Just over 18 months ago a group of ecliptic individuals sat around in a not particularly dark room and plotted a murder, or as they saw it, in truth, a mercy killing. Blades were sharpened, arguments made, counter arguments presented, then when all was said and done Harvey Duckman Presents was slain…

There were reasons for killing the series, the old model didn’t work well. The anthologies took stories of multiple genres on a shared royalty deal that while sound in principle became increasingly unmanageable and as often happens a small minority of the writers involved turned out to be ‘problematic’ which marred the series for the main driving force behind it the incomparable Gillie Hatton (scifi writer C.G.Hatton). It was a case of a couple of rotten apples spoiling the barrel. The joy of editing and producing the series was sucked away by a few discontents* to the detriment of the many.

*if you are the kind of person who threatens legal action over a owed royalty of £3.24 and sends snotty abusing emails in this regard, congratulations you directly contributed to the killing off of very anthology that first published your work. If your wondering at all about the likelihood of anything else you submit ever been printed in the new Harvey Series let me save you the trouble of asking. The answer will be no.

Harvey was killed, and in the end it was a merciful death, but from the ashes a new Harvey was born, under a new model that would hopefully become self financing. With writers been paid a set fee for stories once published rather than unmanageable royalties systems and focused anthologies rather than free for all’s. New Harvey’s that would be genre specific but still encourage new writers and the best of the old to submit stories.

It took six months after the mercy killing to get the first of the new Harvey’s out. Even that six months was a lot of work in the back ground and over half the stories in that first edition were originally submitted over a year before. It was a difficult start, and putting in place a support system for Gillie to enable her to do what she loved without dealing with the other side of the anthology’s she found difficult, took time to balance. There is now a team of readers who read submissions. A stroppy Yorkshireman to deal with writing rejection emails and dealing with authors questions. There is fun stuff too like cover designing and other stuff to do with the series. While along side the main series, where we publish a new anthology every 3 months, there is a flash fiction book that comes out ever month with tiny stories written to a new thee each month. the Harvey site with author interview, advice, and general fun things . A whole lot in fact. but central to all this is the main anthology series.

Which brings me to finding Justice for the mostly Trans-Neptunian planet that is considered to be the ninth planet in our solar system, and was somewhat unjustly relegated to a mere Trans-Neptunian Object* by some astrologer for several years before it was reinstated as a planet once more.

*There are in fact seven dwarf planets (though three are listed as ‘possible dwarf planets’) among the many other Trans-Neptunian Objects that have been identified. Two of them even have moons. The main reason Pluto is recognized as a planet is because it was discovered first. Eris, Haumea, Makemake, Quaoar, Orcus, Sedna, and Gonggong all could lay equal claim to planethood.

The most plausible reason why the other TNO Dwarf-planets are not recognized as planets is I suspect because learning all nine planets in order is already too much for some people before you add another seven dwarf’s. Given Disney’s recent issues with that number of dwarfs this may prove wise…

In any regard, while Justice for Eris (actually bigger than Pluto) would be a worthy cry, Justice for Pluto has more of a ring to it and will not leave people scratching their heads. Also Justice for Gonggong just sounds weird. So the name of the latest Harvey Duckman anthology remains Justice for Pluto. Just because we like the name… And it is out tomorrow (actually today but who is checking these things)

My own story is about the Catholic colonization of the universe and the ultimate proof of the existence of god, and is not at all a heretical homage to Iain M Banks with a knife missile murder Bot called Gladice… I have read most of the others because of my involvement in the project as a whole, its a wonderful mix of ecliptic Scifi, from some of my favorite writers, and a few who are new to me because seem destined to become favorites.

So let the cry go out, ‘Justice For Pluto…..’ the 4th of the new Harvey’s and this one is pure sci-fi

HARVEY DUCKMAN PRESENTS: JUSTICE FOR PLUTO

Harvey Duckman is back with a brilliantly quirky collection of science fiction tales, packed with spaceships and stasis pods, aliens and artefacts, sentient AI and space exploration, planetary science and more…

Looking for original, wonderfully imaginative stories from a bunch of fantastic writers? Sit back and enjoy a glimpse into our weird and wonderful worlds.

Featuring thought-provoking, poignant, atmospheric, sometimes darkly funny and always entertaining short stories from Mark Hayes, Phil Sculthorpe, A.D. Watts, Kirsten Luckins, Keith Errington, Anna Atkinson-Dunn, Kate Baucherel, Davia Sacks, C. K. Roebuck, J.R. Whitbourn, John Holmes-Carrington, Trisha Ridinger McKee, R. Bruce Connelly, Ben Sawyer and maybe even CG Hatton.