Daily Science Fiction: August Review

written by Frank Dutkiewicz

This marks the end of Daily Science Fiction‘s first year run. We have managed to read and review every story for you. It saddens me that no one else has bothered to do that (at least none who I am aware of), but a lack of reviews hardly is an indication of a publications success. More on that laterâ€

 

The Stories

“Hints of the Apocalypse” by K.G. Jewell (debut 8/1 and reviewed by James Hanzelka)

Three people are discussing love, life and the end of the world, just minutes before the end of the world as they know it. It’s not a discussion in the traditional sense of the word, but a series of flash fiction vignettes dealing with the subject.

This story reminded me of an old Twilight Zone episode where a demented man brings together three people who he believes has wronged him before the world is destroyed. In the twilight zone episode, however, it’s all in his mind. In this story the end is know up front, only how we get there is unknown. Nice story, cleverly crafted.

 

“Trails” by James Bloomer (debut 8/2 and reviewed by James Hanzelka)

Clarke meets Anna at a Trails art party, a party to appreciate the artistry created by the tracking devices everyone uses. It turns out however it’s really a party to eliminate the tracking devices controlling everyone’s lives. When the authorities show up to arrest everyone “going off the Grid.” Will Clarke and Anna be thrown into camps or can they save themselves?

This story is very similar to one which won a “Writers of the Future” contest a few years back. A cautionary tale of how technology, which is supposed to help us, is controlling our lives. In both stories it is a trail back to less technology that is the key to survival. Good story, pretty well crafted.

 

When I was asked to review “Exit Interview” by Patrick Johanneson (debut 8/3 and reviewed by Anonymous), I was pleased as I clearly remembered reading it the day it arrived in my inbox–always a good sign. I enjoyed it as much reading it a second time. I just love the opening paragraph:

Stella Laine, deputy head of Human Resources, tented her fingers, looked me in the eye, and said, “Your time on Earth is nearly up, Benjamin.”

For a couple seconds I couldn’t stop blinking. Finally I got my eyelids back under conscious control, and, with what I thought was a heroic lack of quaver to my voice, I said, “Do you really have that kind of power?”

As you may suspect the story is an interview–albeit a rather surreal one–between an employee and a human resources officer.

I really enjoyed the story. I thought it was well written, interesting, with good dialogue and humour sprinkled throughout. In fact I have nothing negative to say. A simple idea, well executed.

Recommended

 

The son of a woodworker is drawn toward a strange girl wearing a wooden dress in “The Girl in the Wooden Dress” by Angela Rydell (debut 8/4). Emmett spots the girl standing at the edge of the forest. Her dress is lovelier than any stick of furniture he ever laid eyes on. The lovely girl in the form fitting dress tells a tale of the forest taking her in and protecting her in her time of need. But now that she has grown, the forest won’t let her leave. She must shed her dress but needs the young woodworkers help.

“The Girl in the Wooden Dress” is too short. I was completely taken in by this electric tale. I thought the writing was great and the story exciting. How I wish it were longer.

Recommended

 

“The Last Librarian: Or a Short Account of the End of the World” by Edoardo Albert (debut 8/5) is the tale of a keeper of a library of rare books. The protagonist is a friend of the librarian. When an unknown copy of a T.E. Lawrence is rediscovered on its shelves, the previously empty library gets a sudden influx of researchers.

“The Last Librarian” is the tale of a curator who values books above his fellow man. In fact, he judges men based on how they treat their books. This futuristic society has little need for books. However, the librarian’s stores have a value of its own. Disrespect the sum of what makes man unique and you have worn out your usefulness.

This tale pulled me but had a twist that was more of a cheat as far as I was concerned. I did not appreciate the ending but did like how the story unfolded.

 

“The Recruiter” by John Robert Spry (debut 8/8 and reviewed by Anonymous).

A man in a coffee shop tells an attractive woman about the process of alienation that lead to him becoming an actual alien. In his opinion, some children become aliens via a process of continual childhood disappointments and tragedy, resulting in people who look human, but are no longer human. He seems to relish the fact she is listening to his story and his presentation of himself as an dangerous alien. Of course, things are not as simple as they appear and her offer to continue their discussion the next day may not be exactly what he had in mind…

This story was well written, and carried me along but didn’t wow me. The premise of people being manipulated into becoming assassins isn’t new (The Manchurian Candidate), but this does deliver a speculative fiction twist that is quite nicely and subtly done.

It does play along some well-trodden paths in terms of references (JFK), giving the story, albeit briefly, a grander stage–an easy way to do that. In terms of a cost benefit analysis, I would have avoided that.

 

The author’s comment in “Killer Pot” by James Dorr (debut 8/9 and reviewed by Dustin Adams), “Cast as a conversation between two once-lovers…” helps to see the story in a different light. Perhaps imagining it as a scene from a play.

In this case, being a story, it’s difficult to latch on to what is happening. Because it’s a conversation, there’s no plot per se. Instead, there’s a few ideas mashed together in dialog.

There’s killer pot, the point of which I missed, and considering it’s the title of the story, I probably should have gotten it. There’s the vampire feel, which doesn’t go anywhere, and is befuddled by the mention of going outside, but covering up. Then there’s the interesting idea of someone being “bronzed” while alive, only with silver, not bronze, and smoking pot first, and taking an anesthetic…

I wanted to rate the story higher than one rocket, but I let my emotions get the better of me, which is to say how I felt about the story, and that is: ho-hum.

 

“The Box That Eats Memories” by Ken Liu (debut 8/10 and reviewed by Dustin Adams). I’ve heard said that when judging a story, there are those who don’t take the title into consideration. That the story should stand on its own. This is bunk.

The title of this story is what gets it started, and each word edges us closer toward a conclusion that is both harsh and justified.

Ken Liu brings us a strong idea, a far out concept, and delivers on it in short fashion. The box that eats memories, keeps the bad ones locked away, stored, and hopefully forgotten. Oh, but they are simply waiting.

I rated this story 5 of 7 rockets.

 

“A Gentlewoman’s Guide to Time Travel” by Alice M. Roelke (debut 8/11) is written as a warning to those in our past who are traveling to our now.

This cute tale is a reverse time traveler story. I found it fun.

 

The title explains it all in “How Amraphel, the Assistant to Dream, Became a Thief, Lost His Job, and Found His Way” by Scott Edelman (debut 8/12). Amraphel steals the dreams of mortals for his master, Lord of Dream. He waits by the bedside of the resting, waiting for REM sleep to arrive. He links with the unsuspecting and rides within in their dreams, seizing what he has experienced for his master.

Riding on the backs of a dreamer while they dream is an exhilarating experience. Amraphel is left empty when it is over. To pass the time between assignments, he sits a top of a barstool at his favorite tavern talking shop with his two friends, assistants to the Lord of Love and the Lord of Luck respectfully. Amraphel has often told of the richness of the dream experience while his friends speak of love and luck. Eager to share with his friend’s gifts, Amraphel conceives a plan, one that breaks every rule and has dire consequence if they are caught.

The premise to “How Amraphel” centers around three people who are not quite human. What they exactly were was never explained to my satisfaction, but they all appear to have jobs that determine the fate of mankind. The gifts they dish out are beyond their immortal souls to manufacture. Only when they ‘bless’ a human with their gift do they get a glimpse of what mortals experience. The three assistants only get a taste of their own assigned gifts, so conspire to experience each others’ talents.

I found it odd how beings who couldn’t dream, feel love, or grasp the concept of luck could act so human. How could they be absent of the basic components of what makes us human yet are able to form a novelty concept like friendship? Why even bother going to a tavern to get drunk? It would seem these assistants – who lack dreams, love, and luck – would be incapable of the aspirations to be able to conspire to better themselves, or even would be willing to get loaded as a way of dealing with their problems.

Despite my personal conflict with the plot, I found the opening scene to be a very sharp hook. Solid writing indeed. Too bad the rest couldn’t have pulled me in like it did.

 

In “Spoons” by Joseph Zieja (debut 8/15 and reviewed by James Hanzelka), Maela obsesses over which spoon to use for breakfast. The variety of spoons is in contrast to the rest of her life, be it food or relationships. But today is an eventful day, her first time joining. Can that add more dimension to her life?

This story was a little slow and definitely not for everyone. It uses the every day to give us a glimpse into a possible future where life is as bland as the white porridge Maela has for breakfast every day. It is also a treatise on how even the mundane would appear novel to us.

 

“Our Drunken Tjeng” by Nicky Drayden (debut 8/16 and reviewed by James Hanzelka).

Li and Kae are caretakers performing maintenance on the body of the Fathership. It is exacting work and the Fathership is like us, caught up in our pleasures and comforts at the expense of its body. The caretakers have a full time job to prevent the Fathership killing himself.

This story is not for everyone. It is highly stylized and fairly graphic. It is an interesting take on perspective. It also can be interpreted in several ways. Taken straight up as a story about the caretakers, or as a metaphor for life itself.

