Spiral Tower Press’ first magazine on space opera holds a special place in my heart. Firstly as scifi/space opera always captivated by teenage years as much (if not more) than fantasy, especially as it painted a future which was exciting and possible—rather than just a secondary world. Secondly, as I am in it! The story I wrote is certainly not a world I would like to live in, but nonetheless is exciting, grimy, and saturated with religious chanting. I hope you enjoy it.
Defenders of the Faith – Thomas Grayfson: This story gave me huge Sisters of Battle vibes and really helped drench the setting with this grimy and helpless feeling. The visceral descriptions of Viviana’s physical and authoritarial captivity sang with notes of decline and recession, with the rumination that no one alive knew where they were going a particular highlight. The final encounter was unexpected and emblematic of a zealous conflict.
A Herald of Mars – Mitchell Hyde: A tale that hinted at such a wider world with a long history as we join Raxal Tan in performing an age-old ritual of at least 12 generations. He must prove his battle acumen against an ancient immortal race, yet by the end, both combatants decide to roll the dice and see what happens outside the boundaries of ritual.
In Distress – George Jacobs: You really feel that you are sitting in a dingy spacer bar as you read this tale of an independent businessman just trying to make ends meet. An inversion of expectations in story logic, but fully meets them when meditating on a character who is wise enough to never slip you their name.
The Pretty Ones – Barton Paul Levenson: A classic trope of sci-fi tv shows: the war of extermination, the obvious switcharoo of good and bad. However, this story is closer than those philosophical ruminations, and we get close and personal to a truly tragic scene.
Eschaton Cycle – Jack Myers: A wonderfully rendered world that sits upon the event horizon of a black hole. Action packed, beautiful, and with a thread of romance binding it all together as we meditate upon duty, sacrifice, and the unending horror of the Monad structure.
The Thief of Khayr Coronnar – Dariel R. A. Quiogue: This world feels old and lived in as we delve into the gutter of an ancient space faring civilisation. With notes of Wolfe we follow Arilan as he strives for a better life for himself and his mother. Things don’t go quite as planned when he finds himself over his head!
Summary – Overall I think this is an incredibly strong first issue that covers a vast range of the genres’ story beats.