Cirsova: Heroic Fantasy and Science Fiction Magazine

by P. Alexander (Editor), Schuyler Hernstrom, Kat Otis

Issue 1 of the new Heroic Fantasy and Science Fiction Magazine Cirsova. Featuring:
Novelette
A Hill of Stars by Misha Burnett
Short Stories
The Gift of the Ob-Men by Schuyler Hernstrom
This Day, At Tilbury by Kat Otis
At the Feet of Neptune's Queen by Abraham Strongjohn
Rose by Any Other Name by Brian K. Lowe
Late Bloom by Melanie Rees
The Hour of the Rat by Donald Jacob Uitvlugt
Poetry
My Name is John Carter (Part 1) by James Hutchings
Essay
Retrospective: Toyman by E.C. Tubb by Jeffro Johnson

Genres: Fantasy, Sword and Sorcery, Science Fiction, Anthologies, Short Stories

102 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 2016

Reviews

[Derek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stylistically and thematically, this is a conservative collection. It's not experimental and doesn't bring anything to the table that hasn't crowded around the table since at least Robert E Howard. The only nods to modernity is that there are no fainting damsels-in-distress to be found here, and that the story settings range from a fantasy-unspecified Asia to fantastic historical European alt-history to unspecified Steampunk to unspecified weird-out Dying Earth (times two) to Lovecraftian prehistory.

I'd have to peg A Hill of Stars as the choice piece, simply because Burnett takes At The Mountains of Madness and bends it into an adventure story in the ending days of Elder Thing civilization. While "Elder Things and humans at the same time" doesn't make sense from the Lovecraft source material, I'm giving that a pass because of its sheer awesomeness and the way the story calls out for follow-on adventures.

Strongjohn's "At The Feet of Neptune's Queen" feels like an old-style movie serial crossed with some Barsoom, and the way it starts and ends feels like it should be bookended with "On Our Previous Adventure" and "To Be Continued Next Time". There's a compelling velocity to the action, even if the mid-story flashback conveys too much unnecessary information and distracts from what is at hand.

[H. P. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve said before that there seems to be a resurgence in interest in old-style speculative fiction. Cirsova was front-and-center in my mind when I thought of Retro SF. But I hadn’t read issue #1. Now I have and I can tell you just how damn good it is. I only sort of vaguely know what to expect from diving into the pulps, but this? THIS is the sort of thing I want to read. (And, frankly, it’s better than GRRM’s Old Venus, stable of SF stallions notwithstanding.)

(I LOVE that cover.)

The Gift of the Ob-Men by Schuyler Hernstrom. The Gift of the Ob-Men is my favorite story from issue #1 of Cirsova, and one of my favorite short stories this year, but before I get to the story itself I want to copy P. Alexander’s wonderful intro:
“Cast out and exiled by his people, Sounnu braves the wilderness with only his wits and his ancient blade to keep him alive! But is he prepared to pay the price for the strange blessing which will set him forever apart from his fellow humans?”
There are mushroom men. Two-headed wolves. Automatons. Mad wizards. It’s weird and wild and wonderful and manages to be more epic than some doorstopper series. It’s at a bizarre unplaceable point in time, where civilization has fallen or yet to rise or both. Somewhere in our far future. Or maybe our far past. Perhaps in a galaxy far, far away.

My Name is John Carter (Part 1) by James Hutchings. My name is John Carter is a retelling of the Barsoom books in poem form. Or so I gather. I’ve seen the recent movie but haven’t read any of the books. Yet. Carter is on Earth for the duration—only being (presumably) transported to Mars at the end—but it’s a much different start than that from the movie.

This Day, At Tilbury by Kat Otis. A boy with the ability to control fire protects London from a river assault by a Spanish Armada led by monks who can control the weather. This story feels like an excerpt from a full novel, in a good way. It’s a single battle but there is a wealth of worldbuilding lurking beneath the surface, and Otis hints at it all. This is fun. Why don’t I ever get to read stuff like this in F&SF?

At the Feet of Neptune’s Queen by Abraham Strongjohn. The almost King of Mars, er Prince, is abducted by the Queen of Neptune. This one reminded me a lot of the John Carter movie. There’s nothing wrong with it, but it didn’t stand out.

