Lightspeed “The Things You Can Maintain Yourself” by Benjamin C. Kinney
“The Blade and the Bloodwright” by Sloane Leong
“The Letters They Left Behind” by Scott Edelman
“All the Colours of the Death Knell” by Russell Hemmell
“Monopticon” by Dani Atkinson
“The Boy Who Ran from His Faerie Heart” by David Anaxagoras
“In the Nest Beneath the Mountain-Tree, Your Sisters Dance” by Lowry Poletti
“You Will Not Live to See M/M Horrors Beyond Your Comprehension” by Isabel J. Kim
Reviewed by Victoria Silverwolf
An even balance of science fiction and fantasy appears in this issue, offering a variety of stories with something to appeal to almost every reader of imaginative tales.
Less than one thousand words long, “The Things You Can Maintain Yourself” by Benjamin C. Kinney takes place in a future world where automobiles are botanical organisms, in order to reduce climate change. The protagonist faces the loss of a beloved old car, now that the climate has changed back and new kinds of vehicles are mandated.
The characters are interesting, if only briefly encountered. There is really no plot, just a description of the situation. Readers who are fond of automobiles may find this brief tale appealing, even if the premise is implausible.
In “The Blade and the Bloodwright” by Sloane Leong, a woman with extraordinary powers accompanies soldiers as they invade one island community after another, slaughtering the inhabitants in gruesome ways through her magic. She forms an unexpected bond with one of the warriors, and the unlikely pair encounter an incredible being.
This is a bloody, visceral tale, best described as grimdark fantasy. All of the characters seem miserable and unable to escape their grim duties. The entity that appears at the climax comes out of nowhere, without any hint earlier in the text that such a thing exists. The story is best suited to mature readers with strong stomachs who do not mind an unrelievedly gloomy mood.
“The Letters They Left Behind” by Scott Edelman alternates sections of narrative. Some parts deal with a woman who leaves her daughter in order to journey with aliens. The others consist of letters she left for her child to read at important times in her adulthood. The mother’s reason for staying away from her daughter for many years is that the aliens promise to make Earth a utopia if several humans travel with them. When the woman returns, she finds the situation is other than expected.
The story has strong emotional appeal, and the protagonist’s discovery when she returns to Earth creates a great deal of intrigue and suspense. The plot depends a little too much on coincidence, but some readers may forgive this because of the author’s clear, very readable style.
“All the Colours of the Death Knell” by Russell Hemmell is even shorter than the first story. It describes the feelings of what seems at first to be a witch as she is burnt at the stake. The character turns out to be something very different, leading to a dramatic climax.
Although my synopsis of this tiny work makes it sound driven by its plot, in fact it is mostly a series of images, as the character’s sensations are experienced as colors. If nothing else, the author effectively conveys the phenomenon of synesthesia. Readers more interested in imagery than story will best enjoy it.
“Monopticon” by Dani Atkinson takes the form of a message from one of the individuals who rebelled against an oppressive society. The government not only recorded all the actions of its citizens, but their thoughts as well.
In the tradition of dystopian fiction, this relatively short piece creates a vivid portrait of a totalitarian regime. It offers hope that repression can be fought without being overly optimistic or suggesting that change can come without a heavy cost.
“The Boy Who Ran from His Faerie Heart” by David Anaxagoras begins with the title character almost getting killed in a car wreck. The supernatural being he loves saves his life in a magical way, then takes him to the realm of Faery to have him select a new heart. Flashbacks reveal how the boy met the being, and the ambiguous feelings he has about their relationship.
The thirteen-year-old protagonist is a lonely outcast, and the story can be read as an allegory for the struggle of an outsider to find his true identity. Given the way in which the relationship between the boy and the male being is described in terms resembling romantic (but nonsexual) love, it can also be read as a metaphor for the difficulties faced by a young gay adolescent. (This is reinforced by the reactions of the boy’s father and uncle, who try to “make him a man” by taking him hunting and who later try to destroy the land of Faery.) In any case, the story is both an imaginative fantasy and an intimate psychological portrait.
“In the Nest Beneath the Mountain-Tree, Your Sisters Dance” by Lowry Poletti takes place on a planet where humans and wasp-like aliens exist in symbiosis. Whenever one of a bonded pair dies, the other perishes as well. A soldier who survived when his alien partner died is an exception to this rule. The protagonist tries to solve this mystery, partly because his own partner is dying.
The most interesting parts of this story are the biological details of the aliens and the process of symbiosis. Even though this is quite intriguing, it is so similar to the real biology of a certain kind of wasp that it is hard to believe that alien beings would be nearly identical to this Earth species. The fact that the two human characters become lovers also strains credibility, when their personalities makes it seem more likely that they would loathe each other.
“You Will Not Live to See M/M Horrors Beyond Your Comprehension” by Isabel J. Kim takes the form of a very short play. Achilles asks an oracle how he will be remembered. Meanwhile, a chorus of modern observers offer their own comments.
This humorous bagatelle takes a satiric look at how the present reacts to the mythical past. Readers more familiar with the culture of social media than the present reviewer will better appreciate it.
Victoria Silverwolf doesn’t understand part of the title of one of these stories.