A Droid by Any Other Name

 My short story Romeo and the Robots is out now at Nature.com, along with my brief 'story behind the story' article. It's my fifth story in Nature, and my second story published in a week!

Living on the Edge of Darkness

The Spring 2025 edition of Dragon Gems is now out, including my short story Living on the Edge of Darkness. This story was partly inspired by a short story by Jason Sanford that I read in Interzone years ago, and also partly by an episode of the remake of The Prisoner.

The Camel Goes to India

In belated news, I heard today that the Hindi translation of my short story Englebert was published in the December 2024 issue of popular science magazine Vigyan Sampreshan.

It's the 9th language for this story, my second story in this magazine and my third in Hindi.

The Second Week of Quarantine

 I've sold my short story The Second Week of Quarantine to Black Cat Weekly, an online mixed-genre magazine that published new and classic stories. Not sure of the publication date yet, but soon I guess...

Romeo and the Robots

I'm very pleased to announce that I've sold my short story Romeo and the Robots to Nature magazine, my fifth sale to that august publication. I don't have a publication date yet, but presumably some time this year. 

This is my third Shakespearian science fiction story.

Galaxy's Game, Part 2

Part two of my serialised novel Galaxy's Game is now out at Aphelion. A Line of Dominoes continues the story of interplanetary businessman Brett Hawks and his flying jellyfish-like companion Nirf as they travel from planet to plant in a chaotic series of misadventures.

Romanian Haggis

The Romanian translation of my story Haggis, Rhino and Other Unexpected Wildlife is out in the new issue of Galaxia 42 magazine. 

 This is the fourth language for this story, my fifth story in this magazine, and my ninth story in Romanian altogether.

Races of Galaxy's Game

 

Antovian

Home Planet: Anto

Around 1.5m tall humanoids with reddish brown wrinkled skin that makes them appear ancient and wise. 

Blucti

Home Planet: Hexos

1.5 m tall, blue octopoids, with 4 legs and 2 arms

Blumen

Home Planet: Bluz

Blue skinned humanoids.

Brogian

Home Planet: Brog

1.5m tall humanoids with rich, peachy skin and a tri-lobed head.

Chilk

Home Planet: Cookan

1m tall, W-shaped body, stood on a pair of long legs with splayed feet. A small (possible head) is suspended from the centre of the W. Two slender, multi-jointed arms can also reach the floor.

Coraylian

Home Planet: Coray IV

Blue humanoid race with 4 legs, giving them a very steady stance, 4 arms and a triangular head.

Faflox

Home Planet: Faf

1m yellow ball of fur with a dozen stick-like appendages.

Fardeen

Home Planet: Torkaltz

Dark blue, broad-shouldered humanoids, with cilia on head and chin.

Flooshy

Home Planet: Floo

1.5m tall humanoids with curly fur and three legs

Gilamane

Home Planet: Gillor

1.7m tall crocodilian humanoids

Glossy

Home Planet: Unknown

Tall, thin humanoids with glossy, red skin.

Gremen

Home Planet: Grez

Grey-skinned humanoids.

Gosgar 

Home Planet: Josjo

1.5 m tall humanoids with matt black skin, tufts of orange fur and very large eyes.

Gosp

Home Planet: Ranay

1.5m tall ursine humanoids, covered in spikes.

Human

Home Planet: Earth

Hopefully you know what they look like.

Juddor

Home Planet: Oraz

Orange skinned humanoids.

Kropask

Home Planet: Antorashus

2.5m tall humanoids with green-black fur. Generally known to be confrontational.

Ollion

Home Planet: Wraniel

Humanoid race with a barrel-shaped torso, no neck, domed head.

Parralli

Home Planet: Parall X

3m tall, luminous pink humanoids. Generally muscular and wide, with a pair of horns on their head.

Rabzid

Home Planet: Sosh II

1m tall, upright, brown gliding amphibiforms.

Tsimskan

Home Planet: Tsimk

Resemble a flying jellyfish, approximately 1m across, generally in shades of purple, lilac and the like.

Vienturak

Home Planet: Orgali

1.2m tall humanoids, broad with bowed legs.

Zinian

Home Planet: Zina

Short humanoid race with 6 arms, 2 legs and 2 feelers.

Zolk

Home Planet: Zolia III

1m tall, dark red skin humanoids, with diamond-shaped head.

Zurspo 

Home planet: Zrsectirapar

Around 1.5m tall reptilian humanoids with golden scales.

Galaxy's Game: Table of Contents

Part I: Launching the Pinball

1.1 Arrival

1.2 Capture

1.3 Amazed

1.4 Company

1.5 Revolution

Part II: A Line of Dominoes

2.1 Interruption

2.2 Red Tape 

2.3 Déjà vu 

2.4 Trouble on Coray IV 

2.5 Stowaway Escape 

2.6 Brief Encounter 

2.7 Delay on the Way

Part III: A House of Cards

3.1 Mission Revenge

3.2 A Little Trouble

3.3 Big Trouble

3.4 The Search 

3.5 Unpleasant Characters 

3.6 The Empire of Crime 

3.7 Destruction 

3.8 Another Escape 

Part IV: Chinese Chequers 

4.1 One Hour 

4.2 Earth At Last 

4.3 Robot Revolution 

4.4 Back Underground 

4.5 Yonda's Army 

4.6 Sortie 

4.7 Departure

Galaxy's Game Arrives!

The February 2025 issue of Aphelion magazine is out today, a webzine that is now in it's 28th year and has published several of my stories in the past. This issue includes Part I of my novel Galaxy's Game, and also the first Galaxy's Game side story, entitled The Last Noodle.