Category Archives: Short Stories

Seven things you (probably) didn’t know about the Ancient Olympics

Posted on November 8, 2020 by J P Catton

  An excerpt from “The Phantom Games”, a special anthology published to celebrate the (postponed) Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Nobody knows for certain how or why the tradition of Olympic Games began in Ancient Greece. One legend states that the mighty … Continue reading →

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“Break all the Laws of the Universe” – Interview with Author Meyari McFarland

Posted on November 3, 2020 by J P Catton

Today Excalibur Books interviews genre-spanning author Meyari McFarland, who wrote the story “Shrill of Cicada” for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic-inspired anthology, “The Phantom Games.”  Meyari McFarland Could you tell us a little about yourself and your background? I’m 53 years … Continue reading →

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“Dreaming the Wolf” – An Interview with Author Douglas Smith

Posted on August 15, 2020 by J P Catton

In this blog post Excalibur Books interviews one of the authors with a story in the forthcoming Excalibur 2020 anthology, Douglas Smith. He’s a multi-award-winning Canadian author described by Library Journal as “one of Canada’s most original writers of speculative … Continue reading →

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Summer Steals – for August 2020!

Posted on August 11, 2020 by J P Catton

NEWS from the House of Excalibur!  We are delighted to announce … “Machineries of Chaos”, the follow-up to “Engines of Night” in the “Dimensions Unknown” series by J P Catton, will be released on Aug 20th at the special launch … Continue reading →

Posted in Alternative History, Art & Design, Cyberpunk, Dieselpunk, Fantasy, Horror, Japan, Literature, Modernism, Science Fiction, Short Stories, Steampunk, The Occult, UK | Leave a comment

Zenna Henderson – A Woman of “The People”

Posted on August 11, 2020 by J P Catton

During research for the next Excalibur Books release, I recently came across the name of Zenna Henderson as the author of “Ararat”, a story I read many years ago. The more I read about her, the more I became intrigued … Continue reading →

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Ennio Morricone Homage: “A Coffin Full Of Stars”

Posted on July 15, 2020 by J P Catton

After Maestro Ennio Morricone rode off into the sunset on July 6th, we thought we would post this as a tribute … an excerpt of a Weird Western story from the forthcoming “Machineries of Chaos”, Volume Two of the the … Continue reading →

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Exclusive Science Fiction Preview: “Jimmy Diamond and the Girl from Venus”

Posted on May 30, 2020 by J P Catton

It’s Swinging London, 1965 – with Mods, Rockers, flying scooters, ray-guns, and alien invaders! Excalibur Books proudly presents an excerpt from Engines of Night, Volume One of the time-twisting pulp-adventure Dimensions Unknown series! (Image courtesy influx.co.uk) ONE Jimmy Diamond leaped … Continue reading →

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Alternative History Science Fiction Preview: 1917 – “Dulce et Decorum est”

Posted on April 12, 2020 by J P Catton

The following is an excerpt from a short story to be published in the forthcoming collection, Engines of Night. It was previously published in the series Tales From Beyond Tomorrow.  “Halt! Who goes there?” Captain Martin Blake pointed his revolver … Continue reading →

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Author Interview: Barbara G. Tarn

Posted on March 18, 2020 by J P Catton

This week we have an interview from the incredibly prolific Barbara G. Tarn, whose historical fantasy “Olympia Nights” will be published in the forthcoming Olympic-themed anthology, “Tokyo 2020: Warriors of Olympia”. Could you tell us a little about yourself and … Continue reading →

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Preview: “Appetite for the Unknown”

Posted on January 24, 2020 by J P Catton

This is an excerpt of a story taken from “Dark Lanterns”, a collection of short horror stories set in modern Tokyo, and featuring the “Yokai” – the rogue’s gallery of weird supernatural creatures from Japanese folklore and mythology! Image courtesy … Continue reading →

Posted in Horror, Japan, Mythology, Short Stories, The Occult | Leave a comment