Wednesday, November 30, 2022

A Token Derangement of the Senses

The Language of the Storm: A Tribute to Ernst Jünger is now available to order from Raphus Press in Brazil. Ziesing books in California should have copies available within a few weeks as well. 

My story "A Token Derangement of the Senses" is included in the book, along with stories and poetry by Adam S. Cantwell, Jonathan Wood, Alcebiades Diniz Miguel, and Brian Evanson, among others. 

http://raphuspress.weebly.com/the-language-of-the-storm.html

"So we marched with a limp that eluded detection, one foot in the forest and the other in the underworld. If we seemed to move in circles, it was only to propitiate the ambition of the night itself, which demanded, as if in compensation for its treasures, a token derangement of the senses."




Tuesday, November 15, 2022

The Sleep of the Assassins

I am very pleased to announce The Sleep of the Assassins and Other Stories, a book very much akin to a collection of b-sides and rarities from Mount Abraxas Press in Bucharest, gathering six short pieces from several disparate places along with a new, previously unpublished title story. 

The contents are as follows:
Paraffin
The Bastion Overwhelmed
The Subpoena
Imperium
A Flip-Take in the Heart of Seville
The Sleep of the Assassins
The Immaculate Scrambled Automat








"What I’m about to tell you is of marginal importance. You can regard it as akin to an anecdote. My hope is to provide you with a tentative guide to your expected conduct in the field, yet there’s every possibility that my advice will only lead you into error. You’ll have to seek refuge in uncertainty and guesswork, rely on chance and ambiguity, and find a means to kindle flame from little more than intuition. The very lack of clarity regarding your assignment will reveal far more than anything I can pass on to you. 

The outer layers of the citadel will not be difficult for an agent of your caliber to breach. The enemy won’t make it easy. They possess considerable prowess in the art of misdirection. With a little ingenuity, you’ll slip through their defenses like a sparrow through the hangings of a chandelier. What comes after will prove a more formidable challenge. This is only the first of a series of citadels, each of them nested inside the others and secured with insidious traps and locks. You can expect these to grow progressively more difficult the further you proceed." 


The Sleep of the Assassins and Other Stories can be purchased directly from the publisher by sending an inquiry to exoccidente@gmail.com, or pre-ordered from Ziesing Books in the US. 


Friday, June 3, 2022

The Embassy at Fontainebleau

I have a short piece, "The Embassy at Fontainebleau", in the anthology ORNITHOLOGIÆ, which is available now from Egaeus Press. 


My story involves ley lines and telluric forces, distant radiation from decaying stars, the fickle intelligence of the winds and the pulsation of magnetic currents, riots, fires, incendiary slogans, prayers to the night wind of Napoli, an oracular metronome, the rites of litigation, the howling of wolves around an opera house, symmetries, intervals, reversals, inversions, the nourishment of ancient ores, acrostics, ballistics, steganography, and forgery, as well as and several other things besides, but principally birds. 

https://www.egaeuspress.com/Ornithologiae.html

Monday, March 14, 2022

Neo-Decadence Evangelion

The latest offering from the last bastion of creative excess and reasonable aesthetic choices, Neo-Decadence Evangelion, is now available for pre-order from Zagava Books. 




The book is edited by Justin Isis and features artwork by Gea Philes. 

The table of contents are as follows: 
Brendan Connell – THE SLUG
Golnoosh Nour – SADPRINCE
Justin Isis – A TREE ROTTING FROM THE TOP DOWN
Arturo Calderon – YAWAR JAGUAR
Gaurav Monga – THE COSTUME
Audrey Szasz – FRED IS DEAD
Colby Smith – HELLENIC DROPOUT
LC von Hessen – BAPHOMET’S BALLROOM
James Champagne – PROVIDENCE SPLEEN
Kristine Ong Muslim – THE BLACK ZODIAC
Damian Murphy – A NIGHT OF AMETHYST

A sample of my entry in the book follows below.



A Night of Amethyst
Copyright © 1981 by Mimesis Software, all rights reserved.
Release 1 / Serial Number 044516
(First-time players will benefit from typing ‘help’)


Lobby
Exits: north, east, south

    You stand in the lobby of an institution stained with scandal and ignominy. A symmetrical group of decorative lamps hang by thick strands from the ceiling. Their bulbs are shaped like rising flames and are arranged in tight concentric circles. A slender front desk resides on the far end of the room, behind which stands a well-dressed attendant. He wields the authority of the minor official whose expertise exceeds that of their superiors. His attention is absorbed in what appears to be an open registry.
    Sitting areas of no great size lie to either side of the desk. A woman reclines in an immodest position on the elegant upholstery of one of the armchairs. She wears a button-up top of vivid emerald and a skirt of pale cream. A bare foot is propped on one of the armrests while the fingers of one hand trace lazy circles on the fabric. She appears to be intolerably bored.
    To the west, behind you, is the entrance to the establishment, but of course you have no intention of leaving so soon.

> examine carpet

    The mandates of the night itself are enciphered in its rich designs and its golden fringes flash like filaments against the dark, wooden floors. It occurs to you that its pattern reflects every possible path that can be taken through this game.

> approach desk

    “Sir?” prompts the attendant as he looks up from the registry. “If you’ll be so kind as to sign in.” He turns the book around to face you. A pen lies on the desk to one side.
    You’ve managed to attract the scrutiny of the woman in the armchair. She lies just out of view, yet you can feel her gaze on the back of your neck. You’re ashamed to admit it, but this pleases you a little.

> sign registry

    “Thank you kindly, Mr. Morse,” says the man behind the desk after you’ve added your name and time of arrival. “There are a few preparations that must be attended to. If you’ll be seated for a moment, we’ll be ready for you shortly.” He executes a barely perceptible bow before making his exit through a doorway in the east.
    You turn around to confront the woman that fixes you with her gaze. She glances over to the northern archway, beyond which lies a well-lit corridor that extends in both directions. Her eyes are aflame with provocation as they return to yours. She seems to be suggesting that you slip out of the lobby before the man returns.

> examine desk

    I fail to see how the front desk warrants the benefit of your attention. Nevertheless, you turn around and consider its simple elegance. The woman behind you is hardly amused that you’ve turned your back on her. She proceeds to make a gentle hissing sound with her tongue and the roof of her mouth, her presence overflowing with a shameless physicality that’s all the more pronounced when your attention is focused elsewhere.

> search desk

    With all of the discretion of a gentleman thief, you step behind the desk. You realize that the risk you’re taking is nothing short of absurd. The attendant might return at any time.