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Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 215, August 2024
Clarkesworld is a Hugo and World Fantasy Award-winning science fiction and fantasy magazine. Each month we bring you a mix of fiction, articles, interviews and art. Our August 2024 issue (#215) contains:
* Original fiction by Alice Towey ("The Time Capsule"), Thomas Ha ("The Sort"), Rich Larson ("Molum, Molum, Molum the Scourge"), Timothy Mudie ("Something Crossing Over, Something Coming Back"), Rajeev Prasad ("Canyon Dance"), David McGillveray ("The Deformed Saint and the Poison Wind"), Emily Taylor ("Where My Love Still Lives"), and Marisca Pichette ("Three Circuits of the Monoceros Ring").
* Non-fiction includes an article by Wole Talabi, interviews with Jonathan Strahan and Nnedi Okorafor, and an editorial by Neil Clarke.
* Original fiction by Alice Towey ("The Time Capsule"), Thomas Ha ("The Sort"), Rich Larson ("Molum, Molum, Molum the Scourge"), Timothy Mudie ("Something Crossing Over, Something Coming Back"), Rajeev Prasad ("Canyon Dance"), David McGillveray ("The Deformed Saint and the Poison Wind"), Emily Taylor ("Where My Love Still Lives"), and Marisca Pichette ("Three Circuits of the Monoceros Ring").
* Non-fiction includes an article by Wole Talabi, interviews with Jonathan Strahan and Nnedi Okorafor, and an editorial by Neil Clarke.
159 pages, Paperback
First published July 31, 2024
7 people are currently reading
14 people want to read
About the author
Neil Clarke
400 books398 followersNeil Clarke is best known as the editor and publisher of the Hugo and World Fantasy Award-winning
Clarkesworld Magazine.
Launched in October 2006, the online magazine has been a finalist for the Hugo Award for Best Semiprozine four times (winning three times), the World Fantasy Award four times (winning once), and the British Fantasy Award once (winning once). Neil is also a ten-time finalist for the Hugo Award for Best Editor Short Form (winning once in 2022), three-time winner of the Chesley Award for Best Art Director, and a recipient of the Kate Wilhelm Solstice Award. In the fifteen years since Clarkesworld Magazine launched, numerous stories that he has published have been nominated for or won the Hugo, Nebula, World Fantasy, Sturgeon, Locus, BSFA, Shirley Jackson, WSFA Small Press, and Stoker Awards.
Additionally, Neil edits Forever —a digital-only, reprint science fiction magazine he launched in 2015. His anthologies include: Upgraded, Galactic Empires, Touchable Unreality, More Human than Human, The Final Frontier, Not One of Us, The Eagle has Landed, , and the Best Science Fiction of the Year series. His next anthology, The Best Science Fiction of the Year: Volume Seven will published in early 2023.
He currently lives in New Jersey with his wife and two sons.
Additionally, Neil edits Forever —a digital-only, reprint science fiction magazine he launched in 2015. His anthologies include: Upgraded, Galactic Empires, Touchable Unreality, More Human than Human, The Final Frontier, Not One of Us, The Eagle has Landed, , and the Best Science Fiction of the Year series. His next anthology, The Best Science Fiction of the Year: Volume Seven will published in early 2023.
He currently lives in New Jersey with his wife and two sons.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
August 13, 2024
Alice Towey ("The Time Capsule") - (4*) A nice bit of future nostalgia while looking back. Resource dystopia, a little hope, and a wistful look at our future past.
Thomas Ha ("The Sort") - (4*)Creepy near-future small-community almost SK horror. Gotta love how people mutate and grow just like a Monsanto scourge -- and we don't know whether it is getting really bad, or whether it's just a new normal. Perfect for us, no?
Rich Larson ("Molum, Molum, Molum the Scourge") - (3*) Fights, implants, and tech-treatments just like drug fixes. Not bad, just feels rather cyberpunk.
Timothy Mudie ("Something Crossing Over, Something Coming Back") - (4*) A literal putting yourself in someone else's shoes story. I enjoyed the subtle give and take, the sliding away from actual espionage into true understanding. There's a lot to be said about acceptance, especially today.
Rajeev Prasad ("Canyon Dance") - (3*) Addiction + asteroid mining. I get what it's all about, but I just didn't really get invested. I mean, I've survived the Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch -- this is admittedly more down to earth, but just okay in the end.
