” Missing Link” by Frank Herbert

by kattomic

“Missing Link” by Frank Herbert

04.03.12

Story 93/366

Frank Herbert is the author of Dune, one of my all-time favorite science fiction novels. I loved the world-building and the female characters. (Yes, it’s all about Paul, but where would be be without his mother, his sister, the two women in his life and the Reverend Mother?) I’ve read his other books too, the Dune sequels as well as Soul Catcher and Whipping Star and The Dosadi Experiment.  “Missing Link” is the first Herbert short story I’ve ever read.  “Missing Link” is a first-contact story and although the dialogue is a little lame, the ideas are not.  You can read it here.

See you tomorrow!

“God Grante That She Lye Still” by Lady Cynthia Asquith

by kattomic

“God Grante That She Lye Still” by Lady Cynthia Asquith

04.02.12

Story 92/366

Cynthia Asquith was the Ellen Datlow of her time, creating memorable genre anthologies including The Ghost Book(1927), My Grimmest Nightmare (1935), and Shudders (1929). She was famous for her own short stories and diaries.  She also had a number of famous writer friends, including D.H. Lawrence and James Barrie. (Barrie left his entire estate, outside of the Peter Pan stories, to Asquith.)  “God Grante That She Lye Still” appeared in Asquith’s anthology When Churchyards Yawn and was also included in a collection of her own stories called This Mortal Coil (1947, Arkham House).  This story of ghostly possession is creepily effective as a well-bred young lady begins tearing the heads off birds and otherwise acting out of character.

See you tomorrow!

Running Hard, R. Thomas Brown, ALL DUE RESPECT

by Patti Abbott

This is a zine that I feel gets overlooked. And Mr. Brown tells a good story this month. Philip comes from a family of people who solve their problems by escaping through drugs, booze, running away. When Uncle Tony wants him to take the fall for a night that gets out of hand, Philip breaks the mold.
P.A.

A Penny for the Boatman by Doug Allyn

by Barb Goffman

From the March/April 2011 issue of Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine

79/366

A hotshot, narcissistic FBI agent wants to bring in the daughter of an international arms dealer, and he’s willing to do anything, hurt anyone, break any law, to do it. The story is told in multiple points of view, including the sought-after daughter, the sailboat maker she comes to care for, and the sailboat maker’s grandfather. The story includes intentional injury to a dog – beware if that will bother you.

This story is a finalist for this year’s Derringer Award in the Novelette category.