“Ignis Fatuus” by Eliani Torres is not a love story, though it deals with love and lust.  It would be misleading to label a story with such depth and intensity as a love story.  More correctly, it is a tale of psychological conflict between man and woman, an ongoing battle between the sheets, in their minds, in the hum-drummery of their lives.  A man loses the one he loves to the stars, and tragically goes through an earthbound life settling for second best.

The complicated interplay between the protagonist and his wife is a real treat, the SF-nal elements of the story very subtle and sustainable.  This story has a true sense of timelessness, and it could as easily have been a tale of a colonial pioneer abandoning love for travel and adventure.  Indeed, Torres gives a subtle nod to this idea in her narrative.

You could cut through the ennui with a knife, and these characters are simply brilliant to behold.  With a subtle dash of the tastefully erotic, Strange Horizons has served up a quality dish this week, much in the same vein as “The Desires of Houses” by Haddayr Copley-Woods in the previous issue.