Author: Neal Stephenson, Greg Bear
Series: The Foreworld Saga, Book 1
Publisher: 47North
Genre: Historical Fiction
Release: April 24, 2012
Length: 442 pages (Paperback)

Book Rating: B (85 / 100)

Verdict

If Michael Crichton’s Eaters of the Dead had been written by Guy Gavriel Kay, The Mongoliad would have been the final result.

Fans of historical fiction are certain to count The Mongoliad as a staple of the genre, and hardcore Neal Stephenson won’t be disappointed, either. However, The Mongoliad suffers from the same shortcomings as most books of the historical fiction genre. It is a bit dry, due to the historical tone of the narration, a bit overly cerebral, due to the necessity of explaining the details of medieval living, and a bit slow due to the sheer volume of exposition required by those explanations. The overall effect is the The Mongoliad is not a heavy piece of reading, but that much is obvious simply by virtue of Neal Stephenson’s name on the cover.

Pros: Highly authentic historical detail. Frequent, inventive battle scenes.

Cons: Unpronounceable character names. Little-to-no suspense. Slow start. Story pacing drags a bit. Sudden ending leaves the book feeling incomplete.

Synopsis

In Brief:
During the height of the Mongol conquests, twelve knights from an ancient order known as the Shield Brethren set out to prevent the invasion of Christendom by assassinating Khagan Ögedei, the Khan of Khans, in the hope of igniting a war of succession between the factions of the Mongol hordes. Told from the point of view of Cnan, a young woman acting as guide, the story follows the group’s journey through enemy territory into the heart of the Mongol empire.

Official: The first novel to be released in The Foreworld Saga, The Mongoliad: Book One, is an epic-within-an-epic, taking place in 13th century. In it, a small band of warriors and mystics raise their swords to save Europe from a bloodthirsty Mongol invasion. Inspired by their leader (an elder of an order of warrior monks), they embark on a perilous journey and uncover the history of hidden knowledge and conflict among powerful secret societies that had been shaping world events for millennia.

But the saga reaches the modern world via a circuitous route. In the late 19th century, Sir Richard F. Burton, an expert on exotic languages and historical swordsmanship, is approached by a mysterious group of English martial arts aficionados about translating a collection of long-lost manuscripts. Burton dies before his work is finished, and his efforts were thought lost until recently rediscovered by a team of amateur archaeologists in the ruins of a mansion in Trieste, Italy. From this collection of arcana, the incredible tale of The Mongoliad was recreated.

Story Elements

Atmosphere / Emotional Impact: C- (65 / 100)
Character development: B+ (90 / 100)
Pacing: B- (80 / 100)
Plot: B+ (90 / 100)
Prose: B+ (90 / 100)
World-building: A (100 / 100)

Review

Usually, where there are seven names on a cover, you’re about to read an anthology. In the case of The Mongoliad, it a sign of a new media experiment in progress. You see, The Mongoliad isn’t so much a book as a bound collection of chapters that have been serialized online. Readers can subscribe to receive the chapters as they’re posted or wait for them to be published in three parts.

Don’t let that put you off, though. Despite being written collaboratively by seven of genre’s most distinctive voices, The Mongoliad is a Neal Stephenson novel through and through. That means you can expect a long, richly detailed read fraught with nerd-worthy minutia, protracted exposition, and action sequences that read like they were shot in bullet-time. In short, this is historical fiction for geeks and nerds. All others turn back.

Like most Neal Stephenson novels (and most books of historical fiction in general), The Mongoliad starts slowly as the world-building commences. Though the story itself is a simple read with a straightforward plot, it take some time to establish the 13th century mindset. Once the cast is assembled, though, the story moves along at a brisk pace. Far brisker than one might expect from a book build around the story trope of a group adventurers on an epic quest. (As signified by the Iliad reference in the title.)

The book is divided between the journey of a small band of knights as they make their way through Mongolian territory and the struggles of a young Mongolian warrior sent to court to save Genghis Khan’s heir from his on-going battle with alcoholism. Both stories are told in the kind of educational detail only found in a Stephenson novel. The descriptions are crisp, the characters are distinct and interesting, and the setting is stunningly authentic.

Due to the heavy historical detail and enormous cast of unpronounceable names, it takes a concerted effort to work through some of the book’s narration. On the whole, The Mongoliad is a much more pleasant experience if you listen to it as an audiobook to save yourself the effort of puzzling out the names while keeping an electronic copy on hand to assist with spelling out the terms you need to Google. The effort of deciphering the authors’ archaic terminology and tracking the movements of the characters through the geography of the ancient world are part of the book’s charm, and the sort of reader attracted to Neal Stephenson novels will consider the side trips of the internet to be a labor of love.

Meanwhile, there are five major action sequences and three chase scenes interspersed through the book to keep readers’ interest high. The exquisite authenticity of these martial sequences are the raison d’etre of The Mongoliad.

Character development is a bit austere in this first installment in the series, but the lack of interior character development is largely in keeping with the historical tone of the book. The authors’ eschew such modern conventions as protracted internal reveries and snappy dialogue for the sake of the book’s atmosphere, the solemnity of which sets the book apart from many other pieces of historical fiction.

The biggest shortcoming of the book is it’s abrupt ending. Readers should prepare to be frustrated. The book doesn’t end with a cliffhanger; it just ends. Subscribers to The Mongoliad project can continue reading. The rest of us just have to wait for the next book to hit shelves in September. Personally, I would advise readers to wait until all three books have hit the market before testing the waters. The anticipation is likely to be excruciating.

Disclaimer

Wunderkind PR sent The Great Geek Manual a copy of an advance review copy of The Mongoliad at no cost. We extend our sincere thanks to them. However, the free copy did not influence the opinion of this reviewer.

Similar Books

If you enjoy this book, you may also enjoy these similar titles:

• Eaters of the Dead by Michael Crichton
• Hood by Stephen R. Lawhead
• Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kay
• Ysabel by Guy Gavriel Kay

Further Information

• Read an extract from The Mongoliad at Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist.
• Read more about this project at Venture Beat.
• Visit The Mongoliad Facebook page.
• Visit the official The Mongoliad website.
• Visit the official website of author Greg Bear.
• Visit the official website of author Neal Stephenson.
• Watch a group video interview with the authors of The Mongoliad.

• Listen to “The Blue Heeler” by Weston Ochse at Tales to Terrify.
• Listen to “Buried Eyes” by Lavie Tidhar at PodCastle.
• Listen to “A Clean Sweep Of It” by Thomas Canfield at Cast of Wonders.
• Listen to “Fragmentation, or Ten Thousand Goodbyes” by Tom Crosshill.
• Listen to “Our Drunken Tjeng” by Nicky Drayden at Pseudopod.
• Listen to “Ruminations in an Alien Tongue” by Vandana Singh at Lightspeed.
• Listen to ““Run,” Bakri Says” by Ferrett Steinmetz at Escapepod.
• Listen to “The Truth Is a Cave in the Black Mountains” by Neil Gaiman.

Flash and Micro Fiction

• Read the flash fiction “After” by C.L. Holland at Daily Science Fiction.
• Read the flash fiction “Apocalyptia” by C.K. Palmes at AntipodeanSF.
• Read the flash fiction “Do Not Be Alarmed” by Harris Tobias at Quantum Muse.
• Read the flash fiction “Grasses of Remembrance” by Susan Dale at Yesteryear.
• Read the flash fiction “Gravity’s Dance” by Michael A. Burstein at Hadley Rille.
• Read the flash fiction “Grey Ghost” by Duncan Shields at 365 Tomorrows.
• Read the flash fiction “Heaven’s Gate” by Jason Butterfield at AntipodeanSF.
• Read the flash fiction “Mozart’s Copyright Infringement Device” by Wes Parish.
• Read the flash fiction “Night of the Living Elderly” by Brian J. Hunt.
• Read the flash fiction “RE: The Dark One, In Case It Should Arise from Its Horrible Abyss” by Luc Reid at Abyss & Apex.
• Read the flash fiction “The Red Button” by Lynda Young at AntipodeanSF.

Novels and Preview Chapters

• Download The Assassin and the Pirate Lord by Sarah J Maas for the Kindle.
• Download The Case Of The Invisible Man by Ray Daley at Smashwords.
• Download Dragonchaser by Tim Stretton in multiple formats at Smashwords.
• Download Maggie for Hire by Kate Danley for the Kindle at Amazon.com.
• Download The Monster Within Idea by R. Thomas Riley for the Kindle.
• Download Scratch by Danny Gillan for the Kindle at Amazon.com.
• Download The Spark by Geoff Howell in multiple for formats at Smashwords.
• Download Tsunami Blue by Gayle Ann Williams for the Kindle at Amazon.com.
• Read an excerpt of The Assassin’s Code by Jonathan Maberry at Tor.com.
• Read an excerpt of Eyes Like Leaves by Charles de Lint at Tor.com.
• Read an excerpt of The King’s Blood by Daniel Abraham at Dribble of Ink.

