Eric Staggs: Writer

“What happens when Douglas Adams and Frank Herbert have a punk rock literary love child? Something akin to Eric Staggs. This collection is filled with stories that are irreverent, humorous, and full of space logic and strategies. For the sci fi fan, Mr. Staggs doesn’t dance around the future, he travels through it as if he’s actually been there. For a contemporary collection of modern tales of space, adventure, and beer chugging nuns, Space Whales is worth checking out.” – Erin Howk, Reader

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/165072801

Links to some of my short stories ( in case ya missed ‘em the first time around):

• Exodus is here.
• The Census Bureau and Space Whales II: Sister Shiv are here!

Kind words from some very talented writers. Thank you all!

“Eric’s collections of short stories are not only entertaining but are very well written. There’s adventure, humor, intrigue and everything that makes stories exciting to read. As you’re reading it is so easy to make a mental movie from the words that are written on the pages. I enjoyed them very much. It was hard to wait to see what would happen next. Eric is a talented, gifted, and mind boggling writer. He will keep you your toes with his imagination. I recommend that you read Space Whales and Other Nonsense. You won’t be disappointed.” - Bianca Emery, Writer

The best part is… they don’t run out:

Buy it for Kindle at Amazon.com

Buy it for Nook at Barnesandnoble.com

The first reviews are coming in – good things! Check it out:

“Eric Staggs is one of those rare sci-fi writers that has new ideas that simultaneously expand the genre and make it more accessible to everyone in the process. Each short story is a window into detailed worlds that will get your imagination firing and make you yearn for complete series set in each one. The stories run the gamut from far out alien adventures to tales that could happen just down the street if the world were tweaked ever-so-slightly. There is drama, action, philosophy, and even the occasional bit of humor. If you don’t love Sister Shiv then you don’t have a funny bone in your body. Point being, this short story collection is a lot of things, but that’s not a bad thing, and it will appeal to everybody. Like Shel Silverstein, Staggs has created something bizarre, but relatable to everyday life. You’ll appreciate how unique these stories are and how much you can take away from them.”  –Jeremiah Smith, Writer

Buy it for Kindle at Amazon.com

Buy it for Nook at Barnesandnoble.com

They connected the final data feed to the test subjects skull, shaved gleaming in the bright light of the laboratory. A clutch of wires grew from the base of his skull and spread out in all directions, leading to servers and computer systems racked up one upon another, their status lights twinkling like soft little green eyes, fairies or fireflies in strict unison.

The technicians cleared away from the cocoon in the center of the room. That’s what the techs had taken to calling it. They’d inserted a fully grown but heavily modified human being into stasis chair and over the weeks rebuilt him. His eyes were mostly flesh, or at least pods of protein jelly, like they were at his “birth” (uncorking), but millions photoreceptors had been built in the place of retinas by swarms of nanotech viruses. The nanites were injected through any intravenous port and swarm like salmon upstream, up the blood stream, to their destination to create and then die; broken apart by the subjects existing augmented white blood cells. What they left behind was then patched into an ever growing lattice of subcutaneous neural networks, data highways, also paved by nanoscopic engineers.

Outside the laboratory, Janet Hilden twisted a cigarette in her fingers. She sat in front three monitors, each feeding her graphic representations of data she could have rattled off while sleeping. Her work with synthetic tissue growth and nanite reconstruction was nothing short of miraculous.

But that was all child’s play compared to what she was about to do. She knew it would work, of course, or she never would have attempted it. The process was simple – translation of human thought, that is, chemo-electrical signals to electrical signals, base machine code that could be run through any one of her numerous peripheral processors. The Subject would control machines with thought. As the designated moment became clearer and closer, she continued manipulating the cigarette.

“Going to light it?” asked Paul.  She turned her pale green eyes to regard him, spinning her body slowly in her chair with a deft motion of her foot.

“Paul, do you have any idea what’s about to happen in the next room.”

“Some.” He shrugged. She despised him when he played stupid. He was handpicked from a catalogue of researchers, grad students, mumbling PhDs, and god-knows-who-else. The experiment in the room next him was as much his baby as it was hers.

“So, you’ve nothing witty to say when we break down the last barrier and free humanity from the greatest bottle-neck of traffic we’ve ever seen and will ever know?”

“You’re referring to the ability to interface with computers as fast as thought.”

“Obviously.” She sighed, rolling her eyes. She spun the smoke one last time and lit it.

“I’ve some thoughts, I suppose.” He said, waving the smoke from his face.

“Well, Pauly, care to share?”

“Yeah. Um… Maybe we shouldn’t?”

Kali sat next to me on the train. Her eyes were half closed, but I could see her irises were gold. She had six arms and each of her hands, beautifully manicured. Gold and bronze bracelets jingled softly as she shifted her arms. This Hindu goddess of destruction sat nearly motionless, as if in meditation. her only movement was a slight swaying as the train rocketed through the tunnel.

