Project Super Nex – Chapter Twelve – What Frightens

The red and lilac flush is fading from the twilight-blue sky, the cool air heavy with that recent-rainstorm fragrance. I’m walking briskly from the guesthouse to the Camerad without my messenger bag, which I left in my room; traveling light feels a little odd. About half the houses have their porch lights on, giving off … Continue reading Project Super Nex – Chapter Twelve – What Frightens →

My 2 Cents on Five Excellent Science-Fiction Books

What’s new, readers? I hope you’re continuing to social distance, wash your hands, wear masks, et cetera. Unfortunately, there are some people out there who see fit to protest these crucial guidelines. A tweet by @kellydavio perfectly encapsulates the circumstances: “What zombie movies got wrong about the actual apocalypse, part 1,487: they omitted scenes of … Continue reading My 2 Cents on Five Excellent Science-Fiction Books →

Project Super Nex – Chapter Eleven – A Little Brighter

I’m falling. Falling upward. My body is shooting up through a strange space where giant towers of stone and metal float in midair, where ribbons of color slither and twist as if they’re the manifestation of mystical spirits, where the sorrowful notes of a piano melody drift out of the distance, where the sharply woodsy … Continue reading Project Super Nex – Chapter Eleven – A Little Brighter →

Project Super Nex – Chapter Ten – Asulon

The geevee ride through Maskar Hills is at once an eternal and a fleeting period. Penelope and I are sitting on one bench, opposite Cooper, Runa, and Lumpy Nose on their own bench. The driver is on my right, wearing a loose beige uniform and a clear-visored helmet, nimbly steering the geevee between trees and … Continue reading Project Super Nex – Chapter Ten – Asulon →

Project Super Nex – Chapter Nine – Vicissitude of Fortune

“What the bugfuck are you doing here?” That’s the first thing flying out of Penelope’s mouth precisely three seconds after she, Gene, and two of Augen’s faithful pobs showed up out of nowhere. The afternoon sunlight slicing through the library windows and the dusty air casts sharp shadows across Penelope’s glowering face, over the switchguns … Continue reading Project Super Nex – Chapter Nine – Vicissitude of Fortune →

Project Super Nex – Chapter Eight – Old Scars

Ten minutes after snoozing the alarm at six, I haul myself out of bed, pee, shower, brush my teeth, get dressed, and breakfast on cinnamon oatmeal and aurium tea. My parents aren’t up yet, so I head into their room and peck them goodbye on the top of their heads; without opening her eyes Mom … Continue reading Project Super Nex – Chapter Eight – Old Scars →

My 2 Cents on All Our Wrong Todays

I’ve always been partial to time-travel tales—Back to the Future, Stephen King’s 11/22/63, Audrey Niffenegger’s The Time Traveler’s Wife, NBC’s Timeless, et cetera. And I can add another one to the list: All Our Wrong Todays, the 2017 debut novel by screenwriter Elan Mastai (The F Word). It takes place in an alternate timeline where … Continue reading My 2 Cents on All Our Wrong Todays →

Project Super Nex – Chapter Seven – Shred of Everything

Lab C16 on the Citadelle’s thirty-first floor is nice enough, with its tables and computers arranged in loose circles, with its microscopes, vials, centrifuges, ultra-cold freezers, and tons of other supplies. It’s one of several laboratories in the building handling research for Warbearer projects. I’m running computer sims, organizing equipment, recording everything in excruciating detail … Continue reading Project Super Nex – Chapter Seven – Shred of Everything →

Project Super Nex – Chapter Six – First Acquaintance

Mom’s dropping me off now at Gollinger Park on her way to work (she’s an executive for MacCloud Electronics up in the city). She kisses me on the forehead, ruffles my hair, wishes me luck on my tennis match with Dr. Fulbright. I climb out of her car, watch her drive off, and then I … Continue reading Project Super Nex – Chapter Six – First Acquaintance →

Project Super Nex – Chapter Five – Grammar Fanatic

My Mobular driver, Larson, is motoring out of Hexaber and then speeding west through the Trainore neighborhood. His stereo is blaring some twangy, plaintive country song; I never have to listen to any of that in Penelope’s truck. Sitting in the backseat, I distract myself by checking Walnut. My feed’s filled with news about the … Continue reading Project Super Nex – Chapter Five – Grammar Fanatic →