Burning Neil Armstrong

Available as ebook on the Amazon Kindle ISBN 978-94-91908-21-7

Available as Apple iBook ISBN 978-94-91908-20-0

Available as ebook on Kobo ISBN 978-94-91908-20-0

The economy is evolving from a man made theory of labor and money towards an autonomous, endless event. Even the wildest conspiracy theory becomes obsolete in the light of this emergence, for no one controls it. And so the economy will continue to grow. M.H. Vesseur, author of speculative stories for literary magazines, expands this prediction and describes the definitive form of a super economy that will soon arrive and forever crush our memories of a better future that once beckoned us. Burning Neil Armstrong is an unforgiving look into the near future.

Burning Neil Armstrong was first published by Nymph (The Netherlands) in 2002. 

New Grass

Inspired by the palm-of-the-hand storywriting of Yasunari Kawabata, M.H. Vesseur wrote this small, delicate tale of a man who becomes devoted to the things he sees from his bedroom window that the borders between dreams and reality start to fade.

This story has been translated by Paul Vincent. Originally published in 2016 by Longshot Press in the short story collection Face Forward. 

Blood Border

Available as ebook on the Amazon Kindle ISBN 978-94-91908-13-2

Available as paperback in the Amazon Store ISBN 978-94-91908-12-5

Published by Vibes in 2014

The inhumanity of human trafficking is forcing the radio detective to make a stand. So in the midst of politics and public outrage, Carl Pappas and his team infiltrate the trafficking cartel of a man known as The Clown. But there is nothing funny about it, for the radio detective soon finds himself in the lion’s den, a place crowded with former narcotics traffickers and their violent ways. Will they be able to do something about the screaming injustice of immigration or will they become prey themselves?

Nosedive

Available as ebook on the Amazon Kindle ISBN 978-94-91908-03-3

Available as paperback in the Amazon Store ISBN 978-94-91908-04-0

Published by Vibes in 2014

When a large corporation is struck by a crippling strike among its workers and an apparent terrorist attack on its factory, bizz jockey Carl Pappas steps forward to offer his public support. But as he soon finds out, there’s more to the picture than meets the eye. Why is the owner hiding in her large mansion? What happened in her youth that is threatening her after all these years? It’s a job for the radio detective — and this time around his boss gives an unexpected hand.

“Nosedive” is the fifth independent novel in the series about radio detective Carl Pappas.

Tax Me If You Can

Available as ebook on the Amazon Kindle ISBN 978-90-806920-8-4

Available as paperback in the Amazone Store ISBN 978-90-806920-9-1

Published by Vibes in 2013

Carl Pappas, the radio detective, is cooking up a real shocker: during a live broadcast of his popular business talk radio show The Boardroom he plans to reveal secrets about tax dodging practices around the globe. In the middle of the preparations he and his producer Hitomi Sakamoto face unexpected trouble. Who is trying to shut the Bizz Jockey up in this quiet country under the tropical sun? Is it the local military junta? Is it the business community? Or is the sun finally getting to Carl Pappas’ head?

“Tax Me If You can” is the third independent novel in the series about radio detective Carl Pappas.

CEO Groupie

Available as ebook on the Amazon Kindle ISBN 978-90-806920-0-8

Available as paperback in the Amazon Store ISBN 978-90-806920-6-0

Published by Vibes in 2013

Meet the world’s #1 “bizz jockey” – and unofficial radio detective – Carl Pappas. He hosts the radio show “The Boardroom” and is both loved and feared by the global business community. He has a sharp eye for business news and the big mouth of a talk radio host. One night three live guests join him on his show: two CEOs and a woman who calls herself: “the CEO Groupie”.

When the mysterious woman reveals the existence of a secret call girl organization for CEOs and subsequently disappears a couple of days later, the bizz jockey engages on a search. What happened to the CEO Groupie and what are the other two guests up to?

“CEO Groupie” is the first independent novel in the series about radio detective Carl Pappas.

Babyface Junkie

Available as ebook on the Amazon Kindle ISBN 978-90-806920-2-2

Published by Vibes in 2013

Also available in the short story collection “Allusions” (see above)

If we keep pursueing eternal youth as rigorous as we do now, someday we may find ourselves in a cul-de-sac.

Excerpt

‘Shaking his head, Dr Georg went to his office, leaving the neurotically quarrelling siblings to the care of his team. If Rosalynd rejected even an ordinary advertising campaign, what on earth would her attitude be to his plan to preserve the twins in formaldehyde after their death and to build a museum around them?

It was time to let the lawyers loose on the case again.’ 

This story has been translated by Paul Vincent.

Published by Descant, Toronto, Spring 2010 

Territory Game

Available as ebook on the Amazon Kindle ISBN 978-94-91908-06-4

Published by Vibes in 2014

Also available in the short story collection “Allusions” (see above)

An entirely artificial landscape responds subtly to the energies of people and machines that pass it by. It draws its colors from the sun and its warmth from a passing car. But how would you feel when this landscape you’re in also responds to… human behavior? That’s all right as long as it’s just flowers opening up to your smile…

Excerpt

‘Then the mother lifted up the laughing and singing girl and threw her in an arc, so that she landed in the gently swelling sea of sunflowers. The child hung there for a while, screaming with pleasure till things quietened down and the flowers began shrinking for want of stimulus, and she finally dropped gently onto the grass as it drained of colour.’

