2014 Campbellian Anthology Read online

  27 January 2014: Special Awards Focus, No. 2 [Rev. A]

  ISBN: 978-1-938834-50-9

  Copyright © 2014 Rampant Loon Media LLC

  All rights reserved. This special “Awards Edition” is licensed for free distribution, from January 15, 2014 through the end of April 2014, or thirty days after the 2014 Hugo/Campbell ballot is announced (whichever is later). All contributors have agreed that the stories and excerpts herein may be shared as part of this volume, for the specified duration. If you obtain this volume within that span, you may likewise redistribute it, without modification, within that span. Once the official distribution ends, you are asked to refrain from any further redistribution of the files, although you are permitted to keep copies for your own personal reference and enjoyment.

  The individual works contained herein are copyright 2012/2013 by their respective authors, unless otherwise indicated. All works contained herein are published by contractual arrangement with the authors, unless otherwise indicated. Campbellian Anthology is a trademark of M. David Blake. Stupefying Stories and the Stupefying Stories logos are trademarks of Rampant Loon Media LLC.

  This volume uses “Absinthe STRAEON” CSS by M. David Blake, and “Crimson” TTF by Sebastian Kosch (OFL 1.1). The cover artist is Annika Svörghinån.

  * * *

  Excerpts from A Calculated Life copyright © 2013 Anne Charnock, Extinction Point copyright © 2012 Paul Antony Jones, The Garden of Stones copyright © 2013 Mark T. Barnes, Harrowgate copyright © 2013 Kate Maruyama, The Heart of the Matter copyright © 2012 Evan Currie, The Immortal Circus copyright © 2012 A.R. Kahler, The Mongoliad: Book One copyright © 2012 Foreworld LLC, No Lasting Burial copyright © 2013 Daniel Fusch, The Obsidian Heart copyright © 2013 Mark T. Barnes, The Outer Rims copyright © 2013 Clint Morey, A Private Little War copyright © 2013 Jason Sheehan, Romulus Buckle & The City of the Founders copyright © 2013 Patrick Weekes, Seed copyright © 2012 Ania Ahlorn, Terms of Enlistment copyright © 2013 Marko Kloos, and Through the Door copyright © 2012 Jodi McIsaac were supplied by 47North, an imprint of Amazon Publishing. Used with permission of Amazon Publishing, www.apub.com, all rights reserved.

  Excerpts from Blood Song: A Raven’s Shadow Novel copyright © 2011 Anthony Ryan, and The Thousand Names copyright © 2013 Django Wexler are used with permission of Ace/Roc, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc., www.penguin.com, all rights reserved.

  “Hydra” copyright © 2013 Michael Hodges was first published in AE: The Canadian Science Fiction Review, aescifi.com, and is used with permission.

  “Tethered” copyright © 2013 Haris A. Durrani was first published in Analog, www.analogsf.com, and is used with permission.

  Excerpts from Empire State copyright © 2012 Adam Christopher, Nexus copyright © 2013 Ramez Naam, Seven Wonders copyright © 2012 Adam Christopher, and Three copyright © 2013 Jay Posey are used with permission of Angry Robot, a member of the Osprey Group, www.angryrobotbooks.com, all rights reserved.

  “The Jackal’s Wedding” copyright © 2013 Vajra Chandrasekera and “Recordings of a More Personal Nature” copyright © 2013 Bogi Takács were first published in Apex Magazine, www.apex-magazine.com, and are used with permission.

  “Pearl Rehabilitative Colony for Ungrateful Daughters” copyright © 2013 Henry Lien was first published in Asimov’s Science Fiction, www.asimovs.com, and is used with permission.

  “Skybreak” copyright © 2013 Carus Publishing Company Jeremy Sim was first published in Cicada (May 2013), www.cicadamag.com, and is used with permission.

  “The Wind Harp” copyright © 2013 Athena Andreadis was first published in Crossed Genres 2.0 Magazine (Sep. 2013), crossedgenres.com, and is used with permission.

  “Finally Free” copyright © 2013 Frances Silversmith was first published in Daily Science Fiction, dailysciencefiction.com, and is used with permission.

  “Graveyard Shift” copyright © 2013 Holly Schofield was first published in Tesseracts 17 from Edge Science Fiction, www.edgewebsite.com, and is used with permission.

