M.G. Herron's Blog, page 2

“Centurion” by M.G. Herron

This story was written as part of a short story challenge, where I had to write 5 stories in five weeks following along with a class of fellow writers.

A good challenge.

At the time, I was focused on post-apocalyptic scenarios. Each apocalypse is slightly different, but every story focuses on a young man coming of age in a bizarre new world.

In some cases it was a new post-apocalypse Earth. This story is different. In “Centurion”, I asked myself, what would it be like if a man and his s...

“Make Like the Roaches and Survive”

Some stories begin with a concept.

Others, a character.

This story began with a saying: “only the roaches will survive.”

Some people believe that after the apocalypse, all that will be left is roaches and radiation. I don’t agree. People are resilient and resourceful.

And as long as humanity survives, so does hope.

This story is one of 5 post-apocalyptic sci-fi adventures collected in Boys & Their Monsters, a short story collection about young men facing great odds at the end of ...

“Make Like the Roaches and Survive” by M.G. Herron

Some stories begin with a concept.

Others, a character.

This story began with a saying: “only the roaches will survive.”

Some people believe that after the apocalypse, all that will be left is roaches and radiation. I don’t agree. People are resilient and resourceful.

And as long as humanity survives, so does hope.

This story is one of 5 post-apocalyptic sci-fi adventures collected in Boys & Their Monsters, a short story collection about young men facing great odds at the end of ...

“Gods of the North” by Robert E. Howard

This story is reprinted courtesy of Project Gutenberg. View the source text.

Originally published in The Fantasy Fan, March 1934.

Reprinted in Fantastic Universe, December 1956.

She drew away from him, dwindling in the witch-fire of the skies, until she was a figure no bigger than a child.

Gods of the North

By Robert E. Howard

[Transcriber’s Note: Originally published in March 1934 in “The Fantasy Fan”. This etext was prepared from the reprint in Fantastic Universe Decem...

M.G. Herron’s 2022 year end wrap-up

Dear readers,

Merry Chrismakkuh! I hope this finds you well.

We celebrate both Christmas and Hanukkah around here, and the two rarely overlap, so this year has got me feeling especially grateful.

I don’t say it often enough: Thank you for joining me on this publishing journey.

It’s thanks to you I get to explore other worlds and turn my imaginative misadventures (and those of my uncooperative characters) into novels, books and stories.

It’s thanks to you I have an audience to shar...

“Queen of Space” by Joseph Slotkin

This story is reprinted courtesy of Project Gutenberg. View the source text.

Imagination Stories of Science and Fantasy, August, 1954

Helen LaTour had the best hip wriggle in galactic Burleyque. In fact, it was so good she hipped herself smack into another dimension!…

Welcome to MGHerron.com! I’m your host, and you’re reading a classic sci-fi short story in the public domain.

I’ve curated this set of stories personally, reprinting them here for my own enjoyment, and so others c...

M.G. Herron’s Holiday Book Sale

It’s the season of giving! To help with your holiday shopping, everything in my bookshop is 25% off through December 31st. Use the promo code cheers22 at checkout.

Buy yourself a book, or purchase a gift for a science fiction/fantasy reader in your life.

Nothing in my shop is excluded from the sale. In case you need a recommendation, here’s a prioritized selection of items to explore. I may or may not be biased.

Relics of the Ancients ebooks and audibooksStarfighter Origins ebo...

“Selling Point” by Norman Arkawy

This story is reprinted courtesy of Project Gutenberg. View the source text.

Imagination Stories of Science and Fantasy, December, 1955

A new industry blossomed when U.S. Robot Company put their perfected models on the market. Perfected? Nobody had considered the one defect!

Welcome to MGHerron.com! I’m your host, and you’re reading a classic sci-fi short story in the public domain.

I’ve curated this set of stories personally, reprinting them here for my own enjoyment, and so o...

The compelling case of split personalities in character-driven fiction

Based on the Marvel Comics, Moon Knight‘s Disney+ television adaptation is about a timid museum clerk and Egyptology nut named Stephen Grant. He lives a carefully guarded, secretive life, all of which is upended when his alternate personality, Marc Spector, comes unchained.

If you know the least about this character, it’s no spoiler to say Stephen/Marc quickly discovers he’s been enthralled by the Egyptian god Khonshu. In ancient Egyptian mythology, Khonshu is the traveler, the god of the moo...

Hard vs. soft magic systems in popular SF

In today’s guest column, space opera author Luke T. Barnett joins us to talk magic systems in science fiction and fantasy, illustrating the difference between hard and soft magic systems with examples from popular SF books and films.

Every science fiction and fantasy franchise has its magic system. We’ve all seen the films: Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Star Trek. Whether it’s advanced technology, natural species’ abilities, or literal magic, each story handles it differently.

But what...