October 28, 2015
hughjodonnell
Hugh Likes Fiction
cooking, Fiction, HLF, Hugh Likes Fiction, Matt Wallace, SF, Sin Du Jour, Weird Fiction
Envy of Angels
Written by Matt Wallace
Published by Tor
What would you do for your dream job? Two struggling line chefs are forced to grapple with that question when they are hired by Sin Du Jour, a very exclusive catering company with a most unusual clientele.
Sin Du Jour caters for demons. And goblins, and a host of other supernatural creatures that the rest of the world thinks are myths. But when Sin Du Jour is contracted to serve a post-treaty signing banquet for warring demon tribes, the menu might be more than they can stomach.
Filled with quirky characters, shocking twists, and clever high concepts, Matt Wallace’s Envy of Angels is a delightfully weird novella. He has a wonderful talent of pulling out a new reveal just when you think the story has gone as far as it can. It’s not an adventure so much as it is a magic show. You keep turning the page less to see if the heroes will make it than to see what kind of three-headed fire-breathing rabbit Wallace will pull out of his hat next.
He mixes this with an ability to draw out sympathy for his characters in remarkably efficient language. He can make you hate a character and then deliver a get-punch you never saw coming in the space of a single paragraph. It makes for a fast read that is difficult to put down.
This brief and blustery novella might not be for everyone, however. The short length and large cast means that as much as I was rooting for these characters, I didn’t get to know them quite as well as I’d have liked to. We get one or two details, then the book barrels onward. Much of the second act is also set away from the kitchen, which puts supposed main characters Lena and Darren out of the reader’s eye to follow another team of Sin Du Jour employees. It still makes for an interesting read, but it isn’t a traditional narrative by any stretch. The ending also feels a bit abrupt.
Even though it doesn’t quite fill the belly as much as a novel, Envy of Angels is a satisfying first course in Matt Wallace’s “Sin Du Jour” series. Check it out in print or ebook!
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September 17, 2015
hughjodonnell
Free Fiction
Drabble, Fiction, Sci-Fi
The message was short, and at first, puzzling. It boomed in every local language from anything with a power source and a speaker. There should have been a mothership, a miles long modern sculpture hanging over a major metropolitan center. That was the alien invasion Hollywood promised us. But the skies were clear. All we got was the message, delivered in a smooth, emotionless baritone.
“The test begins now. You have eight minutes. Good luck.” At first, this contact was met with confusion. We only understood it when the sun went out.
And by then, it was far too late.
April 24, 2015
hughjodonnell
Uncategorized
announcemnts, Fiction, promotion
I am pleased to announce that my story “Prompt Succor” is included in the new anthology Dirty Magick: New Orleans edited by Charlie Brown!
DM: NO is a collection urban fantasy stories with a noir twist, all set in The Big Easy. It includes fiction from Mike Plested, Scott Roche, and a whole host of other outstanding writers!
“Prompt Succor” is a story about “Sharp” Terry O’Byrne, an Irish ex-patriot who sees spirits and works for bootleggers. When Terry gets a visit from the Catholic Church, he’ll have to solve a hundred and ten-year old mystery to accomplish something he’s never done before: putting ghosts to rest.
Dirty Magick: New Orleans is now available as an Kindle-exclusive ebook, and will be appearing in print later this month
November 4, 2014
hughjodonnell
Free Fiction, The City
140 Characters, Drabble, Fiction, Frank, Norm, Renee, The Bank Job, The City
The shoebox apartment wasn’t much to look at. It didn’t even have a window. It was just a single light bulb, a card table, and a phone. The only thing she had to look at was Norm pacing and mumbling to himself three feet away. She knew enough about virtual architecture to know that this room could be any dimensions, filled with whatever they could imagine. But they needed to remain anonymous and inconspicuous. Breaking The City’s rules would bring notice. The phone rang and she answered.
“I understand. The meeting’s tonight. You know where.” She hung up. “Frank’s in.”
November 3, 2014
hughjodonnell
Free Fiction, The City
140 Characters, Drabble, Fiction, Frank, Nick, The City
After Julia cleared him to leave, Frank still had to meet with his manager, Nick. He was in no mood to deal with the weaselly paper pusher.
“How the hell could you screw up like this, Frank?” The little toad asked.
“She shouldn’t have been able to do that. I was going the right speed.”
“But you hit her anyway, just like you hit that kid…” Frank got up and decked him. His avatar registered the hit and collapsed. Nick didn’t feel it, though. Frank was too angry to care.
“That was the last straw, Dumbass! You’re suspended, without pay!”
October 31, 2014
hughjodonnell
Free Fiction, The City
140 Characters, Drabble, Fiction, Julia, Marcy, Nick, Sandra, The City
Marcy, along with Commissioner Jenkins and a delegation of IT and QA people met Julia and the corpse in the City Morgue. As far as she knew, it was the first time it had ever been used. After pleasantries, one of them played coroner and conducted a thorough examination. Aside from its already missing head, the corpse remained intact.
“Well, it’s certainly malicious code,” he said.
“Can you ID her?” Marcy asked.
“No, her credentials have been scrambled. This is nasty stuff.”
“Can we boot the user?” Jenkins asked.
“The eject code isn’t responding.”
And then the corpse sat upright.
October 29, 2014
hughjodonnell
Free Fiction, The City
140 Characters, Dorothy, Drabble, Fiction, The City
Dorothy was an assassin of improbable accidents. She specialized in Houses, but had other tricks and devices. She made her living off of a loophole in the laws of The City.
Even though it was a simulation, The City was a real place. An avatar was fragile; subject to gravity, fire, trauma. And an avatar only had one life to lose. Dying in The City could be as financially devastating as anywhere on Earth. Of course there were no guns in The City, but Dorothy had her methods. On the morning Midas was sold, her email account crashed from overuse.
October 28, 2014
hughjodonnell
Free Fiction, The City
Drabble, Fiction, Melinda, News Coverage, Norbert, The City
Melinda turned to Camera Two.
“And now, I’d like to turn to International Finance expert Norbert Finkelmeyer. Good Morning.”
“Good morning Melinda.”
“What does this Midas deal mean?”
“It is effectively the sale of The City itself, because Midas Corp built and maintains it.”
“And why is that important?”
“Due to the hyper-realistic nature of The City, and the indulgent tax laws on the island nation where its servers are kept, Midas is the leading Financial Services firm in the world. Trillions of dollars move through the city every second.”
“What effect will this sale have?”
“We don’t know.”
October 27, 2014
hughjodonnell
Free Fiction, The City
140 Characters, Drabble, Fiction, The City, Zophia
Zophia set her spiders to work. Thanks to the anonymous email she received that morning, many were already prepared. They made their webs in every stock market across the world. And as the world spun and each woke up to the news that The City was changing hands, her programs feed on the panic. As the girl watched her bank accounts fatten, she almost felt bad for Sizemore, and the foolish little brokers who were watching their charges’ retirements slip through their fingers. Because they weren’t prepared. Later, she would have to back trace the message. For now, she fed.
October 22, 2014
hughjodonnell
Free Fiction, The City, Writing
140 Characters, Abner, Drabble, Fiction, Midas Corp, The City
Abner arrived late to work. Even in The City, the trains wouldn’t run on time. There was still so much human error, still so few backup systems. And it had to be during rush hour. Of course in The City, it was always rush hour someplace. But naturally it was during his commute, on the day of his evaluation. He braced for a siren as he badged in. He was going to climb up to the 48th floor and kick someones teeth in. He froze in the lobby. “Sizemore Sells Shares to International Investors” was plastered on every monitor. Awesome.
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