Speculative Fiction—an all-encompassing genre created to describe stories of science fiction, fantasy, alternate history, and other stories that have an element of “What if...” in them. A story in speculative fiction is one that adds an element of the unreal, or asks, what would become of our society if history took a different direction at some important event? Fiction with a little something extra thrown in.—William D. Richards

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Monday, November 30, 2015

It’s that time of the month again, time for “Indie Speculative Fiction of the Month”.

So
what is “Indie Speculative Fiction of the Month”? It’s a round-up of
speculative fiction by indie authors newly published this month, though
some October books I missed the last time around snuck in as well. The
books are arranged in alphabetical order by author. So far, most links
only go to Amazon.com, though I may add other retailers for future
editions.

As always, I know the authors at least vaguely, but I haven’t read all of the books, so Caveat emptor.

And now on to the books without further ado:

Sweep in Peace by Ilona Andrews:
Dina
DeMille doesn’t run your typical Bed and Breakfast. Her inn defies laws
of physics, her fluffy dog is secretly a monster, and the only paying
guest is a former Galactic tyrant with a price on her head. But the inn
needs guests to thrive, and guests have been scarce, so when an
Arbitrator shows up at Dina's door and asks her to host a peace summit
between three warring species, she jumps on the chance.

Unfortunately,
for Dina, keeping the peace between Space Vampires, the Hope-Crushing
Horde, and the devious Merchants of Baha-char is much easier said than
done. On top of keeping her guests from murdering each other, she must
find a chef, remodel the inn...and risk everything, even her life, to
save the man she might fall in love with. But then it's all in the day's
work for an Innkeeper…

In these pages, you'll travel from suburban America to
the farthest reaches of the galaxy. You'll visit New Pluto City and
Garrett's World. You'll encounter the terrors of the Brazilian jungle
and the horrors of American suburbia. You'll meet phantom lovers and
alien she-devils, devious man-eaters, unseen underwater monsters and the
tentacled menace of the fearsome Eee'chuk-chi'up. You'll encounter
dashing space heroes who don't get the girl and bug-eyed monsters that
do. And you'll meet intergalactic heroines who know exactly what they
want from a lover.

This is a collection of six satirical science fiction stories of 7700 words or approximately 26 print pages altogether.

The Vintages by Andrei Cherascu:
Ten
years after the doomed mission to Carthan, a terrible disease is
turning human Mindguards into a threat to society. The Enforcement Unit,
the ruthless, peace-keeping arm of the Interstellar Federation of
Common Origin, has outlawed their activity and is keeping them under
strict surveillance.

Forty-seven prototech Mindguards who call
themselves the Vintages have fled to the Hando Desert and seized control
of the territory's thoughtenhancing drug trade. Under the leadership of
the mysterious Jaycen Nemeth, the Vintages are rapidly becoming a
danger to the IFCO, bringing them into direct conflict with the
Enforcers. As Nemeth’s influence grows among the Desert Dwellers, the
prospect of a new Mindwar threatens the future of mankind.

Two
years ago, Cal Kinsey was an up-and-coming cop in the Aurora Police
Department. But during a fateful nighttime stakeout in search of a
prolific killer, Cal witnessed the darkest corner of his dreams come to
life. A rogue vampire slaughtered his partner—to put it nicely—and
introduced Cal to the supernatural world he never knew existed in the
shadows.

Now, Cal is a newly minted detective at the often mocked
Department of Supernatural Investigations. By day, the agents of DSI are
called “Kooks” by local law enforcement. By night, they’re known as
“Crows,” reviled by the supernatural underworld.

Mere weeks out of
the academy, Cal catches his first real case, a vicious murder at a
local college. An unknown sorcerer has summoned a powerful creature from
the Eververse, a realm of magic and mayhem that borders Earth, and set
it on a dangerous warpath through the city.

Between butting heads
with his grumpy team captain, stirring up ill will with the local
wizards and witches, and repeatedly getting the crap beaten out of
himself, Cal must find a way to stop the Eververse monster and send it
back to the hell it came from…

After
the escalating series of events on Urzra, Captain Branwen Hawke's crew
is on leave, enjoying a vacation at the behest of the Kalaset itself.
But for Branwen, the conflict on Urzra may have reawakened in her a
desire for action that she fought for years to put down.

