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Issue 21 Volume 03 February 1999
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Editorial
Dan L. Hollifield
The Senior Editor's usual ravings about whatever…
Serialised stories and Long Fiction
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Short Stories
"Ray Guns and Space Ships and Fires…Oh My!"
Not long ago, Cary Semar posted a request on the Lettercol for more "hard SF" types of stories, tales involving space
ships and science and gun fights and… Well, what started as a joke among the staff ("Gee, why don't we just have an all
Space Opera issue?") is turning into a reality, with your help of course.
ANNOUNCING APHELION'S FIRST EVER THEME ISSUE!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yes, by popular demand, we are requesting submissions for an issue of short fiction dedicated entirely to tales of starships, to
ditties about intergalactic war, to works about strange discoveries in space—in short, an all Space Opera issue.
When the stories are published, we will pick what we feel to be the three best pieces submitted (ranked 1st, 2nd, and 3rd of course).
Winners will receive a prized featured space in the special issue and will also receive a graphic for their webpage or desktop wallpaper.
The graphic will be provided by esteemed publisher Dan Hollifield and by notorious webmaven Robert Wynne.
Submissions for this special issue should be sent to shorts@aphelion-webzine.com and should be clearly labeled as entries for the Space
Opera Contest. (DO NOT submit serials as they will not be affected by the contest.) Stories should be no less than 2500 words and no more
than 10,000 words in length. All submissions for the contest must be received by May 20, 1999. Multiple entries will be accepted. Editorial
review will be limited to technical issues only (format, length, spelling, punctuation, etc.).
The theme issue itself will be published in July 1999.
This contest is not open to the staff of Aphelion though their stories may appear in the issue if they choose to write one and if space
is available.
So charge up those disrupter banks, let loose the dogs of intergalatic war, look out for the Grey Lensmen, and may the best beings
win!
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Boots
John Gilmore
A tale of a luckless astronaut and his malfunctioning mechanical cat.
Games People Play
Tony Ruggiero
To the gods, we are as frogs to evil boys; they kill us for their sport…
If We Shadows Have Offended
Liz Martin
From "down under," an homage to Shakespeare's "The Tempest."
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Loose
By Vasilis Adams A.
Lucifer investigates a mysterious decline in business.
Selling a House of Evil on a Buyer's Market
C. Adam
Scott
Written by an atheist who thought that comments made while watching "Salem's Lot" would make a good basis for a
story.
Stick Boys
Jeff Miller
It was a cruel, merciless existence. But it was the only life the boys had known.
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Survivors from the Strippings
Frederick
Rustam
Inspired by the Daniel Hanequand painting "The Survivors."
The Ameribahn
Gregory Thompson
Only the bravest and only the best can conquer "The Ameribahn."
The Truth Will Set You Free
McCamy Taylor
An old secret, an old ghost, and new technology.
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 Anatomy Lesson
Dennis Tallent
Sometimes it's what you don't know that can get you.
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The Bluesman
Jim Peters
The Bluesman had the gift of touching souls with his music. A powerful weapon, indeed!
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Dan's Birthday PicksSome of my favorites from the previous issues of Aphelion These stories aren't
necessarily the best that Aphelion has ever published, but they are the ones that I have read over and over again. So many good stories have
appeared here that I thought it would be unfair to call these few the "best of..." so I'm just calling them my favorites. I
hope you like them as much as I do. I didn't include any of the serialized stories and only one by a staff member, so you can be sure
that there was no nepotism involved and that these are a good sample of what we have published to date. The Editorial Mafia made me hold down
the number of picks so as to leave room for the rest of this issue's stories- Otherwise, this would just be another way to access the
Aphelion Archives. LOL!
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Waiting in a Stony Place
W. Fraser Sandercombe
Fraser has a way of bringing characters to life on the page so that you actually care about what happens to them when the story
is over.
A Man Shoots His Own Dogs
By Bob Blacketer
Bob's work seems to grab you by the throat and shake you. Strong emotions and convincing backgrounds are his
specality.
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Calling All Stars
Frederick Rustam
Its always a delight to recieve a submission from Frederick- his stories are well thought-out, surprising, and
wonderful.
Over the Hill
Jim Parnell
A gritty little tale of cyberspace, detectives, and future crime- Jim proves that he's not just a top-flight musician any
more.
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Yesterdays Glory
Robert
Wynne
Rob's only Mare Inebrium story to date and the best example of how to add background characters to a Mare story. He even
taught me a few things.
Language Barrier
Kate Thornton
Kate's shuttle pilots come across as living, breathing people. They're as real as you or I and just as vital.
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Poetry and Filk Music
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Articles and features
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Aphelion Webzine is © 1997-2023 by Dan L. Hollifield
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