Bücher veröffentlicht von Brain Lag

These aren't the vampires you know.Sixteen years have passed since the corrupt Council of the First was purged. Since then, the Nash'terel, shapeshifting essence vampires from a distant world, have resumed their quiet lives on Earth, hiding their true nature from their human prey.In small town Ontario, Travis lives with his adoptive grandpas, dividing his time between school and hockey practice. Everyone, including Travis, thinks he's an ordinary Canadian teen, until a series of uncontrolled shapeshifts and a growing telekinetic talent reveal his Nash'terel heritage. Having "superpowers" sounds great, until he has to put his dream of NHL stardom on hold and move across the country to train them.He may not be happy, but he's going to need control of those powers in order to survive. Someone has put a bounty on dashkra, the alien mineral that all Nash'terel carry inside them. While Travis struggles to adjust to his new existence, his grandpas and their contacts must work to find out who has turned their kind into prey-yet again.

From distant stars to a Cocoa Beach Hooters, Derwin Mak's short fiction takes readers through tales of mystery, wonder, and horror. Ethnic traditions meld with fantastic visions in these twelve stories about memory fabric, eldritch gods during the Salem witch trials, and of course, Mecha-Jesus, Japan's very own android kami.Foreword by Liana Kerzner, award-winning comedy writer and co-editor of Wrestling With Gods: Tesseracts Eighteen

Across the galaxy, mysteries deepen and threats increase.On Utopia, home of the peacekeeping Rashani, anti-neutrality protests teeter on the brink of riots. On the outskirts of the galaxy, the Sun God finds a derelict spaceship that somehow crossed the supposedly-impenetrable Firmament, its purpose still unknown. And on a storm-wracked jungle world, the first battle of a war between the main galactic powers approaches.Marissa Rhapsody, half-Deus gladiator, has recovered from battle only to be targeted by mysterious assassins. She accompanies a diplomatic mission to escape from her pursuers, but a potential war zone is a poor place to find safety.The Bythos Empire is fast approaching to conquer the primitive world of Tashwa. The diplomats desperately trying to sway the fearsome and secretive Kunalim are about to get caught in the middle of the biggest firefight in the galaxy in centuries.

For the first time in print, Spencer's radio plays Amazing Struggles, Astonishing Failures, and Disappointing Success, together with the follow-up four-part audio drama CULT STORIES, tell the tales of disillusioned science fiction writers over the course of the mid-20th century.AMAZING STRUGGLES!In the Golden Age of science fiction, a group of aspiring young authors, the Fabulists, is ready to wow the world with tales of interplanetary heroism and technological supremacy.ASTONISHING FAILURES!Unfortunately, their dreams of fame and fortune are consistently dashed by the dastardly rejections of the compulsively conservative and out-of-touch editor of Tremendous Stories of Super Science.DISAPPOINTING SUCCESS (PARTS I & II)!While some of the Fabulists see middling success as teachers and television writers, another becomes a science fiction mega-star whose writing (and the author's own pathology) spawns a cult religion with wild ideas that may be a bit less bogus than his short stories.CULT STORIES!And like an artistic pandemic, some forms of science fiction can get very ugly. Only extreme measures will save us.Foreword by Dr. Allan Weiss, York University professor and author of Making the Rounds

In southern Alberta in the late 1970s, Matthew Bishop has a pretty decent life. Sure, he doesn't have a girlfriend, but he has all the science fiction books a monthly mail order subscription can bring him, a collection of Canadian synth rock on vinyl, and a gig with the university radio station with which to share them.But things take a turn for the majorly uncool when his commie best friend is assaulted by The Man, a high school hobby becomes a city-wide political statement, and his mom is set to marry the World's Biggest Tool and leave him homeless. What's a slacker majoring in f***-all to do?Well, it could be worse. At least he isn't imprisoned in an extraterrestrial slave labour camp... right?

When magic comes to our world... well, a lot of people mess it up.There aren't a lot of magic users in Canada, but sometimes, magic problems need fixing. That's when you call the Fixing Bureau.Ella Masterson, now fifteen-year-old apprentice to the Fixer of London and Middlesex County, is as special as they come: immune to the mind-altering effects of the dangerous Gemini Artifacts currently scattered across Ontario. Now, however, she has an even more important task: learning to summon a wand!But it's not as easy as it sounds, and Zach's weird double Ary is still searching for the remaining artifacts. When an attempt to stop him ends up in a double case of body swapping, Ella suddenly has a lot more problems to deal with and a lot less help to do so.Crystal hands, a stage actor turned into a squirrel, and an attack by the spirit of William Shakespeare? All in a day's work in the other London!

