Saturday 30 April 2016

Make Mine an Indie: Unsung Stories


I've been looking for independent publishers who publish fantasy and science fiction for a long while now, and while they definitely do exist the focus does seem to primarily be on general fiction and nonfiction, so I was super excited to come across this weeks' publisher at random, through twitter (as you do).
Unsung Stories

Unsung Stories is an imprint of Red Squirrel Publishing, a UK based independent publisher of mainly guides for citizenship tests in the UK and Australia. This seems a little strange, but Unsung Stories specialise in speculative fiction; lots of science fiction and horror but also things that are just a little bit weird and off the beaten track. In short, it seems great!

They are a very small small press and currently only have six titles to their name, but honestly the ones that they have look fantastic, so that's really all that matters!

They are another publisher that has free content. You can read short stories on their website or sign up and they'll email you a short story once a fortnight, and if you are a reviewer (particularly one who, unlike me, reads books in digital format) they have a very clear and simple way to get in touch with them and review their titles. What could be better, right?

Some of their books which look great:

The Beauty by Aliya Whiteley
From the Unsung Stories website:
Somewhere away from the cities and towns, a group of men and boys gather around the fire each night to listen to their stories in the Valley of the Rocks. For when the women are all gone the rest of your life is all there is for everyone. The men are waiting to pass into the night.
The story shall be told to preserve the past. History has gone back to its aural roots and the power of words is strong. Meet Nate, the storyteller, and the new secrets he brings back from the woods. William rules the group with youth and strength, but how long can that last? And what about Uncle Ted, who spends so much time out in the woods?
Hear the tales, watch a myth be formed. For what can man hope to achieve in a world without women? When the past is only grief how long should you hold on to it? What secrets can the forest offer to change it all? 
Discover the Beauty.

I think I first heard about this on Jen Campbell's Youtube (I might be wrong). It sounded fascinating then and it does now. I've added it to my wishlist. 

Dark Star by Oliver Langmead
From the Unsung Stories website:
The city of Vox survives in darkness, under a sun that burns without light. In Vox’s permanent night, light bulbs are precious, the rich live in radiance and three Hearts beat light into the city. Aquila. Corvus. Cancer.
Hearts that bring power to the light-deprived citizens of the city of Vox whilst ghosts haunt the streets, clawing at headlights. Prometheus, liquid light, is the drug of choice. The body of young Vivian North, her blood shining brightly with unnatural light, has no place on the streets.
When Cancer is stolen, the weaponisation of its raw power threatens to throw Vox into chaos. Vox needs a hero, and it falls to cop Virgil Yorke to investigate.
But Virgil has had a long cycle and he doesn’t feel like a hero. With the ghosts of his last case still haunting his thoughts, he craves justice for the young woman found dead with veins full of glowing. Aided by his partner Dante, Virgil begins to shed light on the dark city’s even darker secrets.
Haunted by the ghosts of his past and chased by his addictions, which will crack first, Virgil or the case?

This just sounds really cool and so unlike what I usually read, and you all know how much I love to stretch my reading comfort zone!

And then two that I unfortunately won't be able to read unless I get over my aversion to eBooks, but for those of you who don't suffer with this problem you should probably check them out immediately!

Winter by Dan Grace
From the Unsung Stories website:
In the aftermath of an anarchic uprising, a group of revolutionaries flee London for the north, coming to terms with the violent loss of their companions, battling with illness and a new way of life.
In the forests of the Scottish borders, they meet Mikhail, a Ukrainian immigrant in touch with powers they can scarcely believe. But is he all he seems? Because the snows are coming, the seasons turn, and the laws of the cities mean little to the woods.
In Dan Grace’s debut novella a violent future of the failed Union meets the mythic and pagan past. As man reaps the harvest of war, utopian hopes vie with apocalyptic fears. Winter sets in.

It doesn't seem like it should have mythology in it, and then it has mythology in it. Not going to lie, that's pretty much all it takes to get me interested in a book!

The Bearer of Grievances by Joseph McKinley
Introducing Defurion, the first FDA approved memory transplantation system. Defurion uses patented nanotechnology to gently identify and remove your angriest memories. Defurion is knife and pain free and has been approved for adolescents and adults – Shāshǔyào Pharmaceuticals, helping you get even since 2043. 
Welcome to the future, where technology has saved us all. Drones delivering peanuts, exosuits to make you strong but leave you weak, your house AI powered by hydrogen cells in the basement, digital therapists charging by the minute. Careful with the paperwork though, things have got complicated. 
Don’t get angry, let the Bearer of Grievances take revenge for you. This revolutionary system is tamper-proof guaranteed to ensure retribution for those who most deserve it. 
Let technology set you free.
Hey, why be angry when techology can do it for you? I. LOVE. THIS. 

So I think you'll agree, some awesome looking stuff here! Find Unsung Stories on their website, twitter and Facebook page, and catch up with the rest of the Make Mine an Indie series here.   

2 comments:

  1. They sent me Dark Star out of the blue a while ago (like, never ever been in touch with them before so it was bizarre but they sent a cool package). I've not really felt in the mood for it but it does sound different enough that it's not gone in the charity pile.

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  2. They sent me Dark Star out of the blue a while ago (like, never ever been in touch with them before so it was bizarre but they sent a cool package). I've not really felt in the mood for it but it does sound different enough that it's not gone in the charity pile.

    ReplyDelete