"A collection of thirty-one light horror tales sure sure to tickle your bones"--

Pensées & Lumière À travers des textes poétiques et des maximes, ce livre invite à ralentir, à plonger dans les profondeurs de l'existence et à contempler la richesse de la vie au-delà des apparences. Chaque texte est une invitation à suspendre le temps, un moment pour interroger l'âme humaine, ses ombres et sa quête de sens. Ce recueil, pensé pour accompagner des moments d'introspection, explore des thèmes universels : l'acceptation de l'imperfection, le lâcher-prise, l'authenticité, et la force que recèle la vulnérabilité. Il crée un pont entre philosophie et spiritualité, offrant un équilibre entre raison et intuition, action et contemplation. Ces textes ne prétendent pas apporter de vérités absolues. Ils ouvrent des perspectives, éveillent des questionnements et invitent chacun à découvrir sa propre lumière.

Our first story in this issue is from returning Broadswords and Blasters author David F. Shultz, who we last published in Issue 5 with his neo-classic "Jerold's Stand." This time he's back with another neo-classic, "Addrassus," which contains shades of Odysseus and some of the best action sequences you'll read this year.Next up is "Temporally Out of Service" from Jason E. Maddux, about a private investigator, an elevator with a quirky sign, the nature of free will, time paradoxes, and a kick-ass recipe for chocolate cake. Cynthia Ward, whose novellas we've reviewed on the blog, has graced us with "Buzz or Howl Under the Influence of Heat," a disturbing story of a child and his dysfunctional relationship with his friends and family.Look, if you aren't familiar with DJ Tyrer yet, his third appearance in our magazine should highlight just how great we think his stories are. This time around you get to read our cover story, "Talons of the Snatcher," featuring the warrior Nyssa and her deadly spear.New to us, Kent Rosenberger, joins the Broadswords and Blasters family with the dystopian near-future world of "Lawbreaker" and the disturbing court system which isn't nearly so far-fetched as it may seem.Next in queue is Michael DeCarolis' wonderful "Thunderbolt Colt" about a gunslinger and his faithful steed, a buffalo, from a not-quite-right Wild West tradition by way of the Greek gods if they had made it across the pond to settle in the Sonoran desert.Weird West not your thing? How about a change of pace, to a world where wizards work as detectives cleaning up slave rings and investigating murders? Austin Worley's "Lightning Between Your Fingers" has you covered.Sunday evenings may be times of peace and respite, but you know that's not the Broadswords and Blasters way. Myke Edwards is here to disabuse you of the idea that driving back country roads on a "Sunday Evening" is in any way peaceful and calm.Batting cleanup this issue is yet another returning author, Steve DuBois, with his brilliantly comedic take on pre-pubescent super villains and their most-hated classmate. If you don't laugh at "Screaming Timmy Must Die," then what do you laugh at?

In this fantastic issue you will be introduced to the most badass grandmother that has ever existed in print, a retro space opera adventure about a two-fisted blaster wielding pilot, an epistolary tale of the corrupting influence of depraved love, and a new adventure for Benedict Arnold, Josh Gibson, and Genghis Khan in an afterlife of their own making. You'll also be taken on a journey through the sewers of Paris where tentacled creatures reside, meet a cross-dressing French spy plying his trade for Louis XV, follow a body-hopping demon across a Wild West that may or may not be our own, and catch up with a world-weary detective tricked into solving a case when he'd rather be watching the Yankees and getting drunk.

StoryHack Action & Adventure is a brand new pulp magazine. This issue contains: "A Tiger in the Garden" by Alexandru Constantin - A disgraced and exiled noble, stripped of his status, spends his days drinking and whoring in the exotic jungle colonies. When pressed to pay his debts he gets entangled in a deadly plot involving deceit, murder, and the dark magic of the deep jungle. "The Monster Without" by Julie Frost- A werewolf private eye with serious save-the-damsel issues is on the hunt for the killer of a teenage girl. When a woman hires him to protect her from her abusive boyfriend, the cases collide in a way that may cost him his sanity-if not his life. "Hal Turk and the Lost City of the Maya" by David Boop- A Texan bounty hunter has chased a criminal through Mexico and into Guatemala. Can he survive when he and his quarry fall captive to a bloodthirsty, long-forgotton ancient civilization? "King of Spades" by David J. West - What happens when the dead come back to haunt us? General Joab has to find a way to free his king from the rising specter of a long thought dead Goliath. "Desert Hunt" by Jon Mollison - The first steps in Karl Barber's hunt for the leaders of a human trafficking ring land him in the ancient city of Cairo. His investigation takes an unexpected turn when the fate of a single girl compels him to strike before he's ready. "The Chronicle of the Dark Nimbus" by Keith West - A cursed prince, is living in exile with his squire until the curse can be broken. They have been sent by their royal sorcerer to protect a thaumaturgist from assassination. "Menagerie" by Steve Dubois - In the Victorian era, a teenage countess and her motley band encounter a plot to restore the Confederate States of America. "Daughter of Heaven" by Shannon Connor Winward- A dealer of ancient artifacts flies to Mars to identify a particularly interesting piece. Can he survive when he triggers the fulfillment of a world-destroying prophecy? "Dead Last" by Jay Barnson - A junior-level agent for a modern-day magical cabal on embarks on his first field assignment. When a necromancer turns his contacts into gun-toting zombies, he must use every bit of his wits, talents, and sometimes inappropriate sense of humor to survive.

First launched in January 2009, The Bards and Sages Quarterly is a celebration of short speculative fiction. Each issue brings readers a vibrant collection of speculative works from both new and established writers. Our goal remains the same today as when we began: to create a showcase in which to introduce readers to amazing voices they might have otherwise missed. In this issue: Eugen Bacon, Gustavo Bondoni, Kyla Chapek, Aaron DaMommio, Sarah Milne Das, Steve DuBois, David Fisher, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Sean Patrick Hazlett, Matt Hollingsworth, Gerry Huntsman, Richard Knights, Tim McDaniel, Ken McGrath, Arthur Staaz, and Dawn Vogel.