David McGillveray ("The Deformed Saint and the Poison Wind") - (3*) A maybe-heartfelt tribute to doing the very minimum you can for indigenous people suffering from greater wars, SF style.
Emily Taylor ("Where My Love Still Lives") - (3*) Barely SF, more of a coming-home story than anything else.
Marisca Pichette ("Three Circuits of the Monoceros Ring") - (5*) Epistolary romance story spanning the whole galaxy. Rather sweet. :)
We also get a pretty great non-fiction on African SFF identity and examples.
Thomas Ha ("The Sort") - (4*)Creepy near-future small-community almost SK horror. Gotta love how people mutate and grow just like a Monsanto scourge -- and we don't know whether it is getting really bad, or whether it's just a new normal. Perfect for us, no?
Rich Larson ("Molum, Molum, Molum the Scourge") - (3*) Fights, implants, and tech-treatments just like drug fixes. Not bad, just feels rather cyberpunk.
Timothy Mudie ("Something Crossing Over, Something Coming Back") - (4*) A literal putting yourself in someone else's shoes story. I enjoyed the subtle give and take, the sliding away from actual espionage into true understanding. There's a lot to be said about acceptance, especially today.
Rajeev Prasad ("Canyon Dance") - (3*) Addiction + asteroid mining. I get what it's all about, but I just didn't really get invested. I mean, I've survived the Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch -- this is admittedly more down to earth, but just okay in the end.
David McGillveray ("The Deformed Saint and the Poison Wind") - (3*) A maybe-heartfelt tribute to doing the very minimum you can for indigenous people suffering from greater wars, SF style.
Emily Taylor ("Where My Love Still Lives") - (3*) Barely SF, more of a coming-home story than anything else.
Marisca Pichette ("Three Circuits of the Monoceros Ring") - (5*) Epistolary romance story spanning the whole galaxy. Rather sweet. :)
We also get a pretty great non-fiction on African SFF identity and examples.
August 23, 2024
As I've said before, if you want to stay current on short stories in science fiction from an international author base, subscribe to Clarkesworld Magazine
September 3, 2024
THE TIME CAPSULE BY ALICE TOWEY ★★★★☆
“I was out on the playa cleaning dust off the commune’s solars the day the probe landed.“
A capsule from the past comes to a dystopian, technologically devolved future. It causes issues. Good.
THE SORT BY THOMAS HA ★★★★☆
“My son can’t think of the word “spoon.”“
Another dystopian story, with post-humans, how they first in and the societal conflict with „normal“ humans. Good as well.
MOLUM, MOLUM, MOLUM THE SCOURGE BY RICH LARSON ★★★★☆
“The Avenue of the Dead is a fever dream, dark and teeming and slashed with neon.“
Cyberpunk? Gladiators, modifications, implants. Revenge. A surprising ending. Good. The other stories I have read by Larson were not bad either.
SOMETHING CROSSING OVER, SOMETHING COMING BACK BY TIMOTHY MUDIE ★★★★☆
“Even though the armistice has held for nearly a year now, I know it could shatter at any moment, trapping me here behind enemy lines.“
War. A spy story. Body swapping. What will it do to your mind? And how do you deal when life traps you in another body? Also good.
CANYON DANCE BY RAJEEV PRASAD ★★★☆☆
“Had I remained on Earth, my raging alcoholism would have killed me real young. So, I ran.“
Heavy body-modifications to allow life in space. Struggle with alcoholism. It was ok, but I didn’t particularly like the story or the writing.
THE DEFORMED SAINT AND THE POISON WIND BY DAVID MCGILLVERAY ★★★★★
“Akkrati danced on the wet sand that the tide had left behind like a clean writing slate.“
A body bred to serve in a machine. A galactic war and a crash on a foreign planet. The body is separated from the machine and she meets interesting natives. Great story telling, I really liked this.
WHERE MY LOVE STILL LIVES BY EMILY TAYLOR ★★★★★
“I can’t be rational when it comes to Augie. We were so young when we loved each other, and still young when we broke it off.“
Dystopian Earth, where humans live underground, hiding away from the „builders“ on the surface. Some have to go up there to harvest fresh food. A love story.
