Digital Daydreams 2: The Dreamer Dreams On by Arthur Sanchez
Not all that long ago I reviewed an anthology that had been sitting on Aridus Gartons (editor of Atomjack) desk for months called Sha’Daa: Tales of the Apocalypse. I gave him a review that was 3000 words in length. There were 11 short stories written by different authors with another 13 of flash length composed by the editor. Not all of the stories excited me but I still gave the collection a strong recommendation on the strengthof few of the writer’s efforts. The best in the collection was Arthur Sanchez’s Way of the Warrior. My well deserved praise for the story so humbled Mr. Sanchez that he sent me a copy of his own short story collection with a note expressing that he “…hope(d) that I enjoyed it as much…” Well, I must say that Arthur set a very high standard for himself for a hope like that.
Digital Daydreams 2 is a collection of 19 short stories, almost all around flash length. The anthology is 135 pages long and runs at about 20,000 words. Each story has a short paragraph or two on where they first appeared and the inspiration that the author had for its creation. A particularly interesting fact about Mr. Sanchez’s impressive history, he had almost 100 stories published at the time of this publication. Here are my thoughts on each story.
The Gravediggers Remorse
Father Ramirez hears the disturbing confession from the local gravedigger.
Good story with a nice twist. Narration makes the plot slow developing and telegraphs what is about to happen, a bit.
Area 54
Vegas bartender listens to drunken business mans complaint about aliens.
Mr. Sanchez apparently isn’t aware that Area 51 is a military base located north of Las Vegas, not Roswell, NM. Aside from that mistake I found the story is silly and predictable.
A Cold Day In Hell
Things have cooled down in Hell. A maintenance demon informs the Prince of Evil that fixing it will cost him souls.
Mildly amusing. A change in narration and a quicker pace would have made this story grand.
A True Being
A beaten human is dragged before the leader of the conquering alien race to discuss mankind’s surrender and more importantly, to save his species honor.
This starts slow but becomes a strong story by its end. A very good tale that would have had a great shot at a pro-sale if the prose matched Mr. Sanchez’s efforts in the Sha’Daa.
Sign of the Times
A physicist finds a woman’s bagel order curious and chases after her to discover the ultimate truth.
The opening is odd and the first half is dull, which is too bad because the rest of it was grand.
Vilnus
A young couple learn to live with a ghostly dog in their upstairs apartment. Their elderly landlord is still found of her deceased pet and waits for the day when they can be together again.
Cute but not much to it. The ending could be seen from a country mile away. Not inspiring enough for my taste.
The End of the World (as you know it)
Mankind has finally achieved peace and tranquility. Zeus has decided to return to take credit for it. Unfortunately, others have beat him to the punch.
This is much like the flip side of A Cold in Hell. The message that Mr. Sanchez was after was lost on me. To me it was just a silly story set with an array of familiar religious icons.
Whims of Fate
Warlord Menin’s abortive coup has left him in a dungeon. He is rescued and recruited to retrieve the fabled Diamond of Destiny.
This one I quite liked. The diamond is protected by an Indiana Jones type of temple, except the traps work how a millennium old traps would work. Amusing, very good.
The Wells of Creation
An archeologist discovers the source of Noah’s flood, a cosmic stopper.
Curious concept but simplistic. This felt rushed. It needed more of a story to work for me.
The Wells Gambit
Hungry aliens feast on Earthlings. A squad of soldier wait in ambush, equipped with a weapon that will win the war for Earth.
Nice set up but story is too brief. Had a problem with the premise. Wouldn’t booby-trapping the homes be more effective? If aliens could cross light years, wouldn’t their knowledge of micro-organisms be also more advanced than ours?
Lost and Found in Ohio
Big city reporter comes to small town to investigate odd story of aliens. Two old men playing checkers fill him in.
Interesting piece. Never found out how the rumor of aliens reached the big time press in the first place.
The Gordian Knot
The two thugs that are leaning on Andy for protection money are the last straw for his failing antique shop. With all hope lost, a god answers his prayers.
This one was very good. The writing was crisp and the plot clever. One of the best in the bunch.
Black Magic 2
Richie and Freddy have summoned a demon inside a pentagram. The demon turns out to be the Dean of Students at their university. Freddy jumps at the demons wish-making capability while Richie tries think of a way out of this mess.
Nice piece. Richie was convincing as bright character in a battle of wits with the devil. A bit overwritten but still clever.
The Craving
A professor of literature tells a student that he has talent and makes sure it won’t go to waste.
Andrew the student comes across way to cloddish and dense to be convincing as a naturally talented anything. I know what the professor did but don’t know how. Too much is missing for me to enjoy the story.
For the Lack of a Nail
James T Woodworth is dead and the billion philanthropist learns that good deeds without noble intent lack value.
This life after death story has a decent moral but lacks a decent punch.
Survival of the Fittest
Jose is puzzled that so many E-zine magazines have failed in such a sort amount of time and suspects that a mysterious web-surfer is behind their demise.
A story only an amateur writer could appreciate. The premise really didn’t work for me, though.
Live and Let Live
Ricky’s apartment neighbors are driving him crazy. He finally has had enough and decides it is time to confront them.
Neat story, I liked it. This ones twist I didn’t see coming, which is a plus in my book.
Life Magic, Death Magic
Cocotona is frustrated that Iztac will not teach her all the secrets to Life magic. She turns to evil Death magic and intends to use it to destroy her former master.
Not a bad piece. I liked the reverse solution at the end.
A Blood Red Moon
A bartender listens to a regulars warning of taking a sure bet.
This felt like listening to a man who has made a deal with the devil and knows it is time to pay his debt. The story is a bit encrypted but still entertaining.
I have a complaint and a concern about Digital Daydreams 2: The Dreamer Dreams On. My complaint is it is too short, not enough stories or plots to grab a hold of. DD2 is a great book for readers with a short attention span. Unfortunately, people with short attention spans usually steer clear of reading. If you like to read in short spurts or need something to keep you pre-occupied for a brief period of time (such as warming your throne) then DD2 is the book for the job. If you looking for a relaxing read while sitting on a beach or for unwinding before you go to bed and you may find DD2 not up to the task. This is no War and Peace in other words.
