Sidearm & Sorcery Volume One

by Bryce Beattie, Jay Barnson, Misha Burnett

In the modern world, paranormal dangers lurk all around. When there is no chosen one to be found, no altruistic half-vampire around, and no superheros flying overhead, it's up to average people to do the business of defeating evil. They have no powers, no prophecies, and all the odds are stacked against them. In this short story collection, regular folk find themselves up against nightmare creatures, conniving warlocks, and all manner of supernatural dangers. All set in contemporary environments. Read these nine new tales of magic and adventure today. This anthology contains the following Flight Response by Jay Barnson An army helicopter pilot has a harrowing experience with a mind-controlling sorcerer in Vietnam. Several years later, the sorcerer has resurfaced, but will this wild chance at revenge end in tragedy? Small Town Sorcery by Bryce Beattie Supernatural terrors plague a child at night, and her father doesn't seem to be concerned. What nightmare is he trying to hide? In The Forests Of The Night by Misha Burnett Politics. Power always brought out the politicians, looking for an angle to drive in a wedge and gain some leverage. Magic was power, money was power, and this case was dripping with both. From the case files of Erik Rugar comes another tale of magic, mystery, and a detective who is always over his head. La Bruja by Carlos Carrasco A New Orleans Police Detective and an Exorcist join forces to rescue a young girl from the clutches of a demonic cult. The trail leads them into the bullet-riddled inner-city streets of the Big Easy where lives and souls are held cheap and rival gang-bangers wage a bloody race war. Living Land by JD Cowan After the show, a rockabilly drummer follows a girl who looks like she might be in trouble. The two are swept away into an unexplainable land, where existence turns in on itself. Under a Mango Sun by Michael DeCarolis An agent of Thailand's supernatural crime division must infiltrate Bangkok's seedy underbelly to get to the bottom of an enchanted animal smuggling ring, where she finds herself in over her head. The Undying Past by Dale W. Glaser A private investigator is coerced into tracking down the cause of a curse on an ancient manor. Will he find the answer before the curse claims his life? Green Shadow by Jason J. McCuiston Some New Age cults are fads. Some are nefarious. A rare few actually worship dark gods. When an Afghanistan vet is hired to bring back a runaway girl, he comes face-to-face with the latter. Prey of the Hamadame by Mark J. Schultis A mysterious beast is preying on factory workers. A pregnant woman's husband has disappeared. Can an outcast detective find him before it is too late?

270 pages, Paperback

First published December 16, 2021

About the author

I’m addicted to pulp-styled fiction. When I was a kid, some careless adult left a tape with several episodes of “The Shadow” lying around. After I listened to that, I was hooked. Pretty soon, audio just wasn't enough and I moved on to to the paperback stuff. At first it was just hardboiled detective fiction, but then I started reading old Conan stories and yarns about John Carter of Mars. Now I'm pretty hopeless. In fact, I'm so deep into pulp fiction that I write my own. I also write stuff for my kids.

In real life, I'm the entire IT department at a real estate investment and management company. I usually just tell people that I'm a programmer, because that's my favorite part (& the largest part) of my job. In a perfect world, however, I'd be a full-time writer.

Other stuff: I’m very religious (LDS). Politically, I am just about a Libertarian. I love my family (a wife, three little girls, and a son). I enjoy radio theater, swing dancing, jazz and blues music, firearms, writing, reading and I believe in being prepared, laughing often, and showing respect to people around me.

Now you know everything.

Reviews

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a neat idea, and I didn't consider moving on without finishing it, but it wasn't way up there on my favorites list, either. I appreciated that the authors dipped into lesser known cryptids in many of the stories, and I certainly remember necessity of "show don't tell", but too many times I was just left wondering if the author had just made up words rather than it being some beasty I hadn't heard of before. Also, the arc of several of the stories was too shallow. There was a plot and a goal, but it just didn't feel compelling or like anything of note was accomplished/resolved.

I've never written anything, and I know it is easier to criticize than it is to create. So bravo to these authors for getting their stories published. And really 3 stars isn't a bad book in my opinion, if I saw volume two somewhere, I would likely add it to my TBR stack.

[Daniel Hede · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun break from the usual fantasy tropes.

This collection of short stories utilizes the medium well. The authors did great jobs of creating interesting and varied worlds, characters, settings and premises, and managed satisfying ends. There are some stories in this connection I would have really enjoyed reading as full-sized novels, but they did a solid job of leaving me wanting more.

[Richard Valentine · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was so-so. All the authors wanted to write like the Dresden Files, but only a few succeeded, and even then only the last story was engaging. It's hard to do because you have to have a story that is equal strong characterization, background color, and plot. Many of them couldn't pull all three off. But these are lesser known authors, and they're published, so they can try again with their next book.

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

pulp sorcery

A gun jaunt through a collection of well written short stories that are Pulp in feel. Mostly urban fantasy. Well worth the price of admission.

[Nathan Shumate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better-than-average anthology of urban action fantasy.