Rose by Any Other Name by Brian K. Lowe. This one has the long lost past and far future feel of Ob-Men but is a poor sister. There are Old Machines that can transform and transport, Wolverine-man hybrids and a talking gorilla, and a nice twist at the end.

Late Bloom by Melanie Rees. Late Bloom features airships, time travel, a mustache-twirling villain, and some pretty atrocious dialogue. This was my least favorite of the stories by a fair margin, and the only one I didn’t enjoy.

The Hour of the Rat by Donald Jacob Uitvugt. The Hour of the Rat is sort of a Japanese-inflected ninja yarn. I enjoyed it, but it’s another not particularly memorable story.

A Hill of Stars by Misha Burnett. A Hill of Stars is a novelette, and the longest story in the issue #1. Kuush gains his freedom when the giant, tentacled, near-immortal Great One who owns him decides to die. After leaving a dying city laden with rather advance hiking gear he is (somewhat) promptly set upon by dinosaur-riding primitives. He will have to find his way around one of the Great Ones’ nastier creations if he wants his freedom. This was I think my second favorite story. It’s got that out of time feel and the sense that there is a massive, interesting world out there beyond the shores of the story. (Burnett sent me a review copy of his novel Catskinner’s Book, so this won’t be the last time you see him in these pages.)

Retrospective: Toyman by E.C. Tubb by Jeffro Johnson. Jeffro has picked up a few Hugo nominations for his wonderful Appendix N Retrospective series at Castalia House. This Retrospective explores the literary antecedents of the Traveler RPG with Tubb’s Dumarest stories. The writing is at the usual level, but it was less to my interest given my utter lack of familiarity with Traveler and my general disdain for space opera.

Disclosure: P. Alexander sent me a review PDF of issue #1 of Cirsova magazine, although I wound up buying the print version before I read it.

[Paulo "paper books only" · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh my... I am reading several sword and sorceries stories and after reading "Schulyer Hernstrom" I bought some more of his novels (one to be honest) and I found about Cirsova. I've watched previsouly their kickstarters but they are way expensives to me. So after checking in amazon.es I bought 3 of them.

Well, apart from the Schulyer Hernstrom story there was another insteresting novellete " A Hill of Stars" - Misha Burnett. Everything else is not that interesting or good.

The first one I mentioned, just go see my review of his novel since this short story is there. The second one is a lovecraftian novel mix with adventure (Sword and sorcery).

There is a story about a place like Mars series (either Michael Moorcock or Burroughs) (At the feet of Neptune's Queen). "This day at Tilbury is a cool story about a different vision on the spanish armada invasion of britain- some twists.

Late Bloom is a very odd story and full of cliches. Yes Men are trash and think woman are trash. Yes men don't appreciate a smart woman, yes you will avenge his actions bla bla... couldn't care less. It's a trope boring as heck.

Oh well, lets go...

[Peter · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've been reading a lot of fantasy short stories magazines & anthologies lately. This one being the most old school so far. Obviously meant as a tribute to old school sword & sorcery, while this magazne has a diverse set of settings, the themes are very similar. Not political in and of it self, the complete lack of any hint of progress of development in the field of fantasy places this squarely in the conservative camp.

While I like old school swashbuckling sword & sorcery I tend to look for a bit more coloring outside of the lines in my fiction. This was all too familiar and predictable.

I'll stick to Tales from the Magician's Skull and the Heroic Fantasy Quarterly anthologies.

(On a site note: the magazine has a font size you could read from space. Do they think all their readers suffer from age induced farsightedness?)

[Andrew Hale · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was least interested in Johnson's retrospective because I am not familiar with what he is discussing. Hutching's John Carter poetry is interesting but not what I tend to seek out. Rees' story leans too much into the feminine rose trying to bud in a toxicly masculine world though I did want to see more of the stranger who helped liberate her in the end. Lowe's Rose had a bit of a whacky set-up and Otis' historical fantasy environment didn't immediately enthrall me but both definitely had the potential for ongoing brutal time-traveling adventures and a coming-of-age. Uitvlugt's Rat Hour was a pretty cool Japanese and ninja-type tale. I'd like to see more on the mythos. Hernstrom's vicious life cycle, Strongjohn's dire yet cosmic romantic struggle, and Burnett's Lovecraftian horror with a happy ending were the highlights here. I would definitely suggest Hernstrom's book of tales, "The Eye of Sounnu", for good sword-and-sorcery.