Her torso was nearly bare except for a golden chain bra that barely covered her three full breasts. Her legs were muscular and ended in talon-like feet. Around her neck and head hung several delicate chains made of gold.

Across from Kali sat a female parking cop. She had short-cropped black hair that stood up in all directions. It was cute in a boyish sort of way. She watched her feet as we rode the train, looking up only to steal an occasional glance at Kali the Destroyer. The meter maid had boring eyes, brown or maybe they were brown. Her hands were delicate, thin. Her skin was pale. I followed her eyes to her shoes. She wore matte black boots, clean, freshly oiled. Her whole body was straight, angular. Compared to Kali, she was like a small boy. She fidgeted with her book of parking tickets, flipping them like you would a deck of cards. Something about her said “desperation”. I named her Rita. I decided I liked Rita.

Next to the meter maid was a proctologist. I could tell her was a proctologist because under his coat was a name tag that read “A.S. Ore – Proctology”. I surmised it stood for Arthur Samuel or even Assisting Surgeon. Part of me wanted to believe it stood for Ass Searcher. He looked tired. Cranky. His blonde hair was perfect, oil slicked back. Around his neck was a small silver chain with a small cross dangling vulnerably. He tapped his feet and fiddled with his cell phone. As if handling it would make it work better, or make that important person call him back even sooner. I followed his gaze to Kali’s three golden breasts. He stared blatantly, as if it were his right. Considering his occupation, maybe it was. His hands were big, rough. I always imagined a proctologist would have soft and nimble hands. I did not like this impatient proctologist. I named him Anal Satisfaction.

So there I was, trapped on the train with Kali, Hindu Goddess of Destruction, Lovely Rita, the Meter Maid, and Anal Satisfaction, the pissed off Proctologist.

I decided I would see what sort of conversation I could start off between the four of us.

“I like your bracelets.” I said awkwardly to Kali. Her eyes flicked open and she turned to face me.

“Thank you.” Her voice was deep and melodic, “They are gifts from a demon who proclaims his love for me.”

“They’re lovely.” Rita piped up, her voice squeaky.

“Did you say Demon?” Anal Satisfaction asked.

“Yes.” Kali replied. “A Demon. Kolvatarynya, Lord of the Seventh Hell and the Burning Plains.”

“He sounds successful. How long have you know him…?” Rita asked, leaning forward.

“Many thousands of years.” Kali replied.

“So it’s a pretty serious relationship then?”

Here it is for Nook! Buy it! Read it! Review it!

Space Whales and other Nonsense – The classic science-fiction tale of drug-crazed extraterrestrial cetacean invaders leads this collection of science-fiction and fantasy shorts. Also includes Serpent-Rider and Space Whales II: Sister Shiv (winner of Aviator’s Editor’s Choice Award).

Available from Amazon.com for Kindle, iPad, iPod and iPhone!

Many would have us believe that contemporary society need only worry about zombies, shambling piles of rot that groan and reek of decay, warning us of their imminent approach. This is untrue. Since the dawn of mankind we’ve been plagued by a variety of undead, truly numerous in their subspecies.

For brevity and ease of categorization, undead shall be broken up into three primary categories determined by their primary unique attribute.

Thinking Undead

First and perhaps most dangerous are the thinking undead. These creatures range in scope from master vampires, creatures of such age and staggering malevolence that to simply witness them would scar a mind, to automaton guardians, enacting simple to complex instructions, but with no real will of their own. Then of course there’s the more enigmatic undead, like the sorcerous lich or the dreaded Eye of Fear and Flame. Revenants and Heucuva like somewhere in between the animated slave-corpses and the master plotters within the shadows.

When dealing with thinking undead, all bets are off, and knowledge is truly your only ally. Safely assume the undead creature, no matter its subspecies, has lived significantly longer than you. You will not be the first foolhardy soul to attempt to its destruction. It will anticipate your tricks, your tactics will be old hat, your skills, will be sub-par. The only chance one truly has of defeating a thinking undead is personal knowledge of the undead itself. Knowing where a lich stores his phylactery, for example will allow you to sever the fiend’s connection with the dark forces that keep it whole. Knowing the true name of a vampire will freeze it, for a short time. It is also said that The Eye of Fear and Flame may demand conversation and only the wisest should dare try to match wits with the thing. Each thinking undead will be a special case, the circumstances so varied that no hard and fast rules can really apply.

However, there are a few tactics that should always be employed against superior forces.

-       Attack from range: anything that keeps you out of arms length is more valuable than you can know.

-       Pole weapons are logical but generally have no effect on skeletal bodies or desiccated tissue.

-       Shotguns and automatic weapons are moderately effective, provided they are immediately followed up with the appropriate coup de gras (stake in the heart for vampires, destruction of the phylactery for liches).

