Yondering

by Robert Reginald (ed)

  “Andre, tell me. Have we done a terrible thing to these children? They would be safely dead, out of the stress, the demands, the unmapped wilderness of the future that must lie before them. When Lisha and those of her age-group are gone, the little ones will be on their own.

  “What sort of world can they shape, if they manage to survive? Have we sentenced them to a hopeless future that will end in intolerable loneliness and death?”

  He pulled the cloth gently from her fingers and stepped free of the Slip. “Whatever their bodies may be like, the minds are human. They are not distracted by the matters that have made our kind self-centered and aggressive and brutish. Perhaps they may create a better world, however long they can make it last, than our sort ever did.” Then he was left behind, as Noura slid on toward her own place.

  She left the Slip at her door and stood staring into space for a moment. A memory, sharp as a cameo, came.

  She stood in an open field, the grass as high as her waist, staring about at this untamed world outside the Labs. No plow had broken its soil in many centuries. No hunter had invaded the forest beyond it; no fisherman had dropped his lures into the stream wandering through it for so long that those things might never have happened on this world at all.

  Her father, holding her hand and leading her through this unimagined world outside their protecting walls, was speaking to her. “Soon we will close the portals permanently. Now that we can create our own sustenance, using the reactors, there is no necessity for us to come out into the wild, but I wanted you to see it before it is shut away forever.

  “It is dangerous here now. Animals we had thought gone forever, a few generations ago, now hunt the wood, prowl in the fields, fly across that unpolluted sky. We no longer know how to deal with them, and there is no need for us to learn. But remember, Noura. Remember, and tell your children about this, for it is the world to which our kind was born.”

  The vision fled; but she had, indeed, taught her daughter about that invisible world beyond the barriers, the ventilators, the exhaust chutes. Was it possible that the young ones in the Schoolroom might one day unseal the portals, iris their round locks open, and walk out into the wonder of a planet healed of its wounds and free of the poisons her species had loosed there?

  She turned, feeling a lifting in her heart. These children cared. She could see it in their interactions in the Schoolroom.

  Perhaps they would revel in the freedom, after their long captivity. Surely they would not work the damage upon it that their ancestors had done.

  She touched her door, and it slid into the frame. Even as she moved toward her keyboard and the waiting chair, there came a sound from the door connecting her post to the Birth Cubicle.

  The Nan, her warm padding wasted on the chilly shape in her hands, stood there. “Ma’am Noura,” said her somewhat metallic voice, “Here is the child.”

  Noura drew a deep breath. Then she turned and opened her arms, allowing the robot to set into them the body of her newborn grandchild.

  ABOUT THE AUTHORS

  W. C. & AJA BAMBERGER

  AJA BAMBERGER lives and works in southeastern Michigan. This is her first publication with Borgo Press. W. C. BAMBERGER has penned a dozen books. His Borgo Press offerings include:

  A Llull in the Compass: A Science Fiction Novel, Borgo Press, 2011, 135 p. (Wildside Double #17). The world is running down. People are mysteriously disappearing, leaving behind only small stains of glycerin. Overhead, mysterious objects are appearing just beyond our atmosphere, and deliberately burning themselves to dust as they fall toward earth. Some say our machines are absorbing us, some say aliens have come here to commit suicide. A small band of wanderers spins the wheels of a Llull Machine, trying to make their way safely through a collapsing world, and trying at the same time to solve the mysteries and save themselves—and an unexpected next generation. “Intriguing, beguiling, and always interesting. Bamberger mesmerizes”—Robert Reginald.

  Kzrdock the Onion Man and the Spring Fresh Methuselah, by Louis Levy, translated by W. C. Bamberger, BP, 2010, 141 p.

  Locust Gleanings: Reviews, Essays, and Other Interregna on Books, Language, and Literature, Borgo Press, 2010, 183 p.

  And, in Conclusion, I Would Like to Mention Hydrogen: 11½ Essays and 1½ Stories, Borgo Press, 2009, 173 p.

  RORY BARNES

  is an Australian writer (his website is http://members.optusnet.com.au/~rory.barnes/). His Borgo Press books include:

  Space Junk: A Science Fiction Novel, Borgo Press, 2011, 265 p. Earth, the fantasy—the place where mankind originated, the storied vista of green, rolling hills and unblemished mountains and fields of amber grain waving in a light breeze. Earth, the reality—a junk world, a dirty, dangerous, rundown planet. Ned believes the refugees from outer space have been interbreeding with cockroaches the size of dinosaurs. But Em, slim and pretty, thinks Earth—which her ancestors left centuries ago—is unbelievably primitive—including Ned and his beliefs. Space Junk is a coming-of-age tale in which true love and survival don’t always walk hand-in-hand. “Great characters plus a great setting make for a truly great read”—Robert Reginald.

