"The Ysidra," is about some lowly soldiers stumbling around a high fantasy battlefield in the battle's chaotic aftermath. ThI've got a story in this.
"The Ysidra," is about some lowly soldiers stumbling around a high fantasy battlefield in the battle's chaotic aftermath. They see a dead wizard and some dead knights and some other fun stuff. I was thinking a tiny little bit about Farley Mowat's tall tale about acquiring a V2 rocket in April 1945, but mostly a lot about Die Nibelungenklage, a medieval german lament for the passing of a generation of warriors. BTW, the title comes from a parrot-like bird I read about in a medieval bestiary.
It's always fun to see who gets published alongside you in these things, and the stories I've enjoyed reading so far are:
"Aloof Stars and Their Distant Answers" by Eric de Roulet — a woman travels to a remote mountain to ask a magic statue (?) to help her find her missing friend
"Wizards Unwelcome" by Adie Hart — a jaded jeweller reluctantly teams up for a journey with a wizard.
"Ignorance Is Bliss" by Josie Jaffrey— a demon in lapus lazuli becomes trapped in a time loop while trying to carry out a woman’s three wishes. Some very neat logic games here.
"I See You, Witch" by Zoe Shakes — about a witch on Hallowe'en
I guess if these stories have anything in common it's that for the most part they're strong on atmosphere?
I haven't finished reading this yet, but I look forward to returning to it.
Elfin anthropology. Really enjoyed this, but didn't finish it. Will return eventually.Elfin anthropology. Really enjoyed this, but didn't finish it. Will return eventually....more
There are three great stories in this that make up for the rest. "Love Jobs," about a guy who bonds with the men who tried to mug him. "Harp," about aThere are three great stories in this that make up for the rest. "Love Jobs," about a guy who bonds with the men who tried to mug him. "Harp," about a homeless woman scheming to steal a harp. "Plastered," about a very lonely guy, essentially an incel type before the term existed, who finds sudden popularity when he's injured and needs a cast.
Good but not great stories: "After a Dance," "At Least Pull Your Jumper Up," "Gabriel Ascending," "Here Comes John," "Nerve Endings," "I'm Running Late."
Nightmare Town: lot of action but it's just a guy with a walking stick, so it isn't really thrilling. Reveal is great (view spoiler)[the entire town iNightmare Town: lot of action but it's just a guy with a walking stick, so it isn't really thrilling. Reveal is great (view spoiler)[the entire town is a front for a bootlegging operation and about to burn for the insurance money (hide spoiler)] but just sort of blurted out at the end
House Dick: our first Continental Op story! Reads almost like a Dick Tracy comic, but I loved it. Three bodies fall out of a hotel closet, and it turns out (view spoiler)[it's all a case of mistaken identity in a sort of gang war (hide spoiler)]
Ruffian's Wife: a good crime story told form the POV of a wandering adventurer's stay-at-home wife
The Man Who Killed Dan Odams: the best story so far. Great forward action that keeps you guessing at what happened before the story started, and I didn't see the twist coming at all (view spoiler)[the woman whose house he invades is the widow of Dan Odams (hide spoiler)] which isn't just a twist but lends an extra poignancy to the proceedings. Or rather, it highlights a certain moral ambiguity which turns this into something more than a simple adventure. A western and a crime story, I'm surprised this has never been adapted into a movie.
Night Shots: A locked room murder mystery, or close to it, I guess. Starring the Continental Op. Atmospheric. The villain of the piece (gambling, adulterous, spendthrift scoundrel etc who jokes and laughs at the Op's work) is not the murderer, which is a nice touch. And the solution is inventive but plausible: the old man sick in bed was trying to kill his own nurse because he thought he confessed the years ago murder of his wife to her. He makes it look like an assassin is bungling the job trying to kill him. Even better punchline: the nurse says he didn't confess anything, just made her afraid because he was shouting obscenities while doped up....more
Okay yeah, this is getting five stars because my story "Diary of the Wolf" is in here and I think it's the best thing I've written so far. It's about Okay yeah, this is getting five stars because my story "Diary of the Wolf" is in here and I think it's the best thing I've written so far. It's about werewolfery and it's set in Samuel Pepys' 17th-century London and written in the style of his diary.
But that said, there's a lot of great stuff in here. One of the great things about submitting your short stories for publication is seeing who you get published alongside. Dariel Quiogue's "The Marchers in the Fog" and R.L. Summerling's "Corpse Wax" are both a lot of fun, but I think my story was Matt Holder's "Towards a Justice." What I like about Holder's writing--here and elsewhere--is that he's really able to evoke a medievalesque mind, and the in the course of the story force it to confront something totally alien to its experience.
Also I really liked the editors' intro. Normally when someone tries to do this sort of thing in character it comes off really cringe, like someone doing a bad Stan Lee. But this one was good and I actually ended up understanding my own story a little bit better....more
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