THREE CIRCUITS OF THE MONOCEROS RING BY MARISCA PICHETTE ★★★★☆
[Intercepted file #92, partially corrupted between the orbits of Saturn and Jupiter. Transcribed recipes, mostly savory in nature. Localized ingredients indicate regional origin in Europe.]
Three travellers from Earth on their separate ways out of the solar system. Epistolary short story. Connections, love, art.
The fiction in this issue was consistently good.
MOTHERLAND DREAMING: NOTES ON AFRICAN SPECULATIVE FICTION FROM PAST TO PRESENT BY WOLE TALABI
“This article explores and discusses some key elements and history of African speculative fiction, tracing its roots to the current state.“
If you‘re a fan of graphs, this is pretty interesting.
EXPANDING ON TRADITIONS: A CONVERSATION WITH JONATHAN STRAHAN BY ARLEY SORG
I just read and reviewed New Adventures in Space Opera by Strahan. It‘s a very good reprint anthology. Thank you, NetGalley!
You can find this issue with free stories here.
“I was out on the playa cleaning dust off the commune’s solars the day the probe landed.“
A capsule from the past comes to a dystopian, technologically devolved future. It causes issues. Good.
THE SORT BY THOMAS HA ★★★★☆
“My son can’t think of the word “spoon.”“
Another dystopian story, with post-humans, how they first in and the societal conflict with „normal“ humans. Good as well.
MOLUM, MOLUM, MOLUM THE SCOURGE BY RICH LARSON ★★★★☆
“The Avenue of the Dead is a fever dream, dark and teeming and slashed with neon.“
Cyberpunk? Gladiators, modifications, implants. Revenge. A surprising ending. Good. The other stories I have read by Larson were not bad either.
SOMETHING CROSSING OVER, SOMETHING COMING BACK BY TIMOTHY MUDIE ★★★★☆
“Even though the armistice has held for nearly a year now, I know it could shatter at any moment, trapping me here behind enemy lines.“
War. A spy story. Body swapping. What will it do to your mind? And how do you deal when life traps you in another body? Also good.
CANYON DANCE BY RAJEEV PRASAD ★★★☆☆
“Had I remained on Earth, my raging alcoholism would have killed me real young. So, I ran.“
Heavy body-modifications to allow life in space. Struggle with alcoholism. It was ok, but I didn’t particularly like the story or the writing.
THE DEFORMED SAINT AND THE POISON WIND BY DAVID MCGILLVERAY ★★★★★
“Akkrati danced on the wet sand that the tide had left behind like a clean writing slate.“
A body bred to serve in a machine. A galactic war and a crash on a foreign planet. The body is separated from the machine and she meets interesting natives. Great story telling, I really liked this.
WHERE MY LOVE STILL LIVES BY EMILY TAYLOR ★★★★★
“I can’t be rational when it comes to Augie. We were so young when we loved each other, and still young when we broke it off.“
Dystopian Earth, where humans live underground, hiding away from the „builders“ on the surface. Some have to go up there to harvest fresh food. A love story.
THREE CIRCUITS OF THE MONOCEROS RING BY MARISCA PICHETTE ★★★★☆
[Intercepted file #92, partially corrupted between the orbits of Saturn and Jupiter. Transcribed recipes, mostly savory in nature. Localized ingredients indicate regional origin in Europe.]
Three travellers from Earth on their separate ways out of the solar system. Epistolary short story. Connections, love, art.
The fiction in this issue was consistently good.
MOTHERLAND DREAMING: NOTES ON AFRICAN SPECULATIVE FICTION FROM PAST TO PRESENT BY WOLE TALABI
“This article explores and discusses some key elements and history of African speculative fiction, tracing its roots to the current state.“
If you‘re a fan of graphs, this is pretty interesting.
EXPANDING ON TRADITIONS: A CONVERSATION WITH JONATHAN STRAHAN BY ARLEY SORG
I just read and reviewed New Adventures in Space Opera by Strahan. It‘s a very good reprint anthology. Thank you, NetGalley!
You can find this issue with free stories here.
September 3, 2024
Mixed bag of stories, with some pretty high highs but also some rather low lows.
