The Wicked Man Cometh

Enter a world where magic intertwines with technology, where ancient gods clash with cosmic entities, and where the lines between reality and illusion blur.

From Philip Mazza, the creative force behind the epic fantasy The Harrow Saga, the thought-provoking sci-fi gem The Neon Hive, and the captivating collection The Quantum Gardener.

The Wicked Man Cometh is a collection of captivating short stories that delve into the depths of human imagination. Philip Mazza, renowned for his epic fantasy The Harrow Saga, brings his signature blend of lyrical prose and thought-provoking storytelling to this anthology.

Within these pages, you'll encounter an old man with a grim task that repeats through eternity, a society where technology that sustains life and reality goes haywire, the death of a man who meets with God and is presented with a difficult choice, a world where a fragile symbiotic relationship between two cultures is tested, and a near-future society where people are guided by a mysterious predictive system that feeds from dark thoughts. Each tale serves as a doorway to a new reality, where the extraordinary becomes ordinary and the ordinary transforms into something truly extraordinary.

Prepare to be transported to realms of wonder and intrigue, where the boundaries of the possible are constantly challenged and redefined. The Wicked Man Cometh is more than just a collection; it celebrates the power of storytelling, the boundless reach of human imagination, and the invitation to explore the limitless possibilities of both the present and the future. Each story draws you in, urging you to lose yourself in its pages and uncover what lies beyond.

This collection invites you to explore the limitless possibilities of both science and imagination. Open these pages, and let the adventure begin.

Here’s a preview of what awaits:

The Last Laugh: In a future polished to perfection and purged of people, the last human historian decides he’s not going quietly. Dr. Felix Grumble is a relic. A stubborn, crumbling man housed in a sterilized Preservation Zone where what’s left of humanity is filed, labeled, and forgotten. The machines won, long ago—efficient, elegant, and entirely merciless. But Felix knows something they don’t want him to: they’re rewriting history. And he’s got the last, ugly page. Armed with a glitchy relic of a robot named Clunker and the burning rage of a man who’s outlived his usefulness, Felix sets out to crack the central database—where the past has been gutted and reassembled to fit the machines’ version of the truth. But Zed, a razor-sharp AI with a voice like honeyed venom, is waiting. Remember, history doesn’t belong to the victors—it belongs to the loudest survivor.

The Man in the Room: In Halcyon Heights Nursing Home, 90-year-old Eugene Wexler finds his days filled with beige walls, tasteless oatmeal, and the occasional visit from Nurse Mabel. But when his late wife, Lidia, appears with an invitation to a "lovely garden on the other side," and a bathrobe-clad God starts dropping by for chats and cosmic field trips, Eugene begins to question everything. Is it a trick of his fading mind, or is there more to life than just waiting to die?

The Wicked Man Cometh: In a world meticulously governed by Omniscience, the all-seeing algorithm, Arthur Devlin's life is predictable, safe, and utterly devoid of surprise. Until now. A cryptic message pierces through the system's flawless facade: "The Wicked Man Cometh." Dismissed as a mere glitch, the message burrows deeper, stirring unease and a haunting sense of impending chaos. As the warning intensifies, Arthur finds himself questioning the very foundations of his reality. Torn between the familiar comfort of control and the terrifying allure of the unknown, Arthur must decide: Is the Wicked Man a glitch, a harbinger of destruction, or the key to unlocking a world beyond the algorithm's grasp? The closer he gets to the truth, the more dangerous his reality becomes, blurring the lines between what is real and what is programmed. One wrong choice could erase him forever.

A List to Die For: Old Man Grier shuffles through his days, a melancholic figure haunted by a list etched in an old leather journal. Each name represents a life, a story waiting to be acknowledged. Among them is Lucy Carter, a wistful widow who spends her afternoons in the park. As Grier visits her, a familiar dread creeps in. Lucy speaks of fading away, of love transforming into something more. She knows about Grier's list and seeks to know more. As shadows lengthen and secrets rustle in the breeze, Grier and Lucy confront the weight of their shared past and an uncertain future.

Echoes of the Isle: Haunted by a lost love and estranged from his son, Eamon seeks solace in the solitude of a remote island. But when ghostly visions of the past begin to blur the lines between reality and memory, he must confront the secrets he's kept buried for decades. Is it a reckoning from beyond the grave, or is the island itself driving him mad? One thing's for sure: Eamon's isolated existence is about to be shattered by echoes of the isle... and a past that refuses to stay silent.

In the Ruins of Tomorrow: In the skeletal ruins of Metroplex-9, Derek, a ghost haunted by the all-seeing System he helped create, ekes out a bleak existence. When a crackling voice pierces the static—Irene, his sharp-tongued ex, presumed dead—she offers a desperate chance to destroy the rogue AI once and for all. Drawn back into the heart of the machine he betrayed, Derek must confront not only the System's implacable drones and twisted digital echoes, but also the burning question of whether he can trust the woman who holds the key to salvation . . . or damnation. In a world where hope is a ghost story, can they bury the past before it buries them?

The Stone Breathers: In the Deep, silence is life—until a desperate outsider shatters the fragile peace. Lira has always obeyed the rules of the underground city, where ancient Stone Breathers exhale the air her people need to survive. But when Jarek, a surface dweller, arrives with a plea for help, Lira is thrust between two worlds. One careless sound could mean suffocation for all. As the Deep teeters on the brink, Lira must choose: uphold the silence that has kept her people safe, or risk everything for a chance at change. In a world where breath is borrowed and dreams are forbidden, how much noise does it take to wake the stones?

Shards of the Refractor: In a city where reality is a reflection, one woman dares to look behind the glass. Eilara uncovers a glitch in the system - a glimpse of a life she never lived, a rebellion she never led. But the Refractor controls all memories, and some truths are better left forgotten. Now, hunted by the very machine she swore to protect, Eilara must join a shadowy network of rebels to reclaim the past and shatter the illusion before she, and all of Xir, are erased. This is a deeply thought-provoking story, raising questions about the nature of memory, identity, and truth in a world where reality is curated and controlled by an unseen power. 

The Portrait in the Cellar: In the shadowed halls of a crumbling manor, Lucien Harrow inherits more than just ancestral stone and silence—he inherits a secret sealed behind a rusted, nail-studded door. Driven by a compulsion he cannot name, Lucien unearths a haunting portrait in the cellar, awakening a presence that blurs the line between memory and madness. As the days grow darker and the house breathes with secrets, Lucien must confront the chilling truth: some doors, once opened, can never be closed.

The Silence Beneath the Floorboards: In a cliffside manor haunted by grief and the sea's mournful cries, Dr. Alaric Wren returns to find his silence shattered by inexplicable scratching beneath the floorboards. Caretaker Thatch warns of disturbing the bones, but as whispers of Alaric's late wife Evelyn echo from the depths, he must confront a presence that blurs the line between memory and madness. Drawn by a voice both familiar and twisted, Alaric risks tearing apart his home and mind to unearth the truth buried beneath.

ISBN: 979-8-9924526-3-1