On Spec #96, Spring 2014
Reviewed by Chuck Rothman
On Spec starts out with “Endless” by Tina Callaghan, a story best appreciated by people who know horse racing. Rob Gladney is a trainer with a small string of horses who is barely breaking even, mostly on the talent of one horse, Lightstorm. An accident kills Lightstorm and scatters his horses. As Rob gathers them up, he notices a change in the worst horse of his stable, Endless Bounty, that’s connected with a former racing champion that disappeared mysteriously. The background is well realized, but the story would benefit by a little more complexity in the plot.
“Sin and Toil” is set on a prison planet, where the people who are deemed bad for society are punished and sent to terraform it. The narrator has been doing the long slow work of building, as others who had been exiled seem to be dying off in the harsh climate. Brent Knowles describes the life of the exiles well, but I found it hard to get into their emotions and the ending was far too futile.
The most Canadian (in setting) of the stories is contributed by Chris Tarry: “Nennorluk Goes Down Deep.” It’s set in Newfoundland and tells the story of Sammy, an alcoholic fisherman who gets involved in the search for a mysterious monster that has been sighted near the island. The story is an excellent slice of life as Sammy and his friends are vivid characters, and the description of life in St. John’s is fascinating. I didn’t care much for the ending, which was more futility. The difference between futility and tragedy is an important one and Sammy’s character – while vivid – keeps it on the wrong side.
Lou, who runs a courier service, takes up the challenge to try to make a run through “The Gauntlet” – a route between two cities that is short but deadly – and to do it in record time. She takes up the challenge, but it turns out to be more dangerous than it should be, as someone attempts to kill her. Shedrick Pittman-Hasset has produced a slam-bang action story as Lou discovers she’s been set up and has to race against time, more killers, and other dangers. Definitely a highlight of the issue.
Chadwich Ginther‘s “Runt of the Litter” is a mythological tale, about Grim, a man/wolf who is a descendent of the Norse god Loki. And Loki shows up to ask for his help, since he angered another one of Grim’s clan. There’s plenty of action here, too, and, of course, a trickster (fair warning: I usually don’t care for trickster stories). I did find it a bit hard to be engaged in it.
“Moron” by Davyne DeSye is about Junior, a boy with some special abilities, like the ability to read minds and find gold. He lives on a farm with his parents and brothers and his older brother tries to keep others from figuring out what’s going on. Until Junior hears a special calling… The family dynamics here are excellently portrayed and the story is able to use its gentle nature to make a satisfying read.
The issue concludes with the strange fantasy “Unforeseen Soup,” set in a small village whose economy revolves around Bubbly Brine, a mildly addictive soft drink. Griselda and Anna Brine are the elderly descendants of the inventor, and also hold the only source of Specturanium, and essential ingredient. The town burgomaster concocts a scheme to seize the Specturanium and the sisters have to fight to keep it. David Cherniak’s work shows a wonderful imagination, a complex problem, and a great sense of humor.
Chuck Rothman‘s novels Staroamer’s Fate and Syron’s Fate were recently republished by Fantastic Books.