Tor.com, October 2020
“Placed into Abyss (Mise en Abyse)” by Rachel Swirsky
“The Mystical Art of Codeswitching” by Sydnee Thompson
“Teatime” by Zin E. Rocklyn
“We Come as Gods” by Suyi Davies Okungbowa (not speculative, not reviewed)
“Here Sits His Ignominy” by Tobi Ogundiran
“The Friendship Bench” by Yvette Lisa Ndlovu
“The Front Line” by W. C. Dunlap
“Conjurer’s Rites” by Jen Brown
“Sela, Thief” by Zabe Bent
“City of Red Midnight: A Hikayat” by Usman T. Malik
“The Little Witch” by M. Rickert
Reviewed by Kevin P Hallett
There are eleven first publication stories in Tor.com for October, eight of which are flash stories in collaboration with Fiyah Magazine and another two are novelettes. Once again, Tor.com has a strong package of stories for their readers.
“Placed into Abyss (Mise en Abyse)” by Rachel Swirsky
Chris is at his grandmother’s house helping to pack it up after her death in this SF short. Escaping from his uncle and aunt’s squabbling, Chris walks through the house and gets himself lost in a time-shift loop that sends him back and forth in time.
He finds himself at various time intervals when he had visited this house in the past. He was a child rebelling against taking a bath, or teenager confronting his cousins, or dealing with his parents as they go through a divorce. Eventually, he lands in a time and place where he can test one of the oldest paradoxes of time travel.
The author’s prose was steady, but the storyline was hard to follow, and the overall premise of the story hard to determine.
“The Mystical Art of Codeswitching” by Sydnee Thompson
Thompson’s flash SF is set in the imminent future. Omar spends his time scrolling through the dismal news around racism and the lack of action to right the long-standing wrongs. He is involved in many social media exchanges, fueling his growing anger.
The story tried to reveal the social media war of words and the racial undertones as the situation deteriorated.
“Teatime” by Zin E. Rocklyn
This flash SF is set in a future where disadvantaged children seek refuge with the more privileged. Over tea, Sophia hears her domineering aunt tell her about a four-year-old boy following her on his hands and knees, hoping for sanctuary.
The aunt is clearly incapable of empathy with the child and seeks Sophia’s help by providing ‘ordinary’ sandwiches. Sophia hopes the boy can find the real help she doubts her aunt will provide.
This well-crafted story was a thought-provoking read.
“Here Sits His Ignominy” by Tobi Ogundiran
Someone sends a letter to a far-off king in this dark alternate history flash fiction. The letter comes from the land of elephants and a people who the far-off king tries to subjugate. The letter warns of the dire retribution coming to the wicked king and warns when that punishment will begin.
The story had a good pace to it, making for an interesting read.
“The Friendship Bench” by Yvette Lisa Ndlovu
The Healing Hut, in this flash fantasy, is a place to supplant your pain with something else. Khaya flies to Zimbabwe to let go of the pain she feels in America, the same pain that has burdened her black father all his adult life.
But what should she replace her pain with? Euphoria sounds good, but so too does resilience. On the other hand, apathy sounds bad.
This plot fit nicely into the flash fiction limits, a good snippet of a tale.
“The Front Line” by W. C. Dunlap
This flash SF is a tale about Monique, a black woman violated by aliens and left imbued with a superhero ability. Now she can absorb violence without personal harm.
In a world where others see black people as the just cause of their irrational fears, such a power can have its uses.
This was a short but absorbing tale.
“Conjurer’s Rites” by Jen Brown
When Sidney starts the conjuring in this flash fantasy, nothing happens. Mortified, she quickly retreats from the stage, even as her mother’s sister makes the excuse that she is jet-lagged. Sidney’s mother had boasted that her only daughter was strong in the conjuring, but Sidney had never cared for her mother’s gifts and hadn’t bothered to learn the art. And now it’s too late.
When her aunt catches her as she’s ready to run away they have a heart-to-heart talk.
This was a quiet story of how a child may not want to follow in their parent’s footsteps at first.
“Sela, Thief” by Zabe Bent
Not only can Sela see people’s aura’s in this flash fantasy, but she can also adjust them. As a black woman in a white culture, she sees some soul-destroying auras generated by the people who fear her for no reason beyond the tint of her skin. These auras threaten to weigh her down. But Sela can use her abilities to pull out the hatred and bigotry, and even some memories.
The story had a moral statement to make, though the plot lacked enough appeal to grab the reader’s attention.
“City of Red Midnight: A Hikayat” by Usman T. Malik
A storyteller tells two strangers a story of magic and persuasion in this unusual fantasy novelette. He tells them the story of Taimur the Trickster, Fatima, and her erstwhile husband M____.
When Fatima and M____ separate, they both encounter enchanted beings that grant them magical abilities. M____ becomes a powerful mage and Fatima the Queen of Red Midnight.
M____ has stolen something precious from Fatima and she begins a war to get it back. After a long time, M____ enrolls Taimur to be his herald for peace. But things never go as planned, even for a great magician.
The author wrote this like a Russian nesting doll, with stories within stories until they reveal the plot. The approach was interesting, but the story was less so as the first half was confusing.
“The Little Witch” by M. Rickert
The old lady is surprised in this fantasy novelette when a small girl dressed as a witch comes by on Halloween. She isn’t surprised by the costume but by the fact the little girl, Alice, hasn’t gown an inch in all the years she’s seen her on Halloween. She always wears the same costume with the same red boots.
The more interest she takes in Alice, the more strange things happen to her neighbors who all begin to think the old lady is the real witch. It seems to the lady, that many of the people she sees could be dead, and she even sees ghosts and her deceased cat haunts her. Though she finds the ghost of her dead cat a pleasant experience.
One day Alice comes to stay with the old lady at Halloween. And the lady passes a pleasant year in Alice’s company. When Halloween comes around again, the old lady knows it will all end.
This was a quiet, mysterious story that asks the reader to decide for themself what it could all mean. It was hard to put down.