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Always Blue
Schulz is an instructor of Wind Tuning at the City Academy, and the man who engineered the greatest work of his field: a Windwall that protects his island city from the increasingly volatile climate of the world around it. When he detects a draft crossing his campus and clouds appearing in the permanently clear sky, he suspects that his invention may be failing.
Stacey Graham, his most difficult student, confirms his suspicions, and Schulz is forced to consider taking action. But is he more concerned with complete environmental disaster, or with losing his cushy post at the Academy and being forced back into active work in his field?
Always Blue is a work of literary science fiction that explores how our day-to-day struggles and inconveniences—irritating colleagues, entitled students, aloof administrators, uninspired lunch choices—can make it impossible to see the real threats to our world.
“John Dermot Woods’ eye discerns detail the rest of the world is blind to; his ear picks up frequencies that most of us can’t hear. His deep reverence for and attention to the precise moment, exactingly rendered, comes through in both his language and his drawings. I always feel slightly spellbound when I encounter Woods’s work, like I’m somewhere both entirely familiar and entirely new. Part campus tale, part speculative fiction, Always Blue is funny and harrowing, a sustained, memorable glimpse into an ego—and a society—on the brink.” — Kristen Iskandrian, author of Motherest
“Some say the world will end in fire, some say in ice, but Woods understands it’s more likely to end in endless departmental meetings and endlessly-calibrated politeness. Always Blue is a cool-headed look at the future that none of us want but that we may well deserve. A subtle and satirical tale underlaid with an all-too-real grimness.” — Brian Evenson, author of The Open Curtain
Stacey Graham, his most difficult student, confirms his suspicions, and Schulz is forced to consider taking action. But is he more concerned with complete environmental disaster, or with losing his cushy post at the Academy and being forced back into active work in his field?
Always Blue is a work of literary science fiction that explores how our day-to-day struggles and inconveniences—irritating colleagues, entitled students, aloof administrators, uninspired lunch choices—can make it impossible to see the real threats to our world.
“John Dermot Woods’ eye discerns detail the rest of the world is blind to; his ear picks up frequencies that most of us can’t hear. His deep reverence for and attention to the precise moment, exactingly rendered, comes through in both his language and his drawings. I always feel slightly spellbound when I encounter Woods’s work, like I’m somewhere both entirely familiar and entirely new. Part campus tale, part speculative fiction, Always Blue is funny and harrowing, a sustained, memorable glimpse into an ego—and a society—on the brink.” — Kristen Iskandrian, author of Motherest
“Some say the world will end in fire, some say in ice, but Woods understands it’s more likely to end in endless departmental meetings and endlessly-calibrated politeness. Always Blue is a cool-headed look at the future that none of us want but that we may well deserve. A subtle and satirical tale underlaid with an all-too-real grimness.” — Brian Evenson, author of The Open Curtain
40 pages, Paperback
Published May 1, 2019
19 people want to read
About the author
John Dermot Woods
14 books24 followersJohn Dermot Woods writes stories and draws comics in Brooklyn, NY. His first collection of comics, Activities, is now available from Publishing Genius Press. He is the author of the image-text novels The Complete Collection of People, Places, and Things, and, in collaboration with J. A. Tyler, No One Told Me I Was Going To Disappear. He and Lincoln Michel published their funny comic strip, Animals in Midlife Crises at The Rumpus. (Now they are hard at work on very long story featuring Werner Herzog as a park ranger.) He is a founder of the online arts journal Action, Yes and a professor of English and Creative Writing at SUNY Nassau Community College.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 15, 2019
Always Blue is the first story in Radix Media's "Futures" series, which includes literary sci-fi and cli-fi stories that can be read in a single sitting. I read Always Blue in a single sitting myself, while sitting on the bleachers waiting for my son's soccer practice to end. I was completely immersed in this speculative world where the familiar is lightly dusted by the uncanny. So much climate fiction is unappealingly apocalyptic, but Woods' story is funny, readable, compelling, and funny (worth mentioning twice). I was reminded of Julie Schumacher's masterpiece Dear Committee Members, but in a climate-impacted world where the weather and wind has been finely tuned and academic infighting continues unabated. This story can be ordered directly from the publisher (link below), as can a subscription for all six stories, plus assorted goodies that come with the shipment of each story. If you're so moved, ask your local bookseller to check out the series and order some copies for the store: https://radixmedia.org/product/always... and https://radixmedia.org/product/future...
June 28, 2019
Fantastic! A provocative futuristic parable, beautifully illustrated.
September 17, 2019
Another wonderful story and a pleasant discovery for me in John Dermot Woods. Full review coming to Three Crows Magazine soon.
November 20, 2019
A beautiful little book with a compelling story. This future is fascinating and feels lived-in—I enjoyed every bit of this story and would love to continue exploring this world.
I look forward to reading more from Woods—and definitely look forward to reading the other stories in the Futures series!
I look forward to reading more from Woods—and definitely look forward to reading the other stories in the Futures series!
October 6, 2019
*review pending*
August 8, 2019
I just finished "Always Blue" and I want a part two! And maybe a movie. I don't like reviews that have spoilers, so I'll keep it short... but there is a character in this story who reminds me of Tracy Flick in the movie "Election." The characters come to life with fantastic detail and strange, futuristic social ticks.
This science fiction series is published by Radix Media and the little books are beautiful, feel good and wonderful to travel with.
This science fiction series is published by Radix Media and the little books are beautiful, feel good and wonderful to travel with.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews