Feo Takahari
Auror
My short story "In the Cosmic Waiting Room" made it into the spec-fic anthology Mnemosyne. (Well, "science fiction, fantasy, and horror," because that mouthful is more dignified than just calling it spec-fic.) I can't really promote spending $3 on it just for my story--but I can promote spending $3 on it for some others.
The highlight of the anthology is M.R. Cassells's delightfully droll black comedy "The Criminal Cried as He Dropped Him Down," in which doomed party guests listen to a judge's account of the one criminal he couldn't execute. The tone begins as an interesting mix of aristocratic snootiness and badly concealed fear, only to switch gears to something entirely unexpected but bleakly fitting.
"Carbon Clad" by Jonathan Sim is a vignette about a man who never looks into other people's eyes. It feels like part of a much larger story, but it does a good job of making normal life feel grotesque with a tweak of perspective. Some of the imagery will likely linger with you long after the story's over.
"Origin of the Sisters" by Morgan Lane is a proud, brassy mythic fantasy that cares not a whit for what's considered unfashionable in today's market. (This anthology is quite a grab bag of random genres.) Lane is actually the author here I most want to see more of--it's been a while since I've seen an old-school fantasy author this earnest and sincere.
Not many stories shock me these days. "Quintessence" by Conor Smart shocked me. I'll leave it at that.
And since I ought to promote myself a little, at least: "In the Cosmic Waiting Room" explains the nature and origin of the manic pixie dream girl. Singular--there's only one. And she's getting quite miffed about it.
Interesting note: me and Marty Sinclair are the only ones whose author bios mention having published anything else--the rest all appear to be fresh meat. This is presumably because most experienced writers turned and ran when they saw that the contract only guaranteed payment if the anthology turned a profit. (My initial response was a smiley banging its head against a brick wall, but "Waiting Room" is an oddball, and not a lot of markets would take something like it.) Your $3 may help some starving writers feel better about their decision of venue!
The highlight of the anthology is M.R. Cassells's delightfully droll black comedy "The Criminal Cried as He Dropped Him Down," in which doomed party guests listen to a judge's account of the one criminal he couldn't execute. The tone begins as an interesting mix of aristocratic snootiness and badly concealed fear, only to switch gears to something entirely unexpected but bleakly fitting.
"Carbon Clad" by Jonathan Sim is a vignette about a man who never looks into other people's eyes. It feels like part of a much larger story, but it does a good job of making normal life feel grotesque with a tweak of perspective. Some of the imagery will likely linger with you long after the story's over.
"Origin of the Sisters" by Morgan Lane is a proud, brassy mythic fantasy that cares not a whit for what's considered unfashionable in today's market. (This anthology is quite a grab bag of random genres.) Lane is actually the author here I most want to see more of--it's been a while since I've seen an old-school fantasy author this earnest and sincere.
Not many stories shock me these days. "Quintessence" by Conor Smart shocked me. I'll leave it at that.
And since I ought to promote myself a little, at least: "In the Cosmic Waiting Room" explains the nature and origin of the manic pixie dream girl. Singular--there's only one. And she's getting quite miffed about it.
Interesting note: me and Marty Sinclair are the only ones whose author bios mention having published anything else--the rest all appear to be fresh meat. This is presumably because most experienced writers turned and ran when they saw that the contract only guaranteed payment if the anthology turned a profit. (My initial response was a smiley banging its head against a brick wall, but "Waiting Room" is an oddball, and not a lot of markets would take something like it.) Your $3 may help some starving writers feel better about their decision of venue!
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