Reading Material

Privacy Most Public, by Andrew Burt (Science Fiction, 16000 words, read 25% free)

In the future, the Minuteman software system listens to all phone calls, reads all messages, watches everything, to keep Americans safe... but what happens when it mis-hears what a young man says? A story taken from today's headlines, but written a decade before the unauthorized presidential spying scandal of 2005, Privacy Most Public addresses the age old question-- Who's watching the watchers?

The Flight of the Sarah Mae, by Andrew Burt (Science Fiction, 16000 words, read 25% free)

Walsh McKeeg had tried before to salvage the wreck of the old bomber he'd flown during the war from the desolate planet where they'd crashed. Was the old girl up to one last flight when it really mattered -- and could Walsh overcome his own ghosts?

Delta Pi, by Andrew Burt (Science Fiction, 5300 words, read 80% free)

Whoever says Pi is a constant simply hasn't checked it precisely enough — which may be a good thing!

A Sailor on the Sea of Humanity, by Andrew Burt (Science Fiction, 2000 words, read 100% free)

If you'd wiped out humanity, perhaps you'd find time dilation has it's uses...

An Affliction of Wyrms, by Bud Sparhawk (Fantasy, 14500 words, read 20% free)

Arthur, the magician, must discover how to release a captive princess, rid the village of a curse, deal with the romantic problems of his helper, deal with the bureauocracy, and do something about that spavinned flying horse he's been saddled with. This is a comic mystery story, of course.

Revenge of the Kosher Voles, by Joe Murphy (Fantasy, 6080 words, read 40% free)

Alaskan's deep, dark winters can be unsettling for a newcomer like Dolan--especially when he must atone for past lives.

The Merlady on the Isle, by J.A.Howe (Fantasy, 1850 words, read 25% free)

Fairy tale about how trees came to land... you'd never guess that a mermaid caused it all.

Buggy, by Tony Thorne MBE (Science Fiction, 2765 words, read 30% free)

Those famous three Laws of Robotics may have had a few loopholes. What if a robot is used for nefarious activities ..?

A Lesson in Texas Magic, by Joe Murphy (Fantasy, 7180 words, read 35% free)

A hot tempered elf recieves a lesson in Texas Magic from a crumpled up sword-slinger with a hidden agenda.

Stumbling in the Language of a Dead Planet, by Joe Murphy (Science Fiction, 9880 words, read 40% free)

So, The First had faced the same choices as humanity. Like the Purists, they had decided to end their lives rather than mutilate their flesh with micro gadgetry. They had chosen to be mortal or they would still exist. Could death be the common ground?

It's Not a Romantic Thing, Really, by Christopher B Jorgensen (Science Fiction, 5000 words, read 30% free)

After causing a deadly rocket crash on an alien moon, it's up to Tom to save his beautiful captain from the creatures that dwell within.

Nessie Thirteen, by Tony Thorne MBE (Science Fiction, 1710 words, read 30% free)

A off-beat look into the mystery of that (in) famous Loch.

Killer, by Tony Thorne MBE (Science Fiction, 2750 words, read 35% free)

A desperate owner plans to confuse his robot into doing something otherwise illegal.

Sons of Thunder, by Edward Carmien (Fantasy, 4300 words, read 20% free)

In this contemporary fantasy, learn what happens when a street missionary accosts a man who turns out to be more than she can imagine.... "Sons of Thunder" first appeared in the DAW Books anthology _Earth, Air, Fire, Water_, edited by Margaret Weis (ISBN 0886778573, Nov 1999).

Emerging Technologies, by Thomas A. Easton (Non-fiction, 35000 words, read 15% free)

A discussion of emerging technologies, mostly computer-related. The free portion lists specific technologies and explains the genesis of this book inmy Emerging Technologies course.

Freakshow, by Richard Jones (Science Fiction, 4900 words, read 25% free)

In which we learn the dangers of letting a severed hand have the run of a mad scientist's laboratory.

Dead End Jump, by Elle Pepper (Science Fiction, 1000 words, read 55% free)

The life you save may be...your own?

The Wanderer: An Urban Legend, by Elle Pepper (Science Fiction, 4000 words, read 5% free)

What does justice look like in the future? Maybe a little like this?

