“The Grand Mal Reaper” by Scott William Carter
“Of Metal Men and Scarlet Thread and Dancing with the Sunrise” by Ken Scholes
“The Cold Drake” by Renee Bennett
“The Hero Stroke” by Darrell Schweitzer
“True North” by K.D. Wentworth
“Indigo with Distance” by E. Catherine Tobler
Jimmy has epilepsy; he goes into seizures whenever his spirit gets pulled to someone on the brink of death. “The Grand Mal Reaper” by Scott William Carter is a character-driven tale about the difficulties of living with a special “gift” that can’t be controlled, a gift that can just as easily be a curse. A good start for this issue.
In “Of Metal Men and Scarlet Thread and Dancing with the Sunrise” by Ken Scholes, Windwir lies devastated, all of its inhabitants dead, and the answers to Gypsy Lord Rudolpho’s questions about who’s responsible and why exists in the mind of a mechanical man. This story of intrigue, genocide, and deadly knowledge gives an unapologetic revelation to human nature, both its good aspects and its bad.
“The Cold Drake” by Renee Bennett is a fairy-tale of magic, the Sea, and the strong bonds of family. Jinan, half cold drake and half human, is captured and brought back to shore by her high mage grandfather and his apprentice, Pir. She adjusts to the life of humans and develops deep bonds with her family, but then the cruel cold drake comes to reclaim her. With the lives of every human in the town at stake, she must choose who to side with. Not only is this story worth reading, it may even find its own special place in your heart.
“The Hero Stroke” by Darrell Schweitzer is an epic tale of lies, treachery, and death. A simple tale, but his use of the frame story style combined with the unreliable narrator POV is done well and works perfectly for this story. While I don’t agree with the apparent message that a hero is nothing more than a murderer with good PR, it is still an entertaining read. And besides, as the narrator so eloquently puts it: “None of it is true.”
“True North” by K.D. Wentworth is all about self-discovery. Like many teenagers, Carly feels the musical Call to go North. Like the rest of the Journeyers, she must contend with her own personal obstacles, one being her parents not wanting her to go and another being her own personal fears. Some have even died on the Journey before. Will she reach her destination, and what will she find when she does? Part Spiritual Quest, part Hero’s Journey, the ending is somewhat predictable but still satisfying.
“Indigo with Distance” by E. Catherine Tobler is a story of love and murder. The narrator is a translator of ancient texts, a profession with very little demand in an America “devoured by Japanese technology and commerce.” Her services are purchased by a Japanese woman named Noriko. While in Japan she meets Noriko’s daughter, Min, who (as revealed in the first paragraph of the story) gets killed. Who did it and why, of course, is what the rest of the story is about. There is very little in the way of Speculative other than the near future (or alternate present?) setting and the briefest hint of something fantastical at the end. Aside from that, it was a good character-driven story.