My concern is that the author has locked himself in a comfort zone and is wasting potential. Now the stories in this book are 5 to 6 years old so my observations based on what I have read may have no merit. However, I did inquire to Mr Sanchez about his submitting practices.
Most of the stories in this collection have been previously published in such ezines as Alienskin, Astounding Tales, Anotherrealm, and other token to semi-pro paying publications. All fine publications but not one of the big boy sales that make agents sit up and take notice. Arthur did elude to me a complaint that I have heard before, a frustration with the process and lack of feedback from professional publications.
I do not want to make light of Mr Sanchez’s accomplishments. Kathy Patterson of Alienskin once told me that she sifts through 300 entries each publication. Selling a majority of his works to any publication is no small feat. Mr. Sanchez has established quite a niche in the sci-fi and fantasy genre to be easily accepted by a fine array of editors, and I can see why. He has talent. His stories are fun, original, and entertaining. I can see why he would have a little fan club of readers and why so many ezines eagerly print his works, but I also see why professional publications reject them.
Almost all of the stories have a flaw. They are either a bit rough, lack depth or don’t carry the theme to the next level. Part of the problem is the shortness of each piece. It is very, very difficult to write a flash sized story that is full and of professional quality. Difficult but not impossible. Michael Hanson proved as much in the Sha’Daa anthology that I found Arthur Sanchez’s The Way of the Warrior.
If I knew DD2 was the best Mr Sanchez could do that would be fine. As I said, his form of writing is entertaining, but I know he can do better. I reread his story in the Sha’Daa once again just to make sure. He showed a gift in story telling that is very rare. The Way of the Warrior was the best story I read in 2009 (we are talking hundreds. Published and ones I read for critique). I hadn’t been that amused for a sci-fi/fantasy story since Bill the Galactic Hero.
So, as amateur writer who critiques a lot for my fellow writers, I had an urge to tweak much of what I read in Digital Daydreams 2. As a reader, I was entertained. Digital Daydreams 2: The Dreamer Dreams On is a fun collection from the mind of a promising writer. Hopefully the promising writer will put his nose to the grindstone and aim higher once again. He has the imagination, after all.
Private Worlds: A Revised Atlas by Scott E. Greenis the first book of poetry that I read to completion. When Adicus sent it to me to review I nearly balked at providing him one. After all, I know practically nothing of poetry. My head still hurts after reading Walt Whitman’s Song of Myself years ago. Fortunately (or unfortunately), Scott Green is no Walt Whitman.
The book is a collection of 99 poems set in alphabetical order. The longest is perhaps 60 words long while the shortest are a dozen words or so. They are small synopsis of the authors and ideas that have influenced science fiction and fantasy over the years. All the poems share ‘world’ in their title and are written to honor each theme (author) in a few brief words.
It is very clear that Mr Green has read a lot of in his years. Many of the giants in the industry have their own world in his pages. “Asimov”, “Heinlien”, and “Burrough” are a few with their worlds as are “Hanna Barbera” and “Disney”. You will find actors that also had influence on our culture, such as “Karloff” and “Bruce Lee”.
Mr Green sums up each ones influence in a very short amount of words, which is a very difficult thing to do. After all, could you compress Ben Bova’s influence and life’s work in 13 words? I couldn’t but I’m not Scott Green.
One reaction I had while reading this collective work is that outstanding authors like “Clarke”, “Del Rey”, and “Herbert” cannot be written in a few sentences. That somehow doing so cheapens their efforts. But that is not the way this book should viewed. I believe Mr Green honors them all with a few chosen words.
Private Worlds: A Revised Atlas is not a book you take on vacation or a plane to kill time. At 38 pages it took me ten minutes to read. But if you are a collector of books or enjoy displaying your fine science fiction and fantasy novels for all to see, this collection of poems would be great for your coffee table. And if you are one that likes to write, who knows? Perhaps you’ll get your own world in the sequel. Hmmm, “Dutkiewicz’s world” has a nice ring to it. Awww, it would probably be just a moon circling “Garton’s world” anyway.
(The eBook is also available in pdf and mobipocket format for handheld devices and is available exclusively at Abbott ePublishing online (http://www.abbottepub.com) which is a company located in Scott’s hometown of Manchester, NH. It sells for $2.49.)
I have always considered Atomjack as a point of pride. In 2006, when this all began, it was a simple magazine with a simple goal: to deliver the best free science fiction on the web. I think we’ve done a pretty good job together, Atomjack and the internet.
So it is with great sadness that I have to deliver the following news. As of 2010, Atomjack will no longer be providing hot and fresh science fiction nor any other new fiction. This will be the last month for Atomjack. We are not going out with a whimper, though, but with a bang. Three among the best stories to grace these webpages will be published right now.
First, we have a tale of a Nigerian who uses AI spam filters to increase his own fortune. Atomjack presents Keith P. Graham’s “The Nigerian Soul.”
Here’s a taste:
Dear friend ________
Let me introduce myself. My name is Samson Oladejo Balogun, Master of Technical Science, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology in Ogbomosho class of 2032. You may not have heard of me, but I am deeply interested in your future well being. I live in a small village near the major city of Ogbomosho, Nigeria and I am the pupil of the renowned scientist Professor Edward Kwame who has studied the mysteries of computer science in the University of Lagos.
While walking by the river last Sunday with my future wife, the most beautiful Deborah Apum, I discovered, to my surprise, a small soul which had recently escaped from its human abode. Such souls are not uncommon, but this one shined with such a heavenly light that I immediately captured a digital representation of it in a small memory chip and decided that I must find the person who was missing this soul …
Next up, we have a tale of the end of religion as seen by a woman who was given the gift of immortality by Christ himself. Atomjack presents “Memory” by Jennifer Shumate.
