Whispers of Ice and Sand: Space Westerns is my latest collection of stories. That title is a little incorrect in that not all the stories are “Space Westerns“. The first half certainly is. They take place on the Planet Utukku, where the winds can erase a footprint in seconds. Some of these stories were available before but I have added two new ones. Some of the tales are about ex-Ranger Neely and his search for Harlequin relics. You will also meet Jericho Debbs, a gunslinger with a death wish. The last tale, teams up both of them. These tales have the Old West blowing through them (Louis L’Amour’s Bowdrie and Erle Stanley Gardner’s Whispering Sands series for sure) but Science Fiction adventures at their core.
Contents:
The Star-Studded Plain
“Alcestis” – Neely, still a Ranger, follows a trog, the local life form, who has murdered an Earthman. Tracking on a planet where tracking is impossible.
“The Black Beast of Larraby” – Ranger Neely must race against a black alien beast that can track on the untrackable planet. A woman’s life is in the balance.
“Salvage Rites” – Neely, now retired, encounters a group of trogs who worship an alien artifact, in a Harlequin ruin.
“The Living and the Dead” – Jericho Debbs joins forces with a local underdog against a ruthless land baron.
“The Sins of Garlush” – Ex-Ranger Neely has no choice but to go with a gang of criminals to an ancient Harlequin ruin. Something evil lurks there, waiting for those foolish enough to enter.
Sudana & Zaar
The second half is better described as “Space Opera” but only in a way that would appeal to fans of Firefly. Sudana becomes the captain of her own ship. She gains a friend and ally in the android, Zaar. These stories explore what it means to be human, whether you are one or not. Sounds a little slow? Not at all. These are adventure stories at heart, the first set on the ice planet, Hel, the second on a jungle planet, the third on a lava-blasted rock known as Blister and the finale on a radioactive asteroid filled with mining robots.
“Crucible of Ice” – Sudana must survive the greed of men and the terrible life forms of Hel until rescue can come. The android Zaar may make the difference.
“Linger” – Sudana and Zaar deal with pirates and a new life form that poses the greatest threat to all humankind.
“New World Survival” – The ultimate game show draws Sudana and Zaar into a struggle for life and death.
“Rescue on Rigon” – Sudana, and her new crew, come to Rigon to save Zaar from enslavement. Only he won’t go unless they take all six thousand androids with him.
My bent as a writer has always been towards blending genres (usually Horror with other things). This new collection is not of such dark material. This is a book filled with desperate action and daring-do but remains more up-beat than my previous stuff. What can I say? The older I get the less I want to write the horrific. What I hope you will find here is a book for the fan who grew up on Star Wars, enjoyed Firefly and likes to poke around in the old SF tales of the 1930s. There is more Edmond Hamilton here than Isaac Asimov. More Leigh Brackett than Ray Bradbury.
The book finishes with a short history of Space Opera.
Whispers of Ice and Sand is on sale in ebook format here. Paper to follow in a week or so.