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The Forge: Fire and Ice
The Forge: Fire and Ice is a SciFan anthology that delves into the dark side. From people on alien worlds to aliens in our world, the stories explore a multiplicity of backdrops in realms of adventure, drama, success and failure. The perils of deep space mining; a portal within a yellow bus; a mild-mannered figure bent on terrible revenge; a worm in a toffee apple; a desperate chase to find air – dystopia meets utopia, blemish meets perfection.
With a Foreword by Dr Who and Harry Potter actor, Simon Fisher-Becker
With a Foreword by Dr Who and Harry Potter actor, Simon Fisher-Becker
236 pages, Paperback
First published July 14, 2019
About the author
Danuta Reah
41 books15 followersDanuta Reah, who also writes under the name Carla Banks, was born in South Yorkshire. She comes from an academic family but opted out of formal education at the age of 16. She worked in a variety of jobs from barmaid to laboratory assistant, in a variety of locations, including a brief spell in Kingston, Jamaica. "I didn't plan my working life that way, but it was probably the best apprenticeship a writer could have."
She always wanted to write. Telling stories was an important part of her childhood. "Every child needs a skill in the playground - it's a survival thing. Mine was telling ghost stories. I got thrown out of the needlework class when I was nine because the needlework teacher couldn't cope with the ghoulish tales I used to entertain the class with."
She went to university as a mature student and then went on to teach adults in Further and Higher Education. She taught linguistics and creative writing, and in the course of this, refined her own writing style. "I didn't find my voice until I started writing crime. My first novel was based on a rather creepy encounter I had on an empty station platform one evening - it's a story I often tell when I do author events, but beware: it needs bright lights and a crowd."
She published her first novel in 1999, Only Darkness, the rights to which have been purchased by Escazal Films. Her novels have been published internationally: USA, Germany, Holland, France, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Italy, Spain, Finland, Czech Republic.
Crime - or at least dissent - runs in the family. Her father was a refugee from Stalin's Belarus; one of her ancestors, John Woodcock, was hung, drawn and quartered in 1646 for his religious beliefs.
She is married and lives in South Yorkshire with her artist husband - and occasionally she draws cartoons about the writer's life!
Danuta Reah is past Chair of the Crime Writers' Association. She is a regular speaker at national and international conferences and literary festivals, and has appeared on radio and television. For several years she was a member of the writers group LadyKillers, with Leslie Horton, Priscilla Masters and Zoe Sharp. LadyKillers did talks and readings around the country. The group disbanded when pressure of work made it difficult for them to get together, but they remain good friends and would consider appearing again.
She always wanted to write. Telling stories was an important part of her childhood. "Every child needs a skill in the playground - it's a survival thing. Mine was telling ghost stories. I got thrown out of the needlework class when I was nine because the needlework teacher couldn't cope with the ghoulish tales I used to entertain the class with."
She went to university as a mature student and then went on to teach adults in Further and Higher Education. She taught linguistics and creative writing, and in the course of this, refined her own writing style. "I didn't find my voice until I started writing crime. My first novel was based on a rather creepy encounter I had on an empty station platform one evening - it's a story I often tell when I do author events, but beware: it needs bright lights and a crowd."
She published her first novel in 1999, Only Darkness, the rights to which have been purchased by Escazal Films. Her novels have been published internationally: USA, Germany, Holland, France, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Italy, Spain, Finland, Czech Republic.
Crime - or at least dissent - runs in the family. Her father was a refugee from Stalin's Belarus; one of her ancestors, John Woodcock, was hung, drawn and quartered in 1646 for his religious beliefs.
She is married and lives in South Yorkshire with her artist husband - and occasionally she draws cartoons about the writer's life!
Danuta Reah is past Chair of the Crime Writers' Association. She is a regular speaker at national and international conferences and literary festivals, and has appeared on radio and television. For several years she was a member of the writers group LadyKillers, with Leslie Horton, Priscilla Masters and Zoe Sharp. LadyKillers did talks and readings around the country. The group disbanded when pressure of work made it difficult for them to get together, but they remain good friends and would consider appearing again.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 21, 2019
The Forge: Fire and Ice is a science fiction and fantasy anthology. It has a fascinating Foreword by Doctor Who and Harry Potter actor, Simon Fisher Becker, who nicely ties in the title with the theme of the collection. The stories themselves are the winners and shortlist from a SciFan competition run by Fantastic Books Publishing plus two professional author contributions.