Here’s a taste:
They are burning crosses again. I am sitting at a bar across the street, watching the flames flicker across the faces of uniformed officers. A life-sized crucifix is at the center of the fire, the flames melting Jesus’ plastic face and distorting it into expressions of agony. Statues of Mary and Buddha, menorahs and Hindu diyas litter the ground at Jesus’ feet. The gray uniformed men are armed, but their guns hand idly from their shoulders. They do not expect any resistance. The vote to ban religion was as good as unanimous. I did not bother to vote. It would have been like voting Democrat in Texas a few decades ago. I still voted Democrat then, but you learn to recognize futility after awhile when you’re as old as I am.
We are living in the age of reason, after all. The mysticism of religion has no place here. Even before the ban, the churches were falling down and decrepit, their statues of Christ covered in dust and cobwebs. Jesus probably wouldn’t have minded, though. He was not about pomp and flash. He was a regular Joe, who happened to be the son of God …
Last but not least, we have a tale of colonies on the moon, three, but there are rumors of a fourth, a secret colony. Atomjack presents the last story of 2009, and the last story of Atomjack, Brian Trent’s “The Titans of Camp Four.”
Here’s a taste:
“What do you think of my office?” Cyrus asked.
Randall made a show of looking around. As he did, he noticed a few things he hadn’t before; on the governor’s desk were some decidedly odd paperweights. One looked like the inner workings of an elaborate timepiece, with a dozen gears interlocking in mechanical harmony. The other was a strange metal bird with a pilot’s cabin dug into its feathered back.
Cyrus followed his gaze. “Ah! That device with gears is an accurate replica of the Antikithera mechanism, discovered off the coast of Greece in 1901.”
“I’ve heard about,” Randall nodded. “A relic of anachronistic complexity from two thousand years ago. One of the great mysteries of archaeology. What about the mechanical bird there?”
“The Archytas plane.”
“Excuse me?”
Cyrus grinned. “In 400 BC, a Greek inventor named Archytas designed and built a steam-powered aircraft. You can look it up for yourself. It could launch, fly, and land under the controls of a pilot. Historians hate it since it screws up all their notions of when flight was invented. And they also hate the manuscripts recovered from the lava-sealed library at Herculaneam, which shows that Archytas’ invention was improved upon by later generations …”
First, if you are an established author or a fledgling writer, I’d like to invite you to take a moment and head over here. The Ethan Ellenberg Literary Agency contacted me and asked me to reprint a letter. They are looking for new blood and saw something they liked on Atomjack. If you are unrepresented, I recommend you have a look.
Secondly, I’d like to use this opportunity to point you to the newly-formed Atomjack store. This is not a store for a bunch of Cafe Press Atomjack-stamped thongs. In fact, the Atomjack store doesn’t even sell anything directly. The purpose of the Atomjack store is to give you, my readers, the opportunity to find more work by the Atomjack community and its contributors. At the moment, the store is concentrated around a few, outstanding novels and books by past Atomjack authors, but in the coming weeks and months, I’ll be expanding it to include works by our more established authors.
Now, the reason we’re all here:
We were all twelve-year-old girls once. For some of us it was more metaphorical (those of us born XY), and for some it was more literal. It’s a time of change, some welcoming, such as the responsibilities and comprehension that come with a blossoming adulthood, and some frightening, such as the “hair down there,” our newfound interest in boys (again, metaphorical) and the comprehension that our actions have consequences that stretch far beyond ourselves.
This week, a young lady named Kayla is growing up. Kim Sheard brings us a tale of anthropological space exploration, choices and consequences in “New Territory.”
Here’s a taste:
On the morning of our second full day on the planet, the sky turned gray and foggy and then it rained, and it wasn’t as pretty to look out anymore. And I didn’t get to do anything other than watch. This time it wasn’t just because I was a kid, though. Everybody on the team just watched. We looked through the window sometimes and through the scope others. We used all kinds of sensors that could tell us the temperature, do life sign scans, and analyze the soil, but really all there was for any of us to do was watch and record what we saw. Before the sky finally cleared around lunch time that second day, I had studied every centimeter of our craft, too. I was that bored. But Mom had said that was part of what I needed to learn on the mission, that not all missions are exciting. Most of them are routine. Well, this one sure was.
That’s why I was so glad to hear Ensign Tuttle say that a native was approaching our location. Anything new or different at that point was welcome. Sure enough, when I moved to the window I could see a little Logrian moving sideways across the slope toward us. He was coming from the part of the village on the east side of the lake, I guess, and was headed west. Once I noted and reported that the chameleon projectors were, indeed, operational, I was free to just watch him without being afraid that he could see us…
First, I’d like to use this opportunity to point you to the newly-formed Atomjack store. This is not a store for a bunch of Cafe Press Atomjack-stamped thongs. In fact, the Atomjack store doesn’t even sell anything directly. The purpose of the Atomjack store is to give you, my readers, the opportunity to find more work by the Atomjack community and its contributors. At the moment, the store is concentrated around a few, outstanding novels and books by past Atomjack authors, but in the coming weeks and months, I’ll be expanding it to include works by our more established authors.
Secondly, if you are an established author or a fledgling writer, I’d like to invite you to take a moment and head over here. The Ethan Ellenberg Literary Agency contacted me and asked me to reprint a letter. They are looking for new blood and saw something they liked on Atomjack. If you are unrepresented, I recommend you have a look.
Now, the reason we’re all here:
You are all familiar with the story of Rapunzel, the young lady who, trapped in a tower, grows her hair longer and longer until it’s long enough that she can use it as a rope to climb down the side of the tower. (You might also be familiar with the Mythbusters episode that showed it’s actually possible.) Well, forget all that. This week’s story has nothing to do with hair.
A young woman is trapped in an equipment station that monitors the space elevator. When her chance comes for escape the room that’s growing ever smaller and her insanity that’s growing ever larger, can she say no? Find out in “Rapunzel Station” by Jamie Lackey.
