp, his skin clammy, every bone in his body ached and the cough he’d developed shortly after coming to Hallowind Cove was back, worse than ever.

One day, this town was gonna be the death of him.

He turned onto Wrecker’s Dock in Hallowind Cove harbour or what passed for it, cause these days, the docks were mostly deserted with only the occasional fishing boat moored at the quay.

The fog was even thicker here, rolling in from the sea in waves of white. Walking along the seafront probably wasn’t the best of ideas, considering that the fog was making him sick. But Paul did not care. He was headed for The Croaking Foghorn, a harbourside pub that offered beer and stronger drinks as well as some of the best and freshest seafood dishes Paul had ever seen.

A raven set perched on one of the tar-covered bollards along the quay, fixing Paul with unnerving eyes.

“Wa-atch out,” the raven croaked, “Wa-atch out!”

Or at least that’s what it sounded like. For of course birds couldn’t talk, even though this one gave a pretty good impression of it. Paul had seen the raven before, hanging around town and emitting croaks that sounded uncannily like words.

He’d once asked Ian, landlord of The Croaking Foghorn and the closest thing Paul had to a friend here in Hallowind Cove, about the raven.

“Oh, that’s just Hugo,” Ian had said, “Never mind him. He likes to pretend he’s a harbinger of doom, but he’s really quite harmless.”

“Wa-atch out,” Hugo croaked again, “Wa-atch out.”

“Shut up, Hugo,” Paul said good-naturedly, “I’m no longer a newbie. I won’t fall into the harbour basin.”

“Wa-arned you,” the raven croaked.

Paul shook his head. “I’m really going crazy,” he thought, “Hell, I’m talking to a bird.”

He held on steady towards the lights of The Croaking Foghorn, blurred by the dense fog. A dark figure stumbled towards him, emerging from the mist and gradually coalescing into a solid form. The figure was clad in a seaman’s oilskin jacket and sou’wester.

Probably a fisherman headed out to sea, Paul thought. He shouted a friendly greeting as he passed the stranger, but then his words caught in his throat, as he got a closer look at the dark figure.

For the dark figure’s oilskin jacket and sou’wester were encrusted with molluscs and draped with seaweed. Its skin had a pallid and faintly greenish cast, the sort of look that only the long dead should have. And where its eyes should be, there were only two black holes.

“Murrrderrr,” the figure moaned, its voice sounding as if it came straight from the bottom of the sea, “Deathhh. Deceit.”

The creature reached out for Paul and where its hand should be, there was only a hook, a rusty iron hook.

“The Mary Durban, lost with all hands on board,” the creature said and lurched towards Paul, hook raised. “Vengeance,” it moaned.

Paul screamed and ran along the dock, towards the lights of The Croaking Foghorn and the salvation they promised, the shambling, lurching figure hot in pursuit.

Panicked and panting, he reached the pub and crashed through the door, startling both Ian, the landlord, and Old Hank, a drunk who seemed to be a permanent fixture on the second barstool from the left.

“I… I…” Paul bent over, gasping for air. “I think I just saw a zombie.”

He turned the key in the lock and looked for something, anything, to bar the front door. Finally, he grabbed an old oar from the wall and placed it across the door. Only that it wouldn’t hold the door, not for long and certainly not without some nails for reinforcement.

Already, he could hear the zombie scratching on the door, looking for a way in.

“A hammer,” Paul blurted out, “I need a hammer. And nails.”

“Sit down and relax,” Ian said, entirely unperturbed. He drew a beer from the tap and put it down on the counter. “And would you kindly refrain from blocking the door. There’s few enough punters about in this weather as it is, so I really don’t need you locking out the few that might stumble in.”

“But there…” Paul was only gradually getting his breath back. “…there’s a zombie out there and it’s after me.”

Ian nodded. “So you said. And now sit down and drink your beer, before it gets warm.”

The beer stood on the counter, bubbling golden and foamy white, beckoning, inviting Paul to just take a sip and forget his panic. So he sat down and took a big gulp, savouring the bitter liquid running down his parched throat.

He could still hear the zombie outside, moaning and scratching at the door, but somehow it didn’t sound quite as bad as before. Or maybe that was just the beer talking.

Paul sat down the glass and narrowed his eyes at Ian. “You don’t seem overly surprised by this. I mean, I was just chased by a zombie, a freaking zombie.”

Ian shrugged. “This is Hallowind Cove. Weird crap happens here on a regular basis.”

“Even zombies?”

“Ah well, zombies are perhaps a bit weirder than usual.” He shrugged. “Still, this is Hallowind Cove.”

Paul turned to Old Hank who was currently nursing his third or fourth beer of the evening. “What about you, Hank? Have you ever seen zombies in Hallowind Cove before?”

“Sure,” Hank slurred, “Back in ’56, when that Haitian freighter came in, the entire crew were zombies. Glassy eyed, creepy, the living dead. Turned out the captain was an evil voodoo priest who’d enslaved them and…”

Paul cut him off. “No, not that kind of zombie.” Though Haitian voodoo zombies would be weird enough for any place that was not Hallowind Cove. “That other kind, the sort of hunts people and eats brains.”

“Oh, that kind.” Old Hank shook his head. “No, we ain’t never had that kind of zombie here.”

“Well, there is one now,” Paul insisted, “Waiting just outside the pub. And he threatened me, said something about murder, death and vengeance.”

It was still out there, too, moaning and wailing and trying to get in.

Ian narrowed his eyes. “And you’re sure you’re not just making it all up?” he asked, “After all, everybody knows that zombies don’t talk.”

“Well, this one did,” Paul said and took another gulp of beer, “He talked about murder and death and vengeance. Oh yes, and something else. Something about a… ship? Yes, I think it was a ship. The Mary… Mary something or other. Lost with all hands on board, at any rate.”

