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Slipstream SF, New Weird, DarkSF by John Argo in the DarkSF series

Nebula Express. One of the most terrifying novels ever written—claustrophobic, with dark glimmerings of realization as the horrifying truth about a wrecked starship slowly becomes clear to the six lost engineers on board. What makes it so shattering is that the truth lies not in the crippled, decaying starship hurtling into eternity with nobody at the controls, nor the astounding truth about strange creatures (mudmen, cleaners) on board, but the realization that the hero and heroine (Ridge and Brenna) reach about their own existences.

Knowing this overwhelming and tragic truth, Ridge and Brenna hardly bat an eyelash when they walk through the ship's Bridge, where all the officers are ancient mummies by now. Ridge and Brenna are lovers on the run for their lives. They only have hours, if not minutes before they become part of the ship's tragedy. The only hope is a mythic refuge somewhere on board called Largo, which holds the key to the ship's intended destination. More info soon. Site under development.

The generation starship is an old trope in SF or here in DarkSF. It's never been done like this before. If you want the ride of a lifetime, take the Nebula Express.

Original novel written by John Argo in 2004. Copyright © 2005 by John Argo. All Rights Reserved. Clocktower Books first edition 2005.

What is DarkSF? We like to say that DarkSF is the Dark Chocolate of Science Fiction. DarkSF is not about gore or grue but about art and atmosphere. It is literary and poetic. Think of the artful genius of Ridley Scott's 1979 Alien and 1982 Blade Runner; or Alex Proyas' 1998 Dark City; or Julien Leclercq's 2007 Chrysalis; just to name a few. The best SF is DarkSF because it tends to embrace sweeping themes in a rich broth of art and atmosphere. The list is long, and includes far more of world literature than our Puritanical society is allowed to think. Elements occur in the Epic of Gilgamesh, Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, Dante's Divine Comedy, Defoe's 1719 Robinson Crusoe, and tales by many modern masters. We'll be publishing a special DarkSF website soon to celebrate.

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