-       Flame: fire tends to drive all thinking creatures back, even the undead. Some say it’s a instinct left over from their mortal life. (More on this later)

-       Wolf Pack: always attack in numbers. Always.

Spontaneous Undead

The next type of undead are loosely termed “spontaneous occurrence undead.” This includes skeletons, ghosts, wraiths and the like. These undead, also called after-shock manifestations, spontaneously occur when a burst of intense emotional energy is released. The skeleton army of Sheikara was one such event. Historians could easily identify the risen by their accoutrements, consisting evenly of about half 3^rd century BCE Persian and Egyptian craft. The Five Hauntings of Shaedellery Road is another such example; after a gruesome murder, the entire family of five manifested as wraiths. NOTE: poltergeists are not technically undead. They are more accurately described as capricious or malevolent energy patterns. They often anthropomorphize so that they might more easily interact with their victims.

Disposal, or dissipation of spontaneous undead is often the realm of clergy. Clerics and Priests of various faiths all have their own methods, ritually prescribed techniques for dis-corporating spontaneous undead.

Baring a cleric’s intervention, or the presence of a significant positive energy source, a bludgeon is most effective against skeletons. Bones become quite brittle without fresh blood nourishing the marrow. A mace, aluminum baseball bat, even a shovel are highly effective against physically present spontaneous undead. NOTE: incorporeal undead CANNOT be dealt with in this fashion. The touch of a wraith is deadly to most mortals and confrontation without prior experience and prepared clergy is discouraged.

Infectious Undead

As with all things in the 21^st century, our undead problem has become acute and extreme. Vampires and skeletal hordes have, fortunately, changed little since recorded time began. In fact, regional variants in undead show even less deviance than in living creatures. This of course would have to do with the lack of evolutional opportunity within the undead life cycle.

However, much to our detriment, we’ve been introduced to entire new strains of undead. These creatures are known as the Infectious Undead. These particular undead may not have “life,” but they are hosts to a variety of life forms, bacteria, viruses and parasites. These life forms are often what drive the life cycle of the infectious undead. Through bodily fluids, a variety of “zombifying” viruses are transmitted. Rage, Morning Star, Necrotitis Ambulatoria, the names for the “zombie plague” are as numerous as the undead that carry it. It is these infectious undead that we must be particularly concerned with.

Further, there is an in-between life and undeath state for many hosts of these viruses. Specifically, Rage drives the infected into a killing frenzy where all rational thought ceases. In this state, the body slowly dies, while the virus multiplies exponentially. Every aspect of the infected then becomes contagious, as the thing is rife with bacteria and disease.

Worth a brief mention are Brain Parasites and Yellow Musk Zombies.

Brain Parasites take root within the parietal lobe of any available host. They multiply within hours and in addition to driving the victim mad, cause him or her to seek out others of their kind, in which to implant new parasites. While technically this is an infectious zombie-like state, the brain parasite zombie is in fact not undead, thus conventional methods of eradication (with contagion precautions) can be employed with reasonable effectiveness.

The Yellow Musk Zombie, like the Brain Parasite, is in fact a zombie, but again is technically not undead. The Yellow Musk Zombie is created when an individual breathes in the poisonous pollen of a Yellow Musk Creeper Vine. This vine then feeds on the liquid nutrients within the victim’s body. Once drained, a root system takes hold within the victim’s corpse, taking advantage of the skeletal structure to facilitate mobility and thus reproduction. Fire is the best way to deal with this particular menace.

This brings us to some basic facts about dealing with Infectious Undead.

Combat

There are several recommended techniques for engaging infectious undead. Make no mistake, the only safe way of dealing with infectious undead is to not deal with them. Avoid them at all costs. Depending on the particular strain of infection, they may rot away, starve or simply cease to become animate. Some may not.

Some strains may be highly motivated, ambulatory and aggressive. Instances of reasoning have been recorded, though witnesses were highly agitated and potentially unreliable. Regardless, reason would push infectious undead into the category of thinking undead, like the Ghast. Other strains of zombies may simply wander about, feeding like scavengers and hunters of opportunity.

Much of this has been covered in the definitive work, The Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks. However, I feel after actual practice and encounters with infectious undead, a few brief addendums are necessary.

Ranged, high kinetic yield weapons like shotguns or rifles are effective at hindering the undead, but as we all know, destroying the brain is the only way to end them permanently. Shotguns allow little luxury for error and tend to spray infectious material in all directions with a successful hit. Rifles on the other hand, require precision and patience, both of which are hard to manifest in the face of an onrushing horde of zombies. Further, a rifle round can travel through one, two or a dozen undead before striking a brain, doing little but exposing your position.

-       A properly equipped fire team will have a mix of long and medium ranged weapons. Medium -range weapons function as close support for the long-range weapons.

