AB NEGATIVE Where the blood runs black as oil… 14 Choice Cuts from Alberta’s best crime and genre writers, playing in their own back yard. Canadian crime at it's best! Featuring new fiction from: Jayne Barnard (The Evil Eye Of Africa) Robert Bose (nEvermore! Tales of Murder, Mystery and the Macabre) Susan Calder (Deadly Fall) Dwayne E. Clayden (Crisis Point) Therese Greenwood (Dead In The Water) Axel Howerton (Hot Sinatra) Janice MacDonald (Randy Craig mystery series) Randy McCharles (The Necromancer Candle) Brent Nichols (War Of The Necromancer series) Al Onia (Javenny) R. Overwater (Tall Tales Of The Weird West) Sharon Wildwind (Some Welcome Home) S.G. Wong (Die On Your Feet) and Kevin P. Thornton (World Enough And Crime)

A race for power and wealth transforms into a race to save the world in AlOnia's debut novel, Javenny. A young woman's calling may be all thatstands between Earth and the dreams of a dying alien race... assuming shesurvives the machinations of her church and the corporate sharks who want to useher for their own ambitions! Javenny is a globe spanning adventure that asks the question: Can asingle person change the world?

On a distant mining colony at the far reaches of a galactic empire, vast cities crawl across the surface of desolate planet looking for valuable minerals while their citizens struggle to survive. Victor Stromboli, a professional crime scene witness is nearly crippled by the brutal memories he can't control or forget. Now, he has to solve the mystery of a missing corporate executive. The only trouble is: the man is the husband of the love of his life. Stromboli has to overcome rogue miners, corporate intrigue and a pair of vicious psychopaths. Or die trying.

Investigator Clay Farina and his financier father are hired to assess a proposed merger between a California automotive chain and a new electric vehicle manufacturer. Clay will perform the legwork while Pops digs into the numbers. When a key player dies, the deal may be in jeopardy. Clay, and the police, soon suspect the death is murder. Clay and Pops continue their work through the uncertainty. Clay's inquiries push someone to vandalism. When the attacks take a physical turn toward his dad, Clay responds. In his words, "Don't get angry, get stupid." Clay's murder suspects are all linked to the merger which now appears a foregone conclusion, despite the reservations of one key player. The monetary benefit to a few stakeholders drives the closing of the deal, and the deadline may come too soon for Clay to finger the murderer.

Barnaby is an optimist. He lives by the philosophy that the glass-or purse-is half full and always in need of topping up. The thief unwillingly finds himself a partner in Shugg the Thug, a man as bright as oil without any lamp, to steal the family jewels from an orgy. Just one more heist, and then Barnaby's leaving Corenthal for warmer weather and prettier women. Until the long arm of the law pits the pair against the all-powerful necromancer killing everyone foolish enough to stand in his warpath, only adding more undead to his army in the process. Out of time and options, Barnaby's cunning and Shugg's strength cast them as pieces in a game neither were prepared to play. Not that Barnaby had any love for magic before, but is his freedom really worth his life and perhaps even his un-death? Haunted by old friends, surrounded by new enemies, and toting around an old man proclaiming to be an Unwizard, Barnaby's quick fingers and quicker wit hardly seem sufficient against the unrelenting elements of magic. That voice in his head urges him towards saving the world, even as wealth tempts him to let it burn. But who says heroism and hedonism have to be mutually exclusive? Barnaby's Luck is the anti-heroic fantasy story of imaginative men and women enduring barbarous times.

"A science fiction mystery set on a distant planet that explores themes of duty and justice in the context of evolution and astrophysics."--

Jake Nourth hunts for a missing topologist. Finding the academic is only the beginning of the latest weird in Meld as the city holds its own deepening secrets. Supported by official sanction, the Throat Cult gains strength and purpose. A mysterious sculpture under the cult's protection may hold the key to the scientist's disappearance and the danger facing Jake's city.

In this issue, we offer a binding-busting eleven short stories, all about the apocalypse. We interview british author Jo Cannon about her recent apocalyptic collection "Insignificant Gestures." John Carney gives us his "Top 5" apocalyptic films and we feature an essay about how to survive the end times.