The current issue of Interzone is out, with my story “Ashes.”

Interzone is starting to make a habit of accepting stories that are my own favorites on an emotional level; the last example being “The Remembered” in issue #242. Like that story, “Ashes” means a lot to me personally.

A really fun aspect of this publication is that my story is accompanied by a totally gorgeous illustration by Hugo-winning science fiction artist Jim Burns; see below. I cannot imagine a better, more beautiful visualization of this scene from my story.

Gardner Dozios had some nice words to say about this story in the June 2014 issue of Locus Magazine: “The strongest story is the powerful but bleak ‘Ashes’’ by Karl Bunker, set in an airless (emotionally, not literally) future where the human race is slowly dwindling toward extinction and even machine intelligences, or AIs, can achieve transcendence only at the cost of vanishing forever from existence. This is quietly but effectively grim, and you shouldn’t expect any note of hope or any Get-Out-Of-Jail-Free card at the end, because there isn’t any.”

Interzone is in (occasional) stores now, and will be available for purchase from TTA Press as a back issue in a month or so. An eBook edition is available here.