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The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Vol. 146, Nos. 1 & 2, Winter 2024
- GenresFantasy
378 pages, ebook
First published February 1, 2024
2 people are currently reading
9 people want to read
About the author
Sheree Renée Thomas
78 books241 followersSheree Thomas — also credited as Sheree R. Thomas and Sheree Renée Thomas — is an American writer, book editor and publisher.
Thomas is the editor of the Dark Matter anthology (2000), in which are collected works by some of the best African-American writers in the genres of science fiction, horror and fantasy. Among the many notable authors included are Samuel R. Delany, Octavia E. Butler, Charles R. Saunders, Steven Barnes, Tananarive Due, Jewelle Gomez, Ishmael Reed, Kalamu ya Salaam, Robert Fleming, Nalo Hopkinson, George S. Schuyler and W. E. B. Du Bois. Dark Matter was honored with the 2005 and the 2001 World Fantasy Award and named a New York Times Notable Book of the Year.
Thomas is the publisher of Wanganegresse Press, and has contributed to national publications including the Washington Post "Book World", Black Issues Book Review, QBR, and Hip Mama. Her fiction and poetry have appeared in Ishmael Reed's Konch, Drumvoices Revue, Obsidian III, African Voices, storySouth, and other literary journals, and has received Honorable Mention in the Year's Best Fantasy and Horror, 16th and 17th annual collections. A native of Memphis, she lives in New York City.
Thomas is the editor of the Dark Matter anthology (2000), in which are collected works by some of the best African-American writers in the genres of science fiction, horror and fantasy. Among the many notable authors included are Samuel R. Delany, Octavia E. Butler, Charles R. Saunders, Steven Barnes, Tananarive Due, Jewelle Gomez, Ishmael Reed, Kalamu ya Salaam, Robert Fleming, Nalo Hopkinson, George S. Schuyler and W. E. B. Du Bois. Dark Matter was honored with the 2005 and the 2001 World Fantasy Award and named a New York Times Notable Book of the Year.
Thomas is the publisher of Wanganegresse Press, and has contributed to national publications including the Washington Post "Book World", Black Issues Book Review, QBR, and Hip Mama. Her fiction and poetry have appeared in Ishmael Reed's Konch, Drumvoices Revue, Obsidian III, African Voices, storySouth, and other literary journals, and has received Honorable Mention in the Year's Best Fantasy and Horror, 16th and 17th annual collections. A native of Memphis, she lives in New York City.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
July 8, 2024
This is the Winter 2024 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. Currently (July 2024), this is the last available issue. It was planned that like last year, there will be 6 two-month issues, but something went wrong, so instead of January/February 2024 subscribers got a ‘winter’ issue and a ‘spring’ one was announced but never delivered. This is the 75th Year of publication and submissions are closed since July 15, 2023. It is possible that among oldsters only Asimov’s and Analog will remain. Sad.
Contents:
Editorial: Shifting Light by Sheree Renée Thomas spring light will came after winter’s dark. Sad that no info on the magazine itself. 2*
How to Care for Your Domestic God novelette by Clara Madrigano a newly married couple buys a house, a great one and very cheaply. The wife has her personal gods in a box – pieces to remember female parts of her family a mere assortment of papers and knickknacks, the diary, the recipe journal. Soon they meet a god of this house, It was pale, that weird giant; it looked entirely made of something that wasn’t quite flesh. Not skin, not muscle, not bone. It looked like a wax figure, with black button eyes and no eyelids, no body hair, no nipples, no genitals. But when it opened its mouth, that mouth was filled with teeth. The god asks for bloody offers, they placate it with a raw meat, but the wife gets pregnant… 3*
what kills the stars short story byAlex Bisker an interviewer that recently separated from her female lover meets a renown physicist woman. The later asks her: “What would you do if you knew the universe was ending?” and it isn’t an idle question. 2.5*
The Ndayaan Sea short story byMoustapha Mbacké Diop a remake of Senegalese myth about Coumba Siré, who should have become the Mother of Beasts, but whose first blood was stolen by her stepsister, Coumba Fari, who became the Mother. Now Siré reaches Fari’s habitat with a revenge. Without knowing the original myth it is a meh story. 2*
The Icy Wasteland at Her Feet short story byDeborah L. Davitt Tora Janson is a sole survivor of seven-person mission to moon Enceladus. She recalls how other died one by one (a love triangle causes murder-suicide, an accident, etc.) and chats with ship’s AI Solace, who asks her to talk to psychotherapists… 3*
Guilt Can Wilt the Sweetest Flower short story byVeronica Henry the caretaker of a library is a former soldier with PTSD. He breaks the rules and lets an apparent homeless person into the library. She is a witch (it is clearly not our world) seeking a way to return to her homeworld. 3*
Mackson's Mardi Gras Moon Race short story byDavid DeGraff each year there is a 2000 race to the Moon pole. This time a young poor driver decides to take a new, potentially dangerous route. One of leaders of earlier races follows him. 3.25*
The Wizzzer short story byScott Nicolay a horror story with 50s vibe. A boy calls all his friends to his house one night, saying that ‘the Wizzzer ate his mother and his little brother Theo’… I had to google what wizzzer is. This it a tight small story, that keeps the suspense. 3.5*
Burned Like Coal short story byT.R. Napper there are two people and an AI, who together attempt to sabotage a coal plant to make a corporation pay for global warming. However, there are unexpected people there – is it ok to kill them to potentially save thousands? 3.25*
