John Joseph Adams, editor of Dead Man’s Hand, presents 24 stories of the Weird West, many of them crime-related. Walter Jon Williams’ “The Golden Age” has the origin stories of some steampunk superheroes and supervillains at the time of the California gold rush. The Reverend Mercer, Joe Lansdale’s itinerant preacher, takes on a vampire in “The Red-Headed Dead.” Christie Yant’s “Dead Man’s Hand” jumbles the cards and the time streams. One of my favorite fantasy stories is Robert Bloch’s “The Hell-Bound Train,” and Mike Resnick pays it homage in “The Hell-Bound Stagecoach.” Beth Reavis’ “The Man with No Heart” takes its title literally. This anthology is a lot of fun if you’re looking for something out of the ordinary.
Short Stories
Wednesday, 15 September 2021
Naomi Hirahara’s powerful new book, Clark and Division, follows the Ito family in 1944.
Thursday, 18 October 2018
"For me, the books I read were the call—the call to adventure, to thinking, to acknowledging other points of view. But to complete the ritual, I needed to respond."
Saturday, 16 June 2018
I am surrounded by books. Every room, every space in my large, sprawling 1750s house is full of books...
Monday, 30 April 2018
Our history and experiences can define us, inspire our actions, and as writers impact our words and stories. Mine most definitely has: my father was a small-time gangster. Really.
Thursday, 12 April 2018
"My ah-ha moment came when I read The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald.... That was it for me – I was off to the races."
Sunday, 01 April 2018
Nietzsche once wrote, “There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness.”
Thursday, 15 February 2018
"Mystery books were daring and exciting, firing up my imagination and making me yearn to become a girl detective or even a secret agent. They also empowered me to make up impromptu ghost stories around the campfire for my Girl Scout troop and sneak into the cemetery at night on a dare."
Thursday, 27 July 2017
Fire and Ashes, the latest Angela Richman Death Investigator mystery, is an exploration of a fatal fire. To research this novel, Viets delved into the devastating consequences of junk science and arson investigations.