This is the tragic story of how one character in my novel The Kinshield Legacy became who he is.
We all know it. As he dreaded, Sithral Tyr certainly comes to understand that his choices have consequences. What he gained the greatest insight into during Sole Sacrifice was exactly how far he was willing to go and what he was willing to risk when the life of his child was on the line.
I have wondered this myself a great many times. What would I risk if the lives of my children were in danger? At what point does the price become too high? What if I don’t know ahead of time?
I really enjoyed this novella about choices and their consequences.
Collateral Damage is an erotic space opera short-story with little emphasis on the realities of space and more on the story between the two characters Meyal and Waryd. The only realistic bit about the Science Fiction lies in the state of the Earth. So, your reason for getting this story would have to be to see what develops between Meyal and Waryd and the story of how big corporations might treat their employees.
Do I believe a large corporation might kill its employee to get out of financial obligations? Hell, yes!!! If there is one thing I have come to realize, it is that the leadership of big corporations will sometimes be so concerned with the financial status of their shareholders and possible deniability that the sky is the limit when it comes to potential nefarious deeds.
Meyal and Waryd both seem like people who want to take care of their families and earn a bunch of money in the doing. Not being supposed to know about the other person and definitely not being allowed to communicate with each other probably only adds spice to their romantic relationship.
The ending of the story leaves me understanding that there is more to come in the future. According to Augustin’s web-site, Collateral Damage could be said to be the origin story of her other work. Collateral Damage was a pretty good story.
Derelictis a proper little horror tale. Even I was able to figure this out. Berg managed to keep the creepiness going throughout the story by little tricks and cues. There was absolutely no doubt in my mind that Derelict was going to have a horror ending, and it did. Cue applause.
While all the horror elements were present in this story about the three space sailors checking out the empty ship, Albert Berg trod the fine line between just enough (for me that is) and too much. I’m guessing my level of dealing with horror is at about the young adult level. Anything tougher than that and I’m frightened out of my knickers. This is one of the serious draw-backs of being a flow addict.
Derelict is about three sailors checking out the seemingly empty Persephone that has docked at their space station on Mars. I would not have liked to be in Warwick’s place as the truth slowly unfolds.
It never ceases to amaze me to find that I am the first person to review a story I like.
When I first saw that Jonas Wakefield was an Imp detective I fell for the abbreviation and thought he was either an Imp or he investigated Imp crimes. He does investigate Imp crimes, but Imp is an abbreviation for implants (the sort that allow you to live your life more or less in virtual reality). Jonas Wakefield is more of a maximalist when it comes to being fitted with the best he can afford in implant technology. His like of staying in virtual reality has made him enough of an expert that people come to him and his semi-partner Reagan King when they need something looked into “over there”.
Reagan King’s profession is funny considering the tendencies of her partner. She happens to be an Imp counselor, meaning that she counsels people who struggle with virtual reality addiction. Each partner depends on the other when their own expertise regarding virtual reality comes to short.
In the story The Death of Jonas Wakefield a husband suspects foul play when his wife disappears in virtual reality. He seeks out Reagan who then calls in Jonas to assist her in this matter. Foul play indeed. As the title suggests Jonas dies and is taken to an appropriate facility afterwards. I enjoyed this strange facility. Fascinating place for a corpse to go to. Not your usual kind of mortuary.
A fun mystery staying true to the genre while including futuristic elements.
Yeongdo Lee (李英道 / 이영도) is a new discovery for me. Considering how poor my Korean reading abilities are, that is no wonder. Again, it was the cover that drew me in.
Over the Horizon is the first novella in a three-story collection. It was released on Kindle for free and boy am I glad I downloaded it. While Amazon shows this short story to be 92 pages long, those pages include a whole lot of intro information at the end about Yeongdo Lee and his other work.
I love the cover. It is a perfect introduction to our story and true to both the spirit and the letter of the novella.
Tyr Strike, our main character, happens to be a human with an orc for a boss. He is the assistant sheriff who does not want to go out into the snow to visit Professor Mataphi at Thuja Hall. Professor Mataphi is acting decidedly out of character and the sheriff wants to know what is troubling him.
What Tyr Strike ends up having to deal with is the rescue of the soul of a violin from the thief Horizon.
In a sense it is almost as if Over the Horizon is a ghost story in the way it is presented. But it isn’t. Not really. But it is eerie and thought-provoking. Most of the thought-provocation comes from me being a Viking caught in the grip of the faery world presented in a Korean manner (translated into English).
The Atrocity Archives consists of two stories: The Atrocity Archive and The Concrete Jungle.
“Saving the world is Bob Howard’s job. There are a surprising number of meetings involved.” (The Atrocity Archives)
I have an admission to make. I do not believe I have ever read any Lovecraft but the Chtuluverse reaches far and wide and has many incarnations. Another admission. I am beginning to see that I do not understand what horror literature is. My placing it in this category relies solely upon what Charles Stross himself has said about his novellas.
The Atrocity Archive has to be a math/computer lover’s dream. It mixes real and imagined theories with abandon and we end up with things like “The Church-Turing Theorem”. Even I have heard of Alan Turing. The theorem itself is, of course, fantasy – or is it? Perhaps there really is an organization out there trying to protect us from reaching into the unknown and dragging out brain-eating monsters from parallel universes.
Artwork by Leighton Johns
In the case of The Atrocity Archive this parallel universe is illustrated perfectly by Leighton Johns on Deviantart. As you can see, the worship of Adolph Hitler reached new heights over there. But the lovely monster who has taken over the Nazi-universe wants in to ours, and we really do not want that to happen. Unless you belong to the Order of Null.
As a first field assignment I have to say that Bob Howard has his work cut out for him. Although Angleton (boss-man) did not KNOW what kind of mess he was putting Bob into, he had to at least have an inkling of the extent of the problem. Exactly who or what Angleton is remains a mystery. I find myself curious enough about the man to want to get more of the Laundry series so I can find out more about him.
And that is just Angleton.
I have to say that Charles Stross has a wonderful way with the names of his characters. Scary Spice for one. I just about died when Scary was introduced. Then we have Bob’s flat-mates, Pinky and Brain. Pinky and Brain are uber-intelligent guys whose creative genius (and idiocy) are on par with Leonard of Quirm.
Perhaps this is the main reason I really like Charles Stross. His writing has the exact zing it needs to be both funny and painful. Stross excels at the astoundingly difficult art of satire and I love the way his intelligence radiates his writing dragging me along for the ride.
The Concrete Jungle is of the same quality. In these surveillance times it makes perfect sense to read about CCTV security cameras being taken over to wreak havoc in an area. All in the name of politics. Who cares if a a few people die along the way? You know, proper politics. Oh, the bite.
Once again, Bob Howard is called upon to save the day. Along the way he manages to show me my own “Laundry”. And so I conclude with the words of the master himself:
“The Laundry squats at the heart of a dark web, a collision between paranoia and secrecy on one hand, and the urge to knowledge on the other. Guardians of the dark secrets that threaten to drown us in nightmare, their lips sealed as tightly as their archives. To get even the vaguest outline of their activities takes a privileged takes a trickster-fool hacker like Bob, nosy enough to worm his way in where he isn’t supposed to be and smart enough to explain his way out of trouble. Some day Bob will grow up, fully understand the ghastly responsibilities that go with his job, shut the hell up, and stop digging. But until then, let us by all means use him as our unquiet guide to the corridors of the Fear Factory.” (The Atrocity Archives)
This adventure story is about 56 pages long. It is about two mercenaries who make their living selling their services to people Kozef and Ceinan feel deserve it. These two guys live for the fun of fighting. I am definitely not that kind of person. Fighting scares me and that seems to be the problem in Thieudan.
You know, it is interesting how a large group of people is willing to be dominated by a smaller one if the smaller group utilises some form of violence to rule. We do it all over the world. Our governments are one example of people letting others rule on behalf of themselves and the rulers having potential violence as a tool to enforce that rule. If that rule is more or less of a benign character, then hey – I’m one of those being ruled. But if we had moved to Thieudan at the time Kozef and Ceinan arrived there, we might not enjoy life a whole lot.
Using the Tanner’s Guild as our baddies shows us some of their trade. The Tanner’s Guild rule with terror. Punishment meted out to those who do not obey are line with the Tanner’s trade. Water-boarding takes on new meaning when a tanner does it to you. But their trade can also be used against them. I particularly enjoyed Ceinan’s cow-trick.
I have placed Leathern Men as a young adult novel. I kind of feel that the target group is among the younger ones of that age group. There is some violence I would hesitate to allow a child to read, but I’m really not certain about my judgement on this one. Predictability and the clear “good vs. evil” angle is my main reason for placing R.J. Creaney’s story in this age group. I had fun with it.
Family, grief, danger, courage, hope, death, and relief. All of this in 18 pages.
Amund is Barrandal’s sheriff and when the log palisade around the town is taken by a slide and bandits sow murder and mayhem in the area, it is Amund’s duty to find a solution – no matter the dearth of people from whom he can choose.
I enjoyed the way Ross Dupree managed to allow us a glimpse of the many lives of Barrandal and its surrounding area without detracting from the whole. If you’ve got it, you’ve got it, and Mr. Dupree does.
Earth’s Lament is a serial that is both fantasy and science fiction. I love it when an author defies convention and writes the way they want not the way tradition demands.
Old Earth and the one with all of the fantasy creatures are somehow conjoined through an inter-dimensional bridge. This joining of the two earths has created a unit called Mirth.
The people from old Earth seem to have willingly had their memories replaced – except for a few rebellious humans like Jazz.
Jazz is a Monster Collector. It would be unfair to say that she does her job on her own. Her helper is a demon she calls Ship because a demon possesses her ship. Without Ship, Jazz would be toast – burned at that in this short story called Crash Down.
When Jazz utters these words:
“Besides, what could be more boring, self-effacing, and eventless than tracking a lost dog for one of the Welmont elite?”
you know something is bound to happen. Guaranteed!
Off Jazz and Ship go on a tail chasing, ship shooting, dragon, and pirate filled adventure.
Into the Valley is supposed to be E. David Anderson’s first installation in the Triton series. I believe Into the Valley is Anderson’s first published work. It does not show in its presentation and substance. Into the Valley is an engaging story including elements from Greek mythology and steam-punk (although it might be science fiction instead??).
Every once in a while we make choices that change our whole lives. Lieutenant Aurelian made three of them: Firstly, he escaped his home-island of Akkahellonia. Secondly, Aurelian chose to ignore the advice of the Lighthouse Keeper and his last choice was to dive into the river rather than going across the bridge.
By jumping into the river Aurelian postpones his first meeting with Lord Abraham. Lord Abraham has lovely machines that suck the life out of other people and transfer that life to him instead. Because of his jump into the river Aurelian understands what is going to happen to him before it actually happens.
Aurelian is the kind of young man who believes that one should never give in to whatever life throws at us. Sometimes I am like that myself. At others not at all. How people manage to keep going at all times is beyond me. I know people like Aurelian and I have often wondered how they find the gumption to keep on trying.
“Aston is not what your first choice for a hero would be. He doesn’t fit the stereotype of the (as my favorite label from the “Firefly” series indicates) “big d*** hero” like most in the genre do. He’s the everyman who just happens to get into more than his fair share of tricky situations“
In Seekerthis is how Aston describes himself as well. Aston’s way of making money is as a scavenger pirate and cargo transporter. That means that he cleans up after the pirates if he comes across one of their kills. Not an unknown occupation in today’s world either. Although here we probably just call it the way business is done.
Both Aston and the Seeker are prey to a freelance operator who happens to be the system’s law enforcement service provider. Whoop, dee, doo. Naimakeeda (the seeker) is in as much goo as Aston himself. With his arrival she sees the light at the end of the tunnel appear knowing that it is not a train. I guess there must be some advantage to not being able to avoid knowing what is going on inside people’s heads.
Seeker is a space opera with most of its focus on characters. The one bit of tech that we kind of get to know about is “Jeanie”. Other than that the novella is an adventure story for young adults with pirates that you see and pirates that you do not see. The biggest pirate of them all is the man who is supposed to uphold the law. Tsk, tsk, corrupt politicians – whoever heard of such a thing???
This is a light and easily accessible read in the form of a short-story/novella.
Poor Eugene. His curiosity is as mine – incorrigible. You just know he is going to get himself into trouble with it. And he does. Does he ever.
This is when he should have stepped from the restroom, allowed the door to swing shut behind him, this is when he should have made a beeline to his brother’s Volvo and never looked back, purged his memory of what had transpired, of the stench, of its source, that wraithlike man who he felt with near certainty was not a man at all. But alas, …
And so the apocalysm begins – with a visit to the bathroom.
The characters were great. I got a pop-idol (not mentioning names) sensation with “perfect” Priscilla describing Lukey Grail. And then we have her little brother Warren! What a wonderful description of just how obnoxious 10 year old siblings can be.
Eugene and the siblings were my favorites. All three of them are incredibly pains, yet somehow likeable.
Luna Perez is the kind of person who has seen the underbelly of life and survived all it has thrown at her thus far. Whether she survives what Eugene brought into the world is difficult to say.
A Pale Horse perfectly illustrates what modern transportation can mean when it comes to disease. The swine-flu comes to mind.
Adam Wolf has stated that A Pale Horse will come in installments. The ending of episode 1 was in a perfect spot. I did not feel as though I was left hanging at all and actually thought it was the end – albeit an abrupt end. Now I know better and will probably get the second installment.
The author warns of R-rated content. There wasn’t – not in Norway anyways. But if you do not like “bad language” you will be in trouble.
What should have been a brief, bloody battle wound up lasting for hours – partially due to the Robes’ fervor and zealotry in defending their cause and partially because of the Armoreds’ fervor and zealotry to their cause… but mostly because no one remembered to bring weapons that night.
It was a grisly scene of hand-to-hand combat. Since neither of these factions was all that skilled in personal, up-close, manual de-life-ing, the majority of the battle resembled high-school slap-fights. And it takes more than a little bit of time to slap someone to death.
These two paragraphs best describe why I enjoyed Some Summonings are Suspect. All 13 pages are pretty much this irreverent and silly. Not smiling was impossible and it feels really good to finish a story with a smile and a giggle. I love it when authors treat us humans as the silly creatures we are. Humans aren’t the only ones who are treated with humor. Mr. Somogyi‘s demons are a treat. I had a fun time with this short story.
Perhaps we might call the zombies in The Finishers “Flippers” since they rose after the world seemed to “flip”.
We meet Tobias and Archer who get paid for making sure the dead remain lying down. They finish what death began. The only way to do that is to shoot the flippers in the head.
“Sometimes”, said Archer, “I really hate this job”.
Our Lady of Wolves adds itself to the list of bleak stories I have been reading ever since I discovered folk-tales way back in my childhood. Bleak and grim stories about people having to deal with the harsher sides of life, some of them quite horrible. Like the decimation of Kelly’s village. But life is like that. Sometimes there are no happy endings, only less worse ones.
Kelly’s faith in her Lady of Wolves was rewarded albeit differently from what she had thought but in line with Kelly’s prayers. A wonderful story about 26 pages long showing us desperate moments in a bunch of desperate people’s lives.
Author’s note:
humanitysdarkerside 