 

When Jacob arrives at the scene of a recent suicide by a Hollywood actress in “True Hollywood Story” by Ryan Gutierrez (debut 8/17 and reviewed by Dustin Adams), he is reluctantly granted access to the body. Carrying only a bag, we don’t yet know what he’s there to do. Hints are given that memory is lost after a short time, and a shot to the head really makes things difficult for him.

I won’t ruin the surprise, but Jacob is indeed there to link to, and work directly with, the memories of the deceased. This is his job.

Great story, written well, nifty idea, and fun/unexpected twist at the end made this offering a pleasure to read.

I rated this story 6 of 7 rockets.

 

In “Reading Time” by Beth Cato (debut 8/18 and reviewed by Dustin Adams), A longer than expected nuclear winter has an ordinary family of four huddled within a library. They’ve burned every scrap of furniture, all that’s left are the books.

This is the last straw for the family’s patriarch. Among other reasons, the children having more food being one of them, he fashions a noose, and stands ready.

Although I felt his action a little extreme, the situation made it believable, and the reasons to continue, provided by the matriarch, were just as convincing a reason to stay as the solution the daughter (main character) provides.

Reading Time is a well drawn short story, and as all post-nuclear stories, frightening in it’s possibilities.

I rated this story 4 of 7 rockets.

 

“What Never Happened to Kolay” by Patricia Russo (debut 8/19) is tale of a life and of the opportunities never pursued. Signs of things to come shroud young Kolay when the flowers of Grannie Brian’s garden shun him alone while they hug the other children who play within their rows. As years pass, paths of destiny open to Kolay; paths he fails to pursue. Life passes him by, until his own people shun him, just like the flowers of his youth.

“What Never Happened” is the tale of a non-starter. Kolay is a person everyone knows. The quiet guy who sits alone, keeps to themself, does their job, and goes home. Never interacting with their colleagues. Never maintaining relationships. The fellow who is as unassuming as the bland wallpaper around them. In this speculative tale, real opportunities are offered. Relationships aren’t pursued. Ailments that inflict him later in life are ignored instead of cured. Kolay chooses to never make a choice.

Judging by the way this tale ended, I believe Ms Russo intended a climactic moment to be a commentary of how the pariahs of society have a purpose. After all, even the scary hermit down the road may be useful as the watchful eyes of the neighborhood. The author, I think, aimed to tweak our sympathetic nature and have pity on poor Kolay. Pity is what we can give, but loners like Kolay build their own dens of solitude. We feel sorry for the path they took, but it is their path so we comply by avoiding to tread on it, just as the characters did in this tale.

“What Never Happened to Kolay” is a story of emptiness. Read it, have pity, and live your life knowing you’ll never suffer Kolay’s fate.

 

What a fun story! In “Alpha & Omega: A Co-creative Tale of Collaborative Reality” by Joshua Ramney-Renk (debut 8/22 and reviewed by Anonymous) we have the monkeys and the typewriters premise, but instead of Shakespeare they write something else. I usually summarise stories when I review them, but this one is exceedingly short and I think I’ve said enough.

I thought this was a witty, sharply done piece. I liked the authorial commentary that threaded throughout the story and the simplicity of the story itself. Not the freshest premise, but superbly executed.

Recommended.

 

Elian returns to the place of birth in “The Standing Stones of Erelong” by Simon Kewin (debut 8/23). Her foster mother, Mayve, brings Elian to the spot where she last saw Elian’s family. The stones stand in a circle. Elian knows them as her mother made Mayve sing Elian a nursery rhyme, a riddle, of the strange artifact. Elian stands among the stones, contemplating what the mysterious rhyme meant.

“The Standing Stones” starts off with Mayve retelling the day Elian was born. Her brave family holding off deadly Marauders while her mother gives birth. Mayve and the newborn Elian are the only ones to escape. Now a young woman, Elian wishes to reconnect with her family, touching the cold stones while contemplating of their meaning. Suddenly, with the touch of an out of place stone, coupled with memories of the nursery rhyme, all becomes clear.

I am going to be blunt with my assessment. This tale was excellent.

Recommended.

 

In “Passage” by Lavie Tidhar (debut 8/24 and reviewed by Anonymous) we follow a young American teacher who lives on the Island of Vanatu teaching English to the islanders. While he is there he hears about an infection spreading across America turning average people into mindless drones hungry for human flesh–zombies, although the word is never mentioned (which is odd). The story is really about the young man coming to terms with the news and finding a new place for himself in the world.

Zombie stories are a notoriously hard sell–a bit like vampire stories; so many are written that stories really have to stand out to sell, especially to pro-markets. I can’t say this was a standout zombie story for me. The only thing that stood out was that it was written by a Name Writer. I have read some of Lavie Tidhar’s work and loved it (“Spider’s Moon” springs to mind). That said, the prose was tight and the story meandered to the end with little snippets of insight into the character’s personality. Aspects of it–description–were well done. Nothing really happens apart from the passage of time and the guy dealing with the news.

In the end it was like processed cheese–okay, bland, formulaic but I’ve had better.

 

Love is paper thin in “Heart on Green Paper” by Gra Linnaea (debut 8/25). The two people in this tale are a couple who share a life together. He loves her. She can’t live with him or without him. She leaves him and constructs a living paper origami replica of him; a crude facsimile that fades faster than real love.

“Heart” is a weird story. I believe Mr Linnaea wrote it that way but its oddness made it difficult for me to get into it. The murky/ill-defined relationship didn’t help it. But I did find the magical solution for a dysfunctional woman to deal with her dysfunctional relationship oddly appealing, and like most relationships like this, life goes on even when events turn so strangely.

 

“Inside Things” by Melissa Mead (debut 8/26 and reviewed by Dustin Adams) is a complex tale given its relatively short length. Each word counts in this lovely tale of an autonomous protector who wants to know and be more.

The eternal guardian, like the dragons of lore, protects her mistress from any who would seek to do her harm, or steal her treasures. Yet one young girl passes through the illusions and deadly traps to confront the guardian.

A deep desire to know more than the physical, and to learn, encourages the guardian to allow the girl safe passage to the mistress. The mistress, whose physical body has expired, is in need of a new one. But there is a problem… The body, that of the girl, has been poisoned – by the guardian herself.

I rated this story seven out of seven rocket dragons.

 

“Distilled Spirits” by Andrew Kaye (debut 8/29 and reviewed by Dustin Adams) give us, in short fashion, the delicious idea that after we’re gone, our soul manifests in a manor fit to drink, and that traditionally, family members drinketh from the cup.

At Great Aunt Abigail’s funeral, young Kate must drink for the first time. Having had a difficult life, Abigail’s soul tastes fairly rancid. However, it is imagined that of her son Reed, the family troublemaker, would taste even worse.

Short and original, Distilled Spirits is worth a read. It even comes with a nifty punchline to send us off smiling.

I rated this story seven out of seven rocket dragons.

 

Warning: “Rules for Living in a Simulation” by Aubrey Hirsch (debut 8/30 and reviewed by Anonymous) is not a storyâ€

It’s true–it’s more a set of rules and extrapolations based on the premise that we live in a simulated universe. It is, as the title suggests exactly.

I quite like what the author has done here, and there are moments that make you smile and, though it has been handled skillfully, but it isn’t a story, so it had little emotional impact. DSF have published a few similar stories–one about a cocktail menu is on the edge of my memory–and though I often enjoy the prose and skill, I am left unsatisfied by the lack of story.

 

The devil visits a man who has everything in “What Are You Singing About?” by T.J. Berg (debut 8/31). The devil asks what the protagonist wants. Our man has everything he needs; a happy home life, wonderful family, and perfect health. The devil can offer him nothing, except the one thing not conducive to his wonderful life.

This very brief tale is a set up for a punchline.

Analysis

I have been more than impressed by the wealth of stories I have read on DSF over the past year. The style and genre have varied greatly but the quality has always remained high. Jonathan and Michele have proven to be excellent judges of talent. They have had no shortage of writers willing to contribute, many of whom who have been recognized for their work elsewhere and honored for it in the form of Nebula’s and Hugo’s.

The magazine has had a gradual increase in readership. Word of it has reached every corner of the speculative world (save maybe Tangent Online and Locus), with their recent SFWA qualifications. Most people would call this one-of-a-kind venue a success, but has it made it?

The answer of that question depends on your definition of the term but here is one accomplishment that might help you persuade your opinion. The list of contributing authors to DSF would make a great who’s who list for up and coming talent for speculative fiction, but what the magazine hasn’t had is what the big three routinely get; an icon of the industry, until now.

In a recent Facebook posting, legendary author, Mike Resnick, announced he sold his story, The Scared Trees, to DSF. No one, not Asimov, Clarke, or anyone else, has won , or been nominated , for as many awards in speculative fiction than Mike has. He is a draw in every convention he attends and likely will be a nominee for the next Hugo awards. He is Mr Science Fiction, so it is fitting that he would appear in a magazine that publishes one daily.

