A large white sign stands resolutely against the hot summer wind. WARNING, it reads in red square bureaucratic letters, and then, on the next line, APPLE MAGGOT QUARANTINE ZONE. A [...]
Issue: August 2005
The Hammer
The hammer was heavier than it looked. It was really heavy. I mean, it was a fucking heavy hammer.
“How now, tough guy?” Thor asked. He was a dick, him and [...]
The Tragedy of Ferdinand
(Loosely based on John Webster’s play The Duchess of Malfi.)
It’s raining nails tonight, and hammers. They smash roofs into crystal powder, pop wet roads like champagne corks. All through the [...]
Mélusine, by Sarah Monette
Romie Stott reviews Mélusine, Sarah Monette’s first novel.
Duster
“You got thrown out of school?” A gruff, male voice surprised her. Cindy spun around and faced a thin young man with yellow glasses, a shaved head and a bright [...]
Yume No Hon: The Book of Dreams, by Catherynne M. Valente
JoSelle Vanderhooft reviews Valente’s Yume No Hon: The Book of Dreams.
Goodbye, Gentle Reader; Hello, Hostile Reader
When I was young and impressionable, I spent many hours reading Isaac Asimov (and with over 500 books published in his lifetime—the man was a fountain of words—there was a [...]
Scardown, by Elizabeth Bear
Romie Stott reviews Elizabeth Bear’s second novel, Scardown.
Bustin’ Caps, Bashing Heads, and Bloody Knives: Writing Realistic Violence
Editor’s Note: This article is not an endorsement of violence, nor should it be used as a primer for self-defense. If you want to learn to fight safely and responsibly [...]
The Politics of Dancing
Politics are the basis of human behavior, equally at work in royal courts, high school cliques, military organizations, modern corporations, international negotiations, alien first contact situations, and stone-age tribes. Politics [...]