The Gift of the Ob-Men by Schuyler Hernstrom
A village in a vale. A ruined city to the west. Grasslands and dark forests separating the two with all manners of ghoul, ghask, and un-wolf stalking for prey. Sounnu is exiled for busting up an unknown temple-ruin idol, scaring the pious yet godless traditionalist villagers of priestesses, shamans, and warriors. The women are forced into the priesthood (symbolic, it would seem, of toxic movements of modern day) and the men are castigated for the warrior ways by shamans (symbolic, it would seem, of toxic politicians and activists of modern day). Gifted with a third-eye by the Og-Men (magical mushroom men) who want their vale land back, Sounnu must go up against the last city-man, a cannibalistic Maneon with a metal Servitor, and his own tribe who envies his freedom and his ancient family sword. The tale speaks on mans forgotten gods, their pursuits of self, and the vicious cycle of going back to the basics of foraging and hunting after all cities ruin themselves, and the re-emergence of mankind through an all-father and a goddess, this time being Sounnu and Sila. The cycle of rise and fall. It may be a futuristic tale in its era of rebuild though it plays out like an ancient sword-and-sorcery bit. I do question, though, if the use of "It is finished" by a god-obsessed flesh-eater is a testament against Jesus or no relation at all. 4/5

My Name is John Carter (Part 1) by James Hutchings
A poetic retelling of Edgar Rice Burrough's John Carter of Mars. 3/5

This Day, at Tilbury by Kat Otis
"Droit et loyal": the favorite motto of the Earl of Leicester, Robert Dudley. Leicester currently stands in the way of the Spanish Armada heading upriver to sack London and the Queen. Young Robin has been allowed to join his father at the barricade and face the Spanish army as well as the Spanish monks who hold a similar talent as Robin and his father: being able to manipulate weather while Robin can start fires with his mind. War is hell, and some times, both sides think they represent the wrath of God. Boys become men, and men become legend, but all are at the mercy of God and war. 3.5/5

At the Feet of Neptune's Queen by Abraham Strongjohn
On Mars, Prince Ch'Or of Pavonis City is set to receive the crown as King of Mars, and betrothed to warriror maiden Ra'Ana of Arsia. Along with his bloodguard/childhood best friend, Bi-Tik of Pavonis, and Ra'Ana, the evil Queen Vraala casts the three into a labyrinth of death on Neptune. Weak men and women follow a callous queen, but are they any match for strong men and women united together? I can foresee a galaxy spanning journey for our MC's, an odyssey of gloom and doom with a united love to combat it all. 4/5

Rose by Any Other Name by Brian K. Lowe
In a time of war in France, Kaine found a time portal that set him on an odyssey to find his way back home. Mysterious Old Machines seem to cast him into stranger and stranger lands and time, with evolved species and deadly eras. Hybrid animals, like Balu the ape, and hybrid humans, like Thorne the breen, bewilder Kaine and hearken to a call of the wild versus the human desire to relate. Roses are beautiful but their thornes can draw blood. 3.25/5

Late Bloom by Melanie Rees
An era of time travel manipulation and an environment of snobby elites looking for new land that they can rape the resources of. Unfortunately, the weight of the atmosphere is heavy with archaic language that victimizes women as second-class servants to a patriarchal hierarchy. Though Cassandra finds her liberation with the brave new worldly help of "Red" Wayne, the hope of reality is stalled in time. 3/5

The Hour of the Rat by Donald Jacob Uitvlugt
Sold into a servant's position, basically a slave, Nezumi uses the late hour of the rat to sneak her way into another master's home to steal back her last remaining trinkets of her mother. Unknown to her, Master Tomigawa is a deviant and demonic "man", about to reap his own reckoning at the hands of Fuyu, the White Ghost. 3.75/5

A Hill of Stars by Misha Burnett
The Great Ones are not of earth but live as rulers among the enslaved humans. The wild humans see them, and the creatures they create, as devils. When Great One Vorbus the Clement decides to end its life, the enslaved Kuush sees his opportunity to leave the ancient city that makes him feel so small. Adventure and life awaits Kuush, or so he thinks, but he finds the expanse of stars are even larger than the city and the Great Ones combined. Kuush will experience Klaxtil's fearful tribe, Arak's warrior spirit, Talia sebVarner's exotic beauty and confident demeanor, and a soggoth's insatiable appetite for human flesh. 4/5

Retrospective: Toyman by E. C. Tubb by Jeffro Johnson
I didn't finish it because I simply do not know what is being talked about here.

