Category Archives: Modern Science Fiction

MAGAZINES: “Mobius Blvd No. #27, January 2026” – Hobb’s End Press

We’re heading into a new year. That means one more literary acceptance to celebrate 2026. And what better way than with a new magazine issue from Hobb’s End Press. A magazine available in print and Amazon Kindle formats. This time, with “science fiction.” Science fiction with a murder mystery plot attached to it. A story I wrote back in 2000. Yes, I wrote this next tale 25 years ago. I was young. Even a quarter-century later you can get short stories accepted and published. Never throw them away. It appears in the January 2026 issue of Mobius Blvd, and I decided to revisit it, flesh it out extensively, enhance it, and polish it. What I’m saying is what didn’t work for Boomer editors back at the turn of the century might work for a Gen-Z editor in this day and age. Just apply new technology, give it a fresh coat of paint to justify the plot in the “here and now,” and you’re good to go. My story is called, “Six Seconds to Starfire.” It’s set aboard a Victorian starliner within the confines of the Carina Nebula. Links and pics will be below. Enjoy.

Mobius Blvd. Magazine No. #27 – January 2026 Issue

Published by Hobb’s End Press – Edited by Wayne Kyle Spitzer

Featuring Dagstine story: “Six Seconds to Starfire”

***Sample Mobius Blvd #27 on Amazon Kindle now. Only $3.99***

DESCRIPTION FROM AMAZON (and Author Lineup): There is a byway between reality and dream. A transit we call Möbius Blvd …

Inspired by the enigmatic Möbius strip, a mathematical construct that defies conventional notions of linearity and infinity, Möbius Blvd has no beginning or end but exists in a place where reality and dream have fused … coalesced … merged. With each turn of the page, you’ll encounter a unique blend of horror, fantasy, and science-fiction—fiction that will challenge your perceptions and leave you in awe of the infinite possibilities that exist within the written word.

Indeed, Möbius Blvd is far more than a magazine; it’s an experience. It’s an exploration of the infinite, a passage through dimensions where the only constant is storytelling at its most daring, a kaleidoscope of wonder and terror. Join us on this winding, never-ending journey of speculative fiction that will keep you entranced from the first twist to the last loop. Open your mind to the limitless worlds of Möbius Blvd … and discover that the boundary between fiction and reality is as thin as a strip of paper with a twist.

In this issue:

THE PENCILLER’S LAMENT
George Larson

ONE MORE SMOKE
Alex J. Barrio

ONION WITCH
Rob Herzog

THE WINE-DARK PASSAGE
Wayne Kyle Spitzer

RULE OF FIVE
Amy Kitryn

SANDY BANE
JS Apsley

SHADOW CAST BY EYE AND MAW
Keith Buzzard

SIX SECONDS TO STARFIRE
Lawrence Dagstine

SPEAK, THAT THE FLAME MAY SLEEP
Zary Fekete

THE ENTANGLED
Brian C. Mahon

Hobb’s End Books – Click Link Below, Be Redirected

(All their magazines/available products):

https://darkhorsesmagazine.mystrikingly.com/

Other New Entries: “Magazines”

The Triumvirate: A Journal of Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Horror Vol. 6…

Pleased to announce I have a brand new speculative fiction story about afterlife science and “where do we go from here” when, as senior citizens, our time is up. And you can find this exclusive tale in David Oliver Kling’s The Triumvirate Volume #6. This would be my third outing with Mr. Kling’s fiction digest, which he started in the name of fandom as a teenager back in the 1980s. I’m also appearing beside Joshua Vise, who I’ve shared a handful of TOCs with these past two years. It’s available in a paperback format, just like the pulp journals of yesteryear. Or for convenience, you can get it on Kindle for the low price of $2.99. The name of my story is: “Where All Souls Eventually Go.”

