Sunday Castle Festival (2025 - 16): fantasy, science fiction and horror
I’m correcting the tale of The Knight of the Golden Armour for an anthology this week. I have a lot of my stories to translate to English and I have begun the translation of
’s Samyuzdat. I will publish it as I end them.If any of you want any of your stories to be translated into Spanish, tell me in the comments or by message. Of course, you will be given credit of the original post.
And now… we begin.
If you don’t get the entire mail, click here to read it. Believe me, this mail is really long…
A) Fiction:
I) Fantasy:
, the Great Twins of Substack, have written a new chapter of their Scottish epic story, The Wicked Witch of the High Mountains: “It was at that moment that the people realized the lad to be of the line of Adomnan. While many might well have doubted for the first year of his life, the resemblance between the two was unmistakeable so that by the time that the child reached his second year none could have mistaken him for aught other than Adomnan’s son”. has continued his story, The Haunting of Guartori Dolco, now on Ch 35, Plunging into the Void: “The absolute void where Tartarus had been really was completely blank, even when viewed through my magical senses. But the bits of Erebus that had drifted down into the void had small ripples of magic in them. Much to my surprise, there were also what looked like human shadows moving through the darkness of Erebus yet distinct from it.”
Last Sunday I read ch 21 y 22 of
’s Pedro Sangre adventures, Death Whispers, so this week I’m reading ch 23, Village of Silent Voices: “Worse than the statues, in some horrific comparison, lay the bloody bodies of the dead. There were quite a few of those. Blood seemed to be pooled everywhere in the grass. A knot of emotion rose in my throat, trying to strangle me.”
We have now the second part of ch 16 of
’s story, The Jarl Son, Foe-Breaker, a great fight that would make you feel you are inside it: “In their brief time together, Marten had learned three important things about the man called Halvar the Foe-Breaker. Firstly, that he was a kidnapper, raper, and killer, and thus not worthy of life. Secondly, that he was of the Red Bear’s ilk, and may have insight into where Gaiur was taken. Thirdly, and most important of all in that moment, he had learned that when the Foe-Breaker’s bloodlust set him towards prey, he became single-minded in his efforts to kill his chosen victim”.
The Ch 6th of
’s Eathel the Bastard has the interesting title of “Raga the Witch Rides Again”: “Raga would certainly be infamous for the ruthless efficiency with which she barreled through whatever distance separated where she stood for where she intended to be. Whatever her target, she riveted the steel of her mind to its fulfillment.” Raga, the Witch Assassin… interesting character. has also continued her serial, “One Hundred Refusals”, now on Ch 16, Pearl’s Curse. We left her with Lord Ashier and now we are seeing the other side, Pearl: “Pearl’s mind kept going in circles; she wished to give into Val’s arms whole-heartedly, but what about Sturnus? He did not deserve betrayal. He did not deserve any of this. Her treacherous desires, her filthy longing for Val, her curse… Oh, what of the curse? Sturnus did no deserve to wake near a dead wife… Pear had no doubt, Ash’s curse would kill her the moment she and Sturnus would lay in their wedding bed together. But lay there she must! Pearl had no choice – King Olor himself threatened to stand by their chamber to make sure the marriage gets consummated properly. No, poor cursed Pearl had no choice. She would die. For Avem!” Oh, oh, that revenge of the Snakeling…
We can also enjoy Ch 25 of The Lives of Velnin from
, titled “Begin Third Life”: “Aloree looked at me coolly—or at least, with the coolest expression that a beautiful girl with tears drying on her cheeks, still flushed from our kissing, could manage. "Proposing on the first kiss? Tell you what... win the war, come back in one piece, propose properly, with a ring, and I might, just might, be persuaded to consider it." I bet he is going to win the war in no time… Enemies, be aware! 🤣 published the 39th ch of A River Trembles, “Pity”: “I gaze rested upon Jasper who grimaced, turning his ruined face into an ugly mask. He gripped his glass, his knuckles white. “My apologies. Mr. Tregallas, we will not induct you into the Chosen Court today. There is a spell that might heal you. We need to check first to see if it will work—””.
She has also announced the next part: Obsidian and Flame.
