A New Viking Amoeba Recruit from James L. Sutter (Christmas Edition)
We asked for it, and Mr. Sutter was happy to oblige. Here you got: The Giver Saint — Nickael Pheumos Strength 3; Intelligence 8 Special Ability: Infection (All damage dealt by Nickael replicates into all adjacent units at half-damage when activated) (Death’s Heretic by James L. Sutter)
The Hobbit Trailer — Cue Geekgasm
It’s here! Look for yourself! Isn’t it beautiful?
Guest Post: Getting Rid of the Evidence by Lincoln Crisler
Whether you’re a mercenary in a dystopian future, a hardcore serial killer or the reconnaissance unit of the King’s Army, bodies are a fact of existence. Corpses are a pain in the ass, though. You can’t just leave them lying around. They tend to attract attention. They stink. Worst of all, they may hold incriminating evidence, or prove to your enemies that you were somewhere you’d rather they didn’t know you were. And we can’t have that. So, without further ado, here are the three most unique methods of body disposal I can think of. * PIGS They can eat the whole body, including the bones. Brothers Robert and Donald Duvall beat two hunters to death and fed them to pigs, and the Swine Method kept them out of the slammer for damn near two decades. They were only prosecuted and sentenced after a witness came forward with information. Other such incidents include those involving a father of 50, a man disposed of so his friend could collect his pension and a farmer’s wife. BODY LIQUEFACTION An environmentally-friendly alternative to cremation, the process is described in a BBC article as “submerging the body in a solution of water and potassium hydroxide which is pressurised to 10 atmospheres and heated to 180C for between two-and-a-half and three hours,” after which the remaining bone is crushed in a cremulator, just like the bone fragments left behind by cremation. The liquid remains are to be flushed into the sewer system, which has, understandably, generated controversy for a number of reasons, to include respect for the dead and sanitary concerns. BLACK MARKET ORGAN DONATION It’s not perfect. You have to know how to properly extract the organs, you have to know how to preserve them, and you need access to a trustworthy person who has money and a network. Pulling it off, however, would yield a benefit most methods of corpse disposal do not: a cash payoff. In some countries, organ sale is legal and regulated. In others, there’s merely a healthy black market. The latter folks aren’t likely to ask many questions, since they’re already disposed to such measures as holding people at gunpoint and removing their kidneys after tricking them into thinking they’ve been hired for a construction job. If you have to get rid of a body anyhow, why not make four or five figures in the process? It would certainly leave a smaller mess to clean up through more traditional methods. —————————————————————- * Obviously, if these were completely foolproof, we wouldn’t know they’d been done, but don’t be a wiseass, huh? LINCOLN CRISLER is the author of two short story collections (Despairs & Delights, 2008 and Magick & Misery, 2009) and one novella (WILD, 2011) and the editor of Corrupts Absolutely?, Damnation Books’ forthcoming anthology of dark superhero fiction. His work has appeared in a variety of print and online publications, to include HUB Magazine, Shroud Publishing’s Abominations anthology and IDW‘s forthcoming Robots vs. Zombies anthology. A United States Army combat veteran and non-commissioned officer, Lincoln lives in Augusta, Georgia with his wife and two of his three children. You can contact him at lincoln@lincolncrisler.info.
Flick Bits: How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe Optioned for Film!
News has it that Chris Columbus’ production company, 1492 Pictures, has picked up the film rights for Charle Yu’s How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe. This follows on the heels of similar announcements for Lauren Beukes’ Zoo City and Cherie Priest’s Boneshaker. The film will be produced by Chris Columbus (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone), Michael Barnathan (ditto), and Mark Radcliffe (ditto), with Brendan Bellomo (a short film maker) set to direct. No word yet on when the film will hit theaters, but it’ll probably be in the next year or so. Congratulations to Mr. Yu!
? of the Week: The Next Doctor (Who)?
Blastr has listed 11 actors they believe would make great Doctors in the Doctor Who feature film set to come out…sometime in the future. But what we want to know is this: Which actor or actress do you think should play the Doctor in the movie? And why? Let us know in the comments!
RIP: Anne McCaffrey — Queen of the Dragons (In Memoriam)
Mediabistro is reporting that Anne McCaffrey, beloved author of the Dragonriders of Pern series, has passed away at the tender age of 85. Wired picked up on the report and posted their thoughts here. This is indeed sad news. McCaffrey’s impact on the genre is irrefutable. She was, and remains, one of the greats. Our hearts go out to Anne’s family (her son Todd and the many others who were fortunate to know her personally). May they find some joy in knowing Anne McCaffrey will never be forgotten. What will you all remember best about the McCaffrey legacy?
