Spec-tacular: Fantasy Favorites from Raven Electrick Ink

by Karen A. Romanko (Editor), Marcie Lynn Tentchoff, Robert Borski

Spec-tacular: Fantasy Favorites from Raven Electrick Ink showcases the fiction and poetry of 26 authors who have imagined the future of sports and games, the past of motion pictures, the alternatives to history, and the myths and legends of Halloween. From sleuthing in the realm of the Pumpkin King, to sailboarding at the universe's edge, from searching for submarine ghosts, to streaming the end of the world, Spec-tacular focuses a speculative lens on our popular preoccupations and pastimes. This selection of editor and reviewer favorites from the sf, fantasy, and horror anthologies Sporty Spec, Cinema Spec, Retro Spec, and Jack-o'-Spec features the work of Paul Abbamondi, J. S. Bangs, Paul L. Bates, Greg Beatty, Robert Borski, Bruce Boston, Sarah Brandel, G. O. Clark, Neil Coghlan, Shannon Connor Winward, Lyn C. A. Gardner, Jude-Marie Green, Samantha Henderson, Michael M. Jones, Deborah P Kolodji, Lisa Morton, E. C. Myers, Gregory L. Norris, Tony Pi, Daniel R. Robichaud II, Brian Rosenberger, Marge Simon, Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy, Marcie Lynn Tentchoff, Todd Wheeler, and Cliff Winnig.

113 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 24, 2012

About the author

Author of Women of Science Fiction and Fantasy Television (McFarland, 2019) and Television's Female Spies and Crimefighters (McFarland, 2016). I love Bob, Malibu, and snapping pics.

Reviews

[Lynette Aspey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a short-story reader and this is a good collection ... why has it not garnered more attention? Well, I'd better start the ball rolling, Made available online in April 2012, it only recently moved to the top of my "to-read" list. There's some really good stories here ... easy commuter-reads. They vary in a very satisfactory way ... I like my anthologies to be a party-bag of surprises and, while not rocking my socks, I have to say that I enjoyed all of these stories. My favorites? "Hula Hoop" by Jude-Marie Green, someone I'm going to look into further, and "Sugar Skulls" by Samantha Henderson to mention just two that really struck a chord, however, all these stories have good things to say for them. I was pleased to see Lyn C.A. Gardner included ... one of those quietly achieving writers who are not afraid to bend the weird ... with "The Mustache". This collection is recommended for readers of fringe fantasy and SF, like me. :-) Kudos, Karen A. Romanko.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Dusk is the time for dangerous tales."

An aptly titled collection of well written short stories and poems that definitely deserves a solid 5 stars.

I find it hard to find anything to criticize about the book, except to say that I wish there had been more.

Some quotes from inside :

"The Mustache" by Lyn C. A. Gardener: “He had the biggest, bushiest mustache I'd ever seen. Mama muttered, “It looks like he's got a rat attached to his lip.”

"Hula Hoop" by Jude-Marie Green: “Mrs Tucker was asleep and dreaming about eating a cat.”

"The Experiment" by Cliff Winnig: “The professor lived in an area mixing middle-class English with well-to-do Irish.”

"The Fix" by Marge Simon: “Toppy, this is your grandmother,” said Momma. I didn't know what a grandmother was, but I was glad.