by John Gribbin
Very carefully and very, very slowly I rolled onto my side and climbed to my feet, wincing and groaning most of the way. Putting weight on my right leg, it almost gave way and I discovered that the med-patch had come loose, ripping open my earlier cut as it did. I gave a sigh. This was turning out to be a very long day. Then, grumbling to myself, I began to limp for the door.
The lights were off in Sandy’s when I dropped from the ceiling for what felt like the hundredth time that day. This time had been worse than the others, not only did I have to contend with the tight spaces but also the pain in my chest. In the end I’d had to give up and slide my way along on my back. My landing was less than elegant as well, my leg instantly gave way and I collapsed to the ground with a crash and a great deal of swearing.
As I lay on the ground, I waited for Sam or one of his goons to come running in with their guns drawn but, even after a few seconds, the bar remained silent. Somehow I had made it back before Sam. I dragged myself up using a table, and drew my gun, checking around before settling myself in the darkest corner, facing the door. I was tempted again to help myself to a bottle of whisky behind the bar but all the action had me exhausted and the brief respite from violence gave me a chance to rest and (rather unwisely) fall asleep.
I jerked awake when I heard the bar door opening and the sound of someone talking on their comm unit. I pressed myself as far into the shadows as I could and tightened my grip on my pistol.
“No, it’s being dealt with. Has the shipment been moved? Good.” I heard the door shut and the voice moved deeper into the dark room. “I’ll let you know when I know. I’ve got to go, the bar needs opening. Business has to go on as usual.” I heard a beep as the call cut out and after some fumbling around the lights flared on. “Shit!” Sam, it seemed, was surprised to find a gun pointed at his head, “What, err, what are you doing here Marcus? Shouldn’t you be at the docks?”
I got slowly to my feet, “You know what I’m doing here Sam. Thought maybe you’d want a chance to kill me yourself instead of having your heavies do it, you son of a bitch.”
To his credit Sam dropped the act pretty quickly, the bastard even smiled. “How’d you catch me? Something I said?”
“No, I saw you. I was in the docking bay when you arrived. I watched you tell those dicks to kill me. Oh, and they won’t be doing business with you anymore. They’re all dead.”
Sam’s smile didn’t falter but he did take a step backwards, “There are always more smugglers, I’m sure I’ll find someone else to do business with. What is it you want Marcus? A ship? I’ve got a shuttle stashed away down on V. It can be all yours if you just leave.”
“Don’t worry I’m going, but first I have a few questions,” I watched as Sam took another step backwards. “Why slaves? I can understand the drugs even if I do think you’re a scumbag son of a bitch, but why people? Were you just not destroying enough lives?”
“Just business Marcus, just business.” He took another step backwards so he was leaning against the bar.
Now it was my turn to smile, “You really are scum Sam. I trusted you, thought you were a friend but you’re just scum.” Sam edged towards the till. “Don’t bother Sam. I’ve already taken the gun from the till. Why didn’t you just shoot me earlier?” His only answer was a shrug but at last that arrogant smile was gone. “I take it from your call that the slaves are already off the station?” Silence. “I’m going to find them. You’ve made sure I can’t stay here so I’m going to find them and free them.” I strode over to Sam and grabbed him by the shirt, “Care to make it easy and tell me where they are?” His poker face was unreadable. “I thought not.” I gave Sam a shove and he collapsed onto one of the bars many chairs. I walked round to stand behind him, “Goodbye Sam.”
The gunshot seem thunderous in the otherwise silent bar then there was a moment of silence before, THUD, Sam’s body hit the floor. He died just as Franklin had, just like they both deserved. Two people I thought I knew had turned out to be slave trading trash. My ability to judge people was seriously messed up. Somehow I didn’t think I’d ever be so quick to trust again.
