Thursday 14 July 2022

Marathon to Mordor - Karina Fabian

Marathon to Mordor
Karina Fabian
Laser Cow Press
ASIN B0B2X4YTPQ


In a few days Fabian released 4 short stories. This was the third I read. And it is an excellent offering. In the dedication at the beginning of the story Fabian states:

“To the geeks who also love sports.

Someday, this will be you.

A note about this story: I always imagined this story read in a broadcast. I hope you can also hear the different voices.”

We are informed in the section ‘Thanks for Reading’ Karina informs us that:

“The very first anthology I wrote for was Firestorm of Dragons. It’s where my favorite dragon detective, Vern, had his debut. I’ve written dozens of stories and several novels about Vern. However, my favorite story in the anthology was about the extreme sport of dragonscaling. It was hilarious, and I determined at some point to write my own extreme sports story.

Fast forward to 2018, when the call for Planetary Anthologies: Pluto came out. I was working at Firehouse Subs and subjected to way too much ESPN. I knew my time had come. Of course, my story is not funny but more about heroism. Even four years and many rereads later, it still chokes me up. I hope it touches you, too.”

This story was previously published in the Planetary Anthologies: Pluto, back in 2019. I have picked up a few of those anthologies but have not got around to reading them yet. And the main reason I picked them up was Fabian’s offering. After reading the stand alone stories Fabian has released I picked up the rest of the Anthologies before they go out of print. 

But back to Mordor, the description of the story is:

“It's American Gladiator in space as technoathletes pit their suits and their mettle against the most extreme race in the solar system.”

The story is an excellent example of Karina’s work. The story reminded me of the Roger Zelazny’s Alien Speedway books or a cross between it and the TV series Sports Night. I read Alien Speedway many years ago, and this story took me immediately back to those stories. The story reads like radio play or script. It is an excellent read and I highly recommend it.  

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2022 Catholic Reading Plan!

Books by Karina Fabian:
Why God Matters: How to Recognize Him in Daily Life
Frightliner

Dex Hollister Series:
The Old Man and the Void
Dex's Way
...

Neeta Lyffe, Zombie Exterminator Series :
Neeta Lyffe, Zombie Exterminator
I Left My Brains in San Francisco
Shambling in a Winter Wonderland
…

DragonEye PI Series:
DragonEye PI Novels:
?.0 Magic, Mensa and Mayhem (Revised edition)
?.0 Live and Let Fly (Revised edition)
... 

DragonEye PI Short Stories:

DragonEye PI Original First Editions:
Live and Let Fly
...

Space Traipse Series:
Space Traipse: Hold My Beer, Season 1
Space Traipse: Hold My Beer, Season 2
Space Traipse: Hold My Beer, Season 3
Space Traipse Stories
…

Mind Over Series:
Mind Over Mind
Mind Over Psyche
Mind Over All
Hearts Over Mind
…

Edited by: Karina Fabian:
Infinite Space, Infinite God I
Leaps of Faith
Infinite Space, Infinite God II
...


Contributed to:
Firestorm of Dragons
The Zombie Cookbook
The Book of Tentacles
Twisted Fayrie Tales
FRIGHTLINER: And Other Tales of the Undead
Mother Goose is Dead
Word by Word: Slowing Down with the Hail Mary
Image and Likeness Literary Reflections on the Theology of the Body
Corrupts Absolutely? Dark Metahuman Fiction
Weird Noir
The Complete Guide to Writing Paranormal Novels
Manifesto UF
Avenir Eclectia
Planetary Anthology: Jupiter
Planetary Anthology: Pluto
Planetary Anthology: Luna
Planetary Anthology: Uranus
FlagShip Science Fiction and Fantasy v2i5
My Little Book of Headdesks
To Be Men: Stories Celebrating Masculinity
...










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