Friday 27 August 2010

BENEATH CEASELESS SKIES: UPDATE




Win a signed copy of Marie Brennan's new novel--
details here

"And Blow Them at the Moon," by Marie Brennan
A church grim like Margat could taste death, scent it on the air, feel it in the marrow of her bones. Every mortal carried a little bit; death was always a possibility, from accident or disease. But sometimes the possibility grew stronger, closer, when a man stood at a fork in the road, then chose the path that led toward peril.


"Winecask Bellies and Owl Wings," by Liz Coleman
So I made a horse. I made bones of iron and a mane of silk. Tendons of rubber from the king's caravans. I gave it a belly made from a wine vat. Around this I wrapped a skin of black and brown velvet--brindled bars such as no horse had, but that would make a cage to contain its life. I would ride this horse to freedom, away from my prison to the wastes where I’d fly with my sisters on owl wings.

Audio Fiction Podcast 043
"Eighth Eye," by Erin Cashier, from
BCS #49
The spider creeps closer, dragging its meal behind. Moira counts its eyes again. Seven. The spider's the only thing that has reality. It's realer than she is, right now. She's already on her way out--has been since the burns, really. She tries to breathe, but the wrappings are so tight, and the weight on her chest is so heavy.


From the Archives:
"The Five Days of Justice Merriwell," by Stephanie Burgis, from BCS #13
My voice sounds thin and choked when I speak. "Let the soldiers choose for themselves," I say. "Let those who wish to flee leave now, in good faith. I will not have them stay to be murdered for a cause they cannot support. But let food and bandages be stockpiled through the day, and close the gates"--I almost say, at nightfall, but it is always night now--"before midnight. We will hold my father’s fortress until the last."

Monday 23 August 2010

HUB: UPDATE


Issue 126


Fiction
The Nightmare of You and Death in the Room by Adam Christopher

Feature
On Being Scully, and SyFy's new series, Haven

Reviews
Scott Pilgrim vs The World
Changes
Starhyke


Wednesday 18 August 2010

THE LORELEI SIGNAL: UPDATE



When the Dead Lands erupt with Undularnia’s ancient enemies, the Sentinel does not rise to combat. Can a lovelorn girl manage to wake him and save her people?

Maddy's entire life has been cursed by fire. Her parents were killed by it. Her body and heart have been scarred by it. And now her village has gone up in flames and Maddy is being accused of wielding, through witchcraft, the one thing she hates most. What happens when you hide from the fire in your heart? And what happens when you finally embrace it?

When Hamrick becomes involved with a young woman - he fails to see the danger she brings

A whore and a Hestian virgin find out they’ve more in common than they think, when their shadows cross in ancient Ionia.

When you think to call in old favors in seeking vengeance - be sure you don't ask for more than is owed.

Cadida's in trouble again. But then, when is Cadida not in trouble? Captured by raiders, she's thrown into a cave to be eaten by demon. Or is it a demon?

Sometimes even a modern princess needs a little saving.


MYSTIC SIGNALS exclusive story
The Forest Paradox - Verna McKinnon

SORCEROUS SIGNALS: UPDATE


Matters of conscience can weigh heavily on a person - particularly when there is family and a familiar involved.

Everything has a cost and a consequence - the true cost of magic is sometimes only apparent when the magic is gone.



Marjan has always known Irascible, the dragon she is the exercise rider for, hated her. Now she has to actually race him in the biggest race of the season. Will she be able to control enough to make it though the race. To heck with winning -- surviving is the more important goal.

Innates are those who have a specific inborn magical talent - and they are hunted and 'quieted'. Ryal is a mage who assists in hunting these fugitives. However, when he meets a powerful innate, mind to mind - he finds he must make a decision to reveal himself as an innate and be quieted or let this person continue killing others. It is a decision that must be made in a split second.

When revolt brings a disgraced relative of the Emperor back to his home, the body guard of his spoiled daughter learns just how much danger can be hidden by beauty.

A Noble Fir tree is horrified to find himself uprooted -- only to discover he's now human and must help Ann-Marie on her quest.
The King Therein Resides - Thomas Canfield

Monday 16 August 2010

ABSENT WILLOW REVIEW: UPDATE


Under Ravenswing by Lucy Suitor Holt

The Invader by J. Westlake

In The Belly of the Viridian Whale by Sean L. Patterson

Blade by Anne Petty

A Sea of Dust and Stone by Marie Fleming


HUB: UPDATE


Issue 125

Fiction
Jump by Jennifer Williams

Reviews
Predators
Hawkmoon: The Mad God's Amulet
Feature
Life In The Shadows: Joan De La Haye


Thursday 12 August 2010

BENEATH CEASELESS SKIES: UPDATE



Issues now available in the Amazon Kindle Store

"Eighth Eye," by Erin Cashier
The spider creeps closer, dragging its meal behind. Moira counts its eyes again. Seven. The spider's the only thing that has reality. It's realer than she is, right now. She's already on her way out--has been since the burns, really. She tries to breathe, but the wrappings are so tight, and the weight on her chest is so heavy.

"The Book of Autumn," by Rachael Acks
They thought of it as a game, these dusty old men. Tease the dim, pretty little poppet with bits of magic to keep her dazzled and quiet. They’d never realized how much I had actually understood until I’d raised my head from my work and pulled back my hair so they could see my eye, see that I’d received the curse of knowledge. Then they were frightened, and rightly so.