Standout was Molum, Molum, Molum the Scourge with it's cyberpunk feel. While it was predictably bleak, it felt fresh enough and the ending was not what I expected. Something Crossing Over, Something Coming Back was also pretty good, a different sort of spy story. The Deformed Saint and the Poison Wind had a mostly forgettable story, but I did find the setting and world pretty interesting.
The rest of the stories didn't really speak to me, but nothing was outright bad, at most a bit boring.
Standout was Molum, Molum, Molum the Scourge with it's cyberpunk feel. While it was predictably bleak, it felt fresh enough and the ending was not what I expected. Something Crossing Over, Something Coming Back was also pretty good, a different sort of spy story. The Deformed Saint and the Poison Wind had a mostly forgettable story, but I did find the setting and world pretty interesting.
The rest of the stories didn't really speak to me, but nothing was outright bad, at most a bit boring.
December 17, 2025
I only listened to the short story The Sort by Thomas Ha from this collection through the It's Storytime with Wil Wheaton podcast. A traveling father and son get caught up in a small town festival while passing through, and its odd rituals gave me a The Lottery by Shirley Jackson vibe. The two share a telepathic bond due to some modifications that were made on them that are now outlawed. They have to hide their abilities from others who would persecute them, so they are always on guard, never staying in one place long. While they have one another, it's a lonely existence, and I wonder what the future will hold for them.
July 4, 2025
Some really great stories in this issue--Thomas Ha's "The Sort" was especially good, and I really liked Mudie's "Something Crossing Over, Something Coming Back." I also have a soft spot for crab people in "The Deformed Saint and the Poison Wind." Nice article on African SF, too.
August 17, 2024
An average issue, with interesting stories by Alice Towey, Timothy Mudie and David McGillveray.
- "The Time Capsule" by Alice Towey: a girl discovers a space probe that fell from space, which is a time capsule from an earlier time with more technology than current times. But now, she has to keep its information from falling into the wrong hands before she has time to make use of the knowledge to make the current world a better place.
- "The Sort" by Thomas Ha: a father and his son, who appear to have an unusual way to communicate, travel through a town. But this is no ordinary town, set in a future where genetic manipulation have created that can delight people or bring out their hatred.
- "Molum, Molum, Molum the Scourge" by Rich Larson: in the future, an enhanced gladiator who is down and out is told of a store of drugs needed to quench the needs of his enhancements. As it turns out, he would need to do one final gladiatorial fight to get it.
- "Something Crossing Over, Something Coming Back" by Timothy Mudie: during a conflict between two countries, a scientist is sent to spy on the enemy by teleporting his consciousness into another person's body. During his spy mission, he has to act like the other person to fool others, including his wife. As the mission ends, he thinks over what he has done to affect the other person's life.
- "Canyon Dance" by Rajeev Prasad: in the future, man has colonized several worlds. To do so, they had to radically modify their body chemistries to cope with living in space and on other worlds. But one person still fights against his alcoholism, for he believes the fight is a part of his life. But he may have to reconsider when a move to another world may fail if he lets alcohol take over his life again.
- "The Deformed Saint and the Poison Wind" by David McGillveray: a space courier is ambushed by an enemy and has to escape to a planet. There, she discovers a native race of crab-like people that treats her as disabled due to her lack of limbs. She eventually discovers that the conflict she is a part of may have poisoned the natives with radiation sickness, but she may have a way to cure them.
- "Where My Love Still Lives" by Emily Taylor: in a future where 'builders' have taken over the surface of the Earth, what remains of humanity lives underground. Some people risk their lives to go to the surface in gliders to get food that can't be grown undergrown. The story follows one woman who returns to a cavern where her former lover lives. There, they return to an unavoidable topic: their love and his hope that she stops risking her life for food.
- "Three Circuits of the Monoceros Ring" by Marisca Pichette: a series of transcripts, some received corrupted, between three people travelling to distant parts of the universe, yet still hoping to meet again.
- "The Time Capsule" by Alice Towey: a girl discovers a space probe that fell from space, which is a time capsule from an earlier time with more technology than current times. But now, she has to keep its information from falling into the wrong hands before she has time to make use of the knowledge to make the current world a better place.
- "The Sort" by Thomas Ha: a father and his son, who appear to have an unusual way to communicate, travel through a town. But this is no ordinary town, set in a future where genetic manipulation have created that can delight people or bring out their hatred.