A shimmer of recognition lit up the barkeeper’s face and even Old Hank seemed to wake from his alcohol-induced stupor for a moment. “The Mary Durban?” Ian asked.

“Yes, that’s it. The Mary Durban. That’s exactly what the zombie said.” Paul shot Ian a sceptical glance. “Why? Ring any bells?”

“It does. It sure does,” Ian said, while Hank nodded sagely.

“So what is it?”

“You’d better have another drink…” Ian said and promptly drew a beer from the tap, “…cause it’s a long story.” Ian set the second beer down in front of Paul, though he hadn’t finished his first yet. “And by the way, that thing you saw wasn’t a zombie.”

“So you know what it was?”

Ian nodded. “It was the revenant,” he said, “Though I have no idea why it was bothering you.”

“Revenant, zombie, that’s all the same, isn’t it?”

Ian shook his head. “Oh no. Revenants are the dead risen from their graves to wreck revenge on the living…”

“Like I said, zombies.”

“…while zombies are the dead risen from their graves to eat the living and their brains.”

“So in short, ‘revenant’ is just a fancy word for ‘zombie’,” Paul concluded.

Ian rolled his eyes, while outside the zombie or revenant or whatever it was called was still scratching on the door with his horrible hook.

“So what’s the story of this zom… — err, revenant?” Paul wanted to know.

Ian lowered his voice to the kind of tone that suggested he was about to impart a great secret. “Do you know why this place is called Wrecker’s Dock?” he asked.

“What’s that got to do with anything?”

“Well, do you know?”

“Not really,” Paul admitted, “Though I suspect it’s got something to do with shipwrecks off the coast. Or maybe that old ship scrap yard down the road…”

“And that’s where you’re wrong,” Ian said, “Cause Wrecker’s Dock is named for…” He lowered his voice even further. “…the wreckers.”

“You mean people who demolish ships?” Paul said, “I saw a documentary about that once. People in India breaking up decommissioned ships. Horrible working conditions, exploitation, child labour and all that.”

“Well, what used to go on here in Hallowind Cove was a bit like what’s happening in India right now, though without the child labour and bad working conditions. What is more, the people here didn’t always wait until the ships were decommissioned. Instead, they made their own wrecks.”

Paul had no idea what Ian was talking about, so he raised his glass — still his first glass — instead and took another gulp of beer.

Nonetheless, Ian must have sensed his confusion, because he continued, “Well, here’s a bit of history for you, my friend. You know what makes Hallowind Cove famous, do you?”

“Uhm, the fog,” Paul said.

“Exactly, the fog. And what does fog at sea mean?”

“Low visibility, difficult navigation, danger,” Paul rattled off.

“And wrecks, my friend. Lots of shipwrecks. Especially since we’re not just cursed with over three hundred days of fog a year, but also with dangerous cliffs, shoals and treacherous currents. So over time, a lot of ships got wrecked on this coast. And do you know what happens to the cargo, when a ship is wrecked?”

Paul shrugged. “I’m not sure. It’s… recovered?”

“Salvaged is the word you’re looking for, my friend. And do you know to whom the cargo that’s salvaged belongs?”

“No idea. Does it matter?”

“It belongs to whoever salvages it. And with so many shipwrecks happening off the coast, the good people of Hallowind Cove were making a good living of the salvaged cargo. So good that some of them decided to create some wrecks of their own to salvage.”

Old Hank nodded emphatically. “Aye, they did,” he announced and raised his glass, while Paul took another gulp of his own.

“So on particularly misty nights…” Ian continued, “…the good people of Hallowind Cove shut down the lighthouse at Foghorn Point and set false lights on the cliff tops instead. And those false lights lured unsuspecting ships to their doom, until they stranded on the shoals or crashed against the cliffside…”

Ian executed a dramatic pause, complete with a theatrical shudder.

“Once a ship had run aground on the shoals or been smashed against the cliffs, the false lights were extinguished and the wreckers took over…”

“Aye, the did,” Hank declared and raised his glass.

“They snatched the cargo and whatever other valuables were to be found on board. And if there were any survivors left on the wrecked ship…”

Old Hank made a throat-slitting gesture, while the revenant emitted a matching wail outside.

“…they killed them, so they couldn’t dispute the wreckers’ claim to the salvaged cargo.”

“Aye, they did.”

Outside, the revenant’s wailing increased in pitch and volume.

“And because the good people of Hallowind Cove only went wrecking once in a while, it took the authorities some time to catch on. Wrecks happen and this coast is treacherous, after all, with the fog and the cliffs and the shoals…” Ian shrugged. “Once in a while, someone did catch on to what the good people of Hallowind Cove were doing and they captured, tried and hanged a few wreckers down on Gallows Square…”

Old Hank made a wrung neck gesture, complete with grisly sound effect. Outside, the revenant screeched.

“Then the wrecking stopped for a few years, but it always started up again. Until the ships became ever bigger and began to pass by our harbour and our coast.”

Hank and Ian both looked at Paul expectantly, awaiting a reaction. Even the monster outside the pub had fallen silent.

“Well, that’s a really cool horror story and all that,” Paul finally said, “But what’s all that got to do with the zombie — pardon, revenant — I just saw outside? The one that’s been scratching on the door these past couple of minutes”

“One of the ships the wreckers tricked with false lights…” Ian intoned, “…was a freighter called the Mary Durban. She ran aground on the shoals on a foggy November night in the year of the Lord 1873…”

“Aye, she did,” Hank confirmed and took another gulp of beer.

“The Mary Durban was carrying a cargo of brand new gold bars. Someone had tipped off the wreckers and so they were after the gold…”

“Aye, they were.”