Elsewhen Press
an independent publisher specialising in Speculative Fiction
Visit the Elsewhen Press website at elsewhen.co.uk for the latest information on all of our titles, authors and events; to read our blog; to find out where to buy our books and ebooks; or to place an order.
J.A. Christy
* * *
SmartYellowTM
SmartYellow™ is the story of a young girl, Katrina Williams, who finds herself on the wrong side of social services. After becoming pregnant with only a slight notion of the father’s identity, she is disowned by her parents and goes to live on a social housing estate. Before long she is being bullied by a gang involved in criminal activity and anti-social behaviour. Seeking help from the authorities she is persuaded to return to the estate to work as part of Operation Schrödinger, alongside a surveillance specialist. But she soon realises that Operation Schrödinger is not what it seems.
Exploring themes of social inequity and scientific responsibility, J.A. Christy’s first speculative fiction novel leads her heroine Katrina to understand how probability, hope and empathy play a huge part in the flow of life and are absent in the stagnation of mere survival. As readers we also start to question how we would know if the power of the State to support and care for the weak had become corrupted into the oppression of all those who do not fit society’s norms.
SmartYellow™ offers a worryingly plausible and chilling glimpse into an alternate Britain. For the sake of order and for the benefit of more fortunate members of society, those seen as socially undesirable are marked with SmartYellow™, making it easier for them to be controlled and maintained in a state of fruitless inactivity. Writer, J.A. Christy, turns an understanding and honest eye not only onto the weak, who have failed to cope with life, but also onto those who ruthlessly exploit them for their own ends. At times tense and threatening, at times tender and insightful, SmartYellow™ is a rewarding and thought-provoking read.
ISBN: 9781908168788 (epub, kindle) / 9781908168689 (320pp paperback)
Visit bit.ly/SmartYellow
Peter R. Ellis
* * *
Evil Above the Stars
This thrilling fantasy series appeals to readers, of all ages, of fantasy or science fiction, especially fans of JRR Tolkien and Stephen Donaldson. If old theories are correct until a new idea comes along, does the universe change with our perception of it? Were the ideas embodied in alchemy ever right? What realities were the basis of Celtic mythology?
Volume 1: Seventh Child
September Weekes discovers a stone that takes her to Gwlad, where she is hailed as the one with the power to defend them against the evil known as the Malevolence. September meets the leader and bearers of metals linked to the seven ‘planets’ that give them special powers to resist the elemental manifestations of the Malevolence. She returns home, but a fortnight later, is drawn back to find that two years have passed and there have been more attacks. She must help defend Gwlad against the Malevolence.
ISBN: 9781908168702 (epub, kindle) / 9781908168603 (256pp paperback)
Volume 2: The Power of Seven
September with the Council of Gwlad must plan the defence of the Land. The time of the next Conjunction will soon be at hand. The planets, the Sun and the Moon will all be together in the sky. At that point the protection of the heavenly bodies will be at its weakest and Gwlad will be more dependent than ever on September. But now it seems that she must defeat Malice, the guiding force behind the Malevolence, if she is to save the Land and all its people. Will she be strong enough; and, if not, to whom can she turn for help?
ISBN: 9781908168719 (epub, kindle) / 9781908168610 (288pp paperback)
Volume 3: Unity of Seven
September is back home and it is still the night of her birthday, despite having spent over three months in Gwlad battling the Malevolence.
Back to facing the bullies at school she worries about the people of Gwlad. She must discover a way to return to the universe of Gwlad and the answer seems to lie in her family history. The five Cludydds before September and her mother were her ancestors. The clues take her on a journey in time and space which reveals that while in great danger she is also the key to the survival of all the universes. September must overcome her own fears, accept an extraordinary future and, once again, face the evil above the stars.
