Oort Cloud Publications                                               VacHume Press

Surprising Stories

January 2012

Editor: John Thiel

Production: Eric Thiel

Art Editor: Ramos Fumes

Advertising: Morris Henshaw

Server: DCWI

General matters: Bobo and Yahres Moulty

Cover: Prometheus bestowing fire upon mankind. Artist, John Thiel

Contents

Editorial

Fiction

Spawn of Darkness by Herbert Jerry Baker art by Ramos Fumes

             Jakab Pedigrew in a dream of the eldritch terrors

Washed Away by Lawrence Dagstine   art by Larry Etn

             Underwater adventures

The Abduction of Angel by Michael W. Clark   art by Ramos Fumes

             Heavenly transgressions

Message In a Bottle by JOE MARCHIONE                            art by La Joilette

             How is that form of messaging done?

The Spectral Carnival Show by M.F.Korn  art by Jody Franklin

             Sold by spirits, lock, stock and barrel

Dwellers in the Light by Tom Wilson III     art by Maxine Colby

             Take a tour and start seeing things

The Heitz Wake by Steven Comstock     art by Eugene Gryniewicz

             You don't know whether you're awake or dreaming.

Curiosity Shop by Cynthia Rako                                    art by La Joilette

             Does the buyer know he himself may be something of a curiosity?

The Cereal Killer by Flint Mitchell

             Eats and beer

The Tambourine Man by John Benson   art by Larry Etn

            Hey, Mister, play that thing for free!

Sinister Shadows by Bruce P. O’Toole Baker  photoart by Stephen Deutsch

             Er, don’t look into the darkness, there may be moving things

Category Five by Jean-Paul Ferro          art by Eugene Gryniewicz

             But there is only one true category

Rufus by James C. Duncan  photoart by Cy Ludlow

             You meet strange people sometimes

The Meir Experiments by Paul Brandis   art by Ramos Fumes

             Did they do anyone any good?

Insomnia by Denise K. Simon   art by Ramos Fumes

             You’ll find this one to your liking.

Avatar by Peter Elliott    art by Darren Kidd

              A Step ahead

The Gray Man by James D. McReynolds   art by Ramos Fumes

              He stands out

Obsidere  by  David Barber   art by Ramos Fumes

              Look closely into this one

ARTICLES

The Stubborn Market by Paul Acosta

Magic On Television by William Wake Wallace

Special Features

Suzy’sHorrorGallerY

COLUMNS

Points of No Return by Rich Jervis

The Spaced-Out Library reviews by Elmwood Kraemer

Fanac

The Computer corner—Joanne Tolson

Ad Infinitum

POEMS

The Nature of the Beast by Jim Dunlap

Plant Growth Lab, Midnight by Dan Pearl

Under Cover Fantasy by Jim DeWitt

Sunday 12:32 A.M. by William Passera

In The Horse Latitudes by Felix Stefanile

Astro Physics by William Passera

The   Mythic Worlds of Granisland by Charles Rampp

Earth Orbit by Kent Thornton

In The Year 2540 We Make Contact by John Grey

A Night In Time by Amy McNeill

A Space Pilot’s Farewell by Peter James Crabtree

Apparition by Jack A. Howser

Strange Fate by Maurice Luckett

Watching the Lost by Danny Weiss

Insanity Twist by Maurice Luckett

The Seer by Robert Ankwell

Another Icarus by Alan Johnson

We Control the Vertical/Horizontal by Peter Layton

Fighting the Deep Space Blues by Jim Dunlap

The Dream by Kenn Adams

FINAL PAGE  May it not be as final as all that