  Human’s Burden: A Science Fiction Novel, with Damien Broderick. Borgo Press, 2010, 157 p. (Wildside Double #6).

  The Dragon Raft: A Young Adult Novel, Borgo Press, 2010, 130 p. Wal’s a dreamer who wants to escape his parents by sailing away on a raft. Together, he and his friend Billy build the raft. One dark night Wal sets sail into the teeth of a storm. In the wild hours that follow, Wal learns much about his own strengths and weaknesses—and the need to combine his dreams with a clear vision of reality. A grand adventure of storm and sea!

  JOHN GREGORY BETANCOURT

  is a well-known writer and editor. His fictional works for Wildside Press and Borgo Press include:

  The Pit and the Pendulum: Five Mystery Stories of “Pit Bull” Peter Geller, Borgo Press, forthcoming.

  Pacifica, with Linda E. Bushyager, Wildside Press, 2002, 188 p. This artificial island created in the middle of the Pacific Ocean is designed to feed the starving millions of the world.

  Rememory, Wildside Press, 1999, 197 p. Set in the same universe as Johnny Zed, this novel follows a band of catmen as they prowl the animalform underworld.

  Johnny Zed, Wildside Press, 1999, 220 p. In a near-future America, Congress has seized power, abolished the Presidency, and rules by decree. Small terrorist cells work toward the restoration of democracy, led by the mysterious figure, “Johnny Zed.”

  The Blind Archer: A Tale of Zelloque, Wildside Press, 2000, 244 p. Ker Orrum longs for a life of magic. When an Oracle tells him of a journal and a gem, his fate is sealed. Vowing to challenge the mighty god known as the Blind Archer, he sets out to win his fortune.

  SYDNEY J. BOUNDS

  (1920-2006) was a wonderfully versatile British author of supernatural stories, science fiction novels, crime thrillers, and westerns. His Wildside Press and Borgo Press books include:

  The Best of Sydney J. Bounds, ed. by Philip Harbottle, Wildside Press, 2003, Vol. 1: The Strange Portrait and Other Stories, 240 p., nine stories; Vol. 2: The Wayward Ship and Other Stories, 228 p., seventeen stories.

  Dimension of Horror, Wildside Press, 2001, 164 p. A classic science fiction adventure.

  Forthcoming:

  Boomerang, Borgo Press.

  Carla’s Revenge, Borgo Press.

  The Cleopatra Syndicate, Borgo Press.

  Dragnet, Borgo Press.

  Enforce, Borgo Press.

  Foreign Assignment, Borgo Press.

  The Girl Hunters, Borgo Press.

  Hell Hath No Fury, Borgo Press.

  Mission of the Brains, Borgo Press.

  Murder in Space, Borgo Press.

  Sword of Damocles, Borgo Press.

  The World Wrecker, Borgo Press.

  MARK E. BURGESS

  is a veterinarian with a special interest in exotic pets. His books for Borgo Press include:

  Dog Daze & Cat Naps:
A Vet Student’s Odyssey, Borgo Press, 2009, 398 p. When a young college student visits an animal emergency clinic during his summer vacation, he’s captivated by what he sees, and vows to become a veterinarian himself. Thus begins a four-year odyssey of mastering the art and science of healing our four-legged companions. Helping to ease the burden of the constant work and fatigue is the relationship he forms with his new classmates, and a budding romance with one special girl on campus. His adventures—and humorous misadventures—will keep every reader chilled, thrilled, and chuckling out loud. “If you love animals, Burgess’s new novel will delight as few stories can. Funny and poignant, smart and silly, full of ‘pus and vinegar’, it’ll keep you glued to the page until the very end. Quite simply a great read—and the début of a major talent!”—Robert Reginald.

  Forthcoming:

  The Battle for Eden: The Human-Knacker War, Book Three, Borgo Press. Part of a series of military SF stories by various authors about an ongoing conflict between mankind and an alien race. Based on a premise created by Ardath Mayhar.

