by Simon Kewin
Finally, silence returns. We stand in an urban wasteland. Green and I turn to look at Sarah, both of us stunned into silence by the magnitude of the magical energies she has unleashed, like a couple of kids standing agog at a really impressive firework display.
Sarah smiles, she actually smiles.
‘Guy annoyed me.’
I look at Green, who shrugs.
‘Don't think I know that song, Sarah,’ I say.
‘No.’
‘Come on,’ says Green, who is striding towards the swirling clouds of the Necromancer's portal. ‘Better get back while we can.’
Moving more slowly, supporting each other, Sarah and I follow.
*
The following evening, back at the Chapel, we take it slowly, do a lot of acoustic numbers. I cut out the James Brown imitations all together. The crowd isn't quite so wild, but they still seem to be into it, and Big Bad Bob and The Ice Giant have a more relaxing time.
We try out a new number, one we've been playing around with that afternoon: Screamin’ Demon. On the whole, it seems to go quite well, even if we do have to busk the middle-eight.
Another three encores and by then we're all done in anyway. We head backstage as the house-lights come up. I glance over my shoulder, just in case. There is no sign of an old man in an overcoat anywhere.
I clap Green on the back as we head off in search of beer.
The End
Dear Reader,
Many thanks for reading Guitar Heroes.
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There are some fine SF/fantasy books to download for free as thanks, including the first two cases in the acclaimed Genehunter series.
The Wrong Tom Jacks
The first Genehunter case. Simms is a genehunter, paid by megarich collectors to track down the DNA of the famous for their private zoos. He's employed to locate the genetic code of Tom Jacks. The job bugs Simms. Something about it is wrong. Someone is playing him. Problem is he doesn't know who or why...
- "A terrific read"
Remembrance Day
Magnus is a broken-down veteran of the Basilisk war, running a bar on the Möbius Strip. Most of his customers are trying to forget their pasts. He spends his time trying to remember his...
An old friend comes seeking his help on a dangerous mission. When Magnus finds out who's really involved it's time to reach for his blaster. But then he begins to discover just how unreliable his memories of the war actually are...
- "Everything you could possibly want from a sci-fi short"
We authors can only do what we do because people buy our books, and reviews from readers are an invaluable part of this. Please consider telling everyone what you thought with a review.
Thanks again for reading.
Simon Kewin.
To discover more by the author, go to:
The Genehunter
Some secrets are best left buried...
Simms is a genehunter, paid to track down the DNA of the famous and infamous of history for his clients' private collections. What they do with the DNA isn't his problem - even if they are using it to create illegal clones.
He walks a line, pulled in many different directions at once. The law, competing genehunters, ex-lovers, religious nuts and anti-genehunter crazies. But when he starts to work the Boneyard case he discovers that, sometimes, you have to decide which side of the line you're on.
And when he uncovers the truth of his own origins he begins to question everything he is and does...
A future noir cyberpunk novel set on an Earth slowly going to hell. The Genehunter follows the adventures of Simms, genetic detective and all-round nice guy. Originally published as a series of five linked novellas: The Wrong Tom Jacks, The Zombies of Death, The Clone Who Didn't Know, A Soldier of Megiddo and Boneyard.
With added bonus material: The World of Simms (characters and organisations of the Genehunter universe) and 22nd Century Genie (the original Simms short story).
‘as thought-provoking as it is entertaining.’ - SciFiGuy
Engn
Published by December House
Finn's childhood in the valley is idyllic, but across the plains lies a threat. Engn is an ever-growing steam-powered fortress, that needs a never-ending supply of workers. Generation after generation have been taken away, escorted into its depths by the mysterious and terrifying Ironclads, never to return.
The Masters of Engn first take Finn's sister, then his best friend, Connor. He thinks he, at least, is safe - until the day the ironclads come to haul him away.
Yet all is not lost, Finn has a plan. In the peace of the valley he and Connor made a pact. A promise to join the mythical Wreckers and end Engn's tyranny.
But now on his own, lost and thwarted in the vastness of Engn, Finn begins to have doubts. Is Connor really working to destroy Engn?
Or has he become part of the machine?
Praise for Engn
‘In reading this I was reminded or Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast trilogy - a vivid world, characters by turns strange, ordinary, and mysterious. The world of Engn is captivating. Engn is about how the hopes of adults are given as promises to the younger as a prayer to the future, and how the trust of the young is broken by the reality of their inability to keep the promises’
‘I was completely enthralled by this book. Simon Kewin's writing is vivid. The premise of the book reminded me slightly of The Hunger Games and the Ironclads were describes similarly to the ringwraiths from Lord of the Rings.’
‘Engn is an exciting and richly textured novel’
‘With elements of Hunger Games and Ender’s Game, Engn stands on its own and shrugs off genre classifications’
‘Engn is a mashup between two of the hottest trends in young adult fiction right now: dystopian worlds and steampunk.’
simonkewin.co.uk
Spell Circles
Collected fantasy short stories 1999-2011
Desperate magic worked in the face of terrible danger. An old house with a hidden secret. An interview with a zombie. A woman allergic to the twenty-first century. A necromancer with evil written all over his face. Literally.
Spell Circles contains twenty-seven stories of the weird, wonderful and fantastical originally published between 1999 and 2011 and now collected together for the first time. Stories range from the very, very short up to novella length.
The Standing Stones of Erelong
'I am going to be blunt with my assessment. This tale was excellent ... Recommended.' (Diabolical Plots)
Museum Beetles
'a lesson in brilliant storytelling. The world building is phenomenal. This story deserves an award.' (LitHaven)
Guitar Heroes
'I loved it.' (Whispers of Wickedness)
Full Contents
The Standing Stones of Erelong * Straight to Hull * Museum Beetles * Trompe-l'oeil * Midnight in the Room of Clocks * The Ghost Train * A Sorcerous Mist * Birth (Moth)er * The Magister's Clock * A Zombie Walked Into A Bar * Meteorolgy for Beginners * Just Desserts * Guitar Heroes * Angels * Earthworks * Cernunnos * Bones are Rising to the Surface * Scarecrows * KeyQuest * Trick or Treat * The One Thousand One Hundred and Eleven Gates to Faerie * The Summoning * Lucky Numbers * Saved! * The Great Forbidding * Vampyre Slayer * Lost in a Good Book
About the Author
Simon Kewin was born on the misty Isle of Man, but now lives in England with his wife and daughters. He writes SF, fantasy, mainstream and some stories that can't make their minds up.
He can be hunted down at simonkewin.co.uk, on Facebook or via Twitter.
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