Let’s face it, if he would had offered that story to anywhere else, the publishers would have been wise to accept it, sight unseen. ÂThe fact he submitted it to DSF means that he has recognized DSF as a viable outlet to showcase his work. And that is good news to DSF‘s readers everywhere.

My congratulations to Mr Anonymous. He is a very private man, so what the congrats are about is a highly guarded secret. Let’s just say it’s the type of news that could involve miniature baglets in his future.

Pet Cartooning!

written by David Steffen

I wanted to write a post to draw attention to a service that I am offering that I call “pet cartooning”, converting a photograph of an animal into a cartoon image. This could be a fun surprise present for an animal lover, or a loving tribute to your own pet. Here are a couple of examples of the results of this:

Do you think you might be Interested? Generally, here’s what I’m thinking: For $10 paid via PayPal or check, I will take a clear good-quality photograph of one animal, and will use it as a model for creating a cartoon image like those shown above ($15 for two animals). The result will be cartoon style image modeled the original photo that I will deliver via email. Keep in mind:
–So far I have had good results for SHORT-HAIRED animals, with well-defined lines. I have tried this with my own dogs (two poodles and a papillon), and the result did not work well. Feel free to drop me a line anyway if you’re not sure. The animal doesn’t necessarily need to be a dog–I did the same kind of image of a horse to illustrate Drabblecast #67 “Malish” by Mike Resnick. I’m working on improving my technique so that I can handle longer-haired animals.
–The cartoon animal will be in the same position as in the photograph. I can make small alterations like removing red-eye effect, but the photograph will be acting as the model.
–Don’t expect photo-realism. Some details might be lost, but the result is intended to match the dogs image very closely.
–I’ll do my best to get this done as soon as possible, but this will partially depend on the level of demand. If you think you want to do this, especially if you’d like to try to get something for the holidays, it may be best to contact me sooner than later.

The design itself will cost that flat fee. If you’d like to have something with the image printed on it, like a tote bag, a mug, or a t-shirt, I can upload the image to my CafePress store for further products to be purchased. For an example of this, you can see an example set of products here.

If anyone has any comments, questions, suggestions, or if you decide you are interested, please contact me at:

 

Independent Science Fiction

written by Samuel X. Brase

Science fiction often questions the value of success and happiness in the future,usually by contrasting what it means today against unreal alien circumstances. A couple of new short stories offer traditional answers, as well as food for thought when refracted onto the medium of their publication: independent e-magazines.

“Thief of Futures” by D. Thomas Minton demonstrates value in terms of wealth and talent; the story is only concerned with characters who are either rich or possess a very certain innate skill. Everyone else is consigned to the background. “Antiquities and Tangibles” by Tim Pratt examines value through connections and luck; the more social-oriented tools of achieving success and accruing value. Those without connections and luck have no chance of exploring happiness to the extent the main characters do.

On the other hand, the stories themselves have been made available for free on the Internet, by independent publications unrelated to major publishers and the traditional approach to literary success. The medium undercuts the message.

I’ve taken value as one of my main concerns because it opens up discussion to issues that are increasingly relevant within our current political situation. How much do we value corporations and how much leverage should we allow them? The same with political parties, the same with wealthy individuals. Where do we draw these lines, and how do those boundaries influence society?

Independent art reinterprets these questions through guerilla tactics: Free availability of art, approachable artists, new venues. Each tactic challenges formal institutions, such as corporate publishing, by providing alternative means of creating and enjoying art.

Redefining the value of art is important because it helps differentiate literature. Art death occurs when one set of teachers raise generations of students to believe the same lessons and dogma about writing. Established knowledge is not a bad thing, but it is something to be resisted, because progress doesn’t come from the establishment,progress is found on the boundaries, the edge of understanding and form.

Why is progress necessary? Maybe the establishment has it right.

Old forms of art cannot address the issues of contemporary society. Outdated tools are useful, instructional, and entertaining; but they lack the scope our present times demand. Thus, while the establishment may have been “right” when it became entrenched, it has little hope of being “right” now. Is there really any question that literary methods from fifty years ago are able to dig into the issues of our present day?

Independent science fiction can slide into this role. Stories such as “Thief of Futures” and “Antiquities and Tangibles” are the very beginning of the discussion; they speak from the status quo, but are presented through the new medium. Such juxtaposition reveals the demand our present times place on literature. Once the free and immediate nature of the Internet influences stories, twenty-first century fiction will truly begin to find its stride, and will separate itself from what came before. Science fiction is uniquely poised in this regard; as genre writing, it is forced to stand on the outside to begin with,all the better to test form and content. I encourage all writers of independent science fiction to let the medium seep into their writing, to let ideas of free and immediate fiction run wild.

Samuel X. Brase is the editor of Cosmic Vinegar, a monthly e-magazine dedicated to independent science fiction and politics. You can read more about the two stories discussed here in the November 2011 issue, available for free.

Daily Science Fiction: July Review

written by Frank Dutkiewicz

Fall is here but memories of a warm summer resurface when I compiled these reviews from my wonderful friends. The June reviews were ones I reserved for myself but while I worked on them my rock-solid cohorts plugged away at July. Mr Anonymous, Dustin Adams, and James Hanzelka have done their diligence and gave these wonderful works of art the once over. I, of course, couldn’t let them take all the glory so took the time to review a few of them myself. But this review isn’t about the people who do the reviewing, it’s about the storiesâ€.

 

The Stories

“Barnaby: Or, As Luck Would Have It” by K. G. Jewell (debut 7/3 and reviewed by Dustin Adams) is a tale of irony. Or in Barnaby’s case, unfortunate irony. Barnaby travels to an auction in Paris to bid on a simple abacus for his and his family’s collection, but soon finds something much more interesting, a ward of Napoleon, which brings good luck to the wearer.

The ward, however, can only be possessed by someone who is pure of heart, and Barnaby wants it for unselfish means. At first, Barnaby thinks only of himself, and thus cannot own the ward, but eventually, upon rearranging his thinking to that of his sick fiancee, becomes able to steal the ward from its current owner. Only at the last, does he realize his mistake.

I won’t reveal the particulars of the ending, but I will say the clues presented throughout were fairly revealing. Because of this, the story felt long. Once it became obvious there was to be a twist of luck at the end, I found myself anticipating it and growing impatient as the details of Barnaby’s desire and his theft wore on.

Overall, this was a fine story, but it could have been a little shorter.

 

I found “Like the Fourth of July” by John Paolicelli (debut 7/4 and reviewed by Dustin Adams) to be a convenient story for the date it was published, but lacking in being a true yarn.

We focus on a girl renamed Rebekah, who lives among others in a cult ready to cross over on the day of Rapture. Reminiscent of the Heaven’s Gate cult, we’re given a glimpse of what it might have been like.

Rebekah remembers her “before” name and at the last moment, decides not to take her pill and expire with the others, but to go outside and observe the comet which she’s been told will resemble a trillion Fourth of Julys.

This turns out to be quite true as the comet crashes into Earth and presumably extinguishes all life. I’m all for humanity ending stories, as long as that’s the beginning of the story, not the quick end.

 

“UPGRADE” by Allison Starkweather (debut on July 5th 2011 and reviewed by Anonymous).

An old woman’s failing memory is worsened by the fact her implant–digital memory–is failing too. Her grandson arranges for her to have state of the art module to replace the defective unit and so improve her life.

I had a sense of growing annoyance when I read ‘UPGRADE’. To be fair, I always get that sinking feeling when I have a nice mature story idea sitting on my hard drive waiting to be written and then come across something similar already written by someone else. However, this story was well written, and reflected some of the lack of coherence implicit with a failing mind. It was an easy read, but not a standout story. I did think that a little more could be done with the premise, but perhaps that is just me.

 

Is this what the future holds? Is this the extreme of cures in pill form? In “Blink” by Carol Hassler (debut 7/6 and reviewed by Dustin Adams), it is indeed. The pills to eliminate sleep proved to have ill effects, so the next great thing are pills which allow for the reclamation of our blinking time. Seconds a day add up!

I enjoyed this story, and interestingly, DSF broke the story in a place where I felt it had reached its natural conclusion. I then displayed the entire story, but found the additional words didn’t add to the narrative. In fact, they started us in a different direction which was wrapped up quickly, albeit apropos to the story itself.

So, I encourage you to check this story out. Read to the break, or beyond, it’s almost like reading two stories for the price of one. Someone should market this idea. Perhaps there could be a pill…

 

“Off The Shelf” by Gaea Dill-D’Ascoli (debut 7/7 and reviewed by Dustin Adams) represents the idea of purchasing a child. The main character buys a baby boy, after his expiration date, and we spend a few paragraphs reading about her/his second thoughts regarding the purchase. Each time something negative happens in the boy’s life, doubt creeps in regarding the initial purchase.

At 350 words, there isn’t much time to get to know anyone, but the author does a fine job of presenting a problem, and giving us a conclusion.