-       A successful fire team will be highly mobile. When choosing a position for confrontation, expect to advance and withdraw many times throughout the engagement. This tidal-effect will give the fire team the ability add and decrease range with the increase or decrease of infectious undead present.

-       Explosives simply spread the plague.

-       Unless you are an excellent shot, all your pistol is good for is saving your self a painful death.

Melee

Conventional undead battling technique would have us all believe that fire is an appropriate method with which to purge the undead. Fire cleanses everything, or at least, so they’ve always told us. The effectiveness of fire depends greatly on the sub-category of infectious undead. Those afflicted with Rage will simply run about setting other things on fire. The truly undead are incapable of rapid movement and thus fire becomes much more effective. As fire destroys tissue, the undead collapse in upon themselves and become harmless piles of ash. That said one must be extremely careful not to breathe the fumes of a burning zombie. Further, the long-term ecological effects cannot with any accuracy be assessed (and are beyond the scope of this essay). Finally, be aware that to completely destroy a human body, recently deceased, the flames much reach a temperature of at least 760 to 1150 °C (1400 to 2100 °F) for a considerable time. No mean feat for a highly mobile fire team potentially low on supplies.

Engaging infectious undead in melee is perhaps one of the most terrifying endeavors available for a person, even an adventurer or mercenary. The sheer numbers, voracity and single-mindedness of the infectious undead invariably startle even the most battle-hardened soldier. Hand-to-hand combat is even moreso.

Many essays have been written on the best weapon for dealing with zombies, company’s fortunes have waxed and waned due to the perceived effectiveness of their new anti-undead weapons. However, as any veteran of undead combat will tell you, an aluminum baseball bat is really all you need. Amateurs will insist their favorite D&D weapon is best. This is foolish. Edged weapons get caught in bones and don’t deliver killing blows often enough to the walking dead. The only vaguely acceptable medieval weapon would be a mace. Blunt force will shatter bones and with a trained or adequately strong arm, easily shatter a skull. That said, woe to any who just up leap into zombie melee with a hammer or mallet. Again, an aluminum baseball bat is the best choice – its smooth surface prevents contagion from clinging, makes the weapon easy to clean and most of us have been swinging baseball bats since we could walk. The weapon is light, easily carried and intuitive.

1. Brooks, Max. World War Z: an Oral History of the Zombie War. New York: Crown, 2006.
2. Brooks, Max, and Ibraim Roberson. The Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks. New York: Three Rivers, 2009. Print.
3. Recht, Z.A. Plague of the Dead The Morningstar Saga. Pocket, 2009. Print.
4. Brown, Eric S. Season of Rot. [S.l.]: Permuted, 2009. Print.
5. Bourne, J. L. Day by Day Armageddon. New York: Pocket, 2009. Print.
6. Kirkman, Robert, and Charles Adlard. The Walking Dead. Orange, CA: Image Comics, 2007. Print.
7. Mearls, Mike, Stephen Schubert, and James Wyatt. Monster Manual: Roleplaying Game Core Rules. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2008. Print.
8. Turnbull, Don. Fiend Folio: Tome of Creatures Malevolent and Benign : an Alphabetical Listing of Monsters for Use with Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Adventures … Lake Geneva, WI: TSR Hobbies, 1981. Print.
9. 28 Weeks Later. Dir. Juan Carlos Fresnadillo. By Juan Carlos Fresnadillo. Fox Atomic, 2007. DVD.
10. Night of the Living Dead. Dir. George A. Romero. By George A. Romero, George A. Romero, and George A. Romero. New Age Video, 1968. DVD.

This book came recommended from a trusted source. I opened it up and was immediately thrown into a near-future, vaguely familiar version of my own world, and introduced to characters of such depth that still, days after completion, I find myself reflecting on their actions and words.

The story is that of a Jesuit party assigned to a first contact mission. The privatization of space exploration allows the Jesuits to quickly and reasonably send a team out to meet the aliens known as Singers. The characters meet in what seem rather unlikely circumstances, adding to their common belief that their whole mission was ordained by God. The author teases so deliberately, so perfectly, page after page. We are invited into the world of a group of professionals from different backgrounds, with different philosophical and ideological worldviews, who find common ground in basic altruism. The mission ends disastrously; and as readers we re-live each triumph and failure of the expedition, while the characters come to grips with their own issues.

For any writer, this book is a must read. It’s obvious that the Mary Doria Russel is a highly intelligent and highly educated writer. Her knowledge of linguistics, anthropology and religion adds a very real dimension to all the characters. Her ability to draw upon the basic human experience and encapsulate it into movements, gestures or moments between characters is startling, in many cases profound and disturbing.

A science-fiction tale, The Sparrow leans heavily on the characters, as all good stories should. The technology, though of great import to the setting and plausibility of the whole, is mostly just a back-drop from the events taking place. This is an absolute must read; a near perfect character study.