AntipodeanSF Issue 143 is now Online!

Editor Ion of AntipodeanSF, Australia's premiere online flash fiction magazine has sent us a note that issue 143 is online!

I read this months selection of short stories and have to admit that there are some mighty strange offerings that are bound to entertain!

Here is a list of the stories but there are also shorter 50 word selections and poetry. Thanke a trip over. You won't be disappointed.

AntipodeanSF

• Floyd's Nose By Rachel Amphlett
• The Black Veil By JL Cooper
• Last Chance By Des McNicholas
• Reboot By Benjamin Hayes
• The Beacon By Houston Dunleavy
• Local News By Shaun A. Saunders
• A Mite-y Trek By Ken Kraus
• Unorthodox Romance By Tiana Cutright
• Largesse By Richard Baldasty
• The Passenger By Jeanie Laherty
  

AntipodeanSF, #135 now online!

Ion, editor of AntipodeanSF the online flash fiction magazine, writes to tell us some good news!:

• Just a short note to say that the latest issue of AntipodeanSF, #135 is now published on the net for your enjoyment.
• You'll find AntipodeanSF at the usual address:
• www.antisf.com.au
  

Good news indeed. I took the initive to go over and get a short description of some of the stories available in this month's issue. Check it out!



Figment By Matt Tighe

When Bob woke a tree was growing in the corner of his bedroom. The carpet around it had turned from white to green, and it sported large green leaves that turned the sunlight into shadow patterns on the bedspread. At its base was a small wooden door.

A small man stepped out. "Ah," he said. "You're awake."



Robotron Strikes Again By Jake Wickenhofer and Greg Wickenhofer

"Remind me again what we are doing," Robotron said. "It's some kind of human bonding ritual, right?"

"Sure." I said, handing Robotron the jacket.

"This garb is positively ridiculous."



Traitor By Gitte Christensen

JazJay packed his things with a heavy heart. Music thumped out an invigorating beat threaded with life-affirming lyrics (messages mixed by Gr8Boy12 specifically to blast sense into his defeatist friend), and the tribe buzzed about him.

"Don't let those fascists win," urged GoChas, "Fight the good fight."



Dark Past Midnight By Jan Napier

"Bad blood," my mother winced, extracting my milk teeth from her ankle. I think not!

I was too young to tender an explanation to the woman — a mere foster parent, and not my natural parent at all. However, if she persisted in lurking around corners then jumping out at me, there could only be one result. For one of my race it is a typical reaction.



Demonstration By Shaun A. Saunders

"So you'd like to stage a 'demonstration', is that correct?"

I nodded. Yes. It is my right after all, living in a democracy.

"All right," said the court clerk, "please fill out this application form."



Perimeter By Ashley Hibbert

I looked up from the mangled bulkhead and into the distance between the ripped hull.

It was some explosion that had created the gap, yet the Brigand's sensors hadn't worked out what had caused it. Our mission. Yet the team's presence and purpose had ceased to be of any importance.



The Day They Won By Lee Giminez

"Mr. Smith? We need a decision today."

Smith stared at his assistant. Sweat beaded on his forehead. "I know..."

It was just the two of them in the board room: NASA Administrator Michael Smith and his assistant, Andy Stevens.



Teslar's Wonderful Electric Incapacitation Pistol By Liam Thorpe

For as long as me or mine can remember, the Bobbies 'round London had walked the beat with nowt but twelve inch of Bully Stick at their side. But since the Great Exhibition they've got a little something extra up their sleeves.

I were told some Russian bloke, name of Teslar, went and invented a pistol. Called it the Wonderful Electric Incapacitation Pistol.



Some Things Never Change By Stephen L Thompson

Standing on the bottom step, Kyle Cooper took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Ever so slowly he lifted his right foot, inched it forward, and set his spacesuit boot down into the red dust. With his eyes still closed he said, "I've taken a small step into a giant future."



Time To Sign Off By Francis Conaty

Assessor Williams disliked his job. The rigid rules under which he worked made it impossible to offer these people any hope for the future. Williams returned his attention to his present applicant. "You must remember, Mr. Sanjay, that when this country accepted you as an environmental refugee the conditions of that acceptance were clearly conveyed to you."

"Of course I remember. It is not every day that one is sterilized.