The Triumvirate: A Journal of Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Horror Vol. 6

Edited and compiled by David Oliver Kling

Featuring Dagstine story: “Where All Souls Eventually Go”

Sample or buy on Amazon below (Kindle or print):

Details about The Triumvirate:

Four stories. Three genres. One unforgettable journey into the strange, the haunted, and the transcendent.
In this sixth volume of The Triumvirate, the boundaries of imagination stretch and shatter. Step into a near-future where souls are collected like family heirlooms. Descend into a haunted mansion that opens its doors straight into Hell. Witness the slow unraveling of civilization through the eyes of a historian in a broken world. And follow a grieving girl’s perilous quest to a cursed temple where legends are born and blood remembers.

Featuring:

  • Where All Souls Eventually Go by Lawrence Dagstine. A daughter keeps vigil in a hospice that preserves the essence of the dying, contemplating what we carry beyond the veil.
  • House Sitting in the Satan House by Mark Mackey. When two sisters take a last-minute job in the wrong house, a night of glamor turns into a descent through damnation.
  • The End of a Lineage by Joshua Vise. A chilling chronicle of humanity’s fall, told from the ruins of reason, where an everyday miracle becomes the seed of apocalypse.
  • The Dagger and The Wish by David Oliver Kling. A sorrowful girl. A sacred blade. A temple steeped in ancient power. Witness the origin of the legendary warrior known only as the Blue Devil.

The Triumvirate: Volume 6 is your portal to the darkly beautiful, the eerily prophetic, and the mythically charged. Open its pages, if you dare.

Other New Entries: “Magazines”

NEW ANTHOLOGIES: “Who Let the Gods Out?!” – Wicked Shadow Press

My next story is yet another new one, and this time to a themed Wicked Shadow Press anthology again. The name of the anthology, part of a two-book series, is “Who Let the Gods Out?!” – Divine Wrath. I’m in Divine Wrath (that volume), keep that in mind. I’m sure there was no pun intended when naming these (**wink wink**), and while the books are primarily horror-focused, my story falls more under the umbrella of dark science fiction. The main protagonist is a Russian fisherman who has always had his eyes set on the stars, as far back as the fall of the Soviet Union and KGB. He’s in search of an alien probe with godly technology inside of it, but so is a very rich entrepreneur. This tycoon wants the quantum computing tech the aliens are traveling with, but at what price? What will he become once he gets his hands on it? Find out in: “Transcendence.”

WHO LET THE GODS OUT?! Anthology – Divine Wrath

Published by Wicked Shadow Press/Edited by Parth Sarathi Chakraborty

Featuring new Dagstine story: “Transcendence”

ORDERING INFO (click links below, be redirected):

Who Let the Gods Out paperback: https://www.lulu.com/shop/rasiika-sen-and-parth-sarathi-chakraborty/who-let-the-gods-out-divine-wrath/paperback/product-m2mzd9e.html

Who Let the Gods Out ePub: https://www.lulu.com/shop/rasiika-sen-and-parth-sarathi-chakraborty/who-let-the-gods-out-divine-wrath/ebook/product-w4k74zj.html

Wicked Shadow Press on Social Media:

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wickedshadowpress

On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wickedshadowpress

Other New Entries: “Books & Anthos”

Alien Dimensions #27: 100,000 Years of Intergalactic Peace – The Final Edition

I’m pleased to announce that I have a novelette in the final edition of the long-running anthology-magazine from Neil Hogan at Space Fiction Books, Alien Dimensions No. #27. This would be my fourth acceptance to the publication over the years, and this one is for the scifi fanatics out there. But this issue of Alien Dimensions has a theme to it: 100,000 Years of Intergalactic Peace. So the tales have to have some element of promoting or ensuring peace for a civilization. My story is about a solar engineer who attempts to save his own people and another race from across the stars. With permission, of course, from his council. There is world building and conflict. There is hard science and a great plot. What started out as a short story draft back in the 2000s with no direction, ended up close to 8500 words in length in 2025. I’m sharing a TOC with some familiar names, such as David Castlewitz and Mord McGhee (I must know Mord at least 20 years). I’ll leave pics and Amazon info below. Read my story about a solar engineer attempting the impossible, through hard science and cooperation: “The Fireball Effect”

Alien Dimensions #27 – 100,000 Years of Intergalactic Peace

The Final Edition – Edited by Neil Hogan, Space Fiction Books

Featuring new Dagstine novelette: “The Fireball Effect”

Sample or order your copy now on Amazon. In print paperback, or via Kindle.

