Issue 301, Volume 28
December 2024 / January 2025

Issue 109 Volume 11 April 2007

Editorial

Dan Hollifield

The Senior Editor's usual rants about whatever…

Serials and Novellas

On the Corner of Galaxy and Fifth
Part One of Five
Robert Wynne and Jeffrey Williams
Strange dreams lead to strange company…

(This story first appeared in Aphelion in 1998, and will be re-presented over the next five months.)

The Best Long Fiction of our First Decade: 1997 to 1999

1997
Time and Time Again Chris Lawrence	Starshock Roger Bennett

1998
Through the Dark Veil Allen Woods	Maya A. D. Jackson	A Saucerful of Secrets Dan L. Hollifield

1999
Superhero Nation Mike Tannier	To Play's The Thing Robert Yosco

Short Stories

Farmageddon
Steven Patrick
Even farm animals aren't beneath the notice of ultimate evil …

Harvester, Reaper, Build Me a God
Luke E. Richards
When the giants captured him and dragged him off to their distant home, Thomas thought he was doomed. But the giants made the mistake of taking Kamoor of Aa-Gaeal as well…

How the Irish Saved the World
Michael McLaughlin
On a lighter note — magic can be in the mind of the beholder. And sometimes, that's more than enough.

Jensen's Holler
Brian C. Petroziello
An assistant professor discovers an age-old evil lurking in an isolated Appalachian valley. Folk tales are his business — but not when they turn out to be true.

The Myth of Rain
Daniel C. Smith
Sometime after the end of the world, Sara and her father struggle to survive. Are stories of a gentler world a blessing — or a hindrance?

Too Cold a Trail
Sohrab Koohpaima
Bel and Dorvin were the law in Othgud, the only dwarf troops around — and the only ones available to investigate a terrible crime. Just when they finishing up a two-day patrol, too!

World Without Boats
Michael J. Martineck
Jonathan was content with the world as it was. His job was easy, he had his family waiting for him, and being able to switch off people who annoyed him was downright fun.

An Old Joke
Gareth Lyn Powell
The shortest distance between two points is usually a punch line!

Ten Years at the Bar
Gareth D Jones
Even in the Mare Inebrium, things can be stranger than they seem…

The Best Short Stories of our First Decade: 2000 to 2002

2000
Chant of the Mandala Anthony Giovia	The Rivers of Olympus Terry Bramlett	A Warning From the Red Star Frederick Rustam	The Kashmir Iain Darby

2001
Creekwater Robert Starr	DreamParty Teascape Michael Elmore	Sisyphus Content Umut Topcuoglu	Washi in the Underworld Scott Reeves

2002
An Apartment in Automatia Joe Vadalma	M. Comes in from the Night McCamy Taylor	Old Cyrus James McCormick	Rerun Greg Guerin

The Best Mare Inebrium Stories of our First Decade: 2000 to 2003

2000
Homecoming? Jonjack "Its not enough to succeed, you have to survive and get home again too."	Stay Jeff Williams If I could stay then the night would give you up Stay, and the day would keep its trust Stay, with the demons you drowned Stay, with the spirit I found Stay, and the night would be enough.	Rerun Bill Wolfe "In the back of every mind, a monster lurks-chained in the mind's dark recesses, kept away from the light of day for all eternity… but chains can break. Corbeatee's ability to control biological systems was absolute; he was merely very good with mechanical devices. But he was learning fast."	Mare Inebrium to All and to All a Good Night! Kate Thornton Naughty or nice? Sometimes you can make the wrong choice, but I've always felt that virtue was its own punishment.

2001
A Study In Alizarin Crimson Dan L. Hollifield When Sherlock Holmes is hired to investigate a suspicious man who seems to be planning to burgle the British Museum, the trail of clews leads straight to the mysterious owner of the Mare Inebrium!	A Fish for Orion Lee Foster "I hunt everything. Hunt dangerous things, no one else will hunt." He touched the butt of a bone-handled weapon on his belt. "I hunt great cat-creatures. I hunt giant white, crushing creature. Use skeleton for trophy room. I hunt mutated giant killer quadruped." He fingered his white furred GEEB polar bear cloak. He leaned close to me and said in a conspiratorial tone, "But I run out of things to hunt. No more great killer beasts. I become building-stick." Then he smiled his toothsome smile and looked up towards Kazsh-ak Tier…	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."

2002
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…	Sheffield's Eleventh Jeff Williams "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."	Baby, Baby Mizu Ash When it comes to interspecies romance, its those little skeletons in the family closet that really make life complicated.	Be The Cat Bill Wolfe In City of Lights, when Mr. Grym wanted something, he usually got it. Even if he had to wait. And Mr Grym hated waiting. He hated waiting almost as much as he hated having his desires thwarted. But something at the Mare Inebrium was proving to be an impediment, so Mr. Grym was not happy.

2003
Redshift Sue Sings the Blues Dan L. Hollifield "I sat stunned at the first sound of this woman's voice. She was crying out her pain and loss for a lover long gone. Low, husky, somehow seductive, but filled with pain. I took a quick gulp of my drink as she began to sing…"