- "Molum, Molum, Molum the Scourge" by Rich Larson: in the future, an enhanced gladiator who is down and out is told of a store of drugs needed to quench the needs of his enhancements. As it turns out, he would need to do one final gladiatorial fight to get it.
- "Something Crossing Over, Something Coming Back" by Timothy Mudie: during a conflict between two countries, a scientist is sent to spy on the enemy by teleporting his consciousness into another person's body. During his spy mission, he has to act like the other person to fool others, including his wife. As the mission ends, he thinks over what he has done to affect the other person's life.
- "Canyon Dance" by Rajeev Prasad: in the future, man has colonized several worlds. To do so, they had to radically modify their body chemistries to cope with living in space and on other worlds. But one person still fights against his alcoholism, for he believes the fight is a part of his life. But he may have to reconsider when a move to another world may fail if he lets alcohol take over his life again.
- "The Deformed Saint and the Poison Wind" by David McGillveray: a space courier is ambushed by an enemy and has to escape to a planet. There, she discovers a native race of crab-like people that treats her as disabled due to her lack of limbs. She eventually discovers that the conflict she is a part of may have poisoned the natives with radiation sickness, but she may have a way to cure them.
- "Where My Love Still Lives" by Emily Taylor: in a future where 'builders' have taken over the surface of the Earth, what remains of humanity lives underground. Some people risk their lives to go to the surface in gliders to get food that can't be grown undergrown. The story follows one woman who returns to a cavern where her former lover lives. There, they return to an unavoidable topic: their love and his hope that she stops risking her life for food.
- "Three Circuits of the Monoceros Ring" by Marisca Pichette: a series of transcripts, some received corrupted, between three people travelling to distant parts of the universe, yet still hoping to meet again.
November 22, 2024
The Time Capsule
By Alice Towey
Rating: ***
A simple premise, but well-written. Not much tension, not much mystery. And yet, the story has a mysterious vibe to it.
The Sort
By Thomas Ha
Rating: ****
The intrigue is palpable. I love how the theme of belonging is the center of the story in subtle and not subtle ways, how the world comes to life with the short, sharp scenes. Well-written.
Molum, Molum, Molum the Scourge
By Rich Larson
Rating: ***
A vastly unfamiliar world, hitting me in the face from the first sentences. I never grow used to it in the end, it never feels familiar, but maybe that's the idea. It's hard to visualize and harder to feel empathy. Originality is striking though.
Something Crossing Over, Something Coming Back
By Timothy Mudie
Rating: ****
A very interesting idea, a very engaging writing style. However, as a short story progressed, it took me way too long to realize there were several timelines. The jumps between present and past are abrupt and not marked by anything else than a line skip. Confused me to no end, but also impressed.
Canyon Dance
By Rajeev Prasad
Rating: ***
I didn't fully understand how the title is related to the story. It was an attempt at showing consequences of addiction in the world of the future, yet somehow it fell short. Was it the overcomplicated world compared to the relatively simple characters or something else entirely, I wouldn't be able to tell.
The Deformed Sand and the Poisoned Wind
By David McGillveray
Rating: ****
A beautiful story, a poignant theme. Indigenous world, meeting a kind soul. I don't like unannounced timeline jumps in short stories. There's just not enough words to establish the time frame sufficiently and it leads to confusion. And so that is the only downside to this story.
Where My Love Still Lives
By Emily Taylor
Rating: ***
Some very curious worldbuilding that we have very little chance to witness as 95% of the story is spent underground away from it.
Three Circuits of the Monoceros Ring
By Mariska Pichette
Rating: ***
I think I am not enough of an intellectual to comprehend the deeper meaning of this compilation. There are definitely some hidden meanings and contexts within this epistolary story. Unfortunately, its meaning escaped me. Without it, it’s just mildly sweet.
By Alice Towey
Rating: ***
A simple premise, but well-written. Not much tension, not much mystery. And yet, the story has a mysterious vibe to it.
The Sort
By Thomas Ha
Rating: ****
The intrigue is palpable. I love how the theme of belonging is the center of the story in subtle and not subtle ways, how the world comes to life with the short, sharp scenes. Well-written.
