Flurb #9 is now live.
Flurb is a free online Webzine of Astonishing Tales, edited and published by Rudy twice a year. The previous issue of Flurb has gleaned seventy thousand unique visits so far.
Check us out at flurb.rudyrucker.com!
And return here to comment.
Many thanks to the wonderful writers who are helping to make Flurb possible.
The new issue includes a story by Danny “Groundhog Day” Rubin and mind-expanding surreal-SF stories by newcomers Christopher Shay, Kek, and Adam Callahan.
Plus Robert Guffey’s re-take on the King Kong mythos, a collage-cartoon-strip by Paul Di Filippo, a spooky nostalgia trip by old master Richard Lupoff, a disturbing author-signing story by Kathe Koja and Carter Scholz, and toothsome confections from newcomers Mari Mitchell, Jessy Randall, and Alex Roston—and a surfing tale of supernatural horror lifted from my as-yet-unpublished novel Jim and the Flims.
Dig in!
March 8th, 2010 at 11:12 am
Since I first read a Bopper story, I’ve been hooked on the trips Rudy Rucker’s imagination can launch. Now I can barely wait to see where this goes. Great start, sucks the reader inside.
Your work is appreciated.
March 8th, 2010 at 5:00 pm
Enjoyed Jessy Randall’s story immensely. You never can tell with teenagers!
March 10th, 2010 at 4:06 pm
I am Pausing briefly for a philosophical note of my own choice.
Danny Rubin, The Palmetto Man is a funny little story.
March 11th, 2010 at 4:54 pm
The Guffey story was GREAT! Wow, what a concept. I can’t wait to see more of his fiction.
March 11th, 2010 at 6:50 pm
Rudy,
Terrific! I’m sending Val and Jim off to my 30-yr and 33-yr old Big Island and Ocean Beach surfers and to Jeremy & Lorraine – Davenport boatbuilder & USPS-carrier during the 70’s.
March 11th, 2010 at 7:02 pm
Thanks, Jim.
Flurb is off to a good start. On March 8, 9, 10, that is, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, we had approximately 2800, 2000, 1300 visits, respectively. So that’s over six thousand visits in the first three days. We picked up a couple of nice reviews as well:
BoingBoing on Monday
http://www.boingboing.net/2010/03/08/flurb-9-more-rudy-ru.html
io9 on Wednesday
http://io9.com/5490297/the-dance-of-the-quantum-zombies-fills-your-head-with-aquacrunk
Thanks again to the FLURB authors!
March 11th, 2010 at 7:24 pm
Christopher Shay’s “InTheBeginning” was a great contemporary piece. You made a fine choice in featuring it in Flurb, and it’s the SF which integrates emerging technologies that serves as an interesting diversion to the stereotypical pieces featured in most other mags. Kudos to Chris for creating and submitting the piece and kudos to Flurb for featuring his work!
March 28th, 2010 at 4:34 pm
Thanks for the short (too short) story. I was pulled into the the story and I felt slighted by the abrupt ending till I realized it was an excerpt from a new book. The characters reminded me of “Mathematicians in Love” I live in Hume-locke (Berkeley) and that made it fun to read because I imagine being part of the transrealism.
Keep up the great work!
Topher 😉
March 30th, 2010 at 12:24 pm
Locus online summarized and quickly reviewed all the stories in Flurb #9 this week! We’re riding the hegemonic bulldozer now!
April 7th, 2010 at 3:17 am
Re: Robert Guffey’s ‘Ticks’ – Amazing how he’s transmuted a fiction-turned-myth into an alt history scenario. Often, a minimal chaîné turn of the imagination creates such excellent science fiction.
April 15th, 2010 at 2:53 pm
Val and Me is awesome
April 19th, 2010 at 2:53 pm
Roston’s “Technical Difficulties” is a memorable little excursion into Weird. It doesn’t take a great leap of insight to imagine this scenario becoming true, with personalities ingrained in some hideous, currently-unimagined, bio-USB stick and swapped like World of Warcraft cards or STDs. Well, something like that, ahem.
This tale reminds me of Norman Spinrad’s classic “Bug Jack Barron,” which foresaw the quick-cut/throat-slash form of hosted television and and portions of Warren Ellis’s “TRANSMETROPOLITAN,” without being at all derivative. Its a rare person who doesn’t have a fairly clear overview of the wild world of unsane data manipulation in its many forms. This story takes 2 steps beyond what we now know, yet makes it both funny and plausible at the same time. That’s the hallmark of a good satire. 9.9, with .1 off because I wish it was an entire book.
April 21st, 2010 at 2:31 am
I like to come to FLURB for a good read from time to time.
I was disappointed by “Clod, Pebble” for it builds up tension, an then let me figure out a solution. I think the author should at least hint at a solution. I had hoped that the protagonist would be so late in his schedule that he had to buy the book from Michael Dunbar. And then …
April 28th, 2010 at 6:54 pm
I just discovered Flurbs this evening, with Madeline’s story, The fitting of a suit, in number 6. (And I also found out about your SF work! )
DarliJ’s House of Tea, by Mari Mitchell, was a cute re-telling of a well known story. Short and sweet as fairy sugar!
I will eventually return to read the other stories.
Thanks for the work!
Michèle
May 5th, 2010 at 11:08 am
When FLURB: The Movie gets the green light, make sure Roston’s Technical Difficulties is a part of it.
May 13th, 2010 at 9:52 am
Loved Paul di Fillipo’s piece. Would love to see more of his artwork and words.
May 15th, 2010 at 1:37 pm
“Insect Girl Climbs to Paradise” by Philip Harris – – nifty coming of age story. I look forward to reading more by this author. I just discovered FLURB a SuperCollider think-swap event.