It's been awhile, no?
I started Story Sheets at the beginning of the year to talk more about my journey into writing and as a way to give more readers content. Two birds with one slingshot pellet, as it were. However, keeping those posts up meant spending more time writing more about writing than actually doing it. That's just no good, especially for a writer. So as a compromise I instead decided to shelve the series until there is a valid time to make a post about such a thing.
Today is that time! Planetary Sol, the ninth volume in the eleven volume Planetary Anthology series just came out and, as can be inferred, I have a story in it.
For those unaware, the Planetary Anthology series are a series of short story anthologies that each contain stories based around the classical planets. Each volume contains stories based from myths to legends and even the scientific history therein. It's a celebration of our past with new stories! What you get are eleven volumes based on different themes and planets (as well as the sun and moon) from many different writers in many different styles. It's a unique project that has produced unique results. The only thing that unites the stories is that they are all superversive in intent. Otherwise, you have no idea what you're going to get!
If you're wondering why it took so long to write another one of these Story Sheets entries, it's because I've been busy writing this entire year. I've instead tried to promote other writers putting out stories worthy of your attention. I'd rather save talking about my writing when I have something to show for it. The truth is that I don't really like talking about my writing, but since I know readers enjoy updates and learning about my stories, I still try to put them out. It's a compromise! You can consider this post both an update and one talking about writing. And in 2020, I've been writing quite a bit.
You better believe I've bee taking advantage of what I can to write in 2020, of all years. Most creators are. It's been a year, but you know that.
As I said, this year has been spent writing. I've written a good deal, including having the second and third Gemini Man books written and sent in to Silver Empire, publishing both Someone is Aiming for You & Other Adventures and The Pulp Mindset, finally getting around to finishing off Brutal Dreams (More on that soon!) and releasing stories in StoryHack #5, the free Corona-Chan Anthology, and Planetary Uranus. I've more than doubled my usual writing output this year.
On top of those, I published a free novelette edited by Dragon Award winner Brian Niemeier that you can get for free by signing up to my newsletter! You should jump on that one, it's a great piece.
It's been quite a year. And that's only what I have published and am readying to put out. That's not everything, not at all.
Behind the scenes I have some cool short stories in my back pocket and a new project coming in 2021 that should be quite special. This on top of the above books being released. 2021 is going to be even bigger than this year!
But I haven't really mentioned one last project I worked on that just released. That would be my story Judgement Sun in the Planetary Sol which just came out on Tuesday! So for today, I'm going to talk about this sword and planet story that hit me randomly in a flash of inspiration.
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| Find it Here! |
Judgement Sun by JD Cowan
"Orion awakens to find his world of Hesperis turned into a desert. His savior, a stranger in a white cloak and a flaming sword, is his only ally as he faces down the sorcerer who took everything from him. There they storm the Black Pyramid where fate awaits their final clash."
The first thing to note about Judgement Sun is that it is a sequel to Cold Heart of Ouranos from the Uranus Anthology. It might not be so obvious from first glance, but continuity is not that important for what happens here. These stories are episodic, though there is a subtle progression you will not see until the end.
In Judgement Sun, the Dead World Drifter continues his journey of traveling to planets that are out of time and on the brink of extinction. As always it is his job to delve into the deeper cause of the poison and expunge the cancer before it is too late. Just like in the first story, he finds a planet in hopeless distress. Unlike that one, however, the planet is suffering from a far different issue. Can he even save Hesperis? You'll have to read and find out.
These tales are sword and planet stories, but at their heart they are about second chances and cleansing the soul. I first created this series because I wanted to follow a lone wanderer type, but wanted one who had a mission that was as crystal clear as it was mysterious. They are my own personal take on C. L. Moore's stories of spiritual terror mixed with a more traditional tangible threat more prominent in sword and sorcery. Hence the man in the cloak who travels from world to world to destroy more than a single antagonist. His work is of a much higher level. We don't even know his name.
But, they are meant to be enjoyable adventures of pure escapism. The main character also carries a fire sword, so there's that, too. If you know my writing you know I will never pass up the chance for more action, and Judgement Sun is nothing if not action packed. You could find this one in Weird Tales back in the day and it wouldn't feel out of place.
As I've said before, I am a believer in the classic storytelling setup of the lone wanderer who appears out of nowhere to save the day before vanishing again. It's a good concept. The reason this is used so much is because it is endlessly flexible as a device. It's about execution, not so much the chrome plating. I prove it with Judgement Sun as, despite it being a sequel to a previous story and having the same formula, it is quite different from that one.
For one, you might notice there is no dialogue in the story. There's a fairly obvious plot-related reason for that choice, but it is also for a choice in mood. I needed a certain feel for Hesperis, and it is one that makes it much different from the cold snow-covered fields of Ouranos. The planets are just as much characters as the cast.
These Dead World Drifter stories are meant to show speckles of hope in a situation that shouldn't have any, but Judgement Sun goes a bit further in that direction than the previous one did. The hope that is found at the end is a far different type than you'll find in modern storytelling, and quite a bit different from Cold Heart of Ouranos. Nonetheless, this is still pure pulp. It's a quick read, full of action and to the point, and it contains a theme that I never tire of.
I have a few short story series, as you've certainly noticed by now, all of which have their own flavor and overarching themes and plots. For one example, check out Someone is Aiming for You & Other Adventures. I enjoy employing episodic storytelling that can be read standalone of read into as part of a greater whole to get two different experiences out of it. Be cause of that, Judgement Sun is just one piece of a larger story that is also strong enough to stand on its own. It's really up to the reader to choose how they wish to engage it.
I'd explain more about the story, but then we'd be going into spoilers, and there's no sense in that! Either way, you can get Judgement Sun in the Sol Anthology here. There are a dozen other great stories to enjoy, too. S be sure to jump in. You can't get a better deal than with the Planetary Anthology series.
The overarching plan with this series is that there are four stories. Each star our main drifter character, but each deals with different sorts of collapses and foes. Cold Heart of Ouranos has a winter theme and Judgement Sun has a summer theme. The final two will have an Autumn and Spring theme, and no, they are not scheduled to be in the remainder of the Planetary Anthology series. One of them hasn't even been written yet! Despite that, the cycle does have an ending in sight. Be sure to read the first half of this exciting series in these Planetary Anthologies. You're going to like where this goes, believe me.
So what's next for the Planetary Anthologies? Well, they are now at 9 of 11 volumes released and the final two volumes (Neptune and Saturn) are now finalized. After several years of work from many talented editors and writers, they are now in the home stretch. From all reports, it looks as if around 90 authors contributed over 180 stories for the entire series! As you can imagine, this must have been a very tough project to manage. With that much content, there s something for everyone.
2020's been quite a difficult year for many, but we're still putting out stories to help make it a bit more easier for you all. Be sure to check them out and enjoy.
Once more, you can get Planetary Sol here!
And remember: there's more on the way!
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