Molum, Molum, Molum the Scourge
By Rich Larson
Rating: ***
A vastly unfamiliar world, hitting me in the face from the first sentences. I never grow used to it in the end, it never feels familiar, but maybe that's the idea. It's hard to visualize and harder to feel empathy. Originality is striking though.
Something Crossing Over, Something Coming Back
By Timothy Mudie
Rating: ****
A very interesting idea, a very engaging writing style. However, as a short story progressed, it took me way too long to realize there were several timelines. The jumps between present and past are abrupt and not marked by anything else than a line skip. Confused me to no end, but also impressed.
Canyon Dance
By Rajeev Prasad
Rating: ***
I didn't fully understand how the title is related to the story. It was an attempt at showing consequences of addiction in the world of the future, yet somehow it fell short. Was it the overcomplicated world compared to the relatively simple characters or something else entirely, I wouldn't be able to tell.
The Deformed Sand and the Poisoned Wind
By David McGillveray
Rating: ****
A beautiful story, a poignant theme. Indigenous world, meeting a kind soul. I don't like unannounced timeline jumps in short stories. There's just not enough words to establish the time frame sufficiently and it leads to confusion. And so that is the only downside to this story.
Where My Love Still Lives
By Emily Taylor
Rating: ***
Some very curious worldbuilding that we have very little chance to witness as 95% of the story is spent underground away from it.
Three Circuits of the Monoceros Ring
By Mariska Pichette
Rating: ***
I think I am not enough of an intellectual to comprehend the deeper meaning of this compilation. There are definitely some hidden meanings and contexts within this epistolary story. Unfortunately, its meaning escaped me. Without it, it’s just mildly sweet.
October 16, 2024
A volume of highs and lows: Either I really enjoyed them or I couldn't have cared less. Detailed commentary can be found here, as I tried to leave notes as I read again (the last three were written well past the time I read them, hence the brevity). Like last time, I skimmed the nonfiction. Sorry! Nothing in there to really interest me this time.
Favorite story: Molum, Molum, Molum the Scourge. 5 stars. This one is actually why this volume took me so long to read - once again, I liked it so much I had to put the book down and walk away because I simply wasn't ready to leave the world that Larson builds for you. Delightful, delicious, painful cyberpunk character study piece, with deadly effective prose and a twisty little plot that had me on the edge of my seat. It's a bit trope-y in character but not unpleasantly so (yes, even for a character study!). I'd buy an entire compendium of Larson's work based on this one alone.
Runner-up: Actually a tie between The Sort and Something Crossing Over. The Sort excelled at worldbuilding; it had a lot to say about neurodivergence and one's place in the world, what it means to be The Other, an outsider, ritual's role as confirmation of unity that functions to shut out those who won't or can't conform, human cruelty and love. I know I only rated it 3.5 stars, but I'm still thinking about it. Something Crossing Over, meanwhile, does indeed still have a hook in my brain. I enjoyed the worldbuilding less (very... 1940s spy thriller vibes, not my bag as much), but the purposefully unsatisfying ending was so well executed that I have to give it a nod.
Least favorite story: A three-way tie! Like I said, feast or famine with this one. The Time Capsule, Where My Love Still Lives, and Three Circuits were all very boring romance-centric pieces that had me skimming by the end. Honorable mention to Canyon Dance, which made me feel like I was reading a comic akin to Starstruck if you tried to translate it into text: Dense, impenetrable descriptions that were a godawful slog to get through. However, I gotta respect the hustle on that level of detail, so it wasn't my least favorite.
Despite rating it 4 stars this time, still no regrets. I'd have bought this for Molum alone.
Favorite story: Molum, Molum, Molum the Scourge. 5 stars. This one is actually why this volume took me so long to read - once again, I liked it so much I had to put the book down and walk away because I simply wasn't ready to leave the world that Larson builds for you. Delightful, delicious, painful cyberpunk character study piece, with deadly effective prose and a twisty little plot that had me on the edge of my seat. It's a bit trope-y in character but not unpleasantly so (yes, even for a character study!). I'd buy an entire compendium of Larson's work based on this one alone.
Runner-up: Actually a tie between The Sort and Something Crossing Over. The Sort excelled at worldbuilding; it had a lot to say about neurodivergence and one's place in the world, what it means to be The Other, an outsider, ritual's role as confirmation of unity that functions to shut out those who won't or can't conform, human cruelty and love. I know I only rated it 3.5 stars, but I'm still thinking about it. Something Crossing Over, meanwhile, does indeed still have a hook in my brain. I enjoyed the worldbuilding less (very... 1940s spy thriller vibes, not my bag as much), but the purposefully unsatisfying ending was so well executed that I have to give it a nod.
