Aurealis“A Playlist for the End of Humankind” by JB Draper
“The Muse Murders” by Michael Pryor
“Good Fences” by Sarah Morgan
Reviewed by Chuck Rothman
The June issue of Aurealis has some very strong stories.
“A Playlist for the End of Humankind” has the teen protagonist trying a new type of social media: Echobeats, where people can share musical playlists. One day, he discovers Valeria Foráneo, a woman of rare beauty who had similar musical tastes. Soon they begin a conversation using song titles to express themselves. And, of course, Valeria has a secret: she is an alien (not a spoiler; it’s mentioned on the first page). JB Draper creates a couple of strong characters, and the concept of communicating through song titles is a good one. Plus the story does not go where you might think, with a surprising twist at the end.
“The Muse Murders” by Michael Pryor is set in a world where Greek gods still exist. Peleas is a police officer who investigates the murder of several muses—unimportant ones, like the Muse of Skywriting. He sees the pattern and tries to investigate, the trail leading him to places he would rather not go. Loved the worldbuilding and the murder mystery trope allows it to unfold naturally, though the ending could be stronger.
The issue’s final story is Sarah Morgan’s “Good Fences,” set in a version of England where the division between the human and faerie domains no longer exists. Clarabelle is the wife of a powerful mage, unhappy with her life. Meanwhile Amalia watches as the wizards gather in a plan to separate the two realms. She thinks this is a mistake, especially for people who have changed realms, as Clarabelle seems to have done. She works out a way for women to stymie the plan of the wizards. Interesting concept but I don’t think the ending sells it.
Chuck Rothman’s historical fantasy novel The Cadaver Princess was just published by Amazing Selects, the book imprint of Amazing Stories.