A chance
encounter devolves into bloody violence, and without the support of her
crew, the Captain ends up in a heated struggle for survival on her own
as her instincts discover a danger hidden in the heart of Incarnum that
may leave her dead, or worse.

Omega Trouble by Eileen Glass:
Alluring
but barren, omega is an unfortunate affliction Skye is trying to
outrun. He gets away with it for several years, fleeing to a new city
whenever the wolves get too close, but his survival mechanism creates a
terrible, unforeseen result. By dodging and ducking every rogue alpha to
approach him, the one that finally keeps up is the size of a truck.
Liam is not a wolf to be disrespected, and Skye is all too aware of his
place in the pack. Natural selection has never been kind to him.

By
2081, privacy no longer exists. The Lattice enables anyone to re-live
any moment of your life. People can experience past and present
events—or see into the mind of anyone, living or dead.
Most people love it. Some want to destroy it.

Colonel
Byron Shaw has just saved the Lattice from the most dangerous attack in
its history. Now he must find those responsible. But there’s a question
nobody’s asking: does the Lattice deserve to be saved?
The answer may cost him his life.

The Dragon Prince by Patty Jansen:
The
tyrant Alexandre is gone from Saardam, but a new menace has come: the
eastern traders in a ship of metal that is said to have been forged with
dragon magic. They bring a chest of gold to buy an office in the city.

The people don't want them in their town. The Church of the Triune,
which forbids magic, has increased its hold on the population, despite
the Red Baron's efforts to stamp it out.

Newly-crowned queen
Johanna is staring into the empty coffers after the extravagant spending
by her husband's father before his death. King Roald is off in the
garden to catch frogs, and she faces condemnation by the church in the
knowledge that Saarland will need both money and magic to defeat the Red
Baron's army.

Tjety,
an exiled Ranger of Mayat, and Ruia, a young fisherman’s daughter, team
up to guide the survivors of a bandit attack through the dangerous and
rugged Kekhmet frontier. Can they reach the safety of Fort Sekhmet
before foul cultists and their horrible mummified creatures can capture
them?

Flight to the Fort is the second episode in PISTOLS AND PYRAMIDS, an all-new monthly series best described as an ancient Egyptian-themed weird western with magic. And mummies. Lots of mummies.
This book contains some profanity and depictions of violence. Reader discretion is advised.

Four heroes run an errand for the Prince of Archlandia, heir to the
throne, because the King is mad and cannot do the job himself. There is a
report that the peppercorn workers of Torik are afraid to work because a
dragon has appeared and people went missing. The prince has tasked the
three large warriors and the slightly built archer to ferret out the
truth of these reports. Alas, before they even arrive... trolls!

BONUS
Marwyn the dwarf has a tough life at the bottom of the ladder, except
for gnomes, as a servant to a mean old witch. Until he is approached
about a mission to save someone from the clutches of a dragon.

Preserving Eternity by Mercia McMahon:
In
an alternate Asia the Fumetsu are a Japanese-style culture of immortal
beings, who live among mortal human races based on Sri Lankan, Ainu, and
Korean style cultures. Life is tough in their city-state of Chieshi,
which exists to protect the mountain on which the older Fumetsu live.

Mayu
is a champion in the sport of women's sword fighting and a once in a
generation talent. She is also a keen advocate of women's rights, who
wants to cross over to the mountain and change society through politics.
Then a rebellion happens and she has to decide how best to pursue her
aims: by diplomacy or by the sword.

As the Fumetsu are eternally
fertile relations between men and women are banned on the mountain, but
compulsory in the city. Mayu's dilemma is complicated by the love of her
life and fellow swordswoman Yaeko already living on the mountain, and
the rebellion could separate them for ever.

The Blue Dragon by Salvador Mercer:
A thousand years ago, on the world of Claire-Agon, a war raged between men and dragons.
After
an expedition of elite warriors kills an ancient nemesis, Seth the
Sword Slayer, one of Agon’s most feared assassins, finds himself in the
middle of a mysterious string of killings targeting the members of his
elite group.