“That night, a horrible storm raged along the coast and so the Mary Durban was already in trouble, her sails tattered and her mast broken, by the time she reached Hallowind Cove. When her crew spotted the beacon at Foghorn Point, the light must have seemed like salvation. But they were betrayed…”

“Aye, betrayed.”

“Because the Mary Durban was already damaged and battered by the storm, she broke apart as soon as she ran aground. Most of the crew were already drowned by the time the wreckers got there. But the captain was still alive, clinging to the planks of his shattered ship by sheer willpower. When he saw the wreckers approach, he thought he was saved. But then they murdered him…”

“Slit his throat, aye, they did,” Old Hank announced with the respective gesture.

“Actually, the way I know the story, they clubbed him to death,” Ian snapped.

“Does it matter?” Paul wanted to know, “Dead is dead, after all.”

He realised that his throat had gone dry and took a gulp of beer from the second glass Ian had handed him.

“So this zombie — err, revenant — is…?”

“Exactly, the captain of the wrecked Mary Durban,” Ian replied, “They say that in his very last moments on Earth, he vowed revenge on those who had wronged him, who had lured the Mary Durban to her doom and slain him and his crew…”

“Aye, he did.”

“And so on those nights when the fog was at its densest, the revenant rose from his watery grave to terrorise those responsible for the wrecking of the Mary Durban. Over the next few years, several of the former wreckers, now wealthy citizens of Hallowind Cove due to the salvaged gold bars, died under mysterious circumstances. They tumbled into the harbour basin and drowned, even though they’d lived here in Hallowind Cove all their lives. Or they dropped dead in the street right here at Wrecker’s Dock. Their hearts just stopped after they’d been chased down the dock by a nameless horror…”

“Aye, so it was.”

Outside, the revenant emitted a howl of agreement.

“Eventually, all of the original wreckers had died or fled Hallowind Cove in terror. But the revenant, he did not vanish, for his work was not yet done. Instead, he began to terrorise the descendants of the wreckers and then their descendants. Since the revenant only ever attacks people on Wrecker’s Dock and since he only strikes on nights when the fog is particularly dense, he’s easy enough to avoid…”

“Aye, he is.”

“Though the revenant does play hell with my business, because on extremely foggy nights few folks dare come to The Croaking Foghorn.” Ian shrugged. “Lots of people here in Hallowind Cove are descended from the wreckers.”

“But not you and Hank?”

Ian shook his head. “My great-great-grandpa was the sheriff of Hallowind Cove back in the day, so the wreckers kept him out of their schemes. And Hank’s family were carnie folks who got stranded here in the Thirties.”

“Well then, if this z… revenant only targets the descendants of those who murdered him, then why the hell is he bothering me? I’m not from Hallowind Cove, In fact, I’ve never been here before in my life.”

Ian frowned and stroked his beard. “That’s the big question.”

Hank nodded affirmatively. “Aye, it is.”

Outside, the revenant had started scratching and banging on the door again.

“Shut up and get lost,” Ian yelled at the locked and barred door, “You’ve got the wrong guy.”

Paul suddenly experienced an almost absurd sense of relief. “So you can hear him, too?”

Ian shrugged. “Sure I can. But in my experience, he tends to go away, when he’s ignored.”

“Aye, he does,” Hank declared.

Ian reached out across the bar and patted Paul on the shoulder. “And don’t worry yourself, he can’t get in here. Something in the rules of revenantism forbids him to enter any houses. All he can do is stalk the dock.”

“Well, that’s very comforting,” Paul said, taking a gulp of beer.

Ian narrowed his eyes. “Say, why did you come to Hallowind Cove again?” he wanted to know, “Some kind of inheritance issue, wasn’t it?”

Paul nodded. “A distant uncle I’d never even heard of suddenly decides to leave his house to me, for reasons best known to himself.”

“May he rest in peace,” Hank said sombrely and raised his glass in memory of a man he likely hadn’t known any better than Paul himself had.

“And that house, where would it be?” Ian asked.

“On — what’s it called again? — Gloomland Street. A ramshackle Victorian dump.”

“Gloomland Street, hmm.” Ian scratched his chin and gave Paul a speculative look. “Is that perchance Old Jim Bob’s place?”

Paul’s face lit up. “Yes, James Robert MacQuarie. That was my uncle’s name.”

“Well, that explains things then,” Ian said, while Hank nodded sagely.

“Aye, it does.”

“The fact that my uncle left me a house on Gloomland Street explains why I was attacked by a zombie?”

“It certainly does, if you know that old Jim Bob MacQuarie was a direct descendant of Jedediah MacQuarie, leader of the wreckers on the night the Mary Durban sank.”

“And besides, it’s no zombie, it’s a revenant,” Old Hank piped in.

“So this zom — errr, revenant — is bothering me, because some distant ancestor of mine was involved in killing him?”

Ian beamed at him. “Now you got it, lad.”

Paul wasn’t nearly so sanguine about the revelation. After all, here was a zombie or revenant or whatever the hell that thing was and it wanted to kill Paul because of something that the ancestor of a distant uncle he’d never even heard of may or may not have done more the a hundred years ago.

“Well, what am I supposed to do about it?”

“Don’t go down to the docks on nights when the fog is particularly dense,” Ian said with a shrug, “Of course, this also means that we’ll have to miss your esteemed company here at The Croaking Foghorn, but then we’re missing half the bloody town here on foggy nights, cause the revenant scares them away…”

“Aye, we do,” Hank announced.

“And you’ve been no fun tonight either,” Ian said, “Barely touched your second beer and didn’t even glance at the lovely fresh mussels I’ve got on the menu tonight.”

“Well, you can hardly expect me to eat mussels, when there’s a zom… — revenant — outside trying to kill me,” Paul replied testily.

Ian just shrugged. “What else are you gonna do? Especially since you can’t go home either.”

“Oh God!” Paul pressed a hand to his forehead. “I hadn’t even thought of that.”

