Excerpts From The Fathomless Abyss

EXCERPTS FROM THE FATHOMLESS ABYSS THIS JUST IN: Tales From The Fathomless Abyss is on sale NOW for the Nook! THIS JUST IN: Tales From The Fathomless Abyss is on sale NOW for the Kindle! Just this morning I posted Tales From The Fathomless Abyss to both Amazon (for the Kindle) and Barnes & Noble (for the Nook). As of this writing, each are nonetheless “pending” but should be up on the market throughout the next couple days. Until then, I thought I’d share some glimpses into the book itself. So, without additional ado . . . From the introduction by fantasy writer Ken Scholes: Phil’s group came collectively quickly and as I noticed the listing of names, I was impressed. And I was pleased to be counted among themâ€"as a result of, sure, initially I was to play in this world as properly. Unfortunately, life doesn’t always let us do every little thing that we need to do and shortly after all of us started talking about the project, setting the assorted deadlines and fleshing out the world of the Fathomless Abyss, I realized that there was no means I could pull it off at the time. So I bowed out gracefully. Imagine my delight a couple of months later when Phil asked me if I’d introduce the primary volumeâ€"the anthology that launches the project. Naturally, I agreed and Phil sent the anthology my method so I may give it a learn and kind my ideas. I’m hardly ever envious; it’s not my means. But I’m envious about this one. From “The Lioness of God, Daughter of the Peaceful” by yours really: It’s humorous, what goes by way of your mind as you’re falling into a bottomless pit, was what went by way of Keegan O’Malley’s mind as he fell into a bottomless pit. He didn’t understand what the pit wasâ€"a sinkhole? It was too big for a sinkhole, and too deep. He realized he solely had a couple cigarettes on him. He wondered who would name his mom, and if whoever it was would be good to her, and break the news gently. He was disenchanted that he’d never had kids. He was shocked th at his glasses hadn’t fallen off. He was afraid someone would discover that box of videotapes he stored beneath his bed, and would suppose he watched them extra often than he did, which wasn’t that usually at all, really. He knew that what he was falling into couldn’t presumably be there within the first place. The spherical gap must have been two miles in diameter, opening into a straight shaft. A skinny, targeted beam of lightâ€"Keegan guessed it was a laserâ€"shined up from the underside of the pit and out into the overcast sky to vanish into the low clouds. The pit appeared to don't have any backside, somehow felt prefer it had no backside, although it had to have a bottom. But anyway, it was deep sufficient that when Keegan discovered the bottom, it might kill him instantly. And lastly, he thoughtâ€"I hope it kills me instantly. Then he screamed. From “It’s Mine” by J.M. McDermott “Beasties don’t do smart issues. Today’s going to be a feast of beastflesh, as s oon as one drops. Of course, that’s if our ancestors forgive you for your foolishness.” My household’s oldest purple lichen flared up after I was mad, and he knew it. I was glowing brilliant pink. It was easy to call them beasts when a body by no means needed to walk to the village Below and again once more, previous so many beasties, and their villages and caravans. The preventing saved on. The naked ones had been carrying out, panting and heaving. The older one, within the purple pants, had drawn blood alongside the wings of his enemies. He was cutting at them. He didn’t even appear winded, and he had been in a full brawl since Uriah’s warning shout. He was going to win. Some of us were taking bets on the struggle. Some were taking bets on which web would catch the meat. From “The Gatherer” by Mel Odom A quick time later, the men stopped to care for their mounts and to interrupt their quick. The scar-confronted man approached Otetiani and spoke to him harshly as he l ay bound on the bottom. When Otetiani may solely reply within the languages of his individuals and of the Abyss, the person growled in frustration and kicked his prisoner a number of instances. Otetiani rolled over and guarded his face and stomach as finest as he may. Joola screamed in anger and tried to run at the man, however one of many others held her again they usually all laughed at Otetiani’s helplessness and her unsuccessful efforts to save him. The scar-confronted man kicked Otetiani twice more for good measure. The Final Cover! Holding in his pain, forcing himself to be attentive and not to surrender hope, Otetiani watched his captors. He searched the ground together with his numb arms and managed to claw up a chunk of promising rock that had an edge on it. He cupped the rock in his palm and waited, figuring out that any movements he might make now could be observed. After the break, the lads climbed again aboard the felines and Otetiani rode once extra on the hindquarte rs of one of many beasts. Thankfully the rider that carried him rode at the back of the group. Working rigorously, pissed off by the numbness that plagued his hands, Otetiani scraped on the plastic that sure his palms. Stubbornly, the material gave way. From “The Ascent” by Mike Resnick & Brad R. Torgersen There have been so few survivors from when the world was flat and our village may look down the hills to the shore of the ocean. Grandmother says the ocean was just like the pool on this ledge, solely infinitely bigger. I can't think about how, simply as I cannot imagine a lot of Grandmother’s life earlier than the land trembled beneath her feet, and the folks of our village had to flee because the Earth broke aside round them. Grandmother was young then. Not much older than Mother is now. Grandmother says she was sure they would all dieâ€"after all, the mountain was exploding!â€"when an enormous hole opened, as broad as the world is extensive. The terrified village climbed in all collectively, and the opening shut over them, and we've all been here ever since. Grandmother is keen on stories, many of which Mother considers to be lies. But I actually have at all times believed them. We can't have come from nowhere. And even when I by no means find the highest of the world, there’s obtained to be more out thereâ€"different places, and especially different people. I don’t want to wind up like Mother, with a person I don’t love, but develop to hate as a result of he's all there may be. From “A Querulous Flute of Bone” by Cat Rambo They had chased each other downward this time, a journey via nest villages and bridge towns and basket farms. While in a cavern city’s tavern chamber, Aaben overheard a scrap of dialog indicating a path leading to an artifact in a class that had beforehand proved frustrating with its elusiveness: appreciation. This artifact may, Aaben thought, truly lead its perception to spring along the ladder quite a lot of rungs. It was imagined to induce the appreciation of a factor’s innate qualities. Rumor held that these capable of mastering it realized to make fantastic issues: paper masks that spoke, stews that made the eater able to dancing all day and evening, or clothing that masked a wearer’s every defect in order that they appeared so noble and upright in appearance that populaces flocked to elect them mayor or ruler or demagogue or whatever type of management they practiced. Paradoxically, the trail led Aaben upward and again to a geniod village, Halahalka the Minor. From “That Which Rises Ever Upward” by Jay Lake All he may do was cling to the wall and dream. His village, Ortinoize, wasn’t much of a place. Built right into a crack within the pit wall that ran roughly upward at a thirty-degree angle, it had all of the charm of a staircase on which somebody had dropped a substantial amount of junk. Not that Attestation was all that personally conversant in junk. Everything in Ortinoize w as reused, repurposed, recycled. It was simply old Sammael that taught the youngstersâ€"he was an infaller, from some place known as Canada, outdoors the pitâ€"he had so much to say concerning the world and the way it was used, and was stuffed with mysterious concepts like “junk” and “oceans” and “flight.” Join us in the Fathomless Abyss. It received’t be much longer now. â€"Philip Athans About Philip Athans Got it on Amazon… that’s a pretty affordable worth. 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