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Apex Magazine #141
Apex Magazine Issue 141
Strange. Surreal. Shocking. Beautiful.
APEX MAGAZINE is a digital dark science fiction and fantasy genre zine that features award-winning short fiction, essays, and interviews. Established in 2009, our fiction has won several Hugo and Nebula Awards.
We publish every other month.
Issue 141 contains the following short stories, essays, reviews, and interviews.
EDITORIALMusings from Maryland by Lesley Conner
ORIGINAL SHORT FICTIONHole World by J.S. BreukelaarNightglow Pizza by A.M. LomuscioHomewrecker by E. Catherine ToblerAll the Good You Did Not Do by Jolie ToomajanPapas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Slug Monsters by Erica SatifkaTwenty Pieces of Documentation Presented to the Emergency Committee on the Study and Understanding of the M3D1154 Contagion by Damien Angelica Walters
FLASH FICTIONWet, Dry, Bitter by Leah NingWoman Embracing Woman, on Loan From Private Collection by Liv Strom
CLASSIC FICTIONBettina by R.J. JosephBirds by Zin E. Rocklyn
NONFICTIONDog is in the Details by Sarah PinskerBetween the Dreaming and the Dead by Leanna Renee HieberWords for Short Fiction Review by AC Wise
INTERVIEWSInterview with Author J.S. Breukelaar by Marissa van UdenInterview with Author Jolie Toomajan by Marissa van UdenInterview with Cover Artist Peter Mohrbacher by Bradley Powers
APEX MAGAZINE is a digital dark science fiction and fantasy genre zine that features award-winning short fiction, essays, and interviews. Established in 2009, our fiction has won several Hugo and Nebula Awards.
We publish every other month.
Issue 141 contains the following short stories, essays, reviews, and interviews.
EDITORIALMusings from Maryland by Lesley Conner
ORIGINAL SHORT FICTIONHole World by J.S. BreukelaarNightglow Pizza by A.M. LomuscioHomewrecker by E. Catherine ToblerAll the Good You Did Not Do by Jolie ToomajanPapas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Slug Monsters by Erica SatifkaTwenty Pieces of Documentation Presented to the Emergency Committee on the Study and Understanding of the M3D1154 Contagion by Damien Angelica Walters
FLASH FICTIONWet, Dry, Bitter by Leah NingWoman Embracing Woman, on Loan From Private Collection by Liv Strom
CLASSIC FICTIONBettina by R.J. JosephBirds by Zin E. Rocklyn
NONFICTIONDog is in the Details by Sarah PinskerBetween the Dreaming and the Dead by Leanna Renee HieberWords for Short Fiction Review by AC Wise
INTERVIEWSInterview with Author J.S. Breukelaar by Marissa van UdenInterview with Author Jolie Toomajan by Marissa van UdenInterview with Cover Artist Peter Mohrbacher by Bradley Powers
Kindle Edition
Published November 7, 2023
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 12, 2023
Excellent stories in this issue! Apex is like my favorite cup of dark coffee.
January 9, 2024
3.5/5 stars***
Original Fiction:
Hole World: I was very intrigued the entire time I was reading this short story, and I thought the ending was certainly satisfying. I was left wanting more, but in a good way; not in a “this-felt-unfinished” kind of way. I’m excited to see where the rest of the stories in the magazine go, but this was a strong start.
Nightglow Pizza: This one certainly took an unexpected twist at the end. A much shorter story than the first, but one that I still really enjoyed. It was a cozy little tale that captivated me while at work. And I loved the descriptions of food. Even interplanetary food, lol.
Homewrecker: I did not enjoy this story nearly as much as the others included in this issue so far, but the format was really interesting. There just wasn’t anything really memorable or gripping about the story that made me care about the characters or what was going on. Very well written — just not one that will stick with me.
All the Good You Did Not Do: “The evening after Saul becomes a hero, nothing special happens. In fact, anyone who has ever changed the world will arrive home afterward and close the door gently behind them, and the world will be outside that door, and they will still be left to the simple work of brushing their teeth...”
Although I liked this quote above, this story didn’t really stick with me or feel very impactful. I didn’t dislike it, but I didn’t love it either. Just kind of neutral feelings.
Papas, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Slug Monsters: This short story kept my attention and I was excited to see where it would go, but in the end, I’m left kind of wondering what the message was. I’m not sure I know, or even agree with, the moral it was trying to portray. I enjoyed the worldbuilding though.
Twenty Pieces of Documentation Presented to the Emergency Committee on the Study and Understanding of the M3D1154 Contagion: I have to say that this one felt a little to “on-the-nose” for my taste. I agree that young boys and men should be raised to be better people than many have been in the past, but I don’t necessarily agree with the fact that all men should be exposed to the risk of the so-called virus in this story. There are good men that shouldn’t worry about this possible hypothetical contagion simply because women are afraid of all men or assume the worst. It’s a difficult topic to write on, for sure; this story is just a little too political for me.