The Diamond Factory short story byPhoebe Barton Adamantia has the job of supervising the abandonment of Shining City, a habitat orbiting Saturn just before it to be thrown into the gas giant. She hates the station, she grew there under an oppressive regime (I still don’t ‘buy’ destroying a habitat because it was once a bad place socially, not technologically). There should have been no one, but she finds a lurker named Myrtle. Who is she? 3*
The Body-Part Woman short story byBonnie Elizabeth a customer brings a damaged arm to the body-part shop, demands an eye. This is not a horror or SF story, but pure fantasy, with body parts are willingly given, at the point of death, and the woman owner keeps them alive at the shop to be passed on to others, where only she knows what they need. 2.75*
Big Trouble in Sector C short story byRobert Friedman and Barry N. Malzberg there is a possibility to upload (partially) a person to hunt and destroy malware. The person in this world is Murphy One, his double is Murphy Two and he imaging himself as a 1940s noir private eye in 70s New York City. Then, #2 is disconnected… 3.25*
All Our Better Angels short story byJack Neel Waddell a way weaker version of ‘All You Zombies’. 2*
Puzzle Pieces short story byJennifer R. Povey a heir of a business assumed to be psychologically abnormal for she don’t want kids, so let’s break her and re-construct. 2.75*
Zariel: Parable of a Gifted Black Child short story byDenzel Xavier Scott a mom with black queer 6-years-old kid Zariel witness with other people a meteor falling on Earth. Suddenly the kid start shine lights like the meteor and tell of many ills society caused to black people, killed his dad, his uncle, etc. Gloomy. 2.5*
The Wounded King short story byJ.A. Prentice the king is locked in the castle by his daughter. Here he lives with a shadow that is like his personal demon. Three riders, two knights and a page came to his gates. 3*
The Interspatial Accessibility Compact's Guidelines for Cross-Cultural Engagement short story byDane Kuttler a multi-species space station, a narrator is a non-human owner of a flower shop. A human comes asking for a rose to give to his alien love interest. 3*
Do Not Hasten to Bid Me Adieu short story byWill McMahon the 1930s US, an old man receives surprise mail from his great(x100)granddaughter, whom her dad want to marry against her will. 3.5*
Books to Look For by Charles de Lint
Musing on Books by Michelle West
Television: The Ugly Humanity of The Boys by Karin Lowachee
Science: The World's Greatest Telescopes by Jerry Oltion non-fic brief history of telescopes
Coming Attractions
Curiosities by Paul Di Filippo Agnes Cecilia, one of the later novels in the career of Swedish author Maria Gripe.
Contents:
Editorial: Shifting Light by Sheree Renée Thomas spring light will came after winter’s dark. Sad that no info on the magazine itself. 2*
How to Care for Your Domestic God novelette by Clara Madrigano a newly married couple buys a house, a great one and very cheaply. The wife has her personal gods in a box – pieces to remember female parts of her family a mere assortment of papers and knickknacks, the diary, the recipe journal. Soon they meet a god of this house, It was pale, that weird giant; it looked entirely made of something that wasn’t quite flesh. Not skin, not muscle, not bone. It looked like a wax figure, with black button eyes and no eyelids, no body hair, no nipples, no genitals. But when it opened its mouth, that mouth was filled with teeth. The god asks for bloody offers, they placate it with a raw meat, but the wife gets pregnant… 3*
what kills the stars short story byAlex Bisker an interviewer that recently separated from her female lover meets a renown physicist woman. The later asks her: “What would you do if you knew the universe was ending?” and it isn’t an idle question. 2.5*
The Ndayaan Sea short story byMoustapha Mbacké Diop a remake of Senegalese myth about Coumba Siré, who should have become the Mother of Beasts, but whose first blood was stolen by her stepsister, Coumba Fari, who became the Mother. Now Siré reaches Fari’s habitat with a revenge. Without knowing the original myth it is a meh story. 2*
The Icy Wasteland at Her Feet short story byDeborah L. Davitt Tora Janson is a sole survivor of seven-person mission to moon Enceladus. She recalls how other died one by one (a love triangle causes murder-suicide, an accident, etc.) and chats with ship’s AI Solace, who asks her to talk to psychotherapists… 3*
Guilt Can Wilt the Sweetest Flower short story byVeronica Henry the caretaker of a library is a former soldier with PTSD. He breaks the rules and lets an apparent homeless person into the library. She is a witch (it is clearly not our world) seeking a way to return to her homeworld. 3*
Mackson's Mardi Gras Moon Race short story byDavid DeGraff each year there is a 2000 race to the Moon pole. This time a young poor driver decides to take a new, potentially dangerous route. One of leaders of earlier races follows him. 3.25*
The Wizzzer short story byScott Nicolay a horror story with 50s vibe. A boy calls all his friends to his house one night, saying that ‘the Wizzzer ate his mother and his little brother Theo’… I had to google what wizzzer is. This it a tight small story, that keeps the suspense. 3.5*
Burned Like Coal short story byT.R. Napper there are two people and an AI, who together attempt to sabotage a coal plant to make a corporation pay for global warming. However, there are unexpected people there – is it ok to kill them to potentially save thousands? 3.25*
The Diamond Factory short story byPhoebe Barton Adamantia has the job of supervising the abandonment of Shining City, a habitat orbiting Saturn just before it to be thrown into the gas giant. She hates the station, she grew there under an oppressive regime (I still don’t ‘buy’ destroying a habitat because it was once a bad place socially, not technologically). There should have been no one, but she finds a lurker named Myrtle. Who is she? 3*
The Body-Part Woman short story byBonnie Elizabeth a customer brings a damaged arm to the body-part shop, demands an eye. This is not a horror or SF story, but pure fantasy, with body parts are willingly given, at the point of death, and the woman owner keeps them alive at the shop to be passed on to others, where only she knows what they need. 2.75*
Big Trouble in Sector C short story byRobert Friedman and Barry N. Malzberg there is a possibility to upload (partially) a person to hunt and destroy malware. The person in this world is Murphy One, his double is Murphy Two and he imaging himself as a 1940s noir private eye in 70s New York City. Then, #2 is disconnected… 3.25*
All Our Better Angels short story byJack Neel Waddell a way weaker version of ‘All You Zombies’. 2*
Puzzle Pieces short story byJennifer R. Povey a heir of a business assumed to be psychologically abnormal for she don’t want kids, so let’s break her and re-construct. 2.75*
Zariel: Parable of a Gifted Black Child short story byDenzel Xavier Scott a mom with black queer 6-years-old kid Zariel witness with other people a meteor falling on Earth. Suddenly the kid start shine lights like the meteor and tell of many ills society caused to black people, killed his dad, his uncle, etc. Gloomy. 2.5*
The Wounded King short story byJ.A. Prentice the king is locked in the castle by his daughter. Here he lives with a shadow that is like his personal demon. Three riders, two knights and a page came to his gates. 3*
The Interspatial Accessibility Compact's Guidelines for Cross-Cultural Engagement short story byDane Kuttler a multi-species space station, a narrator is a non-human owner of a flower shop. A human comes asking for a rose to give to his alien love interest. 3*
Do Not Hasten to Bid Me Adieu short story byWill McMahon the 1930s US, an old man receives surprise mail from his great(x100)granddaughter, whom her dad want to marry against her will. 3.5*
Books to Look For by Charles de Lint
Musing on Books by Michelle West
Television: The Ugly Humanity of The Boys by Karin Lowachee
Science: The World's Greatest Telescopes by Jerry Oltion non-fic brief history of telescopes
Coming Attractions
Curiosities by Paul Di Filippo Agnes Cecilia, one of the later novels in the career of Swedish author Maria Gripe.
April 18, 2024
6 • What Kills the Stars • 16 pages by Alex Bisker
Good. Jess is writing an article on a physicist, Mabry. They connect. She had broken up with Anna. This new relationship is nice. Mabry poses the question, what would you do if the world were going to come to an end?
22 • The Ndayaan Sea • 11 pages by Moustapha Mbacke Diop
Fair. Coumba Sire is supposed to be mother of beasts, but her step-sister Coumba Fira steals her destiny. She goes to the djinne, pays a price, then sails the Ndayaan sea to regain what is rightfully hers.
33 • The Icy Wasteland at Her Feet • 15 pages by Deborah L. Davitt
Good. Tora is doing routine maintenance to survive. Not a disaster story where she has to do something incredible. We get the back story and the human failings the caused her to be alone on a moon of Saturn.
48 • Guilt Can Wilt the Sweetest Flower • 12 pages by Veronica Henry
Good. J.C. allows a homeless woman into the library where he’s the overnight custodian. There seems to be more to her, for instance she can see the ghost of the little boy the he killed [following orders] during the war.
62 • Mackson's Mardi Gras Moon Race • 12 pages by David DeGraff
OK+. Miner going against the rich racers decides his best chance in this lunar pole to pole race is to use a different route (and hopefully better) than those better equipped opponents. Only problem is that one of them decides to follow him.
74 • The Wizzzer • 8 pages by Scott Nicolay
Fair/OK. Russell calls the gang over, says his wizzzer went evil, ate his little brother and his mom.
82 • Burned like Coal • 8 pages by T. R. Napper
OK/Fair. Emiko and Millie are blowing up a power plant in order to save the planet.
90 • The Diamond Factory • 12 pages by Phoebe Barton
Good. Adamantia is doing a last inspection/salvage of the space station where she grew up. Unbelievably she finds someone. No one could have boarded the station and several crews have been through looking for survivors, salvage or whatever.
102 • The Body-Part Woman • 10 pages by Bonnie Elizabeth
Good. An ungrateful customer brings a hand back to the body-part woman and doesn’t want to pay for the damages. When he wants an eye, she knows it will come back beyond repair. She’s refuses to let him have it.
112 • How to Care for Your Domestic God • 29 pages by Clara Madrigano
OK. Beatriz and David get a new house that is too good to be true. No mold, no dust, the garden always in bloom, and the price was incredibly affordable. Still Bia thinks something feels strange. A month into their ownership the god makes itself known, and there is some turmoil.
162 • Big Trouble in Sector C • 12 pages by Robert Friedman, Barry N. Malzberg
OK. Murphy is linked into the web to find malware. It splits his consciousness into two, One in the real world and Two in cyberspace. Contact with Murphy Two is lost, central control fears it’s Astrid.
174 • All Our Better Angels • 10 pages by Jack Neel Waddell
Good+. Madeline tries to convince Jenn to take care of the unloved foster child that she was while growing up. Is that an ambiguous antecedent? Hint, the answer is no.
184 • Puzzle Pieces • 6 pages by Jennifer R. Povey
Fair. The protagonist is undergoing some sort of brainwashing to make her act normal. To get out of this simulation she needs to act the right way. Can she do it and still remain herself?
190 • Zariel: Parable of a Gifted Black Child • 16 pages by Denzel Xavier Scott
OK. There’s a large asteroid headed towards Earth. There is some connection between Zariel and the asteroid. Zariel starts glowing, attracts a crowd.
