C.L. Rossman

Crossed Genres is a speculative fiction magazine based in Massachusetts. These stories come from the first year of its existence.

There is a tale about a pitched battle that takes place in a diner, after closing time, among the condiments. A superhero named The Sentinel is getting on in years, with a wife and daughter who don't want him to go out each night, fighting crime.

A story is narrated by the only AI on Mars. It was part of a group of 2 AI's and 300 robots that were to build shelters for human colonists to start terraforming the planet. They hold a burial service for an early human rover found on the surface, rusted into uselessness.

Earth has become a ghetto, with all the rich people living in orbit or on the Moon. A man, and his family, build a rocketship in a junkyard, intending to head for the Moon, where everyone is free. England has a new weapon in its war against germany; witches and warlocks who knock enemy airplanes out of the air.

My favorite story takes place in near-future America. The US Army upgrades it soldiers with things like artificial eyes, and titanium ribs. The soldiers are supposed to re-enlist for two years to help pay for the upgrades. If they don't, the Army no longer provides maintenance for the upgrades, leaving them vulnerable to gangs who kill just to get the upgrades.

There is a good variety of stories, and they are all well-done. The reader will not go wrong with this book.… (mais)

This anthology features one story from each month of Crossed Genres Magazine's first year. Every month features a different theme with a science fiction or fantasy angle, with topics such as romance, western, urban, and LGBTQ. I read several of these stories before, and enjoyed them even more on the re-read. The variety and quality are high. Some of my favorites included "Red Dust," a western tale about AI on Mars, and how the bots pay tribute to their predecessors, and "Deacon Carter's Last Dime," a tale that nails a voice of ghetto hope and despair.… (mais)