I came across this post on Facebook referring to my short story, “Dear Annabehls” which appears in Electric Velocipede #17/18.   The person who wrote the post is apparently a player of Eclipse Phase, a game with which I’m unfamiliar.  I haven’t yet come across any other reviews of this issue.  He writes:

“Here’s a short fiction reco for those who want to have some fun with the concept of personality forks: the darkly comical “Dear Annabehls” by Mercurio D. Rivera, published in issue #17/18 of _Electric Velocipede_ magazine. Although the variant people in this story apparently result from some type of alternate worlds quantum reality breach, most of the situations described (in advice column format!) could easily happen to Eclipse Phase characters who have multiple forks of themselves on the loose.–jack”

Thanks, Jack!

Revised 11/23:  And from avid reader StevenLP on the Asimov’s message boards:

“Issue [17/18] of Electric Velocipede has 20 stories of varying length, most shortish. They’re mainly fantasy or slipstream, but there’s a couple of SF ones too. The best is “The Death of Sugar Daddy” by Toiya Kristen Finley, which is slipstream, but with a very Philip K Dick resolution. Also good are “Sun’s East, Moon’s West” by Merrie Haskell (fantasy) and “Dear Annabehls” by Mercurio D. Riveria (SF); there are several fairly good stories too.”

Thanks, Steven!

Originally published at Mercurio's Blog. You can comment here or there.

I’ve decided to make “Longing for Langalana” available online.  To read the story, click here.

“Langalana” finished atop Interzone Readers’ Poll for 2006;  it was long-listed for the British SF Awards; and it received an honorable mention in Gardner Dozois’s Years’ Best SF.  The story was podcast at Transmissions from Beyond and narrated wonderfully by Heather Welliver.

It holds a special place in my heart, as it was my first significant sale.   I hope you enjoy it.

Originally published at Mercurio's Blog. You can comment here or there.

Help!

I booked my hotel room and purchased my plane tickets to go to World Fantasy in San Jose--only to now discover that memberships have been sold out!  If you have a membership you'd like to sell, please email me at:

mercurio [dot] rivera [at] gmail [dot] com

Thanks!

-- Mercurio D. Rivera

I was mentally preparing for too many hours of football viewing on a rainy Sunday by fiddling around online. In the process, I came across this post regarding my satirical pornography-with-aliens story, “Sleeping with the Anemone” which appears in the online Otherworlds Anthology:

“There once was a golden age when I was barely old enough to slip in under the tent flap and into the show. We now call it the golden age of the pulps. The pages were raggedy-edged and they were expensive. Well, twenty-five cents mostly, but they were thick. Tales of wonderment and awe, a life of adventure and romance down at the corner drug store. Good stuff. My humble submission is: e-format publishing is the closest thing the 21st Century has to the pulps of my childhood. These e-thingys are the new pulps. And inside? The pulp pieces we would have written long ago if we had been around then to write them…

“How’s about sex with alien vegetable life-forms? Uh… in the heyday of the pulps we would have to have called it “inter-species hanky-panky.” Mercurio D. Rivera calls his tale “Sleeping with the Anemone.” … The offerings of Otherworlds—including Ian Faulkner’s “Cadmus Graves and the Missing Clone,” Lawrence Dagstine’s “Human Transfer,” Mercurio Rivera’s “Sleeping with the Anemone,” and “Heramphrodites are from Mercury” by Trent Roman are… well, pulpy. These guys have tapped the magic well of pulpitude: Slurp, slurp, slurp… ”

Very cool.

Originally published at Mercurio's Blog. You can comment here or there.

Any interest in learning the secrets of the universe? What are the origins of life? Does God exist? All these mysteries are solved in my story “Answers from the Event Horizon” which appears in last week’s issue of Nature Magazine (Vol. 461, Number 7262) pictured here.

Originally published at Mercurio's Blog. You can comment here or there.

I’d been meaning for a while to thank Jason Sanford for mentioning “The Scent of Their Arrival” as an example of a new trend in science fiction he terms “SciFi Strange.” As Jason explains:

“[A]t the heart of these stories is the basic strangeness, the basic uniqueness, the wide-eyed “gee-whiz” wonder and/or sense of horror which the golden age of SF displayed when it knocked upon the doors of reality back in the ’40s and ’50s. Except now this sense of awe is being told with the full range of writing styles and cultural understandings embraced by the New Wave movement of the ’70s. And where golden age SF writers dealt with a worldview which was white-bread and analog, SciFi Strange deals with an ever-changing scientific understanding of life and the universe–an understanding which is unnervingly close to being philosophical in nature.”

