Welcome to The Trials of Astra Directory!
Thanks for all the fantastic engagement and more. Here's a directory for some of the newcomers to get acquainted with my work.
Hey friends! For this week, we’re taking a bit of a break from slinging stories and instead I wanted to celebrate the positive reception over the last 5 months by creating a directory to some of my favorite posts both in Astra and beyond.
This post will cover both posts in the world of Astra as well as my horror fiction outside of Astra. I’m not going to bog this down with a ton of stories, instead, I’m going to put the stories that I think would be the most interesting to share. So, if you are looking for some old stories from me that you may not have read yet, check out this directory and see what more I have to offer!
So, there will be three main sections here: Stories in Astra, horror stories outside of Astra, and the few nonfiction pieces that I’ve done so far.
Couple of quick notes:
This list is not exhaustive. I just wanted to give some newcomers a place where they could poke around and see if they find anything of interest.
This post is too long and will be cut off by email services, so if you begin to not see all of it in email, please click to open the post on Substack so you can see all directory recommendations!
Stories in Astra
To start, here is a small informational blurb I posted once upon time as a teaser when I reached ten subscribers…
An intro to The Trials of Astra
Historians often forget the hundreds of years that define the most difficult times in Astra. Although they are often boiled down to a collection of single moments, it is a well established fact that the Trials of Astra were a strangely interwoven time in which the people of the realm were put to the test in a multitude of ways. It was a period of turmoil…
Next, the first story I ever posted! The Exile of Oran-Koh is the story of a god being banished to the mortal realm. Learn what makes Oran-Koh such an important god and where the neon people known as the children of Koh come from…
The Exile of Oran-Koh
The tumbling whirl that had sent his gangly form into disarray felt entirely out of his control. Flashing wavering lights of blue and bright blinding white overwhelmed his adjusting senses. He saw nothing but the rainbow coalescence of color in blinded eyes. Eyes that saw no end. Eyes that felt the darkness wrapping around them. The darkness that came w…
Here is the first serial I posted, The Trial of Isolation. The story of an ancient isolated civilization whose choices have a reverberating impact on the rest of the world for hundreds of years to come. Lucky for you, reader, all four parts are right here in the directory for you!
Trial of Isolation Part 1
Centuries before The End, there was an event that risked triggering the apocalypse much sooner. This is now referred to by historians as the Trial of Isolation. In this time, the fabled Valley of Reclamation had to make a choice that became a turning point in their history. The Valley was an isolated city-state nestled between deeply forested mountains.…
Trial of Isolation part 2
When Vey stepped into the council chambers, Cherize and Dantly stood guard outside the doors. As her confidants, they were bound to go where she went, and further yet, as her closest friends they were bound by their love for each other. Cherize was Vey’s life partner by tradition. The Valley thought very highly of the bond between civil servants and the…
Trial of Isolation part 3
The ship jetted over the barren war-torn landscape towards the front. Vey went on for hours about her knowledge of the outside world. She was a walking encyclopedia on everything, and she wanted to be sure her companions knew. At first Cherize listened on with curiosity, but as time passed, she began to drift away. She barely slept the night before and …
Trial of Isolation part 4
Days passed. The negotiations lasted from sunrise to sunset each day. By the end of the moon cycle, Vey’s tired weary eyes gleamed with pride. Sandsum was defeated, and Caminala had begun saying yes to anything put in front of her - which Lady Vey took as a sign of victory on her part. Dantly had continued sending his regular nightly updates to the counc…
Next, I’d love to recommend a fan favorite, We Weren’t Meant for the Stars, the story of the first people to leave Astra’s atmosphere and see the void beyond…
We Weren't Meant for the Stars
In the years leading up to The End, the hyper advanced civilizations of Zanth and Ravyn’s End formed a treaty to launch the first satellite into orbit around Astra. While strongly advised against by Ravyn’s End’s priests, the matriarchal leader of the ruling Dire clan ignored their concerns citing a lack of historical evidence. With Ravyn’s end already …
Okay, one last thing in Astra, then I’ll move on to the next section. I want to recommend part 1 of The Children of War. It’s a sort of prequel to the stories of a man named Akashi whose story will be explored in the coming months, but for now his childhood is here for us to learn more about him and the world he grew up in! This is a three part series, but I’ll post just part 1 in the directory. If you like what you read, maybe head to my page to check out parts 2 and 3!
The Children of War
Akashi Pacè’s earliest memories were of the city of Cain. He couldn’t have been older than two years old, sitting in a stroller, wide eyed with wonder looking up at the great metal skyscrapers. Their glossy windows reflected the beauty of the sun down onto the grated walkways that laced their way through the city. Most of Cain was made of metal alloys l…
Horror Stories
The House on Cecil Avenue was a story I wrote on paper in 2020 then folded it up and forgot about. A few months ago, I found that paper again and decided to bring it over to digital. Further still, I decided to bring it to Substack! Cecil Ave is inspired by Victorian horror but with a modern feel to it. Watch as our unnamed protagonist works to pack up their late aunt and uncle’s home as a strange force they don’t understand begins to work against them…
The House on Cecil Avenue
Upon my arrival at the house on Cecil Avenue, I was flushed with overwhelming grief. I parked my car on the curb and stared out the window. I had visited Cecil Ave. many times prior, though those times had long passed. The old woman who prided herself as being the neighborhood gardener gave me a cordial wave as I stepped out onto the lovely suburb stree…
One of my most popular posts, On Your Shoulder, was my first ever dip into surrealist horror and I absolutely loved it. The story was strange, creepy, and also just a ton of fun to write. If you like horror and haven’t checked it out yet, I highly recommend.
On Your Shoulder
“Hey” The voice pierced through Henri's headphones. It didn't come from the glass covered bridge she trekked through. No. It seemed to come from deep inside her. Something in the back of her mind, like an itch that she couldn’t reach, let alone scratch. Inside her skull, it penetrated into the little space of fluid between bone and gray matter.
Nonfiction pieces
First, we have a simple Q&A about the world of Astra. Nothing flashy here!
Lets A some Qs!
Part of the Q&A requests was asking for a sort of back of the book breakdown. Hopefully this would suffice! Astra is a planet in turmoil. Holy wars scar the land creating thousands of miles of barren wastes. Hidden inside the fog of war are holy sites blessed by gods, supernatural creatures, desperate animals (both familiar and unfamiliar to the reader) …
Next, we have my first attempt at an opinion piece where I dabble in a little bit of neuroscience but mostly just my personal thoughts and feelings on the progression of time. I’m also assisted by the fantastic
who gives his thoughts as well.
Change and Advancement
After reading Andrew Smith’s recent post on the QWERTY keyboard format, I started thinking a lot about change. Change is a natural advancement both personally and on a societal scale, but the resistance that follows is just as natural as the change that comes before it. At the time, my exact thoughts were as follows…
Lastly, here is a small piece I did on how reading the book Red Mars assisted me in figuring out ways to improve my own writing.
Discussing Red Mars and my take aways
Hey friends! Today I wanted to try something a little different. If it’s not for you, maybe skip this one, but don’t worry it isn’t the end of fiction on here by far! I did note from the beginning that I’d love to do reviews at some point and - well - this isn’t quite a review, but it is a discussion.
Okay, that’s it for now! This is by no means an exhaustive list because that would be absurd, but I hope any newcomers can find something they might enjoy in the backlog of my work. Thanks for tuning in and I will catch you next week!