Apex 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 Vincent, a boy bullied and abused by the people around him; Claire and Patrick, who find a strange, self-writing story stuck between the pages of a donated, secondhand book; C’haill-ol-i, the last, somewhat-surviving member of a highly advanced race and his Device, meant to be a way for the race to escape to a safer world; and in the end, something far darker. In a relatively short story, relationships, histories, and futures are written as the characters come together—the power to change the world at their fingertips and the decision whether to improve or punish riding on the edge of a dark temper. “Blackboard Sky”’s depth and scope are stunning and possibly just the thing to push Apex Digest from being an award nominee to an award winner.

“Spinnetje” by Stefani Nellen continues what Braunbeck started. Also a pleasant mix of harder, technology-based science fiction with a surprising social glaze, it could be interpreted as a profile of domestic abuse. Milo is a scientist working on a way to enable an individual’s memories and feelings to be experienced by others. Spurred by a twisted sort of love, he focuses in on his wife, Terri, and his fierce desire to know every part of her, especially ones impossible to share. Milo builds a Spinnetje, a techno-spider with a personality of its own, and commands it to target Terri. While his spider is a success, it’s not without side effects. Milo, like most abusers, struggles with guilt, only to have it sour, changing to a dark desire to possess and control and a sense of entitlement that precludes any acceptance of his own wrongdoing. Milo and Terri spin out into a violent spiral that can only end well for one of them.

In “Ray Gun” by Daniel G. Keohane, a man in the throes of dementia discovers that an alien ship has crash landed in his backyard. Reminiscent of Kealan Patrick Burke’s “Cobwebs” (PostScripts Issue 11), Hank’s problems with memory and understanding reality paint the eventual alien encounter into a strange picture. Like the previous stories in this issue, “Ray Gun” has little to do with the strange, but devastating, namesake of the story or even the twiggy aliens themselves. The core of it lies in Hank’s breakdown, brought about by a succession of tragic and gory losses, and by the breakdown of a mind already damaged before the extra-dimensional creatures came calling. Unusual, and a different story than the opening would suggest, this is likely to be a hit-or-miss story, with readers either liking it or not, with few in between.

“Uncanny” by Samuel Tinianow is more traditional Apex Digest fare, but it, too, manages to incorporate both advanced technology and human emotion. When a freak skiing accident occurs, Brent’s family discovers that his girlfriend, Alice, whom they blame for his distance, is a cleverly forged machine. As they all sit around, wondering if she’s dying, if she even can die, all but one find their hate fading. “Uncanny” is short, not as dark as the previous stories, and like “Ray Gun” before it, also makes one wonder whether certain actions were really necessary—other than to facilitate the end. It fits the theme of this issue well, and the familiar setting and situation help it pack a lot into a short space.

“The Moldy Dead” by Sara King is easily the heart of this issue. A moving tale of an exploratory flight by an interspecies crew, it follows Esteei, an empathic alien sent as an emissary to find sentient life, and his bodyguards, who are being killed by something on the planet. A bit of a mystery at first, “The Moldy Dead” expands past whodunnit and why, fording into a heartbreaking tale of loss and survival, selfishness and last minute realizations. A stunning story from a new writer, if this is indicative of what can be expected from King, then consider it an omen that she’s making her start by sharing a table of contents with fiction master Gary A. Braunbeck.

Serving as the Parting Shot for issue #11 of Apex Digest is “What to Expect When You’re Expectorating” by regular Apexer, Jennifer Pelland. An amusing take on over-the-counter drug labels, this might not fit as well into this issue’s theme, but it is a good segue from a dark look at human habits to readers’ regularly scheduled lives.