Free SF&F Short Stories
These are the short stories of science fiction writer Karl K. Gallagher. I’ve published eleven fantasy and science fiction novels, some of which were finalists for the Prometheus Award. Each month I’ll publish one short story. They’re from the tradition of saying “what if” or “if this goes on” and working out the consequences of that idea.
Free subscribers receive the monthly stories, along with samples of newly published novels. Paid subscribers will receive a free autographed paperback of their choice (after 4 months for monthly subscribers). Founding member subscribers receive an autographed copy of every new novel published as well. All paid subscribers will have access to posts with progress updates, snippets from works in progress, and answers to reader questions.
Novels
I’ve published eleven novels and am working on the twelfth.
The Torchship trilogy is a blue-collar hard SF adventure. Torchship follows Michigan Long, a spy undercover as a freighter pilot, as she tries to complete her mission while dealing with kidnappers, killer robots, and a government which wants to ban unsupervised computers. In Torchship Pilot, when war breaks out between Michigan’s home world and the oppressive Fusion, she’s pressed into taking her ship on missions a warship can’t do. Torchship Captain ends with humanity united against the AIs which killed everyone on Earth.
The Torchship Trilogy omnibus gathers all three books into a single volume. The trilogy was a finalist for the Prometheus Award for Best Libertarian Science Fiction Novel of the Year.
My first fantasy novel is The Lost War. Newman and Goldenrod expected a weekend of costumed fun. Instead these medieval historical reenactors are flung into a wilderness by magic they don't understand. They must struggle to survive and deal with monsters who consider them prey . . . or worse. In the sequel The War Revealed they discover how and why they wound up there—and who did it.
The Fall of the Censor series is space opera focused on an isolated world trying to fend off an empire which maintains control by erasing all books and art over a generation old.
Storm Between the Stars: Niko Landry is performing a routine survey of hyperspace when he discovers a passage has opened to let them recontact the rest of humanity.
Between Home and Ruin: Young Marcus Landry is drawn into the negotiations with the Censorate as an interpreter—and then is fighting for his life to defend his homeworld.
Seize What’s Held Dear: Marcus Landry leads the counter-attack, making contact with the oppressed subjects of Censorate and helping them rebel.
Captain Trader Helmsman Spy: Niko Landry takes his freighter deep into Censorate space to find out their secrets, risking death in every encounter.
Swim Among the People: Marcus Landry must protect his wife Wynny and baby when the Censorate musters the force to retake the world they’d lost. Marcus and Wynny are forced to take up leadership of the resistance to the occupation.
Trouble In My Day: The reward for a job well done is another job: Marcus commands a squadron of rebel warships as they fight the Censorate. Trapped behind enemy lines after a Censorate counter-attack, they must find a way home.
The series is planned for nine books. I’m working on number seven, War By Other Means, as time allows.
Once I finish the Censorate series, I may turn to fantasy again, but there are several concepts for other novels in my ideas file, so we’ll see where the Muse takes me.
Story Collections
Before starting this Substack, I sold short stories to a bunch of anthologies and magazines. I’ve gathered them into the collection Ultimate Conclusions. This includes three previously unpublished stories in the Torchship Trilogy universe. I’ve also added a dozen articles I’d sold to gaming magazines, including some Traveller RPG adventures which became the plot of the first Torchship novel.
Unmitigated Acts is the second collection. It collects the first seventeen stories from this Substack, for anyone who wants to enjoy them as a nice paperback or sturdy hardcover.