AntipodeanSF Issue 134 online!

AntipodeanSF online flash magazine editor Nuke writes:

Just a short note to let you know that AntipodeanSF Issue 134 is now available for your enjoyment at our usual web address: http://www.antisf.com.au


And here is a list of the stories available this month:

The Morning After By Jan Napier

Grugrag cracked an eyelid. His optic looked more like a rotting tomato than a body part. Its owner braved the outside world, and squinted at the rising sun.
"Looks like a giant fruit loop. How revoltin'."
...

What Lurks In Empty Spaces By Andy Arnold

Robyn hoped it was gone.
The hope, the desire, the aching need of it raced through her veins. It had to be gone.
But it might not be that easy. It lurked in empty spaces, areas where there was nothing but air.


Deli Slices By K.J. Hannah Greenberg

Roy owned the only drive-thru funeral business in Maine. Before that, he trafficked in pickled calves' feet and had tried to publish flash fiction. From Ellsworth to Blue Hill Bay, Roy peddled young cow knuckles, but only sold them to Hungarian tourists laid over at Bar Harbor. Per his micro prose, all thirty-two of his works had been rejected by editors insistent on both plot and character.


Down To The Sea In Ships By Dr. Michael Schaper

"Can you build me a boat?"
Eliah was a wealthy man, and it showed. Tall and tanned, he stepped out of his limousine, barely acknowledged the pony chauffeur who held the door open for him, and strode up to my office.
I looked at him cautiously. "What exactly are you looking for?"


Ophelia By S.A. Harris

Morgan Light was born in a shack to culturally decrepit parents. It was a necessary injustice that would shape the man he would become. With little education and severe economic disadvantage afflicting him, Morgan "done what good I felt would make me money", to use his vernacular. He never settled with a woman. He stole, lived on the streets, and abused substances.


The Big Sell By Shaun A. Saunders

George decided he needed a quick snack. Perhaps it was the relentless drone of advertising on the car radio, or the army of billboards marching along the motorway, but somewhere deep in his mind lived the thought that he deserved a bite. Now.


Eighty One Steps Down By Steve Duffy

Eighty one steps down — three times three by three times three — to an object that rests on a pedestal in the centre of an empty room. A room intact, the only room still whole in a castle of ruins above. Indeed, a once glorious castle now reduced and all but forgotten, betrayed by a friend in the leisure of dinner — the kind of treachery that wrought its own justice in time.
Yet the room still stands, is still guarded.


The Virgin & The Defiler By Michael Barry

One city pursues another across the Great Plain.
In Cegandar, "He-Flees," silk pagodas sway over wooden wagons, and the smooth sounds of flutes and tenors rise upon a warm western breeze.


Tree Spirit By Liz Simmonds

I had a little while to wait, so I went down to the riverside, to the Ugly Trees. They had always fascinated me, ever since I came to Pluth as a raw management recruit. I'd found peace on the river bank — with slim and graceful Sister trees to the left of the path, and gnarled, brown-trunked others to the right.


Waiting For Challenger By Ashley Hibbert

Seven stars of Challenger smiled up at me as they walked single file along the ramp between the launching tower to their shuttle. Their simple attire made them appear like missionaries, spreading the word of humanity.
One after another, they entered the airlock, yet before disappearing from the world watching her, Christa McAuliffe, New Hampshire high school teacher, turned and waved to the camera.

AntipodeanSF June issue #132 is online!

Nuke, editor and chief of the Australian online flash fiction magazine write to tell the readers/listeners of BMU that the newest issue (June #132) is online and ready for your enjoyment!

Here is a list of the TOC plus short selections of the stories:

Squatters By Dean Grondo

The aliens were tall, bug-eyed bipeds with a strange irregular morphology. We studied them from orbit, amazed at the extensiveness of their presence on the water world. Almost every island on the planet was filled with them, and they'd built towering metropolises out of
stone that spread out over huge areas, baffling the imagination.


Postcard From Castle Khozi By Jan Napier

Dear Vilma,We are home safely, but only just. The idiot captain of the liner almost rammed it into a snoozing sea serpent, (I think it was Spotty, but I didn't really get a good look), just because Grandma smiled at him. Well, you know how she is. She likes talking to people.


The Wood Moths By David Kernot

"Corin, wait!" "No," she said, walking away from him. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean any of it," said Arin. "Don't go." "Idiot. How could you be so cruel?"


The Monk By Ray O'Brien

Drew saw The Monk when he crested the dune, saw the red robe flutter in the breeze half-way down the slope. There sat the Monk, waiting.


Icarus Rising By Alison Pearce

Icarus was the ancestor of my ancestor's ancestors. He lived and died before the Sumerians ploughed their first field.


A Matter of Choice By Shaun A. Saunders

The district court judge allowed a puzzled frown. "Could the defendant please explain how he could walk out of a supermarket without purchasing anything?" he asked.


Edison & Earth By Jonathan Gillen

A short tale from the Southern Hemisphere. Darren Boyle grew up under the care of his grandparents on an outback desert cattle station, literally hundreds of miles from the nearest small country town, and he had always admired the virtually infinite stars of the Milky Way that shone through the planet's thin atmosphere.


A Future For Despair By Nicolas Sheppard

Do you wish you were dead, but wonder who will provide for your family when you're gone?


The Couch By Karen Maric

The couch appeared on the footpath outside the pub one morning, lying on its side in the summer glare. Looking back, I s'pose someone must've dumped it there.


April By David Such

I slammed the steering wheel with my fist. "Un-bloody-believable!" I was still angry with my wife and the traffic was shit-house. I keep replaying the conversation.


Click here for these stories and much more

AntipodeanSF - Issue 131 online!

Editor Ion of AntipodeanSF writes to tell us that issue 131 is online and available. He writes:

• This month's magazine features ten fantastic pieces of flash SF fiction from around the world.
  

• This month's stories are:

• The Tragedy of La Luna By Kieran Salsone
• "Do you remember when it happened? Most people have seen the horrifying and
  
• often catastrophically beautiful images of La Luna plummeting towards mother Earth."
• 
  
• Three Strikes By Tom Williams
• "Strike 1! It all started when the nation's commercial airline pilots went on strike to secure a pay rise."
• 
  
• The Visit By David Scholes
• "The energy configuration paused in its long journey. A small, blue-green world caught
  
• its attention."
• 
  
• Time On Our Side By Mark Farrugia
• "I was but ten years of age when the statues first appeared. They sprung up overnight in t
• he big cities — LA, London, Bangkok, and Dubai."
• 
  
• A Family That Plays Together By Shaun A. Saunders
• "Hello again, Mrs Kay," said Karen, confused at finding her best-friend Sally's mother
  
• at home instead of pulling another seventy-two hour shift at the local FabCola
  
• Family Restaurant. "What are you doing here?"
• 
  
• Interrogation 8 By Jamie Richter
• "Interrogation #8 Prisoner: Captain James Trummel. Interrogator: Mk-IV
  
• Android #KDM-32813-3."
• 
  
• Cliché By Scott Wilson
• "I am a Computerised Living Individual Clone Helping Environment, better known as
  
• a CLICHE. Yeah, I know, I know — not very original in any sense of the word — but t
• hat's what our maker chose to call us."
• 
  
• Carousel of Death By Jan Napier
• "An anorexic spruiker, wrapped in enshrouding cloak and hood, croaks, "Around the
  
• painted ponies go, where will you be when next they slow?" He splits his bony features in a
• ghastly rictus."
• 
  
• Bodysurfing By Simon Petrie
• "Uh, no. Not this one. It doesn't feel right. Of course I realise it'll feel different, I'm not
  
• an idiot. Different is what I'm after. But the movement feels too ... restricted. Not
  
• enough flexibility in the limbs. Who else do you have?"
• 
  
• Circadian Rhythms By Mika F. Cella
• I leaned out of my thirty-third-floor window and breathed out a big smoky sigh as I
  
• devoured yet another cigarette and drained a bottle of moonshine. Humorously, we all like
  
• to call it that up here.

You can find AntipodeanSF at: <www.antisf.com.au>

AntipodeanSF issue 130 is online

Editor Ion of Antipodean SF writes to tell me that even though it is a little late, AntipodeanSF online magazine issue 130 is now available - here.

This month's collection of flash fiction are:

Weapons  By S. A. Harris

Outside my room, from along the passageway, came the sounds of my parents watching the Spectravision — making loud comments that disturbed my poetical concentration. On the desk in front of me lay the poem, "Weapons" by the little-known turn-of-the-century poet S. A. Harris.


They Called Her Larry  By Steve Duffy

They called her Larry, they always had. It was the only name she'd ever known. But somewhere, deep down, she knew it didn't belong to her. It belonged to someone else, someone not her. She knew, in that same deep down place, that she had another name, must have another name.


Terminal Illness By Alan Baxter

Mary sat at her son's bedside, hands clasped in desperation, eyes dark. She stared — trying to cure him by willpower alone.


Jack Austin - Xeno Hunter By Jamie Richter

"So what happened to your last cameraman, Jack?" the bespectacled technician queried, hammering the seventh and final backpack-sized transmitter into the black, alkaline soil of Marius-2. "And don't spare any detail."


The Buck Stops - At Woop Woop By Shaun A. Saunders

Life made sense, mostly, until the following email arrived: "Hello, I hurry writing you this message cos i don't,have much time on the pc here,so i have to brief


Ménage à Trois By Mark Farrugia

Through a tear-bubbled eye, and drug-induced comfort, Sandy stares up at me as though it's in my power to save her.  Hell, I wish it was.


Snayk By Felicity Dowker


Lucas was dreaming, and the dream was bad. Something alien and savage crept into his brain and put down roots there. It grew, spreading its loathsome way down his spine and into his belly, where it writhed through his intestines in slimy abandon.


Pirate Music By Alan Richard

Ah crap, I'm in trouble this time. Jowal whined something well above my hearing range.


Blood By David Such

There are two theories about how to win an argument with a woman. Neither one works. Sam Blood considered his next statement carefully: "You don't think we should go through the front?"  "Do I look like an idiot?"


Field of Dreams By Dr. Brendan D. Carson

"You ready?" said Nightshayde.  Sebastyan nodded. He had smears of black hair-dye on his face, because he hadn't been able to find boot-polish.  "Once we're over the wire, we have to be quick."

Those stories and other features in this month's issue. 

AntipodeanSF

AntipodeanSF issue 129 is online

Nuke editor of AntipodeanSF online magazine writes to tell me that issue 129 of his most excellent flash fiction magazine is now available by clicking on the antipodeanSF link or the article title. Here is a list of the stories in the newest issue. Enjoy

Story With A Moral By J D Brames
Sheila was not thinking of that scene in Psycho, and she wasn't soaping herself up all sexylike, horror-style, through which white robes are soon illustrated arterial red.

The Bet And The Body By Liam Thorpe
"Shut up and push," I said, shoving all my weight against the large, carved stone.

An Ancient Malice Rising By Steve Duffy
As the sun set over the mountains, both rays and shadows lengthened. A chill set in, not like any other felt in living memory, at least not in any average living memory.

The Glass Man By Jan Napier
He didn't need gurus or fakirs to help him see the light. Illumination was his for free.

A Night In Caliet By Mick Dawson
A lone figure crouched on the edge of an orphanage rooftop peering into the street.

The Man Who Did Not Dream By Shaun A Saunders
"I die every night, and I am reborn every morning," said Charlie. "I never dream."

High School Hunt By Mark Farrugia
In each hand THE BOY brandished a small pistol.

Best Ever By Houston Dunleavy
She'd been good � perhaps the best he'd ever had. Foluke had paid all his spare skins to spend an hour with the new MGW (More Genuine Woman) 750 (the size of her breasts in Interplanetary Standard Units).

Predator Tank By Liz Simmonds
Nick and I sat in the auditorium. The light from the ultraplast fish tank cast a comforting glow on our faces as we talked. We nibbled on the last of the snacks we had brought from home.

Say The Word By Felicity Dowker
I'll bet you don't know what the most deadly word in the English language is.

Antipodean SF issue 128 is online!

The editor of AntipodeanSF tells me that issue 128 is now online for your reading pleasure.

Here is the selection of flash fiction stories in this month's issue:


Thumping Headache By Jill Smith
Aleeta screamed, "It's in my head again." She rocked back in her seat, then slumped forward - lifeless.

The Rebel By Julie Cohen Wornan
Clara snipped the thread, then examined the garment carefully. She gave particular attention to the counterfeit brand label sewn conspicuously onto the front right pocket.

Soon The Teeth By Kirstyn McDermott
It's growing inside of me, this thing without a name. No one believes me but I can feel it in there. Its blunt claws scratch lightly at my belly.

A Spork In The Road By Matthew Sanborn Smith
What the hell was that in the road up there? Sam pulled onto the shoulder as soon as his brain gave up on the interpretation.

All The Way Down By Angie Smibert
Cherie Larsen-Metcalf NASA Headquarters, Washington 202-867-5309

The World Is A Very Dangerous Place, Dear By Shaun A. Saunders
Lisa had just returned home when her mother trapped her in one of those 'dear, why don't we sit down and chat' spiels.

The Phone Rings By Richard Thorne
It's never a good thing when your phone rings and shows an unrecognised caller ID.

Lost In Space by Mark Farrugia
I've never believed in alien abductions. They always happen to crackpots or the mentally insane, but what else could this be?

The Virgin Strand by Ashley Hibbert
"ua mau ke ea o ka ana i ka pono" - the life of the land is established in righteousness

Hidden In Plain Sight by Felicity Dowker
The man made dangerous by delusion stood on the dais, his arms raised above his head.


<- Antipodean mag ->

Antipodean issue 127 now available

Ion the Editor of Antipodean magazine dropped a note to me saying:

By the time you receive this message AntipodeanSF Issue 127 will be
available for your enjoyment on the net. AntiSF appears at its new
home URL: , with redesigned interactive pages. Some
of the features of the site are as yet unfinished, so please bear with
us as we finalise the format, layout, and interactivity.

Don't forget, the URL for AntiSF has changed (although the old domain
will point to it for quite some time to come):



The one thing that hasn't changed is that AntiSF is devoted to
bringing you ten of the best flash SF stories from the antipodes and
podes. This month's crop of stories includes:

"Teamwork," By David McVeigh

My shoes were full of freezing mud, and the dog smelled of rotting
mattresses and sewerage.

"Saving The Planet,"By Richard Kerslake

The corner office was stifling. Pete Hayes leaned back from his
screen, stuffed his tie in his pocket and swore.

"Save The Last Dance," By Mark Farrugia

In my line of work I meet a lot of people — truth to tell it's one
of the things that attracted me to this job. Occasionally, I’m even
lucky enough to reacquaint myself with old friends…and lovers.

"In Development," By Mark Tremble

"Only one more day's walk, dad?" the boy asked.

"The Fire That Flows Downstream," By Marian Stone

They say the hottest part of a flame is bluish-green — the beryl of
aquamarine — like that of the waterfall on the planet Omel?,
constituting parts of fire, not H2O.

"When In Rome," By Shaun A. Saunders

“Please state the purpose of your visit,” said the man in the
grey suit.

"Cure," by Anna Potts

Sometimes a cure can be worse than the disease.

"Car For Sale," By KJ Hannah Greenberg

“Call 571-4329,” proclaimed the car’s placard. Henry and I
smiled. Two blocks earlier, a motorcycle’s sign had likewise
espoused vehicular virtue. It’s been cheaper, for a while, to post
than to print.

"The Hunt," By David Such

Plunk grinned. “How much do you think we'll make? A hundred grand?
I reckon at least a hundred grand. What do you reckon?”

"Guy Walks Into a Bar ... (Theme and Variations)," By Simon Petrie

… orders a jug and goes to sit at a table with his mates. They
order more drinks, and the evening draws on.

At the new AntiSF you'll also find our usual review columns, plus a
new system that allows you to rate each story. You'll need to register
if you want to use the rating system. Please note that the
subscription list is not linked with the ability to rate or leave
comments, and is managed via the usual mailing list software that can
be accessed using the "Subscription" link at the site. Once again,
please bear with me as we make some fine tuning and changes to the new
site.

I hope you enjoy the new look AntipodeanSF.

Antipodean Magazine #126 available

The editor of AntipodeanSF just sent out a note to let us know that issue 126 is
available on the net.

Here is the url for the newest issue

www.antisf.com

Here is the TOC for issue 126

"The Two Of Us Are Dying" by Mark Farrugia

"Manipulations" by Kurt Kurchmeier

"Escape" by Jillian Moffatt

"The Hanged Man" by Richard Ridyard

"Living, Simply" by Shaun A. Saunders

"The Home Team" by Greg Wickenhofer

"The Dunny" by John Craig

"The Lion, The Owl & The Cardinal" by PS Cottier

"Burn Me" by Adrian Gibb

"The Tale of Hakuin & The Mirror" by James C. Clar

AntipodeanSF 125 is now online

Nuke, editor of the Aussie online flash fiction magazine write and says that AntipodeanSF issue 125 is ready for you to peruse and enjoy on the web - at the same address:

<www.antisf.com>

You'll find ten fantastic pieces of flash fiction chosen from submissions originating in the antipodes and podes, and you're bound to find a gem amongst them:

"Tall Poppies" by Simon Petrie

"Please Register" by Shaune Lafferty Webb

"Bummed" by Rick Kennett

"Togetherness" by Greg Austin

"Hunky Dory" by Shaun A. Saunders

"It's Not Everywhere" by Francis Conaty

"Red" by Chris Broadribb

"An Evening's Work" by Andrew Leadbeatter

"Efficiency Gains" by Tom Sullivan

"Let Us Pray" by Lee Giminez

This month's issue also features three fifty-worders, and Jan Napier once again goes critical and finds eldritch in the company of Others in "The Night Watch". Meanwhile, Nuke, in his review column "Vide", is embroiled in a "Heart Shaped Box" and discovers the "Principles of Angels".

AntipodeanSF issue 124 online now

The editor of Antipodean SF magazine writes:

AntipodeanSF issue 124 is now available for you to enjoy on the net.

This month's pick of fabulous stories includes:

"Follower of the Prophet" by Sharif Oerton

"A Living Room" by Richard Ridyard

"Home For Christmas" by Gwyn Gordon

"The Day The Sky Fell" by Stuart Wilson

"Make Mine A '327" by Shaun A. Saunders

"Stumblebum Seductions" by Wes Parish

"The Bride" by Camille Picott

"Genesis" by David Kernot

"Booze" by David McVeigh

"Fingertip" by Chris Kakris

Those Stories and more


You can read the newest issue here: http://antisf.com

Antipodean SF #123 is online!

Editor of AntipodeanSF, Nuke, has sent out the TOC for the newest issue #123. Looks like a good crop.

Our stories this month are:

"Fahrenheit 41" by Simon Petrie

"Now You See Me" by Brent Lillie

"Oracle" by Daniel S S Santos

"Saving Time in the Sunshine State" by Glenn Davies

"The Luckpot" by Shaun A. Saunders

"The Empty Swing" by Richard Ridyard

"The Mage and I: You Bore Me" by Wes Parish

"KSDH 12" by Steve Duffy

"Waste Disposal" by Trost

"The Reaction" by David Schembri

AntipodeanSF volume 122 is online

Nuke, editor of Antipodean sends in the TOC of the newest issue which is #122

AntipodeanSF can be found at: <www.antisf.com>

This month's pick of the bunch is:

• "Batting An Eye" by Lucy Cohen Schmeidler
• "I'm Too Loud" Laura Goodin
• "The Long Green Goodbye" by David Such
• "Distant Fields" by Stephen L Thompson
• "The Ultimate Weapon" by Shaun A. Saunders
• "Peer Pressure" by Mark Smith-Briggs
• "Windows To The Soul" by Felicity Dowker
• "The Genocidal Villain Of Mars" by Shaune Lafferty Webb
• "I Don't Know" by Emma Goninon
• "Fate Of Rulers" by Nicole R. Murphy
• "Dinner Party Conversation" by S.A. Harris

I have been through the magazine already and the mix is very entertaining. Check it out.

