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RICHARD L. RUBIN

"Be wary lest you look too long into the void and find the void looking back at you."  

~ Nietzsche

STORIES

ROBBERY ON ANTARES VI

Far in the future, on a rugged mining world in a distant part of the galaxy, a bank employee is driven to the brink when he finds himself confronting a desperate bank robber. Click here for a free download of the story! Or buy the kindle version on Amazon for 99 cents.

AMAZON REVIEWS:
 

"I am engaged in the language of the author and find his writing exciting and spellbinding."

 

"Loved the build-up... all the way to the ending."

 

"Great read!! Would highly recommend!!"

THE WHITE GIANT'S MAP

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Appearing in Cirsova Magazine's Fall Special #1. This sword and planet tale mixes science fiction and fantasy in equal amounts. Our Earthborn hero Burke Fletcher, marooned on an alien world, accepts a treasure map from a dying enemy. The resulting quest leads to a deadly encounter with black magic. An action-packed science-fantasy adventure reminiscent of John Carter of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs!

STEALING THE ALCHEMIST STONE

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A sequel to The White Giant's Map.  Burke Fletcher and his wife, the lovely alchemist Lana, stage a daring raid to steal a powerful talisman, but a crash landing leaves them facing off against a long-forgotten menace to their world of Rigel IV!

"What also makes this story such a fun read is the completeness of the alien world. Mr. Rubin makes his world rich and exotic and one gets a real sense of strangeness, danger and adventure. Sword and Planet done with colorful panache and great spirit."

THE BARFLEUR

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A weird Sci-Fi war story. The spaceship battle at the edge of the Orion Nebula had been long and costly, and it wasn’t over yet, not even after six days of fighting. On the beginning of the seventh day, Captain Ian Wexler, at his command chair, gazed over the scorched, battered bridge of the Barfleur. This wasn’t over.

"Star-Trekky, good action, and a twist at the end. Very nice."

REBEL ASSAULT ON CYGNI IV

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Appearing in The Weird and Whatnot: July 5, 2019. In the far future, the totalitarian Rigelian Imperium controls much of the galaxy. A rebel force has risen up to battle the Imperium's tyranny, but things have not gone well for the rebellion. In the aftermath of a disastrous raid to liberate a POW slave colony, a badly crippled rebel battleship is forced to dispatch a small raiding party on a high-stakes mission to obtain desperately needed fuel from the remote Rigelian Imperium mining colony on Cygni IV.

COSMIC CONVOCATION: A SPACE OPERA ANTHOLOGY

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Cosmic Convocation is an exciting collection of twenty tales of space opera and the opportunity to journey to the farthest reaches of the cosmos from the comfort of your favorite chair. This sci-fi anthology features two short stories penned by Richard. His first tale in this exciting anthology is a reprint of Rebel Assault on Cygni IV, an action-packed space opera adventure. In the far future, the totalitarian Rigelian Imperium controls much of the galaxy. A rebel force has risen up to battle the Imperium’s tyranny, but things haven’t gone well. In the aftermath of a disastrous raid to liberate a POW camp, a badly crippled rebel battleship is forced to dispatch a small raiding party on a high-stakes mission to obtain desperately needed fuel from the remote Rigelian Imperium mining colony on Cygni IV. Then there’s a brand new arrival in Richard’s Commander Saturn space opera parody series: Commander Saturn and the Criminal Mastermind of Aldebaran, a pulp fiction space adventure in the tradition and spirit of Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon!

DUEL AT DRAGONSPOINT VALLEY

Sword and sorcery high adventure! Shreve, a battle-hardened mercenary captain, hires out his band of warriors to a feudal lord seeking to wrest his lands back from an enemy force of trolls and other dark creatures. In the campaign, Shreve learns from a companion that an enemy commander is protected by a magical amulet. In the thick of battle, Shreve finds and confronts the commander, hoping to slay him and steal the amulet for himself. But an evil sorcerer has other plans!

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“If you thrill to the tales of Robert E. Howard or David C. Smith you will enjoy this!”

THE EXHUMATION OF COMMANDANT DE ALVARADO

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A modern day ghost story, available for free at the Theme of Absence web-zine. A chill crawled down his spine as Captain Julian Escobar led his small militia detail through the empty streets of the old Spanish village. His irregular assignment was not to Escobar’s liking; this was not a good night for removing a body from its tomb—as if any night was.

"A great Gothic horror story which portrays evil very well."

"Great horror story. I like this writer and his style."

 

"Very well written and thought provoking especially in our current environment."

Deep Space Dogfights

COMMANDER SATURN AND THE DEADLY INVADERS FROM RIGEL

Richard L. Rubin's short story Commander Saturn and the Deadly Invaders from Rigel appears in Issue #4 of Broadswords and Blasters magazine. An action-packed, pulp fiction space adventure in the tradition and spirit of Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon!