TABLE OF CONTENTS, IN ORDER:

The Garden at the Edge of the Universe by E. S. Foster

The Vicarious by David Castlewitz

The Fireball Effect by Lawrence Dagstine

Rivers Run Deep by Margaret Karmazin

Exploring the Rogue Planet by Geoffrey Hugh Lindop

The Star Child by Hana Elizabeth Rose

Poltergeist 2.0 by Mord McGhee

Hyperspace by Kyle Walker

The Batties of Argamatis by Geoffrey Hugh Lindop

Stapledon by Humphrey Price

The Frozen Galaxy by Neil A. Hogan

EDITED TO ADD: It is with pleasure to announce that, within a few days after release, Alien Dimensions #27 jumped to NUMBER ONE on Amazon Kindle under Science Fiction Anthologies.

Other New Entries: “Books & Anthos, Digital Credits, and Magazines”

CHRISTMAS HORROR: “Merry Creepsmas” – Wicked Shadow Press

My next story is also a newbie. And while the anthology it is being featured in is holiday oriented (one of Christmas-themed horror)… My short story could best be described as dark, dystopic science fiction. It is a tale of warning. With DeepSeek and humanoid robots a reality, the future if we are not careful. A tale of man versus machine. A tale of one prisoner explaining Christmas and yuletide blessings to his captor. A tale of human versus AI. Or, just perhaps, if we are not careful, what AGI might become. There are a lot of great holiday stories in this book. The layout and presentation from Wicked Shadow Press is nothing short of excellent, and these books are hot in India. Prepare yourself for my brand new story of what generative AI might evolve into in a few decades: “For my Enemy on Christmas.” Ordering details at the bottom.

Merry Creepsmas – The Green Book (Xmas themed Horror)

Published by Wicked Shadow Press – Edited by Parth Sarathi Chakraborty

Featuring new Dagstine story: “For my Enemy on Christmas”

ORDER BOTH VOLUMES (I’m in the Green Book/Edition):

THE GREEN BOOK (availability in USA – click below):

Paperback: https://www.lulu.com/shop/parth-sarathi-chakraborty/merry-creepsmas-the-green-book/paperback/product-v8jvm8v.html

Ebook: https://www.lulu.com/shop/parth-sarathi-chakraborty/merry-creepsmas-the-green-book/ebook/product-7ker84d.html

THE RED BOOK (availability in USA – click below):

Paperback: https://www.lulu.com/shop/parth-sarathi-chakraborty/merry-creepsmas-the-red-book/paperback/product-gj26dkw.html

Ebook: https://www.lulu.com/shop/parth-sarathi-chakraborty/merry-creepsmas-the-red-book/ebook/product-p67r5zn.html

Wicked Shadow Press on social media:

Follow WSP on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wickedshadowpress

Follow WSP on Instagram: https://instagram.com/wickedshadowpress

Be a part of the Facebook group to get regular author-related info and submission calls from Wicked Shadow: https://www.facebook.com/groups/7867933553277077/?ref=share

Other New Entries: “Books & Anthos”

Other New Stuff in Addition: “Lawrence Dagstine Newsletter”

https://lawrencedagstinewrites.substack.com/

To The Dogs: 31 Very Short Stories About Man’s Best Friend – Altitude Press

Are you a keeper of canines? Are you a poodle person or pitbull enthusiast? Do you carry your pooch around with you everywhere you go? Are you a dog lover at heart? Then you’re definitely going to want to check out the latest fiction anthology from Altitude Press, and Editor Nicole McInnes, entitled, To The Dogs: 31 Very Short Stories About Man’s Best Friend. Featuring thirty-one authors of flash fiction (and slightly longer) about canines. Most of the stories in this book fall in the 1000 to 2000-word range, and they are entirely devoted to everybody’s favorite pet. There’s fantasy, popular, literary, and a brand new scifi story by yours truly about dogs of the future and space travel (and one pesky cat!). Read my story set aboard a spaceship, “Every Cosmos Has A Ruling Class.” Links and details below.