Here’s a taste:
Sarah sat in Rapunzel Station and listened absently to the faint noise of static emanating from the equipment panel in front of her. She whistled tunelessly along as she painted her toenails fire engine red. Every once in a while she’d pause to blow a pink bubble. She was excellent at bubble blowing–nearly every bubble managed to obscure the sight of the dingy gray station’s almost featureless interior.
When she’d been offered a job right after graduating with a degree in Observational Astrophysics with a company whose main focus was finding proof of extraterrestrial life, Sarah couldn’t believe her luck. She hadn’t realized that her job was pretty much useless and only existed because they company’s grant stated that the elevator would be manned, or that the company had only bought the severely outdated space elevator for a tax break. Her job was to sit in the single tiny, windowless room that they called the Rapunzel Station for eight hours at a time with nothing to do but “monitor the instruments.”
She started sneaking nail polish and four packs of Bubblicious bubble gum up into the sky station to help her pass the time. She couldn’t stand old chewing gum …
First, if you are an established author or a fledgling writer, I’d like to invite you to take a moment and head over to the blog. The Ethan Ellenberg Literary Agency contacted me and asked me to reprint a letter. They are looking for new blood and saw something they liked on Atomjack. If you are unrepresented, I recommend you have a look.
Secondly, I’d like to use this opportunity to point you to the newly-formed Atomjack store. This is not a store for a bunch of Cafe Press Atomjack-stamped panties. In fact, the Atomjack store doesn’t even sell anything directly. The purpose of the Atomjack store is to give you, my readers, the opportunity to find more work by the Atomjack community and its contributors. At the moment, the store is concentrated around a few, outstanding novels and books by past Atomjack authors, but in the coming weeks and months, I’ll be expanding it to include works by our more established authors.
Now, the reason we’re all here:
It’s no secret that I love Frankenstein. My first real experience was the movie Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, and when I asked my father if the book was as good, he laughed at me. Laughed right in my face. As good, he said. As good? Here. He pulled it off his bookshelf and said, You tell me. And it blew me away. That being said, I’ve hated almost everything that ever pretended to exist in the same universe, or built upon the idea, because the original is so perfect, so beautiful. I’ve never liked Franken-Frankenstein stories, if you get my drift.
And then along comes a Lieder. (It’s meant to rhyme with spider, although I have no idea if that’s the case. Probably not.) In this week’s story, he has analyzed the text, the written account of Dr. Frankenstein, and he has uncovered some glaring inconsistencies.Tim Lieder, examines the intent of the good doctor, his monster, and the others in “Gentlemen of the Jury.”
Here’s a taste:
Gentlemen of the Jury, we are here to decide not only the fate of the defendant but the entire judicial system. The question we put in front of you is simple. Will we allow the architect of a heinous crime to roam free? My esteemed colleague will tell you that the defendant is not responsible for the actions of his creation. My esteemed colleague will argue that Victor Von Frankenstein is merely the victim of circumstance and hubris. According to honorable Herr Rosenblatt, Doctor Von Frankenstein deserves pity not consecutive life sentences.
That Herr Frankenstein is a man of above average intelligence I do not dispute. As many of you know, this very court convicted his creation and accomplice Lucifer Adam Frankenstein only months before. Herr L.A. Frankenstein’s story matches Herr Von Frankenstein’s account to the letter. Doctor Von Frankenstein’s ability is not on trial. The sheer amount of tenacity that Herr Frankenstein mustered to create such a being taxes the imagination. Victor Von Frankenstein, seated before you, is an intelligent dedicated man; however, these attributes only serve to make him a remarkably intelligent murderer…
Like the month of October before it, November (and probably) December will not begin with a story but instead end with one. In lieu of a new piece of tasty fiction, I have served up a detailed book review by Atomjack’s newest addition, Frank Dutkiewicz. It can be found here.
In addition to this review, there is also a review of the new Permuted Press anthology, The World is Dead, edited by Kim Paffenroth. The review, written by Yours Truly, can be read here.
And if you haven’t read all of October’s Atomjack, there’s Emily M. Z. Carlyle’s tale of revolution, counter-revolution and a grim vision of the future of China. There’s a gut-busting tale of alien pranksters by Frank Dutkiewicz (no relation). Lastly, but certainly not leastly, there is Ben Burgis’s astonishing tale of a twisted world where Israel lost the war of 1967, and Palestine still occupies the Jewish territories.
If all that’s not enough, check out Atomjack’s new store for some required reading by the best and brightest of Atomjack’s contributors. There’s also a letter of interest from the Ethan Ellenberg Literary Agency. You can also check out Atomjack’s friends and colleagues by heading to the Links page.
Finally, if you’re a writer, head over to nanowrimo.org for a challenge you can’t resist. (I’ll see you at 50,000 words on Dec. 1.)
The following is a review by Atomjack’s new reviewer, Frank Dutkiewicz. All apologies to Edward McKeown who sent me this to review ages ago. Better late than never. (Unless we’re actually talking about the Apocalypse.)
I love reading anthologies. I tend to gravitate to them, but finding one that will peak your interest enough to take a chance on it can be a difficult process. So when one of my favorite authors, Mike Resnick, wrote the foreword to this one, it was enough for me to dive in.
Sha’Daa: Tales of the Apocalypse is the brainchild of Michael Hanson. With the help of ten other authors, he brought his idea to life.
The Sha’Daa is a forty-eight hour window in which the barriers between our world and the Hell dimensions become thin. The event happens once in ten thousand years. Old myths and superstitious have made a few wary of the hidden portal openings spread over our world. One mysterious man, Johnny the Salesman, is the only one aware of the oncoming doom. Eleven authors have written stories on a few of the collapsing portals and of the lone man selling salvation to an unsuspecting human race.
“The Dive” by Edward McKeown
Kevin Hanlon is the District Supervisor in charge of a group of misfit workers sent into the New York subway to investigate a strange opening. Hanlon learns that demons are about to invade our world. All they need is a bit of human blood, and their souls, and the gates of hell will be opened. Hanlon must convince his rainbow-coalition band of misfits that they must save the day.