Poetry

• Dark Rains Here and There by Bruce Boston
• Event Horizon by Wade German
• Kandinsky’s Galaxy by Mike Allen
• Nemi by Jo Walton

Short Stories

• Download The Burned Tower by Sergey and Marina Dyachenko for the Kindle.
• Download “If at First…” by Peter F. Hamilton for the Kindle at Amazon.com.
• Read “Area 54″ by Hunter Liguore at Strange Horizons Fiction.
• Read “Aurum” by Genevieve Valentine at Abyss & Apex.
• Read “Bearslayer and the Black Knight” by Tom Crosshill at Ceaseless Skies.
• Read “Beyond this Darkness and this Silence” by Care Santos.
• Read “The Breath of Heaven” by Nancy Fulda at Kasma Magazine.
• Read “Burst Mode” by Patrick Lundrigan at Abyss & Apex.
• Read “The Choir Invisible” by Anatoly Belilovsky at Kasma Magazine.
• Read “Crown of Sorrows” by Seamus Bayne at Heroic Fantasy Quarterly.
• Read “Dead on the Doorstep” by Peter Cooper at Kaleidotrope.
• Read “Draftyhouse” by Erik Amundsen at Clarkesworld Magazine.
• Read “The Dying Drones” by Christian A. Larsen at Ray Gun Revival.
• Read “Eric” by Alicia VanNoy Call at Wily Writers.
• Read “Eve-ning” by Rachel Faye Lipsy at Eschatology Journal.
• Read “Fragmentation, or Ten Thousand Goodbyes” by Tom Crosshill.
• Read “Hunka, Hunka, Burning Love” by Tom Schwider at Short Story.
• Read “In Exchange for Sorrow” by Damien Walters Grintalis at Kaleidotrope.
• Read “The Inconstant Moon” by Alaya Dawn Johnson at Tor.com.
• Read “Longing for Sarah” by Tabitha Mwangi at StoryTime.
• Read “Moonbeams and Shadows” by Isabella Hodson at Luna Station Quarterly.
• Read “No Man is an Island” by DLR at SnakeOil Cure.
• Read “Our Town’s Monster” by Paul Tremblay at Chiaroscuro.
• Read “Past Lives of a Goddess” by Barb Siples at Anotherealm.
• Read “Prudence and the Dragon” by Zen Cho at WorldSF.
• Read “Ruminations in an Alien Tongue” by Vandana Singh at io9.
• Read “She’s Ultraviolet” by Jay Caselberg at Abyss & Apex.
• Read “Sinking Among Lilies” by Cory Skerry at Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
• Read “Stone Eater” by Brent Knowles at Abyss & Apex.
• Read “Ten By Ten: Or the Journey Across the Narrow Wooden Bridge” by Kristen Julia Anderson at Luna Station Quarterly.
• Read “Those Who Came Before” by Nicholas J. Carter at Kaleidotrope.
• Read “Throwing Out the Baby” by Xu Zechen at Wordswithoutborders.
• Read “The Truth Is a Cave in the Black Mountains” by Neil Gaiman.
• Read “Vinci’s Real-Life Pulp Fiction” by Joseph F. Nacino (Part 2) at PGS.
• Read “Watcher” by Leena Likitalo at Weird Fiction Review.
• Read “Watcher In The Wings” by Angela Carr at MindFlights.
• Read “The Womb Factory” by Peter M. Ferenczi at Clarkesworld Magazine.

• Listen to “The Book of Locked Doors” by Yoon Ha Lee at Ceaseless Skies.
• Listen to “Counting Cracks” by George R. Galuschak at Escapepod.
• Listen to “Electric Rains” by Kathleen Ann Goonan at StarShipSofa.
• Listen to “Giant Episode: Golden City Far” by Gene Wolfe at PodCastle.
• Listen to “The God Complex” by Neil John Buchanan at Pseudopod.
• Listen to “Herman Wouk Is Still Alive” by Stephen King at Tales to Terrify.
• Listen to “Hypergraphia” by Ken Lillie-Paetz at Tales to Terrify.
• Listen to “Inksucker” by Aidan Doyle at Cast of Wonders.
• Listen to “The Last Words Of Daniel Shupak” by Erich William Bergmeier.
• Listen to “Test Drive” by Nina Kiriki Hoffman at Drabblecast.
• Listen to “Yew Will Know Me” by M.R. James at Retro 19 Nocturne.

Comics and Graphic Novels

• Scribd offers a preview of Game of Thrones: The Graphic Novel

Flash and Micro Fiction

• Read the flash fiction “A Different Rain” by Mari Ness at Daily Science Fiction.
• Read the flash fiction “Frog/Prince” by Melissa Mead at Daily Science Fiction.
• Read the flash fiction “A giant happened along while out wandering” by Tony Rauch.
• Read the flash fiction “Gnostic Welding Arc and Vitamins” by Brian Barbeito.
• Read the flash fiction “The Shadow People” by Tony Rauch at Yesteryear Fiction.

Novels and Preview Chapters

• Download The Boy Who Cast No Shadow by Thomas Olde Heuvelt in multiple formats PS Publishing.
• Listen to an excerpt of The Dark Tower: The Wind through the Keyhole by Stephen King at Entertainment Weekly.
• Read an excerpt of Body, Inc. by Alan Dean Foster at Scribd
• Read an excerpt of Dark Shadows: Angelique’s Descent by Lara Parker at Tor.com.
• Read an excerpt of The Reckoning by Alma Katsu at Tor.com.
• Read an excerpt of Redshirts by John Scalzi at Tor.com.
• Read an excerpt of The Return Man by V.M. Zito at Orbit Books.
• Read an excerpt of Vengeance by Ian Irvine at Tor.com.

Poetry

• bell, book, candle by Gwynne Garfinkle

Short Stories

• Read “Blood Makes Noise” by Gemma Files at Weird Fiction Review.
• Read “The Book of Locked Doors” by Yoon Ha Lee at Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
• Read “The Book of Love” by Nick Scorza at Something Wicked.
• Read “A Catechism for Aspiring Amnesiacs” by Nicole Cushing at Lovecraft Zine.
• Read “Chicken Feet” by Lauren C. Teffeau at Wily Writers.
• Read “Detroit Ex Nihilo” by Michael Beers at AE SciFi.
• Read “The Forever Box” by Paul Turnberg at Eschatology Journal.
• Read “From Their Paws, We Shall Inherit” by Gary Kloster at ClarkesWorld.
• Read “Halfway People” by Karen Joy Fowler at Lightspeed Magazine.
• Read “The Invention of Beloved Money” by Ian Watson & Roberto Quaglia at Flurb.
• Read “Invisible” by João Ramalho-Santos at Nature.
• Read “Journey to the Center of the Flat Earth” by William Highsmith at Flurb.
• Read “Juggernaut” by Megan Arkenberg at Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
• Read “Last Call for Ice Cream” by Rudy Ch. Garcia at Flurb.
• Read “Needle Rain” by Eliza Victoria (Part 2) at Philippine Genre Stories.
• Read “The Once And Future Cake” by Michaele Jordan at Buzzy Magazine.
• Read “Prudence and the Dragon” by Zen Cho at The World SF Blog.
• Read “The Rugged Track” by Liz Argall at PodCastle.
• Read “Sea Change” by Andy Albrecht at Flurb.
• Read “A Stolen Bicycle” by Abbie Bernstein at Buzzy Magazine.
• Read “The Thing in the Cellar” by David H. Keller at Weird Fiction Review.
• Read “The Thing in the Hall” by E.F. Benson at Weird Fiction Review.
• Read “The Thing in the Jar” by Michael Cisco at Weird Fiction Review.
• Read “The Thing in the Weeds” by William Hope Hodgson at Weird Fiction Review.
• Read “A Villain, Me? Nah” by Caina Rivers at Short-Story.
• Read “Visiting Bob” by John Gilbey at Nature.
• Read “Wings So Foreign” by Frank Ray Ard at Future Fire.
• Read “The Woman Who Shook the World-Tree” by Michael Swanwick at Tor.com.

Vintage Fiction

• Listen to the short story “The Hound” by HP Lovecraft at The LovecraftPodcast.

I was momentarily confused upon opening the package, as I had read articles on BoingBoing and io9 describing The Mongoliad as an experiment in interactive storytelling, but evidently, it’s a book, too. More to the point, it’s a book inspired by “Stephenson’s dissatisfaction with the authenticity of the medieval sword fighting scenes he had written into his Baroque cycle of novels” and written by some of my favorite authors.

Needless to say, I am highly intrigued. I’ll be posting a review of the book in the very near future.

Check out the Facebook page and website for The Mongoliad; they feature extras such as author interviews, fan cheat sheets, and interactive app downloads, and they promise more extras are on the way.

Dust Jacket Description: From the minds of Neal Stephenson and Greg Bear comes The Foreworld Saga, a historical fantasy series unlike any other that will enthrall fantasy, martial arts, and alternate history fans. Collaboratively written and featuring Neal Stephenson, Greg Bear, Mark Teppo, E.D. deBirmingham, Joseph Brassey, Erik Bear, and Cooper Moo, the saga begins with a trilogy about the complex, bloody history of Western martial arts known as The Mongoliad.

The Mongoliad: Book One is part of an epic-within-an-epic, where a small band of warriors and mystics raise their swords to save Europe from a bloodthirsty Mongol invasion in the thirteenth century. Inspired by their leader (an elder of an order of warrior monks), they embark on a perilous journey and uncover the history of hidden knowledge and conflict among powerful secret societies that had been shaping world events for millennial.

Full of high adventure, unforgettable characters, and unflinching battle scenes, The Mongoliad: Book One ignites a dangerous quest where willpower and blades are tested and the scope of world-building is redefined.

• Listen to “All You Can Do Is Breath” by Kaarron Warren at Tales to Terrify.
• Listen to “The Crucifixion of the Outcast” by William Butler Yeats at Pseudopod.
• Listen to “Giant Episode: Golden City Far” by Gene Wolfe at PodCastle.
• Listen to “Graffiti Sonata” by Gene O’Neill at Tales to Terrify.
• Listen to “Her Husbands Hands” by Adam Troy Castro at Tales to Terrify.
• Listen to “A Logic Named Joe” by Murray Leinster at Journey Into…
• Listen to “The Spacemice Incident” by Carl Frederick at StarShipSofa.
• Listen to “The Speed of Time” by Jay Lake at Escape Pod.
• Listen to “Suicide Coast” by M John Harrison at StarShipSofa.
• Listen to “When You Visit the Magoebaskloof Hotel Be Certain Not to Miss the Samango Monkeys” by Chris Schryer at Drabblecast.

Comics and Graphic Novels

• CBR offers a preview of The Darkness #101
• CBR offers a preview of Fanboys Vs. Zombies #1
• CBR offers a preview of Hoax Hunters #0
• CBR offers a preview of Iron: Or, the War After
• CBR offers a preview of John Carter: The Gods of Mars #1
• CBR offers a preview of Supercrooks #1
• iFanBoy offers a preview of Higher Earth #1
• iFanBoy offers a preview of The Secret History of D.B. Cooper #1

Flash and Micro Fiction

• Listen to the flash fiction story “Dublin it Up” by Matthew Sanborn Smith.
• Read the flash fiction “The Heartless Light of Stars” by Aliette de Bodard.
• Read the flash fiction “The Wolf And The Raven” by Linda M. Crate at Yesteryear.

Novels and Preview Chapters

• Listen to an excerpt of Artemis by Philip Palmer audiobook at the author’s website.
• Read an excerpt of After the Snow by SD Crockett at Tor.com.
• Read an excerpt of Blue Magic by Alyx Dellamonica at Tor.com.
• Read an excerpt of Boneyards by Kristine Kathryn Rusch at the author’s website.
• Read an excerpt of Chrysanthe by Yves Meynard at Tor.com.
• Read an excerpt of Lost Everything by Brian Francis Slattery at Tor.com.
• Read an excerpt of The Straits of Galahesh by Bradley P. Beaulieu.
• Watch a forty minute clip of Alan Moore reading from his new book, Jerusalem.

Poetry

• The Birds: A Collage in Four Legendary Species by Josh Burson

Short Stories

• Read “800 ms” by David Taub at COSMOS magazine.
• Read “The Bells of Subsidence” by Michael John Grist at Clarkesworld Magazine.
• Read “The Biggest” by James Patrick Kelly at Empire State.
• Read “Creature” by Ramsey Shehadeh at Weird Fiction Review.
• Read “Dead Man In My Bed” by Nick Mamatas at The Chiaroscuro.
• Read “Fields of Gold” by Rachel Swirsky at Tor.com.
• Read “From Their Paws, We Shall Inherit” by Gary Kloster at Clarkesworld.
• Read “Karlsson” by Anatoly Belilovsky at Cast of Wonders.
• Read “Needle Rain” by Eliza Victoria at Philippine Genre Stories.
• Read “The pi that wasn’t round” by Dan Erlanson at Nature.
• Read “Pretty Monsters” by Kelly Link at Weird Fiction Review.
• Read “Prudence and the Dragon” by Zen Cho at The World SF Blog.
• Read “Replacements” by Lisa Tuttle at Weird Fiction Review.
• Read “Recycled” by David D’Amico at Eschatology Journal.
• Read “Richards & Klein: Ghost” by Guy Haley at the author’s website.
• Read “Silence” by J. Scott Smith at Luna Station Quarterly
• Read “Sunlight Society” by Margaret Ronald at Clarkesworld Magazine.
• Read “Thanatos Beach” by James Morrow at Tor.com.
• Read “Things Greater than Love” by Kate Bachus at Strange Horizons.
• Read “Watcher In The Wings” by Angela Carr at Mindflights.
• Read “Weiroot” by Jeffrey Ford at Weird Fiction Review.
• Read “When Her Ship Came In” by Jeff Macfee at Empire State.
• Read “Willow Pond” by April Grey at Wily Writers.

• Listen to “All At Once” by Nathaniel Lee at Journey Into…
• Listen to “Atom Drive” by Charles Fontenay at StarShipSofa.
• Listen to “The Dark And What It Said” by Rick Kennett at Pseudopod.
• Listen to “The Ever-Dreaming Verdict Of Plagues” by Jason Sanford at Dunesteef.
• Listen to “Harry and Marlowe and the Talisman of the Cult of Egil” by Carrie Vaughn.
• Listen to “The Haunted Author” by Marcus Clarke at 19 Nocturne Boulevard.
• Listen to “In My House of Crafted Cards” by David Thomas Lord at Tales To Terrify.
• Listen to “In The Stacks” by Scott Lynch at PodCastle.
• Listen to “Unreliable Witness” by Jo Walton at Drabblecast.
• Listen to “The Water Man” by Ursula Pflug at Escapepod.

Comics and Graphic Novels

• Comic Alliance offers a preview of Isis Manga #1
• iFanBoy offers a preview of Hell Yeah #1
• Tor.com offers a preview of Saga #1

Flash and Micro Fiction

• Read the flash fiction “Gravity’s Dance” by Michael A. Burstein at Rille Books.
• Read the flash fiction “Mortal Coil” by Ian Nichols at Daily Science Fiction.
• Read the flash fiction “Painted Haven” by Michael Banker at Daily Science Fiction.
• Read the flash fiction “Prophet” by Laura Lee McArdle at Daily Science Fiction.
• Read the flash fiction “Red and Road” by Katherine Sparrow at Toasted Cake.
• Read the flash fiction “What is the fuel of life?” by Jerry Williams at Yesteryear.

Novels and Preview Chapters

• Download Scott Nicholson’s Ethereal Messenger Trilogy for the Kindle.
• Download Tau Ceti by Kevin J. Anderson for the Kindle at Amazon.com.
• Read an excerpt of After the Snow by SD Crockett at Tor.com.
• Read an excerpt of The Alchemist of Souls by Anne Lyle at Angry Robot Books.
• Read an excerpt of The Drowning Girl by Caitlín R. Kiernan at Weird Fiction.
• Read an excerpt of I’m Starved for You by Margaret Atwood at Byliner.
• Read an excerpt of “The Killing Moon” by N.K. Jemisin at A Dribble of Ink.
• Read an excerpt of Like Death by Tim Waggoner at Apex Books.
• Read an excerpt of Lost Everything by Brian Francis Slattery at Tor.com.
• Read an excerpt of Omega Point by Guy Haley at Angry Robot Books.
• Read an excerpt of A Path to Coldness of Heart by Glen Cook at Fantasy Hotlist.
• Read an excerpt of Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi: Apocalypse by Troy Denning.

Poetry

• Yajñāḥ / Offering by Shweta Narayan

Short Stories

• Read “Alarms” by S. L. Gilbow at Lightspeed Magazine.
• Read “Blood Amber” by Keyan Bowes at Expanded Horizons.
• Read “Bread” by Eliza Blair at Nature.
• Read “Check Engine” by Dr. Hurley at Snake-Oil Cure.
• Read “Cold Embrace” by Nick Tramdack at Ray Gun Revival.
• Read “Collect Call” by Silvia Moreno-Garcia at Expanded Horizons.
• Read “The Day They Came” by Kali Wallace at Lightspeed Magazine.
• Read “Don’t Panic! Everything’s Going to be Fine.” by Frances Louise.
• Read “Dormanna” by Gene Wolfe at Tor.com.
• Read “Eggs Under Moon” by Elizabeth Barette at Cast of Wonders.
• Read “Empty Houses” by Alec Austin at AE SciFi.
• Read “The Girl in the Bubble” by Dr. Hurley at Snake-Oil Cure.
• Read “Harry and Marlowe and the Talisman of the Cult of Egil” by Carrie Vaughn.
• Read “The Jamcoi” by J.M. McDermott at Apex Books.
• Read “The Legend of XI Cygnus” by Gene Wolfe at Lightspeed Magazine.
• Read “The Muralist” by Ibi Zoboi at Expanded Horizons.
• Read “My Dignity in Scars” by Cory Skerry at Strange Horizons.
• Read “River Bride” by Nghi Vo at Expanded Horizons.
• Read “Self Control” by Sarah Matanah at Cosmos Online.
• Read “Selected Poetry of Eric Basso” by Eric Basso at Weird Fiction Review.
• Read “Straw Girls” by Nicola Belte at Eschatology Journal.
• Read “Watcher In The Wings” by Angela Carr at MindFlights.

• Listen to “Dali’s Clocks” by Dave Hutchinson at WorldSF.
• Listen to “The Eckener Alternative” by James L. Cambias at Escapepod.
• Listen to “The Ever-Dreaming Verdict Of Plagues” by Jason Sanford at Dunesteef.
• Listen to “Forever” by Robert Sheckley at The Drama Pod.
• Listen to “Jack In The Box” by R B Harkess at Cast of Wonders.
• Listen to “Jagannath” by Karin Tidbeck at Drabblecast.
• Listen to “A Suitable Present for a Sorcerous Puppet” by Garth Nix at PodCastle.
• Listen to “Sunlight Society” by Margaret Ronald at Clarkesworld Magazine.
• Listen to “A Tinker of Warhoon” by Tobias Buckell at StarShipSofa.
• Listen to “We Dragons” by Tim Sevenhuysen at Ray Gun Revival.

Flash and Micro Fiction

• Listen to the flash fiction story “Buddy Firesprinklernose” by Matthew Sanborn Smith at Beware the Hairy Mango.
• Listen to the flash fiction story “Mount Rainier Considers its Mental Health” by Spencer Ellsworth at Toasted Cake.
• Read the flash fiction “Angel Street” by Cath Barton at Luna Station.
• Read the flash fiction “Genie Electric” by Andrew Kaye at Daily Science Fiction.
• Read the flash fiction “The Princess of the Perfume River” by Aliette de Bodard.
• Read the flash fiction “The Sacred Tree” by Mike Resnick at Daily Science Fiction.
• Read the flash fiction “Gravity’s Dance” by Michael A. Burstein at Hadley Rille.
• Read the flash fiction “The Minotaur’s Tale” by Stacey Larner at Luna Station.
• Read the flash fiction “Mudman” by Robert Keiser at Weirdyear.
• Read the flash fiction “Skaftna’s Doom” by Joel Zartman at Yesteryear Fiction.
• Read the flash fiction “Tattooed Love Boys” by Alex Jeffers at Giganotosaurus.
• Read the flash fiction “They Snuffed the Rooster” by Roi Czechvala at Quantum.

Novels and Preview Chapters

• Download Star Wars: Lost Tribe of the Sith #8: Secrets by John Jackson Miller.
• Download Stem: A Zombpunk Novel by Christopher Blankley at Smashwords.
• Download The Witch Who Made Adjustments by Vera Nazarian at Smashwords.
• Read an excerpt of The Beak Doctor by Eric Basso at Weird Fiction Review.
• Read an excerpt of A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness at Penguin.
• Read an excerpt of Fair Game Patricia Briggs at Penguin Books.
• Read an excerpt of Fifth excerpt from The Hammer and the Blade by Paul S. Kemp at the author’s website.
• Read an excerpt of The Killing Moon by N.K. Jemisin at the author’s website.
• Read an excerpt of The Man From Primrose Lane by James Renner at Tor.com.

Poetry

• Atlantis by Caitlín R. Kiernan
• Battle Cry by Kevin Meeks
• The Disagreeable Keeper by Ken Poyner
• The Girl and Her Cloud by Alexandra Seidel
• Knowing the Elf by Ken Poyner
• Lycanthropy by Ken Poyner
• Martian Lie by Laura Madeline Wiseman
• Nightstorm by Robert K. Gardner
• The Stone Ogre by Ken Poyner
• The Troll’s Bride by Ken Poyner
• Vintage by N. Marin
• ZuZu’s Petals by W. C. Roberts

Short Stories

• Read “Aphrodite and Athena” by J. M. McDermott at Women and Monsters.
• Read “The Art Disease” by Dennis Danvers at Electric Velocipede.
• Read “The Bells of Subsidence” by Michael John Grist at Clarkesworld Magazine.
• Read “The Breath of Heaven” by Nancy Fulda at Kasma Magazine.
• Read “Chorus of the Dead” by S. E. Gale at ideomancer.
• Read “Craters” by Kristine Kathryn Rusch at LightSpeed Magazine.
• Read “Dali’s Clocks” by Dave Hutchinson at The World SF Blog.
• Read “Dancing in the Winter Rooms” by David Tallerman at Electric Velocipede.
• Read “Dark Ambient Metamorphosis” by John Claude Smith at Lovecraftzine.
• Read “Doctor Daydreams” by Sylvia Heartz at Silver Blade.
• Read “The Empire Never Ended” by Brian Trent at Electric Velocipede.
• Read “Fastening” by Patricia Russo at Electric Velocipede.
• Read “The Film-makers of Mars” by Geoff Ryman at Tor.com.
• Read “Fish Out of Water” by Deborah Fitchett at Electric Velocipede.
• Read “From Their Paws, We Shall Inherit” by Gary Kloster at Clarkesworld.
• Read “Hestia” by J.M. Mcdermott at Women and Monsters.
• Read “Hunter” by Mark Bilsborough at Ray Gun Revival.
• Read “I Am the Key” by Mike Davis at Lovecraftzine.
• Read “I Honour my Ancient Ancestors” by Deborah Walker at Eschatology Journal.
• Read “I Will Love You Forever” by Michaele Jordan at Redstone Science Fiction.
• Read “In My House of Crafted Cards” by David Thomas Lord at Tales to Terrify.
• Read “Inheritance” by Patricia Correll at Lovecraftzine.
• Read “Jack In The Box” by R B Harkess at Cast of Wonders.
• Read “Knowledge” by John Frizell at Nature.
• Read “Last Stand At Ayala Center” by EK Gonzales at Philippine Genre Stories.
• Read “The Locked Door” by Brian M. Sammons at Lovecraftzine.
• Read “The Man Who Bridged the Mist” by Kij Johnson at Asimovs.
• Read “The Man Who Ended History” by Ken Liu at the author’s website.
• Read “Marked as Urgent” by A.J. French at Lovecraftzine.
• Read “The Mote-Dancer and the Firelife” by Chris Willrich at Ceaseless Skies.
• Read “The Nazir” by Sofia Samatar at ideomancer.
• Read “New World Blues” by L. E. Modesitt Jr. at Tor.com.
• Read “Nightfall in the Scent Garden” by Claire Humphrey at Strange Horizons.
• Read “Not Our Brother” by Robert Silverberg at Lightspeed Magazine.
• Read “Protector” by Adam Armstrong at Silver Blade.
• Read “A Reason to Fear Life, A Reason to Crave Death” by Andrew Kaye.
• Read “The Red Thread” by Ephiny Gale at Silver Blade.
• Read “Scry” by Anne Ivy at Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
• Read “Shipbirth” by Aliette de Bodard at the author’s website.
• Read “Steady State” by Lynette Mejía at Redstone Science Fiction.
• Read “This Scattered Ash” by W.H. Pugmire and Jacob Henry Orloff.
• Read “Through the Uprights” by Richard Butner at Electric Velocipede.
• Read “The Wanting Game” by George Galuschak at ideomancer.
• Read “Winter Choice” by Olga Godim at Silver Blade.
• Read “The Zombie Hackers” by James Valvis at Short Story.

• Listen to “All the Young Kirks and Their Good Intentions” by Helena Bell.
• Listen to “Asteroid Monte” by Craig DeLancey at Escapepod.
• Listen to “Billions of Stars” by K. J. Kabza at Beam Me Up.
• Listen to “The Clockwork Atom Bomb” by Dominic Green at StarShipSofa.
• Listen to “The Derelict” by Felbrigg at Cthulhu Podcast.
• Listen to “The Ever-Dreaming Verdict Of Plagues” (Part 1) by Jason Sanford.
• Listen to “The Gravedigger of Konstan Spring” by Genevieve Valentine.
• Listen to “Incantation” by Jessica Reisman at Toasted Cake.
• Listen to “My Boogie Man” by Harley May at Cast of Wonders.
• Listen to “A Revelation of Cormorants” by Mark Valentine at Pseudopod.
• Listen to “Shadows Under Hexmouth Street” by Justin Howe at Ceaseless Skies.
• Listen to “Urchins, While Swimming” by Catherynne M. Valente at PodCastle.
• Listen to “Welcome Home to Our Fair City” by Captain Radio at Radio Revival.

Comics and Graphic Novels

• CBR offers a preview of Dancer #1
• CBR offers a preview of The Darkness #100
• CBR offers a preview of Epic Kill #1
• CBR offers a preview of George R.R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones #6
• CBR offers a preview of Grim Leaper #1
• CBR offers a preview of Harlan Ellison’s Phoenix Without Ashes TPB
• CBR offers a preview of Mind The Gap #1
• iFanboy offers a preview of Mind the Gap
• io9 offers a preview of The Massive, Brian Wood’s new apocalypse comic.
• Read a preview of the free Buffy/Guild comic book.
• offers a preview of the free Star Wars/Serenity comic book.

Flash and Micro Fiction

• Read the flash fiction “Audition with the Vampire” by Lyndon Perry.
• Read the flash fiction “Burdens” by Lucas Ahlsen at Weirdyear.
• Read the flash fiction “Deviation” by Andy Astruc & RJ Astruc at AntiSF.
• Read the flash fiction “How to Become Immortal” by Dale Rappaneau.
• Read the flash fiction “In a Grave” by Jim Bronyaur at Flashes in the Dark.
• Read the flash fiction “The Legend of the Koru Sama Clan” by W. Pendleton.
• Read the flash fiction “The Prisoners” by D.K. Latta at Daily Science Fiction.
• Read the flash fiction “Rachel” by Roi Czechvala at Quantum Flash.
• Read the flash fiction “Space Mountain” by Andrew Waters at Every Day Fiction.
• Read the flash fiction “Tin Man” by O. Alexander at 365 Tomorrows.
• Read the flash fiction “Totems” by Jae Miles at 365 Tomorrows.

Novels and Preview Chapters

• Download Broken by Emma St. John at Smashwords.
• Download Exile’s Burn by Elaine Corvidae at Smashwords.
• Download Extinction Event by Paul Weber at Smashwords.
• Download Rocket Fuel by Andrew McEwan at Smashwords.
• Download Zombie Blues by Jake Bible at Smashwords.
• Listen to Stephen King read an excerpt of Dr. Sleep, the sequel to The Shining.
• Read an excerpt of Crucible of Gold by Naomi Novik at Scribd.
• Read an excerpt of Exogene by T.C. McCarthy at Orbit Books.
• Read an excerpt of The Fairy Tale Bride by Kelly McClymer at Book View Cafe.
• Read an excerpt of the fantasy novels Guardian of the Balance and Guardian of the Trust by Irene Radford at Book View Cafe.
• Read an excerpt of Intrusion by Ken MacLeod at Orbit Books.
• Read an excerpt of Machine by Jennifer Pelland at Apex Book Company.
• Read an excerpt of Triggers by Robert J. Sawyer at the author’s website.
• Read an excerpt of War Maid’s Choice by David Weber at Baen Books.

Poetry

• The Vampire Astronomer by Chris Willrich

Short Stories

• Read “And Came the Thundering Night” by Rebecca Harwell at MindFlights.
• Read “Bilaadi” by S. Ali at The Future Fire.
• Read “Billy Bogroll” by David McCool at Something Wicked.
• Read “Craters” by Kristine Kathryn Rusch at Lightspeed Magazine.
• Read “The Darkest Shade of Grey” by Alan Baxter at Red Penny Papers.
• Read “Drown or Die” by Therese Arkenberg at The Future Fire.
• Read “Forgotten Women” by Diana Sherman at ChiZine.
• Read “Ghost in the machine” by Grace Tang at Nature.
• Read “The Gravedigger of Konstan Spring” by Genevieve Valentine at Lightspeed.
• Read “Green Apples” by John Everson at Tales to Terrify.
• Read “The History of The Society Of The Inner Circle” by Dr. Ace T. Jericho, Rogue Journalist at Notes from the Lair.
• Read “How You Make the Straight” by RJ Astruc at The Future Fire.
• Read “In the Shadow of Kakadu” by RJ Astruc at The Future Fire.
• Read “Misunderstanding” by Hal Colebatch and Jessica Q. Fox at Baene Books.
• Read “Mother, Crone, Maiden” by Cat Hellisen at Tor.com.
• Read “Our Lady of White Trash” by Christopher Slatsky at Eschatology Journal.
• Read “A Place to Stand” by Grace Seybold at Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
• Read “The Puppets of Maramudhu” by Dilman Dila at Publish your Story.
• Read “Shadows Under Hexmouth Street” by Justin Howe at Ceaseless Skies.
• Read “Two Types of Teeth” by Jane Lindskold at Baene Books.
• Read “Watcher In The Wings” by Angela Carr at MindFlights.
• Read “Wings So Foreign” by Frank Ray Ard at The Future Fire.

Vintage Fiction

• Download the novel Youth by Isaac Asimov at Project Gutenberg.
• Listen to the short story “Gothic Candy with Lothar” at Swag Cast.

• Listen to Aftermath by Joy Kennedy-O’Neill (Part 2) at Strange Horizons.
• Listen to “A Blade of Love” by Nathaniel Tower at The Drabblecast.
• Listen to “The Burning Servant” by Steven Saus at Pseudopod.
• Listen to “The Clockwork Atom Bomb” by Dominic Green at StarShipSofa.
• Listen to “Dark Sanctuary” by Gregory Benford at LightSpeed Magazine.
• Listen to “Destiny, With a Blackberry Sauce” by David J. Schwartz at PodCastle.
• Listen to “Halloween Lights” by Anna Taborska at Tales To Terrify.
• Listen to “Her Words Like Hunting Vixens Spring” by Brooke Bolander.
• Listen to “Overclocking” by James L. Sutter at Escape Pod.
• Listen to “Skin Deep” by Mary Rosneblum at StarShipSofa.
• Listen to “Sown From Salt” by Gemma Files at Tales To Terrify.
• Listen to “Unfinished Business” by Jason Kahn at Beam Me Up!

Flash and Micro Fiction

• Listen to the flash fiction story “Staplear” by Matthew Sanborn Smith at Hairy Mango.
• Listen to the flash fiction story “Zombie Pie” by Ken Jennings at Flash Pulp.
• Read the flash fiction “Maddy McKay and the Elves in Her House” by Regan Wolfrom at the author’s website.
• Read the flash fiction “Willow Road” by Lindsey R. Loucks at Every Day Fiction.

Novels and Preview Chapters

• Download Birdie Down by Jim Graham at Smashwords.
• Download Doppelganger: A Novel of Refuge by Doug Dandridge at Smashwords.
• Download Sonora IV by George Hellstern at Smashwords.
• Download Stem: A Zombpunk Novel by Christopher Blankley at Smashwords.
• Read an excerpt of The Last Guardian by Eoin Colfer at the author’s website.
• Read an excerpt of The Man from Primrose Lane by James Renner at io9.
• Read an excerpt of The Ruined City by Paula Brandon at Suvudu.
• Read an excerpt of Throne of the Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed at io9.

Poetry

• Hyphenated American by Nima Kian
• I SAW YOU by Sarah Lucille Marchant
• Tongueless by Mari Ness

Short Stories

• Read “Adaptation” by Martha Wells at the author’s website.
• Read “Among the Silvering Herd” by Alyx Dellamonica at Tor.com.
• Read “Dark Sanctuary” by Gregory Benford at LightSpeed Magazine.
• Read “Fear and Loathing in Deptford” by K.A. Laity at The World SF Blog.
• Read “Her Words Like Hunting Vixens Spring” by Brooke Bolander at Lightspeed.
• Read “Kiss Me Twice” by Mary Robinette Kowal at the author’s website.
• Read “Letting Go of an Electric Blue Soda” by Laura Lee McArdle at AE SciFi.
• Read “The Liberation of Alhaja and the Keys of Manhood” by Muyis Adepoju.
• Read “Mail Order” by Martin Ivison at AE SciFi.
• Read “The Mermaid and the Mortal Thing” by Chris Willrich at LightSpeed.
• Read “Nardo” by Vince Torres at Philippine Genre Stories.
• Read “Of Hearts and Monkeys” by Nick Wood at Something Wicked.
• Read “Picnic with ants” by Mark W. Moffett at Nature.
• Read “Sins of the Father” by Edward Willett at the author’s website.
• Read “Tornado’s Siren” by Brooke Bolander at Strange Horizons.
• Read “A Trial of Blood and Steel” by Joel Shepherd at the author’s website.
• Read “The UFO” by Harris Tobias at Quantum Flash.
• Read “Updates and Holy Orders” by Dr. Ace T. Jericho at Notes from the Lair.
• Read “Watcher In The Wings” by Angela Carr at Mind Flights.
• Read “What Price for Pride?” by Evan Dicken at Ray Gun Revival.

Zines and Periodicals

• Goblin Fruit has released its Winter 2012 issue.

• Listen to “The Coffeemaker’s Passion” by Cat Rambo at Toasted Cake.
• Listen to “Devour” by Ferrett Steinmetz at Escape Pod.
• Listen to “Fearing The Invasion” by Eric Del Carlo (Part 2) at Cast of Wonders.
• Listen to “Is There Anybody There” by Kim Newman at Tales To Terrify.
• Listen to “Let There Be Darkness” by Mike Allen at Pseudopod.
• Listen to “Love in a Time of Entropy” by Jason Kahn at x.
• Listen to “Midshipman Hornblower” by C.S. Forester at Journey Into…
• Listen to “One of Our Bastards Is Missing” by Paul Cornell at StarShipSofa.
• Listen to “Precision Set” by L.E. Modesitt Jr at StarShipSofa.
• Listen to “The Question” by Robert Lowell Russell at Dunesteef.
• Listen to “The Second Voyage of Sindbad the Seaman” by Sir Richard Burton.
• Listen to “The Skull” by Philip K Dick at The Drama Pod.
• Listen to “Unwoven” by Tim Waggoner at Tales To Terrify.
• Listen to “Valentine’s Day with the Gods” by Jesse Livingston at Drabblecast.

Comics and Graphic Novels

• Read the graphic novel Celephais by H.P. Lovecraft, illustrated by Jason B. Thompson at the illustrator’s website.
• Read the graphic novel The Strange High House by H.P. Lovecraft, illustrated by Jason B. Thompson at the illustrator’s website.
• Read the graphic novel The White Ship by H.P. Lovecraft, illustrated by Jason B. Thompson at the illustrator’s website.

Flash and Micro Fiction

• Read the flash fiction “The Age of Three Stars” by Kenneth Schneyer.
• Read the flash fiction “Angry Child” by Benjamin Rosenbaum at Daily SciFi.
• Read the flash fiction “Magic Enough” by Chuck Von Nordheim at Daily SciFi.
• Read the flash fiction “The Steel Throne” by Eric James Stone at Daily SciFi.
• Read the flash fiction “Surface Tension” by KJ Kabza at Flash Fiction Online.

Novels and Preview Chapters

• Download Eden by Phil Rossi for the Kindle at Amazon.com.
• Download Glimpse by Matthew Underwood for the Kindle at Amazon.com.
• Download The Legend of Michelle Sands by Joe Harwell at Smashwords.
• Download The Phoenix Conspiracy by Richard Sanders for the Kindle.
• Download A Princess of The Linear Jungle by Paul Di Filippo for the Kindle.
• Read an excerpt of The Biofab War by Stephen Ames Berry at Smashwords.
• Download Salvation by Mike Bennett at Smashwords.
• Download Witch of the Bayou by Rana Kelly at Smashwords.
• Read an excerpt of Echoes of Betrayal by Elizabeth Moon at Suvudu.
• Read an excerpt of “Glamour in Glass” by Mary Robinette Kowal at Tor.com.
• Read an excerpt of Intrusion by Ken MacLeod at Orbit.
• Read an excerpt of “Range of Ghosts” by Elizabeth Bear at Tor.com.
• Read an excerpt of The Rook by Daniel O’Malley at Tor.com.
• Read an excerpt of Thief’s Covenant by Ari Marmell at Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist.
• Read an excerpt of “Throne of the Crescent Moon” by Saladin Ahmed.

Poetry

• Tongueless by Mari Ness

Short Stories

• Read “Abducted” by Roi Czechvala at Quantum Muse.
• Read “Aftermath” by Joy Kennedy-O’Neill (Part 2) at Strange Horizon.
• Read “And Came the Thundering Night” by Rebecca Harwell at MindFlights.
• Read “The Divers” by Dave Chua at Something Wicked.
• Read “A Man of Letters” by Peter Rawlik at Innsmouth Free Press.
• Read “Duex Cerveau” by Michele Dutcher at Quantum Muse.
• Read “The Empire of Nothingness” by Geoffrey Maloney at Ceaseless Skies.
• Read “Five Houses on the Shore” by L Lark at Innsmouth Free Press.
• Read “Full Moon” by J.M. Ramage at Innsmouth Free Press.
• Read “Goodbye Beetle” by D.K. Mok at The journal of unlikely entomology.
• Read “Green They Were, and Golden-Eyed” by E. Catherine Tobler.
• Read “The Grey Cairns” by C. G. Leslie at Innsmouth Free Press.
• Read “The interruption” by Patricia Fronek at Nature.
• Read “Letting Go of an Electric Blue Soda” by Laura Lee McArdle at AE SciFi.
• Read “Love Letters” by Donald Jacob Uitvlugt at The journal of unlikely entomology.
• Read “A Man of Letters” by Peter Rawlik at Innsmouth Free Press.
• Read “Not Like the Others” by Magdalene St. Vitus at Eschatology Journal.
• Read “The Proof of Bravery”by David Milstein at Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
• Read “Seeräuber” by Maria Dahvana Headley at Subterranean Press.
• Read “Self Control” by Sarah Matanah at Cosmos Magazine.
• Read “A Song of Aine” by Kevin J. Mackey at Short-Story.me.
• Read “Strings” by Nathaniel Katz at Eschatology Journal.
• Read “War 3.01″ by Keith Brooke at Lightspeed Magazine.
• Read “The Wizard Maker” by Alyson B Cresswell at AnotherRealm.
• Read “The Wouri Horror” by Fritz Bogott at Innsmouth Free Press.

Vintage Fiction

• Download early issues of Amazing Stories, featuring stories by H.G. Wells, Jules Verne, Edgar Allan Poe, Murray Leinster, and more, from PulpMags.org.

Author: Daniel Wallace
Series: Star Wars
Publisher: 47North
Genre: Science Fiction Reference
Release: February 10, 2012
Length: 160 pages (Hardcover)

Book Rating: F (40 / 100)

Verdict

Book of Sith is a pretty bit of eye candy that fills in some long-anticipated back story of the line of Sith masters that culminated in Darth Sidious (Emperor Palpatine). However, it reads like a reference manual, without much in the way of depth or story. In short it’s a whole lot of gimmick without much substance.

This is a book that will really only be of interest to truly pathologically obsessed Star Wars fans.

Pros: Beautifully illustrated. Great packaging. Interesting trivia tidbits.

Cons: Contains a lot of snippets, but not much in the way of a story.

Synopsis

In Brief: Bits and bobs from the history of the Sith Lords.

Official: The Sith have existed in the galaxy for centuries, lurking, waiting for their chance to seize control. As various Sith Lords emerged and rose to power, they recorded their thoughts, exploits, and plots for Sith control of the galaxy. When they fell, their knowledge vanished with them forever. Or so it seemed. . . .

Over the years, these writings were passed among numerous Sith and Jedi, who added their comments to the pages. In his quest for domination, Darth Sidious tracked down what remained of five pivotal Sith texts written by his most powerful predecessors. Then, drawing on the knowledge within the compiled pages, he wrote a sixth text—his own manifesto. Together, these documents, along with several collected objects associated with them, shed light on the philosophy, achievements, and failures of the Sith Order.

For years, this collection remained hidden, existing as legend only. But now all who are tempted may unlock the Book of Sith and delve into the dark side. . .

Review

In my opinion, Book of Sith is the epitome of everything that’s (gone) wrong with the Star Wars franchise. It’s eye-catching, it’s intriguing, and it’s wholly devoid of any depth or substance. It’s the sort of book you only get excited about if you’re a twelve year old boy.

What made the original Star Wars movie trilogy so revolutionary was that it combined a great story fueled with timeless archetypes with stunning larger-than-life visual imagery. Over time, though, Lucas film has systematically abandoned the great story and timeless archetypes in favor of an endless deluge of backstory and the sort of dialog normally reserved for comic books written in the fifties. It’s all great fun if you’re obsessed with the Star Wars universe, and I know that there are more than a few of you out there, among my readers, but in a continuum of science fiction novels worthy of your time, most Star Wars novels rank somewhere just north of Flash Gordon serials. Book of Sith is no exception.

That being said, it is worth noting that the artwork in this book is impressive, and reviewers across the web have nothing but good things to say about the craftsmanship of the actual physical book. If you are, in fact, a rabid Star Wars fan, this might be a book worth checking out, if only you thumb through it at the book store. Otherwise, the newly released 3D prequels ought to be enough provocation for your fanboy ire for one year.

Note:
Readers who aren’t interested in purchasing the edition of Book of Sith packaged in the Holocron case are best advised to wait. The Book of Sith’s counterpart, The Jedi Path was eventually released without it’s Holocron vault at a significantly reduced price. The same will more than likely happen with Book of Sith.

Contents

• A chronicle by Sorzus Syn of her encounters with Sith Purebloods, explorations in alchemy, and the foundations of the Sith Order.

• A war journal kept by Darth Malgus during the Great Galactic War, describing methods of war and the campaigns of the Sith army.

• A source book by Darth Bane that details the idea and the philosophy behind the Rule of Two as well as the training required for a Sith.

• An instructional manual by Mother Talzin exploring the Nightsisters’ use of the dark side and their role as dark side mercenaries in the galaxy.

• A scientific journal by Darth Plagueis with notes about his experimentation with and manipulation of the Force.

• Darth Sidious’s manifesto about the philosophy and political manipulation that marked his rise to power and established his Empire.

Disclaimer

Wunderkind PR sent The Great Geek Manual a copy of an advance review copy of Book of Sith at no cost. We extend our sincere thanks to them. However, the free copy did not influence the opinion of this reviewer.

Readers of this article should be aware that this review is based on an abbreviated copy of Book of Sith specifically prepared for reviewers. As such, this review may not accurately gauge the quality of the actual novel.

Further Information

• Read an interview with Book Of Sith author Dan Wallace at The Force.
• Watch the book trailer for Star Wars: Book of Sith.
• Watch the The Daily unpack the Book of Sith and its extras.

• Listen to “A Hundred Ghosts Parade Tonight” by Xia Jia at Clarkesworld Magazine.
• Listen to “And the Hollow Space Inside” by Mari Ness at Clarkesworld Magazine.
• Listen to “The Ghost of a Girl Who Never Lived” by Keffy R. M. Kehrli.
• Listen to “How Pappy Got Five Acres Back and Calvin Stayed on the Farm” by B.C. Bell at Tales To Terrify.
• Listen to “Into The Depths of Illuminated Seas” by Jason Sanford at StarShipSofa.
• Listen to “The King of Rabbits and Moon Lake” by Eugie Foster at Journey Into…
• Listen to “Kulturkampf” by Anatoly Belilovsky at Cast of Wonders.
• Listen to “Lavanya and Deepika” by Shveta Thakrar at PodCastle.
• Listen to “Memorial at Copernicus” by Gray Rinehart at Redstone Science Fiction.
• Listen to “The Never Never Wizard of Apalachicola” by Jason Sanford.
• Listen to “The Occupation of the Architect” by Jason Heller at Toasted Cake.
• Listen to “Universe Reef” by Tobias Buckell at Beam Me Up!.
• Listen to “Thwack That Dirigible!” by Captain Radio at Radio Drama Revival.

Comics and Graphic Novels

• Comic Vine offers a preview of Warlord of Mars: Fall of Barsoom #1

Flash and Micro Fiction

• Listen to the flash fiction story “Mentor” by Sean Eads at Pseudopod.
• Read the flash fiction “All The Flavors” by Ken Liu at Giganotosaurus.
• Read the flash fiction “Biomass” by Alexander Stanmyer at Daily Science Fiction.
• Read the flash fiction “The Log Lady Incident” by Jon Konrath at Weirdyear.
• Read the flash fiction “The New Phone” by David Erik Nelson and Fritz Swanson.
• Read the flash fiction “Your Loved Ones Never Leave You” by Linda M. Crate.

Novels and Preview Chapters

• Download Dreams of Steel by Gregory J. Downs at Smashwords.
• Download The Nemesis Worm by Guy Haley for the Kindle at Amazon.com.
• Download A Gathering Evil by Michael A. Stackpole for the Kindle at Amazon.com.
• Download The Green Man by Mike Bennett at Smashwords.
• Download Of Blood and Honey by Stina Leicht for the Kindle at Amazon.com.
• Download the anthology Some of the Best of Tor.com anthology for the Kindle.
• Read an excerpt of The Dread by Gail Z. Martin at the author’s website.
• Read an excerpt of Greatshadow by James Maxey at The Solaris Editor’s Blog.
• Read an excerpt of The Scar by Sergey and Marina Dyachenko at Tor.com.
• Read an excerpt of Star Wars: Red Harvest by Joe Schreiber at Scribd.
• Read an excerpt of Tempest by Julie Cross at Tor.com.
• Read an excerpt of Touchstone by Melanie Rawn at Tor.com.
• Read an excerpt of When the Sea is Rising Red by Cat Hellisen at Tor.com.