ISBN: 9781908168917 (epub, kindle) / 9781908168818 (256pp paperback)
Visit bit.ly/EvilAbove
Steve Harrison
* * *
TimeStorm
In 1795 a convict ship leaves England for New South Wales in Australia. Nearing its destination, it encounters a savage storm but, miraculously, the battered ship stays afloat and limps into Sydney Harbour. The convicts rebel, overpower the crew and make their escape, destroying the ship in the process. Fleeing the sinking vessel with only the clothes on their backs, the survivors struggle ashore.
Among the escaped convicts, seething resentments fuel an appetite for brutal revenge against their former captors, while the crew attempts to track down and kill or recapture the escapees. However, it soon becomes apparent that both convicts and crew have more to concern them than shipwreck and a ruthless fight for survival; they have arrived in Sydney in 2017.
TimeStorm is a thrilling epic adventure story of revenge, survival and honour. In the literary footsteps of Hornblower, comes Lieutenant Christopher ‘Kit’ Blaney, an old-fashioned hero, a man of honour, duty and principle. But dragged into the 21st century… literally.
A great fan of the grand seafaring adventure fiction of CS Forester, Patrick O’Brien and Alexander Kent and modern action thriller writers like Lee Child, Steve Harrison combines several genres in his fast-paced debut novel as a group of desperate men from the 1700s clash in modern-day Sydney.
ISBN: 9781908168542 (epub, kindle) / 9781908168443 (368pp paperback)
Visit bit.ly/TimeStorm
Rhys Hughes
* * *
Mirrors in the Deluge
Mirrors in the Deluge is a collection of 32 unrelated stories that take elements from fantasy, science fiction, horror and other genres and give them a lateral shift. Like much of Rhys’ work these quirky tales between them encompass parody, pastiche and puns.
The fun, as ever, starts with the title of each story – gently leading an unsuspecting reader into preconceived ideas and expectations; expectations that are soon spun around, turned on their head (or other extremities), and pushed in an unexpected direction. Thus, a saunter merely through the contents page is already a hugely entertaining experience and one more akin to savouring the hors d’oeuvres of a grand feast than consulting a list of shortcuts into a literary tome. In fact, the gastronomic metaphor serves us well here; the courses on offer range from tantalising tuck to a gourmand’s repast, but never mere vittles – perhaps the way to enjoy this book is to digest one story, three times a day (four if you’re a halfling who needs second breakfast), rather than trying to gorge on all the available delights and delicacies at one sitting.
To complete this gourmet’s guide, a tempting sampling of the stories must include: The Soft Landing, a unique story told from the perspective of a photon; Travels with my Antinomy, how do you solve a paradox when you’re part of it?; Vanity of Vanities, the internet achieves consciousness and takes over, but with very different consequences than you might imagine; The Fairy and the Dinosaur, in which a fairy can’t find what she wants for her picnic in the goblin market, is offered cloned prehistoric plums but turns to a time-travelling robot to go back to the age of the dinosaurs and eat an original plum. Other titles to tempt you include The Martian Monocles, The Prodigal Beard, A Dame Abroad, The Unkissed Artist Formerly Known as Frog, The Goat That Gloated, The Taste of Turtle Tears, The Bones of Jones, and The Haggis Eater.
ISBN: 9781908168757 (epub, kindle) / 9781908168658 (200pp paperback)
Visit bit.ly/MirrorsDeluge
Stefan Jackson
* * *
Glass Shore
What if ‘Think Differently’ was more than a campaign slogan? What if it was part of a mind control network geared towards advanced sciences, creating a vibrant, creative and competitive workforce? This is the world of Glass Shore, a dynamic existence featuring fierce vehicles, cruel weapons and serious body augmentation.
Manhattan, 2076. The fabled city of gold realised; a city of dazzling buildings and beautiful people; a city celebrated for converting an obsolete subway system into an adult playground. Manhattanite Nikki’s life changes forever when she finds the files labelled ‘Project Blue Book appendix 63-A’. The report contains a disc related to the Glass Shore, the horrendous nuclear event at Puget Sound in 2062. Disclosure of these files is not an option, so powerful people want Nikki dead. To protect her Nikki hires Apollo, her long-time friend and lover, who is magnificent at his job. He is also a clothes whore with an honest enthusiasm for life.
