Treasure Island follows young Jim Hawkins, who finds himself owner of a map to Treasure Island, where the fabled pirate booty is buried; honest Captain Smollett, heroic Dr. Livesey, and the good-hearted but obtuse Squire Trelawney, who help Jim on his quest for the treasure; the frightening Blind Pew, double-dealing Israel Hands, and seemingly mad Ben Gunn, buccaneers of varying shades of menace; and, of course, garrulous, affable, ambiguous Long John Silver, who is one moment a friendly, laughing, one-legged sea-cook . . .and the next a dangerous pirate leader. The unexpected and complex relationship that develops between Silver and Jim helps transform what seems at first to be a simple, rip-roaring adventure story into a deeply moving study of a boy’s growth into manhood, as he learns hard lessons about friendship, loyalty, courage and honor—and the uncertain meaning of good and evil.

The novel depicts the plight of the French peasantry demoralized by the French aristocracy in the years leading up to the revolution, the corresponding brutality demonstrated by the revolutionaries toward the former aristocrats in the early years of the revolution, and many unflattering social parallels with life in London during the same time period. It follows the lives of several protagonists through these events. The most notable are Charles Darnay and Sydney Carton. Darnay is a former French aristocrat who falls victim to the indiscriminate wrath of the revolution despite his virtuous nature, and Carton is a dissipated English barrister who endeavors to redeem his ill-spent life out of his unrequited love for Darnay's wife. Cover art done by @orangedusk

For a '16 holiday gift, I told my readers I would write one of the chapters of my published novel's from the point of view of a different character in the novel. There were several requests for the Scorpio Races (along with the other novels), and it had been awhile since I'd done something for Scorpio readers, so I've done an alternate chapter twenty-nine from the point of view of Finn, Puck's younger brother. This is the beginning of the Scorpio Festival, and it can be read in place of or alongside the publisher chapter twenty nine.

In which Fantasia members will host weekly contests for you to join!

January is a humanoid robot created to fight an agency that is trying to overthrow the government. She is assigned to go on a mission with a new partner, but she isn't happy about it. She wakes up on what she thinks is the day of her mission but finds out that it has been a month, and all her memories from that month have been deleted. Now she must discover what happened and why they don't want her to remember.

3 poems to keep inspiring in the midst of darkness.