Shiny #1

Shiny is an e-zine all about the fiction. More specifically, it’s all about YA fiction. A brief introduction from its editorial triumvirate explains that they see YA spec fic as being “pretty shiny right now.” It’s an argument that has some support, as evidenced by the sizable list of authors they reel off. So, reasoned Tansy Rayner Roberts, Alisa Krasnostein, and Ben Payne, despite young adult fiction currently being big, there’s not much in the way of regular short fiction for that market. Enter Shiny.

It is bereft of the usual nonfiction you might expect in a spec fic ‘zine. There are no book reviews, interviews, letters pages, or discussions of the state of the genre. There’s no art. There are just three stories, and it is on the strengths of these that Shiny, well…hopes to shine.

The issue begins with “Small Change” by Trent Jamieson. It’s a story concerning a magical doorway behind a bookshelf, as discovered by a teen who didn’t expect to find a magical doorway behind a bookshelf, but wasn’t too surprised when she did. The story wisely avoids wide-eyed astonishment, instead adopting the attitude of a teen well-read in fantasy. She’s not blasé about her experiences, not at all, but she approaches them with the rationality one would expect of someone versed in both fiction and reality. There are a few occasions when the winks and elbows to the ribs–“The door was still there. Come on, we both knew it would be”–threaten to become a bit too much, but all considered, it works long enough for the story to arrive at the point it truly wishes to make.

Following this we have a tale by The Fix’s own Eugie Foster*, “Close to Death.” Rather than gloss over this possible conflict of interest I shall state that I intend to review her story as I would any other. Except, possibly, something written by a family member. Then I’d be meaner.

“Close to Death” opens with an all-American family enjoying a peaceful car journey. You know the sort of thing: kids arguing, stifling heat, traffic jams stretching for miles. They’re on their way to Uncle Henry’s funeral, and on the way they meet Death. Actually, literally, Death. He’s at the accident that caused the jam, and Don–brother of the late Henry–doesn’t take kindly to catching sight of him. Things develop from there in a gentle and humorous fashion, complete with heartwarming conclusion.

Thematically “Close to Death” bears some similarities to “Small Change”; placing them side-by-side is an odd choice in a debut issue containing just three stories. Then again, perhaps this was an intentional decision, intended to contrast the approach each has to its subject matter.

Either way, “Close to Death” is an entertaining story with observations on life and death that, while not revelatory, are not trite either. The subtly cathartic ending is perhaps the weakest part of the tale: although some kind of conclusion is needed, what there is raises questions rather than answering any.

The issue finishes with “The Sun People” by Sue Isle. I found this the strongest of the three stories and, ironically, the least identifiably YA (but then, the discussion of exactly what is YA is not one to be undertaken in this review). Its protagonist is the recently transgendered Ash, and it is set in an Australia that is literally drying out due to severe global warming. Water shortages, dehydration, and the danger of heat exhaustion are the most pressing concerns of people’s lives; the civil and governmental infrastructure of the western part of the country has effectively collapsed. The story begins with Ash returning home after his operation and learning of the changes that occurred in his absence. Later, it becomes apparent that the remnants of the old Australia in the east have begun to once more take an interest in the west; the question then becomes what this means for those it abandoned once before.

It’s a story that I would have loved as a teenager, so to state that it’s not identifiably YA is no bad thing for Shiny. That discussion is primarily for the critics and less for the intended readership. The story itself is an accessible and well-imagined tale of near-future SF, imagining the human changes that climate change could affect.

Shiny has begun well with its choice of fiction. Perhaps the most difficult challenge facing it will be raising its profile amongst teenagers who might not know where to find an e-zine like this. But I wish the editors and their readers all the best and look forward to seeing Shiny grow and develop over its coming issues.

[*Disclosure notice: Eugie Foster is the managing editor of The Fix.]