Twelve Steps: The life and Death of, by Elle Pepper (Science Fiction, 1800 words, read 5% free)

Funny the choices life and war sometimes force you to make.

The Runners, by Bob Buckley (Science Fiction, 8188 words, read 40% free)

Four scientists visit the closing moments of the Mesozoic and discover that the fossil record has not been totally accurate as to the capability of some dinosaurs.

Havens in the Storm, by Stephen B. Pearl (Fantasy, 79000 words, read 15% free)

Dominel, Prince of Bani, Captain of the Bani heavy cavalry, leads his men in a desperate bid to still the advance of the Storm, an army of monsters that are slowly conquering his world. Left for dead behind enemy lines Dominel must fend off the monsters while trying to find a way to resurrect the lost magic of his world, which is his only hope of stopping the Storm. Running from hiding place to hiding place he journeys to the last of the wizards’ strongholds, gaining the dubious companionship of a catatonic girl along the way. He arrives at the stronghold to find nothing human alive. However, when dealing with wizards, this isn’t the obstacle he at first believes, and his instruction begins. Now the race is on. Can Dominel master magic before the forces of the Storm destroy his stronghold? Will he be able to heal the shattered mind of the girl? Will he be king enough to rally his downtrodden people for a final effort? Will he be wizard enough to lead them to the safe haven prepared for them by the ancient mages, or is humanity doomed to become a slave race to the monstrous Storm? By high magic, low trickery and the bravery of the desperate, all these questions are answered in HAVENS IN THE STORM.

Backwater Blues, by Josh Rogan (Literary/non-genre, 4000 words, read 50% free)

'Backwater Blues' by Josh Rogan. Ogdenborough is a small rain-lashed backwater in the English Lake District. Nothing much of note ever happens there - usually. Young Gerard Frazzell, harrassed into arranging the evening's entertainment for the annual village gala day and evening, unwittingly causes the biggest stir this tiny Cumbrian outpost has ever seen.

Legends Reborn, by Carol Hightshoe (Science Fiction, 4902 words, read 25% free)

In a world that was destroyed by war over two centuries ago, humanity is losing the struggle to survive. “We should never presume to dominate this planet and its resources the way the Ancestors did, but neither should we completely withdraw. That’s what we’re doing, and it’s destroying us. Mankind is disappearing from this planet.” Gwendolyn Robbins - Senior Geneticist for the World Wildlife Foundation risks her own life to violate the laws set forth by the World Council to find a way to return Balance and Hope to the world.

Changelings, by Leah Cypess (Fantasy, 4000 words, read 35% free)

Two girls banished from Faerie meet on a city sidewalk. One claims she knows the way back, but she isn’t telling everything she knows…. “Changelings” was originally published in the fourth issue of Odyssey (1998).

The Colonel's Jeep, by Daniel Pearlman (Horror, 10200 words, read 30% free)

During the German retreat from Russia during World War II, a Nazi tank commander, Colonel Knatte, attempts to save himself by calling upon the powers of a local Jewish magician.

The Hunt, by David Sherman (Horror, 92000 words, read 10% free)

Vampires are real. Vampires go out during the day. Vampires can eat garlic. Vampires aren't afraid of crucifixes. Rocks is a vampire hunter. Rocks is the best at what he does. Rocks knows all the vampire tricks. Rocks is a vampire.

Temple of Stone, by Leah Cypess (Fantasy, 3600 words, read 45% free)

A priestess in an underground temple is faced with a terrible choice…. This story was first published in Issue #35 of Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Fantasy Magazine.

The Ground Under Man, by Daniel Pearlman (Science Fiction, 6300 words, read 100% free)

The last mortician on a post-burial earth is vilified as a social deviant as he stubbornly persists in trying to deposit his beloved wife's corpse in the ground.

The Ballad of the Horny Jay, by JA Howe (Science Fiction, 6584 words, read 25% free)

...so, how ARE we going to get into space? During an era of terrorism and commercialism, what happens when the two come together unexpectedly?

Russka's Last Painting, by Keesa Renee DuPre (Fantasy, 2000 words, read 45% free)

Russka's skill as an artist has given her fame and the patronage of a wealthy art lover. But only the Creator can grant her heart's secret desire.

