Hub Magazine, Issues 47-50

Hub issues 47-50 includes the conclusion of Neil Gardner’s series on Robert Rankin’s The Brightonomicon, an essay on the writer’s strike, reviews of Planet Terror, Jericho—Season 1, The Grin of The Dark, Doctor Who s4—Episode 1: “Partners in Crime,” Needful Things, A Clockwork Orange, Doctor Who s4—Episode 2: “The Fires of Pompei,” editorials, and more.

What more? Short fiction, of course.

In Hub 47, Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s “The House That Ate Gothic,” the narrator takes a job house-sitting a sentient manse which demands a steady diet of Gothic novels—the cheesier, the better. It’s a great idea which, sadly, never amounts to much of anything. One might be able to ignore Moreno-Garcia’s choppy paragraphing and spotty editing (Guttenberg’s bible?) if only something would happen, but the narrator’s term of employment passes uneventfully, and she is scarcely affected by her experience. After an anticlimactic ending, the reader is left to wonder about what might have been.

The hero of Simon Fay’s “Gritty Candyfloss” (Hub 48) has sprouted an inky black halo with matching wings. He’s a damaged man who probably thought he hadn’t any good deeds left in him, but when he meets an abused 18-year-old girl, he soon learns what it means to be a dark angel. Now, this is a fine story. The fresh, authentic narrative voice sizzles in the first paragraph, and never fails to hold attention. As with “The House that Ate Gothic,” editorial nits sprinkle the text, but the story’s power overwhelms such distractions. The harsh poignancy of the conclusion ensures this story will stay with the reader for a long time.

Hub 49 brings us another short short: “Robert’s Obsession” by Sarah Vickers tells the tale of a roleplaying addict with little interest in anything outside of the game. Robert ignores his chance encounter with a girl in the real world (at one remove: by email) to take his chances with a virtual princess. The frustration of his plans makes for an amusing ending, but otherwise, there’s very little here which feels fresh.

The ambitiousness of Martin McGrath’s “Home Protection” (Hub 50) shines through on every page. McGrath weaves three interlocking stories concerning the provenance of a certain Colt .45 semiautomatic. Mystery provides the initial hook: who buried the Colt .45 in the middle of a desert, and why? But most readers know (if not literally, instinctively) Chekhov’s maxim, “If there is a gun hanging on the wall in the first act, it must fire in the last,” and the resulting sense of dread provides an additional hook.

Yes, the gun is Evil. But will it claim its most recent owner, or not? That’s the last hook and the one which will keep the reader turning the page scrolling down to the last paragraph. Nice work, Mr. McGrath.