Nikki and Apollo are the hottest couple in Manhattan. Betrayed by friends at every turn, set upon by bounty hunters and other elements of security, law enforcement and civil protection, they utilise the best hotels, the sexy Underground and the glorious city of Manhattan as their shield.
ISBN: 9781908168580 (epub, kindle) / 9781908168481 (288pp paperback)
Visit bit.ly/GlassShore
ROBIN MORAN, PETER WOLFE
* * *
[RE]AWAKENINGS
AN ANTHOLOGY OF NEW SPECULATIVE FICTION
• ALISON BUCK • NEIL FAARID •
• GINGERLILY • ROBIN MORAN •
• PR POPE • ALEXANDER SKYE •
• PETER WOLFE •
[Re]Awakenings are the starting points for life-changing experiences; a new plane of existence, an alternate reality or cyber-reality. This genre-spanning anthology of new speculative fiction explores that theme with a spectrum of tales, from science fiction to fantasy to paranormal; in styles from clinically serious to joyfully silly. As you read through them all, and you must read all of them, you will discover along the way that stereo-typical distinctions between the genres within speculative fiction are often arbitrary and unhelpful. You will be taken on an emotional journey through a galaxy of sparkling fiction; you will laugh, you will cry; you will consider timeless truths and contemplate eternal questions.
All of life is within these pages, from birth to death (and in some cases beyond). In all of these stories, most of them specifically written for this anthology, the short story format has been used to great effect. If you haven’t already heard of some of these authors, you soon will as they are undoubtedly destined to become future stars in the speculative fiction firmament. Remember, you read them here first!
[Re]Awakenings is a collection of short stories from exciting new voices in UK speculative fiction, compiled by guest editor PR Pope. It contains the following stories: Alison Buck: Dreamers; Intervention; Mirror mirror; Podcast. Neil Faarid: The Adventures of Kit Brennan: Kidnapped! Gingerlily: The Dragon and the Rose. Robin Moran: The Merry Maiden Wails. PR Pope: Afterlife; Courtesy Bodies; On the Game. Alexander Skye: BlueWinter; Dreaming Mars; Exploring the Heavens; Worth it. Peter Wolfe: If you go into the woods today…
ISBN: 9781908168108 (epub, kindle) / 9781908168009 (288pp paperback)
Visit bit.ly/ReAwakenings
Ira Nayman
* * *
A series of novels attempting to document the trials and tribulations
of the Transdimensional Authority
If there were Alternate Realities, and in each there was a version of Earth (very similar, but perhaps significantly different in one particular regard, or divergent since one particular point in history) then imagine the problems that could be caused if someone, somewhere, managed to work out how to travel between them. Those problems would be ideal fodder for a News Service that could also span all the realities. Now you understand the reasoning behind the Alt
ernate Reality News Service (ARNS). But you aren’t the first. In fact, Canadian satirist and author Ira Nayman got there before you and has been the conduit for ARNS into our Reality for some years now, thanks to his website Les Pages aux Folles.
But also consider that if there were problems being caused by unregulated travel between realities, it’s not just news but a perfect excuse reason to establish an Authority to oversee such travel and make sure that it is regulated. You probably thought jurisdictional issues are bad enough between competing national agencies of dubious acronym and even more dubious motivation, let alone between agencies from different nations. So imagine how each of them would cope with an Authority that has jurisdiction across the realities in different dimensions. Now, you understand the challenges for the investigators who work for the Transdimensional Authority (TA). But, perhaps more importantly, you can see the potential for humour. Again, Ira beat you to it.
Welcome to the Multiverse*
* Sorry for the inconvenience
Being the first
ISBN: 9781908168191 (epub, kindle) / 9781908168092 (336pp paperback)