I found the age of the boy difficult to keep track of. I couldn’t latch on to a linear storyline. I also felt the short word count hurt the story. If it doubled to 700, this story could have easily been twice as satisfying.

Short, and well written, it’s worth a quick read.

 

“Filling up the Void” by Richard E. Gropp (debut 7/8 and reviewed by Dustin Adams) is about an indentured servant who’s paying back a debt to the geneticists that gave him his new wolf body. The repayment is made through filming porno movies with other animal/human hybrids, as well as through individual sexual encounters.

The death of the Big Bad Wolf’s favorite client, The Linguist, creates minor complications to the plot, but major ones to his heart. However, here is where the story diverges.

As it turns out, The Linguist works at a university, “developing computer algorithms to better encode information.” i.e. coding our consciousness into data form. His death – is only the beginning.

This is a love story, told through the eyes of sex, violence, swear words, and blasphemy. (These are the author’s words, not mine.) Certainly this story offers a different fare, but heed the initial warning at the top of this page. If these things aren’t for you, read the following day’s story.

 

“Persistence” by Kurt Newton (debut July 11th 2011 and reviewed by Anonymous)

A pair of brothers have created a machine to bridge the gap between the living and the dead. They try to contact their father to offer him some solace.

This was a brief, well written story with an interesting, but not relatively fresh premise–I am reminded of a similar device proving the existence of Jesus in an another story.

There is a nice twist delivered half-way through the story. Despite being a very short story, it persisted for longer than I expected after the twistâ€

 

“Suspicious” by James Patrick Kelly (debut 7/12 and reviewed by James Hanzelka). After suffering a traumatic end to her marriage and suspecting infidelity Marva Gundersen seeks treatment. Initially agreeing to having a false memory implanted, she now wants it removed, or does she?

This story has an interesting premise and is done fairly well. I was a little let down by the ending because it seemed a little too mundane for the level of expectations built by the story.

 

“Distant Dragon” by L.L. Phelps (debut 7/13 and reviewed by James Hanzelka). Mei Ling is sitting with her grandfather hoping to catch sight of the yearly flight of the dragon. The dragon’s appearance brings the rains that sustained her village, but few are chosen to see him. Mei Ling hopes this will be her year.

This is a nice story about family, faith and the hopes of children. Like Santa, Mei Ling’s dragon is something that transcends the real world, and the author does a good job of transporting us to that mythical realm.

 

“Heart of Gold” by James Valvis (debut 7/14 and reviewed by Anonymous) is a super short story about a man born with a heart of gold, literally. It is written more like a fable. His condition is discussed in the story and compared to other conditions (brass balls!).Then man with a heart of gold meets a man without a heartâ€

I enjoyed this very brief story. It was well written, nicely paced and ends well. Small, but perfectly formed. Recommended.

 

Doll is a new little sister to Jakey, but not a normal little sister in “Still Life” by A.C. Wise (debut 7/15 and reviewed by James Hanzelka). She’s been created to fill the void left by a missing wife and lost daughter. As this family moves through life there are the normal twists and turns, but will the ending be the same?

I found the writing a little uneven in the beginning, but once the story settled in it became better. The story itself has a great deal of depth and touches on a number of different themes. In the end though, it’s a story about a family. The author does a good job of getting you to feel their loss and growth.

 

What if you had a peculiar form of Alzheimer’s? One where you could only remember what happens in the future. How would that affect those around you? Well, in “Deathbed” by Caroline M Yoachim (debut 7/18 and reviewed by James Hanzelka) you are about to find out.

This is a short story with a big impact. Maybe it’s just because I’m getting older, but the sadness and love the author packs into this little tale is touching.

 

“The Wishwriter’s Wife” by Ian McHugh (debut 7/19 and reviewed by James Hanzelka) is the story of a gentle and generous wishwriter and his gentle and generous wife. The wishwriter writes wishes so that people may get what they desire from a single wish, as long as it doesn’t break certain rules. He has his wish, but does his wife?

I’m not a big fantasy fan, but this story was well crafted and carried a nice story. I was a little put off by the repetition of “gentle and generous”, but that is a small quibble. The story has a nice little twist at the end, which I love in a shorter work.

 

“Paying the Tab” by Brain K Lowe (debut 7/20) is the story of Santos and Bernard. Santos is the hunter, Bernard the prey. Stalker and Werewolf meet one last time in a bar where hunter becomes prey, or does he?

I love a good werewolf or vampire story set in modern times. This is one of those with twists and turns throughout its short length. Good fun and a good read.

 

In “Counting Coup” by Kat Otis (debut 7/21 and reviewed by Anonymous), a world where people are divided into ‘daylighters’ (see in the day only) and ‘nightlighters’ (see in the night only), a young girl is able to see in both worlds due her mother catching moonblink during her pregnancy. When a young nightlighter comes silently to steal her belongings to prove his manhood to his clan(?), she spots him in the darkness and they talk for a while…

This story was a nice read and was well written. I found it rather hard to believe that groups of people could ONLY see in the day or ONLY see in the night, but I guess a longer story may explain this condition satisfactorily. That said, I was able to overlook this while reading and enjoyed the story.

 

“Forever Sixteen” by Amy Sundberg (debut 7/22 and reviewed by Frank) is the story of a very old woman who is still a young and vibrant sixteen-year old virgin. Clara is the Sybil, a woman with the gift of prophecy. She has been frozen in the twilight between adolescences and adulthood, the time in which a virgin girl is blessed with foresight, but with the gift of immortality comes isolation. She is a prisoner in a palace, forever locked away from a real life. Clara plans an escape, hoping a champion will rescue her, or at least take her virginity so her gift will be useless. She pins her hope on Eric, a young man seeking advice for his path.

“Forever Sixteen” is a castaway tale for a woman who isn’t alone. Her palace is set in a barren land. Clara is living in regret. She clings to a name she hasn’t spoken of in eons, the last bit of a girl she used to be long ago. Her noble commitment to become the Sybil for the benefit of her family now rings hollow to her. She increasingly seeks escape.

The story turns midway through when a new Sybil is ushered in, her replacement, a young girl who is looking forward to becoming immortal, will allow Clara to leave for good, but exchanging places for this naà ¯ve girl is more than Clara can bare.

I did like this story. Done from Clara’s perspective, you can envision the poor girl’s imprisonment within her mystique. From afar, she is revered. Imagine if the Pope begged you to help him escape for the Vatican. You might think he was testing your faith.

Although I did enjoy the premise, the sad existence of the character (and sad ending as well) left me more bummed as I read on. I almost feel as if my life would have been richer if I passed it by. Good story, but don’t expected it to brighten your day.

 

“Toad Sister” by Joanna Michal Hoyt (debut 7/25 and reviewed by Dustin Adams) is a tale about the necessity of the negative. Told first person from the perspective of the character who is traditionally vilified, the protagonist, in this case, is shunned until the realization comes that there’s a place for her in the world after all.”

“Toad Sister”‘ suffers mildly in prose due to its brevity, however, it makes up for this with compact storytelling. The story, for the most part is told, not shown, contradicting the modern tendency toward all show and description. Sometimes it’s OK to just tell it like it is, and how it happened. This story agrees.

I gave this story 4 rockets.

 

“Only Backwards” by Kenneth S Kao (debut 7/26 and reviewed by Dustin Adams) is a quaint story about a perfect moment and the time travelers who seek to revisit said moment.

I think.

Kenneth Kao gets a pass because I’ve read numerous quality stories from him. Regarding this one, I can only state that I started it confused, finished it confused, and was confused along the way. I love time travel stories. Big fan. Just not this one.

I rated this story by giving it 1 rocket.

 

The court jester entertains Prince James with a tale of a past employer of his in “The Jester” by Maria Melissa Obedoza (debut 7/27 and reviewed by Frank). The jester is popular in the court. He is loved by all but is clumsy. The jester jests to the prince that he is really a dark mage and shows him a box with puppets joined by a string, claiming they are a princess and her lover.

I found this to be a pleasing tale. The tale is a fable within a story, told well in the short amount of words with a creepy ending. What I didn’t like was the author’s overuse of adverbs, giving the piece false excitement when it wasn’t needed.

Despite my minor complaint, “The Jester” is a tale worth reading.

 

“Blessed are the Sowers” by Robert Lowell Russell (debut July 28th and reviewed by Anonymous)

I read Blessed are the Sowers once on the principle that a story only needs to read once and everything should be clear–I didn’t quote get that. The human race has been pushed to almost extinction by an alien race; Earth has been destroyed and humanity is on the run between the stars, but they haven’t given up. Despite being hunted themselves, human covert military units raid alien owned worlds, wreaking havoc and vengeance. The message they are sending is clearâ€

The story is one big explanation–a summary of events, if you will–delivered by the human commander to a captured alien. There is no action apart from small gestures, holding hands, etc. While the world/situation was interesting I can’t say the story really worked for me on an emotional level.

