Fantasy & Science Fiction, January/February 2011

by Gordon van Gelder

NOVELETS
Home Sweet Bi'ome – Pat MacEwen
The Bird Cage – Kate Wilhelm
The Bogle – Albert E. Cowdrey
The Ghiling Blade – Matthew Corradi
SHORT STORIES
Long Time – Rick Norwood
Canterbury Hollow – Chris Lawson
Christmas at Hostage Canyon – James Stoddard
The Whirlwind – Jim Young
Paradise Last – Bill Pronzini and Barry N. Malzberg
12:02 P.M. – Richard A. Lupoff
Ghost Wind – Alan Dean Foster
DEPARTMENTS
Books to Look For – Charles de Lint
Musing on Books – Michelle West
Plumage From Pegasus: Patton of the Arts – Paul Di Filippo
Film: Spare Parts with a Soul – Kathi Maio
Science: Seeking Glorious Transits – Pat Murphy and Paul Doherty
Coming Attractions –
Curiosities – David Langford
CARTOONS
John Jonik, Mark Heath
COVER
Kristen Kest for "The Bird Cage"

Genres: Fantasy, Short Stories, Science Fiction

260 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Gordon Van Gelder (born 1966) is an American science fiction editor. From 1997 until 2014, Van Gelder was editor and later publisher of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, for which he has twice won the Hugo Award for Best Editor Short Form. He was also a managing editor of The New York Review of Science Fiction from 1988 to 1993, for which he was nominated for the Hugo Award a number of times. As of January 2015, Van Gelder has stepped down as editor of Fantasy & Science Fiction in favour of Charles Coleman Finlay, but remains publisher of the magazine.

Reviews

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kate Wilhelm's The Bird Cage, heard on StarShipSofa.

[Kevin Phyland · Rating 3 out of 5]

A woman suffering from severe hyperallergic reactions has had a house sculpted from her own cells to avoid any irritations. But when she finds spots on the walls and an incredible itch, she finds that her house has contracted chicken pox! An unwary emergency responder finds himself quarantined with her in “Home Sweet Bi’Ome” by Pat MacEwen. In “The Bird Cage” by Kate Wilhelm, a ruthless business magnate, dying from Parkinson’s Disease, funds a dangerous experiment in life prolongation on a human test subject, with unforeseen and deadly results. Thousands of years ago in Uruk on the Tigris a wanderer who has lived a “Long Time” must try to avoid angering kings and gods in Rick Norwood’s tale. Young Eric is spending Christmas at an uncle’s when an evil elf selects him as a blood sacrifice, but Santa, the warrior one, has other ideas. “Christmas At Hostage Canyon” by James Stoddart is a curious but satisfying seasonal offering. Danny’s older brother Tom was idolised by their mother but she almost despised Danny. When Tom is given the choice of army or prison in 1950 he readily signs up. But then, Korea. MIA Tom is given up for dead but his mother decides to entreat a much higher power in “The Bogle” by Albert E. Cowdrey. Richard Lupoff gives us a sequel to 12.01 P.M. with “12.02 P.M.” where the time bounce of an hour that Myron relives over and over again is getting shorter and maybe there is a way to escape it. Matthew Corradi closes things with the fantasy “The Ghiling Blade”, where fisherman Dah’nok, whose ghili (gifted ability) is sea bones, which help him detect fish, finds that a blade he crafted from his ghili as a child has been stolen. His attempts to find it reveal unacknowledged flaws in his character and lead to ultimate redemption. OK issue.

[John Cress · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a collection of short sci-fi stories as the title suggests. Topics are broad such as a person and house begin connected in a way that the house begins to fall as the person becomes ill and vice versa. There is also enjoyable stories about one having to live the same hour over and over while searching for escape. My favorite was one that portrayed Santa Claus as a action hero demon hunter (somehow it worked for me). As is the case in most issues, some stories I wanted more of while others I was very happy to have end.