MIND GAMES

Free access to Robert Horseman's collection of strange, goofy, and just plain weird short stories. His work covers a wide range of genres, from comedy to romance to science fiction. Adding stories weekly! Come visit again.

TAI QUINN - DRAGON MAGE

Tai Quinn, grandson of the Mage Council Director, takes the mage test on his last day of eighth grade and shatters every power test crystal. Mage elders, fearful of his extreme potential, erase his memory of the test and send him to a remote mage school for malcontents in Index, Washington. Tai isn’t like his new classmates. Unbeknownst to him, his family has been attempting to breed a powerful mage for generations, and he is the result. As his powers unfold, he faces the unwanted attention of a politically ambitious elder who perceives Tai as a threat to his own ascension. With time running out, Tai must learn a lifetime of mage skills, survive attempts to kill him, navigate a political minefield, and ultimately prevail in a contest of power and will.

THE PHOENIX TRANSFORMATION

As the last vestiges of mankind struggle to survive in the last surviving city, a corrupt government clings to power with an iron will. Eddie Van Buren, once a high ranking field engineer, finds himself facing death without dignity. His only hope is an illegal nanotech treatment that will transform him into a synthetic cyborg, and make him an instant fugitive. As the authorities close in, a chance encounter with a mysterious woman offers a chance to escape into the lawless underground where the dregs of humanity live. To survive he must join a confederation of other transforms, and prove his worth in their fight for freedom. He soon learns a lot more is at stake than his life, as the fate of all humanity hangs in the balance.

FAR PORTAL

Kyra Mitchell is bequeathed a powerful alien artifact by her estranged grandfather, and instantly becomes a target. A few surviving Telarians, stranded on Earth for a quarter of a million years, desperately want it back. To save the human race, she must master the artifact’s power and confront those who would destroy her and everyone she loves.

VOYAGE OF THE VALKYRE

When a simple police action turns into war during her first cruise, fresh academy graduate Ensign Mackenzie Pickett finds her antiquated and poorly armed corvette in enemy space. Faced with imminent capture, Mac’s only two options are slavery in a remote mining colony or risk a dangerous escape. Tossed into a leadership position by chance, she and one other survivor must find a way to save their ship and rescue the crew. Her only advantages are a newly aware artificial intelligence in their ship’s computer core, and a willingness to break all the rules of war regardless of personal cost.

Amazon customer review: "The characters are fresh and believable. The battles (both ship-to-ship and person-to-person) are inventive. The pacing is perfect. Best of all, the story is easy to read and keeps you running back whenever you have a free moment."

THE DAEDALUS RIFT

Finn Tanner, captain of the ore ship Daedalus, accidentally discovers a rift in space that hurls his wrecked ship forward forty-three years. Everyone he knew is either dead or far older, including his former fiancée, Riva. Enemies conspire to take what little he has left, but new friends help him in his attempt to rebuild his ship and pull off a time-bending experiment to return him and his ship to the past.

Amazon customer review: "This is one of the best time travel adventures I've ever read."

DRASTIC MEASURES

A short story anthology about where the human mind goes when it's cornered. Stories include:

• Aging Gracefully by Susan David
• Actually by Cathy Douglas
  
• Seeking Redemption by Michelle D. Keyes
  
• Rage by Ben Parris
  
• The Shadow by Gerald Vincent
  
• Changing Rooms by Kate Larkingdale
  
• The Trees by Brad Post
  
• Murder in Songjiang by Ben Parris
  
• Déjà vu by Robert Horseman
  
• Snow by Melissa Lyons
  
• The Ring of Truth by George Clayton Johnson

Edited by Ben Parris and Ken Altabef, Published by Blueberry Lane Books, New York. Introduction by David Mack.

THE WRITING.COM ANTHOLOGY 2012

183 short stories from Writing.Com featuring the best stories from 2012. Robert Horseman's story "Middle Age Discount" begins on page 64. This story may also be read on-line in the Mind Games collection.