Bibliography

Below you can find a list of Karl's published books, short fiction and short non-fiction. You can also read some free fiction.

Books

The "Lost" Stories: A Series of Co_smic Adventures

Biblically Inspired Science Fiction Humor

These are the adventures of James Kollins: greedy, petty, selfish captain of the galactic warship DeVille; a man obsessed with the holodrama Captain Courageous and the Women Who Love Him; a man completely unforgiving of his much-maligned first officer. A man who has just met the Creator of the universe, though he doesn't quite realize it yet, and whose life is about to change in ways he never dreamed possible, though he doesn't quite know it yet.

Part loving Star Trek parody (I mean, homage), part spiritual journey, The “Lost” Stories is a series of cosmic and comic adventures that are silly, fun, and also demonstrate the Power of God working in the life of even the most self-obsessed warship captain you've ever met.

Ooter's Place and other Stories of Fear, Faith, and Love

13 Short Tales.

Why doesn't God do something to stop the evil and suffering in the world? Some people who call themselves the "Atheists Against God" think they know the answer. And they know what they’re going to do about it, too.

A hired gun—who doesn’t use a gun and won’t be hired by just anyone—realizes that his profession is killing him, but finds it hard to quit. Until he discovers that his talent has more uses than he ever dreamed possible.

A young boy learns that his best friend is an alien. But does that mean they have to stop being friends?

Short Fiction

[ A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M
| N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z ]

A

"A Modern Fairy Tale"
(700 words)

published in Issue 2, Volume 5 (Winter 1996) of The Patrician.
reprinted in Issue 2, Volume 1 (October 2003) of Flash Me Magazine.

"An Important Lesson"
(500 words)

published as a feature story in millenniumSHIFT (July 2001).

"At War"
(3200 words)

published in the Premiere Issue (Summer 2007) of Staffs & Starships.
in a review published in SFReader.com, Robert J. Santa writes of "At War": "This is a Bradbury-esque piece well worth the lead spot in a new publication."
in a review published on his blog, Deven D Atkinson writes of "At War": "As a military history buff, this story struck a strong chord with me."

"Atheists Against God and the Devil of Destruction"
(3800 words)

published in Fear and Trembling (Winter 2009) under the title Confession.

[ back to alphabet ]

B

"Beat-Down"
(700 words)

published on October 20, 2009 by EveryDayFiction.

"Better Than One?"
(3800 words)

published as Editor's Extra #1 (January 2002) at Anotherealm. Editor's Extras are stories selected by the editor as gifts to Anotherealm readers.

"Beware the Weeble"
(1000 words)

published in Issue 24, Volume 3 (June/July 2001) of Futures Magazine.

"Blink"
(4000 words)

published in Issue 5 (November 2010) of This Mutant Life.

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C

"Candor's Dragon"
(3500 words)

published in Issue 6 (March 2000) of Planet Relish E-zine under the title "In Defense of Candor".
reprinted in Volume Twelve (Spring 2001) of Peridot Books.

"The Clickety-Clacketies"
(2600 words)

published in Volume 1, Issue 3 (Winter 2006) of Tales of the Talisman.

"Collision Course"
(5800 words)

published in the June 2004 issue of Quantum Muse.

"Confession"

see Atheists Against God and the Devil of Destruction.

Sacred Naked Issue 2, Volume 2: March 2004 "Corpse Of My Life"
(1200 words)

published in Issue 2, Volume 2 (March 2004) of Scared Naked Magazine.

Shadow Box e-Anthology

"Counting Corpses"
(120 words)

published in the charitable e-anthology Shadow Box (Halloween 2005).
In a review of the anthology published on Tangent Online, Jason Fischer writes of "Counting Corpses": "A clever short (perhaps a bit too cute for some people's taste), El-Koura gives us a bizarre scenario; the old count the young dead after a skirmish, an accurate count being the only way to decide the winner. Funny but in an eye-rolling way." (Hey, funny's funny.)

"The Curious Case of the Book Baron"

Storyteller: Volume 12, Issue 4

(4000 words)

cover story in Volume 12, Issue 4 (Spring 2006) of Storyteller.

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D

"Death of an Apostle"
(4200 words)

published in Vol. 1 No. 2 (Winter 2001) of GateWay S-F Magazine (on-line edition).
reprinted in Vol. 1, No. 2 (Spring 2001) of GateWay S-F Magazine (print edition).

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E

"Everybody Smiles At You"
(4900 words)

published in Issue #3 (December 2003) of Neverary.

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F

"The Flying Dutchman"
(3000 words)

published in Issue Three (October to December 2004) of SDO Ghost.

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H

Surreal Magazine, Issue 2: Spring 2005 "How You Die"
(1700 words)

published in Issue 2 (Spring 2005) of Surreal Magazine.
In a review of this issue published on Tangent Online, Lindsay Lloyd writes: "Karl El-Koura's short shock "How You Die" proves there's no suspense more delicious than those involving boys telling horror stories by candlelight [...] The tension builds steadily into the wonderful climax and I could easily see this making a leap into the verbal horror tradition that spawned it."

"Hubot"
(2000 words)

published in the third issue of Fictitious Force.

"(The) Human Skins"
(1500 words)

published in eVolume Two, Issue One (June 2006) of Susurrus.

[ back to alphabet]

I

"I Believe, I Believe, I Believe"
(500 words)

published in the May 2000 issue of Mocha Memoirs.