The five major prize winners are the stand-out stories. Forged by Dan Staniforth, a haunting tale that plays with memory, is the worthy winner. It’s a story that will stay with you. All the Time in the World by JX Plant took second place; the story of a future catastrophe told through the very tight lens of a bed-bound protagonist. Third place went to A Worm in the Toffee Apple by RL Kerrigan, a gripping story of a future society, the lens again focused down to a single protagonist.
Along with the winners, three more stories were singled out as highly commended. These were Tim Gayda’s edge-of-seat space adventure, The Button; Kitty Waldron’s Speak Before You Think, exploring the potential nightmare of AI systems gone wrong; and Boris Glikman’s The Light of Their Lives, a truly original take that explores what happens when the advertising moguls get their hands on light itself.
The professional contributors are Danuta Reah with Out Of Her Mind, a tense psychological tale; and Stuart Aken with Greed is Good, looking at mankind’s worst excesses.
The rest of the collection comprises nineteen stories from the competition shortlist: All the King's Men by Katie Lewis looking at the human story behind future genetic augmentation; Blind Alley by Emily Wootton, a spine-tingling chase through a future urban landscape; By the Grace of the Two Suns by Ed Newbould, cleverly playing with the fire and ice theme in a world of superstition and vigilante justice; The Yellow Bus by Helen Parker is a delightful tale of a mobile library with a portal to the worlds of the books it carries; Damned If You Do by Alan Paine is the futuristic tale of someone with a stark choice: death by fire, death by ice.
Elemental Sacrifice by John Hoggard brings fire, ice and drama into a well-crafted fantasy world of dwarves and wizards; Lagoon, a second story by RL Kerrigan, plays with the ideas of isolation and global threat; Responsibility Discharged (Fired and Iced) by CM Angus is another of the ones that plays ingeniously with the theme, where a fired employee has literally been put on ice. Fire and Ice by Louisa Morillo is a superbly described restaurant scene, one to avoid reading with your dinner. The Mandarin by Robin Bilton explores the machinations of a future society through the concepts of obligation and betrayal.
Frost Fires by Pierre Le Gue, set on a train journey with a difference, is one of those stories where the air of menace grows gradually; Frozen Fire by Rachel Lovat is one of several tales that uses man-made climate change as a theme albeit a far-reaching one, and is also one of those stories where the menace creeps up slowly as you shuffle ever closer to the edge of your seat. The Cold Ones by Joseph D Wheeldon again racks up the tension, taking fire and ice, heat and cold to the heart of a survival tale; Justice in the ’Pool by Jonathan Edwards has an entertaining take on the book’s theme, using it to create a futuristic police drama; one of several stories that made me smile.
Lucantha by Sue Hoffmann neatly winds the topic of the book around the idea of tales told by the fireside; The Separation of Fire and Ice by Mira Callahan is a crisply told narrative that has an interesting synergy with the winning story, Forged, although they are very different. Indeed, it is a recurring thread through the book, the way that the stories – all unique – bounce off each other as the fire and ice theme is explored.
On the Slope of Survival by Lynn McInroy is one of the stories that explores extreme climate shifts and follows a community on a treadmill of second guessing what the new seasons will bring, cleverly mirroring the real fire and ice with the ebb and flow of the main character’s key relationship; The Despoilers by Dominic Bell gives a different take on climate change where catastrophe comes from off-planet in a story with a strong sense of place that gives a global view; and finally, Adolescent Rebellion by Ann Bupryn, plays out in a single room, exploring the relationships between three generations through the focus of the fire in the grate and the ice in granny’s cup.
The stories from the competition shortlist are all worthy supporters of the excellent winning half dozen and the pair of professional contributions. All of this set of charity anthologies is professionally edited and it shows in what is overall a slick, professional collection that makes for a page-turning read.
The five major prize winners are the stand-out stories. Forged by Dan Staniforth, a haunting tale that plays with memory, is the worthy winner. It’s a story that will stay with you. All the Time in the World by JX Plant took second place; the story of a future catastrophe told through the very tight lens of a bed-bound protagonist. Third place went to A Worm in the Toffee Apple by RL Kerrigan, a gripping story of a future society, the lens again focused down to a single protagonist.
Along with the winners, three more stories were singled out as highly commended. These were Tim Gayda’s edge-of-seat space adventure, The Button; Kitty Waldron’s Speak Before You Think, exploring the potential nightmare of AI systems gone wrong; and Boris Glikman’s The Light of Their Lives, a truly original take that explores what happens when the advertising moguls get their hands on light itself.
