WHEN THE STARS WERE BRIGHTER

A Speculative Fiction Collection

Summary

A collection of short stories branching across genre and space. Enclosed are tales of goddexxes raised in cults, modern maenads searching for their missing best friends, women finding love in ancient Greece, mecha pilots embroiled in generational contracts, and more...

Shorts

  • The Temple on Cicaro Hill

  • Within These Twisted Vines

  • I Would Enter Haides

  • You Are Not This Person Anymore

  • Following a Northern Star

  • Morning Afters

As well as an excerpt of my debut novel, A SHARPER, MORE LASTING PAIN

Content Warnings

The Temple on Cicaro Hill

  • Abuse (Physical, Religious)

  • Drowning

  • Sacrifice (including of children)

Within These Twisted Vines

  • Animal death

  • Drug and alcohol use

  • Mild body horror

I Would Enter Haides

  • Historical homophobia/misogyny

  • Mentions of animal sacrifice

You Are Not This Person Anymore

  • Abuse (domestic, physical)

  • Death

  • Dubious consent

  • Gaslighting

  • Violence

Following a Northern Star

  • Autistic shutdowns

  • Body horror

  • Capitalism

  • Dark humor

  • Depersonalization

  • Dissociation

  • Parent death

  • Suicide and suicidal ideation

© Alex Harvey-Rivas, @authoralexharvey