Poetry

• Tesla’s Waltz by WC Roberts

Short Stories

• Read the Some of the Best of Tor.com mini-anthology at Tor.com.
• Read “Bear in Contradicting Landscape” by David J. Schwartz at Apex Magazine.
• Read “A Hundred Ghosts Parade Tonight” by Xia Jia at Clarkesworld.
• Read “Aftermath” by Joy Kennedy-O’Neill at Strange Horizons.
• Read “All the Young Kirks and Their Good Intentions” by Helena Bell.
• Read “And Came the Thundering Night” by Rebecca Harwell at MindFlights.
• Read “And the Hollow Space Inside” by Mari Ness at Clarkesworld.
• Read “The Body Shop” by Tom Howard at Residential Aliens.
• Read “Code Seven” by Karina and Robert Fabian at Residential Aliens.
• Read “Coyote Blessing” by Owen Kerr at Wily Writers.
• Read “Demons Inside” by Ross Kitson at Quantum Muse.
• Read “Dragonfly Girl” by Chuck Wilkerson at Redstone Science Fiction.
• Read “The Drunken Moon” by Joe R. Lansdale at Subterranean Press.
• Read “The Five Elements of the Heart Mind” by Ken Liu at Lightspeed Magazine.
• Read “The Gods Fall” by Jeromy Henry at Quantum Muse.
• Read “Heaven” by Dan Hart at Residential Aliens.
• Read “How Satan Died & The Imprisonment of God” by Summer Hanford.
• Read “Messenger” by Steve Stanton at Kasma SF.
• Read “Mount of Olives” by Nathan Weisberg at Residential Aliens.
• Read “My Body, Her Canvas” by A.C. Wise at Apex Magazine.
• Read “Occupational Therapy” by Ken Lamb at Anotherealm.
• Read “A Michael Cisco Troika” by Michael Cisco at Weird Fiction.
• Read “The Perfect Quarter Acres” by Don Norum at Eschatology Journal.
• Read “The Promise Of Love” by Exie Abola at Philippine Genre Stories.
• Read “Samantha Berg and the Psychotic Scientist” by James Turnbull.
• Read “Sweet Embrace” by T. M. Hunter at MindFlights.
• Read “To Sing the Songs of Trees” by Stephanie Kraner at Residential Aliens.
• Read “Treasure Island: A Lucifer Jones Story” by Mike Resnick at Subterranean.
• Read “Uncle Flower’s Homecoming Waltz” by Marissa K. Lingen at Tor.com.
• Read “Useless Things” by Maureen McHugh at Apex Magazine.
• Read “White Lies” by Thoraiya Dyer at Redstone Science Fiction.
• Read “Wings” by Michael Peralta at Quantum Muse.
• Read “Words and music” by Ronald D. Ferguson at Nature.
• Read “You Cannot Fight the War for Reason: Wearing the Wrong Trousers” by Aditya Bidikar at The World SF Blog.

• Listen to “Bears Discover Fire” by Terry Bisson at Drabblecast.
• Listen to “Black Glass” by Gary McMahon at Tales To Terrify.
• Listen to “A House Divided” by Jonathan Thompson at Big World Network.
• Listen to “The Invaders” by Benjamin Ferris at The Drama Pod.
• Listen to “The Night of the Ugly Ones” by Mario Benedetti at Miette’s Bedtime.
• Listen to “Pairs” by Zachary Jernigan at Escape Pod.
• Listen to “The Refurbished Man” by Matthew Sanborn Smith at Hairy Mango.
• Listen to “Ruby Hearts” by Jodi MacArthur at Cast of Wonders.
• Listen to “Save The Date” by Joe Zieja at Dunesteef.
• Listen to “Their Changing Bodies” by Alaya Dawn Johnson at PodCastle.
• Listen to “This Is Now” by Michael Marshall Smith at Pseudopod.
• Listen to “Turning Back the Clock” by David Steffen at Beam Me Up!.
• Listen to “Waiting for the Apocalypse” by Stacey Lepper at Eschatology.
• Listen to “Whit Carlson’s Trespasser” by Will Ludwigsen at Drabblecast.
• Listen to “Zombie Boyfriends Are Totally In For Spring” by Camille Alexa.

Flash and Micro Fiction

• Read the flash fiction “All or Nothing” by Nancy Fulda at Daily SciFi.
• Read the flash fiction “The Professor’s Boy” by Erik Goranson at Daily SciFi.
• Read the flash fiction “The Stoker Memorandum” by Lavie Tidhar at Daily SciFi.

Novels and Preview Chapters

• Download The Burned Tower by Sergey Dyachenko for the Kindle at Amazon.com.
• Download A House Divided by Jonathan Thompson from iTunes.
• Read an excerpt of Hide Me Among the Graves by Tim Powers at Scribd.
• Read an excerpt of Legion of the Damned by William C Dietz at Tor.com.
• Read an excerpt of Nomansland by Lesley Hauge at Tor.com.
• Read an excerpt of Wrong Side of Dead by Kelly Medingat at Scribd.

Poetry

• Ariel by Erik Amundsen

Short Stories

• Read “Across the Metaverse” by John Krissilas at MindFlights.
• Read “The Blob–A Memoir” by Harris Tobias at Quantum Muse.
• Read “The Castle That Jack Built” by Emily Gilman at Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
• Read “The Chastisement of Your Peace” by Tracy Canfield at Strange Horizons.
• Read “Cosmic Love” by Harry Markov at The World SF Blog.
• Read “Eliza” by Joshua Reynolds at LovecraftZine.
• Read “The Human Condition” by David Moody (Part II) at Last Of The Living Stories.
• Read “Karlsson” by Anatoly Belilovsky at Kasma SF.
• Read “The Last Gorgon” by Rajan Khanna at Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
• Read “The Metal Men of Mars” by Joe R Lansdale at Tor.com.
• Read “The Righteous” by Brian Yoon at Legend of the Five Rings.
• Read “The Situation” by Jeff VanderMeer at Tor.com.
• Read “Song of the Black Dog” by Kit Reed at Weird Fiction Review.
• Read “The Spaces Between Space” by Brett J. Talley at LovecraftZine.
• Read “A State of Variance” by Aimee Bender at Lightspeed Magazine.
• Read “Tark Left Santiago” by Joseph S. Pulver, SR at LovecraftZine.
• Read “Three Lilies And Three Leopards (And A Participation Ribbon In Science)” by Tad Williams at Subterranean Press.
• Read “The Tower And The Kite” by Matthew Jacob F. Ramos (Part 2) at x.
• Read “The Vessels” by Nancy O. Greene at LovecraftZine.
• Read “Waiting for the Apocalypse” by Stacey Lepper at Eschatology Journal.
• Read “White Noise” by Michael Matheson at LovecraftZine.

• Listen to “All the Painted Stars” by Gwendolyn Clare at Clarkesworld.
• Listen to “The Ballad of Delphinium Blue” by Samantha Henderson.
• Listen to “Beautiful Dreamer” by Edward McKeown (Part 2) at Beam Me Up.
• Listen to “Biba Jibun” by Eugie Foster at Pseudopod.
• Listen to “Fruit Jar Drinkin’, Cheatin’ Heart Blues” by Patty Templeton.
• Listen to “Martian V F W” by Vandenburg at The Drama Pod.
• Listen to “Scattered Along the River of Heaven” by Aliette de Bodard.
• Listen to “Surviving the eBookalypse” by Randy Henderson at Escape Pod.
• Listen to “What Everyone Remembers” by Rahul Kanakia at Clarkesworld.

Comics and Graphic Novels

• Bleeding Cool offers a preview of Kirby Genesis #0 And #1
• CBR offers a preview of Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9 #6.
• CBR offers a preview of Crossed: Badlands #1
• CBR offers a preview of Danger Girl: Revolver #1
• CBR offers a preview of Murky World #1
• CBR offers a preview of Supergirl #5
• Read “The Situation,” an original comic story created by Jeff VanderMeer and Eric Orchard, about the perils of office politics in a world eerily different from ours.

Flash and Micro Fiction

• Listen to the flash fiction story “Breakfast in Dread” by Bettina Borg Cardona.
• Listen to the flash fiction story “The Madness of Andelsprutz” by Lord Dunsany.
• Read the flash fiction “AI Robot” by Patrick Dey at Flash Fiction Online.
• Read the flash fiction “All or Nothing” by Nancy Fulda at Daily Science Fiction.
• Read the flash fiction “Cuy” by Michele Markarian at Yesteryear Fiction.
• Read the flash fiction “Dumb as Dirt” by Garth Upshaw at Daily Science Fiction.
• Read the flash fiction “Homecoming” by M. Darusha Wehm at Luna Station.
• Read the flash fiction “Into the Forest” by Dana Dupont at Daily Science Fiction.
• Read the flash fiction “The Relative Densities of Seawater and Blood” by An Owomoyela at Brain Harvest.
• Read the flash fiction “Sea Ink” by Jennifer Linnaea at Flash Fiction Online.
• Read the flash fiction “Sixty-one by Seventy” by K.G. Jewell at Daily SciFi.
• Read the flash fiction “Stonehenge in his Garden” by Gerald Warfield.
• Read the flash fiction “Subway” by Eric Suhem at Weirdyear.
• Read the flash fiction “Things Exist by Imitation of Numbers” by Benjamin Rosenbaum at Daily Science Fiction.
• Read the flash fiction “War Song I – Torvenfell” by Ram Iyer at Yesteryear Fiction.

Novels and Preview Chapters

• Download Moon Spell by Samantha Young for the Kindle at Amazon.com.
• Read an excerpt of Blue Remembered Earth by Alastair Reynolds at Gollancz.
• Read an excerpt of The Butcher of Anderson Station: A Story of The Expanse by James S.A. Corey at Orbit Books.
• Read an excerpt of Mass Effect: Deception by Willian C. Dietz at Scribd.
• Read an excerpt of Overkill by Robert Buettner at Tor.com.
• Read an excerpt of Quick Bites: A Short Story Collection by Jennifer Rardin.
• Read an excerpt of Ragnarok by Patrick A Vanner at Tor.com.
• Read an excerpt of Something Wikkid This Way Comes by Nicole Peeler.
• Read an excerpt of Unfallen by Lilith Saintcrow by Lilith Saintcrow at Orbit Books.

Poetry

• Carrington’s Ferry by Mike Allen

Serial Fiction

• Nothing is Beyond by Davy Minor is a new sci-fi series you can read for free.