 

Patricia finds a bowler hat on the ground with a head poking through the soil under it in “The Large People” by Karen Heuler (debut 7/29 and reviewed by Frank). In short time, other heads begin to emerge from the earth, growing like weeds. Men and women, smartly dressed, reading newspapers while drinking coffee as if waiting for the bus, sprout from the ground until they are free from the earth. They are headed to the city, on their way to change it. The retired Patricia – missing her professional life – follows along.

“The Large People” is a uniquely inventive tale. The ‘grown’ people are indeed large, standing at a towering seven feet. They are coming to green up mankind’s sprawling progress. Patricia inserts herself as member of the group. Their leader, the bowler hat wearing man named Roland, is grateful that she is joining on their crusade. She becomes conflicted when she learns of the groups intentions. As the lone real person, she wonders if she is betraying mankind.

The story starts off as a curious fantasy that evolves into a speculative tale of activism. What first appeared as a harmlessly fun story, became a violent one. Roland tells Patricia that they are declaring war; even admitting that some may get hurt. The changing premise did give it a different tone.

Ms. Heuler wrote a splendid story. I could see a reader or two getting turned off by a tale that starts off as harmless fun then turning into something that appears to be making a political statement. “The Large People” does have an environmental activist flavor to it, but I rather liked it. The story does deserve a recommendation but the holes in its premise kept me from giving it one. I found it difficult to accept that no one wanted to detain seven-foot strangers when so much mayhem occurs. Absent that, I found the tale flawless, an excellent tale complete with a subtle moral.

Â

Analysis

Flash fiction is on the rise. More publications ask for it, are publishing more of it, and are reserving larger amounts of space in their pages for it. Yet, it is treated like the forgotten stepchild, left to walk home alone from school to do the chores while the natural children are driven to their dance recitals and football practice. Novella and Novelette receive all the praise while Flash Fiction child gets the calluses. Well not this time.

On Oct. 10th, Daily Science Fiction brought to all who receive their emailed story attention, the Micro Awards. The award honors the best flash fiction story of the year (flash fiction defined as works of fiction 1000 words and under). The editors of DSF encouraged their readers to nominate their favorite of the year. There is one problem with that, readers aren’t eligible to do the nominating.

As stated in their rulesâ€

An author may submit one story of his or her own; the senior editor of a magazine or anthology, or any staff member designated by him or her, may submit two stories if both are from his or her own publication and neither is self-written.

So we can’t (unless you wrote the story) but Jon and Michele can, and they can pick their own favorite, one apiece.

Although I can’t nominate my favorite, picking the one I think should win is something I can do here. There are several well worth nominating, but picking my favorite here at DSF was easyâ€

”Buy you a Mocking Bird” by Eric James Stone.

â€unfortunately, it debut Dec. 14 of last year (bummer). My second place choice would beâ€

“Y is for Yellow” by the Alphabet Quartet (debut June 22) .

â€but there are several well worth nominating. I hope to see several from DSF in the final round of the Micro awards. I urge all who have submitted to DSF to submit theirs to it.

I would like to congratulate fellow reviewer Dustin Adams for his finalist entry in the 3rd quarter of the 2011 Writers of the Future contest. His story was picked in the top half of the eight finalist; unfortunately, you need to make the top three to win L. Nevertheless, an amazing feat. Expect to see big things from Dustin in the near future. He is that good of a writer.

 

The Best of the Dunesteef

written by David Steffen

And so ends my latest stop on my world podcast tour, this time with Rish Outfield and Big Anklevich of the Dunesteef Audio Fiction Magazine. I highly recommend listening to this podcast for your fiction fix. Not since the Drabblecast has any publication given me a stream of stories that I so consistently enjoyed. Their choice in style does remind me somewhat of the Drabblecast, though they take longer stories, but Rish and Big have instilled the podcast with their own brand. This Best Of list covers the episodes from Episode 0 all the way to the current Episode 114.

They pick good stories, but where they shine the strongest is in the production values. Most episodes have a full cast recording, often with full-on Foley effects. The result sounds completely professional. In more recent episodes, they’ve taken volunteer producers, and the result has been consistently great from these guests, as each puts their own (but all hard-working) spin on it.

What makes The Dunesteef really unique is the after-story talk. After the story, Big and Rish talk about whatever they feel like talking about. Movies, or writing, or pet peeves, or about the making of the show. Very little of it is scripted, which makes it feel like hanging out with friends. They say they put the banter after the story so that listeners can easily skip it, but I have found it consistently entertaining. I’ve never skipped past it (nor any of the stories for that manner). This is what morning radio comedy shows are supposed to be like, but Big and Rish are actually funny, and they actually talk about stuff that I give a crap about. Besides Big and Rish, the other two regular staff members are the always entertaining Announcer Man (who always reminds me of Stan Lee for some reason), and their robotic production assistant R080T.

Another feature that makes this podcast particularly interesting is the “Broken Mirror Story Events” they held in 2009 and 2010. For this event, they give a short prompt for a speculative fiction premise, and all entered stories must follow that premise. Entrants can all read each other’s stories and vote on their favorites, and the top voted few make it onto the podcast. For instance, the 2009 event was based on the line “”Someone arrives in town, and discovers that everyone there is exactly the same.” I hope they do another one now that I’m a member, because this sort of writing exercise really gets me excited!

“That’s all well and good,” you say, “but what the heck does ‘Dunesteef’ even mean?” I wondered that myself. Oddly, Big and Rish have never explained what it means. I did the liberty of doing a bit of research so that I could share it with you good people, and you wouldn’t be frustrated while listening to the backlog that you don’t know what it means.

It turns out that Dunesteef is the common name for Clupea sanguis, a rare fish. The Dunesteef fish is easily marked out by its distinctive smell of freshly soiled sweat socks, and it reputedly tastes much like burnt hair, but it is considered a delicacy among the world’s mega-elite for its extreme rarity(only 12 people alive today have tasted of its meat) . Decades-long wars have been ended by the gift of a single plate of boiled Dunesteef given from one leader to another as a sign of great respect, creating a nigh unbreakable bond between the nations for centuries after. I don’t know exactly what Big and Rish had in mind with this name, but I’d guess they were trying to say how much they respected their audience, and how they intend to provide only the best for us. Or maybe it’s some kind of obscure satirical commentary on the plight of the noble Komodo Dragon. Or maybe it’s a joke about body odor. Really, with these guys, there’s no telling.

On to the list!

 

The List

1. This Must Be the Place by Elliot Bangs
What would you do if you could travel through time? This one gives a plan that I had never seen coming. Great story, great characters, well told.

2. Hang Up and Try Again by Derek L. Palmer
Who would you call if you could call anyone and talk to them for three minutes? Anyone, real or not, contemporary or not. What would you ask?

3. The Day Hypnotism Died by Kevin David Anderson
Four teenage boys go to a hypnotist act. They just want to kill a little time, but the show isn’t at all what they expected. A hell of a dark story.

4. Peacemaker, Peacemaker, Little Bo Peep by Jason Sanford
Jason Sanford is quickly becoming one of my new favorite authors. He has a varied style, and an incredible imagination. In this story, normally quiet and peaceful people have turned suddenly violent. It’s not a zombie apocalypse, it’s something different, something like I’ve never seen. “Peeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaccccceeeee!”

5. Anakoinosis by Tobias S. Buckell
Awell-told alien point of view, telling of a race of furry little aliens that have become the new workforce for a crashlanded ship’s crew.

6. ÃÅ”berman by John Medaille
This one is very dark, and definitely not for everyone. It is told as an interrogation of indestructible ÃÅ”berman, Nazi Germany’s superhuman soldier, captured in the midst of World War II.

7. Plague Birds by Jason Sanford
Yup, another Sanford story. This one in a post-apocalyptic wilderness filled with human-animal hybrids and AI vigilantes. I love this guy’s imagination.

8. Whelp by Damon Shaw
A horror story about a dog, not for the squeamish. I’ll leave you to discover the rest.

9. Tattletale by Christopher Fisher
A father makes up a scary story to scare his kids, but sometimes a lie goes further than you could ever anticipate.

10. Tupac Shakur and the End of the World by Sandra McDonald
Post-apocalyptic story where the world’s population has been afflicted by a condition where the slightest bruise will cause your entire body to turn rigid in a matter of hours. Don’t worry, you don’t have to like Tupac to like the story.

 

Honorable Mentions:

Good Day by Saul Lemerond
Not for the easily offended. One that manages to be very dark and funny at the same time.

Open Twenty-Four Hours by Edward McKeown
Welcome to Earth Mart!

Casts a Demon Shadow by Derek J. Goodman
A Weird West tale with curses, gargoyles, and six-shooters.

Raising Archie by Michael Stone
Michael Stone is a regular contributor to the Dunesteef. This is my favorite of his stories here.

Emmett, Joey, and the Beelz by Ralph Sevush
Golems. ‘Nuff said.