I have also read Part 3 of Thrain, by
, Njalor: “Then in the ranks of men within the banks a banner shot up, held aloft by a mighty man. At once Njalor sprang from his hiding spot, closely followed by the man with red hair. The snow around him exploded into a cloud of powder as dozens more in black and white erupted from their hiding. There was no battle cry, only the sound men sprinting to deliver swift death.”
My contribution this week is this story of The Legend of Sinardia V: “Outside, two very rough men, poorly and almost shabbyly dressed, were guarding the entrance. They looked around worriedly. The moment was very complicated: the woman had had to make that trip, and during the journey, she went into labor, although she still had two weeks until the due date was determined”.
The Legend of Sinardia V: Hope
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Si tu idioma es español, esta entrada es una traducción de la original que puedes leer aquí.
B) Science fiction and horror:
has written a beautiful piece, What We Live in the Ground: “Alice stares in disbelief. Her sparkling eyes are wide open. She probably would’ve preferred to remain on the outskirts of the scene. All she knows is that her cat is in that black hole. She doesn’t yet understand how much it matters to catch every detail. How to give meaning to a goodbye. Right now, her soul is full of sharp, incoherent fragments that sting and cut. I know—I’ve been there. She can’t reconcile life and death. No one can. They’re too far apart, too contradictory.”
Bulgarian sci-fi guru,
, has begun a new series, Lost Numbers, of which I had already read Ch 1. So this week I have read Ch 2: “In terms of spare munitions there was a single jerry-rigged dual power pack, but that was exactly what the child soldier had hoped for. However, what made his heart sing was the fact that this warrior carried a set of masterfully crafted tools. These, he could use to a reasonable degree and refit his venerable beamgun with parts of the Terr’aan’s laser rifle. With some effort he could combine his decrepit dagger’s handle with the short sword’s pristine megasteel blade, thus acquiring a proper vibroblade”.
I have read
’s Moon Sea Marauders till ch 5, so this week I have read Ch 6: “The conclusion was inevitable: something in the soil below, perhaps brought on by our proximity to the lunar pole, was negating the effects of the gravitic aether emanating from the keel of our ship. When the windmills were turned around and we resumed our movement towards the north again, the same inexorable descent once again struck us as we continued our pursuit, and the next conclusion was equal parts resignation and frustration”.
We also can read Ch 16’s Lightbreaker of Orpheus, from
: ““I’ve known Captain Derek long enough. If there’s one thing he holds in high esteem, it’s courage to face one’s fears, and honesty. He will appreciate you coming in person. Besides, you’ve made it through the storm to get here, so…” Doc Benton shrugged, pulling his facemask off. The storm had calmed but another one glared in the distance; red clouds rolling up from the horizon”. A great guy this Captain Derek guy, it seems. began a new serial Sugar and Spice. Its first chapter begins with a really daily image: “Twenty little girls in two straight lines sat cross-legged on sunlit mats. They placed iris, anemone, cyclamen, oleander, and dittany-of-Crete in green glass vases. Back and forth Teacher walked, making notes on her tablet. Gold heads, brown heads, black heads, auburn bent over their work. Twenty pairs of hands, twenty pairs of eyes, one quiet room.”
I have also been reading
’s Warf and Woof, Chapter 2: “My mother asked me that, and I answered, ‘Every human on Earth.’ The fear was always that they’d build faster ships and beat us to an inhabitable planet, but in the end, they found a way to never leave. Then she asked me if I liked my soup; and I laughed, and she laughed with me. What else could we do?”
C) Other stories:
has written a piece, Masquerade: “The cream cardigan she wore as armor pulled loose at the cuff. Mary Sue touched the wayward strand. Its rebellious softness between her fingers was a comfort. Outside, Scottsdale baked at 110 degrees. Inside this suffocating hotel room, she wore her good-family armor ~ conservative sweater, apologetic smile, shoulders rounded in perpetual genuflection”.
Other link rounds you should check:
: The Most Fatherly of Heroes.: Remembrances of the Fallen.You should also check the notes of
, who recommends every Sunday interesting readings for all of us.Some music:
Buy me a coffee. ☕️
Omgosh thank you for including me. It is an honor to be included with these fantastic authors. I have lots to catch up on this week. 💗🙌💗
Thank you so much for adding me to the list once more!