  Excerpts from Starters copyright © 2012 Lissa Price are used with permission of Delacorte Press and Ember, imprints of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House, Inc., randomhouse.com/teens, all rights reserved.

  “The Nightmare Lights of Mars” copyright © 2013 Brian Trent was first published in Escape Pod, escapepod.org, and is used with permission.

  Excerpts from Shh! It’s a Secret: A Novel About Aliens, Hollywood, and the Bartender’s Guide copyright © 2013 Daniel M. Kimmel are used with permission of Fantastic Books, an imprint of Gray Rabbit Publications, LLC, www.fantasticbooks.biz, all rights reserved.

  “Catch a Fallen Star” copyright © 2013 Jennifer Campbell-Hicks was first published in Fireside, firesidefictioncompany.com, and used with permission.

  “Collision Detection” copyright © 2013 Tim Maughan and “Zero Hours” copyright © 2013 Tim Maughan were first published in Futures Exchange, medium.com/futures-exchange, and are used with permission.

  “The Prayer Ladder” copyright © 2013 Marina J. Lostetter was first published in Galaxy’s Edge, www.galaxysedge.com, and is used with permission.

  “Cop for a Day” copyright © 2013 Chrome Oxide, “The Grande Complication” copyright © 2013 Christopher Reynaga, “Master Belladino’s Mask” copyright © 2013 Marina J. Lostetter, “Planetary Scouts” copyright © 2013 Stephen Sottong, “Scavengers” copyright © 2013 Shannon Peavey, “Twelve Seconds” copyright © 2013 Tina Gower, and “War Hero” copyright © 2013 Brian Trent were first published in Writers of the Future, Vol. XXIX, and are used with permission of Galaxy Press, LLC., www.GalaxyPress.com, all rights reserved.

  “The Last Summer” copyright © 2013 Michael Matheson was first published in Ideomancer Speculative Fiction, www.ideomancer.com, and is used with permission.

  “The Fifth Postulate” copyright © 2013 Robert Dawson was first published in Imaginaire, www.imaginairemag.com, and is used with permission.

  “Supplemental Declaration of Henry Lien” copyright © 2013 Henry Lien was first published in Interfictions, interfictions.com, and is used with permission.

  “The Demeter Gyro Disaster” copyright © 2013 Tory Hoke was first published in Isotropic Fiction, isotropicfiction.com, and is used with permission.

  “The Cave” copyright © 2013 Sean F. Lynch, “Half a Conversation, Overheard While Inside an Enormous Sentient Slug” copyright © 2013 Oliver Buckram, “Oh Give Me a Home” copyright © 2013 Adam Rakunas, and “Un Opera nello Spazio (A Space Opera)” copyright © 2013 Oliver Buckram were first published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, www.sfsite.com/fsf, and are used with permission.

  “How Cherry Coke Saved My Life” was first published in Nature 502, 586 (2013) by Nature Publishing Group, and is used with permission.

  “Spores of the Volcano” copyright © 2013 Gerald Warfield was first published in NewMyths.com, NewMyths.com, and is used with permission.

  Excerpts from The Daedalus Incident copyright © 2013 Michael J. Martinez are used with permission of Night Shade Books, www.nightshadebooks.com, all rights reserved.

  “The Beasts of the Earth, the Madness of Men” copyright © 2013 Brooke Bolander was first published in Nightmare, www.nightmare-magazine.com, and is used with permission.

  “Soldier’s Return” copyright © 2013 Robert Dawson was first published in Niteblade, niteblade.com, and is used with permission.

  Excerpts from Fade to Black copyright © 2013 Francis Knight are used with permission of Orbit, a member of the Hachette Book Group, www.HachetteBookGroup.com, all rights reserved.

  Excerpts from Fair Coin copyright © 2012 Eugene Myers are used with permission of Pyr, an imprint of Prometheus Books, www.pyrsf.com,
all rights reserved.

  “Paya-Nak” copyright © 2013 Benjanun Sriduangkaew was first published in Scigentasy, www.scigentasy.com, and is used with permission.

  “We Were Never Alone in Space” copyright © 2013 Carmen Maria Machado was first published in Shimmer, www.shimmerzine.com, and is used with permission.