The Heart of the Two-Mile Game, by Jerry Emerson Loomis (Science Fiction, 2700 words, read 45% free)

The world ends on a dark night, walking in the rain. The world ends half-way across a wet street, with a car skidding suddenly around the corner in a drunken left turn. Blazing headlights. Then the impact . . . . I wish I'd told her how I loved her . . . .

To Name a Star, by Keesa Renee DuPre (Fantasy, 2500 words, read 40% free)

We name the things we love the most. Do we hope by this action to claim them as ours?

Manhattan Transfer, by John E. Stith (Science Fiction, 135000 words, read 10% free)

Manhattan is kidnapped by aliens. Read all about it. A Hugo Award Honorable Mention. Locus said: "Considerable ingenuity...Think of it as a visually spectacular movie...and a really outstanding, imaginative, and professional production staff and special effects crew working to bring off the big set-pieces and guarantee the thrills."

The Critical Factor, by Marianne Dyson (Science Fiction, 6000 words, read 50% free)

"Critical Factor" began when I read The Emperor's New Mind by Dr. Roger Penrose where he suggested that only life (versus artificial life) can achieve true consciousness. Thus was born the character of Trine, who was not born, but created, and is struggling to achieve full creative consciousness. The rest of the story came together after I attended a lecture at Rice University by physics Nobel Laureate Charles Townes. He talked about masses being gobbled up by a probable black hole at the center of our galaxy. The magnitude of it shocked me - ten to the tenth solar masses every second! What would it be like if one of those suns were ours? What if there really is no such thing as faster-than- light drive, and yet we get to the point where we could live forever? Trine, in just such a future, is left to wonder about the meaning of (conscious) life, and whether it ultimately matters to his collapsing universe. This story first appeared in Analog Science Fiction magazine in February 1992.

The Shape of Things to Come, by Marianne Dyson (Science Fiction, 4600 words, read 35% free)

This story is for those who like to assume an alien point of view. It was first published in Analog Science Fiction magazine in March 1996 and qualified for the preliminary Nebula ballot. Editor Stan Schmidt wrote this introductory blurb: “Adaptability is a very useful trait—but taking it to the limit requires another as well!”

Stealing the Seed, by Jane Routley & Rebecca Locksley (Science Fiction, 10000 words, read 30% free)

In a world where the sexes are at war, Yani Kanedies is a secret agent struggling to complete her mission by stealing the seed. First published on Eidolon.

Cyber Hunt, by Scott M. Sandridge (Science Fiction, 2200 words, read 40% free)

Zapped by Alien Skin in their April/May 2006 issue, this is the new, revised version of "Cyber Hunt." Captain Amanda McVae and Wiley of the Eagle Federation track down a Dragon Army Cyber on the Hellish moon, Io.

Selection Day, by Michael Seidel (Science Fiction, 3600 words, read 40% free)

A son begins to learn the consequences of his father's choices and thinks twice about being saved from the sleep program.

A Gathering of Storm Clouds, by C. Craig R. McNeil (Fantasy, 80000 words, read 20% free)

The discovery of Atlantis has led the British Empire waxing in power in the early 20th century instead of waning. The discovery of enigmatic power crystals allowed the construction of great monolithic dreadnaughts which rule the skies and waves, enforcing the Empire’s will. A British archaeological team exploring Atlantean ruins discover an amazing artefact called the Nucleus, a massive depository for long forgotten Atlantean knowledge. On searching an outpost of Atlantis for power crystals, the elite Nightshade Division are attacked by strange deadly creatures and barely get out alive. The British Empire's top agent, John Murdoch joins forces with the Nightshade Division's Captain John Riley in a desperate race against time to stop unseen evil forces from launching a deadly attack against the greatest empire the world has ever seen......

Juxt, Terrel and Malcolm, by D.F. Coe (Fantasy, 744 words, read 100% free)

The bard, Juxt, has a chilling experience.

The Teeth of the Jade Lady, by D.F.Coe (Fantasy, 508 words, read 100% free)

Boober and the Association do some acquiring

The Mithril Scale, by D.F. Coe (Fantasy, 8505 words, read 35% free)

Boober and the Association try to steal from a goddess.

Henry Potty and the Pet Rock: An Unauthorized Harry Potter Parody, by Valerie Frankel (Fantasy, 30000 words, read 30% free)

Catastrophe strikes Chickenfeet Academy, and it’s not just the cafeteria food. Lord Revolting, murderous goldfish-flusher, needs Really Wimpy’s pet rock to conquer the world! While battling him with squirt guns and cheesy how-to guides, Henry Potty aces Hobology, preps for America’s Funniest Fairygodchildren, and tries to avoid laundering Professor Snort’s dreaded hankies, or worse, watching A History of Cabbages in Polish. All the while, the least likely character watches, coveting the pet rock for her own sneaky agenda. What part does Socks the parrot, wisecracking pet of Headmaster Bumbling Bore, play in all this? Will Revolting dare the ultimate villainy and spoil the book? Will this novel waste your entire morning? There’s only one way to know…

The Junkyard Dogs, by David Sherman (Literary/non-genre, 121000 words, read 20% free)

US Marines in Vietnam. Three Marines from a Combined Action Platoon become involved with the CIA's secret Project Phoenix. Along the way, they discover an NVA plan to attack their outpost and wipe it out.

The Sigil, by Henry Gee (Science Fiction, 178500 words, read 100% free)

Jack Corstorphine is a man with a rare intuition. He is convinced that the landscape of Europe hides a civilization a million years old. Jadis Markham has a gift for analysis -- she can reach solutions while everyone else is still grappling with the problem. Together, they change the face of prehistory. But prehistory bites back. Forces almost beyond imagination are stirring in Jack and Jadis' world, among the worlds of their friends -- their scientist-priest mentor Domingo, and their adopted son, Tom -- and among the stars. The Sigil is an epic of near-future SF about the nature of the past, religion, love and the nature of humanity. About the author: Henry Gee is a Senior Editor of the international science magazine Nature, where he devised and edited the award-winning Futures series of SF short stories. His previous books include The Science of Middle-earth, Jacob's Ladder and In Search of Deep Time. The Sigil is his first novel.

Iko-Iko, by Henry Gee (Science Fiction, 4400 words, read 100% free)

If you go down to the woods today, you'll be in for a big surprise.

Puncher's Chance, by James Grayson & Kathy Ferguson (Science Fiction, 20000 words, read 50% free)

The lead novella in Analog SFF in June 2006, Puncher's Chance is the story of an ill-fated mission to Mars in the near future, where the crew of the McAuliffe have to battle against time- -and each other--to rescue a doomed colony. "Sometimes playing it safe is not an option."

Save-A-Door Dali, by Barry Rosenberg (Fantasy, 4000 words, read 35% free)

Kissing cane toads doesn't work quite the same way as kissing frogs. Mid-summer night's dream gone slightly wrong.

Motherload, by David Collins-Rivera (Science Fiction, 24000 words, read 100% free)

A remote corner of a bleak system... A broken-down gunboat, stuck in space... An incompetent captain and a misfit crew... A pirate ship, a silent target, and a whole bunch of secrets... So how's YOUR day going?

Mutant Blues, by J-F Dube (Science Fiction, 85000 words, read 30% free)

One would think you’d have enough on your plate just being one of the six Recon team of C-MET, the most technologically advanced military project on Earth. Then your boss asks you to meet face to face with outsystem emissaries: those so-called New Humans, the accursed mutants who left the Earth 200 years ago to colonize the neighboring solar systems. It was good riddance, wasn’t it? And the few of them that stayed here are a constant pain in the you-know-what, so, what good can come out of such a meeting? Well, Team Leader Tamby Wa and partner Nagga Fox, the two most dangerous women on the planet, backed-up by invincible bodyguards hidden in a constructed universe and the might of 24th century True Human science are ready for anything. Or are they really?

The Adventure of the Field Theorems, by Vonda N. McIntyre (Science Fiction, 11000 words, read 50% free)

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle hires Sherlock Holmes to investigate crop circles. First published in Sherlock Holmes in Orbit, ed. Mike Resnick & Martin Harry Greenberg, DAW, 1995.

