Trafficking in Magic, Magicking in Traffic

by David Sklar (Editor), Sarah Avery (Editor)

What do you seek at the end of this road? What have you brought to pay your way? The road is full of hazards, and the marketplace can cost more than you expect. In Trafficking in Magic, Magicking in Traffic , editors David Sklar and Sarah Avery bring you 18 magical tales of travel and transactions, ranging from busking in a train station to walking between the worlds, from doppelgangers for hire to capturing the remnants of the dead. Ideal to read on your vacation, commute, or flight from vengeful ghosts, this collection features classic stories by Elizabeth Bear, Daniel Braum, George R. Galuschak and Darrell Schweitzer, as well as new work by Pauline J. Alama, Megan Arkenberg, D.W. Carlson, Joyce Chng, M.C. DeMarco, E. Grace Diehl, James Enge, Manny Frishberg, Sara M. Harvey, Scott Hungerford, Deborah Grabien, Deirdre M. Murphy, Rhonda Parrish, Richard Rider, and Heather Stearns.

Genres: Anthologies, Horror, Fantasy

264 pages, Paperback

First published May 23, 2014

About the author

Some artists take their industries by storm. David Sklar’s career has been more like an ill-conceived siege in which he misestimated which side would be first to run out of supplies. Nevertheless, he has managed to get work into Strange Horizons, Bull Spec, and other places, with pending works in Ladybug, Scheherazade’s Façade, and elsewhere. He lives in New Jersey and tries to support his family with freelance work.

Reviews

[Marsha · Rating 3 out of 5]

The lure of the open road gets an added fillip as magic, sorcery and those pesky deals with the Devil get thrown into the mix. These stories range from humorous to horrific as various authors try their hands at stories about what happens when people give in to the forbidden pull of magic or wandering into places they shouldn’t go. It’s a mixed bag but the high quality of the writing is remarkably consistent. This anthology gives new slants into magic; as with any good journey I was sorry to have it come to an end.

[Skjam! · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I received this book as a Goodreads giveaway on the premise that I would review it.

This fantasy anthology has a dual theme, as indicated by its title; magic as transaction, and magic while traveling. The former theme brings to mind the classic Faustian bargain story, and the preface mentions that the editors got a bushel full of them, only a few making the cut.

There are eighteen stories, nine for each theme, divided into groups of three by subtheme, such as “Bad Roads.” Most of the stories are new, but some have been previously printed. Some standouts include:

“Ghost Diamonds” by Scott Hungerford. A woman and her niece discover that compressing crematorium ashes into a diamond allows calling the ghost of the deceased. But they aren’t the only ones who have made this discovery, and someone’s been switching the ghost diamonds with fakes. But why?
“Across the Darien Gap” by Daniel Braum. A guide attempts to take a hunted woman through the rain forest between Central and South America. His two-dimensional thinking may doom them. This one has been made into an episode of Psuedopod, a horror podcast, and is now being lengthened into a book.
“Only a Week” by Joyce Chng. This one might actually be science fiction, set in a futuristic Chinatown. A courtesan seeks to regain her youthful beauty, but the medicine has side effects and can be taken only for one week….
“And the Deep Blue Sea” by Elizabeth Bear. A courier must cross the postapocalyptic Southwest to deliver vital supplies. But a deal she made years ago is coming due. Can Harrie finish her delivery with the devil himself in the way?
There’s a good diversity of protagonists, and both happy and sad endings. A couple of stories are perhaps a little too cliche, but the quality is generally good.

Unlike many small press books I’ve read lately, the proofreading is excellent.

I would recommend this book to fantasy fans in general, and modern fantasy fans in particular.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

We begin with a poem that I very much enjoyed, “The Roadseller’s Trade” by E. Grace Diehl. We have someone selling a road to a boy and going through the bartering process. And a road cannot be bought with money, no, it’s a sacrifice that’s needed. “It won’t do if you won’t miss it, boy. A payment’s got to sting.” (When presented to Ale, she said it reminded her of the peddler in the beginning of Aladdin.)

Trafficking in Magic
“A Favor Has No Price” by Sara M. Harvey – This was well-written and enjoyable. There was good world-building, and the story stands on its own, but I would be interested to see what came before and what will come after the story.

“White Feathers” by Heather Stearns – Surprisingly violent for a tale about a goose, and the baddies break a cardinal rule.

“Pennies from Hell” by Darrell Schweitzer – We (Chuck) meet an old friend (Jim) in a tacky bar, and he proceeds to tell us a story about a mutual acquaintance (Joe). For some reason, I love the language in this! And the tale is intriguing. Just how lucky is that lucky penny?

“Ghost Diamonds” by Scott Hungerford – There’s a black market for everything, it seems. Loved ones, diamonds, loved ones that have become diamonds. We follow Joani in her attempt to reach and rescue her dear Aunt Zillah. And the ending could give you a cavity, it’s so sweet!

