Our very own Australis published a book of fantasy sci-fi which is available on Amazon for a paltry $3. It’s been worth every Penney several times over and I thought a read along/ review would be fun. There are 17 stories; some are related, some not. A poem which he posted on the board Catching Light is also included; it is of course also the title of the book. I’m hoping perhaps a story per every few-ish days if responses allow. ****SPOILERS**** Green and Pleasant Land is the first up. It is an alt-universe in which Hannibal’s defeat is avenged by a united Africa led by King Nakoma 300 years later. They plan and rebuild and strategize the defeat of Europe from Russia to Scotland and everything in between. It’s an alternate history-reversal glimpsed through the eyes of Simon, a young man who has never known independent English rule and his grandfather Nigel, a ptsd-suffering veteran of the long, grueling, humiliating defeat. A play written by Wm Shakespeare and performed at the Globe Theater depicting HenryVIII’s capitulation to Nakoma is the flashpoint of a riot which sends Simon on a quest to discover his new world. I had to read this twice; knowing that I am not catching all the allusions made to English history and the monarchy I still found it fascinating and compelling. I hope many of you will read it and I’d love to hear your thoughts on it please! I bought the hard copy too -it’s a fairly large font which was much easier on my eyes.
Here's a link to the book. It's available in paperback and Kindle editions. I'm just about to start in on it-- I was busy beta reading a novel for another friend when it came out-- but Australis has been a member of my forum for many years, so I'm already well aware of how great his stuff is. I highly recommend picking this up for some unique and a tad surreal SF.
Thank you! Am going to work on the 2nd story which is more sci-fi as I am familiar with it. A really amazing arc is beginning!