This story has been translated by Paul Vincent.

Originally published in the special renovations issue of Descant, Toronto, Canada 2012.

Filthy Days

In a roadside restaurant each member of a hilarious troupe shares a disease that offers shocking insights into the dark past of a wandering man.

Excerpt

‘”I did not have sexual relations with that woman.” He points to the waitress who is walking away. She turns and smiles at me. Then the pale man returns to his company as they settle themselves at a long table in a faraway corner. En route he says it again, empathically, pointing at the bar, “I did not have sexual relations with that woman,” and sits by the table, where his voice merges with the cacophony around him.’

This story has been published in Dutch under its original title: Smerige dagen.

Published by De Brakke Hond, Mechelen, Belgium.

Although Creation

The divine disclaimer that bans all legal actions against the creation of the world, has recently emerged.

For the 100th edition of the Belgian literary magazine De Brakke Hond one hundred authors were asked for a contribution in the form of a quote—either an existing one or a new one. M.H. Vesseur contributed the divine disclaimer, a lawyer’s perspective on the origin of species.

This story has been published in Dutch under its original title: Hoewel de schepping.

Published by De Brakke Hond, Mechelen, Belgium.

Sketches of a Worldwide Christo and Jeanne-Claude

Available as ebook on the Amazon Kindle ISBN 978-94-91908-02-6

Available as Apple iBook ISBN 978-94-91908-35-4

Available as ebook on Kobo ISBN 978-94-91908-35-4

Published by Vibes in 2014

Also available in the short story collection “Allusions” (see above)

This tribute to the artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude tells the tale of their imaginary work of art called The Sahara Tent. While they are building this huge installation across the sand dunes of the Sahara, a phenomenon occurs that has the power to change the world and with it the future of the planet. The story premiered in literary magazine De Brakke Hond (Belgium) and in M.H. Vesseur’s short story collection Allusions.

A review of Sketches of a Worldwide Christo and Jeanne-Claude

'A speculative fiction of environmental land art created by the famed artists, where they drape tent cloths over a wide stretch of the Sahara to block out the sun, creating a greenhouse effect with climatic effects on the desert biome that hold potential global implications. An interesting piece that combines sci fi speculation with artistic elements to good effect.'  Daniel Haeusser in the Skiffy & Fanty podcast, reviewing the Unfit Magazine publication.

Excerpt

'Above the voices I heard the grating sound that the sand made as it brushed the tires of the trailer. My trouser legs started flapping. I pulled my hat firmly on my head and began the descent to the Sahara Tent.

Twenty minutes later, at the bottom of the cliff at the foot of a steel staircase built for the public with an awning that gave protection from the sun, I reached the edge of the canvas. The wind did not reach here. The tent cloth hung at most two and a half meters above the sand. As soon as I stepped beneath it, I found myself under a different sky.’

Translated by Paul Vincent. This story was originally published under its original title: Schetsen van een wereldwijde Christo en Jeanne-Claude.

Published by De Brakke Hond (2006, Dutch version), Mechelen, Belgium.

Published by Mythaxis (2020, English version), USA.

Pubished by Unfit Magazine (2018, English version, online publication), USA.

The Terrible Painting

While residing in Paris after the Second World War painter Karel Appel, suffering from poor living conditions and toxic fumes, sees a horrible alternate reality emerge, leaking from his dreams straight into real life.

Excerpt

‘No, things were looking good in Paris, early 1953. Nothing to eat, no heating, my girlfriend off to Amsterdam to study. But in spite of all that: we were painting. My buddies, me, we were painting canvas after canvas, and canvas after canvas looked terrific and we were looking at a bright future. Recognition was imminent. We didn’t know how, we didn’t know when. We knew.’

This story has been published in Dutch under its original title: Het verschrikkelijke schilderen.

Published by De Brakke Hond, Mechelen, Belgium.

Hiroshima Blossoms

The report concerning the exposure of test persons to the mysterious film #1077 reveals disquieting details about the future of man.

Excerpt

‘Frame 34,561 to 43,200. Panoramic view of the blossom garden. The music is prolonged without pause. Electric organs and monotonously hissing rhythm boxes from seventies porn. First some revealing effects on the surroundings of the atomic blast are shown.’

This story has been published in Dutch under its original title: Hiroshima bloesemt.

Published by Nymph, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Lemniscate

Had you made different choices during the past hour, you probably would not be reading this page right now…

…Most likely you wouldn’t even be here, behind your computer screen. Because every choice you make influences your life and is potentially a crossing point in your existence. According to the theme of Lemniscate any of these crossing points is unrelenting and their numbers infinite. This is the story of historian Louis Ohm and the world around him, while we, the reader, jump from one parallel life to the next.

Lemniscate has been published in the original Dutch language under the title: Lemniscaat.

Published by Vibes Publishing, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

You Don’t See Many Women These Days

In the 2010’s the fertility of the West-European male is deteriorating, as anyone who follows scientific bulletins can confirm. But when this story was first published such a notion was purely speculative.

This story has been published in the Dutch language under its original title: Je ziet niet meer zo veel vrouwen tegenwoordig.

Appeared originally in Ganymedes 10, a short story collection published by A.W. Bruna & Zoon, 1986.

You Don't See Many Women These Days was awarded with the King Kong Award for best debut.