War is closing in on all sides of the kingdom of Faneria. To the west, the Army of Light goes on a crusade to convert or destroy all those who don't follow their faith. To the east, the peoples of the Free Lands, intent on protecting their way of life, form their own army and march to meet their opponents in battle.Yet only Damian Sires knows that the Army of Light is merely the arm of the Gods of Light, who are using the people of Elderra to fight their own war for them. As an outcast and infamous as the Witch of the Battle of Albrith, nothing she says would convince anyone that they are being manipulated into fighting.Truth is a commodity in short supply and conflicting politics make matters more complicated. With fewer allies left than before, Damian can only resort to sabotage. Yet even she doesn't realize the extent to which the gods are meddling, and the only way to break free might be to take the fight to them.

Twenty-five thousand people were taken from Earth and never heard from again. What happened to them?After being delivered to undeveloped world Altaterra three hundred years ago, a new civilization of humans began. Originally high tech, now they live like pioneers.Kaitja is a peacekeeper living a quiet life in the mountains with his apprentice Xitano. They're chosen to lead an expedition farther over the mountains than people have ever been. What they don't expect to find is an entire society of people previously unknown to them.Atami is a dutiful, pragmatic member of his tribe until a bloodthirsty chief puts their entire clan in danger. Thrust into a leadership role he never desired, Atami struggles to keep his people alive and earn the respect of both followers and allies.When these two cultures meet, the entire history of Altaterra is challenged. Those on the ruling council, however, would prefer those secrets remain buried, and will do whatever it takes to keep the discovery silent.

Sally McBride's haunting, mesmerizing short fiction has been captivating audiences for nearly forty years. It's been published in Asimov's, Amazing, Fantasy & Science Fiction, Realms of Fantasy, Northern Frights, Tesseracts, On Spec, and many more magazines, anthologies and best-of collections. It's won Canada's Aurora Award and been nominated for the Hugo and Nebula Awards. Her stories have been reprinted time and again. Now, for the first time, fourteen of her best-loved stories are collected together in this volume.Therapy for an alien stranded on Earth from infancy, land and sea remaking humanity in its own image, smart buildings, memory manipulation, and more. Prepare to get transported to a fantastic future, a terrifying present, or look at history and myth in a whole new light.

These aren't the vampires you know.When the Nash'terel were hunted nearly to extinction, they fled to a distant world: Earth. Using their powers of shapeshifting, they blended in with the human population, and with their thirst for life essence, the hunted became the hunters. While the older generation remain in the shadows, associating only with other Nash'terel, their Earthborn offspring are more adventurous.Young Bilyash is tired of hiding and ready to follow his dream into the film industry. He's abandoned the traditional ways of his people and trained as a makeup artist, but two things stand in his way: assassins from the former home world, and Angie Fiore. Angie is unlike any human Bilyash has met, overflowing with the purest life essence he's ever encountered. When assassins on the hunt for Nash'terel catch up with him, both their lives are put in danger, and Bilyash and Angie are forced to run.Bilyash's uncle and his contacts can help them go underground, but it won't stop these killers from tracking them. The only chance Bilyash has to keep himself and Angie safe is to turn the tables. Yet what chance does an inexperienced Earthborn have against centuries-old assassins with nothing to lose?

I am the whisperer and the words I speak echo within you. I am the whisperer and my words do not fade, they endure to the end.Everything changed when the high priest defied the dark spirit Vatu. One man split into two, now one is a ghost and the other is free. But while Utas, the high priest, is released from his shackles, Vatu still commands the world, the Sun, and the twelve priests below him.Alaba, the girl who shines like the moon, is alive and in danger. A heretic priest, follower of the Author of All Things, sends her away from the Valley of the Sun for her safety, only for her and her caretakers to be captured by bandits. They make a reluctant home among the bandits, but even in this village of outcasts, rivalries and secrets threaten their safety and their lives.While the other priests of Vatu set out on their own dark quests, famine spreads across the dark lands. Hunger turns to desperation and war looms over the struggle for what little food remains. Utas finds purpose when he finally reunites with his daughter, but how can he keep her safe when death closes in on all sides?