When I wrote “The Scent of Their Arrival” I was certainly trying to capture the pulpy feel of horrific 50’s science fiction and to delve into the mindset of aliens whose worldviews are divided along strict religious/secular lines. So I guess the story does meet Jason’s definition. Needless to say, I appreciated the shout-out given the great writers in whose company he placed me as explorers of SciFi Strange.

Speaking of Jason Sanford, I had the pleasure today of reading his terrific novella “Sublimation Angels,” which appears in the latest issue of Interzone. The world-building in this story is just topnotch. Set on a planet in an elliptical orbit with an atmosphere that freezes and thaws, its main characters are catacomb-dwelling humans overseen by AI’s in human form (”moms”) who are trying to make contact with the Aurals, intelligent alien balls of light with a mysterious agenda of their own. (And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.) You should definitely check it out!

Originally published at Mercurio's Blog. You can comment here or there.

I came across some positive feedback of “The Fifth Zhi” podcast over at Bartbooks. The reviewer called it “an impressive short story” and wrote that “three concepts (short life, wetware-telepathy, and being unable to get the attention of an alien) are explored wonderfully in…“The Fifth Zhi,” by Mercurio Rivera.” You can read the full, comprehensive analysis of the story here.

Meanwhile, over at the Escape Pod forum, one listener made the following observation:

“I did like this story, except for a imagination glitch that was my own fault. For some reason, I imagined the protagonist as a monkey. I have no idea why. I tried to change him into a human, but he stayed a monkey, ever since I read the title. Have I been listening to too much Jonathan Coulton? Anyway, great story, although it makes my head hurt to imagine something not mass-based.”

Hmm, monkeys, you say? Monkeys?!? This somewhat unique take on the story certainly made me laugh out loud. A slew of both raves and a few not-so-positive reactions can be found over at the comments section and forum discussion at the Escape Pod site. It’s always great to get so much feedback on a story.

Originally published at Mercurio's Blog. You can comment here or there.

In Gardner Dozois’s Year’s Best Scence Fiction, Twenty-Sixth Annual Collection, he listed three of my stories as “honorable mentions”: “The Scent of Their Arrival” [Interzone 214], “The Fifth Zhi” [Interzone #219] and “Snatch Me Another” [Abyss and Apex #25].

Quite a thrill to be mentioned in this, the Ultimate SF Tome. My goal now is to write something worthy of inclusion in the anthology itself.

Originally published at Mercurio's Blog. You can comment here or there.

I’m happy to report that I’ve sold my SF story, “Answers From Across the Event Horizon” to Nature magazine. It’s a great mainstream market that I’m thrilled to have cracked.

Originally published at Mercurio's Blog. You can comment here or there.

My Interzone story, “The Fifth Zhi” is presently up at the best podcast on the net: Escape Pod. Give a listen to Steve Eley’s great reading HERE and feel free to leave a comment.

Originally published at Mercurio's Blog. You can comment here or there.

The double-sized anniversary issue of Aoife’s Kiss (#29) is out this month featuring my short story “Doubled.” It’s a story about a dystopian futureworld populated by mentally conjoined twins. I love this stunning cover.

Originally published at Mercurio's Blog. You can comment here or there.

It’s finally out! Yes, Sybil’s Garage #6 with it’s usual stunning cover is available for purchase over at www.sensesfive.com.

Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy. The fiction this issue is topnotch!

Originally published at Mercurio's Blog. You can comment here or there.

I’m happy to announce that Interzone recently took my short story “In the Harsh Glow of its Incandescent Beauty.” This is my fourth publication with the magazine and a prequel to my story “Longing for Langalana,” which appeared in issue #204 back in 2006.

It’s always exciting to appear in this gorgeous mag.

Originally published at Mercurio's Blog. You can comment here or there.

The southStory Million Writers Notable Stories of 2008 were announced, and I was honored to see that my Abyss & Apex short story, Snatch Me Another, made this list of genre and literary stories. Huge thanks, once again, to Wendy Delmater and the editors at A&A for publishing this story, which also made the Locus Recommended List for 2008 and Rich Horton’s Unplugged: The Year’s Best Online Fiction for 2008.

I was also tickled to see stories on the list by friends and fellow Altered Fluidians K. Tempest Bradford, Kris Dikeman and Alaya Dawn Johnson.

Originally published at Mercurio's Blog. You can comment here or there.

