Beneath Ceaseless Skies Issue #400, Special Double-Issue for BCS Science-Fantasy Month 7

by Scott H. Andrews (Editor), Elly Bangs, Emily McIntyre

Issue #400 of Beneath Ceaseless Skies online magazine, a special double-issue for BCS Science-Fantasy Month 7, featuring stories by Elly Bangs, Emily McIntyre, Phoenix Alexander, and Matthew O. Fromboluti, with cover art by Elias Stern.

81 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 31, 2024

About the author

Scott H. Andrews is a writer of science fiction. He teaches college chemistry. He is Editor-in-Chief and Publisher of the fantasy magazine Beneath Ceaseless Skies.

Andrews's short stories have appeared in Weird Tales, Space and Time, Heroic Fantasy Quarterly, On Spec, Crossed Genres, and M-Brane SF.

Reviews

[Sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

My rating and review are for The Sunset Suite by Matthew O. Fromboluti. I have not read the other stories in this Issue.

Hive minds are a common trope in science fiction, but I have found few stories that explore what societies with distinct and limited hive minds might be like, and it is exactly this topic that Fromboluti meditates on in their fascinating novelette. That alone would be sufficient to make me fall in love with this novelette, but the focus on the characters' aesthetics and the rich aesthetic beauty of the setting suffices to make the story a favorite of mine. Who else writes about the aesthetic ideals of different hive minds? And the boldness to make them the only sort of sapient being in this future? Great fun.
I have recommended it to friends as one of the most thought-provoking works on limited hive minds.
Overall, I feel the book is worth 4.5 stars.

[Sara]

Doctor souvenir by Elly
unspoked question
tied hand and many memory
no one will open ove that
its thousand cloud didnt rain
many merror in my soul
just y who can solve that symbol
by yr hand and i count night after night
but i cant rest
r y melt in me
who die who didnt fall in love
i have many jewel betwen my palm
but y in me
even search all the soul around
i know the answer
but i cant return in that any more
cry at life
and what a life without y
test that wine
and i cant understand how die who fall in love

[alanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘Doctor Souvenir’ by Elly Bangs, which starts off the issue, was my favourite of the four stories in this issue, though I enjoyed the other three as well.

[Elaysee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Impressive debut novelette from Fromboluti.

[Michael Whiteman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Doctor Souvenir - Elly Bangs ***

The Rug-Maker And The Wonder Collector - Emily MacIntyre ***

Hiyannet - Phoenix Alexander **

The Sunset Suite - Matthew O Fromboluti ****