If Hollywood is searching for their next action-packed cheesy-horror film, they need to look no further than “The Dive.” The story opens with Hanlon introducing the entire cast of characters (all nine of them) each equipped with a colorful nicknames that aren’t befitting anyone politically correct. It doesn’t take long for Hanlon’s team to realize that he isn’t crazy and they are the only thing that stands between an army of alligator and aped-faced demons on an unsuspecting New York City. What happens next would fit any Predator/Alien sequel. The author even throws in a clichéd line or two for our comedic benefit. (“Can’t we all just get along?”)
If you are familiar with this standard plot you could probably figure out what will happen. The only mystery is guessing who will bite the bullet before it ends. The Salesman character is done well. He reminded me of Kazoo (alien from the Flintstones) just not as corny or silly.
Despite my complaints, “The Dive” is an entertaining read. I must say as an opening story to an anthology like this, the story does fit. The action is nicely written and the pace is quick.
“Tunguska Outpact” by Deborah Koren
Kate is a twenty-something dragged into the Siberian wilderness with her boyfriend, Saul. Saul is heading a University expedition to investigate the 1908 Tunguska event. Kate becomes furious with Saul when he completes a trade she refused with the Salesman; a watch for her stuffed-bear. Kate’s bubbling anger for her boyfriend, and the rest of the world, is just what is needed to bring about the Sha’Daa.
“Tunguska Outpact” is a hell of a story. Ms. Koren took a simple tale of a girl with issues and made it something more. There are only few a characters in this piece but the story is really about Kate anyway. The supporting casts are excellent foils to her character. Solidly done from her point of view, you get a vivid idea on what she thinks of others with a few well-placed words, a rare gift she uses efficiently. The crux of the story is about her conflict is with her soon-to-be-ex-boyfriend, Saul. She sums up her relationship with him early on. Referring that his presents…weren’t gifts at all, but little collar-and-leash sets.
Within the story are short flashbacks when she first received her bear. Generally, a bad idea but Ms. Koren uses them appropriately and exploits them to move the story along. You get a solid idea on why she became the girl she is in the story.
The climatic scene almost comes off as anti-climatic to me. It looked as if it would turn into something outlandish but Ms. Koren wisely reeled it in before that point. The ending fell a little flat but the end couldn’t have possibly made this story grander anyway.
“Tunguska Outpact” is probably not going to win any awards but the storyteller I am suspecting will someday. I found her style and story-telling ability outstanding. I will be looking forward to more of Deborah Koren’s works in the future.
“Lava Lovers by” Wilson “Pete” Marsh
Doctor’s Toby and Sarah Nightwalkers are geologist’s enjoying a working vacation in the Mediterranean Sea. They hire an old salt of a sailor named Agenor, to take them to the Santorini Caldera, site of a series of volcanic eruptions dating all the way back to 1600 BC. The two young doctors have a shared passion for old myths and legends, which is the reason they sought Agenor services.
Against Agenor’s better judgment, the geologist convince him to let them camp out on Akroteri, site of the ancient city that was buried in the 1600 BC eruption. On the slab they camp on, the young couple discover identical hand print’s (left hand human, right a three-fingered claw) as one they saw in the Petroglyphs of New Mexico. The prints remind Toby of an old silly myth his grandfather used to tell. Under his brides prodding, they recite the words that bring about Sha’Daa.
“Lava Lovers” starts out as nothing more than a married couple have a semi-interesting conversation. It isn’t until Agenor comes on the scene when the story starts to get entertaining. At one point, a good page is set aside for a geological lecture. Interesting if you’re watching the Discovery Channel. Not so much if you’re reading an anthology about the coming apocalypse.
About halfway through the story takes off into high gear. The action is solid and the tension first-class. Mr. Marsh does an excellent job of bringing his characters to life. They are likeable and funny. The humor is slight but his timing is perfect. The Salesman makes a brief cameo appearance. Marsh seems to have an excellent grasp of his character. For such a short roll he has a major impact in the plot.
“Lava Lovers” is a bit slow off the starting line but recovers and finishes strong. I liked this story a lot.
“The Way of the Warrior” by Arthur Sanchez
Shinzo is a monk in the Temple of Eternal Light, and like the rest of the monks, seeks to be a warrior. As a monk, most of his battles are against grime and his weapon is a mop. In his spare time, Shinzo is the warrior he seeks to be in the world of video games.
The monks are the first defense against the demons that seek to destroy Earth. They train for the day of the challenge. Two grand champions, one demon, the other a member of the monastery, battle for the fate of Earth. The time is unknown, but is decided when all the blossoms on the cherry trees in the garden fall.
The rest of the monks are away with only the Grand Master to watch the Cherry trees and Shinzo left to polish the floors. The Salesman appears with a mop and cleaner that magically cleans the floor for him, for a price to good to pass up. The cleaner works wonders, a little too well when an unsuspecting Master slips on the floor. Leaving Shinzo’s alone as the blossoms start to fall.
“The Way of the Warrior” is a jewel of a story. It is quite simply, hilarious. The demon champion left me in stitches. This Salesman is probably the craftiest in the anthology. Shinzo is the least likeliest champion that fate could provide. He uses his wits, and love of the video game, to combat an impossibly formidable opponent.
As someone that attempts to make others laugh, my hat goes off to Mr. Sanchez. Bravo.
“Breaking Even” by Jamie Schmidt
Kenneth is a gambler with a psychic gift that gives him an edge. Banned from most of the casinos in the universe, he returns to Las Vegas to see if he can weasel his way back into some action. The glitzy Nevada City is filled with demons who are quite aware of Kenneth’s gift. He is escorted to the airport where he runs into the Salesman. Johnny offers Kenneth a stake in the biggest game ever.
Imagine Maverick with aliens and demons. Throw in a daughter Kenneth never knew he had and you got the basic story line of Breaking Even. The story has plenty of one-liners, almost all of them corny. Such as this one when a demon eats a Chihuahua … “I love Mexican.”