As the Kesh wizards call a conclave of Agon’s most
powerful realms to Balax, the capital of Balaria, Seth attempts to set a
trap and kill the rouge assassin in his homeland with the help of the
governor’s troops, the thieves’ guild and his own assassin’s order. Seth
must not only save his city from a new threat of destruction, but also
navigate the politically deadly waters of high intrigue from the
gathered realms.

Seth soon discovers that, in the world of Claire-Agon, when dealing with a Blue Dragon, sometimes appearances can be deceiving.

Tim
was just your usual frustrated and isolated teenager until he stumbled
across krono, a new drug which sends him back in time while he trips
out. From the moment he first tries it, Timothy begins a downward spiral
into crime and corruption, all while living through the moments that
led to his addiction. It's a strange and thoughtful journey as Tim
explores his past while trying to grapple with the present and determine
his future.

Ancient Relics by Jim Rudnick:
"Taking
on a new Captaincy with the Barony means that our Captain Scott can now
live a life of ease. His drinking will be tolerated, his hangovers
ignored and he will be in charge of the newest fastest Supra Destroyer
in the RIM Confederacy.

Life is good for Tanner who enjoys his new
ship and the favors of the Lady St. August yet the PTSD he still
suffers from the thwarted prison escape on Halberd still haunts him. He
copes but needs support from loyal friends and that keeps him going.

Except
he soon learns that the simple task of doing his shakedown cruise on
the BN Atlas means that he inadvertently finds a discovery that will
shake the very foundations of science all across the galaxy.

A Conflict of Orders by Ian Sales:
Casimir
Ormuz and the Admiral, at the head of the biggest fleet the Empire has
seen since its founding, are on their way to Geneza to meet the forces
of the Serpent.

On Shuto, capital world of the Empire, the Serpent has begun his siege of the Imperial Palace.

Ormuz
and the Admiral must win their battle on Geneza, and then travel to
Shuto to save the Emperor, to save the Empire. But winning the fight and
lifting the siege are only the beginning. Still complicating matters is
the millennia-long conspiracy which seems to be driving the Serpent's
rebellion.

So who is the real villain?

And when it all ends, who will be sitting on the Imperial Throne?

Rabbit Trails by Hollis Shiloh:
Logan
is a lonely, nervous rabbit shifter — until he meets teasing, gentle
Gabe. He's so drawn to Gabe that he's frightened about what that means
for him. Gabe might be funny and sweet, but he's also friends with
wolves, and he has his own sadness beneath the goofy surface. Can they
make a relationship work? Do they even dare try?

31,000+ words sweet gay romance set in the same world as the "Shifters and Partners" series but can be read alone

Friday, November 27, 2015

And here is our
weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from
around the web, this week with best SFF of 2015 lists, lots of Star Warsdiscussion, the first trailer for Captain America: Civil War, comments on The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 2, the TV show The Expanse and the streaming video shows Jessica Jones and The Man in the High Castle (including a controversy about its ad campaign) as well as the ongoing controversery about the World Fantasy Award trophy.

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

About Bug-Eyed Monsters and the Women Who Love Them:

Six short science fiction stories that subvert the tropes and clichés of
the golden age and caricature the gender dynamics of classic science
fiction.

In these pages, you'll travel from suburban America to the farthest
reaches of the galaxy. You'll visit New Pluto City and Garrett's World.
You'll encounter the terrors of the Brazilian jungle and the horrors of
American suburbia. You'll meet phantom lovers and alien she-devils,
devious man-eaters, unseen underwater monsters and the tentacled menace
of the fearsome Eee'chuk-chi'up. You'll encounter dashing space heroes
who don't get the girl and bug-eyed monsters that do. And you'll meet
intergalactic heroines who know exactly what they want from a lover.

This is a collection of six satirical science fiction stories of 7700 words or approximately 26 print pages altogether.

