John was my first author interviewee back when I started STRANGE STORIES WITH PHILLIP CARTER (now renamed The Phillip Carter Show because a lot of people who write strange stories told me they had no stories to tell…). He was a fantastic guest, and I’ve had the privilege to become his friend in publishing (both Halfplanet and Samak Press have similar goals) and in reality, too.
When I went to Utah earlier this year, I got to hang out with John and explore Salt Lake City, and whilst we were there we reflected on our previous book, The Cosmic Comedy Collection.
The Halfplanet Sci-Fi Anthologies series continues with Macabre Multiverse - this time a collection of dark sci-fi, not funny sci-fi.
Here’s some of John’s contribution.
ETERNAL MIDNIGHT
Each new blast sent waves through the energy barrier, causing persistent crackles and sparks. Tremors rocked the entire isolation chamber. Anxiety gripped every part of Nor’s body as each spark reflected on the surrounding walls. The barrier would not hold integrity against this assault much longer before dissolving.
Still, it needed to buy him a few extra minutes.
Everything came down to this – one lone wall of pulsating energy standing between him and an awful monster. Nor could not let the barrier crumble before he gained teleporter control again. If this deranged foe penetrated the chamber, his fate would mirror the fate that greeted the rest of his team.
A fate much worse than dying.
Nor scrambled over to a console jutting out from the isolation chamber’s back wall. He pressed down on a small rectangular digital panel. A blue light crept out from under all four edges and washed over his small grey fingers.
A slot opened and a control pad moulded with a hand imprint rose to the console surface. Underneath the pad, two circular columns emitted a harsh crimson light. Each column held interchangeable pebble-shaped crystals.
Fresh waves of crackles signalled another ionic charge crashing into the barrier. Nor turned and faced the barrier again. Leet stood on the other side of the main chamber portal. She primed another charge, ready to toss it into the barrier.
“Barrier strength is down to thirty percent,” Leet said. “You cannot escape us. We control every deck now.”
Two angular fangs protruded from under Leet’s upper lip. Nor swallowed hard, turned back to the console, and pressed his hand down into the imprint. A red light washed over his fingers and stopped at his wrist before vanishing again. Crystals inside each column shifted from red to green.
A slight smile crept onto Nor’s face. He isolated the teleportation system and brought it under his personal control. Nor wrapped his fingers around the top crystal and extracted it from the right-hand column. Then he did the same thing with the bottom crystal and swapped both crystals from their original spots.
“I can save you,” he said.
No matter how much Nor tried to convince himself that Leet had changed into a monster, he refused to deem his past feelings for her irrelevant.
“I do not need your salvation,” Leet hissed.
She tossed the final ionic charge into the barrier. A streak of blue energy rippled from end to end. Only a second later, a deafening boom pierced his auditory cavities. Nor stumbled backward and clutched the console to stop himself from tumbling to the ground. He lifted his head as the final remnants of the energy barrier evaporated.
Leet entered the isolation chamber without resistance. A triumphant smile washed over her face, revealing two sets of fangs this time.
“Time to stop running,” Leet said. “You are out of hiding places.”
END (of the excerpt)
The eBook comes out on 31.10.2024, just under five days now.
BONUS MATERIAL
Here’s my first interview with John. It was first posted three years ago, and I don’t think I ever had the presence of mind to mention it here on Substack.
My podcast will be coming back, soon, and it will be more aimed toward a chat show / comedy sort of vibe. Think The Graham Norton Show, but funnier and with scientists turning up.
I will be hosting the new podcast here on Substack, which should hopefully then cross-post to spotify and other places. That way, you won’t miss anything. I’m starting by scheduling these old recordings.