Matt Kressel has posted the table of contents for Sybil’s Garage #6, which is coming soon. As one of the editors who helped select this issue’s fiction, I have to say that this was the highest quality of submissions we’ve ever received, resulting in the finest stories published in the magazine to date. Matt has also done an amazing job with the layout of the issue, which has that distinctive and oh-so-original Sybil’s feel to it. Here’s the TOC:

Fiction
Rumjhum Biswas “Mother’s Garden”
K. Tempest Bradford “Élan Vital”
Autumn Canter “Day of the Mayfly”
Becca De La Rosa “Not the West Wind”
Eric Del Carlo “Come the Cold”
Jason Heller “The Raincaller”
Paul Jessup “Heaven’s Fire ”
Vylar Kaftan “Fulgurite”
Keffy R. M. Kehrli “Machine Washable”
Sean Markey “Waiting for the Green Woman”
James B. Pepe “I am Enkidu, his Wild Brother”
Simon Petrie “Downdraft”
Genevieve Valentine “The Drink of Fine Gentlemen Everywhere”
Stephanie Campisi “Drinking Black Coffee at the Jasper Grey Café”
Toiya Kristen Finley “Eating Ritual”
Donald Norum “An Old Man Went Fishing on the Sea of Red”

Poetry
Liz Bourke “The Girl”
Donna Burgess “Ashes”
Lyn C. A. Gardner “God’s Cat”
Alex Dally MacFarlane “The Wat”
Susannah Mandel “Metamorphic Megafauna”
Tracie McBride “An Ill Wind”
Kristen McHenry “Museum”
Jaime Lee Moyer “One by Moonlight ”
Daniel A. Rabuzzi “Backsight”
Michel Sauret “Brick Wall Giants”
Michel Sauret “Son of Man”
J.E. Stanley “City of Bridges”
Sonya Taaffe “Skiadas”
Marcie Lynn Tentchoff “Sun-Kissed”

Originally published at Mercurio's Blog. You can comment here or there.

The next issue of Electric Velocipede–a double-sized extravaganza–is out soon, featuring my story “Dear Annabehls.” It’s an epistolary story set in the same universe as my story “Snatch Me Another,” where our world is trying to come to grips with a device that allows us to “snatch” items from alternate dimensions. This technology raises assorted problems, both serious and mundane, that lead people to write to newspaper advice columnist Dear Annabehl, who has all the answers (sort of).

My fellow Altered Fluidians, K. Tempest Bradford and Matthew Kressel, share the table of contents with two great stories. (This is the second magazine this month [Interzone being the other] to feature three Fluidians). I’m also pleased to be in the same issue with Rick Bowes, Barbara Krasnoff and Darin Bradley.

John Klima did a beautiful job with the cover. I love the colors. Take a look:

Originally published at Mercurio's Blog. You can comment here or there.

After a 23-year wait, I experienced a fanboy’s dream-come-true last night watching–at last! at last!–the adaptation of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbon’s Watchmen on the big screen. And what a spectacular movie it is! All the kudos in the world are due to Zack Snyder for his (mostly) faithful adaptation of the novel–even improving on the ending, in my opinion.

When I read the graphic novel back in 1986, it stunned me in its portrayal of iconic superheroes as flawed, broken human beings. Sadistic, impotent, pathetic, abusive, out of touch, addicted, fascistic. They’re tasked with watching over us, but who, the story asks, watches the Watchmen? The Watchmen graphic novel went on to win the Hugo Award for Best Novel and was recently named one of the Top 100 Novels of the 20th century by Time magazine.

The plot is dense and demands the viewer’s attention. It’s set in the mid-1980’s in an alternate timeline where superheroes are commonplace and President Nixon is still in office following the U.S.’s victory in Vietnam due to the intervention of Dr. Manhattan, a godlike, 10-foot tall, nude, blue-skinned super-being. Ultimately, after some abuses, Nixon outlaws superheroes, some of whom are forced into retirement, like the schlubby Nite Owl (played convincingly by Patrick Wilson). Others are relegated to operating underground, like the demented Rorschach, a psychopathic killing machine (brilliantly portrayed by Jackie Earle Haley). Meanwhile, the Cold War with the Soviet Union continues to escalate and the world teeters on the precipice of nuclear armageddon. All of this is summarized brilliantly–just in the film’s rousing opening credits–set to the sound of Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are A-Changing.” (One of the movie’s few flaws are some of the obvious and intrusive song selections, though this one really worked.)

When one of their colleagues, the sadistic, cigar-chomping Comedian, is brutally murdered, Rorshach becomes convinced that there is a serial killer on the loose targeting retired superheroes. He seeks out his former colleagues, including the Nite Owl (an impotent/loser nice guy), Dr. Manhattan (an omnipotent being who sees his past, present and future simultaneously), Silk Spectre (a heroine trying to live up to the image of her mother, the former Silk Spectre), and Ozymandias (corporate bigwig and the smartest man on Earth). Who is behind the killings and what is his/her agenda? Therein lies the mystery. And it’s a winding, breathtaking road to the shocking answers.

