“Stand at Duben-Geb” By Ryan Harvey

Black Gate

Khasar and Alagh fight over whether to move the clan out into the open to new ground or remain hidden from the dreaded Sorghul.  Alagh bides his time to become the talahn through murder.  When Khasar accuses him, they have to duel.  The duel, though, is interrupted by an attack from the Sorghul, which is interrupted by something far larger.

Some cool sense of wonder here, but this loses a bit of the emotional heart of the other two Ahn-Tarqa stories--"An Acolyte of Black Spires" and "Farewell to Tyrn"--in favor of many battles.  Probably we should have built up more of Khasar's character.

"The Sorrowless Thief” By Ryan Harvey

Black Gate


A drug-addicted beggar tries to talk Dyzan Ludd, a Sorrowless, out of a foolhardy robbery of the Shapers, the lords who rule Ahn-Tarqa.  He goes anyway.

His plan is bold:  to enter the caravan full of Shapers.  His plan is fool-proof... except they'd anticipated his arrival.

They have a plan for him:  to look into something darker than the Sorrow.  They may not like what he has to tell them.

An intense tale although the frame is not as strong and not yet integral to the telling.  Worth reading.  May the forthcoming novel set in the same world as these Ahn-Tarqa tales have even more reveals and splendors, and be as populated with strong heroes as Dyzan.

Links to Essays, Movie, Novel, Novel Contest, & Magazines

• David Sedaris in the New Yorker

• Gregory Benford, introducing a forthcoming book called Starship Century, discusses starships:  part 1, part 2.

• Jonah, award-winning video about the destruction dreams can have.  Cool but the theme seems problematic:  Is it better that the people suffer in poverty?  Why not pick up the trash instead?  Still, great imagery.

• Black Gate is publishing online the entirety of Martha Wells’s Nebula Award-nominated novel The Death of the Necromancer

• Sinister Grin Press Presents: The Fresh Meat Writing Contest: Horror novel contest which helps you write with help from famous writers and editors in the field.

• Interfictions, interstitial fiction magazine, is now online