 

New Magazine: Cosmic Vinegar

written by David Steffen

Just a brief article today, to make anyone who might be interested aware of a new monthly non-fiction magazine titled “Cosmic Vinegar“, edited and (so far) written by Samuel X. Brase. In Brase’s own words, his goals for the magazine are twofold:

This e-magazine has two goals.

“One: to produce a politically inspired serial story. Written by Samuel X. Brase, myself, editor of this e-mag.

“Two: to produce reviews of independently published science fiction. Written by myself as well, to start, although I am open to outside reviewers.”

He has posted the first issue of the magazine, the October 2011 issue, and one of the two stories he reviewed was my “The Infinite Onion”, published in AE earlier this year. Brase says “This review is meant less to critique the stories and more to analyze the themes and narrative present.” I found it very interesting to see the discussion of my odd little flash story. One of the most interesting things I’ve found in this writing vocation is when others discuss the inherent themes in a story I’ve written. Sometimes those themes match up with what I intended, and sometimes they don’t, but I’m of the opinion that there is no incorrect interpretation of theme as long as it is supported by the text itself, regardless of author intent.

I’ve got to say I’m rather surprised for a story of mine to be reviewed in a magazine focusing on politically related science fiction. I’ve never really set out to write such a thing, and I would not have labeled my story as such, but I think his reaction is great.

Maker of Leviathans: Eric James Stone

A Nebula Award winner and Hugo nominee, Eric James Stone has been published in Year’s Best SF, Analog, and elsewhere. Eric is a Writers of the Future winner, graduate of Orson Scott Card’s writing workshop, and assistant editor at Intergalactic Medicine Show.

Eric lives in Utah. His website is www.ericjamesstone.com.

David Steffen: ÂThis has been quite a year for you, winning your first Nebula award, and being nominated for a Hugo for the same story. ÂHave these awards been a major goal for you? ÂWhat’s next?

Eric James Stone: I remember reading Hugo and Nebula anthologies when I was a teenager, so I felt incredibly honored to be nominated for both awards. While I did dream about being nominated for a Nebula or Hugo, I didn’t think it was all that likely because there are so many excellent authors writing today.

David: ÂWhere did the idea for your Nebula-winning, Hugo-nominated story “That Leviathan, Whom Thou Hast Made” come from?

Eric: It came from an assignment at a writing workshop taught by Dean Wesley Smith, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, and Sheila Williams. The prompt was: “You are in the middle of the sun and can’t get a date.” Because my religion is a big part of my life, and because I hadn’t seen a story with a believing Mormon protagonist in a high-tech future, I decided to write such a story. I wrote the first third of the story while at the workshop, but I had no idea what would happen in the rest of the story. Fortunately, I received a lot of encouragement from friends to finish the story, so I did. At the time, of course, I had no idea it would get nominated for anything.

David: ÂDo you find your view on writing has changed since you took the role as assistant editor at Orson Scott Card’s Intergalactic Medicine Show?

Eric:Â I’ve really learned the importance of a satisfying ending. One of the worst things for an editor is to read a story with a good beginning and middle, but which falls apart at the end.

David: ÂHas writing gotten easier for you over the years, or harder?

Eric: Both. It’s gotten easier in some ways, because I think I have a better feel for what makes stories work. But it’s gotten harder in other ways, because I notice my weaknesses more but haven’t quite figured out how to solve them.

David: ÂIf you could give just one piece of advice to aspiring authors, what would it be?

Eric: I took some creative writing classes in college. I thought one of the stories I had written might be publishable, so I submitted it twice and got rejected both times. That discouraged me enough that I quit writing stories for over ten years. My advice to new writers is not to be as big of an idiot as I was. Keep writing.

David: ÂWhat’s your happiest memory?

Eric:Â 2009 was a really happy year for me for reasons mostly unrelated to writing, so I look back on it rather fondly.

David: ÂWhat fictional place would you most like to visit?

Eric:Â The U.S.S. Enterprise.

David: ÂDo you have any works in progress you’d like to talk about?

Eric:Â I’m in the process of editing a novel for a publisher who may be interested, but I can’t go into specifics about it.

David: ÂAny upcoming publications?

Eric: I have new stories forthcoming in Analog Science Fiction, Daily Science Fiction, Digital Science Fiction, and Blood Lite 3: Aftertaste. (For some reason, I have the sudden urge to sing “One of These Things Is Not Like the Others.”) My Nebula-Award-winning story will be reprinted in an anthology called Monsters & Mormons, as well as the Nebula Awards Showcase volume coming out next year.

David: ÂWhat was the last book you read?

Eric:Â Mission of Honor by David Weber. His Honor Harrington series is my favorite series.

David: ÂYour favorite book?

Eric:Â Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton.

David: ÂWho is your favorite author?

Eric:Â When I was a teenager, it was Isaac Asimov. Later, it was Orson Scott Card. Now, I’ve read so many fantastic stories by great authors that I really can’t choose a favorite.

David: ÂWhat was the last movie you saw?

Eric:Â The last movie I saw in a theater was X-Men: First Class. I think the last movie I watched at home was Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1.

David: ÂWhat is your favorite movie?

Eric:Â Probably Raiders of the Lost Ark.

David: ÂEric, thanks for taking the time for the interview.

Image Copyright © 2008 by Eric James Stone.

The Importance of a Thick Skin

written by David Steffen

This post was originally written up in response to after-story discussion on Dunesteef Episode 108 on their forum, speaking about how to take rejection.

A thick skin doesn’t come naturally. You have to cultivate it. One of the biggest ways that I did this when I started writing fiction is critique forums. My particular favorite is Baen’s Bar. Post some stuff there in the Baen’s Bar Slush, get some feedback, post feedback on other people’s stories. Yeah, the negative comments can be hard to take at first, but you learn to extract the useful parts of them. If you critique enough stuff from other people you can learn to take that cold critical eye and apply it to your own writing, and then when someone comments on your stuff, even when they don’t like it you can decide objectively “Yeah, that makes sense” or “No, that advice is absolute crap”. I wrote up an article a while back suggesting some rules for critiquing and receiving critiques. Some of it has to do with this subject, especially the rule “This Is Your Story”.

I don’t follow Dean Wesley Smith a great deal, but one concept he has that I really found useful is The Race. In that, you keep a score for all the stories you have submitted. 1 point for each short. 3 points for a partial novel manuscript, 8 points for a full manuscript. I mostly submit short stories, but I do have one old dog of a novel I occasionally send out. I have one children’s book going out occasionally that I count for 3 points, on the grounds that it has more monetary potential than a short story but is not as bulky as a novel. I have about 50 stories completed by this time, and I typically keep about 30 of them in submission at any given time, rotating the other ones in as I get rejections. With that and the children’s book, my Score’s hovered around 33 for quite a while, not too bad of a score.

One thing that helps is if you can find a way to not put too much anxiety into any single submission. Submitting in bulk really helps this a lot, because if you have only ONE submission out, it’s hard not to obsess over it. You send out one submission, and then when you get one rejection you are back at square one. If you have 30 stories submitted though, a rejection for one is just a scratch on the surface, not that big of a deal. I assume any given submission is a certain rejection, but that I have some chance across the board. Pessimism in specific, optimism in general. :)

And for tracking submissions, I keep an Excel spreadsheet for now. In which I do happen to do some obsessive stats tracking. The way I have it set up the file has gotten ridiculously large and it’s hard to update with new markets. I’m trying to work my way to a database system. I’ve got the basic database tables set up along with some forms to fill them and get simple reports, but I want more complicated stats reports and haven’t figured out how to do those yet in OpenOffice. If anyone wants it you can download a free copy of it at.

And, after that, just perseverence is the only advice I have. When I get one back i just send it out to the next available market I haven’t sent it to and work my way down the line. And just because it’s been around the block a few times doesn’t mean it’s doomed. 1 of my recent stories that I sold for pro rates had been on its 20th submission. And then finally it found that editor for which it was just right.

As part of those obsessive stats, I keep a count of my submission responses, and the number at which I receive rejections. I started submitting in June of 2008. In that time I have had 675 resolved submissions:
489 negative/neutral rejections
167 positive rejections
5 rewrite requests
14 purchase at normal rate (for 8 different stories).

To show how long the stretches were between selling those eight different stories, of those 675 submissions those were numbered #s 126, 129, 210, 232, 572, 591, 599, 626, 637. That gap between 232 and 572 was soooooo long for me!! But I made it, and now have had pretty good luck for the last few months! Here’s hoping my luck continues. As it is, with the sales I’ve made this year, and if the neo-pro markets I’ve sold to get listed by SFWA as pro markets, then I could be eligible to apply for SFWA’s “Active” status around June 2012, which is one of my major milestones I’ve set for myself.

