"Absinthe Fish" online now (BULL SPEC #5, PDF/Print)

[Vintage Season]

As a science fiction author, my first professional sale was to Bull Spec magazine, and the PDF version of issue #5 — which includes my story "Absinthe Fish" — is online now. (The print version will be released this Friday evening at the "NC Speculative Fiction Night #3" at Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh.)

Locus Online just reviewed the new issue of Bull Spec, and Lois Tilton singled out "Absinthe Fish" with a very favorable recommendation:

“Absinthe Fish” by M David Blake

A lovely hallucinatory meditation on the metaphors of infinite possibility.

Schrödinger’s cat frequently brings wet paws, and tiny, cold droplets of water make their way into the absinthe. Absinthe also frequently makes its way into the cat, which undoubtedly contributes to the feline’s pixelated state.

The sort of thing that makes short-short fiction worthwhile, because something like this can not possibly be longer and remain readable.

–RECOMMENDED

— M.

[Vintage Season]

This morning I was finding it difficult to stay alert and focused, until "Absinthe Fish" received a very favorable endorsement, from SF Signal reviewer John H. Stevens! An enthusiastic review gives me a better buzz than caffeine (not that I'll ever give up coffee... but favorable words are the best stimulant in the world).

John H. Stevens: "... I would like to point in particular to M. David Blake's "Absinthe Fish" which perfectly fulfills my criteria for 'mind-blowing fiction.'"

His comment appeared in the MIND MELD Makeup: Our Favorite SF/F Consumed During 2011 article. I am blown away by the response this story has received, as well as the fact that it is still garnering reviews, seven and a half months after it first appeared.

— M.

[Vintage Season]

I've now learned that the story is also included on the 2011 Locus Poll and Survey, in the Best Short Story category! Ohmygoodnessawesomeawesomeawesome...

Anyone who would like to read "Absinthe Fish" is welcome to do so, for free. The file is now available in DRM-free ePub, Mobi, and PDF formats, on my website.



— M.