“Lucky for you that I did,” Ian said, “Cause the revenant knows no mercy. And ‘I’m new in town and don’t know nothing’ ain’t an excuse he accepts.”

“Nay, he doesn’t,” Hank piped in.

Now Paul did take a gulp of his second beer, though it did little to calm his agitated nerves.

“So what do I do now?”

In response, Ian picked up a glass and wiped it with a dishcloth, though to Paul’s eyes it didn’t look like it needed cleaning.

“Simple. First of all, you stay here for the night, cause the revenant’s power fades once the day breaks. I’ve got a spare guestroom and we’ll find a toothbrush for you somewhere…”

Paul let out a sigh of relief. “Thanks, Ian. You’re a true lifesaver.”

“You won’t say so when you see the bill.”

“Given there’s a bloodthirsty zombie after me, I can’t afford to be miserly.”

“Are you sure you don’t want any mussels? I mean, since you’re stuck here and everything…”

Paul sighed and took a draft of beer. “Okay. Might as well eat, since it seems I’ll be spending the night here anyway.”

With a zombie just outside the door, howling for Paul’s blood, oh joy of joys!

“Anyway…” Ian put down the glass he’d been wiping and promptly picked up another. “…that’s just the short-term solution to your immediate problem.”

“Aye, it is,” Hank said and took a gulp of what had to be his umpteenth beer

“Medium term…” Ian continued, “…you keep the hell away from the docks after dark on nights when the fog is particularly dense. Of course, that also means I’ll be missing my favourite customer, but that’s life in Hallowind Cove for you.”

“And long term?” Paul wanted to know.

“Long term…” Ian put down the glass and picked up the next. “…you sell that house on Gloomland Street and get the hell out of Hallowind Cove.”

“Aye, get the hell out,” Hank echoed.

“Sell the house”, Paul said and downed the rest of his beer, “Sure, that would be nice. Now I just need someone stupid enough to buy it.”

“Oh, someone will buy it,” Ian said, brimming with confidence, “A nice young couple. He’s an investment banker or a lawyer, she works in advertising or the media. They’ve got more money than they know what to do with and now they’re tired of city life and want to enjoy the peace and calm of the seaside.”

“Peace and calm?” Paul emitted a bitter laugh. “In Hallowind Cove?”

Ian leant across the bar, until he was eye to eye with Paul. “But our young couple doesn’t know that, do they? And by the time they find out, it’s too late.”

“Aye, it will be,” Hank said forebodingly.

“So this has happened before?”

“Aye, many times.”

Ian nodded in agreement. “You may have noticed that Hallowind Cove can be quite charming when the sun is shining and the fog recedes…”

“Which happens how often? Two weeks a year?”

“That’s beside the point,” Ian said, “It happens.”

Hank nodded emphatically. “Aye, it does.”

“And when the weather’s nice, that’s when the tourists and the daytrippers come. And some of ‘em, god bless them, inevitably fall in love with the town and buy up all the empty real estate.”

“So they do,” Hank added.

“And once they figure out what’s really going on?” Paul wanted to know.

“Most of them last two months, maybe three, then they flee back to wherever they came from,” Ian said, “But that’s not your problem, cause you’ll be long gone by then. With a hefty cheque in your pocket.”

He eyed Paul’s empty glass. “Another drink?”

Paul glanced at his watch and sighed. It was going to be a long night. “Might as well.”

“Same as before?”

Paul shook his head. “I think I need something stronger.”

“Aye, you do,” Hank agreed.

“What you need…” Ian said, “…is a good hot mug of grog.”

“Grog? The cliché pirates’ drink?”

“Nope, grog, the traditional sailors’ drink. Best thing to keep you warm on a cold and foggy night.” Ian poured some water into an electric kettle and pressed the “on” button.

“Aye, it’ll keep you warm and keep the revenant away,” Hank echoed.

As if on cue, the revenant hammered his hook into the wooden door and wailed something about death and deceit and murder and vengeance.

Paul shot Hank a sideways look. “I thought the revenant couldn’t enter this establishment.”

“Nay, he can’t,” Hank said.

“But a good hot grog will make you forget he’s even out there,” Ian added. As if to prove his point, he poured a generous helping of rum into a hula girl tiki mug and added a lump of rock sugar and a dash of lime juice.

“Actually, that’s something I’d rather not forget,” Paul said, “After all, I don’t want to end up like the revenant’s other victims.”

“Oh, don’t worry yourself,” Ian said briskly, “After all, the good people of Hallowind Cove have managed to avoid the revenant just fine these past one hundred and forty years.”

“Somehow that doesn’t fill me with confidence,” Paul said.

“You’re not being fair,” Ian began.

At just this moment, the kettle buzzed. Ian filled up the hula girl mug with hot water and handed it to Paul. He poured himself a shot of rum without the extras and raised his glass.

“To Hallowind Cove, the best little town to live in.”

“Aye,” Hank added, raising his own glass.

Paul raised his drink as well, enjoying the heat of the grog as it radiated through the walls of the hula girl mug.

“To Hallowind Cove, harbour of the weird.”

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.

Fancast Spotlight: Unknown Worlds of the Merril Collection

It’s time for the next entry in my Fanzine/Fancast Spotlight project. For more about the Fanzine/Fancast Spotlight project, go here. You can also check out the other great fanzines and fancasts featured by clicking here.

Today, I’m pleased to feature the Unknown Worlds of the Merril Collection, a podcast focussed on the Merril Collection of Science Fiction, Speculation and Fantasy at the Toronto Public Library.

Therefore, I’m happy to welcome Oliver Brackenbury of Unknown Worlds of the Merril Collection to my blog.

Tell us about your podcast or channel.