Daily Science Fiction: June Review

written by Frank Dutkiewicz

At the time that I am writing this, DSF has passed its first year of publication. No news has surfaced on whether it is now a SFWA qualifying market. With a subscriber base of over 2600 and website that receives 10,000 visitors a month, I can only imagine that it is the-powers-that-be have yet to do the necessary homework to determine what most of us know already; they’re one of the most widely read speculative fiction venues out there right now. Some may consider their growth slow but I am finding it remarkable considering its expansion has been a grass roots type of campaign. Word is gradually spilling over, links are shared, and ecstatic authors announce their success to this new outlet.

Daily Science Fiction is the way of the future. The higher ups just don’t know yet. If you are still not sure, then check out this month’s reviews and go to their site and read them yourself.

 

The Stories

An explorer searches for a lost party in “V is for Vamonos” by the Alphabet Quartet (debut 6/1). The nameless protagonist braves the jungle to find the Colonel. The Colonel is ill and his camp has been overrun. Has it all been for naught?

This story is set in a world in which animals can speak and have become partners with humans. Other than that I cannot find a redeeming quality about this piece. The story goes nowhere and resolves nothing. I couldn’t even decipher what species the protagonist of the story was. The tale was like the setting, lost in a jungle.

 

Death has come for the protagonist’s beloved husband in “Dealing with Death” by Brenta Blevins (debut 6/2). She is there when the dark angel arrives to take him. She strikes a deal and accompanies Death as he runs his rounds.

“Deal with Death” shows the grim reaper as a compassionate soul, using his power to relieve the pain the dying suffer. All pain is not so easily seen. The angel aims to spare some of pain that is yet to be received.

The story has a fitting end. Although the tale didn’t wow me, it left me quite satisfied that I read it.

 

An inconsequential man awakes to learn a time-traveler has come to kill him in “Apology” by Sam Feree (debut 6/3). A young woman from the future sits on his new couch in her muddy shoes, informing him he is the one person in history whose life matters none. He has become the stress reliever for a time traveling society, getting murdered thousands of times. They spend the day together, contemplating life and enjoying it to its fullest.

“Apology” is a dark comedy. I found the two characters very likeable. The time traveler is a fun girl who has had a bad day the day before. The protagonist is a detached fellow, taking the news of his upcoming murder quite well. You get the feeling that learning his life is, and will be, unimportant as a justification of a suspicion he always had. The story evolves into a romantic comedy, without the romance. We follow the pair around Chicago. The soon-to-be-dead hero just rolls with it all. Resigned that he will be murdered and accepting it as an eventuality.

The story line to “Apology” does sound weird but the tale comes off as normal. The two treat the entire affair like a first date, rather than a tragic horror that it should have been. I found Sam Feree’s writing style attractive. The story was easy to follow and enjoyable to read. Maybe it was because I found his protagonist easily identifiable (I hope not). If you are one who detests romantic comedies, this one likely isn’t for you, but overall, I found it not a bad tale at all.

 

“Sister” by Melissa Mead (debut 6/6). Sister and Brother flee from their cruel Stepfather. The pair take refuge in a cave near an enchanted stream. Despite her warnings, Brother drinks from it and transforms into a deer. He now must avoid the King who hunts in the woods. Perhaps Sister can protect him yet, pleading with the king.

“Sister” is written like an Aesop tale. The story has that halting and disconnected feel to it. The characters have names that our pronouns and the story jumps through long stretches of time. However, like an Aesop tale it has a moral and a fitting end to it.

 

A man opposed to a fascist society is prepared to perform a mutual assured destructive act in “Dharma Dog and Dogma” by Steven Mathes (debut 6/7). The authorities have busted down Dobbin’s door. He waits with his trusted German shepherd by his side and his thumb on a nirvana bomb. The device will instantly ascend all who are worthy to heaven in a kilometer radius. Potts, the fascist negotiator, is eager to stop him.

I found this premise to be ridiculous. The bomb does two things; bring awareness to all within its range than make all who are worthy vanish. It causes no other damage. I would think a society eager to control would welcome its use, seeing that it instantly rids all who oppose it off the map. I did, however, enjoy the writer’s way of bringing the piece to us. His writing is crisp and engaging.

 

A disgraced prisoner is found by his warden in “W is for When” by the Alphabet Quartet (debut 6/8). Future violent convicts are sent to the past, made female and expected to become upstanding citizens. The warden is disappointed to discover the future felon has made prostitution her profession. She learns the practice of gender switching and exile has been declared cruel and unusual, but taking a job that is considered illegal does not bode well for her. The warden can overlook the indiscretion, if she is willing to do him a favor.

This was one of the better stories the quartet dreamed up. Loved the concept of the future time travel punishment. What made this one great was the poetic justice ending. Recommended.

 

A junkie constructs his dream woman from a discarded photo in “Building a Future” by Rhonda Jordan (debut 6/9). The protagonist finds an old picture in an abandoned house. He makes up stories of a fantasy past and tells it to others until he finds a female junkie who used to build androids. The pair work together to build their android, gradually forgetting their drug dependency as they create.

The tale is told as a success story. It was, but came off as disconnected success story. The distant feel made this piece not as appealing as it should have been.

 

Aliens seek to improve our favorite pet in “Made of Cats” by Judith Tarr (debut 6/10). Another invasion from space befalls on Earth. This time the alien’s motives are peaceful. They transform our cutest partners into something even cuter, as a demonstration of their good intentions, proving that even the best marketing sometimes overreaches.

“Made of Cats” is written as a humorous piece. Expect anything else and you’ll be just as disappointed as the protagonist’s five-year old daughter in this tale. I must admit, the story had its moments (the diet crack I found particularly amusing), but I felt it stepped over the line of funny and into the ‘generally silly’ territory half way through. Nevertheless, humor is subjective and subjectively speaking, Ms Tarr did well, but as a guy who likes to weave tales that tickle the funny bone, I can safely say my sides were never in danger of splitting.

 

Modern progress has come to a potion-maker’s home in “The Thinning” by Christopher Owen (debut 6/13). Becky is not happy at all when the power company arrives to link her house with the electrical grid. She sees no need for it and its very existence is a disruption to her potion creating.

Without elaborating, this tale is woven while Becky is in the middle of a love potion. The two events , making the potion and the arrival of modern convenience , have little to do with each other. The ending of the piece has a twist that mattered little to the overall plot.

 

In “The Clex Are Our Friends” by Mario Milosevic (debut 6/14), you are a soldier in a galactic war. The story is a manual intended to help you with the occupation and mopping up duty on the planet Cleck. It advises you on how to treat the native species and adapt to their culture. Take heed of its advice, even when it doesn’t make sense.

This satire of military and diplomatic protocol is more ridiculous than humorous. The manual is written as a pep talk, even when its very pages makes the world seem like a tour guide through the slums of a third world nation. Not a fun place at all.

 

A wizard misinterprets a want ad in “X is for Xylomancy” by the Alphabet Quartet (debut 6/15). A Xylomancer shows up for an audition for a xylophonist. It appears they have little use for a sorcerer whose gift is to predict the future by reading sticks but the Xylomancer is out to prove them wrong.

When I read this I thought, “Really? Working for a band is the best this guy can do?” I have chastised many stories on DSF for being about nothing. This story falls in that category but it deserves praise. Sometimes pointless tales can be fun. This story was fun.

 

June’s reality is up for interpretation in “Blivet for the Temporal Lobes” by Dave Raines (debut 6/16). June’s life changed the day an experimental surgery cured her epilepsy. Her mind now sees people and things as metaphors of their true nature , transforming them how her brain perceives them. Threatening people become horrible monsters while the kind and caring turn into softer images. Her world has become an ‘Alice in Wonderland’ kaleidoscope equipped with modern day cultural references. June has learned to adapt to her revived life, accepting her ‘gift’ as a way to see how people really think and behave, until the day a man walks into her life who doesn’t change at all.

“Blivet” is a very inventive tale. Despite its short length, Mr Raines effectively plunged the reader into a world most of us would consider a hell. June’s ability appears to have a psychic quality to it, or at least June assumes it to be as such. She somehow manages to keep her job as a waitress, even when customers morph into wolves, mannequins, and other similes that fit how she perceives them. A man she refers to as Adonis is the lone exception. His failure to transform unnerves her, and turns this tale into a metaphor of its own.

“Blivet” is the type of story for everyone who was suddenly faced with doubts in their own ability. June has come to rely on her gift, using it to see how people feel and grasp at how they treat others around them. Adonis represents her shortcomings and salvation in one package.

It was while I wrote this review, it dawned on me the larger meaning of this story. “Blivet” is not just a well-told tale; it’s a metaphor on human perception. I found it ironic how a story of metaphors so effectively hid one of its own. I hope those who judge which tales of speculative fiction are the outstanding ones in next year’s awards, don’t overlook this one because of its length. Recommended.


Humanity adjusts to a plague of undead in “The Three Laws of Zombie” by Lavie Tidhar (6/17). Susan Hobbes is in search of a zombie who doesn’t obey the three laws that are ingrained in all zombies. Society has come to grips with them, creating religions and rationales for their make up and psychology. Ms Hobbes isn’t interested on how they fit into humanity. She wants to know if they are here to end it.