I found Kenneth unlikable, the villain predictable, and the cast of characters unremarkable. I think the story would have been better served without the sitcom-level humor. I did find the ending delightfully poetic. Nevertheless, “Breaking Even” came off as unexceptional.
“Dixie Chrononauts” by D. R. MacMaster
Harvey Cormac is a US Marine, home from Iraq and spending time in a Confederate civil war re-enactment company headed to Gettysburg. While traveling on a back-road/shortcut in a bus with the company, which is followed by a professor eager to stop madman from starting the Sha’Daa, and a Homeland Security agent transporting a van load of weapons (alone) for the Maryland State Police, they are transported back in time days before the battle. Harvey Wraith, (the villain) has gone back into time as well. The deaths of the battlefield and a suspicious virgin pregnancy are the two pieces needed to bring about the Sha’Daa and the stranded time travelers are the only ones that can stop him.
The story started off fast then slowed to a crawl and dragged from that point on. The first ten pages or so are used to introduce the seven main characters and set up the unlikely scenario that places them all together on a lonely dirt road. The next ten after that are for the characters to get their bearings to figure out what the readers all ready know. The remainder of the story becomes a desperate battle between conveniently well-armed heroes and giant snakes, spiders, and other creepy crawlers.
“Dixie Chrononauts” reads like a knock-off idea on the Lost phenomenon. The heroes come off as stereotypical and the villain is just plain silly, all Harvey Wraith needed was a curled handlebar mustache to complete the picture. The story is littered with characters and the shifting perspectives made it difficult to follow.
The last line to “Dixie Chrononauts” sums up the piece perfectly for me.
“It’s a long story.”
“The Great Nyuk-Nyuk” by Adrienne Ray
Brian Mulcahey is a smart-alec sixth-grade student of St. Bernadette’s Middle School. His tormenting of Sister Farzenweiner and the rest of the staff has brought the attention of the Vatican. They are convinced he is the savior that will make the King of Atrocities laugh, thus saving the world.
The premise to this one is silly. Fortunately, it’s supposed to be. The story is more about a Jesuit priest having doubts about his faith than about a jokester being put on the biggest spot ever. I found Brian likeable but unremarkable. Truthfully, I knew cleverer smart-alec’s growing up.
“The Great Nyuk-Nyuk” is funny but is not in the league of the earlier comedic piece, The Way of the Warrior. I didn’t find it as clever or as smooth. It was nevertheless a fun story.
“Talking Heads” by Nancy Jackson
Professor ‘Ronny’ Johns recruits a group of hand picked students to Easter Island to investigate a rash of strange occurrences. Ronny worries that her grandfather’s old stories of the coming Sha’Daa are true. With the help of a gifted blind student, she hopes to uncover the mystery of the Monoliths.
Talking Heads follows an all too familiar blueprint. Set a group of people at the right place in the last possible moment to foil a carefully laid 10,000 year-old evil plan. Professor Ronny drags what she hopes will be the saviors of the world to Easter Island, but withholds the information so no one will get panicked. Her students fit the blueprint perfectly. Two hunky competing boys after the same girl, a blind girl that has a gifted psychic-like vision, throw in a student that doesn’t believe anything, one that believes all is lost, and one more that wants to cut and run, and you have your world saving bunch.
I did like the impending doom implications. Plants swallowing the islanders to turn them into zombies while the gods to wreck havoc, one island at a time, does sound cool. The Salesman plays a prominent role, however I found him to be stiff compared to others. To loosen things up, Ms. Jackson does try her hand a funny line or two.
“…I handpicked each of you because you were smart and talented. Martin, I think I invited you for comic relief.”
Despite my narrow interpretation, “Talking Heads” isn’t a bad story. The plot is sound but slow developing. Not close to my favorite but still worthy of the anthology.
“The Seventh Continent” by Lee Ann Kuruganti
The scientist, researches, and workers living at McMurdo Base in Antarctica are celebrating their Mid-winter greetings celebration. A nearby volcano erupts releasing green-bubble monsters sent by the Sha’Daa dark lords. The bubbles are deadly and can’t be stopped. Or can they?
The first eight pages of “The Seventh Continent” is nothing but innate conversations by twenty-something Real World wannabes. I began to wonder if all the western governments decided to populate Antarctica with nothing but skateboarders and rappers (plan does have merit). Once you got through the chatter the story got better. But just as the Real World can be (show, not life) the characters come off as selfish. I couldn’t find one thing to like about any of them. What I did like were the monsters. For green bubbles they were pretty slick. No two humans died the same way inside their transparent skins. Even for the Antarctic they were cool.
So I did find something to root for in Ms Kuruganti’s story. Unfortunately, it was for the wrong side.
“Prana” by Michael Hanson
Prana is the second most powerful being in creation. The coming Sha’ Daa brings it to a small world filled with insignificant creatures called humans. Prana feeds off the energy of the invading demons. To maximize his absorbing potential, Prana divides into 1000 sub-Prana. The plan is to reassemble after the end of the Sha’ Daa, more powerful than before. But the longer the sub-Prana’s remain apart, the more they resist the call to return as one. And one, Prana-777, has taken a keen interest in humans.
Prana is more of a loose bunch of small stories within a larger one. Once divided, many of the smaller parts begin to develop their own sense of identity. The longer apart, the more advanced their individuality becomes. There is a thin moral here, being part of something greater than yourself is not always great. This story comes off much like how his interludes do, excellent tales in small doses, but as one connect piece, “Prana” felt disjointed. Part of the reason why is because the ending fizzled and I wanted something more.
“The Salesman” by Rob Adams
Johnny has masqueraded as a human for ten millennia. His sentence for interfering in the Sha’Daa has come full circle. The new Sha’Daa approaches and he is doing all he can so the brave, unsuspecting people of Earth will have a chance. The golden-tooth salesman then comes across a new player to the game. Prana is here to make sure Johnny doesn’t interfere with the Sha’Daa, something that Johnny has been destined to do.
