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A collection of original poetry, fiction, science-fiction, science-fantasy, fantasy,
horror
and cyberpunk stories, short stories, novelettes and vignettes

written by

Christopher T. Shields

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"My God!  It's full of ... stories !"

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All stories are copyrighted by Christopher T. Shields.  Thank you for your interest in my writing.  I have included the following selections for your enjoyment.  I will add more as time allows, these will be obvious from the 'new' indicator next to them.  I welcome your comments, if you feel so inclined.

 

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The truth is that the inspiration for this set of stories came from many sources (including a childhood nightmare that my mother had when she was very young).  The inspiration draws upon the works of Mick Farren, H. P. Lovecraft and Warren Publishing’s classic black and white illustrated comic magazine series “The Rook” from the late 1970’s.  Sackler’s story can best be described as a combination of Mick Farren and Dean Kootnz adding their special sci-fi and horror touch to every Clint Eastwood cowboy movie ever made (especially “The Outlaw Josey Wales”) with a pinch of H. P. Lovecraft to sweeten (or sour) the recipe.  Throw in Yul Brenner as “Chris, the gunfighter” in “The Magnificent Seven” and again as the cold unfeeling android gunfighter in “West World”, add in Warren’s tangled tale of the time and space travelling gunfighter from “The Rook” and just about any other supernatural / science fiction / horror that involves cowboys and you’ll be spending time in the playground that I’ve set up for my characters. 

I’ve tried to write this story (and any other story in this series) in such a way that it scares me, I write about stuff that would spook me and I’m not easily spooked (the man in the rubber monster suit really doesn’t do it for me). 

Whether I succeeded in that goal is up to you, my readers, to decide.

As for a plot, well, there isn’t any right now.  There are several elements that run through the story but I really wanted to create an open-ended playpen where I could explore my own ability to create horror and mix it in a wild west setting with the hint of science fiction and a bit of old fashioned magic from time to time.

 

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The pocket tactical wargames that have survived for more than 30 years, Steve Jackson's original take on 21st century tactical land combat involving giant cybertanks and the armored forces that can stand up to a slugging contest with them.  Find out more in DATAPULSE.

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            MAISHIN


"I stared at the flat black oval in my hand, a military grade environmentally sealed case. Cool, yet alive with a barely perceptible hum. Shielded, electronically and digitally. It had only two ports to the outside, both heavily defended with hard black ice and direct linked to a greater array of softer, though none the less volatile ice. What I held in my hand was a ghost. A two kilo ghost." - The Decedent Reconciliation

 

Maishin, Japanese for "push forward, struggle ahead," is the gritty collection of cyberpunk tales that follow Quinn DiArdo from the hot jungles of South America, to the vast urban underground sprawl where shady deals are made and everything and everyone has a price. In a world where everyone wears a face, nothing is as it seems, and deception is considered a business formality, the payoff for a job well done can be tremendous. If you fail, you can be replaced easily and your body parts and organs will bring a tidy sum to whoever can claim them for sale.  And if you ever go on the run and want to hide, you're going to have to do more than change your face, your habits, and your name ...  you're going to have to change your very DNA ...

Experience the illusionary interface of the global network, marvel at the twelve kilometer high atmoscrapers and the intrigue of global multinational corporations that have their own life, giant creatures that control the Earth through commercial and political pressure. Their blood is composed of information and it moves at the speed of light. Ride the Beanstalk up the gravity well to the shining crystal palaces floating majestically in the LaGrange points high above the Earth and from there catch a rocket to the moon where lives that are lost in mining accidents are considered to simply be part of the cost of doing business for the corporations.

It's a long way out into the black but the ride back is worth it for Quinn DiArdo. A person, who, like the rest of us, is just trying to make a decent living. But no one ever said anything about that living having to be honest or that you would be the same at the end of the game ....

In the future, you can lose a lot more than your mind.

You can lose your soul ....

Maishin.

 

 

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The best laid plans of mice and men oft go astray.  Here are works that I started with the best of intentions (i.e. of finishing them) but which have sat gathering dust for years now.  These are unfinished works, so be warned; don't get attached to any characters or situations in these stories.  If they provide inspiration for others, so be it.  I may or may not get around to finishing these stories, but until then, they remain ... fragments and pieces.

 

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For real stories and humor related to fast cars and a fast life
please check out TALES FROM THE DRIVER'S SEAT.