Some viewers may have issues with the nonlinear plot. Its through-line, a noir whodunit/whydunit, takes many side-trips along the way, revealing the origins of several characters in flashback, and following the enigmatic Dr. Manhattan–who is no longer even interested in mankind–all the way to Mars where he philosophizes eloquently about the significance of humanity in the cosmic scheme of things. While some critics may complain about these detours, for me, they provide the heart and soul of the story, plumbing the depths of these flawed characters.

Despite the massive media blitz, Watchmen is as noncommercial a movie as you will see. Deep, ambitious, thought-provoking and utterly beautiful, the movie, like the graphic novel, raises the superhero genre to a new level.

After decades of different scripts (I remember reading a pretty decent one in the early 1990’s that sits somewhere in my attic) and endless litigation over the distribution rights, Zack Snyder has done what was previously thought impossible. At last –at last!–he’s brought Alan Moore’s masterpiece to life.

Originally published at Mercurio's Blog. You can comment here or there.

I returned last evening from a wonderful trip to Gettysburg with a group of committed writers (or is that writers who should be committed?) — most of whom are in my writing group, Altered Fluid. We stayed in two sprawling farmhouses — both allegedly haunted — and much writing was done by all. I started a new short story (I’m about 2000 words in) inspired by my recent trip to the Galapagos Islands, and revised another new story, which I submitted to Abyss and Apex. I also strongly encouraged my collaborator, E.C. Myers, to finish the next set of revisions on our new short story, which I’m quite excited about. (I told you I’d take credit for your efforts over the weekend, partner. Get used to it!) Despite all the screaming and cursing, productivity was assisted by the intermittent internet connection.

The highlight of the weekend was a tour of the battlefields given to us by Civil War expert and historical spec fic writer Devin Poore. The man knows more about Gettysburg than anyone I know.

Our attempt to commune with the Civil War spirits proved a bust–although a light bulb did suspiciously go out during our seance, presided over by horror and fantasy scribe Kris Dikeman.

Overall, I had a terrific time. Photos of the retreat/battlefield tour can be seen here:

In other news, the cover to Interzone #221 has been posted. And it looks absolutely stunning. The issue features fantastic stories (which I’m lucky to have already read) from three members of Altered Fluid: Marvelous Matthew Kressel, Almighty Alaya Dawn Johnson and Powerful Paul Berger. Kudos to all three!

Originally published at Mercurio's Blog. You can comment here or there.

Sam Tomaino of SF Revu recently posted his recommendations of stories he believes should be nominated for the Hugo Award. To my surprise, he included two of my stories among his recommendations: “Snatch Me Another” from Abyss and Apex in the Short Story category, and “The Scent of Their Arrival” from Interzone #214 in the Best Novelette category. Needless to say, I’m thrilled that he found my work Hugo-worthy.

He writes as follows:

“A brilliant novelette by Mercurio D. Rivera, “The Scent of Their Arrival” . The inhabitants of another planet wonder why communications from a ship orbiting their planet have been unsuccessful. The problem is that their race communicates by scent. We see the messages from the ship and they are from a future Earth which has been invaded by a race of vampire-like beings. Further, this planet appears to be ruled by inhabitants who are either “supernatualists” or “naturalists”. They cooperate and share power. The story of both Earth and this planet develops in an exciting way with a great finish.

“‘Snatch Me Another’ by Mercurio D. Rivera is an amazing short story. In about 4000 words, he introduces us to a brand new idea and manages to write a great story about it. Kristina and Lindy live in a world in which an invention called the Snatcher allows people to snatch a copy of anything they want from some alternate dimension. Need some paper plates for a birthday party? Put in a sample and snatch a dozen from a dozen other worlds. Want a near-to-original of Vincent Van Gogh’s Starry Night? It’s in the system and can be had easily. Need a replacement for you dead son? Pop a lock of his hair into the Snatcher! This one came up on me unawares.”

Thanks for the kind words, Mr. Tomaino!

Originally published at Mercurio's Blog. You can comment here or there.

I’m pleased to report that Locus Magazine placed my Abyss and Apex story, “Snatch Me Another,” about a device that allows items to be pulled across from alternate dimensions, on its year-end Recommended List. Many thanks to Locus’s editors and reviewers for acknowledging the story.

In other news, I also recently learned my story, “The Scent of Their Arrival,” which appeared in Interzone #219, made the “long list” of nominated stories for the British Science Fiction Award for Best Short Fiction, though it did not make the final cut. This is my second time being “long-listed” for a BSFA. (My 2006 Interzone story, “Longing for Langalana” was the first). Thanks so much to the BSFA members who nominated the story.

Originally published at Mercurio's Blog. You can comment here or there.