Life is a complex matter, and so sometimes you need a few aliens, werewolves, and dragons in order to make sense of it. From struggling with oneâs career, to finding your identity, to finding forgiveness in myself, Iâve struggled with a lot in life, and these are all things that I tackle in my stories, because in addition to being entertaining, I also believe that what we read should also be insightful.
Many of the stories contained within Joe Hillâs collection Full Throttle are superb, however, thereâs one in particular that stands above the rest, and thatâs Wolverton Station. Wolverton Station is an anomaly, in that most of it is dedicated to fleshing out the main character, a cynical, middle-aged man who works for a large corporation. The story takes a hard turn into the surreal in its second half, but in doing so, it highlights how our protagonist sees the world, and how that world might see him. Wolverton Station is one of those stories that showed me that when it comes to a straightforward short story, the devil is in the details.
From the New York Times bestselling author of NOS4A2 and Horns, and the award-winning story collection 20th Century Ghosts, comes this e-short story.
Saunders made his fortune as a hatchet man for hire and has come to England to do what he does best: chop down the little guys to clear the way for a global firm. But his train north just made an unexpected stop to let on some passengers straight out of the worst kind of fairy tale. Now he's up to his ankles in blood and finding out just what it really means to live in aâŚ
The Lady Astronaut of Mars takes place in a science fictional world, but like all the best sci-fi, it knows to keep its focus on its characters. There are no hour-long passages about future technologies or scientific theory. Instead it uses its setting to tell a human story about the missed opportunities in life and about growing old. Second chances are rare, and sometimes the decision about what to do isnât so clear, but The Lady Astronaut of Mars reminded me that more often than not, experiences are worth having.
Thirty years ago, Elma York led the expedition that paved the way to life on Mars. For years she's been longing to go back up there, to once more explore the stars. But there are few opportunities for an aging astronaut, even the famous Lady Astronaut of Mars. When her chance finally comes, it may be too late. Elma must decide whether to stay with her sickening husband in what will surely be the final years of his life, or to have her final adventure and plunge deeper into the well of space.âŚ
Marriage and Fatherhood in the Nazi SS
by
Amy Carney,
When I was writing this book, several of my friends jokingly called it the Nazi baby book, with one insisting it would make a great title. Nazi Babies â admittedly, that is a catchy title, but thatâs not exactly what my book is about. SS babies would be slightly moreâŚ
Even if you have watched the theatrical adaptation, Arrival, this story is still well worth the read, thanks to its in-depth look at its characters' lives. Stories of Your Life is one of those sci-fi short stories that manages to be both educational and emotional, allowing us a peek into what first contact might look like, and how we humans struggle with the abstract notion of free will. The core of this story is about a relationship between a mother and her daughter, and while I wonât give away how this culminates, I can safely say that it will have you tearing up.
'A science fiction genius . . . Ted Chiang is a superstar.' - Guardian
With Stories of Your Life and Others, his masterful first collection, multiple-award-winning author Ted Chiang deftly blends human emotion and scientific rationalism in eight remarkably diverse stories, all told in his trademark precise and evocative prose.
From a soaring Babylonian tower that connects a flat Earth with the firmament above, to a world where angelic visitations are a wondrous and terrifying part of everyday life; from a neural modification that eliminates the appeal of physical beauty, to an alien language that challenges our very perception ofâŚ
Asimov is known as the grandfather of A.I. Science Fiction, and yet, you donât have to have much of an interest in robotics in order to appreciate many of his stories. One of the best examples of this would be Liar! A story that tackles how a robot, one which isnât allowed to hurt humans, would try to circumvent peoplesâ emotions in a situation in which their desire for career success and romance are on the line. As someone who has dealt with all sides of these affairs, Lair! Is one of those stories that reminded me that no matter what, Iâm only human.
Liam was orphaned at the age of two by a group of giant carnivorous insects called the chitin. Taken in by High Councilor Marcus and his wife, Lidia, Liam was raised with their older son, Randolf in New Olympia, the last remaining city on the planet Etrusci.
Ghastle and Yule is one of those stories that proved to me how unconventional fiction can be. Case in point, Ghastly and Yule is a story about two rival horror filmmakers that, with each subsequent movie, seek to one-up each other, until it all culminates with one violent event. On the surface, this could just be seen as a story about people going crazy, but as a creative myself, I recognized that this story is about much more than that. Ghastle and Yule wants you to ask yourself questions about the purpose of art, the nature of obsession, and how well you really know people, including yourself.
Two warring horror filmmakers are haunted by each other's work in this tense, chilling tale of dark artistic vision set in 1960s Hollywood. Gordon Ghastle and Allan Yule are promising young directors who help reshape the genre. But as their careers take off, will their need to outdo each other bring them to commit acts more macabre than what they commit to film? Told in intimate detail by their mutual cinematographer, Ghastle and Yule chronicles the rise and fall of two geniuses at the stormy height of their powersâand what happens when obsessions go too far.
A genre-bending collection of literary fantasy and horror, Cages of the Soul features 5 different stories, each centered around characters that are trapped. Some by social, some by physical, and some by psychological circumstances.
Margaret OâKeefe, a horse farm owner, is desperate to save her ancestral property, Needham Forest. When she hears a rumor about a hidden treasure on her land, she plunges into a search that uncovers more than goldâsecrets, betrayal, and danger at every turn.
Caught between her volatile ex-husband, a scandalousâŚ
When Syd Brixton was eleven years old, her identical twin vanished from a park and was never found.
Now twenty years later, Sydâs favorite customer, Morley, is killed in a horrific accident outside the pub where Syd works. Moments before Morley dies, he gives Syd an extraordinary gift: the powerâŚ