Raiding Native American burial sites may seem like a bad idea to you and other decent people, but it’s the sort of thing Michael Avar did frequently and with considerable enthusiasm. That’s what he had to do to find the arrowheads. Michael first heard of them in graduate school, but it was just hints and … Continue reading Desecration

Fannie sings a song of a ship lost to a sea she’s never seen. She’s never been east of St. Louis, west of Tulsa, south of Little Rock, or north of Columbia. She’s spotted some mighty big rivers during the seventy-three years she’s spent rambling around the range she’s called home, but ain’t none of … Continue reading Lost Tribes

Levi’s final keystroke echoed in his ears.  He couldn’t believe he’d finished it. After five long years of effort, he’d written out the entire system of magic for his high fantasy novels. He’d figured out the three Orders of Magic, Words of Power, the Bloodlettings, the Wurgs and other magical beings, staffs and wands and … Continue reading Systems of Magic

The King of Possum Trot sat in exile overlooking I-35. His foldable throne creaked a little as he leaned forward to watch his once and future subjects commute home from work. Traffic was heavy and slow. “When I have returned to my power, the Province of Liberty shall be remembered for granting me sanctuary in … Continue reading The King of Possum Trot

Any sufficiently advanced magic is indistinguishable from technology. Most people are more familiar with the converse of that observation, or maybe it’s the inverse (formal logic was never my strong suit), but it’s a true statement either way.  Technology works awful well for doing things like crunching numbers, heating buildings, launching rockets, and all that … Continue reading Sufficiently Developed Magic