Unknown Worlds of the Merril Collection is a podcast where host Oliver Brackenbury (that’s me!) interviews special guests about notable history and new frontiers in the worlds of science fiction, fantasy and horror as found in Toronto’s Merril Collection, the Western Hemisphere’s largest publicly accessible archive of genre materials.

Who are the people behind your podcast or channel?

I host, screenwriter Chris Dickie is the producer, and ultimately the Friends of Merril volunteer group are behind the show. The Friends of Merril are dedicated to spreading awareness of, and otherwise supporting, the Merril Collection of Science Fiction, Speculation & Fantasy – located on the 3rd floor of the Lillian H. Smith branch of the Toronto Public Library system. With over 80,000 spec fic texts going back over two hundred years, it’s a tremendous asset for writers, scholars, and readers, one I’ve benefited from greatly.

Why did you decide to start your podcast or channel?

Well, Chris had just joined the Friends and when I asked him if he had anything specific he’d like to try in promoting the Merril, he said he’d been wanting to try podcasting. I’d been wanting to create some kind of shareable promotional content for the Merril, and had plenty of experience with hosting from my old Youtuber days. So, we figured we’d give it a whirl and see if it helped spread awareness of the Merril!

As far as I can tell, it’s certainly helped spread the good word. But we can always do more!

What format do you use for your podcast or channel and why did you choose this format?

We kept it pretty straightforward; Opening music, then I do a little intro of first the show and our guest, then we dive straight into the interview. There I usually ask around ten questions or so and when it feels right, I’ll wrap things up  with a little outro blurb, then there’s music to ride us out. We figured it was best to keep it simple, as it was our first time making a podcast, and to focus on the guest, as each episode is really about the subject in which they’re knowledgeable, not me being in love with the sound of my own voice.

For distribution, we’ve decided to do a seasonal format, in that we’ll record a block of episodes – eight for season one – and only release them once they’re all ready to go. Then it’s once a week, early Monday morning, every week until the season is done.

The reason for this is twofold. First, we’re volunteers who have to negotiate both our own busy lives and the schedules of our guests in order to make the show. A regular, weekly format would be truly difficult unless somebody wanted to pay us to make it our jobs.

Secondly, having them all edited before release also takes the stress off Chris, and releasing them weekly gives the show room to build a little momentum. Think about your streaming habits. How deeply have you gotten into shows that dump everything all at once, versus the weekly model? It’s fun to binge, but the conversation around the show can end in less than a week and I’ll be damned if I don’t have more trouble remembering what happens in shows with that release model than the weekly variety.

Anyway, season two will happen when it happens, but I can safely say that as of this writing we’ve recorded two episodes, have the next recording scheduled, and are aiming for a minimum of eight more episodes. Ideally it’ll start coming out before year’s end.

The Lilian H. Smith branch of the Toronto Public Library, home of the Merril collection

The fan categories at the Hugos were there at the very beginning, but they are also the categories which consistently gets the lowest number of votes and nominations. So why do you think fanzines, fancasts and other fan projects are important?

Well, where the heck are creators (and the multi-media conglomerates that feed off them) without fans? Going all the way back to things like Amra and beyond – wasn’t there a Sherlock Holmes fan group or fifty back in the Victorian age? They must have made some things. – fans have wanted to create works inspired by what they love, and connect with each other. Hell, I’m sure there were some papyrus fanzines going around Ancient Egypt.

Point being that I think fan culture can be unfairly tagged as being ephemeral, but really it’s not and it is important if only for the long history it has, as much as the vital role in supporting creative works and nurturing various social scenes for people to connect with one another.

It’s funny, I have a few friends that voraciously post about their fav bands. I am not into these bands, but I am into how into these bands they are, if that makes sense? As long as it’s expressed in a non-toxic way, passion is inspiring and life-affirming! Ultimately it’s that raw energy that makes fanzines, fancasts, and other fan projects important, I reckon.

In the past twenty years, fanzines have increasingly moved online and fancasts have sprung up. What do you think the future of fan media looks like?

I’m a terribly unskilled prognosticator, I’m afraid. Funny enough there’s a soon-to-be-retired employee of the Merril Collection who is incredibly knowledgeable about the history of fandom. We’ve all been encouraging her to write a book on the subject, one which I’m sure would look to the future as well. Fingers crossed she does it!

The four fan categories of the Hugos (best fanzine, fan writer, fan artist and fancast) tend to get less attention than the fiction and dramatic presentation categories. Are there any awesome fanzines, fancasts, fan writers and fan artists you’d like to recommend?

I’m a big fan of Ngo Vinh-Hoi (@NgoVinhHoi on Twitter), who co-hosts The Appendix N Book Club podcast with Jeff Goad, but also frequently writes columns on the history of Appendix N / Sword & Sorcery works of yesteryear for the blog on www.goodmangames.com

Where can people find you?

Unknown Worlds of the Merril Collection

The Merril Collection of Science Fiction, Speculation and Fantasy

Friends of the Merril Collection

Friends of the Merril Collection on Twitter

Oliver Brackenbury’s website

Oliver Brackenbury on Twitter

Thank you, Oliver, for stopping by and answering my questions.

Do check out Unknown Worlds of the Merril Collection, cause it’s a great podcast.

***

Do you have a Hugo eligible fanzine/-site or fancast and want it featured? Contact me or leave a comment.

Indie Speculative Fiction of the Month for August 2021

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 July 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, portal fantasy, historical fantasy, gaslamp fantasy, YA fantasy, sword and sorcery, paranormal mystery, paranormal women’s fiction, dystopian noir, space opera, military science fiction, hopepunk, solarpunk, occult thrillers, horror, vampires, werewolves, dragons, fae, gargoyles, ghosts, space marines, aliens, superheroes, bounty hunters, mercenaries, crime-busting witches, spooky railroads, frozen citadels, living swords, satanic cults, shattered gods, supernatural circuses 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:

It doesn’t matter what’s after you. The only thing that counts is who’s in your corner.