Excerpt:

Captain Crash Martigan of the rocket scout squad of New Pluto City
was on patrol again, defending the domed city and its inhabitants from
the bug-eyed monsters.
Of course, bug-eyed monsters wasn’t their real name. No, the
primitive species native to New Pluto had a long and official Latinate
name that no one could ever remember. So the colonists took to calling
them bug-eyed monsters, because — well — that’s what they looked like.
For reasons only known to themselves, the bug-eyed monsters had taken
to attacking New Pluto City and its inhabitants, killing the men and
kidnapping the women. Of late, the attacks had gotten out of hand, which
was where men like Crash, true heroes of the new frontier of space,
came in.
The cockpit alarm chimed, telling Crash that a bug-eyed monster was
near. So he landed his flyer, popped open the canopy and jumped out,
looking very steely and manly in his gleaming silver spacesuit.
He took his electro-binoculars from his utility belt and scanned his
surroundings. And indeed he spotted it. A bug-eyed monster — and a
particularly ugly one at that with long, sucker-laden tentacles — was in
the process of molesting a dame. And not just any old dame either — not
that there were old dames in New Pluto City, considering the cut-off
age for female colonists was twenty-six. No, this was a particularly
fine specimen of a dame with long golden curls, luminous alabaster skin
and a fine figure swathed in a clinging gown of red silk. A clinging
gown that the bug-eyed monster was in the process of ripping off her
shapely body.
Crash immediately activated his jet pack and raced to the rescue. For
whenever there was a dame in danger, Crash would be there to save her
like the dashing hero that he was.
As he approached the scene of the kidnapping, Crash noticed that the
dame had swooned in the tentacled embrace of the monster. Well, Crash
could hardly blame her. After all, women were known to be the weaker sex
and this particular bug-eyed monster really was damn ugly.
He took a closer look at the scene through his electro-binoculars and
realised that he knew the monster’s victim. Her name was Geraldine
Carmichael, Miss Geraldine Carmichael, and she had been newly
transferred from Earth to New Pluto City to work as a biologist or
psychologist or nurse, some womanly profession at any rate.
Miss Geraldine had already caught Crash’s eye back in the domed city,
for she was truly a looker. So far, she had studiously ignored Crash
and rebuffed his advances, but all that would change once he’d saved her
from the slimy embrace of the bug-eyed monster.
Crash landed on a rock outcropping overlooking the spot where the bug-eyed monster had dragged poor Geraldine.
“Let go off her, fiend,” he yelled and drew his atomic blaster.
“Eee-yip?” the bug-eyed monster said, which Crash decided to take as a challenge.
Miss Geraldine, of course, said nothing. She was unconscious, after all.
Crash fired his blaster, hitting the monster’s tentacle.
“Eeee-Yaaah,” the monster screamed and let go off Miss Geraldine, who promptly tumbled to the ground.
For a split-second, Crash feared that Miss Geraldine was a goner,
which would truly be a pity, considering she was such a fine dame. But
then she stirred and sat up, shaking her golden curls and pressing a
slender hand to her fine sloping forehead.
“Uh, what… what’s going on?”
“You were attacked, Miss,” Crash exclaimed, “But have no fear, for Captain Crash Martigan is here to rescue you.”
Behind Geraldine, the bug-eyed monster was stirring again, its slimy tentacles reaching for the hapless girl.
“Eeee-yuuup,” the monster wailed.
Crash raised his blaster and aimed it at the monster. “Begone,
blackguard,” he declared. He would have fired, too, if Geraldine hadn’t
suddenly stumbled into his line of fire.
“What are you doing?” she demanded, clearly outraged, “Why are you threatening my boyfriend?”
“Your what?”
“My boyfriend,” Geraldine repeated, “This New Plutonian here is my boyfriend.”

About Cora Buhlert:

Cora Buhlert was
born and bred in North Germany, where she still lives today – after time
spent in London, Singapore, Rotterdam and Mississippi. Cora holds an MA
degree in English from the University of Bremen and is currently
working towards her PhD. Cora has been writing since she was a teenager,
and has published stories, articles and poetry in various international
magazines. When she is not writing, she works as a translator and
teacher.

