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Banquo At Your Banquet

The Wall of Years

By Andrew M. Stephenson 

27 Apr, 2025

Because My Tears Are Delicious To You

9 comments

Andrew M. Stephenson’s 1979 The Wall of Years is a stand-alone science fiction novel.

In 2011, the Commissariat of National Integrity launched Project Damocles to protect the British Republics1 from the deleterious effects of time travel, specifically the possibility that events in nearby timelines could affect the home timeline. This is a serious concern given that neighboring timelines were marching to a final War. The simple answer: murder every outside analog of time travel’s inventor, Frobisher. With no outside time travel available, existence would remain local causality for local people.

The CNI’s models were flawed. Their actions set off a series of time storms. End result: the Earth was reduced to a nearly lifeless, radioactive wasteland2. Humanity perished… at least in 2011.

The 26th century is another matter entirely.

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Full Time Help

The Ministry of Time

By Kaliane Bradley 

25 Apr, 2025

Doing the WFC's Homework

8 comments

The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley is a stand-alone time travel novel.

Commander Graham Gore was just one of the hapless explorers in the Franklin Expedition1, which was attempting to find a Northwest Passage across the top of Canada. He appears in the history books as one of the casualties of the ill-fated expedition. In this novel he is given an afterlife… of sorts.

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Shining Bright

Insomniacs After School, volume 9

By Makoto Ojiro 

23 Apr, 2025

Translation

0 comments

Insomniacs After School, Volume 9 is the ninth tankōbon in Makoto Ojiro’s contemporary manga series. Serialized in Shogakukan’s seinen manga magazine Weekly Big Comic Spirits, Insomniacs After School has been ongoing since May 2019. The English translation of Volume 9 was released in 2025.

Companion insomniacs Ganta and Isaki have contended with official and parental roadblocks to their quest to restore their high school astronomy club, whose observatory is the only place either of them can sleep. Now they face a development outside the club’s previous experience.

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In the Wink

Half in Shadow

By Mary Elizabeth Counselman 

20 Apr, 2025

Because My Tears Are Delicious To You

7 comments

Mary Elizabeth Counselman’s 1978 Half in Shadow is a collection of weird stories. Despite overlap, it should not be confused with Mary Elizabeth Counselman’s 1964 Half in Shadow. Yeah, not really sure what Arkham was thinking when they reused the title.

Alabama-born Counselman (1911 – 1995) might be best remembered as a Weird Tales contributor, although her output was not limited to that magazine.


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House of Cards

The End of the Empire

By Alexis A. Gilliland 

17 Apr, 2025

Everything Is Worse With Libertarians

24 comments

Today’s review: The End of the Empire by Alexis Gilliland, published in 1983. I last reviewed this short novel a quarter century ago. I really hope I don’t recapitulate point for point my comments in the original review. I trust this is a fresh look.

The Holy Human Empire was neither holy, nor entirely human, nor an empire. The Holy Human Empire was as mortal as any institution. The government that once ruled many systems had been reduced to portions of a single planet. Soon, the empire would not even have that much1.

Faced with certain defeat on Portales, the imperial fleet flees. Amongst the lucky few to escape rebel wrath, intelligence officer Colonel Saloman Karff.

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