Deep Magic Spring 2018

by Jeff Wheeler, Andy Simmons (Illustrator), Micah Hyatt

If you want to read gripping stories that don’t rely on sex, swearing, and graphic violence—you’ve come to the right place!

DEEP MAGIC is an electronic magazine that publishes clean short fiction in the fantasy and science fiction genres (epic, paranormal, steampunk, etc).

This month, we have five amazing short stories, including The Ten Suns by Ken Liu, a winner of the Nebula, Hugo, and World Fantasy awards. We also bring you a sneak preview of Board member Charlie N. Holmberg's new book, The Plastic Magician, and Obert Skye's Wizard for Hire.

Other stories you'll enjoy:
– Vanya and the Rusalka by Christopher Baxter (a Deep Magic alum)
– Dragon Bond by T.E. Bradford (another Deep Magic alum)
– Murmurs by Micah Hyatt
– Hanging Trees by Christoph Weber
- The Ten Suns by Ken Liu

180 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 6, 2018

About the author

Wall Street Journal bestselling author Jeff Wheeler took an early retirement from his career at Intel in 2014 to write full-time. He is a husband, father of five, and a devout member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Jeff lives in the Rocky Mountains.

Learn about Jeff’s many worlds at www.jeff-wheeler.com, or participate in one of his online writing classes through Writer’s Block (www.writersblock.biz).

Reviews

[Greg Garguilo · Rating 4 out of 5]

First - a disclosure. I had some influence over the content of this issue as one of Deep Magic's First Readers by reviewing quite a lot of short stories that didn't make the cut. "Hanging Trees", I'm happy to say, is a story I did read during the submission process and was pleased to recommend for inclusion. I'm glad it was ultimately chosen, the very vast majority of works First Readers like myself identify as potential inclusions don't make it. Obviously, it has my recommend.

This issue, in the new quarterly format, is filled with generally longer stories than we've seen in past issues, something the readers asked for. I'm very pleased with the change, as it allows for a more coplex story and greater development of the characters than some of the past story selections. In addition to "Hanging Trees", which I mentioned above, this issue includes one other work of Science Fiction, "Murmurs", a thoughtful piece with a dark beginning. I didn't think I'd like this one, but by the end, was convinced. Ultimately this one will be more memorable to me than "Hanging Trees", and I'll continue to mull over its message in the days and weeks ahead.
On the fantasy side, three stories made this issue. "Vanya and the Rusalka" leads off as a 17k word fable by Christopher Baxter, probably my favorite of the three, though its a close thing. "Dragon Bond" follows, about 8k words, and is pretty standard fantasy fare, though the world seems more vibrant and believable than most I've read (and I've read many) of similar word count. I'd call it good, but not great. The final piece is a re-print, "The Ten Suns", which is fantasy with a vaguely Pern-like feel. Another thoughtful piece, its message can be read several ways, an ambiguity I enjoy.

Finally, this issue contains two book Excerpts, Charlie N Holmberg's "The Plastic Magician" (Master Magician series #4), introducing a new protagonist and likely our first glimpse of the antagonist of this last book in that series, while keeping keeping references to the past novels a comforting presence at the edges of scene. Her imagery, perhaps her strongest talent as a writer, remains spot on and this one is already on my pre-order list.

"Wizard for Hire", Obert Skye, suffers from a bad cut in my opinion. This excerpt is what appears to be the first five chapters of the book, the first four of which focus on a young character in an extreme situation, only to change focus for chapter 5 to a completely new character in an unexpected scene, given no itroduction and concluding with a brief, but important, insight into the nature of his character. Honestly, I'm not sure what I would have done differently. Ending the excerpt with Chapter 4 would have left the reader wondering how this young boy's story relates to the title, "Wizard for Hire". On the other hand, if (as I suspect) the book flips back to the original protagonist with Chapter 6, extending the length of the excerpt wouldn't affect the discordant appearance of Chapter 5 amongst the rest. I'll likely read this too, but its because I have this open question anout how the two stories interrelate, and because the cover art conveys a sort of less than seriousness that I am sometimes in the fantasy mood for.

[Yousseif Abdellatif · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not gonna lie, Deep Magic Spring 2018 kind of broke my heart and kind of fixed it too. Jeff Wheeler follows an elderly couple through one terrible, hilarious, ordinary day in a hospital waiting room, and the moment he steals a vending machine snack for her, like they're teenagers again, nearly took me out. It's a little sentimental in spots, and a few supporting characters are too cute. Who this is for: readers who love older characters with real spark. Who should pass: anybody who finds sweetness cloying.

[Jane Aldinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly entertaining and creative fantasy.

Need a break from realities' tiresome, relentless demands? 'Deep Magic', any issue, offers delightful refuge with spellbinding creativity and unbounded variety. These short stories are truly gifts of magic...

[Shirley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Went by very Fast!

Another engaging issue of Deep Magic. Enjoyed the new format. All the stories had the power to enchant and hold if just for a short time. Mission accomplished!

[K · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot be objective about this ezine! Buy a copy & you'll see why!😉

[Bruce Dinsman · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many stories

I really enjoy the quarterly format because there is more to read. Of course, at some time I will run out of back issues and beg for more. Bring it on!