The professional contributors are Danuta Reah with Out Of Her Mind, a tense psychological tale; and Stuart Aken with Greed is Good, looking at mankind’s worst excesses.
The rest of the collection comprises nineteen stories from the competition shortlist: All the King's Men by Katie Lewis looking at the human story behind future genetic augmentation; Blind Alley by Emily Wootton, a spine-tingling chase through a future urban landscape; By the Grace of the Two Suns by Ed Newbould, cleverly playing with the fire and ice theme in a world of superstition and vigilante justice; The Yellow Bus by Helen Parker is a delightful tale of a mobile library with a portal to the worlds of the books it carries; Damned If You Do by Alan Paine is the futuristic tale of someone with a stark choice: death by fire, death by ice.
Elemental Sacrifice by John Hoggard brings fire, ice and drama into a well-crafted fantasy world of dwarves and wizards; Lagoon, a second story by RL Kerrigan, plays with the ideas of isolation and global threat; Responsibility Discharged (Fired and Iced) by CM Angus is another of the ones that plays ingeniously with the theme, where a fired employee has literally been put on ice. Fire and Ice by Louisa Morillo is a superbly described restaurant scene, one to avoid reading with your dinner. The Mandarin by Robin Bilton explores the machinations of a future society through the concepts of obligation and betrayal.
Frost Fires by Pierre Le Gue, set on a train journey with a difference, is one of those stories where the air of menace grows gradually; Frozen Fire by Rachel Lovat is one of several tales that uses man-made climate change as a theme albeit a far-reaching one, and is also one of those stories where the menace creeps up slowly as you shuffle ever closer to the edge of your seat. The Cold Ones by Joseph D Wheeldon again racks up the tension, taking fire and ice, heat and cold to the heart of a survival tale; Justice in the ’Pool by Jonathan Edwards has an entertaining take on the book’s theme, using it to create a futuristic police drama; one of several stories that made me smile.
Lucantha by Sue Hoffmann neatly winds the topic of the book around the idea of tales told by the fireside; The Separation of Fire and Ice by Mira Callahan is a crisply told narrative that has an interesting synergy with the winning story, Forged, although they are very different. Indeed, it is a recurring thread through the book, the way that the stories – all unique – bounce off each other as the fire and ice theme is explored.
On the Slope of Survival by Lynn McInroy is one of the stories that explores extreme climate shifts and follows a community on a treadmill of second guessing what the new seasons will bring, cleverly mirroring the real fire and ice with the ebb and flow of the main character’s key relationship; The Despoilers by Dominic Bell gives a different take on climate change where catastrophe comes from off-planet in a story with a strong sense of place that gives a global view; and finally, Adolescent Rebellion by Ann Bupryn, plays out in a single room, exploring the relationships between three generations through the focus of the fire in the grate and the ice in granny’s cup.
The stories from the competition shortlist are all worthy supporters of the excellent winning half dozen and the pair of professional contributions. All of this set of charity anthologies is professionally edited and it shows in what is overall a slick, professional collection that makes for a page-turning read.
August 11, 2019
Before you read this, you need to know that one of the 27 stories published in this anthology was written by me.
So, a collection of dark, sometimes very dark, speculative fiction with a touch of black humour sprinkled in. The theme of the anthology is Fire and Ice and it presents some of the stories entered for the contest organised by publisher Fantastic Books Publishing, with a sprinkling of invited contributions from published authors. As is always the case with these anthologies produced by FBP, 10% of proceeds are donated to charity, so you’ll not only be enjoying a damned good read, you’ll be helping one of a number of selected charities.
Fire and ice are, of course, opposites, and it’s this contrast that features in all the stories; in some more so than others.
All the stories are well written and presented. As is always the case with a collection of tales from different authors, there’ll be some you prefer to others, but all readers will find something they can really get their teeth into.
‘Forged’ by Dan Staniforth was the contest winner. It’s a brilliant and disturbing tale or war’s distorted morality and a soldier’s determination to cling to what he sees as duty. In reality, a drug-fuelled nightmare.
‘All the Time in the World’ by JX Plant was placed second in the contest. It’s a complex story, brimming over with imagination, depicting a world both alien and familiar, governed, perhaps, by computers. Startling.
‘A Worm in the Toffee Apple’ by RL Kerrigan won the third prize. A horrific world in which rampant capitalism, class and consumption have eroded all moral sense in favour of expedient pleasure for the ruling elite. See a recognisable future here?
‘Out of Her Mind’ by Danuta Reah is an invited contribution. The words of the writer made manifest by a mind no longer in control, as nightmare replaces domestic disharmony.
