Category Archives: science fiction

Dastaan World Magazine Has Accepted “The Unreal Man” for Publication

dastaam

Would it be too much to say that I’ve been waiting all my life for this story to see the light of day?

Well, maybe not all my life, but Jonathan Cypher has been part of me in one incarnation or another for over forty years.

Mark at Dastaan Magazine just accepted “The Unreal Man” for the “Quantum” themed issue of that periodical. He accepted the 5,000 word tale as opposed to the 10,000 expanded tome I originally submitted, but at least Jonathan’s name will be out there.

Here’s a couple of excerpts:

Continue reading →

Lyla El Fayomi’s “Terminum” Revisited

terminum

Cover art for the novel “Terminum” by Lyla El-Fayomi

You may have read my review of Lyla El-Fayomi‘s novel Terminum about ten days or so ago. As I mentioned in the original review, I wrote it for Reedsy Discovery at their invitation. Today, my review went live. I was surprised at the response.

Ms. El-Fayomi made her name unavailable on the review and presumably in Discovery. She wrote this comment by way of an explanation:

IMPORTANT MESSAGE: Despite the large area it occupies, the lengthy review of Terminum featured on the Reedsy book page WAS NOT written by a professional in the field. It is simply one man’s opinion. Please treat it as such. You may find your reading experience to be entirely different from his.

In spite of her obvious intelligence and education, I don’t think she understands what a book review is.

Continue reading →

My Short Story “Surtr and the Phoenix” Has Just Been Accepted by “Dastaan World Magazine”

dastaan

Screenshot of Dastaan World logo

Addendum, June 14, 2020: I just got an email from the editor reversing his decision and saying this story didn’t fit the Rebirth theme. This is the first time ever that I’ve had a story accepted and then subsequently rejected. Not sure what to think.

Original Announcement: My short story “Surtr and the Phoenix” has been accepted into an issue of Dastaan World Magazine, a Pakistan-based periodical, with the theme “Rebirth”

I’d originally written the tale as a charity submission to an Australian publication trying to raise funds for victims of the Australian Bushfires early this year. They rejected it, which is fine and dandy, since it’s a science fantasy tale and not your typical “wildfire” story.

I’ve submitted to Dastaan in the past, but the magazine went dark for many months. They finally put together a new editing team and…

Continue reading →

My Copy of “A Mighty Fortress” Has Arrived

mormon

© James Pyles

Some time ago, I announced that my short story “The Deseret War” had been published in the Immortal Works anthology A Mighty Fortress: A Mormon Steampunk Anthology Book 4 edited by Holli Anderson.

There was some sort of snafu with the mailing, and I never got my copy of the book…

Continue reading →

Book Review of “Terminum”

terminum

Cover art for the novel “Terminum” by Lyla El-Fayomi

Disclosure: This is my first review of an indie SciFi book for Reedsy Discovery. In exchange for a free digital copy of a book, they ask that the writer craft a review of between 300 to 400 words in length and have it published on their site prior to a specific date. Basically, it’s free promotion for the book, Reedsy, and the reviewer.

I chose Lyla El-Fayomi’s Terminum to review because the premise was compelling. An experimental virus stops people from aging but at random points in their lives. However, the darker side is that some of those infected will be abruptly killed by an unknown side effect called Sudden Death Syndrome.

In investigating a cure, scientists Yasmine Holloway and Leo Genix suddenly become fugitives, being hunted down both by law enforcement and bounty hunters. They are thrust into the shadowy realm of a group of covert operatives who have, perhaps for decades, been aware of a conspiracy to hide the truth about the virus and to prevent them from ever delivering a cure.

Continue reading →

Saturn Writing Challenge?

saturn

Promotional image from Zombie Pirate Publishing

With so much going on in my life just now, I said I wouldn’t try to do this, but the theme is so compelling. I mean, I can probably write between 12,500-15,000 words in a week (starting tomorrow), but would it be any good?

Saturn. My favorite planet (outside of Earth) in the solar system just behind Mars (and I’ve written enough about Mars lately). I’ve even got a concept in mind. Am I crazy?

Continue reading →

“The Babel Project” Has Been Accepted Into the Terror Tract Anthology “7 Deadly Sins”

7

Promotional image from Terror Tract Press

Yesterday, I published a bit of a tease, but have since been given permission to make a more complete announcement.

My short story “The Babel Project” has been accepted into the Terror Tract horror anthology “7 Deadly Sins”. Not including the Sweetycat Press contest winner and the Reedsy publication, that’s nine stories accepted into anthologies and periodicals so far for 2020.

You may recall that my short story From Deep Within the Skin has been published by the same press in the anthology Infestation.

Both horror stories are presented in a science fiction context, but where the former included both homegrown and alien creepy crawlies, this one, like so many other stories these days, focuses on a global pandemic threatening to wipe out all human life.

Continue reading →

Submission “Growing Up” Accepted into Reedsy Contest

growing up

Image taken from the short story’s reedsy page.

No, it doesn’t mean I won the contest, but at least I’m a contender. The prompt is:

Two people who thought they were the last people left on Earth end up meeting by chance.

As of this writing, there are 64 entries, so my chances of winning aren’t all that great. Still, I guess I’ve got a shot.

Here’s how it begins:

Continue reading →

Review of “Mission: Outbreak by Michael Gilwood

mo

Cover art for Michael Gilwood’s novel “Mission: Outbreak”

Starting Mission: Outbreak by Michael Gilwood, when I read that 200 year old human remains are found on one of Neptune’s moons, I was somewhat reminded of James P. Hogan’s novel “Inherit the Stars,” which I’d consumed some decades ago and remembered enjoying.

But afterward, there was a significant section of exposition which, I suppose, was necessary to cover a long stretch of history in a shorter span of pages.

After that, I found Gilwood’s novel was a sort of mix between the original Star Trek television series, and something written by E.E. “Doc” Smith.

That’s not necessarily bad as far as it goes, but not only did it seem familiar, but too often repeated as a science fiction trope.

Captain Philip Wakefield and our heroes on the starship Excelsior visit an alien planet in search of clues of perhaps humanity’s origins, as well as evidence that the Earth has been visited before by extraterrestrials.

Continue reading →