Bessie is just meant to be an ordinary journalist. Okay, she’s kinda scatty, bolshie, and has never backed down from a story – or a fight. But when a fight comes to her that could consume the whole city, there’s only one person she can turn to.

Xavier Kilmer is a ghost vampire. He’s also Bessie’s sworn enemy. The animosity isn’t mutual. Three years ago, he met her and sparks flew. Ever since, every paper in town has promised she’s his true mate.

But right now, all Bessie needs is a miracle. When a shadowy force called the Ghost King reaches through the dark to claim her as his bride, only Xavier can help. But all help comes at a cost.

The Frozen Citadel by Richard Blakemore and Cora Buhlert:

Before Kurval became King of Azakoria, he plied his trade as a wandering mercenary and sword for hire.

Kurval and his friend and fellow mercenary Tsabo are planning to take up service at the citadel of Harjula in the frozen north of the kingdom of Simola. But when they finally reach the citadel, they find it deserted, its inhabitants in the thrall of dark magic…

The new sword and sorcery adventure by two-time Hugo finalist Cora Buhlert and her occasional alter ego, 1930s pulp writer Richard Blakemore. This is a short story of 5900 words or approx. 22 print pages in the Kurval sword and sorcery series, but may be read as a standalone. Includes an introduction and afterword.

Broken by Magic by Lindsay Buroker:

Even before our heroes discovered a portal to other realms, Jak Freedar wanted to seek out powerful allies to help overthrow the tyrannical wizard rulers of his home world. Instead, he chanced across a dragon egg and is now the surrogate father of a hatchling.

Since he found the egg, taking care of the young dragon is his responsibility. Even as King Uthari forces the team to prepare for another mission, Jak must do his best not only to care for the hatchling but to keep it safe from those who want to use it for their own gain.

As he soon learns, it’s not only the wizards of his own world who would love to control a dragon. It turns out that powerful enemies in other realms want a hatchling too. And they’re willing to kill for it.

Shadow Rite by D.D. Croix:

A desperate Fayte Guardian trapped in a distant world. A ruthless fae queen craving revenge. Can justice prevail in this dangerous clash of wills and dark magic?

Ripped from her world and her Fayte Guardian friends, Jane Shackle finds herself captive to a vengeful queen in a strange, otherworldly realm filled with mythical creatures, dangerous magic, and shocking clues to the secrets in her past.

When an old ally comes to her rescue, Jane discovers redemption for her past wrongs may be within reach—until a bittersweet revelation changes everything. Since her life isn’t the only one hanging in the balance, Jane must forge new alliances and fight harder than ever to survive and protect those she loves.

Can she defeat her powerful enemy and find a way back to her own world where true love awaits, or will the fight follow her home and destroy everything she holds dear?

SHADOW RITE is the final episode in The Queen’s Fayte trilogy, a thrilling dark fantasy adventure that weaves captivating mystery into the hidden corners of history to keep you spellbound. If you like clever heroines, ruthless villains, and a slow-burn romance tangled up in the Victorian world, then you’ll love this enchanting series from best-selling author D.D. Croix!

Railroad Tales, edited by Trevor Denyer:

Have you ever been on a train going to a destination you don’t want to reach? What about a train travelling through the night, where you are the only passenger in the carriage? Or maybe standing alone on a platform, waiting for a train you hope will come?

Have you ever wondered about the history behind a train journey, or a station? How many people have travelled the line, or died during its construction?

Has a shiver ever run up your spine as dead leaves scrape across the platform, propelled by a breath of wind on a quiet night? Have you ever wondered whether what you heard was a sigh, or a whisper, or just your imagination?

There are many stories involving railroads, trains, stations, junctions and crossings. Stories about people journeying towards unknown futures that may involve life changing events, or death, or revelations.

The 23 stories in this anthology play upon those fears and uncertainties. Each one explores the journeys we might take into horrific, supernatural or extraordinary futures. Guilt, unresolved desires and disbelief all play their part in creating vivid and disturbing nightmares from which there is no escape, or from which a frightening lesson is learned.

The train awaits, ready to carry you along tracks that disappear into darkness. Somewhere out there are the horrors that we all imagine and hope will never happen.

Enjoy the journey…

Party by Karen Diem:

As it turns out, being a masked, superpowered vigilante isn’t entirely legal. Who knew?

When a critically ill teenager with powers disappears, part-time superhero and full-time trouble magnet Zita Garcia is on the case. Unfortunately, the girl isn’t the only person to have disappeared, and the culprit isn’t a mystery. It’s a conspiracy.

A shadowy government agency has escalated from irritating robocalls to the obvious next steps, kidnapping and murder. If an intolerant new party can use rising anti-metahuman sentiment to win an upcoming election, their actions might not even be a crime. All Zita and her friends have to do is save the missing and avoid the bad publicity of doing something stupid that would tip the delicate political situation the wrong way…

They’re doomed.

Party is the sixth in the Arca superhero urban fantasy series and contains lame sexual innuendo, immoderate language, and comic book violence.

Paperclip by Seb Doubinsky:

In New Babylon, leader of the Western alliance of the city-states, armament mogul Kurt Wagner has a secret dream: to build a space station to save mankind. Little does he know that he is the target of competing plots involving geopolitics and black magick. In the background, a film director with a political conscience, a bodyguard with a secret mission, a driver with an occult hobby and a talking bird are trying to make sense of their world, hoping to see their wishes come true – which they will, but not in the way they might have expected.

 

Shattered Gods by Chris Fox

Fated to destroy the world. Determined to save it.

