“Where is the kahk? I was sure it was only two tail lengths ahead of us,” whispered Tepunia. “I…to track it,” answered Shvaart, his voice muted by annoying static. He drifted to the ground and searched the dusty, gray dirt. … Continue reading A New ZooCatron – Chapter Eight
Those of us who are versed in Greek mythology know the story of Theseus and his captivity on the island of Crete. There with the help of King Minos’ daughter, Ariadne and her thread, he kills the human-eating Minotaur–a beast … Continue reading The King Must Die, by Mary Renault
On the third orbit pass, Tepunia ordered Shvaart to check the landing gear while she prepared their protective suits and visibility shields. After securing all their supplies and giving the suits a final pat check, she engaged the scanner and … Continue reading A New ZooCatron – Chapter Seven
Tepunia reassured herself that ever practical and observant Ensign Prrrup would keep the ZooCatron Quest steady as it orbited the planet. She licked her flank to calm a nervous twitch. All this stress was thinning her fur; little dust kittens … Continue reading A New ZooCatron – Chapter Six
A fan of LeGuin’s writing since adolesence, I appreciated the author’s effort to amplify and enrich the Aeneid. Her novel in a way completes Virgil’s epic poem by continuing the narrative after the hero Aeneas, a Trojan survivor of the … Continue reading Lavinia, by Ursula LeGuin
“How can I raise my crew’s morale?” Tepunia muttered. “Shvaart assumed those giant Grimalks were friendly. Unusually bad judgement.” Digging her claws into the edge of her pilot’s plank, she sighed and stretched her forelegs in front of her, haunches … Continue reading A New ZooCatron–Chapter Five
Their pod module shuddered as it pulled away from the grassy sward without a sound. Its control panel screens glowed yellow in all the right places, showing a functional energy field. With a little twitch, Shvaart relaxed, his tail high … Continue reading A New ZooCatron – Chapter Four
Clifford D. Simak was an award-winning American science fiction writer, born in 1904 in Millville, Wisconsin. Setting a story like Time and Again (1951) in rural Wisconsin characterizes much of Simak’s fiction. For example, he attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison … Continue reading Reading Time and Again, by Clifford D. Simak
At a short distance from the pod shielded by an energy field, Lieutenant Shvaart and his ensign viewed their surroundings. They stood on spongy green plants dampening the outer layer of their shield suits. “Don’t fret about the wet, Ensign.” … Continue reading A New ZooCatron: Chapter Three
Reading Circe is like attending a master class in crafting the perfect narrative. If ever a novel engaged me so thoroughly in recent years, it was this one by Madeleine Miller, a compelling tour de force. Profoundly trained in the classics, Miller … Continue reading Circe, by Madeline Miller
