The Mysterious Mesa, Part Five, Horses of a Different Color

by Garrett W. Vance | Aug 19, 2014 | 0 comments

Nate peered into the growing darkness as long as he could, trying to catch a glimpse of the herd of horses huddled together on the far side of the field. He and his companions had dined well on barbecued antelope meat, and were enjoying a well-earned rest. Gonzalo sat...

The Cutting Edge

by Kristine Kathryn Rusch | Aug 17, 2014 | 0 comments

A comment on a blog site that I read daily caught my attention last week. How come, the commenter wrote, every science fiction writer has an out-of-date website? The commenter wasn’t referring to the information of the website, but the format of the website. He cited...

Gifts of Providence

by Terry Howard | Aug 15, 2014 | 1 comment

Cambridge Early 1632 “Now the soap, William!” William Button stood dumbfounded for just a moment at his wife’s sudden, strident outburst. It was the last thing in the world he had expected at the moment of his second son Andrew’s baptism. Then...

Ein feste Burg, Episode 16

by Rainer Prem | Aug 8, 2014 | 1 comment

  Chapter 25: Tower Watchman and Gravedigger Grantville May 1635 "Welcome back to Grantville, Sergeant Bourne," Major Carl Gustav Wrangel said. In Kyle Bourne's opinion, there was clear unhappiness in the Swedish officer's eyes. Wrangel would certainly have...

Murder and Chocolate

by Kevin H. Evans | Aug 6, 2014 | 8 comments

Copenhagen September 1636   The shop was not busy, only five or six patrons. Fatmir sat at his customary table, and sipped his chocolate. It was such a different thing, this drink from the Americas. It was not coffee, and yet, it was dark and rich. It was heavily...

Decisions of State

by Tim Sayeau | Aug 2, 2014 | 1 comment

Ferdinand III stared at the slim, up-time object on the table before him. “This,” he announced to the courtier who had brought it to his attention, “is ridiculous.” “Yes it is,” agreed the courtier. “But . . .” “Indeed,” mused Ferdinand. “But . . .” “It’s honestly not...

Occupied Saxony

by Bjorn Hasseler | Aug 2, 2014 | 1 comment

April, 1633 Kleinjena, Saxony   "I can see Kleinjena!" Helene said. "We are home!" Heinz smiled. He was happy his wife was excited, but they had been gone almost two years. He wasn't sure what kind of reception they'd receive. Everyone in Kleinjena had scattered...

Net-working

by Frances Silversmith | Aug 1, 2014 | 0 comments

  The sun had barely cleared the horizon, and here I was, lurking in the street a block away from a suspect’s apartment building. A tallish man in old-fashioned jeans and a leather duster left the building. I used my tablet to check his face against the...

An Uneasy Kind of Peace, Episode Four

by Virginia DeMarce | Jul 31, 2014 | 3 comments

Brussels   “Unfortunately,” Fernando said, “the message that was just dropped off for me says that Gaston himself is no longer in our hands. In retrospect, I should have put him in stronger constraints than a very loose and polite house arrest. However, what’s...