206 • The Wounded King • 19 pages by J. A. Prentice
OK. Two knights and a servant come to visit Sartien, the exiled king, to see if he can help with the comet bearing down on the planet. What they find is a man who says that sometimes you must be evil for the greater good.
225 • The Interspatial Accessibility Compact's Guidelines for Cross-Cultural Engagement • 7 pages by Dane Kuttler
Good. Tadaaki comes to the station’s florist to ask about love. Sri guesses, accurately, it’s his Hollusk lab partner and has a bit to offer about Hollusk culture.
244 • Do Not Hasten to Bid Me Adieu • 12 pages by Will McMahon
Very Good+. It’s 1937. Henry gets a letter from the far future. A grand daughter from a galactic civilization who is being married off for political purposes and wants his advice. He writes back, and it’s just the first in a series of letters.
Good. Jess is writing an article on a physicist, Mabry. They connect. She had broken up with Anna. This new relationship is nice. Mabry poses the question, what would you do if the world were going to come to an end?
22 • The Ndayaan Sea • 11 pages by Moustapha Mbacke Diop
Fair. Coumba Sire is supposed to be mother of beasts, but her step-sister Coumba Fira steals her destiny. She goes to the djinne, pays a price, then sails the Ndayaan sea to regain what is rightfully hers.
33 • The Icy Wasteland at Her Feet • 15 pages by Deborah L. Davitt
Good. Tora is doing routine maintenance to survive. Not a disaster story where she has to do something incredible. We get the back story and the human failings the caused her to be alone on a moon of Saturn.
48 • Guilt Can Wilt the Sweetest Flower • 12 pages by Veronica Henry
Good. J.C. allows a homeless woman into the library where he’s the overnight custodian. There seems to be more to her, for instance she can see the ghost of the little boy the he killed [following orders] during the war.
62 • Mackson's Mardi Gras Moon Race • 12 pages by David DeGraff
OK+. Miner going against the rich racers decides his best chance in this lunar pole to pole race is to use a different route (and hopefully better) than those better equipped opponents. Only problem is that one of them decides to follow him.
74 • The Wizzzer • 8 pages by Scott Nicolay
Fair/OK. Russell calls the gang over, says his wizzzer went evil, ate his little brother and his mom.
82 • Burned like Coal • 8 pages by T. R. Napper
OK/Fair. Emiko and Millie are blowing up a power plant in order to save the planet.
90 • The Diamond Factory • 12 pages by Phoebe Barton
Good. Adamantia is doing a last inspection/salvage of the space station where she grew up. Unbelievably she finds someone. No one could have boarded the station and several crews have been through looking for survivors, salvage or whatever.
102 • The Body-Part Woman • 10 pages by Bonnie Elizabeth
Good. An ungrateful customer brings a hand back to the body-part woman and doesn’t want to pay for the damages. When he wants an eye, she knows it will come back beyond repair. She’s refuses to let him have it.
112 • How to Care for Your Domestic God • 29 pages by Clara Madrigano
OK. Beatriz and David get a new house that is too good to be true. No mold, no dust, the garden always in bloom, and the price was incredibly affordable. Still Bia thinks something feels strange. A month into their ownership the god makes itself known, and there is some turmoil.
162 • Big Trouble in Sector C • 12 pages by Robert Friedman, Barry N. Malzberg
OK. Murphy is linked into the web to find malware. It splits his consciousness into two, One in the real world and Two in cyberspace. Contact with Murphy Two is lost, central control fears it’s Astrid.
174 • All Our Better Angels • 10 pages by Jack Neel Waddell
Good+. Madeline tries to convince Jenn to take care of the unloved foster child that she was while growing up. Is that an ambiguous antecedent? Hint, the answer is no.
184 • Puzzle Pieces • 6 pages by Jennifer R. Povey
Fair. The protagonist is undergoing some sort of brainwashing to make her act normal. To get out of this simulation she needs to act the right way. Can she do it and still remain herself?
190 • Zariel: Parable of a Gifted Black Child • 16 pages by Denzel Xavier Scott
OK. There’s a large asteroid headed towards Earth. There is some connection between Zariel and the asteroid. Zariel starts glowing, attracts a crowd.
206 • The Wounded King • 19 pages by J. A. Prentice
OK. Two knights and a servant come to visit Sartien, the exiled king, to see if he can help with the comet bearing down on the planet. What they find is a man who says that sometimes you must be evil for the greater good.
225 • The Interspatial Accessibility Compact's Guidelines for Cross-Cultural Engagement • 7 pages by Dane Kuttler
Good. Tadaaki comes to the station’s florist to ask about love. Sri guesses, accurately, it’s his Hollusk lab partner and has a bit to offer about Hollusk culture.
244 • Do Not Hasten to Bid Me Adieu • 12 pages by Will McMahon
Very Good+. It’s 1937. Henry gets a letter from the far future. A grand daughter from a galactic civilization who is being married off for political purposes and wants his advice. He writes back, and it’s just the first in a series of letters.
May 20, 2024
really great collection of a diversity of stories. several were phenomenal, most were really good.
April 2, 2024
Another solid issue. Here are my favorite stories:
- How to Care for Your Domestic God by Clara Madrigano
A young couple have found the perfect house but it comes with its own tomte. A wonderful mixing of Brazilian and Nordic folklore in this modern horror story.
- what kills the stars by Alex Bisker
Would you spend the last few hours of the world at a place or with a person?
A cosmological love story of a sorts.
- The Icy Wasteland at Her Feet by Deborah L. Davitt
Depression and despair kept at bay amid the beautiful desolation of Enceladus--the lone survivor of an 8 person crew tries to keep on keeping on with only Solace for solace.
- Guilt Can Wilt the Sweetest Flower by Veronica Henry
A Viet Nam vet with a war ghost following him wakes up and smells the flowers of another ghost leading him to…?
- Mackson's Mardi Gras Moon Race by David DeGraff
The prize you win is not always the prize you’re gunning for. Racing across the regolith on Shrove Tuesday.
- The Wizzzer by Scott Nicolay
A 1950’s horror story brought to you by Wham-O and the ACS.
"Better Things for Better Living...Through Chemistry."
- Burned Like Coal by T.R. Napper
A stealth attack on a coal-fired power plant goes awry leaving one of the eco-terrorists with a moral dilemma. Fortunately, Bruce is there to help.
- The Diamond Factory by Phoebe Barton
The Rikers Island of the outer solar system is finally shut down. A pair of former inmates have their hands full sweeping the facility for laggers, lurkers, and ‘rats’ of the humanoid ilk.
- The Body-Part Woman by Bonnie Elizabeth
Magic era transplant medicine and the importance of treating the whole patient; the practitioner needs to consider not only the organ the patient wants, but also their out of alignment humours.
- Big Trouble in Sector C by Robert Friedman and Barry N. Malzberg There are eight million megaflops in the naked net. This has been one of them. Anti-malware in the shadows; Jules Dassin or John Huston to direct?
- All Our Better Angels by Jack Neel Waddell
You can’t save the worlds without saving yourself. A time travel story.
- Puzzle Pieces by Jennifer R. Povey
Some puzzles can be put together in different ways. A mother tries to break apart her very different child and reassemble the pieces to suit her needs. A sad story with a hopeful ending.
- Zariel: Parable of a Gifted Black Child by Denzel Xavier Scott
A Black child will be the deliverance or doom for humanity. Can a mother’s love make up for generations of hate, fear and indifference? Wonderful motif of spectrum, color and hue. Pairs well with Sun Ra’s 1974 film “Space is the Place.”
- The Wounded King by J.A. Prentice @LivingAuthors
The comet in the sky portends death and destruction. The powers-that-be are at a Jack Bauer moment; deal with the devil or die with their souls intact. The wounded king awaits the last choice.
- The Interspatial Accessibility Compact's Guidelines for Cross-Cultural Engagement by Dane Kuttler
In the Language of Flowers, what blossom says “Being with you is like being alone?”
- Do Not Hasten to Bid Me Adieu by Will McMahon
A great (x20) grandpa and his great (X20) granddaughter carry out a correspondence over space and time. And Little Women remains as relevant as ever.
- How to Care for Your Domestic God by Clara Madrigano
A young couple have found the perfect house but it comes with its own tomte. A wonderful mixing of Brazilian and Nordic folklore in this modern horror story.
- what kills the stars by Alex Bisker
Would you spend the last few hours of the world at a place or with a person?
A cosmological love story of a sorts.
- The Icy Wasteland at Her Feet by Deborah L. Davitt
Depression and despair kept at bay amid the beautiful desolation of Enceladus--the lone survivor of an 8 person crew tries to keep on keeping on with only Solace for solace.
- Guilt Can Wilt the Sweetest Flower by Veronica Henry
A Viet Nam vet with a war ghost following him wakes up and smells the flowers of another ghost leading him to…?
- Mackson's Mardi Gras Moon Race by David DeGraff
The prize you win is not always the prize you’re gunning for. Racing across the regolith on Shrove Tuesday.
- The Wizzzer by Scott Nicolay
A 1950’s horror story brought to you by Wham-O and the ACS.
"Better Things for Better Living...Through Chemistry."
- Burned Like Coal by T.R. Napper
A stealth attack on a coal-fired power plant goes awry leaving one of the eco-terrorists with a moral dilemma. Fortunately, Bruce is there to help.
- The Diamond Factory by Phoebe Barton
The Rikers Island of the outer solar system is finally shut down. A pair of former inmates have their hands full sweeping the facility for laggers, lurkers, and ‘rats’ of the humanoid ilk.
- The Body-Part Woman by Bonnie Elizabeth
Magic era transplant medicine and the importance of treating the whole patient; the practitioner needs to consider not only the organ the patient wants, but also their out of alignment humours.
- Big Trouble in Sector C by Robert Friedman and Barry N. Malzberg There are eight million megaflops in the naked net. This has been one of them. Anti-malware in the shadows; Jules Dassin or John Huston to direct?
- All Our Better Angels by Jack Neel Waddell
You can’t save the worlds without saving yourself. A time travel story.
- Puzzle Pieces by Jennifer R. Povey
Some puzzles can be put together in different ways. A mother tries to break apart her very different child and reassemble the pieces to suit her needs. A sad story with a hopeful ending.
- Zariel: Parable of a Gifted Black Child by Denzel Xavier Scott
A Black child will be the deliverance or doom for humanity. Can a mother’s love make up for generations of hate, fear and indifference? Wonderful motif of spectrum, color and hue. Pairs well with Sun Ra’s 1974 film “Space is the Place.”
- The Wounded King by J.A. Prentice @LivingAuthors
The comet in the sky portends death and destruction. The powers-that-be are at a Jack Bauer moment; deal with the devil or die with their souls intact. The wounded king awaits the last choice.
- The Interspatial Accessibility Compact's Guidelines for Cross-Cultural Engagement by Dane Kuttler
In the Language of Flowers, what blossom says “Being with you is like being alone?”
- Do Not Hasten to Bid Me Adieu by Will McMahon
A great (x20) grandpa and his great (X20) granddaughter carry out a correspondence over space and time. And Little Women remains as relevant as ever.
