The Soul Stories of Nonh

by Gemma Church

“We are smoldering now, burning, stretching our new, opaque arms, long and tuberculate, covered in swirling patterns of grey soot and white smoke. We are leaking outside the hangar, into the cool evening air.

Even if we wanted to stop our escape, we could not.”

Affinity

by Nevena Andric

“. . . I could feel the executive’s Pentium I’d just diagnosed pulling at me through the intranet, via my own 486. The Pentium was hungry for me, the way machines usually were once they met me. They wanted their own mage, just the way animals always followed my godmother around, begging her to be their witch.”

Odessa 1920 – a poem based on true events

by yours truly, the happy recluse

This poem has haunted us both since the moment we read it. Instead of including an excerpt, we would rather let the author’s work speak for itself.

-The Starward Shadows Editors

Strangers In The Valley

by Alex Gurevich

“I liked the king because he always made sure I ate undisturbed. He told me whom I could eat, but was kind enough to let me choose which of the criminals, condemned by his judges, I wanted to eat first.”

The Red Planet

by Rett Weissenfels

“His father’s words from hours past still reverberated in his ears, cutting through the thunder in his veins. “Fly now, child. Rest not ’til the Atlas is secure.” And fly he did.”