Unpublished. Copyright (c) 2000 Theodore Beale. All Rights Reserved.
This is a short story that I wrote shortly after returning to the United States following an extended stay in Europe. I'd always been curious to know how Venice seemed to inspire so many great writers to new bursts of creativity, but upon my first visit there last winter, it only took all of about five minutes to understand. Venice is truly unique, and no amount of reading travel books or looking at pictures will ever be able to accurately communicate its melancholy ambience.
It is always interesting, too, to consider the shocking dichotomy between the religious aspects of what was a theoretically Christian society, and the brutal behavior that, along with art and architecture, was such a major pasttime of the upper classes during the Renaissance. 4100 words.
Unpublished. Copyright (c) 2001 Theodore Beale. All Rights Reserved.
In addition to the books they have written or are currently writing, most writers have a vision of the ideal book they would eventually like to write. This is a short story that is primarily a writing exercise to help with the world-building for my version of an epic fantasy trilogy. This particular story centers around the actions of a minor historical figure who does not even enter into the trilogy proper. It's a little bit odd, perhaps, but I find this sort of exercise helpful in articulating my thoughts. 10,900 words.
Unpublished. Copyright (c) 2002 Theodore Beale. All Rights Reserved.
Another writing exercise set in Selenoth, combining some very divergent elements. Among other things, I was wondering if a magical culture would be bound to the more easily observable Newtonian system of physics, or if they might somehow manage to stumble across quantum mechanics as well. The debate between the two central characters also allowed me to articulate some thoughts regarding mankind's central philosophical divide.13,500 words.
Unpublished. Copyright (c) 2002 Theodore Beale. All Rights Reserved.
Yet another Selenoth story. I really do like the freedom of having a fantasy world in which to play. This story came about after a visit to Firenza, (Florence), and seeing a certain commemoration of what, to me, appeared to be an ode to incompetence. 9,800 words
Unpublished. Copyright (c) 2000 Theodore Beale. All Rights Reserved.
I have always been proud to know that both my grandfather and my uncle are Marines. Both were strong and honorable men, men of faith who feared nothing except God. I never joined the Corps myself, but I have a tremendous amount of respect for those who serve in the finest fighting force the world has ever known.
This is a short story written in a sci-fi style rather similar to Rebel Moon, and is more reflective of my ideological philosophy than my religious faith. Beware of those who seek power over others, no matter how smoothly they defend their actions. 4,100 words.
Unpublished. Copyright (c) 1992 Theodore Beale. All Rights Reserved.
I'd almost forgotten that I'd written this story, which surfaced when I was cleaning up the hard drive of my old CompuAdd 386. I was working at a computer graphics company at the time, and was spending more time than I really wanted at various trade shows, which, other than the booth babes and the chance to check out some cool new toys, tend to be a massive bore.
I'm still stunned by the speed of today's computers, I mean, I still remember when my boss proudly walked in with "the Jim Triggs memorial machine" a then state-of-the-art Compaq 386/33. A machine that was otherwise fondly known as "the Beast". 1,400 words.
Unpublished. Copyright (c) 1993 Theodore Beale. All Rights Reserved.
Another old story. I spend most of my time writing novels now, which is probably a good thing because I seem to have had a terrible tendency to write my older stories with a punchline, such as it is. This is a silly little story, but sharp-eyed readers will be able to detect a very casual link between this short story and the Eternal Warriors series. 1,200 words.
Unpublished. Copyright (c) 1993 Theodore Beale. All Rights Reserved.
This novella can hardly be considered a short story, but I wasn't about to start a new section just for this anyhow. Other than some papers for my economics and history classes, it was only my second attempt at writing something longer than a page or two. In an online writing class conducted on Compuserve, Roger MacBride Allen commented that this story really had too many disparate elements considering its short length. That being said, it's pretty long, so don't expect to finish it in one sitting.
The story itself is a rather dark fantasy, but it has its moments. Reading it almost ten years later, I'm surprised at how much history I've forgotten over that time. 16,600 words.
Unpublished. Copyright (c) 2001 Theodore Beale. All Rights Reserved.
I was flying back from a visit to my brother in New Hampshire when I read a very short, but interesting story about a series of mysterious animal attacks that took place in India in 1996. I copied down three lines of relevant information, then promptly forgot about them. I discovered the notes again two years later, and found myself in the mood to explore the possibilities. Hence this story, which is more reflective of my older, darker work than my more recent writings.
4400 words.
Unpublished. Copyright (c) 2006 Theodore Beale. All Rights Reserved.
I've long been interested in the mysterious absence of the singular medieval institution from the scads of medieval fantasy books that are published every year. Of course, in a magical environment, one would expect such a powerful institution to develop a means of addressing various magical threats. This story evolved from combining some thoughts on that matter with a little reading in Roman military history I'd been doing at the time.
9828 words.
