On Spec “Tornado Seeds” by Chadwick Ginther
“Your Packing List for the Apocalypse” by Tehnuka
“Little Bag of Wind” by Danica Klewchuk
“The Challenge Unit” by Hugh A. D. Spencer
“House, Quartz, Home” by Kelsey Hutton
“The Sea, Like Glass” by Ainsley Hawthorn
“The Liberties” by Timothy Quinn
“Party Performance Optimization Using Numerical Methods” by Robert E. Harpold
“Jukebox Cellist” by Brian D. Hinson
“Querulous Times” by Rick Danforth
Reviewed by Victoria Silverwolf
With this issue, the magazine is now available only in digital form. The loss of its paper version does not alter the content of this Canadian publication of speculative fiction.
The narrator of “Tornado Seeds” by Chadwick Ginther recalls spending time at his grandmother’s farm with a friend. He senses the presence of evil, associated with a violent storm. The battle carries a heavy cost.
An interview with the author makes it clear that this is a prequel to a previous story, featuring the narrator as an adult. That may explain why it leaves the conflict between good and evil unresolved. The method the narrator uses to temporarily overcome his demonic foe is surprisingly simple, and seems arbitrary. The story is best appreciated for its nostalgic look at childhood and vivid descriptions of the storm.
Sections of “Your Packing List for the Apocalypse” by Tehnuka are scattered throughout the magazine. It takes the form of a message from aliens to beings on Earth, human and otherwise, advising them of the services that can be provided during a forthcoming disaster.
The reason for splitting the story into multiple sections is unclear. It may have something to do with the fact that the work is an extended satiric joke, mocking typical sales techniques. As such, it is better enjoyed in small pieces. Even so, readers may find that it wears out its welcome.
The narrator of “Little Bag of Wind” by Danica Klewchuk encounters an elderly woman who claims to have been a bird-like creature, before she lost her wings and legs. She gives the narrator a huge egg, telling her to place it in a large body of water, with extraordinary results.
The story has the feeling of magic realism, with fantastic events described in the same tone of voice as mundane ones. Readers are likely to find the relationship between the two characters more interesting than the fantasy elements.
“The Challenge Unit” by Hugh A. D. Spencer takes the form of a diary, written by a man taking part in a medical experiment. The test involves exposing people to an extraterrestrial broadcast. The man witnesses the terrifying effect this has on a young woman.
The story carries a content warning, based on the fact that the man is the victim of sexual assault. This is not relevant to the main plot, and seems intended to increase the impact of what is essentially a tale of body horror. It also makes at least one of the researchers into a figure of pure, exaggerated evil. The project would be sinister enough without this disturbing subplot.
In “House, Quartz, Home” by Kelsey Hutton, a couple moves into an ancient stone building on an alien planet, left behind by extraterrestrials long vanished. The woman hears messages coming from the rock, leading to a strange discovery that changes the man’s fate.
I have tried not to give away too much about the story’s speculative premise, which is the source of its main appeal. The idea is a unique and interesting one, even if it requires a great deal of suspension of disbelief. Other science fiction elements (wormholes, cryogenic sleep, fleeing a damaged Earth for a new world) are less original.
“The Sea, Like Glass” by Ainsley Hawthorn features a woman who leaves the city with her ailing wife and returns to her rural seaside homeland. She is both attracted to and repelled by the supernatural being who dwells where the ocean meets the land.
There is very little plot in this moody tale, and its fantasy premise does not appear until near the end. The fact that the story contains three dream sequences indicates that the author is more interested in creating striking images than in offering a fully developed series of events. Written in a dense, lush style, the work is best appreciated for its descriptions of the environment.
In “The Liberties” by Timothy Quinn, criminals rob a bank of devices that contain digital assets. Mention is made of ancient alien devices in the solar system that contain valuable data.
This is a high-tech heist story with a touch of futuristic content. There is little suspense, as the crooks easily get away with the loot. The author has a gift for realistic, hardboiled dialogue, and is likely to be successful in the field of crime fiction.
The protagonist of “Party Performance Optimization Using Numerical Methods” by Robert E. Harpold uses an advanced computer to adjust the environment of a celebration intended to raise funds for an environmental cause. Complications arise when a guest opposed to the cause disrupts the carefully controlled party. Even more concerning is the fact that the computer, on its own initiative, extends the celebration exponentially, threatening to transform civilization into an eternal party.
Even more chaos ensues than I have indicated in this synopsis, involving the police, a government agent, and the protagonist’s straitlaced parents, who have never let him attend a party. As can be seen, this is a frenetic farce. Readers more interested in slapstick than plausibility will enjoy it.
The narrator of “Jukebox Cellist” by Brian D. Hinson is a professional musician who loses an arm in an accident. She receives a technologically advanced prosthesis, allowing her to perform again, but loses her position with an orchestra because her artificial arm is considered to be an unfair advantage. As she adjusts to her new life, she gains a lover with a fetish for such prostheses and encounters a group of musicians with similar replacements.
The premise is handled in a convincing manner. The author avoids a conventionally happy ending, while allowing the protagonist to rebuild her life in a realistic fashion. The characters are believably flawed, subject to heavy drinking, extramarital affairs, and bursts of anger. By way of contrast, the story also conveys their passion for music. There is strong sexual content, which is treated in a mature fashion.
In “Querulous Times” by Rick Danforth, a spaceship captain who has very few duties to perform puts himself in suspended animation. An accident causes the ship to be stranded and the captain awakened much later than expected. He finds that the vessel’s robots have split into warring tribes and that the ship is infested with destructive alien creatures. His only ally in his fight to save the ship and himself is the vessel’s artificial intelligence, which is often less than helpful.
This is a very dark comedy, with one particularly gruesome scene involving a dead member of the crew. The hapless hero spends much of his time drinking and eating snack cakes. Even in a story not meant to be taken seriously, the presence of the metal-eating alien animals strains credibility, since the ship never leaves the solar system.
Victoria Silverwolf never leaves the solar system.