• Unacceptable Losses - (Mech short 1) The first of four unrelated adventure stories using the same suit of mechanized armor. Sergeant Carolyn Storm tries to get home alone through enemy territory.
• Mechanized Militia - (Mech short 2) Commander Jared Tucker must discover who is pitting two armies against each other.
• Maintenance Mode - (Mech short 3) The life of a mech maintenance tech gets interesting when the space station is invaded.
• The Order of Things - (Mech short 4) What do you do when Company 1337's food shipment turns out to be a mech, and you're the cook?
• Consolation Prize - Two teens get cut off from their settlement in the ever-present fog of Consolation, unable to call home.
• Three Strikes - How far would you go to defend your family? An orbital cargo inspector has her limits tested.
• Last Chance - A starship captain must chase down and eliminate rebels who escaped on a generation ship before he was born.
• Retirement Plan - All he wanted was to retire in peace on a backwater world, but no plan survives contact with the enemy.
• Adaptive Reasoning - Amidst an alien plot to conquer Earth, an android discovers what it means to be human.
• Sneak preview of Discovery: Polecat Protocol Book 1, an introduction to John M. Olsen's new Polecat Protocol science fiction series. Space miners must save themselves after disaster cuts them off from all outside contact. Then they discover it's much worse than they could have imagined.

Brace yourself for the next exciting issue of StoryHack Action & Adventure. Taking cues from the greatest pulp magazines of a bygone era, StoryHack publishes all-new stories of bravery and derring-do in a wide variety of genres. There is something in here for everyone, and each story includes art.

Here's what you will find in this issue:

• Predator/Prey Relationships by Julie Frost. When Ben’s ability to shift into a werewolf is stolen, he must play a most dangerous game to get it back.


• The Temple of Baktaar by Jason Restrick. What deadly curses await when a pair of adventurers delve too deeply into an ancient, supposedly-abandoned temple?


• The Gambler's Tale by Jon Mollison. Mike has a plan to not just beat the house, but bring it crashing down entirely. The mob has other ideas.


• Crystal, Brass, and Copper by Matthew X. Gomez. When a robbery goes horribly wrong, can Bahar get any part of her old life back?


• Junior Partner by Brian K. Lowe. With his superhero captured by dangerous foes, a sidekick must decide what he is made of.


• The Crawlers beneath Avaris by David J. West. With city guards and assassins hot on his tail, Brutanis is forced into an underground maze. What he finds there may be worse than the trouble he’s fleeing.


• High Ground by John M. Olsen. Captain Alexander Kemp’s space station Icarus suffers an attack in orbit as the government on Earth below collapses. Can their advanced tools and mental grit keep them alive as they respond to a series of escalating attacks?


• The Chronicle of the Gorgon's Island by Keith West. A cursed prince and his right hand man are shipwrecked on an uncharted island with an unruly crew. Will the monster they find there kill them before they kill each other?


• Kakerlacs by Alexandru Constantin. After a long stint with the Corps, Mike returns to his hometown in the California desert, only to get tangled up in a sinister plot involving cops and tweakers who are more than they seem.

StoryHack is a triumphant return to fast-paced storytelling in short form. Give it a try, you'll be glad you did.

The League of Utah Writers, in cooperation with Thrive125 and Utah Humanities, presents a look back at the first 125 years of Utah’s statehood. This collection of poetry, prose, and essays paint a picture of Utah as a place through its history and its future. Journey with us through hidden stories of unknown lore, forgotten by folks and history books—sometimes even on purpose. These unique works come from a fascinating and diverse array of authors, each exploring what Utah means.

Featuring fiction, poetry, and creative non-fiction by Denis Feehan, Amanda Freshman, Alexis Hansen, Aren K. Hatch, Jaron Hatch, RG Hughes, Jef Huntsman, Susan Izatt-Foster, Grace Diane Jessen, Letitia Archuleta Lester, Alex Jay Lore, Margot Monroe, J. T. Moore, Whitney Oliver, John M. Olsen, Jonathan Reddoch, Rebecca Marie Robertson, Natasha Rogers, Talysa Sainz, Mark Mason Taylor, D. Pat Thomas, Heidi Voss, Cassidy Ward, Rosemary L. Wise, Johnny Worthen, and Bryan Young

This anthology was made possible through a generous grant from the Utah Department of Cultural & Community Engagement and Thrive125.

StoryHack, Issue Four is finally here! Featuring past favorite and new authors, all penning works of furious adventure. Here's the lineup:

HawkeMoon

by Sidney Blaylock, Jr.

The captain of the King's Guard vows to kill the assassin after the death of the King. There's only one problem: it turns out she may not have been the killer.

Island Rescue

by Spencer E. Hart

College-age Frank Mason accompanies his father to the private island of a reclusive billionaire and his lovely, yet lonely daughter. When armed men storm the house, what can they do to rescue their fathers?

Beyond the Temple of Baktaar

by Jason Restrick

Three years ago, Sam Walters emerged from those ruins, alone, unable to discover what had happened to his friend. Now, as he fights in the trenches of France during World War 1, a mysterious apparition in the night hands him his friend's journal.

Wild Yellow

by Brandon Barrows

Clint Hagar never encountered a foe he couldn't beat with bullets or fists - until he met the desert, alone and afoot. And though he survived, something inside of him has broken and he must now battle both his own fear and self-doubt while trying to protect a small, isolated town from the outlaws who terrorize it.

My Foe Outstretched

by Misha Burnett

In a future world two men fight a duel in the ruins under the city. The rules are simple--two men enter the tunnel, one man leaves.

Alpha Equation

by Julie Frost

A young werewolf, an abusive alpha, and a new pack--in space.

The Bouncer's Tale

by Jon Mollison

Trapped in a life as muscle for a crime syndicate, Robert "Bomber" Robinson struggles to maintain his humanity during the second worst night of his life.

Retirement Plan

by John M. Olsen

A retired military veteran settles down on a distant planet away from his old life only to find that violence is a universal trait. Old habits resurface as he is forced to step up and defend his neighbors.

The Spirit of St. George

by Damascus Mincemeyer

In an alternate 1922, a biplane squadron must engage in aerial combat with dragons that are ravaging the American Rockies.