For eleven years, the Bards and Sages Quarterly has introduces readers to an eclectic collection of talented speculative fiction authors. In this issue: A time traveler attempts to change the course of history and discovers that perhaps someone else already beat him to it in "The Gettysburg Paradox." In "Five Dozen Prayers", a stray dandelion sets a grieving woman on a desperate course to find a greater purpose in a dystopian world where possessing even a tiny plant is illegal. In "Listeners in the Dell", two British Army soldiers set out to investigate disruptions to radio signals and inexplicable sounds originating in an uninhabited rural valley. These and seven other incredible speculative tales await.

Welcome to The Bards and Sages Quarterly, a journal of speculative fiction. With each issue, we strive to bring readers a wide range of character-driven fiction from established and emerging authors in the fantasy, horror, and science fiction fields. The Bards and Sages Quarterly is the perfect sampler to explore the incredible range of storytelling found in the speculative genres. Some of the tales in this issue include: A Peruvian folk monster decides to try to make it in Hollywood and gets in over his head with the monsters already there is Pishtaku Out of Water. A man overcomes a long-held fear in an attempt to find love, only to have his fear come back for revenge in Shadow. A history professor stumbles upon a soldier’s journal that pulls him back to the battle of the Somme, where he encounters a long-dead relative in History Lessons.

For over ten years, The Bards and Sages Quarterly has provided fans of speculative fiction with a unique mix of tales from both new and established authors. With each issue, we strive to introduce readers to exciting and entertaining voices in the horror, science fiction, and fantasy genres. In our January 2019 issue: Laura DeHaan, Patrick Doerksen, Greg Hill, Brian James Lewis, Malcolm Laughton, Michael W. Lucht, Jennifer R. Povey, Barbara Buckley Ristine, R. Rozakis, Nilles Sonnemans, Sophie van Llewyn, and Dorothy A. Winsor. In “Close Calls,” a woman contacts her dead mother using new video conferencing technology and discovers that conversations with the dead may not be as ideal as she imagined. In “The Ugly Wee Man o’ The Loch,” to escape the consequences of a terrible bargain, a man must venture to a distant castle in search of the laughter tree. In “Toxicity,” the survivor of a workplace shooting finds herself haunted by her former colleagues. These and other fine tales await our readers.

Eleven short stories and a poem that show us what comes after the end of all we know. This is the fourth volume of the collected short stories of Joe Vasicek. It includes: The Manchurian Paradox We have met our timeline's enemy and he is us. A Fatal Rebirth Nothing in this world should live forever—not even civilization itself. The Final Turning This is how the world ends: not with a bang, but with a whimper—thanks to me. The New Covenant To restore a fallen America, an ancient and terrible covenant must be renewed. Hearken and Behold (by J.M. Wight) "Hearken, oh ye hypocrites, and behold the desolation that is already come upon you!" The End of Elysium For the promise of paradise, the last civilization will surrender to the apocalypse. The Promise of King Washington When the aliens came, it wasn't a military invasion: it was an economic one. (Again, Hazardous Imaginings, December 2020) Lord of the Slaves "Everyone secretly wants to be a slave. Those who deny it simply haven't found the right master." The Other Side of Reality What if your future self came back to give you advice, and all it did was confuse you? Schrödinger's Diaper “Stays clean and dry until you’re free to change it!” …except not quite. (Bards and Sages Quarterly, April 2022) Two Hours Ago A time machine without paradoxes, so long as it's not abused. Welcome to Our Crazy Family Two genderqueer lesbians and a tranny have a rebellious daughter who does the unthinkable and decides to marry a Christian.