“Amazing Stories proudly announces the release of Amazing Stories: Best of 2024, a dazzling new anthology showcasing the most imaginative, thought-provoking, and visionary science fiction short stories published by the magazine over the past year.”
I’m honoured to have one of my stories included in this, literally amazing, anthology.
“Amazing Stories has always been a home for bold, boundary-pushing science fiction,” says Editor-in-Chief Lloyd Penney. “This year’s stories continue that proud legacy—with some of the most challenging, beautiful, and entertaining tales we’ve ever published.”
‘They thought it was a rescue. They didn’t expect a war…’
So goes the strap line for this novel. Fearless is the first novel in an exciting science fiction trilogy: The Fractal Series. As Allen says, ‘Spaceships were broken in the making of this story!’ He’s certainly right about that (and why wouldn’t he be, he wrote it!).
The story is told from the point-of-view of three characters, all written in first person. A challenge, for sure, for both writer and reader. In this case, I’m happy to report that all three characters are engaging with very different takes on life and their purpose in the world. Shann, the captain, takes center stage, with the difficult decisions she must make and how that impacts on her both emotionally and psychologically. Johansson, communications specialist, is both ambitious and eager to please, and yet impetuous enough to disregard orders and take risks with her own life, if she feels that’s the right thing to do. Sellis, a technician, finds himself in an impossible position when his past catches up with him.
Two of Stroud’s characters have a physical impairment. Captain Shann was born with no legs and has a career and a home on board the rescue ship the Khidr, which she loves. Johansson has a prosthetic arm which is just as good as the real thing, except when it’s damaged and she has to function without it in order to save her life and those of the crew. I must admit that Sellis is my favorite character; his struggle to understand himself and his gambling addiction was, well, addictive.
Betrayal abounds! But who is the traitor and is there more than one? As well as the intrigue, there is plenty of action and suspense as our favorite characters face one challenge after another. I’m looking forward to reading the next in The Fractal Series: Resilient and the ongoing adventures of Captain Shann and her crew.
Chugg’s Cafe in Beverley offered a cosy environment for Humber SFF’s latest author event. I found myself thoroughly entertained by Allen’s relaxed, story telling style. And he certainly had some interesting stories to tell. He was humorous, insightful, and happy to entertain questions, even during the break. As he said, as a university lecturer he is used to talking all day 🙂
I was lucky enough to pick up all three of his novels at the event. I’m currently enjoying the first in the series, Fearless, and can’t wait to read the others!
I feel lucky to have had my short story ‘Hide and Hunt’ performed by Tall Tale TV. The production was of a gratifying high standard, both in its execution and the apt graphic used to accompany the tale. I wrote this story quite a few years ago; it had it’s first outing in the Existence is Elsewhen anthology published by Elsewhen Press in 2016. It’s great to see it out in the world again.
Thanks again to Chris Herron at Tall Tale TV for his friendly and efficient handling of the process from acceptance to contract and the rather wonderful performance of the story itself.
You can experience the ‘Hide and Hunt’ via the following links:
Surprised, but also very, very happy! My short story ‘Best Case Scenario’ addresses some issues that are close to my heart. Glad that it resonated with readers.
I’m very happy to announce that my short story, ‘Finders Keepers’ has been published in this year’s edition of The Martian Wave by Hiraeth Publishing. This is a story of exploitation and the bravery of the few who stand up for what is right. It is set in the same universe as my SF books and explores the pivotal moment in history when the planet Ghyllach and its valuable crystal resources are first discovered by the Calestis Coalition of planets. The profiteering mining consortium soon discover they have bitten off more than they can chew!
Loving Life in the Rain 