At 12:00 AM (now), “Of Thinking Being and Beast” goes online at Beneath Ceaseless Skies, alongside a story called “Dragon’s-Eyes” by the significantly-better-than-me Margaret Ronald. Yah! It is a high day to be me.
A disclaimer: the centaur stories—-of which there are many more, though this is the first I’ve sold—-are bleak, vicious, and include not a little of the old ultra-violence in the Anthony Burgess sense. Kid friendly they are not.
This is Botticelli’s Pallas and the Centaur. Doesn’t he look innocent and retiring. Don’t be fooled.
oooo–nice halberd!
Great story in Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Mike! Your “Of Thinking Being and Beast” rewrite applies maximum effort to the feedback you got at TNEO. And since I was one of said feedback-ers I have *every* right to say that, heh, heh. Those centaur pukes are animals I just *love* to hate! Great job! Please let me touch you when next we meet, man. Why should one dude have all that creativity to himself?
Muhahahaha!!!! 🙂
Heh! Thanks, Dave, I think… 🙂 I did indeed rewrite the stuffing out of that story, and I owe you and everybody who critiqued it.
You did revise “Of Thinking…” a lot, although I recognized previous bits and pieces. I love the corncob pipe–it somehow adds a weird realism to Boreas’s character.
I really liked how you developed the story into one of redemption. Boreas could never completely let go of some morsel of “humanity” no matter how used he became to violence or how much he tried to convince himself that he was only interested in self-preservation. The only way you could make his redemption powerful is if he were surrounded by the horrific and appeared immune to it. In the end he sacrificed himself for what he admired and thought he could never be–for what the women stood for.
Some of the imagery, especially when you described the Minotaur, was wonderful–the juxtaposition of a monster with curls. Great stuff.
Thanks, Michele!
Another excellent story. Very evocative and unique. I’m always ready to check out something new by you.
Thanks very much! That means a lot.