September 12, 2024
An above average issue with interesting stories by Moustapha Mbacké Diop, Bonnie Elizabeth, Clara Madrigano, J. A. Prentice, Dane Kuttler and Will McMahon.
- "What Kills The Stars" by Alex Bisker: a person goes to interview a physicist, and get infatuated by her. He reminisces about his ex-wife during the interview, where the physicist talks about the possible ways the universe may end. By the next day, they will discover it is a lot closer than expected.
- "The Ndayaan Sea" by Moustapha Mbacké Diop: an African witch goes on a journey after her sister, who has usurped her power. When they meet, monsters also approach, and what happens next determines their fate.
- "The Icy Wasteland At Her Feet" by Deborah L. Davitt: a lone survivor of an expedition to the moon, Enceladus, struggles to keep the place working and herself alive. But she suffers from survivors morose over the decisions she, and the others, could have taken to avoid the situation she is now in.
- "Guilt Can Wilt The Sweetest Flower" by Veronica Henry: the caretaker of a library lets an apparent homeless person into the library, against the rules. Then strange things begin to happen as the person is revealed to be not who he thinks she is. But then his life in the library is upturned, and he now has to decide whether to follow her back to her home, which may not be on our world.
- "Mackson’s Mardi Gras Moon Race" by David DeGraff: featuring a long-distance race on the moon, one person bets his chances on winning it on taking an unexpected route. But the route is filled with dangers, including an unsporting opponent.
- "The Wizzzer" by Scott Nicolay: a young boy gathers his gang of followers and tells them of a strange 'Wizzzer' that had eaten his family, and it is now up to them to kill it. At the end, one of the followers senses something is not right, but it may be too late.
- "Burned Like Coal" by T. R. Napper: two people attempt to sabotage a coal plant, in an attempt to make a corporation pay for global warming. But it does not go as planned.
- "The Diamond Factory" by Phoebe Barton: on a space station due to be destroyed, one final check reveals an apparent stowaway on board. But the stowaway may not be who she appears to be.
- "The Body-Part Woman" by Bonnie Elizabeth: about a woman at an unusual shop that houses body-parts. But it is no horror story, for the body parts are willingly given, at the point of death, and are kept at the shop to be passed on to others. In this story, she faces a hostile customer who demands (in her opinion) the wrong body parts, and she has to convince him to take the body part that he really needs.
- "How To Care For Your Domestic God" by Clara Madrigano: a fascinating tale of a couple who move in a house that may be too good to be true. And it turns out to be that when they discover a god inhabits it and if they don't satiate its hunger, it will make their lives miserable. The birth of their baby would cause a change in their accommodation with the god.
- "Big Trouble In Sector C" by Robert Friedman and Barry N. Malzberg: in a virtual world, an avatar hunts for an elusive malware. But the final confrontation doesn't go as expected.
- "All Our Better Angels" by Jack Neel Waddell: a time travel story about saving various world lines. But in this one, the protagonist gets tangled up into saving her own past due to her past actions.
- "Puzzle Pieces" by Jennifer R. Povey: in a dystopian future, a child's mind is being manipulated, taken apart and put back together, so that she can look 'normal' to the outside world, while still hidden inside is the child that just wants to be left alone.
- "Zariel: Parable Of A Gifted Black Child" by Denzel Xavier Scott: the story of a black child gifted with strange powers, and tells her mother of all the abuses that her family have suffered at the hands of white society, before leaving with a higher power that has come to claim her.
- "The Wounded King" by J. A. Prentice: in a ruined castle, a former king waits the arrival of knights who have come for help to save their country from a comet that is laying waste to their land. But the price the king, wounded but kept living with the help of mystic forces, asks for may be too much for the knights to accept.
- "The Interspatial Accessibility Compact’s Guidelines For Cross-Cultural Engagement" by Dane Kuttler: an alien botanist at a flower shop gets a visit from a human scientist with a human problem: falling in love. But the love interest is a fellow alien scientist, making the problem more complicated.
- "Do Not Hasten To Bid Me Adieu" by Will McMahon: a old man waits for letters from his son who is fighting in the Spanish Civil War. But what he finds are letters from his great-great-granddaughter from the future, asking him for help from an arranged marriage she does not want. He gives what advice he can, but when tragedy strikes, his last advice to her would involve a leap of faith from the granddaughter.
- "What Kills The Stars" by Alex Bisker: a person goes to interview a physicist, and get infatuated by her. He reminisces about his ex-wife during the interview, where the physicist talks about the possible ways the universe may end. By the next day, they will discover it is a lot closer than expected.
- "The Ndayaan Sea" by Moustapha Mbacké Diop: an African witch goes on a journey after her sister, who has usurped her power. When they meet, monsters also approach, and what happens next determines their fate.
- "The Icy Wasteland At Her Feet" by Deborah L. Davitt: a lone survivor of an expedition to the moon, Enceladus, struggles to keep the place working and herself alive. But she suffers from survivors morose over the decisions she, and the others, could have taken to avoid the situation she is now in.
- "Guilt Can Wilt The Sweetest Flower" by Veronica Henry: the caretaker of a library lets an apparent homeless person into the library, against the rules. Then strange things begin to happen as the person is revealed to be not who he thinks she is. But then his life in the library is upturned, and he now has to decide whether to follow her back to her home, which may not be on our world.
- "Mackson’s Mardi Gras Moon Race" by David DeGraff: featuring a long-distance race on the moon, one person bets his chances on winning it on taking an unexpected route. But the route is filled with dangers, including an unsporting opponent.
- "The Wizzzer" by Scott Nicolay: a young boy gathers his gang of followers and tells them of a strange 'Wizzzer' that had eaten his family, and it is now up to them to kill it. At the end, one of the followers senses something is not right, but it may be too late.
- "Burned Like Coal" by T. R. Napper: two people attempt to sabotage a coal plant, in an attempt to make a corporation pay for global warming. But it does not go as planned.
- "The Diamond Factory" by Phoebe Barton: on a space station due to be destroyed, one final check reveals an apparent stowaway on board. But the stowaway may not be who she appears to be.
- "The Body-Part Woman" by Bonnie Elizabeth: about a woman at an unusual shop that houses body-parts. But it is no horror story, for the body parts are willingly given, at the point of death, and are kept at the shop to be passed on to others. In this story, she faces a hostile customer who demands (in her opinion) the wrong body parts, and she has to convince him to take the body part that he really needs.
- "How To Care For Your Domestic God" by Clara Madrigano: a fascinating tale of a couple who move in a house that may be too good to be true. And it turns out to be that when they discover a god inhabits it and if they don't satiate its hunger, it will make their lives miserable. The birth of their baby would cause a change in their accommodation with the god.
- "Big Trouble In Sector C" by Robert Friedman and Barry N. Malzberg: in a virtual world, an avatar hunts for an elusive malware. But the final confrontation doesn't go as expected.
- "All Our Better Angels" by Jack Neel Waddell: a time travel story about saving various world lines. But in this one, the protagonist gets tangled up into saving her own past due to her past actions.
- "Puzzle Pieces" by Jennifer R. Povey: in a dystopian future, a child's mind is being manipulated, taken apart and put back together, so that she can look 'normal' to the outside world, while still hidden inside is the child that just wants to be left alone.
- "Zariel: Parable Of A Gifted Black Child" by Denzel Xavier Scott: the story of a black child gifted with strange powers, and tells her mother of all the abuses that her family have suffered at the hands of white society, before leaving with a higher power that has come to claim her.
- "The Wounded King" by J. A. Prentice: in a ruined castle, a former king waits the arrival of knights who have come for help to save their country from a comet that is laying waste to their land. But the price the king, wounded but kept living with the help of mystic forces, asks for may be too much for the knights to accept.
- "The Interspatial Accessibility Compact’s Guidelines For Cross-Cultural Engagement" by Dane Kuttler: an alien botanist at a flower shop gets a visit from a human scientist with a human problem: falling in love. But the love interest is a fellow alien scientist, making the problem more complicated.
- "Do Not Hasten To Bid Me Adieu" by Will McMahon: a old man waits for letters from his son who is fighting in the Spanish Civil War. But what he finds are letters from his great-great-granddaughter from the future, asking him for help from an arranged marriage she does not want. He gives what advice he can, but when tragedy strikes, his last advice to her would involve a leap of faith from the granddaughter.
June 3, 2024
What Kills the Stars: **
Some nice writing. Love a doomed ending.
Ndayaan Sea: **
Nice imagery.
Icy Wasteland at Her Feet ***
Nice prose. Love the bleakness. Short with big details. We must transcend to survive.
Guilt Can Wilt the Sweetest Flower **
Djinn story. War tragedy. Nice prose, a simple humanistic tale.
Mackson's Mardi Gras Moon Race ***
Enjoyed this one. Fun. Good details. Good stakes. Nice execution.
Wizzer ***
Weird. Nightmare-like. Ominous. Love the dreamy cliffhanger.
Burned Like Coal **
Well told, well paced.
Diamond Factory ***
Lovely prose. Nice worldbuilding.
Body Part Woman ***
Evocative and fantastical. Quite liked it.
How to Care for your Domestic God ***
Engaging and emotional. Weird. Quite liked it.
Big Trouble in Sector C **
Fun concept. Felt fragmentary.
Better Angels **
Enjoyable concept.
Puzzle Pieces **
Nice tale.
Zariel ***
Lovely voice. Powerful weird imagery. Bleak (& loving it)
Wounded King ***
Really enjoyed the details of this one. Old school fantasy pulp vibes.
Interspatial Accessibility Compact's Guidelines for Cross-Cultural Engagement **
Cute.
Do Not Hasten to Bid Me Adieu ****
Emotional, engaging and effective. (the 3 Es!) Fun pulpy concept taken to the human level.
Some nice writing. Love a doomed ending.
Ndayaan Sea: **
Nice imagery.
Icy Wasteland at Her Feet ***
Nice prose. Love the bleakness. Short with big details. We must transcend to survive.
Guilt Can Wilt the Sweetest Flower **
Djinn story. War tragedy. Nice prose, a simple humanistic tale.
Mackson's Mardi Gras Moon Race ***
Enjoyed this one. Fun. Good details. Good stakes. Nice execution.
Wizzer ***
Weird. Nightmare-like. Ominous. Love the dreamy cliffhanger.
Burned Like Coal **
Well told, well paced.
Diamond Factory ***
Lovely prose. Nice worldbuilding.
Body Part Woman ***
Evocative and fantastical. Quite liked it.
How to Care for your Domestic God ***
Engaging and emotional. Weird. Quite liked it.
Big Trouble in Sector C **
Fun concept. Felt fragmentary.
Better Angels **
Enjoyable concept.
Puzzle Pieces **
Nice tale.
Zariel ***
Lovely voice. Powerful weird imagery. Bleak (& loving it)
Wounded King ***
Really enjoyed the details of this one. Old school fantasy pulp vibes.