  VICTOR CILINCĂ

  IS a Romanian engineer. Forthcoming from Borgo Press are two interesting projects:

  The Little Giant-Tamer: Seven Children’s Fantasy Stories, translated by Petru Iamandi and Tom Carter, Borgo Press. Includes the tales, “The Loneliest Thing in the World,” “A Tale from the Country Where Everything Was Done Eight Times Over,” “The Eat-All Dragon,” “The Little Giant-Tamer,” “The Tale of the Lying Apothecary,” “The New Year’s Eve,” and “The Tale of the Little Fish That Fished a Fisherman.”

  Polonius: A Political Farce: A Play in Two Acts, translated by Petru Iamandi and Richard Wright, Borgo Press.

  MICHAEL R. COLLINGS

  is a Professor Emeritus of English at Pepperdine University. His Borgo Press fictional works include:

  Static! A Novel of Horror, Borgo Press, 2011, 398 p. When an elderly recluse dies, her nephew inherits her home…plus another house rented by Nick. At first, the two men become friends. But gradually something begins to intrude. The old woman had wired the entire house for video, but when the films begin changing without human help, Nick knows that another entity has intruded. The newest tale of terror by a major talent!

  A Pound of Chocolates on St. Valentine’s Day: A Novel of Terror, Borgo Press, 2011, 196 p. Shadow Valley, a small, isolated farming community, is about to be flooded to create a reservoir. When young Lila Ellis arrives to clear out the old Stevenson place, she alone must face its terrors—beginning with 70 boxes of chocolates, one piece missing from each, delivered to the front door every year on St. Valentine’s Day. Can Lila escape the spirit that haunts the old place? Or will the curse continue for another generation? A haunting tale of horror!

  Devil’s Plague: A Mystery Novel, Borgo Press, 2011, 149 p. (Wildside Mystery Double #4). When a young woman’s body is found at Porcupine Falls, it’s up to Lynn and her new friend, Victoria, to explore the intimacies of death, evaluate the clues left by the killer, and solve the mystery.

  The Slab: A Novel of Horror, Borgo Press, 2010, 311 p. 1066 Oleander Place seems a typical tract house in the California town of Tamarind Valley. What no one—not even the closest neighbors—grasps is that this house is deadly: dark, dangerous, and evil to the core, consuming those who enter it, one by one—spiritually, psychologically, physically! Even to visit the place challenges fate…and promises horror for everyone there. “Michael R. Collings is quickly gaining the reputation of a modern master of the classic horror novel. First-rate!”—Robert Reginald. A Borgo Press bestseller.

  Three Tales of Omne: A Companion to Wordsmith, Borgo Press, 2010, 102 p. (Wildside Double #8). Three great stories.

  Wer Means Man and Other Tales of Wonder and Terror. Borgo Press, 2010, 241 p. Sixteen wonderful stories.

  Singer of Lies: A Science-Fantasy Novel, Borgo Press, 2009, 309 p. When Erik is shipwrecked on a forgotten Colony world, he seems compelled to spend a short, unpleasant life as a half-naked savage, on a world so sunk into barbarism that its inhabitants have no concept of the wheel. His only possible chance, his only hope of becoming one with the Folk, is to become a singer—and not just any singer, but a Singer of Lies!

  Wordsmith: A Science-Fantasy Novel, Borgo Press, 2009, Vol. One: The Veil of Heaven, 315 p.; Vol. Two: The Thousand Eyes of Flame, 215 p. A masterpiece of modern SF and fantasy.

  The House Beyond the Hill: A Novel of Horror, Borgo Press, 2007, 263 p. Donny drives the Southern California freeways, armed with a .38. He finds his victim soon enough—an old, black Cadillac alone on a dark stretch of highway. Three people witness the shooting and see the car crash. But when the police arrive, they find the auto empty of anything save blood…and the horror locked in its trunk. Another Collings classic!

  ARTHUR JEAN COX

  is a well-known writer of SF, fantasy, and horror shorts. His first two books are forthcoming from Borgo Press:

  The Asteroid Murder Case, inspired by a tale by Ross Rocklynne, Borgo Press (Wildside Double). A compelling science fiction mystery novel set in the Asteroid Belt.

  A Collector of Ambroses: Curious Tales, Borgo Press (Wildside Double). Several of Cox’s best short stories, published back-to-back with The Asteroid Murder Case.

  JACK DANN

  is an award-winning writer of SF, fantasy, and mainstream novels. His Borgo Press books include:

  Da Vinci Rising, Borgo Press, 2011, 118 p. (Wildside Double #9). Imagine what would have happened if Leonardo da Vinci had actually been able to build his fabulous flying machine. In this marvelous story of high political intrigue, danger, adventure, and ethical dilemma, Leonardo faces the difficult and dangerous consequences of what happens when you try to turn your dreams into reality. Winner of the 1996 Nebula Award!

