Clarkesworld Magazine, #22, July 2008

The first story in issue #22 of Clarkesworld Magazine, “When the Gentlemen Go By” by Margaret Ronald, is rooted in the classic tradition of dark fairy tales before the Disneyfication that occurred in the 20th century. It has all the time-tested elements: deep, personal, dark, and disturbing, while providing a small ray of hope within, but which comes at a price. In a small town, the fields are always fertile and bountiful, but that bounty comes from a pact that involves a sacrifice to entities called the Gentlemen. The sacrifice to the Gentlemen weighs heavily on Laura’s mind, especially since her choices must inevitably lead to a confrontation with said entities. “When the Gentlemen Go By” is by far the better of the two stories in this issue.

“The Glory of the World” by Sergey Gerasimov is dark surreal fiction. While surreal fiction doesn’t often work well, Gerasimov does a fairly good job—not a perfect job, but a good one. The primary problem here is that “The Glory of the World” lacks a point, unless the point is there is no point to anything. The story displays cruel, uncaring gods hiding in plain sight in the mortal world who “saviors” must appease in order to perform their tasks. There are many Machiavellian and Byzantine politics involved (especially in the dialogue), so there’s obviously more going on than what appears on the surface. Overall, it’s a good story, but not one that stands out.