Reviews
Astropoetica 5.1 Spring/Summer 2007
Astropoetica 5.1 (Spring/Summer 2007) is the latest issue of this poetry-only webzine. The subtitle reads “mapping the stars through poetry,” which is evidently intended to make a statement about the purpose of the magazine. If so, the statement is rather cryptic, because only about half of the poems are really about astronomy. […]
Continue ReadingThe Cusp of Something by Jai Clare
When reading a new collection of short stories, especially one so widely varied as Jai Clare’s The Cusp of Something, it is difficult to know how to describe it in terms of genre. Some of the work is truly macabre, laced with hints of horror and dark fantasy, some of it openly erotic; the author […]
Continue ReadingFrom the Podosphere: November ‘07 podcasts
Before I talk about November’s batch of stories in Escape Pod, I want to put in good word for host, editor, and publisher, Stephen Eley. Eley’s introductions, his reflections and observations, philosophical musings, and snippets about his life, make for engaging listening, and the warmth and intelligence of his intros (and outros) give Escape […]
Continue ReadingShimmer: The Pirate Issue
The much anticipated pirate issue from Shimmer is out, helmed by guest editor John Joseph Adams, assistant editor of F&SF. Adams chose an eclectic group of tales, ranging from the serious to the humorous, from modern-day to the Golden Age of Pirates. Nothing here really blew my socks off, but there are a […]
Continue ReadingChiZine #34, October-December 2007
I’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 […]
Clarkesworld #15, December 2007
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 ReadingVisual Journeys: A Tribute to Space Artists, edited by Eric T. Reynolds
Sometimes, if you look at a picture long enough, it will tell you its story. One of them, anyway—every picture contains the essence of many stories, depending on the imagination of the beholder. Contained in Visual Journeys: A Tribute to Space Artists, edited by Eric T. Reynolds, are eighteen pieces of space art, […]
Continue ReadingThe Town Drunk, December 2007
Some 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 ReadingInferno: New Tales of Terror and the Supernatural, edited by Ellen Datlow
All stories in Inferno: New Tales of Terror and the Supernatural had to conform to one requirement, editor Ellen Datlow (who says she’s not prolific, but she’s just being modest) says in the preface: They had to cause the reader “a sensation of fear so palpable that [he or she] feels impelled to turn up […]
Continue ReadingFantasy Magazine Online, November 12-26, 2007
I 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 […]
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