AMAZON REVIEW:

"An engaging and funny space opera."

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COMMANDER SATURN AND THE PIRATES OF GANYMEDE

Appearing in Issue #7 of Broadswords and Blasters magazine: Commander Saturn and the Pirates of Ganymede, the exciting sequel to the space commander’s adventure in Issue #4. Commander Saturn and his sidekicks are summoned to the asteroid mining colony on Ceres where a band of pirate raiders have been robbing mining shipments.

BEHOLD THE CLOCK

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In the spirit of the old Twilight Zone, a weird science fiction short story, available for free at the Theme of Absence web-zine. Researcher Brian Hampton frowned as he gazed about the lavishly furnished conference room atop a high-rise in downtown Geneva. Where was everybody--the other thirty distinguished professors and scientists who were supposed to be gathered here around this conference table? This was the designated time to set the Countdown Timepiece, the symbolic clock designed to alert the planet to how close it was to Zero Hour-the straight-up position on the Timepiece's unique clock face-and Armageddon.

“Interesting, fun and satirical.”

TO SOAR LIKE A BIRD

Set in the near future, this speculative flash fiction tale tells the story of a young couple's dangerous encounter with the ultimate virtual reality machine. Available for FREE as the February 2018 Dark Fiction selection at Eastern Iowa Review!

Deep Space Dogfights

THE DAY THE DINOSAURS LANDED IN ARIZONA

Set in a post-apocalyptic future, this lighthearted weird western stars two daring lawmen who face off against an evil mad scientist and the rampaging dinosaurs he brings back from the past!  Published in the Aurora Wolf Literary Journal of Science Fiction and Fantasy, Volume 9, Issue 4.

“I love the combination of sci fi and western.”

Deep Space Dogfights

TO RESCUE A SORCERESS

An classic-style sword and sorcery yarn, starring a cynical mercenary hired by an aging lord to rescue the lord’s bastard daughter from her apprenticeship to a cruel sorceress. A tale of twists and turns and High Adventure. Published in the Aurora Wolf Literary Journal of Science Fiction and Fantasy, Volume 9, Issue 7.

THE HALLOWED HALL

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A modern ghost story, available for free at the Theme of Absence web-zine. On the day a radical workers' union is set to be closed down forever, two old friends come together to share a bottle of Cognac and reminisce about old times. But their revels are interrupted by the appearance of a ghost from the union's colorful past-a union organizer executed for a crime he didn't commit.

 “Richard Rubin once again shows his ability to transport us to another time and place. We feel as if we are sitting in the room with the characters. Can’t wait for the next story.”

Books
ARTICLES

ARTICLES

Interview with Richard L. Rubin | Apr 12, 2022

 

Interview with Richard L. Rubin | Aug 2, 2019

 

Review of UBIK, a Sci-Fi Novel by Philip K. Dick | Aug 23, 2015

Review of Pigeons from Hell, a Short Story by Robert E. Howard | Jul 7, 2015

 

Review of A Maze of Death, a Sci-Fi Novel by Philip K. Dick | Jun 4, 2015

 

Review of Alien Star Swarm, a Sci Fi Story by Robert Sheckley | May 31, 2015

 

Review of Planet of the Apes, a Novel by Pierre Boulle | Jun 11, 2015

Tracy the Prison Cat, by my former client Paul Hensley. See People v. Hensley, 59 Cal.4th 788, 175 Cal.Rptr.3d 213, 330 P.3d 296 (2014).

BIO

Richard L. Rubin graduated from U.C. Berkeley, with a B.A. in Philosophy, and subsequently obtained a law degree from U.C. Hastings College of Law. For 30 years Richard worked as an appellate lawyer, including the defense of several clients facing the death penalty in California.

Richard has been writing science fiction and fantasy since 2008. His flash fiction story To Soar like a Bird is available for free as the February 2018 Dark Fiction selection at Eastern Iowa Review. His short story sci-fi thriller Robbery on Antares VI is available on Amazon. Science fiction stories written by him also appear in Cirsova magazine, Savage Realms Monthly, Cosmic Convocation, The Weird and Whatnot magazine, Broadswords and Blasters magazine, Theme of Absence web-zine, and the Aurora Wolf journal of science fiction and fantasy. Richard is a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife, Susanne, and their two cats, Lindsey and Megan.

 

Richard can also be found on LinkedIn and Amazon.

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LINDSEY

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MEGAN

In Memoriam

GLADSTONE

Bio
News and Events
Contact

CONTACT

For any media inquiries, or other information, please contact Richard L. Rubin:

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