City Slab #11

Though City Slab only offers up four short stories in its latest issue, the quality and treatment of them is both well-handled and fulfilling. The magazine, now in its eleventh issue, bills its fiction as “urban tales of the grotesque.” No argument here. In fact, I’d say that’s the perfect description. The stories, ranging from […]

Baen’s Universe, December 2007

The December, 2007, issue of Baen’s Universe begins with “Laws of Survival” by Nancy Kress. The human race has all but destroyed itself in a final War, and the survivors eke out a living, sorting out the garbage left by Domes—mysterious alien constructions that appeared after the War. Jill is one of these survivors, […]

20th Century Ghosts by Joe Hill

Joe Hill’s 20th Century Ghosts was first released by PS Publishing in 2005 with a limited print run. Hill was relatively new on the scene at the time, but 20th Century Ghosts was well received, and it went on to win the 2006 Bram Stoker Award for Best Fiction Collection, the 2006 British Fantasy Award […]

Audiobook Fix: Wonder Audiobooks

Audible.com has recently added a bunch of short speculative fiction to its catalog. One of the more interesting new publishers there is Wonder Audiobooks, which produces unabridged versions of vintage genre fiction. Here are a few of the titles they offer:

“Fondly Fahrenheit” is Alfred Bester’s most famous short story, and it contains echoes […]

Asimov’s, March 2008

In the March, 2008, issue of Asimov’s, Brian Stableford depicts a world overrun by biotech in “Following the Pharmers.” Daniel Anderson has retired to a remote part of the Yorkshire Everglades, hoping to be left alone. He once worked for a big pharmaceutical corporation, but has now virtually stopped growing bio-engineered plants—keeping only a few […]

Hub #39-42

Hub is a “free weekly science fiction, fantasy and horror magazine delivered direct to your inbox every week.” Each issue features at least one work of fiction along with reviews or other features. Subscribers can receive Hub as a pdf file or as a download for the Mobi Pocket Reader.
In Issue 39, the last issue […]

ChiZine #35, January-March

After reviewing issue #34 of ChiZine, I didn’t find issue #35 nearly as impressive. Still, ChiZine certainly seems aimed in a direction I’m very fond of: intelligent, interesting substance delivered with down-to-earth storytelling and more than a hint of darkness. Whether or not each individual story lives up to that is a different […]

On Spec, #70, Fall 2007

The Fall, 2007, issue of On Spec: The Canadian Magazine of the Fantastic is an enjoyable read and well worth picking up, with a variety of stories that would fit just about any taste except those who prefer a great deal of hard SF.
“The Sorceress’ Assistant” by Leah Bobet is a beautifully written tale […]

Strange Horizons, December 2007

In 2007’s December Strange Horizons offerings, N.K. Jemisin’s “The You Train” tells the story of a woman seeking to escape her modern life. Overwhelmed by the frustrations of work and people, she begins to notice strange behavior in the trains of the New York subway system. Retired trains and, sometimes, trains that have never existed […]

Fantasy Magazine Online, January 2008

The January 2008 offerings from Fantasy Magazine are on the darker side: a mix of two parts magic and one part horror, with a dash of surrealism. This is one of the strongest (and the shortest) assortment they’ve served up since I started following the site.
Kelly Barnhill’s “Notes on the Untimely Death of Ronia Drake” […]