TO THE DOGS: 31 VERY SHORT STORIES ABOUT MAN’S BEST FRIEND

Edited and Compiled by Nicole McInnes – Published by Altitude Press

Featuring Dagstine story: “Every Cosmos has a Ruling Class”

Author Lineup and Details (copy-pasted from Amazon)

Celebrate humanity’s canine companions with To the Dogs, a collection of 31 dog-themed stories written by authors from all over the world. Whether it’s literary fiction, speculative fiction, science fiction, mystery/suspense, spooky/paranormal, or myth/folklore/allegory you love most, you’re sure to find plenty of short tales (tails?) within this anthology to enjoy and share. Woof!


Stories by: Hidayat Adams, Chad Anctil, Marie Anderson, Dominic Andres, Diana Ashman, Phil Barnard, Juliette Beauchamp, Anthony Boulanger, R.C. Capasso, Gemma Church, Michael A. Clark, Lawrence Dagstine, Wendy Eiben, Zary Fekete, E. Florian Gludovacz, Jenna Hanan Moore, Laurie Herlich, Robert D. Hill, Valerie Hunter, Fiona M. Jones, Shashi Kadapa, Richard Lau, Angela M McCann, Harding McFadden, Bob Smith, Victor Sootho, Mariah Southworth, Jake Stein, Lisa Timpf, Sue Walsh, and John Weagly

AVAILABLE ON KINDLE OR PAPERBACK FORMAT

ALTITUDE PRESS SOCIALS/WEBSITE (for further info):

Our Projects

Altitude Press X/Twitter: https://x.com/AltitudePress

Altitude Press Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/altitudepressbooks/

Altitude Press Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AltitudePress/

Other New Entries: “Books & Anthos” & “Digital Credits”

SCIENCE FICTION ANTHOLOGIES: “Far Futures, Book Three…” – Edited by Robert Mendenhall

Pleased to announce I have a brand new science fiction short story in the latest anthology in the Far Futures Book Series from Blue Planet Press. Edited and compiled by Robert Mendenhall, Far Futures is an on-going series of “space stories” or “interplanetary tales” set on far off worlds, or in faraway universes. The kind of stuff that made science fiction great back in the 1960s and 70s. Only for a modern audience. I highly recommend this book, a lot of thought was put into my tale. It’s one of FOUR new tales within the science fiction genre I have coming out between Fall/Winter 2024-2025. As of October 8th it’ll be available in paperback and ebook formats on places such as Amazon, Barnes & Nobles, even Apple. I’ll put all links, pictures, details below (and off to the right-hand side). And check out my story, “Round Trip.”

FAR FUTURES BOOK THREE – Science Fiction Anthologies

Published by Blue Planet Press – Edited by Robert J. Mendenhall

Featuring brand new Dagstine story: “Round Trip”

Author Line-Up and Details (copy-pasted):

Tales of broken generation ships and malfunctioning holograms. AI enhanced humans fleeing the solar system. Alien abductees taken light-years away. A NASA spacecraft highjacked in a perilous first contact scenario. Pirates and scavengers and more. These stories are all different, yet all answer the same fundamental question “What… or who is out there?”

The latest edition in the Far Futures anthology series is now available for order. Far Futures Book Three is scheduled for an Oct. 8, 2024 release in both eBook and paperback at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, and more.

With stories from talented and rising authors in science fiction representing the US, Canada, UK, and Australia, including: Glynn Owen Barrass, Stephanie Bedwell-Grime, Lawrence Dagstine, Caroline Misner, Charles Nadolski, Barend Nieuwstraten III, Robin Pond, and James Pyles.