Interspatial Accessibility Compact's Guidelines for Cross-Cultural Engagement **
Cute.
Do Not Hasten to Bid Me Adieu ****
Emotional, engaging and effective. (the 3 Es!) Fun pulpy concept taken to the human level.
March 30, 2024
I particularly enjoyed the DeGraff and McMahon stories.
May 19, 2024
Some stories were really good. Some didn’t come to much of anything. Hard to rate short stories. I didn’t read the articles or most of the poems.
February 18, 2025
There's a ton of stuff in this issue. Pretty average all around.
what kills the stars, Alex Bisker. "Time folding in on itself, braiding, looping back." Wistful flirting in the natural history museum. 3/5.
The Ndayaan Sea, Moustapha Mbacke Diop. Magical telling of an African myth. A woman takes a mythical journey to claim that which has been usurped by her sister. I quite like stories rooted in African folklore because it's already so alien to my own cultural experience. 3/5.
The Icy Wasteland At Her Feet, Deborah L. Davitt. In some intersection of The Martian and a Jack London story about how cold it is: this story of Tova, abandoned on one of Saturn's frozen moons because everyone else on her team has perished. Accompanied only by an AI voice assistant, Tova lives with the ghosts of her team and the realities of staying alive. She should've gone to Mars. 3/5.
Guilt Can Wilt The Sweetest Flower, Veronica Henry. Rambo: First Blood but he finds a friend, and the friend is a djinn or something. 3/5.
Mackon's Mardi Gras Moon Race, David DeGraff. It's a race. On the moon. You hadda be there. 3/5.
The Wizzzer, Scott Nicolay. Do not taunt Happy Fun Ball. 4/5.
Burned Like Coal, T. R. Napper. Clippy says, "It looks like you're trying to do an ecoterrorism. Can I help?" 2/5.
The Diamond Factory, Phoebe Barton. The diamonds are actually us, and the factory is the trauma we lived through. 2/5.
The Body-Part Woman, Bonnie Elizabeth. When your organs sign their own donor cards. Not sure what that dude's problem was. 3/5.
How To Care For Your Domestic God, Clara Madrigano. Is it a haunting or a divine presence? You can call it a "god" if you want but just because it keeps the dust off your knick-knacks doesn't mean it gets to treat you that way. 4/5.
Big Trouble in Sector C, Robert Friedman & Barry N. Malzberg. 2/5.
All Our Better Angels, Jack Neel Waddell. Saving yourself from childhood trauma is an overlooked use of time travel. 2/5.
Puzzle Pieces, Jennifer R. Povey. 2/5.
Zariel: Parable of a Gifted Black Child, Denzel Xavier Scott. Weird asteroid daddy is coming to pick up his kid for visitation. 2/5.
The Wounded King, J.A. Prentice. Nearly a straightforward fantasy story, with knights and everything. 3/5.
The Interspatial Accessibility Compact..., Dane Kuttler. Humans are weird and bashful. 2/5.
Do Not Hasten to Bid Me Adieu, Will McMahon. Quite an affecting tale told through letters sent through time. 5/5.
what kills the stars, Alex Bisker. "Time folding in on itself, braiding, looping back." Wistful flirting in the natural history museum. 3/5.
The Ndayaan Sea, Moustapha Mbacke Diop. Magical telling of an African myth. A woman takes a mythical journey to claim that which has been usurped by her sister. I quite like stories rooted in African folklore because it's already so alien to my own cultural experience. 3/5.
The Icy Wasteland At Her Feet, Deborah L. Davitt. In some intersection of The Martian and a Jack London story about how cold it is: this story of Tova, abandoned on one of Saturn's frozen moons because everyone else on her team has perished. Accompanied only by an AI voice assistant, Tova lives with the ghosts of her team and the realities of staying alive. She should've gone to Mars. 3/5.
Guilt Can Wilt The Sweetest Flower, Veronica Henry. Rambo: First Blood but he finds a friend, and the friend is a djinn or something. 3/5.
Mackon's Mardi Gras Moon Race, David DeGraff. It's a race. On the moon. You hadda be there. 3/5.
The Wizzzer, Scott Nicolay. Do not taunt Happy Fun Ball. 4/5.
Burned Like Coal, T. R. Napper. Clippy says, "It looks like you're trying to do an ecoterrorism. Can I help?" 2/5.
The Diamond Factory, Phoebe Barton. The diamonds are actually us, and the factory is the trauma we lived through. 2/5.
The Body-Part Woman, Bonnie Elizabeth. When your organs sign their own donor cards. Not sure what that dude's problem was. 3/5.
How To Care For Your Domestic God, Clara Madrigano. Is it a haunting or a divine presence? You can call it a "god" if you want but just because it keeps the dust off your knick-knacks doesn't mean it gets to treat you that way. 4/5.
Big Trouble in Sector C, Robert Friedman & Barry N. Malzberg. 2/5.
All Our Better Angels, Jack Neel Waddell. Saving yourself from childhood trauma is an overlooked use of time travel. 2/5.
Puzzle Pieces, Jennifer R. Povey. 2/5.
Zariel: Parable of a Gifted Black Child, Denzel Xavier Scott. Weird asteroid daddy is coming to pick up his kid for visitation. 2/5.
The Wounded King, J.A. Prentice. Nearly a straightforward fantasy story, with knights and everything. 3/5.
The Interspatial Accessibility Compact..., Dane Kuttler. Humans are weird and bashful. 2/5.
Do Not Hasten to Bid Me Adieu, Will McMahon. Quite an affecting tale told through letters sent through time. 5/5.
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