Strange Horizons brought five stories in October, 2007. The opening one, “Catherine and the Satyr” by Theodora Goss, is a tragedy about being trapped. The titular woman—the wife of Byron—is trapped in a marriage with a man who has become distracted by other women. There are ways for her to find a kind of freedom; […]
Continue ReadingBruce Holland Rogers, the creative force behind shortshortshort.com, served up a mixed sextet of ultrashort stories for September and October, 2007. Here you’ll find some of Rogers’s best work, as well as some less-than-stellar tales.
“Stoppage” is not one of Rogers’s clearer stories. A cat sitting on sheet music provides the inspiration for a metaphysical digression […]
The December issue of Ideomancer opens with “How to Draw the Dark Lord” by Jon Hansen, which takes the style of a children’s colouring book and offers a ten-step set of instructions on how to draw the archetypal Dark Lord of fantasy worlds. Hansen’s observations are spot-on for the archetype, and a sprinkling of humour […]
Continue ReadingI was quite impressed with Aeon #11 and found Aeon #12 to be equally impressive. Editors Bridget and Marti McKenna are doing a fine job of bringing a diverse selection of speculative fiction to their readers. This is adult, literary fiction with a true sense of passion, combined with thoughtful fun.
Sarah L. Edwards […]
As I mentioned last month, this column will be exploring various poetry techniques each month and how they are used in current speculative poetry. This month’s featured technique is alliteration, which is defined as the repetition of initial consonants or consonant sounds. It is a simple technique which can be powerful if not overdone. It […]
Continue ReadingI’ve found I especially enjoy writing reviews for e-zines, for the simple reason that if a review catches a reader’s attention, she can click right over and read the story for herself. Happily, issue #34 of ChiZine provides a couple of stories I’m more than happy to link folks to.
First up, “Longtime Gone” by Kurt […]
Samantha Henderson opens December’s issue of Clarkesworld Magazine with her story, “Curse,” which takes as its opening premise the tale of Rumplestiltzkin—tracing the female protagonist’s future life with the king and her subsequent decisions. I found “Curse” perhaps a little too disjointed to truly care what was happening. The three sections seemed barely connected, and […]
Continue ReadingSome of the most baffling mysteries of life are encountered in the most mundane places—like the laundry room, and I’m not talking about the weirdos in Laundromats late at night. What the hell happens to sock pairs ripped apart by the tumult of the washer and the dryer’s cruel static cling? And why is it […]
Continue ReadingI hadn’t satisfied my fantasy cravings on the web much before I read “Keeping Lilly” by Michael Obilade in Prime Books’ free online periodical, Fantasy Magazine. Stella and Jack are orphans who live in a cabin next to a lake. Their parents, Jon and Huda, died in a car accident near an unnamed ocean; Stella’s […]
Continue ReadingHub #31’s fiction selection is “Sleepless, Nameless” by Brett Tallman. After being forced by clever means to return to Chicago, twenty-two-year-old Christopher Fish is told by Mr. Nine that he’s a construct from the imagination of a man who’s been in a coma for twenty-two years. Mr. Nine is an interesting villain, […]
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