Richard Wepner, A Legend., by Nick Bond (Literary/non-genre, 1500 words, read 100% free)

The story of Richard Wepner, the greatest pool player to ever play in England

Rock 'n' Roll Universe, by Ken Rand (Fantasy, 36000 words, read 100% free)

The Summer of Love – and the end of the world. Haight-Asbury, San Francisco, August 5, 1967. Five hippies form a band they call Rock ‘n’ Roll Universe. All they want to do is get high, make love, make music – and get on the cover of the Rolling Stone. But when they encounter a Very Strange Fellow in the Golden Gate Park, very strange things happen, and mind-boggling forces propel the group into a cosmic battle for the very fate of the universe. Rock ‘n’ roll made them. And only rock ‘n’ roll can save them.

Rain, by D.A. Pennington (Science Fiction, 435 words, read 45% free)

Rain that makes you forget

The Blue The Gray and The Dead, by D.A. Pennington (Horror, 4700 words, read 30% free)

Civil war fought with zombies.

The Orc Who Finds a Friend, by David B. Beaver (Fantasy, 2100 words, read 25% free)

The young orc Grotuk' generally keeps to himself, a quiet and easy going orc child in his villages. Everything in his life takes a drastic turn for the worse however, when he loses everything and everyone he's ever loved, completely alone in the world... In this touching tale Grotuk' wonders if he will ever again, find a friend he can trust...

The Choice, by David Bure (Fantasy, words, read 50% free)

A man wakes up on an Island with only a name. He has a mission to complete, but no one will tell him what it is.

Tired of Death! Dungeon!, by Neil Hartley (Fantasy, 65000 words, read 15% free)

How many times have you hacked down a zombie without thinking about it? Ever wondered who the shadowy force is behind that dungeon? Spared a thought for the poor denizens who are sat around in those chilly Crypts waiting for the next victim? No? Perhaps it's time to see the story from the other side...

Narg and the Necromancers Tower., by Neil Hartley (Fantasy, 63000 words, read 55% free)

Introducing Narg, grizzled hero of a thousand battles. His latest quest seems easy enough: Seek out and put an end to a menacing necromancer. However, things are rarely as simple as they first appear...

Henry Potty and the Deathly Paper Shortage: An Unauthorized Parody, by Valerie Estelle Frankel (Fantasy, 47000 words, read 25% free)

Unapproved, unendorsed, unofficial, and unstoppable: An award-winning parody for all ages. The devious Lord Revolting has split his soul into seven Plot Devices, from the One Ring to Coloring Book of Doom. Destroying the Ministry of Muckups, he launches himself on a campaign of terror and ruthlessness, the likes of which hasn’t been seen since the last Wizneyland Princess Beach Week. Can Henry Potty, lousy student and heroic Chosen One, destroy the Plot Devices in time? Or will a paper shortage kill him, as the loudmouthed ghost of Bumbling Bore foresees? Join Henry as he duels unexploded mimes, flying monkeys, telemarketers, and the dreaded Tooth Fairy. It’s a race against National Treasures, Legions of Dimness, and Miniclorians, from the Funhouse of Terror to Chickenfeet Academy. But if Henry wants to recoup his fans from Professor Sniffly Snort, he must try. As the epic battle nears, only one thing is certain: Henry Potty’s series is numbered.

"The Sirens", by Efraim Zimbalist Graves (Horror, 3228 words, read 50% free)

Self-retired New York City lawyer, David Kaufman, thinks he can escape his past by drinking in a small town pub in Verplanck called "The Paradise." Instead, he takes the men of the town on a perilous chase in their 1609 sailing ship, the "Half Moon," down the Hudson to capture the flying Sirens of legendary fame.

"Zinggong", by Efraim Zimbalist Graves (Science Fiction, 4800 words, read 40% free)

In 2852, the U.S. is a wild west tourist attraction, where police sergeant Julian Gaston discovers the secret behind the shooting death of Duplicant Sheriff, Wyatt Earp...

"The Magician", by Efraim Zimbalist Graves (Horror, 6820 words, read 65% free)

This isn't "Damn Yankees," but this little Mayan woman does sell her soul to her god in order to control her knuckleball ("Kukulkanball") and earn her way onto the San Diego Padres roster as the first-ever woman in the major leagues.

ELLE, by Harold D. Romulus (Fantasy, words, read 15% free)

Lilith and the Fall of Lucifer.