“The Three Laws” is part satire, part horror, part mystery, with it all mixing like a stew of milk, water, and oil. The story line is disjointed; jumping from action scene, to an article, to a character’s inner contemplation. The title and loose plot devolves into a half-hearted comedic attempt involving Isaac Asimov’s three laws governing robots. The story is difficult to get into. The changing scenes of small slices of society made it impossible for me to get grounded into the plot. One thing I did find interesting was the nature of Tidhar’s zombies, an evolutionary leap as a plant/animal hybrid, allowing them to survive on photosynthesis. The tale is unpredictable with an ending I wasn’t expecting. In fact, I’m still not sure what that ending was about.

Based on Lavie Tidhar’s ability to get his stuff published in almost every publication I have reviewed over the past year plus it is clear he has a following and is able to impress any editor he presents his work to, but I just don’t get it. One thing I will say is he has certain appeal to his writing. His stories do draw me in and his plots are unpredictable, but they almost always lose me before the end. One of these times he’s going to write something that I love; unfortunately, this one ain’t it.

 

A man on a forsaken world wishes to connect with God in “Godless” by Stephen V. Ramey (debut 6/20). All the worlds of humanity have been linked into the Wholeness, save Earth. Man’s home world has become a worldwide slum, a primitive backwater. The Wholeness is seen as a link to God by the protagonist. He is approached by an off world tourist, a woman who seeks to get dirty on the filthiest of worlds. The protagonist wants to be touched by God, no matter what the cost.

“Godless” is an idea that is taken from A C Clarke’s axiom that advanced technology would be indistinguishable from magic to a more primitive society. I liked Mr. Ramey’s approach to this notion, well done; however, I felt the story was too brief to fully explore a future where off world technology outstripped Earth to this degree. Perhaps the author has intentions on building on this. I would like to see his next publication if he does.

 

A terminally ill John has awoken from a cryonics sleep to be greeted by a brother he never had in “His Brother was an Only Child” by Ronald D Ferguson (debut 6/21). When John Ashley died, he left a dying world. The one he has returned to appears to be rebounding. Enough trees have grown to make a forest, a strange creature called a ‘rabbit’ now has a population of a thousand. The planet appears to be on the mend but the caretakers of the hospital he is confined to are off. Save for his brother, everyone is distant, refusing to speak to him. Another patient shares the ground with him, deformed and shy. John finds it increasingly odd this hospital he is in and wishes to rejoin society again but learns recovery may take more time than he has.

This tale is reminiscent of an old Twilight Zone episode (not going to say which one), but the twist reveal in this story was done far cleverer than that crafty tale. Mr. Ferguson did a splendid job, providing enough clues so when I got to the reveal I was shocked that I didn’t know what was going on all along.

“His Brother” was masterfully done. Recommended.

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An ill woman is surrounded by yellow in “Y is for Yellow” by the Alphabet Quartet (debut 6/22). The protagonist’s husband has moved her into a home painted in yellow. Everyone who comes to see her is clothed in the school bus color, even the grass is killed to rid it of the green. Her husband has said it is necessary for her cure. Green calls to her, but yellow stands in her way.

This is a clever superhero story, like none I have ever read. The sex of the protagonist threw me off, but it is story line that is too good for the comics. I loved it.

“Y’ isn’t the best story the quartet wrote, it’s not even the best this month, but it impressed me. Recommended.

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Angering your time traveling girlfriend can result in unfortunate consequences in “Love at the Corner of Time and Space” by Annie Bellet (debut 6/23). Darrin has been abandoned at the Crossroads of Time and Space. It’s not first time he has made Ashley mad but it is the first time she failed to come back to get him. The surreal corner is nowhere with access points to anywhere, the problem is Darrin has no idea on how to access them. He can continue to wait for her in this place where time isn’t a linear measurement, or find a way out for himself and a way to repair their relationship.

“Love” is the story of man who hasn’t yet grown up. It is clear Ashley is the one in control, and she is vindictive woman with the ability to send her naughty boyfriend into the ultimate time out. The story starts off with Darrin and his passively aggressive, self-pitied attitude stuck, wondering if Ashley is ever going to come back. The rest of the story is Darrin contemplating what he’s done wrong, just like a spoiled child in ‘time out’ would do.

The only appeal of this tale was the setting, a strange and surreal place, but I found its lone character not likeable at all. It sounded like his girlfriend pulled all the strings in their relationship , a narcissist with too much power , but his whining self-contemplation made me think he deserved her.

“The Artwork of the Knid” by John Parke Davis (debut 6/24) is the story of an alien species who have quietly come to live among us. The Knid are small and unassuming creatures. They’re slimy with tentacles for mouths and are intrigued with us. The silent creatures (silent because they don’t speak) have become something of a new age immigrants, performing menial labor work. They appear to absent of any creativity or imagination of their own until the protagonist is granted a rare artistic viewing.

“Artwork” is a strange type of tale. There is a deeper meaning to this piece but I confess it missed me. Part of the story briefly touched on what the knid where doing on Earth. The characters puzzle on this subject, not remembering when they first appeared. An explanation on how they got there wasn’t even explored. From what I gathered, they were just ‘there’ as if they always were.

The tale shifts when the protagonist’s first views a knid’s ‘play’. The event sounded more like a psychedelic trip than artist’s creation. Strange by description, religious by the effect it left on the protagonist. From that point on, the protagonist becomes something of a minor activist for the knid, treating them as a big brother would a smaller and weaker sibling, doing his best to protect them from a cruel world.

“Artwork” is a tale that drew me in. I was genuinely intrigued by the writer’s presentation of the knid and his protagonists perspective of them. I truly wanted to learn more about them. However, like the story itself, once I learned all I could about them, I discovered they weren’t all that interesting after all.

 

A knot connecting two ladders slips on Hevsen’s ladder, setting in motion a chain of events resulting in the “Fall of the City” by Daniel Ausema (debut 6/27).

“Fall of the City” follows a trail of innocuous circumstances. The story is set in civilization built on webs with machines called ‘spiders’ used like cars. The entire place appears to be overly fragile. I wasn’t sure if the city I was reading about was set in a steampunk genre or an alien civilization.

I thought the tale was told from way too distant of a perspective. The place also was strange, lending to a general disconnect I had with the piece.

 

What could be a bigger thrill than space jumping from a space elevator? In “Freefall” by Eric James Stone (debut 6/28) we find out. Gina loves to freefall. Her brother and father run the elevator but she is after only the thrill of the jump. Then disaster strikes. The asteroid counterweight breaks free and her brother is on the crawler on the way up. GeoTerminal 1 will be saved but at her brothers expense. She is his only hope.

“Freefall” is excellent science fiction. The premise is based on a future but likely technology with a potentially real problem. The story is quick and thrilling. The protagonist’s solution to the problem I found clever. My biggest complaint was its length. The story could have and should have been larger. It would have likely been fantastic instead of great. Recommended.

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Anna is running in “Z is for Zoom” by the Alphabet Quartet (debut 6/29), but is she running from something or in search of the thing?

This tale baffled me. Anna just runs. Why? Couldn’t really tell you. There are hints but I was unable to decipher the reasons from them.

 

In “The God of the Poor” by James Hutchings (debut 6/30), the gods pick who and what they will have dominion over. Only one item is left. Who will look over the poor?

This is a very short, Aesop like tale. It didn’t quite work for me.

Analysis

ÂThis month marks the end of the Alphabet Quartet’s contributions. I have greedily reserved all the stories for myself to review. The entire series is set to be available soon at Escape Artists. Some of them I thought were wonderful, a few left me scratching my head, a good bunch I recommended. My personal favorite was the first, and longest of the bunch; “A is for Arthur”. This story is high on my best-of list for the year. In fact, it may be # 1. It is worth reading again.

Special note: My fellow reviewers (James Hanzelka, Dustin Adams, and Anonymous) have not abandoned me, nor did I forget to credit them for reviews they have done. This month was all mine but the next will be mostly theirs. I have just received my copy of the latest Writers of the Future. I plan on doing my usual review for the publication so set it upon myself to get all the June reviews done while piling July’s on my minions shoulders so I can turn my attention to the yearly anthology when it came in.

 

Frank feels like a big boy now, doing a whole months of reviews all by himself. He is so proud but is wondering when he will get his cookie.

Recommendation: Teddy Bears and Tea Parties

written by David Steffen

Just a brief post today to make an ebook recommendation. It’s one of my favorite stories, “Teddy Bears and Tea Parties” by S. Boyd Taylor, which I first heard on the Drabblecast. Don’t be fooled by the title; it is not for children. I am very serious about this. It’s a very dark story from a child’s point of view. Taylor’s an excellent writer, and I hope he continues to have success; I’ll be on the lookout for more of his stories.

Buy a copy on Kindle or Barnes & Noble, and check out his website.