The Nothing and the Dread

From Joshua Phillip Johnson, an odd, melancholic near-future sci-fi standalone about two parents determined to save their daughter, turned strange and fae after her death, by seeking answers deep within mysterious nature preserves

On the autumnal equinox of 1987, the countries of the world closed the gates on vast fenced-in nature preserves called Harbors, created to combat the escalating effects of climate change.

132,329 people died that day, but instead of going cold, they endured, becoming odd and fae before disappearing beyond the fences, never to be seen again. Each autumnal equinox thereafter, the same happens again.

In the present day, Evangeline and Calidore are working as fencers: government-employed protectors of the Harbors with magical powers. Returning home after an equinox spent patrolling, they find their daughter Winnifred, not yet six, has died and grown fae, killing her babysitters and leaving strange symbols etched into the walls.

Unwilling to surrender their child, Evangeline and Calidore chain her in iron and carry her into the lands beyond the fence, crossing over into enemy territory with a desperate plan: use Winnifred to find the Faerie Queen, kill Her, and steal whatever power She holds over death to bring Winnifred back.

An imaginative and melancholic sci-fi standalone, The Bloodless Queen is an atmospheric odyssey set against a tense chase as parents race to reclaim the life of their lost child.

Joshua Phillip Johnson lives in a little green house on what used to be the prairie with his partner and their child. His work has appeared in Syntax & Salt, The Future Fire, and Metaphorosis Magazine, among others. He teaches at a small liberal arts university. He can be found online at @JohnsonJoshuaP on Twitter and @joshua_phillip_johnson on Instagram.