“Share” by Rhonda Parrish – Here we have androids without the metal – they are flesh golems, made to obey orders. But sometimes programming has a glitch… It’s good, but I feel that this one is missing something, and I’m not sure what it is.

“Across the Darien Gap” by Daniel Braum – I had no idea of the existence of the real Darien Gap, so I learned something! This is sadder than the other ones. I didn’t really enjoy it as much, but not everything can be happy and fun.

“Only a Week” by Joyce Chng – This takes place in a Chinese city sometime in the future. The futuristic elements seem a bit off to me, like they were added after the fact to turn this into futuristic fantasy rather than just fantasy. Here we have a cautionary tale of confirming and following directions. And after reading, I’m wondering if our kindly grandfather was not more specific on purpose…

“Slight Changes” by Manny Frishberg – Magic makes an appearance in two forms here – in the slight of hand we’re familiar with as well as real magic. Jackson enters the story by the first, performing rigged card tricks to swindle people out of their money. He gets a stage show gig, so he wanders into a magic shop to pick up some new tricks. And it is here he finds the second kind of magic, and it’s not just the kind used for tricks.

“Strawmen” by Megan Arkenberg – In this world, some people are basically Mystique from X-Men and can turn into other people. The Strawmen will do so for money. The proprietress of the Strawmen business makes a mistake – it’s never a good idea to lie to someone like that.

Magicking in Traffic
“And Everyone Goes” by Deborah Grabien – This was a bit depressing for me, and may hit a little too close to home for some. Charlie is a little boy with special needs who is sitting in yet another therapy session. He is not paying attention to the adults, though, he is focused in the traffic light outside. And Charlie is special, indeed, because while he may not talk, he starts to discover he can do some pretty amazing things.

“Boney Fingers” by Deirdre M. Murphy – Anna is busking with an added boost of magic. She’s not just trying to make money, no, she has a job to do. And we get to see her in action. There could be more here – it’s very short, and we’re missing a lot of the back-story. Maybe it could have been added, but maybe it would have been too much. I guess that’s part of the problem with short stories!

“War Beneath the World” by James Enge – Good old Vergil (from Dante’s Inferno) has been told to “go to Hell” once more, and being a good citizen, he goes. Everyone has been having terrible dreams, so he has been sent to stop them. What he finds is a war among the dead, and he sets out to stop it, somehow. I liked it – there were parts that were funny, and parts that made me think, too.

“Slowpoke” by Pauline J. Alama – Rod is driving in his Hummer on his way to a ski resort, and he’s stuck behind a slow VW bus (with changeable bumper stickers!) There’s no passing on bad country roads, but Rod tries to pass the slowpoke anyway. He tries.

“And the Deep Blue Sea” by Elizabeth Bear – “The end of the world had come and gone. It turned out not to matter much in the long run. The mail still had to get through.” Harrie is trying to make a special delivery across the wasteland that America has become. Her time is running short, because she’s made a deal that’s coming due soon, but there is a possibility of negotiation. The explanation on how America went to shit is pretty good, and I appreciate the acknowledgement that people on road trips have to pee sometime.

“Squirrels for Kali” by M.C. DeMarco – This was fairly short, and kind of odd. Tony has joined a carpool to get to work, and it’s the fastest around, but at what price?

“Soul Responsibility” by D.W. Carlson – I quite liked this one. It has similar elements to the first story, “A Favor Has No Price” if it was set in a different alternate reality. We’re definitely in the future here, and products for some reason need footnotes about their trademarks. Once again there is good world-building, and a lot of the magical elements made sense. It is a complete story, too – while it could go on, I’m okay with where it ended. (As a bonus, the word “mildewed” looks really weird.)

“Slow Down” by Richard Rider – Pip is driving along when the monkey ornament hanging from his rearview mirror tells him to slow down. So he does. The monkey is the only “magical” element in this story, and it could be written off as a figment of Pip’s imagination, as someone or something to talk to. It also took me a few pages to figure out that Lindsay is a guy.

“Middle-Aged Weirdo in a Cadillac” by George R. Galuschak – Here we have – you guessed it – a seemingly middle-aged weirdo in a Cadillac, who is just trying to find the Interstate. It’s a nice light end to the book, and is kind of sweet, in a way. (And why does everyone always pick on New Jersey?)

Overall, I enjoyed the book. There was a good variety, and I enjoyed most of the stories. As for the ones I didn’t enjoy, well, everyone has different tastes. Would I recommend it? Absolutely!

[Catherine Fitzsimmons · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now this is a book that delivers exactly what it advertises. An absolutely charming, wonderfully arranged, and surprisingly diverse set of stories. Thoroughly enjoyed this anthology and will definitely be searching for more of the authors’ work.

[Jason Waltz · Rating 3 out of 5]

interesting premise effectively delivered, though many of the stories weren't to my taste. I most enjoyed the opening half of the book, as well as the editors' introductions. there were a handful of well written tales, again mostly in the first half, but unfortunately, for me at least, the book ended with a series of lame ones. a mixed bag.