  The Diamond Pit, Borgo Press, 2011, 128 p. (Wildside Double #9). This story is a celebration of larger-than-life America and the American dream, of William Randolph Hearst and Horatio Alger, of the very, VERY nouveau-riche. Winner of the Ditmar Award!

  Forthcoming:

  The Economy of Light / Jubilee, Borgo Press (Wildside Double). Two more high-calibre short SF novels.

  Decimated, with George Zebrowski. Borgo Press (Wildside Double). A collection of stories.

  JOHN RUSSELL FEARN

  (1908-1960) sold his first book in 1933. He wrote 180 novels, including crime and SF. His Borgo Press books include:

  Here and Now, Borgo Press, 2011, 198 p. Chris, a “ham” engineer, sees a beautiful woman on his TV who doesn’t speak any known foreign language. Then he makes an astonishing discovery: Marvia inhabits a completely different plane of existence! A marvelous SF discovery; first publication in book form.

  1,000-Year Voyage, Borgo Press, 2011, 180 p. The dictator of Earth is exiled with his entourage on a multi-generation, 1,000-year voyage from which there can be no return—or can there?

  The Crimson Rambler, Borgo Press, 2011, 212 p. Another first-rate British police procedural and locked-room, impossible crime mystery. It doesn’t get much better than this!

  What Happened to Hammond?, Borgo Press, 2011, 207 p. A classic British locked-room mystery that will keep you guessing right up to the very end!

  The Empty Coffins, Borgo Press, 2011, 172 p. Was it murder by vampire? It certainly appears so, with the classic puncture marks on the throat and the empty coffins. But not everything is what it seems.… Another nail-biting British crime novel.

  SHEILA FINCH

  is an award-winning writer of science fiction and fantasy. Her Borgo Press books include:

  Triad, Borgo Press, 2007, 240 p. Although only women were judged fit for space travel, Earth’s Central Computer had for some reason placed a man (an artist) among them on the expedition to the world called Chameleon. Why?

  Infinity’s Web, Borgo Press, 2007, 240 p. A novel of the many possible lives of Anastasia Stein, including one alternate reality in which the Third Reich rules England.

  Garden of the Shaped: Shaper’s Legacy #1, Borgo Press, 2007,
228 p. Banished to an uninhabitated planet, a group of scientists prepare to live out eternity by experimenting with mankind’s genome, creating new hybrids of humanity.

  The Shaper’s Exile: Shaper’s Legacy #2, Borgo Press, 2007, 288 p. 600 years after Garden of the Shaped, the descendants of man and their genetic creations are becoming one people.

  Shaping the Dawn: Shaper’s Legacy #3, Borgo Press, 2007, 316 p. The last of the Shapers faces justice at the hands of their genetic creations. “A remarkable work”—Gregory Benford.

  MEL GILDEN

  is best known as a writer of quality fiction for children and young adults, but has also penned Star Trek and other TV and movie tie-in novels. His forthcoming Borgo Press books include:

  The Return of Captain Conquer, Borgo Press, 2011, 175 p. Watson Congruent’s father runs “Captain Conquer PX,” selling memorabilia of that long-canceled TV superhero show. Then Watson comes home to find both his house and father vanished. With the help of some eccentric Captain Conquer fans, he sets out to solve the mystery of his father’s disappearance—and also to save the Earth from alien creatures who want to transform the planet’s atmosphere. Only the appearance of the hero himself can save the day!

  The Planetoid of Amazement, Borgo Press, 2011. Many years after the events of Captain Conquer, Watson Congruent’s son, Rodney, finds himself traveling through time with Grubber and Drum, two alien treasure hunters. But Mara and Grits, their sneaky alien competitors, want to make Rodney a permanent display in their exhibit. Can Rodney thwart the evil intentions of multiple alien species?

  PETRU IAMANDI

  is an English professor at Dunărea de Jos University of Galaţi, Romania. His current and forthcoming translations from Borgo Press include:

  The Little Giant-Tamer: Seven Children’s Fantasy Stories, by Victor Cilincă, translated by Petru Iamandi and Tom Carter.

  Polonius: A Political Farce: A Play in Two Acts, by Victor Cilincă, translated by Petru Iamandi and Richard Wright.

  Angel of Death: A Suspense Novel, by Christian Russell, translated by Petru Iamandi. A posthumous thriller by a Romanian writer.