The mathematician-philosopher Topalis determined that all of humanity
shared 127 basic Fears. The sorcerer-queen Quio gave them corporeal form.
And, in a moment of pique, the god Byath unleashed those Fears upon the
world. This morning, Red Roan’s arthritic fingers reached for a door knob,
ready to face another one.
His hand slipped off the dew-dropped metal and he cursed silently. He was not
burly or young, and those who had passed him in the last years of his travels
would have found it incredible that he had ever been either. His skin was
tanned and freckled, free from wrinkles only where it peeked beneath his
sparse hair. He no longer had the barrel chest of the farmer he once was; it, like
the rest of his youth, had been eaten away by age.
In the dusk of his life, Red Roan would have liked to be in an inn somewhere
near a harvest market where he could sit by the hearth and boast of scouring
the whole earth to hunt down the 127 Fears one by one. But in all his decades of
searching, he had managed to catch just two. Number 68, the Fear of
Suffocation, had appeared as a gasping specter with desperate, bulging eyes. It
had clutched at him as if trying to steal the air from his lungs. Number 14, the
Fear of Things That Creep, had been an enormous millipede. Its black
segmented body rustled like the beginnings of a storm through an autumn
forest. With its thousand thousands legs, the Fear scurried into a dripping cave.
Red Roan, lured into the caverns, dropped his lantern when the Fear leapt
down from a stalactite and wrapped itself around him. After destroying the
millipede, he had staggered back to his lantern and vomited.
Still he continued his dogged search. The same determination that drove him
was his only weapon against the Fears. They could not be defeated by any
sword, but only by simple force of will...
shared 127 basic Fears. The sorcerer-queen Quio gave them corporeal form.
And, in a moment of pique, the god Byath unleashed those Fears upon the
world. This morning, Red Roan’s arthritic fingers reached for a door knob,
ready to face another one.
His hand slipped off the dew-dropped metal and he cursed silently. He was not
burly or young, and those who had passed him in the last years of his travels
would have found it incredible that he had ever been either. His skin was
tanned and freckled, free from wrinkles only where it peeked beneath his
sparse hair. He no longer had the barrel chest of the farmer he once was; it, like
the rest of his youth, had been eaten away by age.
In the dusk of his life, Red Roan would have liked to be in an inn somewhere
near a harvest market where he could sit by the hearth and boast of scouring
the whole earth to hunt down the 127 Fears one by one. But in all his decades of
searching, he had managed to catch just two. Number 68, the Fear of
Suffocation, had appeared as a gasping specter with desperate, bulging eyes. It
had clutched at him as if trying to steal the air from his lungs. Number 14, the
Fear of Things That Creep, had been an enormous millipede. Its black
segmented body rustled like the beginnings of a storm through an autumn
forest. With its thousand thousands legs, the Fear scurried into a dripping cave.
Red Roan, lured into the caverns, dropped his lantern when the Fear leapt
down from a stalactite and wrapped itself around him. After destroying the
millipede, he had staggered back to his lantern and vomited.
Still he continued his dogged search. The same determination that drove him
was his only weapon against the Fears. They could not be defeated by any
sword, but only by simple force of will...
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| 127 Fears By SC Bryce |
Publication History |
Reviews |
"A wonderful, dream-like story — glad I picked it to read first in the premiere issue. I made that call based on A) the intriguing title, and B) experience reading Bryce’s stuff. It was a good decision... '127 Fears' rocks." Steve Goble, Swords Against Boredom, on 127 Fears. |
First Printing:
Staffs & Starships, Vol. 1 Issue 1,
(Sum. 2007).
Staffs & Starships, Vol. 1 Issue 1,
(Sum. 2007).
| "Just knock me over after reading "127 Fears" by S. C. Bryce. Red Roan is a hero and adventurer, questing after the very real titular Fears brought to life and unleashed upon the world. But "in the dusk of his life," Red Roan has succeeded in destroying only two of the Fears, the 68th (Fear of Suffocation) and the 14th (Fear of Things That Creep). Forty-three years of adventuring have brought him to the end of his days with little to show for it, and he encounters a Fear that takes full advantage of his mood. The game I had going in my head while I read Bryce's stellar prose is what the Fear would be named (saved for the very end, which was a virtual certainty). You can play the game, too, and I'll let you know that my guess of Fear of Failure was wrong. A great, great story once again showing the outstanding relationship of a man and his role as hero, solid characterization punctuating the idea of the setting." Rob Santa, Firebrand Fiction, on 127 Fears. |
| "The opening line caught my attention immediately. The rest of the story held it. Fears are something we all have, and SC Bryce uses that to allow the reader to understand the motivation behind the main character. I have had to reword this review several times because I keep giving away the ending. I guess I will have to conclude by simply stating that this is a fantastic story and should be read without some silly reviewer spoiling it." Blogtide Rising on 127 Fears. |
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