AntipodeanSF # 121 is now available

The Editor of Antipodean has nailed down another excellent issue. Here is the note I just received concerning the contents of the latest:

AntipodeanSF Issue 121 (is now) available for your enjoyment at the usual web URL:

<www.antisf.com>

This month's issue features another ten fine stories from speculative fiction writers in the antipodes and podes, as follows:

"A Bride Beyond The Gate" by Jason Fischer

"Ghost-Hunter" by Steve Cartwright

"Prickly Green" by PS Cottier

"Gobstoppers" by Jan Napier

"To Lift A Finger, Not" by Shaun A. Saunders

"Mr Woe" by Shei Tanner

"The Chairman's Descent" by David G Jenkins

"How Things Fall" by Sean Monaghan

"Tsiligup" by Simon Petrie

"The Wardrobe Picklers" by Chris Broadribb

You'll also find our new review column "Going Critical" by Jan Napier, who this month takes her razor-sharp keyboard to the "now" Roman London of Sophia McDougall's "Romanitas". Similarly, Nuke takes revenge with Orna on the remote planet of Callespa in Chris Wooding's, "The Fade".

Please visit, read, and don't forget to vote for your favourite story.

Ooroo for now,

Nuke (Editor).

What's more idiotic than wrestling on Sci-fi?

Give up? How about a movie remake of Flash Gordon! Oh no, this is not speculation! It would seem that the movie bigwigs at Sony don't watch the Sci Fi Channel and the rather crappy demise of Flash's current incarnation and are planning a big screen adaptation! The potential new movie version already has a producer and director attached. Don't get too optimistic, though, Breck Eisner who wants to be the man behind the camera on this latest version. I hear no writer has been tied to the project yet however....the smart move would be to run away fast, but....
I swear I am not making this stuff up, check out IO9s story
and the article over on Variety

Antipodean SF's April-May 2008 Issue

Antipodean SF has posted its April-May 2008 issue, #119 (although the March-April issue was #117). The magazine's focus is Australian science/speculative fiction, and they publish mostly short-short stories.

The current issue has several book reviews, an editorial, and fiction. This issue, the fiction includes:

"Tristesse" by David Such
"Saint" by Rachael Ryan
"Eye-Pod" by Tavis Potts
"A Child's Justice" by Francis Conaty
"Dreaming the Futures to Be" by Shaun A. Saunders
"Something New Under the Sun" by Hannah Steenbock
"A New Arrival" by Alan Delaney
"Bad Manners by João Ventura
"The Bowl of Stew" by Leslie Blake
"Finite Horror, Infinite Hope" by Luke Kepreotis

Thanks to SFScope for the heads up

SciFi Channel Cancels 'Flash Gordon'

SyFy Portal reports that the SciFi Channel has summarily canceled Flash Gordon. What kinda blows my mind is that Mike seemed to be troubled by the manner in which we had to find out. I guess "fans" got wind of the cancellation by a side comment made by one of the SciFi channels exes to that effect. You know, I have to say that anyone that is suprised by how the SciFi channel does business these days is a bit deluded. I have come to the conclusion that the SciFi Channel for some obsure reason is afraid to excell. That is the only explaination that fits with scheduling that would require us to watch wraslin and Flash Gordon....and now no more Flash.... I had hopes when they upped Anime to two nights....you see how long that lasted. I would hang my head if I were the flagship of telivised science fiction and I was eclipsed by Saturday night on the Cartoon Network. Get a Clue Sci Fi!

Strangely Lifelike CGI Woman interacts with your Mouse!

I have very little idea of exactly what is going on here, but if you want to see the extent of good CGI and I mean good, like in real time interaction with the outside world, click on the title or go here to see the head and shoulders of a woman. Ok, that in and of it self is not remarkable, but once she is on the screen, move your mouse cursor around on the screen.... Freaky huh?! I can see where something like this could be used to familiarize a new user with computer hardware or software....Microsoft's paperclip ain't got nuthin on this girl!

Flash Gordon: From Ludicrous to Almost Good

Mark Wilson over at the Sci-fi fantasy blog on About writes that he feels that Sci-fi channel's Flash Gordon has improved since is totally asinine opener to as he puts it "almost good" and one of the most improved shows. He writes a good article and its well worth checking out.....but Mark....really..... believe me, it isn't the quality of the show that's coming up right now.....

No the crack head cronie crew doing scheduling at sci-fi need a lobotomy after Flash closes for we hope ever. The only reason the show might look almost good is the fact that no matter how horrible something is, humans have to capacity to adjust. Even getting hit in the head with a hammer 5 times, the sixth "ain't so bad". I treat Flash like aversion therapy, after a season of this middle of the road morase, I now have the ability to not run from the room screaming, wait, maybe that is NOT a good thing....

Click here for Mark's article