‘The Button’ by Tim Gayda was highly commended in the contest. In a world where climate change has tipped over the point of no return, uncontrolled warming strikes humanity ‘protected’ by cryogenics and AI. But how long will such science be able to perform?
‘All the King’s Men’ by Katie Lewis was a selected contest entry. I describe this as a nightmare world, and you’ll need to read it to discover why.
‘Blind Alley’ by Emily Wooton was a selected contest entry. When the State becomes all, escape is the only way. Desperate, bleak, terrifying.
‘By the Grace of the Two Suns’ by Ed Newbold; another selected contest entry. A story of tribalism and prejudice, and the dreadful price of ignorance and superstition raised above reason.
‘The Yellow Bus’ by Helen Parker; selected contest entry. Travel through a secret portal to the pages of a book, but be very careful which story you choose!
‘Damned if You Do…’ by Alan Paine; selected contest entry. Living through Hell. But is it real or is it virtual?
‘Elemental Sacrifice’ by John Hoggard; selected contest entry. A fantasy, dark and dire, with dwarves, swords, magic and ritual sacrifice.
‘Lagoon’ by RL Kerrigan; yes, the 3rd prize winner managed to impress with two tales. Dystopian fiction with a virus infection. A deadly story.
‘Speak Before You Think’ by Kitty Waldron; highly commended entry. Dark humour as an alcoholic desperately tries to battle his addiction but is faced with a capitalist domestic AI home help.
‘Responsibility Discharged (Fired and Iced)’ by CM Angus; selected contest entry. Beware of any deal that seems too good to be true, especially involving a future that may not turn out to be at all what you bargained for.
‘Greed is Good’ by Stuart Aken (that’s me) is an invited contribution. A selfish businessman is forcibly returned to a damaged Earth to be tried for his failure to give a damn about the environment.
‘Fire and Ice’ by Louisa Morillo; selected contest entry. Dark humour. A meal is served, but you may question what you’re eating here.
‘The Mandarin’ by Robin Bilton; selected entry. A terrifying new world in which humanity itself stars as a commodity.
‘Frost Fires’ by Pierre Le Gué; selected entry. A railway story with a difference and a time anomaly.
‘Frozen Fire’ by Rachel Lovat; selected entry. Commercial pressures drive human employees to rape unoccupied planets for their resources but failure means the Company, using embedded AI, has the last word.
‘The Cold Ones’ by Joseph Wheeldon; selected entry. Fire is constantly at war with ice on this alien world where one must ultimately lose.
‘Justice in the Pool’ by Jonathan Edwards; selected entry. A ruined but highly populated Earth devoid of nature and under a system of criminal justice that is as far removed from real justice as imaginable.
‘Lucantha’ by Sue Hoffmann; selected entry. A fantasy/fairy tale of a very dark nature, told as a tale within a tale, and definitely not for the children!
‘The Separation of Fire and Ice’ by Mira Callahan; selected entry. Be careful if you seek perfection; it may turn out to be something entirely different from what you imagine.
‘On the Slope of Survival’ by Lyn McInroy; selected entry. Dark fantasy in the style of folk legend. Well told.
‘The Despoilers’ by Dominic Bell; selected entry. After a wayward asteroid renders Earth into an almost snowball, the survivors battle to keep humanity alive.
‘The Light of Their Lives’ by Boris Glikman; highly commended. A surreal tale layered in analogy that takes the idea of addiction to an extreme and inevitable conclusion.
‘Adolescent Rebellion’ by Ann Bupryn; invited contribution. A mysterious story channelling rebellion and unspecified magic into a parable.
I enjoyed this selection of imaginative speculative dark fiction shorts. I hope you will, too.
So, a collection of dark, sometimes very dark, speculative fiction with a touch of black humour sprinkled in. The theme of the anthology is Fire and Ice and it presents some of the stories entered for the contest organised by publisher Fantastic Books Publishing, with a sprinkling of invited contributions from published authors. As is always the case with these anthologies produced by FBP, 10% of proceeds are donated to charity, so you’ll not only be enjoying a damned good read, you’ll be helping one of a number of selected charities.
Fire and ice are, of course, opposites, and it’s this contrast that features in all the stories; in some more so than others.
All the stories are well written and presented. As is always the case with a collection of tales from different authors, there’ll be some you prefer to others, but all readers will find something they can really get their teeth into.
‘Forged’ by Dan Staniforth was the contest winner. It’s a brilliant and disturbing tale or war’s distorted morality and a soldier’s determination to cling to what he sees as duty. In reality, a drug-fuelled nightmare.
‘All the Time in the World’ by JX Plant was placed second in the contest. It’s a complex story, brimming over with imagination, depicting a world both alien and familiar, governed, perhaps, by computers. Startling.
‘A Worm in the Toffee Apple’ by RL Kerrigan won the third prize. A horrific world in which rampant capitalism, class and consumption have eroded all moral sense in favour of expedient pleasure for the ruling elite. See a recognisable future here?
‘Out of Her Mind’ by Danuta Reah is an invited contribution. The words of the writer made manifest by a mind no longer in control, as nightmare replaces domestic disharmony.
‘The Button’ by Tim Gayda was highly commended in the contest. In a world where climate change has tipped over the point of no return, uncontrolled warming strikes humanity ‘protected’ by cryogenics and AI. But how long will such science be able to perform?
‘All the King’s Men’ by Katie Lewis was a selected contest entry. I describe this as a nightmare world, and you’ll need to read it to discover why.
‘Blind Alley’ by Emily Wooton was a selected contest entry. When the State becomes all, escape is the only way. Desperate, bleak, terrifying.
‘By the Grace of the Two Suns’ by Ed Newbold; another selected contest entry. A story of tribalism and prejudice, and the dreadful price of ignorance and superstition raised above reason.
‘The Yellow Bus’ by Helen Parker; selected contest entry. Travel through a secret portal to the pages of a book, but be very careful which story you choose!
‘Damned if You Do…’ by Alan Paine; selected contest entry. Living through Hell. But is it real or is it virtual?
‘Elemental Sacrifice’ by John Hoggard; selected contest entry. A fantasy, dark and dire, with dwarves, swords, magic and ritual sacrifice.
‘Lagoon’ by RL Kerrigan; yes, the 3rd prize winner managed to impress with two tales. Dystopian fiction with a virus infection. A deadly story.
‘Speak Before You Think’ by Kitty Waldron; highly commended entry. Dark humour as an alcoholic desperately tries to battle his addiction but is faced with a capitalist domestic AI home help.
‘Responsibility Discharged (Fired and Iced)’ by CM Angus; selected contest entry. Beware of any deal that seems too good to be true, especially involving a future that may not turn out to be at all what you bargained for.
‘Greed is Good’ by Stuart Aken (that’s me) is an invited contribution. A selfish businessman is forcibly returned to a damaged Earth to be tried for his failure to give a damn about the environment.
‘Fire and Ice’ by Louisa Morillo; selected contest entry. Dark humour. A meal is served, but you may question what you’re eating here.
‘The Mandarin’ by Robin Bilton; selected entry. A terrifying new world in which humanity itself stars as a commodity.
‘Frost Fires’ by Pierre Le Gué; selected entry. A railway story with a difference and a time anomaly.
‘Frozen Fire’ by Rachel Lovat; selected entry. Commercial pressures drive human employees to rape unoccupied planets for their resources but failure means the Company, using embedded AI, has the last word.
‘The Cold Ones’ by Joseph Wheeldon; selected entry. Fire is constantly at war with ice on this alien world where one must ultimately lose.
‘Justice in the Pool’ by Jonathan Edwards; selected entry. A ruined but highly populated Earth devoid of nature and under a system of criminal justice that is as far removed from real justice as imaginable.
‘Lucantha’ by Sue Hoffmann; selected entry. A fantasy/fairy tale of a very dark nature, told as a tale within a tale, and definitely not for the children!
‘The Separation of Fire and Ice’ by Mira Callahan; selected entry. Be careful if you seek perfection; it may turn out to be something entirely different from what you imagine.
‘On the Slope of Survival’ by Lyn McInroy; selected entry. Dark fantasy in the style of folk legend. Well told.
‘The Despoilers’ by Dominic Bell; selected entry. After a wayward asteroid renders Earth into an almost snowball, the survivors battle to keep humanity alive.
‘The Light of Their Lives’ by Boris Glikman; highly commended. A surreal tale layered in analogy that takes the idea of addiction to an extreme and inevitable conclusion.
‘Adolescent Rebellion’ by Ann Bupryn; invited contribution. A mysterious story channelling rebellion and unspecified magic into a parable.
I enjoyed this selection of imaginative speculative dark fiction shorts. I hope you will, too.
December 9, 2019
A book of short stories which are best read with intervals between. As usual with a collection, some are better than others. The overall standard of writing was good but there were too many open ended stories for my taste. A nice dose of futuristic horror.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews