Runalong The Shelves

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Runalong The Short Shelves - Parsec Issue 9

Matthew Cavanagh

Publisher – PS Publishing

For this edition of the Short Shelves while I’ve a really good issue to talk about as I’m on a blog tour the kind folks at PS Publishing have agreed to allow you a discount code for 25% off Issues 1-9 of Parsec.. All you need to do is go to ParSec (pspublishing.co.uk) and purchase your issue using the code 25PARSEC just copy and paste the discount code at the checkout and download for £4.49 each. They are compatible with all e-readers. The code should be live from late Friday 19th April.

Think of it as you’ll see a late/early Christmas present 😊

In addition here are the other blog tour entries to look at and a fine collection of the best of us they are: -

I’ve talked before about how I enjoy stories as every author has their own take on a theme. There are as many worlds out there as there are humans to imagine them (probably more!). it is fascinating when we get a chance to compare them and in Issue 9 of Parsec Ian Whates the editor has an interesting selection of stories that in many ways neatly compliment or bounce off the theme of other worlds with a great selection of authors.

In this edition we have:

 A Routine Investigation in Downtown Arcadia by M R Carey – A murder in a futuristic paradise awaits us in this smart and troubling tale. Carey gives us a Detective created by an all-seeing entity named Machine to work out why one of the population has been brutally murdered. Resolution is our narrator, and he is more a traditional detective in approach and that contrasts with the innocent population who don’t even know what a blade is. Carey sets up the mystery of how is evil entering paradise but also subtly creates a world with many questions as to how did we evolve into this future form. We get answers but Carey dangles what happens next very tantalisingly.

The World is What You Make of It by E M Faulds – we move from utopian futures to a much more dangerous one where Faulds gives us an Earth now uninhabitable, and a few humans left in orbit are slowly trying to rebuild the planet in a very thrilling tale. Our main character Euanthe is neurodivergent and this is a different type of character to the intrepid explorer type SF has tended to give us. Faulds has a fascinating world of rebuilding and yet the earth that remains is creepy and dangerous from not simply viruses to things just out of sight. It has a very logical explanation and high stakes for our lead on her own but the explanation for everything is innovative and makes a lot of sense.

A Kiss to Forget Me By by Kai Holmwood - Another type of world is the one memories create for us internally and this charming character focused tale has a man seeking a witch for help. Holmwood swiftly shifts from one character to the other raising a question of what the help is about and how the witch sees this man. It paints pictures of lives lived and loves lost really well in shorthand but with a neat final scene pulling all the threads together that impressed me a lot.

The Plate of Plenty by Barend Nieuwstraten III – This enjoyable story goes more for a story in the style of a classic folk tale as artist Tiu-Meng visits a wealthy man’s home and while he attempts to draw the items he finds himself surrounded by mysterious thefts which is starting to point the finger of suspicion to him. It’s a tantalising mystery with a solution that could be viewed as both dark and hopeful but most of all a fun read!

The Girl at the Mirage Café by Frank Roger – Our modern-day narrator tells us of his experiences at a café where everyone sees a beautiful host but no one sees the same person. It is a very smart SF tale taking us through the Black Mirror and while our sympathies for our hormonal narrator may shorten as the story goes on, we do perhaps think his fate is still unjust while it also explores a plausible danger of future technology.

 

A Christmas Dirge by Rhea Rose – Issue 9 of Parsec was for the end of the year and this seasonal tale takes us to Oregon where a widow tries to make use of the season. In the future this tale has strange visions and guests that start to make us suspect things are not quite right. It then neatly makes us see things from a different sinister festive angle.

Three From Albion by Michael Moorcock – When we hear Moorcock start to talk about New Worlds we imagine we may be about to get some personal SF history but instead we get an alternate fast paced alternative wilder version. Moorcock namechecks many names from SF’s past and mixes it with music, TV and literary stars yet it has undercurrent of magic with banned books, magicians and the ultimate forces of Chaos and order that link to Moorcock’s most famous work. Its fun for those who know their SF history watching for how the lines blur and who really knows how much may be real when Alan Moore is in the world!

After the main stories we have Jared Shurin and Anne C Perry in their regular In the Weeds column talking about the recent Goodreads scandal and having a sharp analysis of how this tale as well as an author’s hubris also flags some dangers of what authors are now expected to do as well as write. Donna Scott then talks to the magazine in ‘Life In the Fast Lane’ to discuss their new publishing venture Slab Press and their publishing journey and hopes for the future. On top of that we have a fine assembly of reviews and finishes off with a interview with MR Carey. Parsec is doing really great and interesting work to promote the genre and well worth your time!