Sluice Issue #24

Sluice  | Arthur H. Manners

Latest updates & recommendations

Issue #24

This Week's Recommendations

1. Film: Alien: Romulus. This one is still out in cinemas as I write this, so no spoilers. But what I can talk about is the incredible cinematography. A true homage to the vibes and aesthetic of the original Alien (1979) — which jockeys (geddit?) for the top spot in my favourite films of all time. Some people have criticised director Fede Alvarez for leaning too heavily on remakes, but this film struck me as nothing short of a true fan's love letter.

2. Book: The Salt Path by Raynor Winn. This book took me a long time to read, and it deals with the heavy topics of homelessness of terminal illness at the same time. But I felt filled up after I'd finished it. It's about finding freedom through wandering and communing with nature, following the famous Cornish coastal path in south-west England. My dad is today embarking on a walk through France and Spain, on the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route — his dream for the last eleven years. I'm immensely proud of him, and having read this, I feel like some part of me is out there with him.

3. Music: Sukiyaki by Kyu Sakamoto (soundtrack to From Up on Poppy Hill). Studio Ghibli films always nail the soundtrack, but I've found myself replaying this one a lot recently, on nights when I just need to sit quietly for a few minutes and take a deep breath.

4. Podcast: Rabbits. An offshoot of the incredible horror drama podcast TANIS, Rabbits is all vibes vibes vibes. It's hard to describe, so here's the full description from their website: "When Carly Parker’s friend Yumiko goes missing under very mysterious circumstances, Carly’s search for her friend leads her headfirst into an ancient mysterious game known only as Rabbits. Soon Carly begins to suspect that Rabbits is much more than just a game, and that the key to understanding Rabbits, might be the key to the survival of our species, and the Universe, as we know it. " Just listen to it, you won't be disappointed.

5. Music: Send Me On My Way by Rusted Root. Yes, yes, I admit. I know this one from Matilda (1996). You know, in that scene where she makes herself pancakes? Well, it doesn't matter. I love this song. Listen to it. That is all.

Writing News

• My story "Ten Thousands Years Walking the Godsroad" will be published in the second issue of Trollbreath Magazine later this year (date TBA). This is a totally ridiculous story is one of several stories following the fey antihero spin-doctor-for-the-Gods, Harnivel. It's the third I've written but it'll be the first to be published. This was a blast to write and I'm looking forward to sharing it with people.

• Continuing the trend of ridiculousness, my story "The Discipline of Small Evil", about a junior supervillain trying to learn from the best, will be published in early 2025 over at Illustrated Worlds. 

• Another shout out for my poem "Now You Know" over Strange Horizons. This has been my best received piece of writing yet, and I'm increasingly proud of putting something out there that's so close to my heart.

General Life Updates

I've written perhaps more words in the last three months than I have written in the previous nine months combined. Perhaps sixty thousand words of polished prose. That includes a serious rewrite to expand an already large project, three short stories and a bunch of flash pieces.When this run of projects is finished, I plan to take a little break from writing for a month or two and focus on some DIY projects around the house. As I write this, we've got some strapping men downstairs demolishing an internal wall, opening our kitchen into a kitchen-diner—ready for us to enthusiastically start messing around with DIY stuff that we understand oh-so-poorly.Come late this year, I have some short stories I just know are going to be great fun to write, things that have legs. Most of them are sci-fi, but my gut is prodding me to get going on a few fantasy and horror stories that really have legs. I hope to write more about those as we get toward winter. 

Where's Rolo?

Until next time, be good.

Best regards,

Art

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