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Issue 220 Volume 21 August 2017
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Editorial
Dan L. Hollifield
The Senior Editor's usual rants about whatever…
Serials and Long Fiction
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The Xugslith
Rod Clark
Just when Abbie Kryler was convinced that her life couldn't get any worse—it didn't!
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The Best Long Fiction of the First Twenty Years
Weregild
Kristen Lee Knapp
A sword and sorcery story about a woman seeking revenge against the man who murdered her father.
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Short Stories
The Best Shorts of the First Twenty Years
2009
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The Glass Cage
James Lecky
Ulphia's beauty was legendary. No man could resist it. To preserve it, she would pay any price…
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Faux Pair
Patrick Welch
Apprentice thief Brendell was elated to be given an important assignment the moment he arrived in Perlenz. There was, of course,
a catch — no one who had attempted the job in the past had returned.
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One With the Stars
Steele
Tyler Filipek
Cowrie's people wandered the stars at will in their "planetoids", sentient machines that could cross interstellar
distances in an instant. But for her, the prospect of her grandfather's imminent demise outweighed all the wonders her world
could offer.
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2010
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In a Time Past
J. E. Deegan
Cleo and her beloved dog, Joe — or at least their spirits — visited their graves every year, remembering the lives
they had led and the events that had ended their brief lives. But this year would be different…
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Is There Something in the
Attic?
Belinda Rees
The storm brought a blackout, and something else: something that moved around in the attic, frightening the woman and her two
small children. She had to see what it was, and deal with it — that was part of the job of being a mother.
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Basilisks and Brian (and a Very Bad First
Day)
Stuart Sharp
Brian Northington had stumbled into a world he had never suspected right in the heart of modern London, a world where magical
– and sometimes dangerous — creatures really existed. As new jobs went, dealing with them on behalf of P. Edgeborough
and Co. was — interesting.
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Flash Fiction
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American Holocaust
C.E.
Gee
History is written the winners. But sometimes, there are "revisions…"
A Time With You
Joey To
Relationships can be so complicated…
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Not Anymore
Ray Prew
Things fall apart, times change, and who is to blame?
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Ouroboros
Florin Purluca
A soul of silicon may yet feel…
Where Fudge Is Made
Stephen Faulkner
Every culture seems to have some sort of "delicacy" that other cultures wouldn't want to try…
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The Aphelion Flash Fiction Contest
We run a monthly flash fiction contest in the "Fun and Games" folder in Aphelion's forum. In the contest we
post a challenge with a specific theme and genre and participants write a flash story based on the challenge guidelines. The contest is a
great place to hone your writing skills, meet some fellow writers, receive some feedback, and possibly win a prize. New participants are
always welcome. Submissions for the contest are done through the forum. Flash stories from all of our previous contest challenges are
archived in the forum as well.
Over 500 stories are included in our archive. To start reading some of these great flash stories, check out either
Index 1 or Index 2.
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Poetry and Filk Music
The Best Poetry of the First Twenty Years
2009-2010
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Articles and features
 The Best Mare Inebrium Tales from Our
First Twenty Years
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Sociology Experiment
Wishbone
"I was only trying to get an idea for my thesis on Non-terran sociology…' A little knowledge can be a dangerous
thing.
Where Angels Fear to Tread
Bill Wolfe
When a gathering of Gods found that they needed advice, they knew to ask a bartender. They usurped the bodies of a handy group of
Abvarnan farmers and marched them purposefully into the Mare Inebrium on the busiest holiday of the Bethdish year. Fortunately for
the Devine, Larrye was the one who took Their order…
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Sheffield’s Eleventh
Jeff Williams
"Mr. Grym… gives you this challenge. Virtually all of City of Lights is…'open'…shall we say. To
the enterprising entrepreneur, there is an entree into virtually every business, every bank, every shop, if the cards are played
right and if the man or woman is quick, smart, and intelligent. Every building is transparent to your skills and talents under the
right circumstances. Every building, that is, except one… The Tower, my friends- The one building that has never been
burglarized beyond petty drunks stealing petty bags of petty peanuts. Nothing more than the occasional ashtray or shot glass. Nothing
of any consequence besides bathroom towels. No one in this room, indeed, no one in the history of Bethdish has ever broken into the
Mare Inebrium Tower and stolen anything of value."
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Liar’s
Bar
Iain Muir
"From the dizzying height of her full 5’2", the waitress looked down at the heap of lace and embroidery on the floor, an
earth mother figure in a peasant blouse and gypsy skirts. Hooped gold earrings peered out from under her dark curled hair. She was carrying
four two-litre beer steins easily in each hand. She nudged his head with one slippered foot."
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Aphelion Webzine is © 1997-2023 by Dan L. Hollifield
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