Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine #33

Billed as Australia’s Pulpiest SF Magazine, Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine is a long running and respected antipodean publication of speculative fiction. The first issue hit the stands in June of 2002, and readers and reviewers have taken notice ever since. The publishing co-op maintains a roughly bimonthly release schedule, with each issue containing about 40,000 words of fiction, articles, interviews, reviews, and editorials, as well as new SF artwork, showcasing artists and authors from around the globe. A publishing co-op? Yes. According to one of their collective, the Andromeda Spaceways Publishing Co-op:

…formed spontaneously from the internetic ether, when a bunch of fans and writers asked themselves two related questions: “How come no-one’s publishing any fun stuff any more?” and “Hey—can’t we?”

I think most readers are grateful that the answer to that last question at least is found in every issue of ASIM. While the overall tone is lighthearted, I also discovered some “good and gritty” fiction in issue #33 that pushes genre boundaries.

Content overview: Volume 6/Issue 3 features nine short stories and three illustrations, an “Itorial” by this issue’s editor, Edwina Harvey, (the co-op rotates editorial responsibilities among their crew), a review by Michael Lohr on a book of flash fiction, and a “state of the art” column on nanotechnology by Dirk Flinthart. I’ll limit my review to the fiction, but I did enjoy the variety included here. Although the magazine is only available for purchase as a PDF or print edition (for about AUD$10), many “extra features” are free online and include interviews, book reviews, and a couple of podcasts. So that’s nice.

The lineup begins with “I Buried Elvis” by Larry Ferrill, a poignant yet subtle nature vs. nurture exploration set in the freak show world of a traveling carnival. While gen-farms have been creating look-alike celebrity entertainers for years, the industry’s cast-off “miscreations” (mutant clones that exit the synthetic womb hideously misshapen) are its dirty little secret. But there is a market for their talents as well. Second and third tier tours are always quick to showcase the latest attraction, and when AJ’s friend is set to debut as Elvis 3.1, the money in the air is too much for one mogul to resist. That’s the fate of a freak, it seems—miscreations are mere commodities to be exploited. And AJ has had enough. But will his own genetic deficiency determine how he chooses to end the madness? Ferrill offers a thoughtful and well-written story that helps us explore the possibilities.

“Dreadneck” by Jeff Parish is next, and while the title doesn’t reveal much, it does hint at the ominous nature of the story’s conflict between the Mechanics and the Mages. The reader will discover quickly enough the nature of the war, so I’m not giving away the plot when I say that the author does a good job weaving a subtle morality message into this magic-fantasy tale. And when it comes to the battle scene, Parish does a commendable job of storytelling while showing us a rip-roaring, metal bomb vs. magic blast contest. So many fight scenes are simply descriptions of soldiers getting gored that I usually skip to the end to find out who won. You can’t do that (and wouldn’t want to) with “Dreadneck,” because the “victory,” even by story’s end, is a bit of a surprise.

The first illustration (other than the uninspiring cover art which foreshadowed “I Buried Elvis”) is Lewis P. Morley’s movie trailer inspired rendering of “A Most Heinous Man.” The classic and stylized horror art appropriately meshes with the humorously pulpy monster tale by Richard S. Crawford. A bit longer than flash, this fun bit of fiction makes up in character what’s lacking in plot. To tell more would give away what little story there is, but if the family antics of Herman & Lilly or Morticia & Gomez are up your alley, then this will be a delightful read.

With the curiously emotive “Celadon Green,” Loïc Henry introduces us to a cryptic galactic happening that has mathematicians, religious representatives, and various other space-faring pilgrims all clamoring to discover a predicted phenomenon’s meaning. The author reels out the clues to this mystery and creatively hooks the reader by alternating between and eventually intertwining two first person narratives—all the while providing some wonderful characterization. Initially, however, the storytelling device was a bit confusing, and the formatting/stylistic choice for dialog and soliloquy, while workable, took some getting used to. (A few typos and punctuation issues were a distraction, though.) At one level, this story was probably the most original piece of fiction in the issue. And, if you read it yourself, I think you’ll experience some colorful feelings (you’ll understand the allusion later) of intrigue and amusement. But if you’re like me, it’ll be tinged by a shade of disappointment; in the end, I felt that the piece failed to deliver on the forceful setup that the premise demanded. Worth a read, but it could have been better.

Alex Cohen’s recipe for a lighthearted mystery is to start with an Egyptian setting, mix in a couple of scenes from history, add a mummy and a murder, and spice it up with a little romance. The result? A tasty little treat called “The Rising” (double entendre intended). Although on the predictable side (and a bit unbelievable on the romance side, but then what love-for-the-ages tale isn’t?) I still found the end result to be a flavorful addition to this issue. Not a meal unto itself, but a fairly entertaining appetizer.

“The Stone Man” by Sarah Totton is a disturbing psychological thriller—one of those “good and gritty” SF/horror stories that engage and debate our cultural mores in an intelligent and sophisticated manner. This is a skilled telling set in a medical research lab where a reluctant student protagonist must face that defining moral crisis and emerge either as a free man or corporate whore. While the reader is necessarily confronted with themes of sanctity of life (the evil corporation is Moloch Inc., after all), human dignity, drug dependency, courage and cowardice, despair and suicide, no easy answers emerge, and the ending is neither trite nor teachy. Possibly misplaced in the lineup for this particular ToC, “The Stone Man” is nevertheless a thoughtful inclusion to balance out the rest of the “lighthearted” entries.

Speaking of lighthearted stories, the series of super flash fiction pieces—“Six Subliminals”—by Simon Petrie are cute and humorous snippets of fun. Like most microflash, the setup and punch line are either clever twists on familiar tropes or old puns given new spice. Since I’m partial to puns, my favorite was “Double Agent” with “Here Be…” a close second (even though I did have to Google the dang Dugong!).

For the second to last story, Regina Patton offers up in “The Derby” one whale of a fish tale, accompanied by Robert Jan’s illustration that jovially captures its oddball essence. Jimbo tags along with his pals during the annual salmon fishing derby in Alaska and is “caught up” in a life-changing experience. This crisply told story of self-discovery is different enough to be interesting and amusing at the same time, although the occasional f-bomb mars the prevailing feel of innocence that I wish the author would have maintained.

Simon Petrie (author of “Six Subliminals”) returns to wrap up the fiction portion of ASIM with “Dragonblog,” the diary of a knight on his quest to conquer the kingdom’s wicked wyrm. Based on the title, I was expecting some blog entries from the dragon’s perspective, but of course fairy-tale beasts probably can’t write. But then, neither could the knight, really—his writing style eliciting an occasional chuckle or two. As a whole, it was a merry little first person narrative, cleverly told, but without much at stake. I was hoping there might be more to it, but I guess we’ll have to check the knight’s blog after he returns from his next adventure up that beanstalk…

So, this month’s Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine did its job—it occupied my time while speeding me from one destination to another. No real time wasters here; it started out strong, included the requisite average to good stories with an occasional solid piece to carry the whole. I’m not sure if there would be more continuity in the magazine if one editor stayed at the helm for an extended period of time, but then, the effect may be exactly what the publishing co-op has in mind. If that’s the case, then they’re doing a great job.