  Excerpts from A Stranger in Olondria copyright © 2013 Sofia Samatar are used with permission of Small Beer Press, www.smallbeerpress.com, all rights reserved.

  “The Mythology of Salt” copyright © 2013 O.J. Cade, “The Witches of Athens” copyright © 2013 Lara Elena Donnelly, and “Yuca and Dominoes” copyright © 2013 José Iriarte were first published in Strange Horizons, www.strangehorizons.com, and are used with permission.

  “Were” copyright © 2013 Frances Silversmith was first published in Tales of the Talisman, www.talesofthetalisman.com, and is used with permission.

  Excerpts from Brilliance copyright © 2013 Marcus Sakey are used with permission of Thomas & Mercer, an imprint of Amazon Publishing, www.apub.com, all rights reserved.

  Excerpts from The Office of Mercy copyright © 2013 Ariel Djanikian are used with permission of Viking Penguin, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc., www.penguin.com, all rights reserved.

  “Cadence” copyright © 2013 Samantha Kymmell-Harvey was first published in Waylines Magazine, waylinesmagazine.com, and is used with permission.

  BE AWARE: This listing spans multiple pages. If your device supports native navigation, you can also access each writer’s respective contribution(s) from the author page.

  Lengths for each story are noted according to the following criteria:

  Flash: Under ~1,000 words

  Short Story: 1,000–7,500 words

  Novelette: 7,500–17,500 words

  Novella: 17,500–40,000 words

  Novel: Over 40,000 words

  Stories noted with “••••” were originally published in 2013, and may also be eligible for awards in their respective categories during the 2014 season.

  Ania Ahlborn

  Novel: Seed (excerpt)

  Alisa Alering

  Short Story: “The Wanderer King” ••••

  Laurel Amberdine

  Flash: “Airship Hope” ••••

  Athena Andreadis

  Short Story: “The Wind Harp” ••••

  Stewart C Baker

  Short Story: “Behind the First Years” ••••

  Short Story: “Raising Words” ••••

  Jeffrey A. Ballard

  Short Story: “The Highlight of a Life” ••••

  James Bambury

  Short Story: “Thirteen Generations”

  Mark T. Barnes

  Novel: The Garden of Stones (excerpt) ••••

  Novel: The Obsidian Heart (excerpt) ••••

  Kelsey Ann Barrett

  Short Story: “My Teacher, My Enemy”

  Erik Bear, Joseph Brassey, Nicole Galland, and Cooper Moo

  Novel: The Mongoliad: Book One (excerpt)

  Brooke Bolander

  Short Story: “Her Words Like Hunting Vixens Spring”

  Short Story: “Sun Dogs”

  Short Story: “The Beasts of the Earth, the Madness of Men” ••••

  Lisa Bolekaja

  Short Story: “The Saltwater African” ••••

  Dawn Bonanno

  Flash: “How Cherry Coke Saved My Life” ••••

  Oliver Buckram

  Flash: “The Running of the Robots”

  Flash: “Un Opera nello Spazio (A Space Opera)” ••••

  Flash: “Half a Conversation, Overheard While Inside an Enormous Sentient Slug” ••••

  O.J. Cade

  Short Story: “Longfin’s Daughters” ••••

  Short Story: “The Mythology of Salt” ••••

  Jennifer Campbell-Hicks

  Flash: “30 Pounds of Human Tissue”

  Short Story: “Catch a Fallen Star” ••••

  David Carani

  Short Story: “The Paradise Aperture”

  A.G. Carpenter

  Short Story: “Insomnia”

  Short Story: “In the Cool of the Day” ••••

  Vajra Chandrasekera

  Short Story: “Pockets Full of Stones” ••••

  Short Story: “The Jackal’s Wedding” ••••

  Anne Charnock

  Novel: A Calculated Life (excerpt) ••••

  Adam Christopher

  Novel: Empire State (excerpt)

  Novel: Seven Wonders (excerpt)

  John Chu

  Short Story: “Incomplete Proofs”

  Evan Currie

  Novel: Odyssey One: The Heart of Matter (excerpt)

  Jonas David

  Short Story: “Deathday” ••••

  Short Story: “Three Seconds” ••••

  Robert Dawson

  Flash: “The Widow”

