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- Aug 26, 2010 - 8:35 am
The Best of BCS, Year One anthology now available
Issue #50 • Aug. 26, 2010
Win a signed copy of Marie Brennan's new novel--details here
"And Blow Them at the Moon," by Marie Brennan
A church grim like Margat could taste death, scent it on the air, feel it in the marrow of her bones. Every mortal carried a little bit; death was always a possibility, from accident or disease. But sometimes the possibility grew stronger, closer, when a man stood at a fork in the road, then chose the path that led toward peril.
"Winecask Bellies and Owl Wings," by Liz Coleman
So I made a horse. I made bones of iron and a mane of silk. Tendons of rubber from the king's caravans. I gave it a belly made from a wine vat. Around this I wrapped a skin of black and brown velvet--brindled bars such as no horse had, but that would make a cage to contain its life. I would ride this horse to freedom, away from my prison to the wastes where I’d fly with my sisters on owl wings.
Audio Fiction Podcast 043
"Eighth Eye," by Erin Cashier, from BCS #49
The spider creeps closer, dragging its meal behind. Moira counts its eyes again. Seven. The spider's the only thing that has reality. It's realer than she is, right now. She's already on her way out--has been since the burns, really. She tries to breathe, but the wrappings are so tight, and the weight on her chest is so heavy.
From the Archives:
"The Five Days of Justice Merriwell," by Stephanie Burgis, from BCS #13My voice sounds thin and choked when I speak. "Let the soldiers choose for themselves," I say. "Let those who wish to flee leave now, in good faith. I will not have them stay to be murdered for a cause they cannot support. But let food and bandages be stockpiled through the day, and close the gates"--I almost say, at nightfall, but it is always night now--"before midnight. We will hold my father’s fortress until the last."
- Aug 25, 2010 - 2:06 pm
- In conjunction with Marie Brennan's story "And Blow Them at the Moon" in BCS #50 tomorrow and the release of her new novel, A Star Shall Fall, both of which are set in the same historical fantasy world, BCS is giving away a personalized signed copy of A Star Shall Fall.
Comment on "And Blow Them at the Moon" in the comments thread for that story on the BCS Forums, and you'll be entered in a drawing to win a copy of A Star Shall Fall signed and personalized by the author.
Read the complete rules for the giveaway here. Enjoy the story, and make sure you post your comment before the giveaway ends at midnight on Wednesday Sept. 8! - Aug 12, 2010 - 8:40 am
The Best of BCS, Year One anthology now available
Issue #49 • Aug. 12, 2010
Issues now available in the Amazon Kindle Store
"Eighth Eye," by Erin Cashier
The spider creeps closer, dragging its meal behind. Moira counts its eyes again. Seven. The spider's the only thing that has reality. It's realer than she is, right now. She's already on her way out--has been since the burns, really. She tries to breathe, but the wrappings are so tight, and the weight on her chest is so heavy.
"The Book of Autumn," by Rachael Acks
They thought of it as a game, these dusty old men. Tease the dim, pretty little poppet with bits of magic to keep her dazzled and quiet. They’d never realized how much I had actually understood until I'd raised my head from my work and pulled back my hair so they could see my eye, see that I'd received the curse of knowledge. Then they were frightened, and rightly so.
Audio Fiction Podcast 042
"Prashkina's Fire," by Vylar Kaftan, from BCS #48
The nightmares had mostly stopped now, and my face only ached on hot days. I never looked at myself in the stream, so I wasn't sure what color the scars were, but my fingertips told me the skin was tough and dead. As for the rest, once I washed myself out with lemon juice, I just went on with my rituals in the temple, because someone had to. I tried not to remember. Not to let it rule me. But now that he was at the temple too, I felt a little safer.
From the Archives:
"The Puzzle Box," by Chris Tissell, from BCS #25"You?" I stood, furious, and as I did the red brazier-light glinted on something behind the throne that I could not see. "Did you not have enough of father’s blessings while he lived? He gave you gifts, and horses, and talked of the great kingdom you would inherit. Meanwhile I sat in your shadow and the heap of your scorn. No, brother. For this once I will have something that you have not had first."
- Aug 11, 2010 - 1:36 pm
- Richard Parks, the veteran author of the Lord Yamada short stories that include "The Mansion of Bones" in BCS #19 and "Sanji's Demon" in BCS #38, has sold a Lord Yamada novel to PS Publishing.
Congratulations! It will be great to see Lord Yamada in novel form, and the novel is apparently based on one of my favorite Yamada stories, "Moon Viewing at Shijo Bridge."
For fans of the stories, a new Lord Yamada tale, "Lady of the Ghost Willow," will be appearing in BCS this fall. - Aug 4, 2010 - 3:27 pm
- Seven stories from Beneath Ceaseless Skies recently received Honorable Mentions in Gardner Dozois's Year's Best SF Twenty-Seven!
"Silk and Shadow," by Tony Pi
"The Orangery," by K.D. Wentworth
"The Tinyman and Caroline," by Sarah L. Edwards
The Mansion of Bones," by Richard Parks
"Thieves of Silence," by Holly Phillips
"Songdogs," by Ian McHugh
"Great Golden Wings," by Rachel Swirsky
"In the Age of Iron and Ashes," by Aliette de Bodard
Congratulations to all!
And hearty thanks to Mr. Dozois for including fantasy stories and magazines in his
Honorable Mentions since the Datlow, Link, and Grant Year's Best Fantasy and Horror
ceased publication.