Reviews
Flashing Swords #8
Having fallen into hiatus, Flashing Swords is back with a new editorial staff for issue #8.
“The Gods-Forsaken World” by Steve Goble is a tale of adventure upon the high seas. But first, Calthus of Thaal, ancient warrior resurrected by the monks, must meet up with Kostas and the wizard who hires them, Revlin. […]
Voices for the Cure, edited by James Palmer
Voices for the Cure: A Speculative Fiction Anthology, edited by James Palmer, is an anthology to benefit the American Diabetes Association with a variety of stories that seem to accord to no particular theme other than—as indicated by the title—speculative fiction. The anthology starts off strong, and while it does weaken at points, it works […]
Continue ReadingApex Digest #11
Apex Digest is quickly building a reputation as a strong publication in the small press arena. Issue 11 opens with “Blackboard Sky” by Gary A. Braunbeck, a tale that proves that it’s possible to do hard science fiction with strong characterization well. Several stories in one, almost a mini-novel in scope, “Blackboard Sky” follows […]
Continue ReadingNot One Of Us #38
Any small press publication that reaches thirty-eight issues is to be commended. A ‘zine that, like Not One of Us, edited by John Benson, can do so while publishing a bunch of strong fantasy stories that either play with or defy genre conventions, deserves a much wider audience.
Continue ReadingDarker Matter #5
Issue #5, according to editor Ben Coppin, is the last issue of Darker Matter, and if that’s the case, it’s a real shame. In just five issues, Coppin has put together a tremendously varied and consistently smart collection of speculative fiction and nonfiction, and it’ll leave a real hole in the market when it […]
Continue ReadingHorror Library, Volume 2, edited by R.J. Cavender and Vincent VanAllen
Horror Library, Volume 2: An Anthology of Terror, edited by R.J. Cavender and Vincent VanAllen, starts out with the short but haunting “A Season of Sleep” by John Rector. The characterization makes this story—Mattie, a young girl left in her parents’ farmhouse to care for her sick brother; Nathan, burning with fever after being […]
Continue ReadingClarkesworld Magazine #14, Nov. 2007
In the fourteen months since its inception, Clarkesworld Magazine has established and maintained a reputation as a publisher of high-quality genre fiction. In part, this is possible because the magazine only publishes two stories in each issue. The first, selected by editor Sean Wallace, is solicited from established authors with at least one published book. […]
Continue ReadingInterzone #213, December 2007
Chris Roberson’s “Metal Dragon Year” is an alternate history story in which China dominates not only Eurasia and Africa, but colonized the Americas. (Only the “Mexic Dominion” lies outside the control of the “Dragon Throne,” which leaves the two fighting a skirmish war.) It has also industrialized to the point of launching its […]
Continue ReadingAn Alternate History of the 21st Century by William Shunn
The story that opens William Shunn’s collection, An Alternate History of the 21st Century, is “From Our Point of View We Had Moved to the Left,” which was originally published in the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction in 1993 and set in 2009, with part taking place in 2021. This short story, which […]
Continue ReadingThe Town Drunk, November 2007
We’ve all listened to ads or messages and thought they’ve got the perfect voice. Just enough personality shines through to add depth and interest to the words and keep you happy while you punch your way through the endless phone tree or perform some mundane task. I love being told I made a wrong turn […]
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