Cirsova #27, “The Sweetest of Thespians and Master of Flames” by Joseph Bernstein
“Afflicted: The Hands of Hanged Men” by Jaime Faye Torkelson
“The Wolf Bride” by Caroline Furlong
“Things That Live in Secret Passages” by Mark Pellegrini
“The Night of the Weeping Moon” by Matthew Knight
“City of a Million Ghosts” by Adrian Cole
“Avarice” by Vincent Valkier
“Miami Bite” by Declan Finn
Reviewed by Mina
This is the penultimate issue and it’s a very mixed bag. The editor cites rapidly decreasing numbers of readers for the demise of Cirsova, but they also simply want to be doing other things. Fair enough.
The editor promises that they will still meet their publishing commitments for 2027, including a proper wrap-up for the Wild Card series, in case you were worried.
In “The Sweetest of Thespians and Master of Flames” by Joseph Bernstein, failed actor Leopold finds a phoenix slain by another. He takes some of its feathers planning to claim he killed it to earn the reward for its death from Queen Annabel, dreaming of funding his theatre. But when he arrives, the castle is under siege from Lord Zygon’s forces. Leopold finds himself telling lies, each one greater than the last.
The tale itself is not complex—the depth comes from Leopold’s growth from a lying, self-centred coward to a reluctant hero, willing to put someone else’s needs before his own.
“Afflicted: The Hands of Hanged Men” by Jaime Faye Torkelson is very good. It’s creepy and melancholic, but that’s to be expected when the narrator is a woman who serves Scealfe, the God of Death and Decay. When a band of brigands rapes and pillages a convent serving the Great Mother using badly made mains de gloire, she sets out to avenge the sisters. But the price for her vengeance is high. Grim but worth reading.
“The Wolf Bride” by Caroline Furlong is lovely—an imaginative play on at least three tales/myths that I recognised. Mixing this story with vikings and arctic climes made it truly original. The only survivor of a Viking raid on his village, Aimo is saved by a wolf that is not what she seems. Together they follow the call north. A true delight.
“Things That Live in Secret Passages” by Mark Pellegrini is a horror story. Alan is a child with a talent for finding secret passages. But he wakes the interest of the Crawlspacers… Not my cup of tea but, if you like ‘monsters do really live under your bed and they are out to get you’, it will be right up your alley.
“The Night of the Weeping Moon” by Matthew Knight is very much a sword and sorcery tale. It feels like a board game where the next dice roll will decide whether you live or die. When a sorceress is kidnapped by monsters, her guard and lover must rescue her with the help of his demon familiar. A bit two-dimensional.
“City of a Million Ghosts” by Adrian Cole is not a complete story, which tends to irritate me as the reader. It needed an introduction to give background information and the ending is left open. A group of scavengers, who are outcasts from society because of their psychic powers, meets an old and hungry power. It plans to swallow up the whole world, so it’s clearly evil. But there is one glaring contradiction in the story and the characters remain two-dimensional.
“Avarice” by Vincent Valkier is another horror story. It starts off normally enough with an idealistic inventor wanting to give away his invention of bio-plastic. But will he be able to withstand the personification of avarice: a void that can never be filled? An uncomfortable tale, where The Shining meets The Bonfire of the Vanities. A little predictable though.
“Miami Bite” by Declan Finn is a dark fantasy tale. In it we meet a vampire hunter who would be a sadistic psychopath in any other job. Only read this if you’re into sickening violence. It feels like a computer game and the plot is paper thin.