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Remains Magazine #2
Remains no. 2
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
February 13, 2026
Synopses are spoiler-free.
The second issue of this speculative fiction magazine from the UK is much of a let-down from the very promising first volume, which I adored. This time, I barely liked anything. Okay, there are some enjoyable 4-star and 3-star options, but most of these are abysmal, giving it an overall 2/5 stars.
1. Big Death by Abi Hynes - A gay couple invests in and commits to running an eco burial farm, which works out very well and becomes popular. Then COVID happens, bodies overrun processing capacity, and they begin to pile up. Written in two voices. One of the men tells the story of what happened, and a police woman tells of the finding of the bodies and what happens from that point. A well-written, enjoyable story, but two points. First, it was too close to a real crime story that happened in Canada many, many years ago, and secondly, the ending was lacklustre. (3/5)
2. Doors of the Close by Sarah Read - A man shooting up in a sort of alley called a close suddenly sees a giant of a man, the butcher, walk past him with a knife, then enter the building where there had been no entrance, but now is a large shop window. He hears a scream and passes out. A fairly predictable story with no surprises. (2/5)
3. Otto by Rhonda Pressley Vett - A man retires to live in a beach house that used to belong to his parents when he was young. One day, while looking out the window, he notices an attractive woman walking along the beach with an unleashed dog at her heel. He thinks the dog must be well trained when it stops, looks about, and stares at him for several minutes, and he thinks the dog couldn't have heard him. Then the dog starts and catches up with the woman. This is the feature piece in the magazine. A novella. That took me some hours to read over the day. The story reads straight with one odd thing that isn't addressed since it's mentioned at the beginning. It keeps showing up, and we wonder what is going on and when it will be dealt with. Clues are good. I loved the ending. Great story. (4/5)
4. Slow as Honey by Alexander Glass - A team is excavating a tomb in Greece. The outer rooms have been robbed and destroyed, but an inner chamber has not been touched. Thinking it may hold a coffin, they open it up and find nothing but a jar of honey on a pedestal. A good thinker. (3/5)
5. His Beautiful Melusine by Laura Elliott - This was difficult to read and made no sense to me whatsoever. (0/5)
THE END (2.4/5)
The second issue of this speculative fiction magazine from the UK is much of a let-down from the very promising first volume, which I adored. This time, I barely liked anything. Okay, there are some enjoyable 4-star and 3-star options, but most of these are abysmal, giving it an overall 2/5 stars.
1. Big Death by Abi Hynes - A gay couple invests in and commits to running an eco burial farm, which works out very well and becomes popular. Then COVID happens, bodies overrun processing capacity, and they begin to pile up. Written in two voices. One of the men tells the story of what happened, and a police woman tells of the finding of the bodies and what happens from that point. A well-written, enjoyable story, but two points. First, it was too close to a real crime story that happened in Canada many, many years ago, and secondly, the ending was lacklustre. (3/5)
2. Doors of the Close by Sarah Read - A man shooting up in a sort of alley called a close suddenly sees a giant of a man, the butcher, walk past him with a knife, then enter the building where there had been no entrance, but now is a large shop window. He hears a scream and passes out. A fairly predictable story with no surprises. (2/5)
3. Otto by Rhonda Pressley Vett - A man retires to live in a beach house that used to belong to his parents when he was young. One day, while looking out the window, he notices an attractive woman walking along the beach with an unleashed dog at her heel. He thinks the dog must be well trained when it stops, looks about, and stares at him for several minutes, and he thinks the dog couldn't have heard him. Then the dog starts and catches up with the woman. This is the feature piece in the magazine. A novella. That took me some hours to read over the day. The story reads straight with one odd thing that isn't addressed since it's mentioned at the beginning. It keeps showing up, and we wonder what is going on and when it will be dealt with. Clues are good. I loved the ending. Great story. (4/5)
4. Slow as Honey by Alexander Glass - A team is excavating a tomb in Greece. The outer rooms have been robbed and destroyed, but an inner chamber has not been touched. Thinking it may hold a coffin, they open it up and find nothing but a jar of honey on a pedestal. A good thinker. (3/5)
5. His Beautiful Melusine by Laura Elliott - This was difficult to read and made no sense to me whatsoever. (0/5)
THE END (2.4/5)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 of 1 review