[Samuel Chastain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Issue 1 delivers 7 good, and complete, stories of action, adventure, and heroism. If you enjoy warriors battling it out on distant worlds, humans struggling for existence against incomprehensible forces and inhospitable lands, or alternate history with a flair for the fantastic, then I hope you'll dive right in.

Also included is part 1 of an epic poem that, while not altogether faithful to the events of the story it adapts, manages to capture the tone of the original very well. The last feature of the issue is an essay regarding Toyman, one of E.C. Tubb's novels, and a particular TTRPG which was slightly out of sync with what I expected but made for an interesting read.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

so much fun to be read!

The authors featured recall Edgar Rice Burroughs and even dive into Lovecraftian inspired adventure!! This first issue has already yielded a writer who is new to me, Misha Burnett, and I have started following him and have downloaded more of his works. Are some of the attitudes a bit problematic? Sure, but that hasn’t stopped my enthusiasm to read more issues!

[Christian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally got around to reading the first issue and I'm pretty impressed, bodes well for the next 5 issues I have. All the stories were good but my favourites were: The Gift of the Ob-Men by Schuyler Hernstrom, At the Feet of Neptune's Queen by Abraham Strongjohn, The Hour of the Rat by Donald Jacob Uitvlugt, and A Hill of Stars by Misha Burnett.

[Douglas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love short story collections. I've purchased more recent issues of this periodical, but I decided to go to the beginning and see how it fared. Great stuff overall. The stories chosen definitely set the tone for the magazine and they're fun to read and finish quickly. A few quibbles as there's a couple editing mishaps with spelling and the like, but for the most part a solid beginning.

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a stellar first effort collection, cool action packed cross genre tales, including Steampunk and a solid Lovecraft inspired story. Include a review of Toyman by E C Tub and it's influence on the Traveller RPG ,and a one page Dungeon, what more do you need? More issues I look forward to reading. Check it out.

[Dean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not bad for a first issue.

Some really decent stories in this collection. Misha Burton stands out and the tale by Hernstrom certainly stick in the memory. These two alone justify the price of admittance so anything else is a bonus. Take a look, you won't regret it.

[Keith Splawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cordova is one of the few periodicals that consistently produces quality fantasy content. Highly recommend.

[Glasdow Teacosy · Rating 4 out of 5]

An Adventurous Beginning for a New Pulp Fiction Magazine

As with most anthologies, some stories will stand out as exemplary, and others will feel less than so. I had three favorites in this magazine, and I feel the cost was worth it just for them. They were "Rose by Any Other Name" by Brian K. Lowe, an adventurous romp caused by arcane alien technology, "This Day, At Tilbury" by Kay Otis, where pyrokinesis is a gift from God against the Spanish Armada, and the surprisingly appealing "The Hour of the Rat" by Donald Jacob Uitvlugt, a crisply written ninja adventure story where a female warrior is pitted against a repulsive, yet powerful evil. Adventure fiction as a genre has fallen into disfavor in recent decades, but if the narrative voices of these three authors is any indication, we may be at the beginning of a pulp revolution.

[Ted · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspired by what he called "older, weirder, and pulpier" fiction and seeking to provide an outlet for the same, editor P. Alexander really hit the ground running with Issue #1. Basically every story, from the alternate-history Spanish-Armada-with magic story by Kat Otis to the pure undiluted sword-and-planet tale by Abraham Strongjohn to the first part of James Hutchings's poetic adaption of Edgar Rice Burroughs's "A Princess of Mars" has something to recommend it. My personal favorite, I must say, is "A Hill of Stars" by Misha Burnett, which has a great take on the Howardian pre-historic civilization idea, mainly by using the Old Ones from H.P. Lovecraft's "At the Mountains of Madness" as the just-fallen empire which the dinosaur-riding human barbarians are in the process of looting. The main character is a former slave of the Old Ones who uses their knowledge to win life, love, and liberty in a terrific example of what the "Pulp Revolution" literary movement is about.

(Originally published at https://wordsofwonderment.blogspot.co...)