Author: carlbystrom@live.com

Fortress – A Fantasy Combat Card Game

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Last week my Main Squeeze and I taught the game of Fortress to a group of 20 middle-schoolers, so I thought it was about time I posted the rules on-line.

Never really a deep geek, I still played a fair amount of Dungeons & Dragons as a teen. I was usually the one that aggravated the DM to no end by stubbornly insisting that my character could discover a deck of trumps from Zelazny’s Nine Princes in Amber even if it didn’t exist in the Dungeon Master’s guide. Continue reading “Fortress – A Fantasy Combat Card Game” →

Remember: the Incomparable Prince

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Two years ago today, Prince died.

We all die. This inevitable fact gives our lives meaning and urgency, initiates despair and depression, inspires art, appreciation of beauty, and reverent contemplation. The looming threat of death can inspire greatness and can breed anger, fear, and violence. Whether we embrace our end or fight it, ignore the inevitable or stare it in the face, we can’t avoid death. It will be the conclusion for all of us. Continue reading “Remember: the Incomparable Prince” →

Recommended: Promise by Christi Nogle

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I usually listen to podcasts like RadioLab, More Perfect, Hidden Brain, and Invisibilia when I run. (I use “run” in the most modern sense – the pace at which I shuffle my feet used to be called “jogging” but that term seems to have slipped out of favor.) But while waiting for fresh episodes, I often look to Escape Pod, an always reliable source for professionally rendered audio sci-fi short stories, to keep my mind off my tiring legs.

Yesterday, I was entranced by an episode in Escape Pod’s Artemis Rising series (a month of sci-fi by female authors) called Promise by Christi Nogle. I won’t spoil anything about this story except to say that if you like crisp plots that tie up neatly at the end, then you might look askance at this one, but I recommend it anyway. Promise is mesmerizing and beautifully read by Tina Connolly. I enjoyed it so much that after I finished my run, I went to the site and read the story for myself.

Check this one out!

Art (for Escape Pod) by Geneva B

 

Listen: To (Anything and Everything by) Janelle Monáe

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I’m a middle-aged white guy living in the suburbs of Seattle, so my late arrival to this particular party should surprise no one. I surely won’t be the last through the door, so to save any of you that embarrassment, I encourage you to explore the amazing talent that is Janelle Monáe. Continue reading “Listen: To (Anything and Everything by) Janelle Monáe” →

For Writers: Kelly Robson’s Luke vs Han

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For those of you who write, tell stories, or take an interest in the process, I highly recommend an article that appeared in the January issue of Clarkesworld magazine:

Luke vs Han: An Approach to Characterization by Kelly Robson

Although it’s a couple months old, I’ve referenced this article in multiple conversations over the last few weeks so I thought I’d share it here as well. Continue reading “For Writers: Kelly Robson’s Luke vs Han” →

An Excellent Read: The Quantum Magician (Part 1)

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The cover story from the Jan/Feb issue of Analog Magazine, The Quantum Magician by Derek Künsken, is a delightful first installment in a hard sci-fi serial that opens in classic Seven Samurai style and plays at the edges of what we know, or what we think we know, about physics. The science is intriguing but the fiction is entirely engaging. I look forward to following the crazy cast of characters through the ongoing adventure!

Another Highly Recommended piece that you can sample by clicking here.

Enjoy!

 

Recommended: The Rescue of the Renegat

The Rescue of the Renegat
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The Rescue of the Renegat, a novella by Kristine Kathryn Rusch  from the latest issue of Asimov’s Science Fiction, is a super fun read! Flawed characters race against time in a deep space adventure with just enough mystery to keep the pages flipping.

You can check out an excerpt by clicking here, but will need to purchase the magazine to read the story in its entirety.

Both the magazine as a whole and this piece in particular are Highly Recommended.

Happy New Year Everyone!

 

Winter Solstice 2017 – Update

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December 2017 –

Hello all!

Happy Solstice! Merry Season! Where I live, the days are dark and the dog walks are muddy, so I’m looking forward to the return of the light.

Speaking of mud: do you have shower thoughts? I have shower thoughts. My mind wanders furiously in the heat and steam. My Main Squeeze has come to expect (and probably dread) the moment I step out of the bathroom, clutching my towel,  and start pacing around the house. As I drip water across the floor, I ramble through a story that washed over me or describe a character or concept that elbowed its way under the shower head. I’m not sure why inspiration strikes so persistently while I’m bathing, but I’ve come to expect a visit from the Shower Muse almost every morning.

Continue reading “Winter Solstice 2017 – Update” →

The Road to Dthelwyndale

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Reading Time: 4 minutes

“Can you believe it?” Elena’s eyes flashed with glee. “It’s happening! It’s really happening!”

I smiled, trying to jump on the coattails of her enthusiasm, but I lost my footing and landed squarely on my skeptical ass. I shook my head. “This is absurd.”

“It’s only absurd if you don’t believe.” Matthew chimed, as patronizing as ever.

Matthew was the DM, or he was supposed to be. Somehow he’d transformed his role from benign dungeon dictator to a kind of messiah figure. Just-this-side-of-crazy, up to now, but he’d just stepped over that line. Continue reading “The Road to Dthelwyndale” →

Demonstration of Power

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Reading Time: < 1 minute

They predicted the dams would keep generating power for up to a year without any maintenance so long as the supporting infrastructure remained intact.

Strung for the celebration where Phil announced his retirement after 34 years in the Corps and where his daughter Millena had quietly taken him aside to double his joy with the news of his first grandchild (relieving his anxiety about ways to fill his newfound time), the lights in the back garden hadn’t begun their slow fade from bright white to coppery yellow until a full nineteen months later.

No-one remained to witness the demonstration of power’s unexpected longevity.

 

Photo by Nick de Partee via Unsplash
For Three Line Tales, Week 64 by Sonya