Other Thoughts:
Beyond the original fiction, I didn’t connect very well with the fiction work in this issue, although, I will say that every story kept my attention. I was never bored or wishing for a story to simply end. I really enjoyed getting a little bit of nonfiction and the interviews at the end of the issue as well. I really liked to see inside some of the authors’ heads as they created this weird, dark, fantastical worlds. I am excited to read the next issue of Apex!
Original Fiction:
Hole World: I was very intrigued the entire time I was reading this short story, and I thought the ending was certainly satisfying. I was left wanting more, but in a good way; not in a “this-felt-unfinished” kind of way. I’m excited to see where the rest of the stories in the magazine go, but this was a strong start.
Nightglow Pizza: This one certainly took an unexpected twist at the end. A much shorter story than the first, but one that I still really enjoyed. It was a cozy little tale that captivated me while at work. And I loved the descriptions of food. Even interplanetary food, lol.
Homewrecker: I did not enjoy this story nearly as much as the others included in this issue so far, but the format was really interesting. There just wasn’t anything really memorable or gripping about the story that made me care about the characters or what was going on. Very well written — just not one that will stick with me.
All the Good You Did Not Do: “The evening after Saul becomes a hero, nothing special happens. In fact, anyone who has ever changed the world will arrive home afterward and close the door gently behind them, and the world will be outside that door, and they will still be left to the simple work of brushing their teeth...”
Although I liked this quote above, this story didn’t really stick with me or feel very impactful. I didn’t dislike it, but I didn’t love it either. Just kind of neutral feelings.
Papas, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Slug Monsters: This short story kept my attention and I was excited to see where it would go, but in the end, I’m left kind of wondering what the message was. I’m not sure I know, or even agree with, the moral it was trying to portray. I enjoyed the worldbuilding though.
Twenty Pieces of Documentation Presented to the Emergency Committee on the Study and Understanding of the M3D1154 Contagion: I have to say that this one felt a little to “on-the-nose” for my taste. I agree that young boys and men should be raised to be better people than many have been in the past, but I don’t necessarily agree with the fact that all men should be exposed to the risk of the so-called virus in this story. There are good men that shouldn’t worry about this possible hypothetical contagion simply because women are afraid of all men or assume the worst. It’s a difficult topic to write on, for sure; this story is just a little too political for me.
Other Thoughts:
Beyond the original fiction, I didn’t connect very well with the fiction work in this issue, although, I will say that every story kept my attention. I was never bored or wishing for a story to simply end. I really enjoyed getting a little bit of nonfiction and the interviews at the end of the issue as well. I really liked to see inside some of the authors’ heads as they created this weird, dark, fantastical worlds. I am excited to read the next issue of Apex!
December 10, 2023
Review is for All the Good You Did Not Do, by Jolie Toomajan
The evening after Saul becomes a hero, nothing special happens. In fact, anyone who has ever changed the world will arrive home afterward and close the door gently behind them, and the world will be outside that door, and they will still be left to the simple work of brushing their teeth and washing their own asshole.
I have watched over protagonists shoulders for many a zombie apocalypse - this is my first time not watching one because of that main character. This was great; sad, but great. Apex Magazine have some great fiction (and even better covers, every single time they're amazing) - you can find it online here: https://apex-magazine.com/short-ficti...
The evening after Saul becomes a hero, nothing special happens. In fact, anyone who has ever changed the world will arrive home afterward and close the door gently behind them, and the world will be outside that door, and they will still be left to the simple work of brushing their teeth and washing their own asshole.
I have watched over protagonists shoulders for many a zombie apocalypse - this is my first time not watching one because of that main character. This was great; sad, but great. Apex Magazine have some great fiction (and even better covers, every single time they're amazing) - you can find it online here: https://apex-magazine.com/short-ficti...
February 4, 2024
Hole World - Interesting, but kind of weird concept. 3 stars
Nightglow Pizza - Loved this one. 5 stars
Homewrecker - This kind of story is just not my thing. Execution of the story was good, but I'm just not a horror person, and this felt more like horror. 2 stars.
All The Good You Did Not Do - Really enjoyed it. 4 stars
Papas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Slug Monsters - This was a fun story
4 stars.
Twenty Pieces of Documentation - 5 stars. Incredible.
Nightglow Pizza - Loved this one. 5 stars
Homewrecker - This kind of story is just not my thing. Execution of the story was good, but I'm just not a horror person, and this felt more like horror. 2 stars.
All The Good You Did Not Do - Really enjoyed it. 4 stars
Papas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Slug Monsters - This was a fun story
4 stars.
Twenty Pieces of Documentation - 5 stars. Incredible.
January 1, 2024
Really interesting and innovative short stories.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews