‘Living Will’ by Brandon Alspaugh
Follows the travails of three ‘emperors of men’ as they try to avoid death at any cost. This is a longish and complex satire, filled with detailed imagery and dashes of humour. Accomplished, in its way, but not my cup of tea. Dense prose and little in the way of storyline make it rather hard going at times and the reader really has to work to comprehend Alspaugh’s multi-faceted subtext. 3/5
‘Trapping Troubles’ by Kathryn Yelinek
A woman worried about chipmunks eating her vegetables discovers a trap the previous owners of her house left in the basement. She sets the trap, which does its job and quite a bit more besides. Turns out it’s magical – but is the magic benevolent or malevolent?
Yelinek’s writing is conversational to the point of inelegance at times, and the protagonist’s tendency to talk to herself only exists to serve the plot, but the final twist has an undeniable logic that makes for a satisfying conclusion. A good bit of fun. 3/5
‘Burn the Future’ by Dave Versace
Seannu and Grigg are two survivors of a telepathic invasion force that has all but eliminated their race (which is capable of a kind of emotional magic known as haliansur). With almost no food, and marauding patrols of invaders threatening to find them in their foxhole beneath the ruins of their conjuring academy, they must find a way to escape with an injured master in tow. Some competent writing with well-devised metaphorical imagery (“She looked up through the open wound of a skylight”) and an interesting premise are let down somewhat by a low-impact finale which, along with slabs of back story, makes this read as the novel excerpt it probably is. 3/5
‘Letters From Imaginary Places’ by Jennifer Hykes
A girl wants to sublet her modest apartment, but there’s a problem: she’s the Ace Ventura of magic and the place is full of enchanted creatures and objects. When a magic carpet escapes its footlocker and makes off with her prospective roommate, it kickstarts a story about searching for one’s identity amongst the wreckage of unhappy personal circumstances. While some plot developments feel contrived, there is something honest and wise about this story’s humanism. 3.5/5
‘How to Travel With Umbrellas’ By Line Henriksen
It’s hard to discuss this small, intricate story without ruining it. Suffice to say, the narrator is charming yet somehow sinister, in the vein of that famous Kenneth Patchen line: “Come now, my child, if we were planning to harm you, do think we’d be lurking here beside the path in the very darkest part of the forest?” 4/5
‘Glowstar’ by Ken Schweda
If I’ve understood this poem properly, an ostensibly destructive celestial event results in something beautiful. 4/5
‘The DeRoss File’ by Miranda Geer
A case file from the ‘Department of Uncanny Child Welfare’ tells the tale of Collin, a boy who has a potentially dangerous imaginary friend (or ‘anchored entity’) known as The Sticky Man. A little like my own horror piece, ‘Left Behind’, this envisions the possible dark side to a child’s potent imagination. On the whole, I think I prefer Geer’s approach to the subject matter. Her narrative devices enrich the story, rather than feeling gimmicky, and there’s a tidy ending. 4.5/5
‘Smith’ by Josh Pearce
Posits a world where mankind’s existence is essentially electronic data and subject to the vagaries of software, bandwidth, acquiring code from other beings, and a fog of ‘nanomachines’ to give things form. Adding another layer of complexity, this existence is depicted as America’s old west. Within this milieu, a man finds himself in the badlands after being evicted from ‘Heaven’ and having his spirit repossessed by a banker. The story details the desperate lengths he is forced to pursue to reclaim his home and his soul.
Vividly rendered and well told, I interpreted it as a subtle allegory for the damage greedy banks wreak on ordinary people’s lives. 4/5
‘A Prince of the Oschel, the Otherworld, and the Hinge of an Age’ by Adrian Simmons
A king whose inherited gift from the Otherworld, a spectral cavalry, has ensured his kingdom has remained superior and therefore largely peaceful, ponders what will ensue when his son returns from the Otherworld and eventually becomes king. For a story told in the present tense with little dialogue, ‘A Prince of the Oschel’ is remarkably compelling. Simmons explores the complexities of kingship and the acquisition of wisdom without boring the reader (quite a feat in itself), and dwells on the inevitability of change. Plenty to ruminate on afterwards. 4.5/5
‘Suvu and Swashbuckling Love’ by D A Xiaolin Spires
Modern smartphones have phenomenal computing ability, yet their owners often ask them to complete menial – even demeaning? – tasks. So what if a phone were sentient? What would it do during its downtime? What would it think about? And what if it fell in love?
There are many allusions to knitting in ‘Suvu and Swashbuckling Love’, which is fitting, since it presents as something knitted with great care and attention to detail. 4/5
‘Hamelin’s Graves’ by Freya Marske
Has one of the best opening lines I’ve read in years: ‘The sun danced off Carry’s eyelids as she lay in her grave.’ The next chapter in the legend of the Pied Piper (as imagined by this skilled author) sees yet more unfortunate consequences for the town of Hamelin. Our heroine is Carry, a child from the original story who was lame and therefore didn’t fall victim to the piper’s enchanted piping. Marske hits just the right ‘fairy tale’ tone and the piper’s rather contemporary curse doesn’t feel at all incongruous such a classical setting. 4.5/5
‘The 4,748 Days of His Life’ by Dan Reade
For no known reason, God starts to bring not just one but multiple children into the world via immaculate conception. These children are called back to heaven when they turn 13. Their parents are under constant scrutiny from the paparazzi and members of the public demanding salvation or healing. The story centres on two parents, Tim and Linda, who are trying to keep up a brave façade during the final hours before their son Ben begins his ‘ascension’. A beautiful, poignant story and an exeunt par excellence. 5/5
Final thoughts
I can see why editor Tom Dullemond approached me to review this issue; he knew what a superb collection of speculative fiction he had compiled (and formatted – grammatical errors and typos are almost non-existent). Even the stories that make up the stuttery start are well worth reading. Picking a favourite is verging on impossible, such is the richness, variety and brilliance.
Buy a copy here.