Short Stories

• Download “The Taste of Promises” by Rachel Swirsky. [PDF]
• Read “All the Painted Stars” by Gwendolyn Clare at Clarkesworld.
• Read “Always True to Thee, in My Fashion” by Nancy Kress at Lightspeed.
• Read “Bloodstone” by R.B. Payne at Wily Writers.
• Read “Captain Clone” by Deborah Walker at Ray Gun Revival.
• Read “Cosmic Love” by Harry Markov at The World SF Blog.
• Read “The Driver” by Rahul Kanakia at Nature.
• Read “Death Reported of Last Surviving Veteran of Great War” by Dan Abnett.
• Read “Eliza” by Joshua Reynolds at Lovecraft eZine.
• Read “Enter Here” by FJ Bergmann at Eschatology Journal.
• Read “The Five Elements of the Heart Mind” by Ken Liu at Lightspeed Magazine.
• Read “Hel’s Half-Acre” by Jack Campbell at Baen eBooks.
• Read “The Johnson Maneuver” by Ian Douglas at Baen eBooks.
• Read “Judgement Day” by Gary Cuba at Eschatology Journal.
• Read “Jungle Walkers” by David Klecha & Tobias S. Buckell at Baen eBooks.
• Read “The Last Run of the Coppelia” by Genevieve Valentine at Baen eBooks.
• Read “The Metal Men of Mars” by Joe R Lansdale at Tor.com.
• Read “My Bicycle, 4500 A.D.” by Stephen Case at AE SciFi.
• Read “Scattered Along the River of Heaven” by Aliette de Bodard at Clarkesworld.
• Read “The Spaces Between Space” by Brett J. Talley at Lovecraft eZine.
• Read “The Spaces In-Between” by A.B. Doh at StoryTime.
• Read “A State of Variance” by Aimee Bender at Lightspeed Magazine.
• Read “Story with Pictures and Conversation” by Brontops Baruq.
• Read “Sweet Embrace” by T. M. Hunter at Mindflights.
• Read “Tark Left Santiago” by Joseph S. Pulver, SR at Lovecraft eZine.
• Read “The Tower And The Kite” (Part 2) at Philippine Genre Stories.
• Read “The Vessels” by Nancy O. Greene at Lovecraft eZine.
• Read “What Everyone Remembers” by Rahul Kanakia at Clarkesworld.
• Read “White Noise” by Michael Matheson at Lovecraft eZine.

Vintage Fiction

• Download the short story “The Girl in the Golden Atom” by Ray Cummings from Librivox at the Internet Archive.
• Download the short story “The Hound of the Baskervilles” by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Sir from Librivox.
• Download the short story “Subspace Survivors” by E. E. Smith from LibriVox.
• Listen to The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux from CBS Radio Mystery Theater at Journey Into…
• Read the short story “The Sanatorium at the Sign of the Hourglass” by Bruno Schulz (1937) at Weird Fiction Review.

Zines and Periodicals

• Download issue ten of Shimmer Magazine. This issue features Nir Yaniv’s “A Painter, a Sheep, and a Boa Constrictor,” which was reprinted in Rich Horton’s Year’s Best Science Fiction and Fantasy 2010.

• Listen to author Alberto Chimal of Mexico City reads his story “Variation on a Theme of Coleridge” from Three Messages and a Warning: Contemporary Mexican Short Stories of the Fantastic, an anthology of new Mexican fiction never before translated into English at Oneironomicon.
• Listen to “Balfour and Meriwether in The Vampire of Kabul” by Daniel Abraham.
• Listen to “Beautiful Dreamer” by Edward McKeown at Beam Me Up!
• Listen to “Black Hill” and “The Worm That Gnaws” by Orrin Grey at Journey Into…
• Listen to “The Day the Icicle Works Closed” by Frederik Pohl at Podmatic.
• Listen to “Found Manuscript” by David Lindblad at Cthulhu Podcast.
• Listen to “Health Tips for Traveller” by David W. Goldman at Toasted Cake.
• Listen to “Illusion” by Jean Rhys at Miette’s.
• Listen to “The Martian Chronicles” by Cory Doctorow (Part 2) at StarShipSofa.
• Listen to “On the Acquisition of Phoenix Eggs” by Marissa Lingen at Lightspeed.
• Listen to “Pageant Girls” by Caroline M. Yoachim at Toasted Cake.
• Listen to “Rain” by Abby Manheim at Dunesteef.
• Listen to “Revenants” by Judith Tarr at Escape Pod.
• Listen to “Singularity Knocks” by Will Ludwigsen at The Drabblecast.
• Listen to “A Study In Flesh And Mind” by Liz Argall at Pseudopod.
• Listen to “The Thing in the Attic” by James Blish at Drama Pod.
• Listen to “The Traitor Baru Cormorant, Her Field-General, and Their Wounds” by Seth Dickinson at Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
• Listen to “Unglued” by Amber D. Sistla at Toasted Cake.

Comics and Graphic Novels

• CBR offers a preview of Batman #5
• CBR offers a preview of Blue Beetle #5
• CBR offers a preview of Catwoman #5
• CBR offers a preview of Green Lantern Corps #5
• CBR offers a preview of Steed and Mrs. Peel #1
• CBR offers a preview of Supergirl #5
• Major Spoilers offers a preview of Scam #1

Flash and Micro Fiction

• Listen to the flash fiction story “Cowpokin’!” by Matthew Sanborn Smith.
• Read the flash fiction “Box” by Richard Fuller at Quantum Muse.
• Read the flash fiction “Dancers by the Hedge” by Anahita Ayasoufi at Yesteryear.
• Read the flash fiction “Electric Company” by Melissa Mead at Daily Sci-Fi.
• Read the flash fiction “Grandma Bixby’s Teeth” by Harris Tobias at Quantum Muse.
• Read the flash fiction “The Lightning Gun” by Antoinette Rydyr at AntipodeanSF.
• Read the flash fiction “Parallel Universes” by Madeline Leong at Short-Story.me.
• Read the flash fiction “Sale!” by Lissy Jones at Weirdyear.
• Read the flash fiction “Sweet Pain” by Carl Alves at Short-Story.me.

Novels and Preview Chapters

• Download The Book of Deacon by Joseph Lallo for the Kindle at Amazon.com.
• Download Call of the Herald by Brian Rathbone for the Kindle at Amazon.com.
• Download Dark Earth by Jason Halstead for the Kindle at Amazon.com.
• Download The Emerald Talisman by Brenda Pandos for the Kindle.
• Download Yseult: A Tale of Love in the Age of King Arthur by Ruth Nestvold.
• Download Thirst by Claire Farrell for the Kindle at Amazon.com.
• Download TimeSplash by Graham Storrs for the Kindle at Amazon.com.
• Read an excerpt of 77 Shadow Street by Dean R. Koontz at Scribd.
• Read “A Tinker of Warhoon” by Tobias S. Buckell from the anthology Under the Moons of Mars: New Adventures on Barsoom at io9.
• Read an excerpt of Artic Rising by Tobias S. Buckell at Tor.com.
• Read an excerpt of Ashes of Candesce by Karl Schroeder at Tor.com.
• Read an excerpt of The Heir of Night by Helen Lowe at Orbit.
• Read an excerpt of A Monster’s Notes by Laurie Sheck at Random House.
• Read an excerpt of Taft 2012 by Jason Heller at Tor.com.
• Read an excerpt of Theft of Swords by Michael J. Sullivan at Orbit.

Poetry

• “The Eagle” by Ambar Past
• “The Lord Charon” by Tony Grist

Short Stories

• Download “The Witches: An Extraordinary Tale” by Gerrard Wlson at Smashwords.
• Read “Always True to Thee, in My Fashion” by Nancy Kress at Lightspeed.
• Read “Baby, Your Body’s My Bass” by Edward W. Robertson at AE SciFi.
• Read “A Better Offer” by Jamie Mason at AE SciFi.
• Read “Calibrated Allies” by Marissa Lingen at Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
• Read “A Crisis of Unicornian Proportions” by Dr. Ace T. Jericho at the Lair.
• Read “Clay Cast Cats” by TCA Lakshmi Narasimhan at The World SF Blog.
• Read “Dinner Guests” by Ivan Dorin at AE SciFi.
• Read “Founding Fathers” by Edward W. Robertson at AE SciFi.
• Read “God’s Obituary” by Brent Alan James at Words without Borders.
• Read “Homecoming” by M. Darusha Wehm at Luna Station Quarterly.
• Read “How Sleep the Brave” by Jack Skelter at Ray Gun Revival.
• Read “The Immaculate Conception of Private Ritter” by Seth Dickinson at Asimov’s.
• Read “In the Dead of the Night” by Gordon Rowlinson at Quantum Muse.
• Read “Les Amoureus” by Alison Bwalya Erlwanger at StoryTime.
• Read “Killing Time” by Harris Tobias at Quantum Muse.
• Read “The Lady of the Lake” by E. Catherine Tobler at Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
• Read “Loob” by Bob Leman at Weird Fiction Review.
• Read “On the Acquisition of Phoenix Eggs” by Marissa Lingen at Lightspeed.
• Read “Recognizing Gabe: un cuento de hadas” by Alberto Yáñez.
• Read “Seizing Cervantes” by Antônio Xerxenesky at Words without Borders.
• Read “The Tides of the Heart” by David D. Levine at Bentopress.
• Read “The Tower And The Kite” by Matthew Jacob F. Ramos at Philippine Genre.
• Read “Where All Things Perish” by Tanith Lee at Weird Fiction Review.

Vintage Fiction

• Download the novel The Time Machine by H. G. Wells at Project Gutenberg.
• Listen to the short story “A Crystal Age” by William Henry Hudson at Librivox.