Monday, November 23, 2015

About Flight to the Fort:

The Scales Are Out of BalanceTjety, an exiled Ranger of Mayat, and Ruia, a young fisherman’s
daughter, team up to guide the survivors of a bandit attack through the
dangerous and rugged Kekhmet frontier. Can they reach the safety of Fort
Sekhmet before foul cultists and their horrible mummified creatures can
capture them?

Flight to the Fort is the second episode in PISTOLS AND PYRAMIDS, an all-new monthly series best described as an ancient Egyptian-themed weird western with magic. And mummies. Lots of mummies.

Excerpt:

The man in dark robes sat astride his black mare, holding the reins
in one hand, with his other hand cocked on the pommel of his sheathed blade.
His headcloth was looped around his mouth and neck. He offered an open-handed
greeting and then lifted his hand to remove the folds of the headcloth from his
face, revealing a white-toothed smile creasing a deeply tanned face. He had a
thin black mustache and a regal, hooked nose.

"Well met, Ranger of the south."

Tjety kept his pistol aimed somewhere around the man’s chest. “Give
me one good reason I shouldn’t shoot you dead right here and now.”

The man’s smile never wavered as he held his horse still in front of
Tjety. “Despite recent events,” he glanced at the two bodies to either side of
him, “I have no quarrel with you. My House and your order have never
encountered each other. Until now, anyway.”

Tjety frowned. “You know my order but I don’t know shit about
yours.”

The man smiled as
he tucked loose folds of fabric back into his headcloth. "My house name
would mean nothing to you, Ranger. We are neither Kekhmet nor Hesso. But as a
form of introduction, my name is Zezago, Deshi of the House of Gintenka.”

“Nice title, but it means fuck-all to me.” Tjety’s gun hand started
to shake. “Why are you here?”

"Reasons well beyond your understanding."

Tjety's frown deepened. "All I know is your men sow destruction
and discontent. You destroyed a village and caused many unnecessary
deaths." He licked his lips, uncertain how much longer he could hold up
his gun. "I expect you're also responsible for the creation of those
monstrous, unliving...things."

The smile on the man's face had broadened at each point, which made
Tjety quail inside. The man flexed his hands, then after a moment staring at
him, dismounted.

"I accept responsibility for all those things, and many more
you can’t possibly know." He stepped to the left of his horse and rested a
hand on his sword's pommel again.

A bright flash from the man’s ba
told Tjety that the man had some skill with hekau,
almost certainly stronger than his own. Tjety reached out and took hold of
Heker’s reins, and slowly started to sidestep toward the tree line. Zezago kept
smiling and sidestepped as well, toward the river, countering Tjety’s
movements.

"What would you do, knowing that I am responsible for all those
deaths?"

Tjety heard the mocking tone in the man's voice, and knew that this
would not end well. In a burst of movement, he raised his pistol and fired his
last two rounds.

About Jim Johnson:

Jim Johnson is the author of the Pistols and Pyramids series as
well as other prose fiction series currently under development. He has
written sundry other pieces of fiction, including several stories
published in the Star Trek universe, and has freelanced for pen and
paper roleplaying game companies, including Decipher and White Wolf.
Please visit www.SCRIBEINETI.com for more information on Jim and his
interests and writing.

Jim lives in historic Alexandria, VA with his wife, newborn son, and several crazy cats.

Friday, November 20, 2015

And here is our
weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from
around the web, this week with best SFF of 2015 lists, lots of Star Wars and Star Trek discussion, comments on the TV show Into the Badlands and the streaming video shows Jessica Jones and The Man in the High Castle as well as the ongoing controversery about the World Fantasy Award trophy.

Tuesday, November 17, 2015

About Preserving Eternity:

In an alternate Asia the Fumetsu are a Japanese-style culture of
immortal beings, who live among mortal human races based on Sri Lankan,
Ainu, and Korean style cultures. Life is tough in their city-state of
Chieshi, which exists to protect the mountain on which the older Fumetsu
live.