BLUE PLANET PRESS WEBSITE (click link):

https://blueplanetpress.net/

BARNES & NOBLES/NOOK VERSION (click link):

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/far-futures-book-three-robert-j-mendenhall/1146336393

AMAZON PURCHASE (click below for Kindle):

Other New Entries: “Books & Anthos” and “Digital Credits”

TIME TRAVEL ANTHOLOGIES: “The Trouble with Time” – Three Cousins Publishing

It is with pleasure to announce that here starts a busy couple of weeks, as I have a lot of new material coming out in the “speculative fiction” genre. Books and anthologies in hardcover, paperback, and either Epub or Kindle formats. In the case of the book below, an upcoming audiobook. All these short stories are brand new, never published. From West Mesa Press, via Three Cousins Publishing, comes an anthology on time travel and the troubles or dilemmas that go with it. The Trouble with Time. Edited by Robert Allen Lupton, and it lands at a whopping 316 pages. The cover art is by Mark McConnell. For this book, think of stories related to The Butterfly Effect or Looper. That theme. And read my new story, “Past and Present Company Excepted!”

The Trouble with Time Anthology – Edited by Robert Lupton

Featuring Dagstine Story: “Past and Present Company Excepted”

Details from Amazon (copy-pasted):

Everyone at one time or another has wished that they could go back in time and change something. Perhaps to prevent a world tragedy, kill a despot, or tell an ancestor not to drive to town on a certain day. Perhaps the journey backward would be to obtain foreknowledge about the lottery, the presidential election, the stock market, or even the World Series. The reasons to wish for time travel are legion, but if the truth be told, if we could go back in time, the first thing most of us would do would be to punch our younger selves square in the face.

Changing time can have unexpected and dire results. Think “The Butterfly Effect,” or “A Sound of Thunder.” The scales have to balance. Good intentions often have unintended consequences and even the most benign attempts to intervene are likely to make things worse, far worse.

Twenty-two stories about time travel by talented writers from around the world, each of whom fearlessly explores the dangers and joys of time travel uniquely. Come along for the ride. There’s plenty of time – or is there?

West Mesa Press Official Facebook Page:

https://www.facebook.com/p/West-Mesa-Press-100054216802897/

I’ll file this under Books and Anthologies.

Other New Entries: “Books & Anthos”

TIME TRAVEL BOOKS: “A Stitch in Space Time: Time Travel Stories” – Culture Cult Press

The next book I’m in, and I believe this is my 6th anthology acceptance of 2024, is time travel themed. I have a lot of stuff floating out at time travel markets at the moment. It seems like every few years the subject of time, the mechanics and physics surrounding it, being able to travel backwards and forwards to a specific era and meet somebody historically important, becomes popular again. However, for Culture Cult Press’s latest book, A Stitch in Space Time, I decided to submit a fairy tale-style “mashup,” where Lewis Carroll (aka Charles Lutwidge Dodgson), uses H.G. Wells time machine and tech to travel through a surreal but alternative version of Wonderland. And from a scientific point of view, it involves the Queen of Hearts. What I like most about Culture Cult Press — besides their stellar covers, immaculate interior design, and major distribution throughout India — is that a portion of the proceeds goes to help street animals without owners in Kolkata. Be sure to check out my time travel-themed story in A Stitch in Space Time Anthology, entitled: “Lewis Carroll and the Time Machine.” Links and pics below, and in the side column just to the right.

A STITCH IN SPACE TIME Anthology – published by Culture Cult Press

Edited by Jay Chakravarti – 22 Stories revolving around time travel

Featuring Dagstine Story: “Lewis Carroll and the Time Machine”

AVAILABLE IN PRINT PAPERBACK or as a DIGITAL EPUB (direct links):

Order the Paperback Book from Lulu: https://www.lulu.com/shop/jay-chakravarti/a-stitch-in-spacetime/paperback/product-e786k52.html

Order the Digital Version from Lulu: https://www.lulu.com/shop/jay-chakravarti/a-stitch-in-spacetime/ebook/product-2m5898q.html

Culture Cult Press Socials:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/CultureCultPress
Instagram: https://instagram.com/CultureCultpress
Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/CultureCultPub

Homepage: https://CultureCult.co.in

Other New Entries: “Books & Anthos”