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 the characters have depth hinted at but never fully realised, with the result that I found myself distanced and not engaged. Perhaps readers more familiar with the original story might find more here than I did.

Loreen Heneghan’s story, “The Buried Years,” takes the form of a young man writing to his fiancé, shortly before their marriage, about an encounter with his ex-love. The world portrayed is one where the dead walk the earth as skeletons, and it is in skeletal form that our narrator encounters his lost flame. The story has a nineteenth-century feel to it, and the narrative style is engaging, at times amusing. The ending is perhaps a trifle disappointing, but nevertheless, it’s an enjoyable read.

“Threads of Red and White” by Lisa Mantchev tells of a young man who has fled his mysterious home to settle in a new place with his mother—who refuses to speak—and his child. He is met with a blast from the past in the form of a young woman, an old lady, and a bear, and he must attempt to reconcile his history and his people with his new life and love. The world is intriguing, and the central conflict is heartfelt. I’m not sure the story ever really kicked into full gear, but it’s well crafted and interesting.

And so ends an impressive year for Clarkesworld, its first full year of publishing. It’s earned itself a strong reputation over that time, and for my money, it’s one of the most consistently good online magazines and a reliable site for interesting and original fiction. I look forward to 2008.