Cyberpunks, swordswomen, centurions, grifters, and monsters stalk the pages of Matthew X. Gomez's first collection of short stories. It is a grab bag collection of fantasy and science-fiction, seasoned with a dash of horror. The stories have a focus on action and conflict, designed to deliver a spike of adrenaline to the reader's cerebral cortex.Featuring pieces previously published in ECONOCLASH REVIEW, SWITCHBLADE, PULP MODERN, and STORYHACK magazines as well as a few pieces currently unavailable elsewhere, along with a scattering selection of flash fiction.
Born into slavery in Tennessee, the remarkable “Stagecoach Mary” Fields was a larger-than-life figure who cherished her independence, yet formed a deep bond with the Ursuline Sisters, traveling to their Montana mission in 1885 and spending the last thirty years of her life living there or in nearby Cascade. Mary is believed to have been the first Black woman in the country to drive a U.S. Postal Star Route, the source of her nickname. In All God’s Sparrows and Other Stories, Agatha Award-winning author Leslie Budewitz brings together three short stories, each originally published in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, imagining the life of Stagecoach Mary in her first year in Montana, and a novella exploring her later life, including: All God’s Sparrows, winner of the 2018 Agatha Award for Best Short Story; Miss Starr’s Goodbye, a nominee for the Short Mystery Fiction Society’s Derringer Award; Coming Clean, a finalist for the Western Writers of America’s 2021 Spur Award for Best Short Story; and A Bitter Wind, a brand-new novella in which Mary helps a young woman newly arrived in the valley solve the mystery of her fiancé's death and his homesteading neighbors’ bitterness toward him. Includes an abbreviated bibliography and historical notes from the author. Praise for All God’s Sparrows and Other Stories: “Budewitz captures a complex and complicated Mary Fields and comes closer to the truth than the caricatures that have evolved around the remarkable life of this singular woman of the West.” —Quintard Taylor, PhD., Founder of BlackPast.org “Finely researched and richly detailed, All God’s Sparrows and Other Stories is a wonderful collection. I loved learning about this fascinating woman . . . and what a character she is! Kudos to Leslie Budewitz for bringing her to life so vividly.” —Kathleen Grissom, New York Times bestselling author of Crow Mary “In All God’s Sparrows and Other Stories: A Stagecoach Mary Fields Collection, Leslie Budewitz masterfully illuminates the life of ‘Stagecoach Mary’ Fields with a deft hand and empathetic eye. Budewitz vividly portrays the remarkable journey of this little-known woman of the West, shining a light on her courage, resilience, and unyielding commitment to justice. Budewitz’s exceptional storytelling prowess is evident throughout this captivating collection of short stories.” —Ann Parker, author of the award-winning Silver Rush mystery series “In this beautifully drawn portrait of Mary Fields and life in 1897 Montana, Leslie Budewitz weaves stories of hardship and dedication, mystery and love. From a half-Blackfeet child to a forthright lady of the night to active and former missionary nuns, you’ll read rich studies of human hearts, the tough life of the frontier, and the contemplative mind of Stagecoach Mary. All God’s Sparrows and Other Stories is a must-read by a master writer.” —Edith Maxwell/Maddie Day, Agatha Award-winning author of the historical Quaker Midwife Mysteries and A Case for the Ladies: A Dot and Amelia Mystery “Impeccably researched and written with clear fondness and respect for the once-living people who inspire the characters. Leslie Budewitz has crafted fiction that demystifies the American West while honoring the strength of individual spirit that resides as the region’s most enduring characteristic. Mary’s access to the people living in this sparse, enchanting landscape offers intimate knowledge of her neighbors’ lives, feeding our fascination with the history unearthed and the small mysteries that propel these stories.” —Mark Hummel, author of Man, Underground and In the Chameleon's Shadow “A suspenseful and riveting story cycle. Budewitz expertly balances established historical detail with a storyteller’s sense of possibility—and an uplifting compassion, too.” —Art Taylor, Edgar Award-winning author of The Adventures of the Castle Thief and Other Expeditions and Indiscretions “Leslie Budewitz pens a lyrical tribute to this tireless caretaker of all those infirm, young, fragile, or helpless. I love her portrayal of this iconic hero as motherly and bold as the West was wide. Even God needs her. As do we.” —Sidney Thompson, author of The Bass Reeves Trilogy
Lucky Number Seven of EconoClash Review presents nine quality cheap thrills of neo-pulp lunacy that will push the envelope of genre limitations. Themes of hard luck and ill fate weave throughout this fresh anthology featuring: time slipping lovers, day-drunk step-dads, fantastically stoned fairies, brawny tavern heroes, haunted beauty queens, underestimated female lawmen, blown-cover spies, smack fiend postmen, and even honest to God cowboys. All of them fighting to survive worlds they unwittingly created themselves. Whether you find top notch schadenfreude to be your guilty pleasure or anonymous up-vote, the seventh issue of ECR is your lucky ticket to a world of quality cheap thrills. Read original stories by Simon Broder, J. Travis Grundon, Angelique Fawns, Matthew X. Gomez, Willow Croft, Russell W. Johnson, Scott Forbes Crawford, Kevin M. Folliard, and Mack Moyer only in EconoClash Review #7 from Down & Out Books.
Quick. What do these characters all have in common? An anguished ghost whose interest in measuring mountains led to his premature death. A retired educator who takes a part-time job inside the cozy confines of Wrigley Field’s manual scoreboard. An obsessive orthodontist known to evangelize his prone patients. A bipolar father whose zany day includes an encounter with the police. And a victim of identity theft, reconsidering his vocation. They’re all pastors, of course. Join storyteller Frank Honeycutt on a roller coaster ride inside the flawed lives and vivid imaginations of sixteen ministers struggling to keep and make sense of their faith. At times humorous, surprising, sad, and even warped, this fictional peek into the private lives of clergy sheds angular light upon the complicated theological motives guiding those called to lead God’s people.
Dark gods and dangerous magic clash in this third book of Gareth Hanrahan's acclaimed epic fantasy series, The Black Iron Legacy. "This is genre-defying fantasy at its very best . . . Insanely inventive and deeply twisted" (Michael R. Fletcher). Enter a city of dragons and darkness . . . The Godswar has come to Guerdon, dividing the city between three occupying powers. A fragile armistice holds back the gods, but other dangerous forces seek to exert their influence. Spar Idgeson, once heir to the brotherhood of thieves has been transformed into the living stone of the new city. But his powers are failing and the criminal dragons of the Ghierdana are circling. Meanwhile, far across the sea, Carillon Thay—once a thief, a saint, a god killer; now alone and powerless—seeks the mysterious land of Khebesh, desperate to find a cure for Spar. But what hope does she have when even the gods seek vengeance against her? "A groundbreaking and extraordinary novel . . . Hanrahan has an astonishing imagination" (Peter McLean). Also by Gareth Hanrahan: The Black Iron LegacyThe Gutter PrayerThe Shadow SaintThe Broken God
Supernaturally tinged stories from William T. Vollmann, author of the National Book Award winner Europe Central Watch for Vollmann’s new work of nonfiction, No Immediate Danger, coming in April of 2018 In this magnificent new work of fiction, his first in nine years, celebrated author William T. Vollmann offers a collection of ghost stories linked by themes of love, death, and the erotic. A Bohemian farmer’s dead wife returns to him, and their love endures, but at a gruesome price. A geisha prolongs her life by turning into a cherry tree. A journalist, haunted by the half-forgotten killing of a Bosnian couple, watches their story, and his own wartime tragedy, slip away from him. A dying American romances the ghost of his high school sweetheart while a homeless salaryman in Tokyo animates paper cutouts of ancient heroes. Are ghosts memories, fantasies, or monsters? Is there life in death? Vollmann has always operated in the shadowy borderland between categories, and these eerie tales, however far-flung their settings, all focus on the attempts of the living to avoid, control, or even seduce death. Vollmann’s stories will transport readers to a fantastical world where love and lust make anything possible.
A trio of novels and a short story. The title piece is a tale of revenge set in Spanish California, while The Dreams of Macdonald is on a man's obsession with a horse. Both were written in the 1920s.
"The Black Troopers, and other stories" by anonymous is a collection of stories filled with action, adventure, and heart. Readers of all interests and backgrounds will find something to love about these stories and will be unable to put the book down from the first page until the last word.
