Apex Magazine Issue 143

Apex Magazine #143

by Lesley Conner (Editor), Hannah Yang, Nika Murphy

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 143 contains the following short stories, essays, reviews, and interviews.



EDITORIAL
Musings from Maryland by Lesley Conner

ORIGINAL SHORT FICTION
The Ghost Tenders of Chornobyl by Nika Murphy
Everything in the Garden is Lovely by Hannah Yang
Complete Log of Week 893819 – Dana's Story by Renan Bernardo
Chị Tấm is Tired of Being Dead by Natasha King
The Ferns and the Fiddleheads by Leah Ning

FLASH FICTION
The End of the Middle by Andrew Kozma
A Ring Around by Lyndsey Croal

HOLIDAY HORROR MICROFICTION
Racing Headless Jenny by Kati Bumbera
Where the Flowers Bloom So Fair by Faith Allington
The Kingdom of Wax by Circe Moskowitz

CLASSIC FICTION
Both Hands by Christopher Caldwell
The Feeding of Closed Mouths by Eden Royce

NONFICTION
Treat 'Em Science Fiction vs Art Classification by Shiv Ramdas
Escapism is a Lie by E.D.E. Bell
Words for Short Fiction Review by AC Wise

INTERVIEWS
Interview with Author Natasha King by Marissa van Uden
Interview with Author Nika Murphy by Marissa van Uden
Interview with Cover Artist Caroline Jamhour by Bradley Powers

Genres: Short Stories, Fantasy

184 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 1, 2024

Reviews

[Vitória Vozniak · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uma edição excelente e concisa em sua temática: botânica sombria.
"Everything in the Garden is Lovely", de Hannah Yang, "Chị Tám is Tired of Being Dead", de Natasha King e "The Feeding of Closed Mouths", de Eden Royce, são contos tão bem escritos e marcantes que viraram inspirações diretas para meus textos.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

review for https://apex-magazine.com/short-ficti...

[Cheng Bogdani · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was reading all of Apex from Waaaayyyy back until I sort of quit reading fiction a few years ago. I was so happy to find it's still being published. The format has changed - it seems like it's a much more formal structure.

To be fair, I read this on the latter part of a nine hour flight after finishing the 9+ volume "The Expanse" series, so my judgement is a little cloudy - I really wasn't in the right frame of mind for challenging POVs or world building, so I DNF'd a few stories. I skimmed the nonfiction articles; I just wasn't in the mood to dig into the minutiae of the topics.

I can say that All These Sunken Souls: A Black Horror Anthology and "The Feeding of Closed Mouths" by Eden Royce impressed me enough that I made a note to myself to get into more of their works.

Despite the three stars, I will be buying a subscription. Even the content that is a "miss" for me is engaging and thought-provoking.

[Elaysee · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite story this issue was probably Natasha King's fairy tale retelling and accompanying interview.

[Saint Alea · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5. Rating only for Everything in the Garden is Lovely by Hannah Yang.

[Kathryn Atreides · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read "Everything in the Garden is Lovely" by Hannah Yang

[Gracchus · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have finished Apex Magazine 143.
The best stories were those of Natasha King, Hannah Yang and Nika Murphy. I was able to imagine the babushka in this story by Murphy very well. To the interview of Murphy: I'm more familiar with The Wizard of the Emerald City than The Wizard of Oz. I learned of Baba Yaga from other children in the schoolyard in the 1980s. I was allowed to watch a Soviet movie with Baba Yaga.
THE FEEDING OF CLOSED MOUTHS
||It doesn't matter how badly the daughter has betrayed her mother; the mother will forgive her daughter. I love happy endings.||
The story "THE FERNS AND THE FIDDLEHEADS" was slightly confusing. I had to skip the story. Sorry Leah.
EVERYTHING IN THE GARDEN IS LOVELY
I understand the critique behind the story. Every woman is supposed to be a mother. If the woman is not eager or unable to do so, it is deemed a waste of a lifetime. I disagree with this opinion. The conclusion of this story is extremely gruesome. A very good story.
I also read all of the stories that I have not mentioned. These stories were also good.
https://apex-magazine.com/back-issues...

[Araya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read - The Ghost Tenders of Chornobyl