My name is Xal and I live in the dims, a walled prison where my people are kept by our cruel masters, until we are needed to fight once more. One member of every family must answer The Call, for our blood bears the magic of a demonic god, and all the terrible power that brings.

We march to war against the Fomori, an unstoppable army of giants, and their behemoths. If we do not, then our families are put to death. The Hasrans use us as cannon fodder, and worse. They used up my father, and he never came home. Die resisting. Die fighting. My choice isn’t if it happens, but rather how I sell my life.

If by some miracle I survive I will be granted entrance to the Imperial Academy, where every noble house will vie to architect my end. They cannot allow the void-blooded to live. They cannot allow us to thrive, or to gain more magic from the bodies of other dead gods. They cannot allow us to win. They fear the rise of another dreadlord. And they are right to fear. I will pull down an empire, and that is just the beginning.

My Brew Heaven by Lily Harper Hart:

Ofelia Archer should be riding high after a blissful week spent with her boyfriend Zacharias “Zach” Sully. Sun, fun, and cocktails make for a great break … until she gets home. Then she realizes exactly how far things can fall apart in only a few days.

It seems in her absence Ofelia’s mother Marie Charles has been taken in by a cult, and Ofelia is convinced it’s not the sort of group who worship beignets over chaos and bloodshed. When Ofelia tries talking to her mother she finds a different woman waiting for her … and she’s beyond concerned.
The French Quarter attracts weird people but this time the strife is different. When she starts digging, she finds more than she bargained for … and yet the answers are less than she was hoping for.

Ofelia is a witch with a plan but even she’s at a loss. When her brother Felix is hurt in the pursuit of reclaiming Marie, the Quarter’s favorite magical maven swears revenge … and she’s going to need Sully to help her deliver it.

Their new enemy is powerful and he’s hiding behind a gaggle of innocent humans. Freeing the French Quarter from his grip leads Ofelia down a dark path. Only Sully can help her … and together they will bring their city back from the brink.

The question is: Will they both survive to enjoy the fruits of their labor once they make it to the other side?

Becoming Crone by Lydia M. Hawke:

She wanted purpose. She got dark magic and war.

Claire Emerson is adrift. After a lifetime as a wife, mother, and grandma, she never saw divorce or loneliness coming and is desperate for some sense of purpose. But when her sixtieth birthday brings a snarky gargoyle, an annoyingly sexy wolf shifter, and an unknown magical calling, she thinks she’s losing the only thing she has left: her sanity.

Refusing to believe she’s the powerful defender of humankind her so-called protectors claim, Claire attempts a return to her safe life… only to have her powers ignite when she’s attacked by dark supernatural creatures. And without the training she was supposed to have received, she has no idea how she’ll defeat sinister mages plotting her demise.

Can Claire overcome creaky joints and major hot flashes in time to save the world – and her own life?

Becoming Crone is the page-turning first book in The Crone Wars paranormal women’s fiction series. If you like spunky heroines, snappy banter, and triumphing over self-doubt, then you’ll love this ageless adventure.

The Living Sword 3: The Burden of Legacy by Pemry Janes:

Leraine has finally returned home, but the welcome is not as she imagined it. Tension is rising within the Mochedan Federation as many advocate for an end to the long peace and a return to the glory of war.

She sets off to the most important festival of the Mochedan, hoping to preserve the peace for at least a little while longer. Eurik joins her, to help his friend and to finally find the answers about his parents he’s been chasing since he left the island.

What they find is theft, murder, and a conspiracy to end their world.

Sons of Brutality by Daneil Jeudy:

A SATANIC SNUFF CLUB

A RUTHLESS VIGILANTE

AN INTRICATE WEB OF DECEPTION

WHO CAN YOU TRUST?

Los Angeles is a city under siege.

When Detective Addison Mowbray begins investigating the murders of two young women in the Hollywood Hills, he can’t imagine where the case will lead. He suspects the crimes were inspired by an occult fascination, due to some missing body parts and the inverted Christian cross branded on the victims’ breasts. But apart from Addison’s temperamental partner, Jed, the only other person keen on them pursuing that line of investigation is Lilly Coniglio, a medical examiner from the Coroner’s Department. The LAPD is already under immense public pressure due to all the bad press another killer – a vigilante – has brought to their door: it’s been over a year since the first organized-crime figure showed up full of holes, with a plastic police badge beside his body.

As Addison and Jed navigate a murky, disturbing occult landscape in search of answers, they uncover something even more terrifying than a killer hiding in the shadows: an organization so vile and powerful that it changes their lives forever. These two troubled detectives are all that stand between this organization and a spectacular season of carnage.

Set against a backdrop of urban bleakness and social inequality, Sons of Brutality combines deeply flawed protagonists with human monsters, integrating strong dialogue, violent action and gripping Suspense.

Freaky Gifts by Amanda M. Lee:

Winter break is upon Mystic Caravan, which is supposed to mean a full month of rest and relaxation. Upon arriving at their destination, however, Poet and company find that murder isn’t far behind.

Their off-season park is full of paranormals – something that normally makes Poet comfortable – but the death of a local girl points to one of their own being the culprit. Even though she’s supposed to be taking it easy, Poet can’t stop herself from digging … and it leads her on a wild ride.

Florida is hot, humid and bursting at the seams with supernatural friends. Unfortunately for Poet, it’s also home to an ex-boyfriend who can’t quite let go. Since he’s a police officer … and looking at Mystic Caravan’s cadre of weirdos as potential murder suspects … that only makes things all the more difficult.

It’s up to Poet to find the real culprit even as a shadowy and powerful figure stalks her. Kade’s magic is growing but he’s still learning, which makes for some hard battles. On top of that, he’s keeping a secret with Luke, which has Poet teetering on the edge of sanity.

It’s supposed to be a break, not a break from reality, but Poet is ready to fight for her future. It’s going to take everybody working together to figure out the truth … and give Poet the one thing she’s always wanted above all else.

Peace.

Impulse by Ken Lozito:

Over the years, Connor has pieced together evidence of a mysterious group of aliens who roamed the multiverse and have been to New Earth.

Setting off to make new discoveries about them is straightforward enough, but this is New Earth, and Connor Gates has a knack for finding trouble.

For over twenty years, Connor and Diaz have been friends. They’ve survived two wars and have seen the best and the worst of each other. When a terrorist attack takes the life of Diaz’s son, their friendship will be pushed to the breaking point.

To find who is responsible, Diaz is willing to cross as many lines as it takes. Connor will do everything he can to protect his friend, even from himself. It’ll take everything he’s got to find who is responsible while preserving a peaceful coexistence with New Earth’s inhabitants.

Sometimes protecting your friends is a lot tougher than fighting your enemies.

The Raven Thief by Ashley Olivier:

Enya has a few very simple goals in life.

Take down a tyrannical king, give her gang a decent life, become the leader of Skeyya’s rebellion, and maybe become slightly more rich along the way.

Okay, so maybe those goals aren’t so simple. And everything comes at a cost in the capital streets of Arden; King Eamon is after her head, and shadows lurk around every corner, waiting to spill secrets and blood.

After being captured and sentenced to death in the esteemed royal palace, Enya never expected to run into three princes who need her help—and especially not ones thought to be dead for over a decade. An impossible quest is proposed; an ancient evil is rising, and only they can stop it. The Crimson Witch, a faerie demon imprisoned in the Black Lake, along with her undead army of ghouls.

Enya has now found herself caught in a web of darkness and deceit as she guides these princes and her right-hand man, Carson, on a journey to track down the magical artifacts needed to take down the Crimson Witch once and for all.

Love, friendship, and bravery will all be tested. Can three princes and a thief save the world?

Revelation by Rick Partlow:

Ryan Hendrix is dead…
…Or so his family, his girlfriend, and his fellow Marines think.

Terribly wounded during the battle for Hermes, Ryan Hendrix was repaired with cybernetics, transformed into a weapon by Fleet Intelligence…and covertly dropped onto the enemy-occupied colony at Aphrodite to sabotage the enemy and build up a civilian resistance.

While Ryan fights the real battle behind enemy lines, Travis Miller and Jessica Leer struggle with politics…and their new commands. The Earth government is too scared of losing more cruisers to try to take back the occupied colonies, so Travis and Jessica find themselves stuck raiding enemy outposts, trying to draw their attention away so Ryan and the rest of his commandos can do their job.

But Travis Miller didn’t get to be the head of the largest task force in human history by sitting back and doing what he’s told. And when one of those raids turns up key intelligence, Travis will do whatever he has to in order to get back in the real fight.

Tales of Fál by Kyle Alexander Romines:

Welcome to the world of Fál.

A murderous outlaw confronts his past.
A princess has a monster at her mercy.
A desperate woman turns to a dark sorcerer for help.
A young magician learns to follow her heart.
An aging warrior makes his last stand.

Dive into a new fantasy world full of monsters and magic in the Tales of Fál, featuring over 500 pages of stories of heroes, villains, and everything in between.

Fortitude by Glynn Stewart:

An offer that no one else could match
A mission that no one else could achieve
An enemy only a few know they share…

Commodore Kira Demirci is now the commander of a small but powerful mercenary force—one of the most dangerous in the cluster of stars she now calls home. Her own actions have brought peace to the Syntactic Cluster, though, and a mercenary is in limited demand.

A mutual interest brings her into the circle of the heir to the Royal Crest, a wealthy kingdom dozens of light-years away. Jade Panosyan has a nightmare brewing—and a plan to deal with it.

In the Crest, a powerful political party beholden to Kira’s own enemies is maneuvering to remove Jade’s father before he can free a dozen star systems from the clutches of the Equilibrium Institute. If they are to fail and the Institute’s plans be thwarted once more, Jade Panosyan needs someone to complete an impossible mission.

The payment? The fleet carrier Fortitude, unmatched by any ship within a hundred light-years.

The catch? Kira Demirci has to capture the carrier—from the elite forces of her employer’s nation!

Metal Warrior: Fist of Steel by James David Victor:

Sometimes, your only option is to surrender to a higher power. Of course, that option usually isn’t very good either.

A military sci-fi adventure from Amazon All-Star author James David Victor

Humanity is in shambles and its defenses have been destroyed. With no other apparent options, the Council of Worlds decides to seek peace with the Exin. Sure that this can come to no good, Dane Williams and the remaining metal warriors set out on a desperate mission to make peace the only way that will truly work. To put an end to the Exin threat once and for all. Can Dane stop the unstoppable alien force or is humanity truly doomed?

Metal Warrior: Fist of Steel is the last book in the Mech Fighter series. If you like fast-paced space adventures with engaging characters and exciting battles, you will definitely want to see how the Metal Warriors save mankind, or if they can.

Foxhunt by Rem Wigmore:

In a lush solarpunk future, plants have stripped most of the poison from the air and bounty hunters keep resource hoarders in check. Orfeus only wants to be a travelling singer, famed and adored. She has her share of secrets, but she’s no energy criminal, so why does a bounty hunter want her dead? Not just any bounty hunter but the Wolf, most fearsome of all the Order of the Vengeful Wild. Orfeus will call in every favor she has to find out, seeking answers while clinging to her pride and fending off the hunters of the Wild. But she isn’t the only one at risk: every misstep endangers the enemies she turns into allies, and the allies she brings into danger. There are worse monsters than the Wolf hiding in this new green world.

“It’s an inclusive, optimistic vision of the future, rounded out by beautiful imagery and an effortlessly diverse cast. This enthralling story is a winner.” Publishers weekly (starred review)