"In Defense of Candor"

see Candor's Dragon.

[ back to alphabet ]

K

"(The) Kedari Virus"
(7000 words)

published in Issue 9 of Neo-opsis Science Fiction Magazine.

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L

"(The) 'Lost' Stories ... a series of coSmic events"

published by GateWay S-F Magazine.

Sacred Naked Issue 3, Volume 1: July 2003 "Love Hurts"
(1400 words)

published in Issue 3, Volume 1 (July 2003) of Scared Naked Magazine.
reprinted in Project M. Zine's P-A-N issue (Edition 0.08, September 2004).

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M

"(A) Magic Box"
(3800 words)

scheduled to be published in the June issue of the Writers Post Journal.

Storyteller: Volume 13, Issue 2

"Making Simbta"
(2400 words)

cover story in Volume 13, Issue 2 (Winter 2006) of Storyteller.

"(The) Man Who Mistook Himself for a Superhero"
(7500 words)

published in the Number 18 (July 2004) issue of Challenging Destiny.
in a review of the issue published on Tangent Online, Sherwood Smith writes: "After some very funny, sometimes poignant encounters, we shift out of [the main character's] point-of-view to find out that his name is Matthew Peber, and we discover why he is able to do what he does. And what happens to guys who think they are superheroes—but aren't. A very appealing story."

"Merchant of the Gods"
(3800 words)

published in Vol. 2 No. 23 (September 2000) of Anotherealm.
reprinted in the print anthology Anotherealm Best #3.

"Misplaced Reality"
(4000 words)

published in Issue 149 (July 2000) of SpaceWays Weekly.

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N

"No More Robots"
(1900 words)

published in Issue #7 (Fall 2004) of Quantum Barbarian.

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O

"One Drop at a Time"

see The Talent.

[ back to alphabet ]

P

"(The) Painted World"
(1800 words)

published in Issue 2, Volume 3 (February 2001) of Muse It Magazine.

"Paradise, Inc."
(1900 words)

published in Issue 4 of This Way Up.

Cold Glass Pain "Phantom Spouse Syndrome"
(2000 words)

published in the anthology Cold Glass Pain in February 2005 as an eBook and in March 2005 as a trade paperback.

Future Orbits Premiere Issue "Postcards From Pluto"
(1100 words)

published in the Premiere Issue (October/November 2001) of Future Orbits.

"Purpose"
(3300 words)

published in Volume Eleven (Winter 2001) of Peridot Books.

Penumbric Speculative Fiction Magazine Issue 5, Volume 2: February 2004 "(The) Pursuit of Garrius Arilius"
(7900 words)

published in Issue 5, Volume 2 (February 2004) of Penumbric Speculative Fiction Magazine.

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R

"Robbie Can't Play"
(1700 words)

published in the Volume 2, Issue 3 (Summer 2005) of The SiNK.

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S

"Sins of the Father, Sins of the Son"
(3300 words)

published in Volume Twenty-One (Spring 2004) of Peridot Books.

"Spacegames"
(4700 words)

published in Volume Twenty-Two (Fall 2004) of Peridot Books.

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T

"The Talent"
(3800 words)

published in Issue #7 (October 2004) of Neverary under the title "One Drop at a Time."

"They Came From Ooter's Place"
(1500 words)

published in Issue 29 (March 1998) of SpaceWays Weekly.
reprinted in The Annual Best of SpaceWays Weekly 1998 (March 1999) after the readers of SpaceWays selected it as one of the best stories of the year.

"This Mortal Coil"
(4900 words)

published in Issue 3 (Lairë [Summer] 2004) of Parageography.

"Tom's Refrigerator"
(250 words)

published in the August 2004 issue of Monthly Short Stories.

"True Love"
(950 words)

published in Volume 1, Issue 2 (Winter 2004) of Gryphonwood.

"(The) Truth About Edward and Wormwood"
(6900 words)

published in the Number 11 (December 2000) issue of Challenging Destiny.
In a review of this issue published on Tangent Online, David L. Felts writes: "Algie [the main character in 'Truth'] is a likable character; pragmatic but fun and rather wry. I wouldn't mind encountering him again."

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U

"(The) Ugly Duckling"
(3000 words)

published in the March 2002 issue of The Palace of Reason.

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V

"Variable Death"
(100 words)

published in Issue Six Hundred Fifty Four (August 5 2004) of FLASHSHOT.

[ back to alphabet ]

W

"When You Zoom Out"
(3200 words)

published in the Premier Issue (q2 2005 - vol 1 num 1) of nanobison.

[ back to alphabet]

Short Non-Fiction

"A Writer's Aim"
(1200 words)

published in Issue #4 (February 2004) of Neverary.

"Goodbye Gentle Reader, Hello Hostile Reader"
(1600 words)

published in Issue 9 (August 2005) of Reflection's Edge.

"Of Monks, the Internet, and Publishing"
(1200 words)

published in the Spring 2000 issue (Volume 17, No.1) of Canadian Writer's Journal.
reprinted in the March 2001 issue of Writer Online.

"The Tools You Should Use"
(1000 words)

published in the July 2000 issue of Keystrokes.
reprinted in the April 2001 (Volume 18, No. 2) issue of Canadian Writer's Journal under the title "An Eye on the End".

"Too Much Information?"
(850 words)

published by Story House. It appeared on their Learned Beans coffee labels dated October 3, 2001.