Least favorite story: A three-way tie! Like I said, feast or famine with this one. The Time Capsule, Where My Love Still Lives, and Three Circuits were all very boring romance-centric pieces that had me skimming by the end. Honorable mention to Canyon Dance, which made me feel like I was reading a comic akin to Starstruck if you tried to translate it into text: Dense, impenetrable descriptions that were a godawful slog to get through. However, I gotta respect the hustle on that level of detail, so it wasn't my least favorite.
Despite rating it 4 stars this time, still no regrets. I'd have bought this for Molum alone.
January 18, 2025
Once again, it was a really nice issue! No duds :)
The Time Capsule by Alice Towey - in a post-apocalyptic world, life is different, but people are still people. They scavenge old tech, and there is hope of a better world. Lovely! 4.4 stars.
The Sort by Thomas Ha - in a future USA, a father and a son are on a road trip. Wonderful! 5 stars.
Molum, Molum, Molum the Scourge by Rich Larson - a fan contacts a former gladiator. Rough and raw. 3.9 stars.
Something Crossing Over, Something Coming Back by Timothy Mudie - a very interesting spy story. 4.3 stars.
Canyon Dance by Rajeev Prasad - a family of space nomads is changing their lives. 3.8 stars.
The Deformed Saint and the Poison Wind by David McGillveray - a military courier of an interstellar war crash lands on a planet and makes contact with the local sentients. I liked it! 4.3 stars.
Where My Love Still Lives by Emily Taylor - love in a dystopian world. A touching story! 4 stars.
Three Circuits of the Monoceros Ring by Marisca Pichette - three people on sola space missions exchange messages. Beautiful and poetic. 4.5 stars.
The Time Capsule by Alice Towey - in a post-apocalyptic world, life is different, but people are still people. They scavenge old tech, and there is hope of a better world. Lovely! 4.4 stars.
The Sort by Thomas Ha - in a future USA, a father and a son are on a road trip. Wonderful! 5 stars.
Molum, Molum, Molum the Scourge by Rich Larson - a fan contacts a former gladiator. Rough and raw. 3.9 stars.
Something Crossing Over, Something Coming Back by Timothy Mudie - a very interesting spy story. 4.3 stars.
Canyon Dance by Rajeev Prasad - a family of space nomads is changing their lives. 3.8 stars.
The Deformed Saint and the Poison Wind by David McGillveray - a military courier of an interstellar war crash lands on a planet and makes contact with the local sentients. I liked it! 4.3 stars.
Where My Love Still Lives by Emily Taylor - love in a dystopian world. A touching story! 4 stars.
Three Circuits of the Monoceros Ring by Marisca Pichette - three people on sola space missions exchange messages. Beautiful and poetic. 4.5 stars.
August 8, 2024
Alice Towey ("The Time Capsule")
Your usual story about good citizen and evil powerful people, add some spacecraft and technology. The writing is okay. 2 ⭐
Thomas Ha ("The Sort")
Modified people can speak in each other's mind. The sort part is very confusing tho. Will the modified people fail the sorting? 2 ⭐
David McGillveray ("The Deformed Saint and the Poison Wind")
Stranded astronaut on an alien planet, then befriend the local. 2 ⭐
Marisca Pichette ("Three Circuits of the Monoceros Ring")
Retrieved electronic letters between three individuals and the letters simply have no context lol. 2 ⭐
Rich Larson ("Molum, Molum, Molum the Scourge") ❌
Timothy Mudie ("Something Crossing Over, Something Coming Back") ❌
Rajeev Prasad ("Canyon Dance") ❌
Emily Taylor ("Where My Love Still Lives") ❌
Your usual story about good citizen and evil powerful people, add some spacecraft and technology. The writing is okay. 2 ⭐
Thomas Ha ("The Sort")
Modified people can speak in each other's mind. The sort part is very confusing tho. Will the modified people fail the sorting? 2 ⭐
David McGillveray ("The Deformed Saint and the Poison Wind")
Stranded astronaut on an alien planet, then befriend the local. 2 ⭐
Marisca Pichette ("Three Circuits of the Monoceros Ring")
Retrieved electronic letters between three individuals and the letters simply have no context lol. 2 ⭐
Rich Larson ("Molum, Molum, Molum the Scourge") ❌
Timothy Mudie ("Something Crossing Over, Something Coming Back") ❌
Rajeev Prasad ("Canyon Dance") ❌
Emily Taylor ("Where My Love Still Lives") ❌
December 20, 2024
This issue didn't do it for me. There were a few decent pieces in here definitely worth reading, but only one that entertained me.
