Apex Magazine Issue 145

Apex Magazine #145

by Lesley Conner, Daniela Tomova, Stephen M.A.

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

EDITORIAL
Musings from Maryland by Lesley Conner

ORIGINAL SHORT FICTION
Our Lady of the Clay by Daniela Tomova
The Owl by Stephen M.A.
A Lullaby of Anguish by Marie Croke
Loss Prevention by Pamela Rentz

FLASH FICTION
What is Conjured Shall Vanish by Akis Linardos
Intertwined by Anne Wilkins

CLASSIC FICTION
Growing Swirling Clouds by T.K. Rex
Auxiliary, Supplementary, Inessential by Christi Nogle

NONFICTION
Build Your (Weird) Community by Christopher Mark Rose
I Was a Twelve-Year-Old Black Boy Who Wanted to be a Bene Gesserit by Malon Edwards
Words for Short Fiction Review by AC Wise
Book It's Only a Game by Kelsea Yu by Leah Ning

INTERVIEWS
Interview with Author Stephen M.A. by Marissa van Uden
Interview with Author Marie Croke by Marissa van Uden
Interview with Cover Artist Silvia Moravčíková Bobeková by Bradley Powers

206 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 30, 2024

Reviews

[Heni · Rating 4 out of 5]

- Our Lady of the Clay by Daniela Tomova
I like the idea of a place which appears only when you close your eyes. 3 ⭐

- The Owl by Stephen M.A. ❌

- A Lullaby of Anguish by Marie Croke
"Because anguish sells. Pain creates empathy, conjoining humanity in collective suffering … despite suffering never, ever being collective"
So so good! 5 ⭐

- Loss Prevention by Pamela Rentz ❌

- What is Conjured Shall Vanish by Akis Linardos
Witch in disguise as the emperor's concubine. 2 ⭐

- Intertwined by Anne Wilkins
What the actual f? Very short and very haunting, the story where there are no animals left in the world and some human become cows, some of them become pigs. 5 ⭐

- Growing Swirling Clouds by T.K. Rex
This is beautiful and hurting. The protagonists are a robot and a lady too old to land in the colony planet. The devastation in the end almost broke them. 4 ⭐

- Auxiliary, Supplementary, Inessential by Christi Nogle ❌

[Elaysee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed the whole issue, but particularly the Croke and Rentz stories.

[Patrick Hurley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent issue! "Our Lady of the Clay" by Daniela Tomova and "A Lullaby of Anguish" by Marie Croke were my favorites!