  Short Story: “The Fifth Postulate” ••••

  Short Story: “Soldier’s Return” ••••

  Evan Dicken

  Short Story: “Paradise Left” ••••

  Ariel Djanikian

  Novel: The Office of Mercy (excerpt) ••••

  Lara Elena Donnelly

  Short Story: “The Witches of Athens” ••••

  Robin Wyatt Dunn

  Short Story: “L.A. Actors” ••••

  Short Story: “Inside the Crown” ••••

  Haris A. Durrani

  Novelette: “Tethered” ••••

  Sean Eads

  Short Story: “The Seer” ••••

  Bill Ferris

  Short Story: “Athlete’s Foot” ••••

  Max Gladstone

  Short Story: “Drona’s Death” ••••

  Tina Gower

  Novelette: “Twelve Seconds” ••••

  Short Story: “Today I Am Nobody” ••••

  A. T. Greenblatt

  Short Story: “Tell Them of the Sky” ••••

  Flash: “Letters from Within” ••••

  Shane Halbach

  Short Story: “My Heart Is a Quadratic Equation”

  Kate Heartfield

  Short Story: “Word for Word” ••••

  Short Story: “For Sale by Owner” ••••

  Short Story: “A Pair of Ragged Claws” ••••

  Ken Hinckley

  Short Story: “The Ostracons of Europa” ••••

  Short Story: “The Totem of Curtained Minds” ••••

  Michael Hodges

  Short Story: “Fletcher’s Mountains” ••••

  Flash: “Hydra” ••••

  Short Story: “Seven Fish for Sarah”

  Ada Hoffmann

  Flash: “Feasting Alone” ••••

  Short Story: “Blue Fever” ••••

  Short Story: “And All the Fathomless Crowds” ••••

  Tory Hoke

  Short Story: “The Baby Mimic” ••••

  Short Story: “The Demeter Gyro Disaster” ••••

  Short Story: “Shaka Bars” ••••

  Louise Hughes

  Short Story: “Over the Waves”

  Alexis A. Hunter

  Short Story: “Midnight Hour”

  Flash: “A Reason to Linger”

  M. K. Hutchins

  Short Story: “Blank Faces”

  Jess Hyslop

  Flash: “The Sandman’s Dreams” ••••

  Short Story: “Triolet” ••••

  José Iriarte

  Short Story: “Yuca And Dominoes” ••••

  Novelette: “Cabrón” ••••

  Paul Antony Jones

  Novel: Extinction Point (excerpt)

  Sharon Joss

  Short Story: “Love in the Time of Dust and Venom” ••�
��•

  A. R. Kahler

  Novel: The Immortal Circus (excerpt)

  Joy Kennedy-O’Neill

  Novelette: “Aftermath”

  Daniel M. Kimmel

  Novel: Shh! It’s a Secret: a novel about Aliens, Hollywood, and the Bartender’s Guide (excerpt) ••••

  Marko Kloos

  Novel: Terms of Enlistment (excerpt) ••••

  Francis Knight

  Novel: Fade to Black (excerpt) ••••

  Samantha Kymmell-Harvey

  Short Story: “Cadence” ••••

  Henry Lien

  Short Story: “Pearl Rehabilitative Colony for Ungrateful Daughters” ••••

  Short Story: “Supplemental Declaration of Henry Lien” ••••

  Hunter Liguore

  Short Story: “Area 54” ••••

  Stant Litore

  Novel: The Zombie Bible: No Lasting Burial (excerpt) ••••

  Marina J. Lostetter

  Short Story: “Sojourn for Ephah”

  Short Story: “Master Belladino’s Mask” ••••

  Short Story: “The Prayer Ladder” ••••

  Sean F. Lynch

  Short Story: “The Cave” ••••

  Jodi McIsaac

  Novel: Through the Door (excerpt)

  Alena McNamara

  Short Story: “As Large as Alone” ••••

  Carmen Maria Machado

  Short Story: “Inventory” ••••

  Novelette: “Especially Heinous: 272 Views of Law & Order SVU” ••••

  Short Story: “We Were Never Alone in Space” ••••

  Marshall Ryan Maresca

  Short Story: “Jump the Black” ••••

  Helen Marshall

  Short Story: “The Hanging Game” ••••