Rob Adams was given the task to tie all the separate stories together. He does that and provides a background for dear old Johnny. We learn who and what Johnny is and why he has lived on Earth for so long. A good portion of the tale shows what happened before he became the Salesman.
“The Salesman” is a nice bow for a smartly wrapped present. Mr. Adams did very well taking a single character based of several different authors ideas of what he was. Johnny wasn’t quite the crafty, sharp-witted door-to-door salesman Arthur Sanchez created, or the wise angel-like being in “The Dive,” but he was a very rich character that I found fitting to anchor such a rich anthology. Mr. Hanson chose well picking his anchorman for his project.
Prologue, interludes, and epilogue by Michael Hanson
These are the little intermissions set between each chapter. Two things made them different from the rest of the stories. A) They’re short and B) They don’t involve Johnny the Salesman.
The prologue and epilogue are the snug fitting bookends that they should be. The interludes are complete standouts, and not the bridges between chapters I thought they were at first. The longest is nine-pages. Most fall into a one to two page length. I found the majority of them to be sharp and a few of them outstanding. Some of the less-than-a-thousand word stories had richer plots than a couple of the ten thousand word plus chapters.
I particularly liked “Jump,” “Invasion Force,” and “The Friendly Skies.” My favorite was “Brave Man.” I found most of the interludes delightful.
It can’t be easy to grasp someone else’s idea, with a narrowly defined character, and write a story based that fits what the creator envisioned. Mr. Hanson’s brain-child was no ordinary guideline to follow. What he asked for was the equivalent of J. R. R. Tolken approaching a group of writers help him create Lord of the Rings to his specifications and satisfaction. The concept of the Sha’Daa and Johnny the Salesman are exciting ones. Finding eleven writers to help fill up a novel based on Mr. Hanson’s idea couldn’t have been easy.
As a reader of many anthologies, I have yet to find one where I liked every story when they are written by so many different authors. Sha’Daa does not break that streak. More than a few of the plots felt forced to me. The quality of writing is not consistent through the entire novel. Almost all were satisfactory, though. I did find more than few to be outstanding.
“Tunguska Outpact” and “Lava Lovers” were exceptional. Couple those with Michael Hanson’s many interludes and the fitting final act, “The Salesman,” and you have a great book. I found their stories to be well worth the price of admission. However, I liked Arthur Sanchez’s “The Way of the Warrior” so much I would recommend the Sha’Daa based on his story alone.
So, if like reading about the end of the world, the Sha’Daa: Tales of the Apocalypse is the book for you. I recommend you buy yourself a copy here. You won’t be disappointed.
A couple years ago, Kim Paffenroth edited an anthology of historic zombie fiction called History is Dead, and it was overall a pretty outstanding book. If you haven’t read it, I recommend you pick it up now. So when Permuted Press announced Paffenroth’s next anthology, I ordered it right away.
Unfortunately, I can’t say that you should go pick it up right now. Unless you’re a hardcore zombie fan like occasional Atomjack reviewer, Tim Milton, then, by all means, what are you waiting for!
The theme of this anthology is a little less clear cut than History is Dead. From the back, it would seem that the anthology is about the world after the zombies have won “Just lots of dead people walking around. If the living dead won, what would the world be like?” But only a few stories seem to actually let the zombies win. In actuality, the overall idea is that the zombie apocalypse, one way or another, is finished, and zombies are still walking around. Civilization as we know it has changed. A better name might have been Your Civilization is Dead.
The book is split into four separate sections: Work, Family, Love and Life. The Work section revolves around zombies and how they affect industry. Three of the four stories have zombies of varying mental capacity, all able (or compelled by technology) to do menial work. The fourth is about a traveling snake-oil salesmen in the post-zombie wasteland. I felt that three of these stories didn’t really match what I had read on the back of the book. The zombies didn’t win–mankind, for the most part, subjugated them and put them to work mowing lawns and digging ditches.
The first story, “Dead Men Can’t Complain” by Peter Clines was the most entertaining of the bunch, and only “Gather Round, Gather Round” by Dave MacPherson delivered on the promise (and premise) of life after the zombies win.
“The Office Party” by Walter Jarvis and “Working Man’s Burden” by David C. Pinnt both revolve around zombies being compelled by technology to do simple jobs around the office and in a chicken processing plant, respectively. Neither, I felt, had any significant impact or explored anything new in the zombie genre with their heavy-handed social commentary (yes, office drones are zombies, and we’re all losing our minimum wage jobs to Mexic—I mean, zombies).
The next section, Family, was stranger and stronger overall, with thinking (or at least, not completely brain-dead) zombies having roles in all four stories. Atomjack alum Gustavo Bondoni’s “Brige Over the Cunene” delivered exactly the kind of story I had expected from the back cover. Civilization has reformed, with humans and zombies keeping a precarious peace between them, and a mother has to venture into dangerous territory to find her son.
“Glorietta” by Gary A. Braunbeck was a bit weaker of a story; it revolved around a family of zombies that returned home every Christmas, and the diseased member they refused to eat.
“The Blue Word” by Carole Lanham was an amazing story, though. This is almost a coming of age tale as a young woman, an orphan in a Catholic orphanage, learns the truth of the world outside the walls she’s known her entire life, where she soon must venture. Amusing, sad, confusing and illuminating, this story was the first of the anthology where I had to put the book down afterward and just let my mind absorb what had been read.
The last of the family stories, “Fleeing, on a Bicycle With Your Father From the Living Dead, ” was fun, as it revolved around an alcoholic big brother, an alcoholic father, and a little girl, and then the fleeing with the bicycle and the aforementioned father, and, of course, the zombies. The use of math in this story to differentiate between the living and the dead was pretty cute.