Audio Fiction Podcast 042
"Prashkina's Fire," by Vylar Kaftan, from BCS #48
The nightmares had mostly stopped now, and my face only ached on hot days. I never looked at myself in the stream, so I wasn't sure what color the scars were, but my fingertips told me the skin was tough and dead. As for the rest, once I washed myself out with lemon juice, I just went on with my rituals in the temple, because someone had to. I tried not to remember. Not to let it rule me. But now that he was at the temple too, I felt a little safer.

From the Archives:
"The Puzzle Box," by Chris Tissell, from BCS #25
“You?” I stood, furious, and as I did the red brazier-light glinted on something behind the throne that I could not see. “Did you not have enough of father’s blessings while he lived? He gave you gifts, and horses, and talked of the great kingdom you would inherit. Meanwhile I sat in your shadow and the heap of your scorn. No, brother. For this once I will have something that you have not had first.”

Friday 6 August 2010

A FLY IN AMBER: UPDATE



Stranger’s Child by Anna Schwind

The Capture of Snake-Eyed Sue by David Washburn

Music of a Family Man by Gwen Veazey

Rainbow’s End by Aubrie Dionne

Seeds by M.M. Bergstrom

Wagon Wheels by Angelina Morris

APHELION: EXTRA UPDATE


A new short story has been added to the current issue of Aphelion:

The Sound of Apples By Koos Kombuis
Desmond awoke with the extremely uncomfortable feeling that everything was spinning -- not just the room, but the very earth beneath his feet. And that was just the beginning...

Wednesday 4 August 2010

APHELION: UPDATE



The Navigator By Mark Ward
He had been a farmer, until the spider plague drove him from his land. Now a stranger wanted him to set sail on a mad voyage to the deepest waters known to man.
My Salieri Complex By Marina Julia Neary
Kemp had grown up sickly, an outcast, but had become a star among the students at University College in Victorian London. Then Griffin arrived, and made him seem almost ordinary -- Griffin and his strange, secret project.
The Way of Children By Kristen Lee Knapp
The war was not going well. The sorcery used by the invading Azbeki army, fueled by the lives of children, was too powerful. Mutan had to make a choice...

The Weaver of Gossamer Webs By jaimie l. elliott
The mender had been given an impossible task: heal the fractured mind of the vicious Tyrant, or die.

Homer and The Goddess By Cary Semar
The poet and storyteller Homer had a few things to learn about the importance of pleasing his audience. For example, dismissing the existence of the Gods was a Very Bad Idea.

Terra Incognita By E.S. Strout
They were trying to bend time as a way around the impossibility of moving faster than light. The side effects were...interesting.

Shift / Change By Roland Allnach
The new guy working the night shift at the morgue called himself John Smith. His reasons for being there were a little complicated -- and related to the obscene side business run by the other employees. *** Contains adult situations ***

A World of Good By Kevin Gordon
The Large Hadron Collider had unleashed something that turned Europe into a firestorm that was consuming the world's oxygen far faster than natural processes could restore it. For the rest of the world, all that was left was survival, one day at a time.

The Edge of Tomorrow By Bruce Memblatt
The heart attack had killed Justin Clarke, for a minute or so. When he came back, his view of reality was ... different.

Sealed Away By Philip Roberts
Bill was working another long, cold night shift at the courier company when he found the unlabeled package. He didn't think much about it (although it was strangely warm) until it started to whisper to him.

Awakening By Roderick D. Turner
Jack's best ideas came to him in dreams. They made him the top man at the small advertising agency. But lately, the dreams had started to overlap with his real world.

How Monsters Are Made By Jack Pettie
Dr. Waters had been working with Victor for months, trying to ease the effects of the still-secret childhood trauma that had haunted him for most of his life. But today, she would learn more than she ever wanted to know about him.

Jenny Ogiwara and the AntiFems By Gary W. Feather
Captain Jenny Ogiwara and her band of mercenaries -- the best of Gomez's Gals -- had been sent in to deal with an AntiFem takeover of a mining town on the moon of a gas giant in the Miranda system. As always, the job was harder than the brass expected.

Immortality Bites By Ray Prew
Living forever was no guarantee of happiness. In fact, Tim Adler found it to be complicated and sad -- at least every time he had to leave a family behind, or watch them die.

In The Icehouse By Dave Weaver
The ice core samples taken at the Antarctic research station provided vital evidence in the climate change debate. Unfortunately, it contradicted what the science team had been sent to prove. Now John Mathers had a choice to make between truth and survival.

http://www.aphelion-webzine.com/

Tuesday 3 August 2010

Monday 2 August 2010

ABYSS AND APEX: UPDATE


Fiction
Chinvat Bridge by Erin Cashier
Fairyland by Jennifer Greylyn
Invention by Jamie Mason
Ice Moon Tale by Eilis O'Neal
Prelude to Battle by Gwendolyn Clare

Flash Fiction
In The Bag by Kit St. Germain

Poetry
Frank The Lamp by Rich Ives
Kafka On Vacation by Karen Greenbaum-Maya
Leaving Evolution by Shivani Sivagurunathan
Tiamat by Joshua Gage