QSFer Glen P. Vecchione has a new queer spec fic book out: The Crows.
After stealing a mysterious figurine from the tomb of the peasant Chu-Tzu, a greedy landlord returns to his mansion to find the rooftop covered in crows. Ignoring his servants’ warnings that crows portend danger, the landlord throws a banquet to celebrate his new treasure. But as foretold, disaster strikes, and the figurine is rescued from the ruins of the landlord’s property by a passing scavenger.
Flash forward one hundred years. The figurine, known as Xiwangmu, reappears in a New York City antiques store and is purchased by a wealthy collector whose well-ordered penthouse life can’t dispel his boredom. Acquiring the statuette turns the collector’s boredom into terror and a struggle to survive as the curse of crows reasserts itself.
Finally, in a future world ravaged by nuclear fire, the Xiwangmu is discovered yet again by a low-ranking “servant to engineers,” this time in a surprising new form—its curse transformed by the love of two men for each other into a cosmic blessing.
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Excerpt
Glenn recognized Philip immediately and seemed genuinely glad to see him. Philip played it cool this time and perused the Orientalia as would any customer. Then, came the question.
“Philip, did you get my parcel?”
Philip wheeled around. “Your parcel? What parcel?”
“Another interesting piece came in. A large figure of the deity Zhōng Kuí, the antidote for dispelling the dark forces of your blue Xiwangmu. She was made of pink jade, but unfortunately, she was damaged and I knew I’d have to mark her down.”
Glenn smiled warmly and leaned toward Philip, his palms on the counter “I remembered your concern with your recent purchase and decided to make a gift of her to you.”
“A gift? Oh, how positively and astonishingly sweet of you, Glenn!” Philip gushed. “You are such a dear. But no, I haven’t received anything.”
“Odd. I sent it a week ago.”
“Why didn’t you just call me, Glenn? I would’ve dropped by—”
“No, this figure was mounted on an iron base and much larger than your little blue Xiwangmu and quite heavy. Not something you could easily tote home with you.”
“Well, I truly don’t know what to say,” Philip stuttered, his spirits soaring.
“An unusual piece for its size,” said Glenn, flipping through a catalog, “and maybe I should’ve tagged it. But—no, it’s yours now.”
“I’m terribly flattered, Glenn. Now, when did you say you sent it?”
“As I said, the same day it came in.” He reached under his desk and consulted a clipboard, running a finger across the ledger. “Yes, exactly one week ago. With expedited delivery.”
“Well,” said Philip in huff, “I’ll certainly file a complaint with the local post-office personnel and demand answers immediately!” Philip flashed a small smile and opened the door to leave, a tiny bell ringing above him
Through the shop window, Glenn watched Philip cross the street and walk to the corner bus stop. He studied Philip carefully, his eyes narrowing as if trying bring into focus someone who was familiar but not quite recognized. He settled into a tattered chair behind the cash register and removed his long bamboo smoking pipe from its drawer. He stuffed it with tobacco, drew in the rich smoke and blew it out in a thick cloud that hovered before him, its edges curling.
Author Bio
Glen P. Vecchione, who also writes under the name Glen Peters, is the author of 28 commercial science, math, and history books that have been translated into several languages and distributed throughout the world. His poetry, including a chapbook, appears in Prairie Schooner, Penn Review, ZYZZYVA, Missouri Review, and Chautauqua. His first novel, Where the Nights Smell Like Bread, was published by Rattling Good Yarns Press in 2024. Glen comes to writing from a career as jingle-writer for NBC and theatre composer. His Broadway jazz ballet The Legend of Frankie and Johnny premiered at the Nat Horne Theatre on 42nd Street and toured for two years. Glen currently divides his time between the California desert and Umbria, Italy.
| Author Website | https://glenvecchione.com/ |
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