Love was a pretty satisfying little group of stories, and if the upcoming Living Dead Press anthology Love is Dead is anything like these four stories, it might have to be a must-buy. It starts out strong, with a group of elderly folk in William Bolen’s “December Warming,” heading into their golden years in a retirement home where all the staff are zombies. In this take on the zombie world, they don’t eat the old or the diseased, and without spoiling it (which isn’t hard to figure out), the main character realizes why.
“A Bite to Remember” by Jennifer Brozek is an entertaining, but not very memorable, tale of heartbreak, deception and murder.
“The Visitor” by Jack Ketchum is a touching story of an older man who loses his wife to the bite, but returns to the hospital every day, even when they’ve replaced her with another victim, then another, then another.
Last in the Love section is the highlight of the anthology, hands down. “The Song of Absent Birds” by Mark Onspaugh is simply astonishing. The story is set against a civilization that has gone hi-tech and moved underground. A doctor, nearly eighty years old, goes to the surface to see his wife, zombified now for sixty years and tracked with a GPS unit. I don’t even want to spoil any more of the story. The descriptions, the consequences, the fact that heartwarming and heartbreaking love exist so completely and honestly in this story was breathtaking.
The last section in this anthology is Life, and of all the sections, I found myself enjoying this section the most. It seemed to have the variety I expected of the anthology; humor, horror, perspectives—all are represented here. It begins with “The Loneliest Man in the World” by Bobbie Metevier, a strong story about an old man who loves movies and “kidnaps” zombies to sit in his apartment and watch them, as well as his young Latino neighbor who shows how the lower classes have fared in this world of flesh-eating dead.
“Genuflect” by William D. Carl could have been a Romero story. In this one, a priest and a nun (I think she’s a nun) have been living in a church for most of their lives, and the dead come every Sunday to receive communion. A series of tunnels has been dug from place to place, and it seems that finally, after decades of darkness, civilization is starting to reestablish itself.
“What Comes After” is a grim story of an old lady who lives on the border of a cemetery where the dead have been rising for a while, and the young Sheriff who comes to convince her to move into town with the rest of the survivors.
“The New Dumb” by Kyle S. Johnson is just fantastic. Written in the style of Hunter S. Thompson, it revolves around a group of survivors who want to hold one final World Series in a Boston Stadium and all the zombies who come to watch them play.
“Cured Meat” is an intriguing story with a fun twist at the end on the zombie genre. One of the only stories in the anthology where the perspective of the zombies themselves is represented, the living dead are more like a group of proto-human apes than humans. Their days consist of grooming, posturing and eating everything they can. The twist at the end is just as much fantasy as the living dead, and as a result, completely acceptable. I enjoyed this one.
Last, we have the heavy-hitter of the anthology, David Wellington (author of the Monster Island zombie series) gives us a world where the big box stores of strip malls become the centers of a new feudal civilization. The story is about a woman, a Wilder, whose job is to deliver the virgin daughter of a Manager of a Walmart to the Manager of a Home Depot, very reminiscent of high fantasy with hedge knights, monsters and princesses. It was fun, and a nice way to wrap up the anthology.
Now that you’ve read the review, you’ll see that it’s rather mixed. Of the eighteen stories, only four would be “must-reads” in my opinion, with another eight worth a read, and six that I could have lived without. Atomjack has published a few zombie stories, and I like to think I have a pretty good sensibility when it comes to what makes a zombie stand out. In Paffenroth’s previous anthology, I felt there were a lot more stand-out stories that challenged the standard zombie perception (without wandering into the silly, as Permuted Press’s Undead series occasionally does.) This anthology, though, felt a lot more standard. A respectable entry in zombie fare, and sure to entertain the average zombie enthusiast, but overall it lacked a literary quality that might attract outside readers and satisfy true zombie die-hards that have already read everything like the aforementioned Tim Milton.
First, I’d like to use this opportunity to point you to the newly-formed Atomjack store. This is not a store for a bunch of Cafe Press Atomjack-stamped panties. In fact, the Atomjack store doesn’t even sell anything. The purpose of the Atomjack store is to give you, my readers, the chance to find more work by the Atomjack community and its contributors. At the moment, the store is concentrated around a few, outstanding novels and books by past Atomjack authors, but in the coming weeks and months, I’ll be expanding it to include works by our more established (and published) authors.
Secondly, if you are an established author or a fledgling writer, I’d like to invite you to take a moment and head over to this post. The Ethan Ellenberg Literary Agency contacted me and asked me to reprint a letter. They are looking for new blood and saw something they liked on Atomjack. If you are unrepresented, I recommend you have a look.
Now, the reason we’re all here:
As China becomes a more dynamic and powerful superpower in the world, science fiction has, sometimes subtly, sometimes not, begun to include the country, its people and its future impact on humanity. The great zombie outbreak of Max Brook’s Nobel-worthy World War Z began in China. Everyone in Joss Whedon’s brief-lived space western, Firefly, spoke, or at least understood Chinese. I see a lot of stories cross my virtual desktop that try to envision how China’s influence on the world will pan out, and this week, I thought I’d share one with you.
Emily M. Z. Carlyle revolves China once more, but this time, women come out on top. But the thing about revolutions in inherent in the term. They revolve.
Here’s a taste:
Pei Pei kept her eyes on the landscape so as not to have to face the problem at hand. The mountainside was a poem: brown against the sunset, bordered in eye-searing gold. The terraced rice fields were just murky puddles now, but Pei Pei felt warm and proud looking at them. The villagers had finished the harvest ahead of schedule on those fields, right there. Their fields. Her peasants. The revolution had restored a sense of righteous, justified pleasure in private ownership, and though the villagers did not legally or even morally belong to her, Pei Pei was fond of likening her emotions for them to those of a mother hen: overly protective but essentially tender.
She was smiling a little, scrunching up her eyes against the sunset glare over the shoulder of the mountain. The voice of her present problem, Provincial Inspectrix General Huang-Ju Li jerked her back from the reverie of the village’s accomplishments: “I see you observing the fields, Supervisess, but what I fail to see is any reason for smugness. Are you aware that this season’s harvest was 12.5 per cent less than projected? Less than expected?”