Mayu is a champion in the sport of women's sword fighting and a once
in a generation talent. She is also a keen advocate of women's rights,
who wants to cross over to the mountain and change society through
politics. Then a rebellion happens and she has to decide how best to
pursue her aims: by diplomacy or by the sword.

As the Fumetsu are eternally fertile relations between men and women
are banned on the mountain, but compulsory in the city. Mayu's dilemma
is complicated by the love of her life and fellow swordswoman Yaeko
already living on the mountain, and the rebellion could separate them
for ever.

Excerpt:

I’ve invited Shinya to meet me for a conversation at my favourite fighting hall. We’ll take tea and hold a constructive conversation and if that
doesn’t convince him I’ll challenge him to step inside and let our swords make the decision for us.
“Greetings, Mayu. I shouldn’t be surprised to find you at a fighting hall.
Especially this one. Remind me why it’s your favourite.”
“You know that not only is this where they serve the best tea in Chieshi, but also where Yaeko and I moved from friendship to relationship.”
“Just checking I’d remembered the location correctly. Why bring me here?
We’re divorced and once peace is restored you’ll be restored to Yaeko.”
“I brought you here to discuss that restoration to Yaeko. I want to be among those who storm the Inner Gate.”
“No. This is not a walking party. This is a major battle and we can’t place untrained civilians in danger.”
“Others can do the storming and I’ll do the walking once they’ve won.”
“Storming the gate is only the start of the danger. You aren’t a warrior and you’ll get in the way.”
“I’m the best swordswoman in Chieshi and have the respect of many warriors. You should pity whoever gets in the way of my blade.”
“You’re a sportswoman and you worry about drawing blood on a fellow-competitor. Flash your blade in battle and you might remove someone’s head from their shoulders. You’ll feel a lot more guilty about that. Assuming you live to tell the tale, which given your lack of battle experience or training is highly unlikely.”
“My sport grew out of the tradition of Fumetsu women being trained in sword fighting.”
“Yes, to protect your dignity and your children if your home is attacked. Trying to conquer a mountain against superior numbers is very different.”
“What would you know? You’re an archer. For other warriors the battlefield is a sequence of one on one battles, which makes it little different from
a woman using a sword against a male intruder in her home.”
“It’s different because you’re going up against one man after another. As a woman you’ll tire against the men’s superior strength and once tired you’ll be killed.”
“Nonsense. You’re going into war with the Kirigesh, who have women warriors alongside the men. They don’t tire and ask a man to do the fighting for them.”
“I’m not arguing any more. You’re not going into battle.”
“You’re not my husband. You don’t get to decide what I do.”
“You’re a woman, you’re not allowed to enter battle. That’s why you’re asking for my help, but I refuse to give it.”
“To prove I can fight, I’ll fight you.”
“In the hall? That’s sport and you only ask because you know I’m not much of a swordsman. The battlefield will be full of excellent swordsmen, including emissaries.”
“So if you admit I’d win, save yourself the embarrassment of defeat by a woman and accept my victory. Then tell Junji I’ll go in with one of the Kirigesh women’s units.”
“You can’t fight.”
“Prove it. Pit your weak warrior sword craft against my strong sporting sword craft.”
“Swords are too dangerous to settle a dispute between Hotaru’s parents.”
“Training woods then.”
“Okay training woods and each of us have a second to observe justice.”

About Mercia McMahon:

Mercia McMahon is a fiction and non-fiction author, as well as
being a poet. She was born, bred and battered in Belfast, but now lives
in London, when not travelling to research a book.

Mercia's
fiction work is sometimes darkly serious, sometimes quirky, sometimes
serious and quirky and always deeply political. She ignores all rules
especially the rule that she always ignores rules. One rule she
definitely ignores is that an author should not hop from genre to genre.
Her work includes both literary fiction and speculative fiction
(alternative history, fantasy, and science fiction).

In her
non-fiction work Mercia writes in the areas of history, philosophy,
religion, gender studies, and creative writing. Again, the political
angle is never far from the surface.

About the Speculative Fiction Showcase

We are a blog about all things indie science fiction, fantasy and horror. Read interviews with and guest posts by spec fic writers and keep current on news from the SFF world and the latest spec-fic releases.