So, my one stand-out for this issue was:
- 'Molum, Molum, Molum the Scourge' by Rich Larson (super fun, and I imagined the whole thing in an Arcane style; I have a personal grudge, I suppose, with this story, but that is not for the internet to read lmao)
Other pieces I thought were decent:
- 'Something Crossing Over, Something Coming Back' by Timothy Mudie
- 'Canyon Dance' by Rajeev Prasad
- 'The Deformed Saint and the Poison Wind' by David McGillveray
I don't like rating magazine issues 1 star, but this one didn't work for me.
So, my one stand-out for this issue was:
- 'Molum, Molum, Molum the Scourge' by Rich Larson (super fun, and I imagined the whole thing in an Arcane style; I have a personal grudge, I suppose, with this story, but that is not for the internet to read lmao)
Other pieces I thought were decent:
- 'Something Crossing Over, Something Coming Back' by Timothy Mudie
- 'Canyon Dance' by Rajeev Prasad
- 'The Deformed Saint and the Poison Wind' by David McGillveray
I don't like rating magazine issues 1 star, but this one didn't work for me.
December 30, 2024
Recommended for SFF fans.
January 21, 2025
Read "The Sort" by Thomas Ha
March 25, 2025
Liked The Time Capsule by Alice Towey; The Sort by Thomas Ha; Molum, Molum, Molum the Scourge by Rich Larson
December 12, 2025
Read THE SORT by THOMAS HA
On Wil Wheaton podcast It’s Storytime
On Wil Wheaton podcast It’s Storytime
Read
August 28, 2024"The Time Capsule" by Alice Towey (8/15/2024) 4/5 fun read.
"The Sort" by Thomas Ha (8/16/2024) It's about a father and son who are both genetically modified and telepathic. They end up in some hick town. There's garlic. They get found out, they skip town before more people find out. Maybe it's an allegory for being homophobia or racism in a small town or something? I don't know. This sucked. 2/5
"Molum, Molum, Molum the Scourge" by Rich Larson
"Something Crossing Over, Something Coming Back" by Timothy Mudie (4.5/5) Really interesting story. Ending is a little confusing
"Canyon Dance" by Rajeev Prasad (8/22-23/2024) Space alcoholism is boring.
"The Deformed Saint" by David McGillver (8/23-8/24/2024) 3/5 I didn't review this one right away and now I can't remember anything about it. Clearly made an impression.
"Where My Love Still Lives" by Emily Taylor (8/24-8/28/2024) 2/5 too short. Kind of pointless.
"Three Circuits of the Monoceros Ring" by Marisca Pichette (8/28/24) 3/5 I don't have anything to say about this one.
"The Sort" by Thomas Ha (8/16/2024) It's about a father and son who are both genetically modified and telepathic. They end up in some hick town. There's garlic. They get found out, they skip town before more people find out. Maybe it's an allegory for being homophobia or racism in a small town or something? I don't know. This sucked. 2/5
"Molum, Molum, Molum the Scourge" by Rich Larson
"Something Crossing Over, Something Coming Back" by Timothy Mudie (4.5/5) Really interesting story. Ending is a little confusing
"Canyon Dance" by Rajeev Prasad (8/22-23/2024) Space alcoholism is boring.
"The Deformed Saint" by David McGillver (8/23-8/24/2024) 3/5 I didn't review this one right away and now I can't remember anything about it. Clearly made an impression.
"Where My Love Still Lives" by Emily Taylor (8/24-8/28/2024) 2/5 too short. Kind of pointless.
"Three Circuits of the Monoceros Ring" by Marisca Pichette (8/28/24) 3/5 I don't have anything to say about this one.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews