(Art by Justin Adams, Varia Studies, and courtesy of ZNB, LLC)
The Razor’s Edge
Edited by Troy Bucher & Joshua Palmatier Contributing authors: Gerald Brandt, William Dietz, Walter H. Hunt, D. B. Jackson, Chris Kennedy, Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, Kay Kenyon, Seanan McGuire, L. E. Modessit, Jr., Steve Perry, and more. One man’s insurgent is another man’s freedom fighter… From The Moon is a Harsh Mistress to The Hunger Games, everyone enjoys a good rebellion. There is something compelling about a group (or individual) who throws caution to the wind and rises up in armed defiance against oppression, tyranny, religion, the government--you name it. No matter the cause, or how small the chance, it’s the courage to fight for what is right against overwhelming odds that grabs our hearts and has us pumping our fists in the air. On the other hand, the greater good isn’t always good for everybody, and someone (or some group) must enforce the laws necessary to keep the disaffected from tearing society apart. Where is the line between the freedom fighter and the insurgent, or is it simply a matter of perspective? When does fighting for a cause slip from right to wrong, where does the moral high ground become immoral, and when do the ends no longer justify the means? Win or lose, it’s the righteous struggle we cherish, and those who take up arms for a cause must walk The Razor’s Edge between liberator and extremist. Edited by Troy Bucher & Joshua Palmatier, this military SF&F anthology will explore the heroes and villains on both sides of insurgencies, both in the realms of science fiction and in fantasy. It will contain stories with an average length of 6000 words each. |
If you like stories full of mercenaries, grit and unforgiving odds, you can check out my story "Go for Bait" in For a Few Credits More, edited by Chris Kennedy and Mark Wandrey. I don't usually write Military Science Fiction, but when Chris invited me to be a part of the anthology, I just couldn't say no. Let me just say, it was a lot of fun writing in this universe. I don't know if I'll ever revisit Chief Mackey, hero of the battle for Transfer Station 17, but I know he's still out there, putting down rebels on Geomide II.
From the Cover... More authors. More stories. The same bestselling universe. It’s the Twenty-Second Century. Humanity has taken its first steps into the galaxy, and we’ve found ourselves in a vast playground of alien races, environments, and cultures. As the newest players on the universal stage, though, our position is readily apparent—we’re at the bottom of the food chain. Welcome back to the Four Horsemen universe, where only a willingness to fight and die for money separates Humans from the majority of the other races. While some of the stories inside deal with mercenaries, others introduce readers to the other guilds, organizations, and races that make up the landscape of the Four Horsemen universe, and many of them provide background information to the mainline novels. There’s even a new form of life to get acquainted with and a look at alien interaction at its youngest level! Foreward by David Weber. |
The first short story I ever published, "Faces of Stone," went on to win $500 in a writing competition. Even by today's rates, that's a respectable haul for a short story. It was published back in 2002, in a now abandoned E-Zine called Bygone Days. It's the story of a Roman prison guard and a Gaul he oversees. Nothing fantastical about the story, and I've been told it feels a bit 'literary,' whatever that means. If you are interested in reading the story, it is here.
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