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.