In the Toronto of the future, an AI called Monitor oversees all the city's infrastructure. Coordinating public transit and self-driving cars, gridlock is a thing of the past, along with surprises with city electrical and water systems. The system is foolproof and impenetrable-or so it's believed.The first intrusion into Monitor is innocuous enough: some graffiti that fools auto-pilots into stopping traffic. However, when a hacker interferes with water main monitoring, lives are put at risk. Suddenly, people start questioning the wisdom of leaving such essential systems in the hands of an AI that can be corrupted.Miles Franklin is the manager of tech support at Monitor Central, but his true advantage is his connection to the Gifted, people with heightened senses. His own ability to sense electrical pulses is joined by empaths and someone who can see the outcomes of decisions yet to be made. Another's affinity with plants clues the Gifted community in to a threat to the sole remaining corner of Toronto's once grand High Park, and it seems like the events are connected.It's going to take all the skills the Gifted have to prevent chaos and the destruction of the greenery they hold so dear.

France, 13th century. Near the shores of the Mediterranean lives Vara Svobodová with her father, a prominent merchant, his barbarian wife, and her scientist father. Though the shadowy gazes of Great Gods and the greedy hands of local lord Petru Dominus hang over them, Vara lives a comfortable life.That all changes when she learns that she is da resu, destined to life after death and servitude of her unearthly powers to he who slays her. Rumours of her true nature catch the attention of the increasingly mad Lord Petru, who covets power, has aspirations for the throne, and desires a resura of his own.Surrounded by spies, plagued with inexplicable visions, and trapped in the only home she has ever known, Vara finds the ambitions of those around her as sharp as the fabled nightingale's tooth. Caught in the middle, she realizes that it is her fate to die. But who will hold her leash when she does?

Ryan and Rowan narrowly escaped United Earth Systems "e;justice"e; at the Switchboard Station. Together with their new crew, now they must take relief supplies and personnel to the place of Ryan's nightmares, Murack Five. While tensions run high and secrets abound with the crew and passengers, the entire operation is plagued with issues that seem like more than bureaucratic red tape, and could threaten their safety.Back in Sun Valley, Gunther continues recruiting cloned e-entertainers toward winning their freedom. The focus group for the show based on Ryan and Rowan's escape leaves the set region to find their lives turned upside down. When tragedy strikes, leader Medwin's pain and anger hardens into resolve, and he starts to think that playing within the system isn't as effective as taking out his vengeance personally.Decades of scheming have brought CEO Michael Strongbow's plans to fruition, but will it be enough to free clones and grant them equal rights?On two sides of the galaxy, the battle for freedom wages on. The freedom to love, to live, to know the truth, protect those close, and make one's own choices defines every moment of every life. Perhaps the only way anyone can be free is in stories.

When murder mystery theatre becomes too real for comfort...Firefighter Larry Holmes needs some time away. Out of other options, he agrees to take his cousin's place at a crime fiction convention. Larry doesn't like mystery novels, but he can enjoy the host resort's amenities and stay out of the way. That plan goes out the window, however, when he arrives at the venue with the convention's organizer, Selena Watt, and the close-knit Crime Club decides that with Holmes and Watt present, the game must be afoot.The convention concludes with a staged murder mystery weekend at stately Rafferty House. Neglected for decades, the Victorian-era summer home built on an island in Georgian Bay has been restored and upgraded... mostly. At first, everything goes according to script. Then, shots are fired, people get hurt, and Larry suddenly finds himself in the middle of a real-life murder mystery.Only a few people on the island could have done it. The police can't come soon enough and the Crime Clubbers are itching to practice their sleuthing skills, taking Larry along for the ride. But with a serving staff paid to lie and unexpected guests with unclear motives, who can be trusted?Only Rafferty House knows-and it is not happy.

AJ Grey is a tattoo artist. And a witch. She tracks down ghosts, hunts rogue necromancers, and hangs out with demons. It's her job to help the world keep its head in the sand about the supernatural creatures that exist all around them.As she is working to help one particular ghost after saving her from one particular rogue necromancer, she learns something chilling. The population of witches in the Twin Cities has increased by such a margin that the other supernaturals will be forced to re-establish the balance-by way of slaughter. And she might be called upon to help them do it.She will help the other witches, despite how much they despise her, if only to prove to them that she has good qualities and is worthy of being part of a coven. And while she's at it, she'll help a ghost, the ghost's former lover, and even her demon friend, Maxine DeFleur. And hopefully, she'll do it all without getting killed herself. But she has three days. Plenty of time, right?

Altum is a world of secrets. A place where celestial gods look over a world of magic built above the remnants of forgotten high technology. A world of fair-skinned Novare and purple-skinned, double-tailed Xol. A world of ogres and wizards, monsters and ancient fairies, where reality is a Fabric that can be folded by skilled sewers.At the centre of Altum is a great mountain range, and at its heart lies Zenidow, the mountain without peak, untouched by mortal hands for as long as the world has held life. Now, however, opposing forces are being drawn to it.On one side, Ogwold, a simple but virtuous ogre touched by the gods and immune to the poisonous sea. On the other, Zelor, an unstoppable Xol sorcerer in the grip of an insatiable evil presence from beyond the stars.While the Novare and Xol fight an increasingly desperate war of attrition, these two and their allies fight to claim, or protect, the secret Zenidow holds, the only thing that can save Altum from the invading darkness Zelor heralds--the Alium.

Oil reserves depleted. Society collapsed.A few places cling to modern technology. For everywhere else, there are the Tinkers.In southern Ontario, Novo Gaia uses sustainable energy to support its citizens in comfort. From there, Novo Gaia sends Doctors of Applied General Technology, tinkers, into the Dark Lands to install everything from solar stills to televisions-and make a profit. Brad Cooper is a tinker on his route in Guelph when he finds himself at the epicentre of a plague outbreak. Stranded without support in a tenuously-held quarantine zone, he must use his limited medical training in a desperate search for a treatment against an insidious relic from an age of excess. Meanwhile, fuelled by panic, other townspeople caught within the quarantine zone conspire to sabotage relief efforts. Distrusted by the people he's trying to help, hampered by political rivals, under-supplied, over-worked, and with his own risk of infection increasing, Brad seems to be fighting a losing battle as the casualties mount...

Open wide... and pray for your life.Middle-aged, middle-income and lapsed Mormon Arthur Percy felt his life lurch from a difficult normality onto the rails of a carnival ride heading somewhere too much like the Twilight Zone for his liking. Perhaps it is more the "Anti-Twilight Zone" that Arthur enters-where vampires, shape shifters and ghouls are not gorgeous or glamorous but genetic parasites from a hideous communal intelligence known as the Hive. Who will save the human race? And what does all this have to do with Dr. Calvin Stewart, Arthur's new dentist?Aurora Award-nominated author Hugh A. D. Spencer weaves a hilarious tale of sarcasm, Mormonism, and oral hygiene that spans the globe. From Singapore to Germany and back to Toronto, Extreme Dentistry explores love and loss, terrible workplaces, babysitting, and those seediest centres of monstrous activity both human and inhuman-shopping malls.Praise for the writing of Hugh A. D. Spencer"Hugh's work never fails to crack me up and make me think." ~ Cory Doctorow, author of Little Brother and Homeland"Lucid, lyrical, and savvy." ~ Paul Levinson, author of Unburning Alexandria and The New New Media"If you like to laugh and cower at the same time-if you like science fiction that is simultaneously progressive and retro-then you need to read this... Like nothing I've ever read before. Highly recommended." ~ Dale Sproule, author of Psychedelia Gothique

The Sword.Kina Ukiel enjoys a life that few would dare to brave. She's found her home amidst crumbling ruins, delving into their mysteries with little more than stories for guidance. Protected by mercenaries and tasked only with finding lost treasures, Kina has begun exploring the truths lost to history.Her latest adventure, however, turns up a strange sword which has been long lost since the time of Gods and Magic - an event in which the gods themselves waged war upon each other. A sword of such power is no small treasure and Kina finds herself contending with her former allies, an angered duke and the power of the gods themselves.With Kina's world rapidly changing, she's forced to face not only the dangers that she has returned to the world, but perhaps rediscover who she is.

From a technological dystopia to small town Canada, this collection of short fiction explores themes of change, memory, and things hiding in the shadows. These tales, previously-published and new, take classic space opera, pest problems, and the recent past in new and fresh directions.Will electric light cast a world into darkness? Do you remember 1971, when Kennedy was in the White House, Hendrix sang about space, and the extraterrestrials returned? Has the invasion of the live nude aliens already begun? When you look at the world and see things slightly askew-our reality tilted just a few degrees-then you get stories like these.