The Nature of Things

Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff

Illustration by Emily Tolson

Ever wonder where those missing socks go? Why your car keys are never where you left them? Why your wallet is in the freezer? Read this story. All will become clear.

A Cruel and Unusual Punishment

Is there a fate worse than death? If so, it may not be what you imagine.

This speculative tale, which chronicles the punishment of a fictional IRA terrorist, is arranged in fourteen parts—one for each of the Stations of the Cross. (These represent the successive stages in the progress of Jesus Christ on His path to sacrifice.) The story was originally printed in Interzone, a British science fiction and fantasy magazine and later anthologized in Infinite Space, Infinite God from Twilight Times Books (edited by Karina Fabian). I've divided it into two parts—Stations 1-6 and Stations 7-14. 

Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff

Meddling in history may involve special dangers, but it does offer some unique opportunities.

This story was first published in Analog science fiction magazine and is part of a wide-ranging collection of stories I wrote that are connected through a technology I invented that allows both time travel and FTL flight. I call it Spectral Shift. It does not require a Tardis. This is the third story in which I actually used it for time travel. It's my take on that old conundrum about going back in time and messing with the family tree.

Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff

Artist Karin Arneson begins to suffer debilitating headaches, but the pain is offset by the strange new artistic sensitivities that seem to come with them. But when her doctor diagnoses a brain tumor Karin balks at the idea of surgery. What if the tumor and her new, unique take on her art are connected?

This story first appeared in Realms of Fantasy, with illustration by Michael Kerr.

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Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff

an alternate history

Being dissatisfied with the way that "Columbus-discovers-America" situation turned out, I undertook to rewrite history a bit, using much fact (Columbus' logs and accounts of the sacking of Hang Zhou), a bit of artistic license and a lot of good old-fashioned "what-if-ing".   

The story was published in Paradox magazine and was a finalist for the Sidewise Award for Alternate History.

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  Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff

a Gina Miyoko Mystery

I offer for your consideration the case of my diminutive PI, Gina Suzu Miyoko, aka Tinkerbell. This is the story of her journey from police academy dropout to private detective as she solves her first case.

Father Ed Miyoko is an ex-cop; Mother Nadia is professor of obscure Slavic folklore with a never-ending supply of good luck charms and holy water, and a "moose and squirrel" accent that thickens according to need.

I hope you enjoy reading about Tink -- I sure love writing about her.

Oh yeah, that funny looking symbol? It's the tattoo that Gina (who calls herself as a Russian Orthodox Buddhist) wears on one hip. 

  Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff

Some families move from one place to another, following a parent's job. The Jones family also travels in time. In that context, teenage rebellion can take on an entirely new character.

Orignally published in Analog, with illustrations by Bob Walters, this story has been used in college curricula and turned into a radio play. I'm an Air Force brat, so there's a little of my own experience in it, but there is a real Jones family that inspired the story, though they only got as far as Botswana...

Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff

When there's no more war, what happens to an ancient profession? Or, as the old song almost says: What do you do with an obsolete sailor?

Heroes was first published in Analog science fiction magazine with cover art and illustrations by the wonderful Frank Kelly-Freas. Historical note: It was written before the fall of the Berlin Wall and other developments. I was accused of possessing a crystal ball. I don't, but I will reveal my sources upon request. This was the story in which I first used Spectral Shift Technology—a time travel mechanism that's also ducky for Faster Than Light (FTL) travel.

Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff

a fairy tale ... of sorts ...

This British Science Fiction Award finalist was originally published in INTERZONE magazine and is part of I LOVED THY CREATION, a collection of my short fiction from Juxta Publishing. This is a story that explores the nature of love, beauty, truth and magic.

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Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff

The basis of any conversation is a shared interest. Things may be a bit slow getting started if you don't know what that interest is...

This story was published in Analog in 2003 and combines two of my favorite subjects with one of my favorite writers (wait, you'll see). Those of you familiar with him and his iconic work will get the "inside" joke.

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Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff

Any principle can have practical applications—even "truth is stranger than fiction." 

When Qtzl crash-lands on an alien planet called Earth, he is at a loss to know how get home to Mom and Dad. Faced with the need to earn money to buy materials to repair his wrecked spaceship (and stay hidden while doing it) Qtzl realizes that, like most teenagers far from home, he needs to get a job...

This story was published originally in Analog and was a Nebula Award nominee. It is featured in the Book View Press anthology, ROCKET BOY AND THE GEEK GIRLS (only $4.99 in a variety of formats). 

Download a sample PDF of Ask Arlen (with this nifty illustration by the author, herself!)

Buy Rocket Boy and the Geek Girls

Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff

Those who lose one ability often compensate by developing others. But what is a "means" and what is an "end?"

Blythe Magic is dedicated to my sister Patricia Joy, anchorwoman and woman's rights activist, who died too early in life of Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease, a rare and swift-moving degenerative brain disease for which there is currently no cure. The story first appeared in Analog Magazine. 

Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff

Might principles that help solve individuals' problems also work for social problems? 

HAND-ME-DOWN TOWN was originally published in Analog Science Fiction Magazine in 1989 with illustrations by Janet Aulisio, and was my first published work of fiction. I wrote it in reaction to the criminalization of homelessness by a California town trying to protect its tourist industry. The name of the town in this novella is fictionalized.

It is reprinted in I LOVED THY CREATION, a collection of my short fiction from Juxta Publishing.  

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Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff

There are many kinds of blindness. Some are more frightening than others.

This story was published originally in Interzone, the UK's premier speculative fiction magazine. It's semi-autobiographical. That's all I'm gonna say.

Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff

a Rhys Llewellyn story

Traders and negotiators must deal warily with superior cultures - though that doesn't always mean what they think!

This story appeared originally in Analog Science Fiction Magazine with a gorgeous cover by Nicholas Jainschigg and is the first of a series of stories about xenologist Rhys Llewellyn.

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Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff

a Rhys Llewellyn story

It's not easy working from fragmentary evidence ... and that's all the planet Leguin has to offer the xenology survey team assigned to ferret out the secrets of a lost civilization. Rhys Llewellyn gets a chance to work the dig with hero and mentor Sir Drew Burton, but their professional relationship does not go as smoothly as Rhys might have hoped.

Originally appearing in Analog magazine, this is the third in a series of stories about Rhys Llewellen, xenologist. (The second story is the SF novel SQUATTER'S RIGHTS.)

  Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff

  a Rhys Llewellyn story 

The trouble with consultants is that they may do exactly what you hired them to do, instead of what you hoped they would. Rhys Llewellyn, xenoanthropologist,seeks sentient life on an unlikely planet named Bog.

This is the fourth in my Rhys Llewllyn series from Analog magazine and is also contained in I LOVED THY CREATION, a diverse collection of my published short fiction.