Apex “The Relationship of Blood to Ink” by Alex Langer
“Ncheta” by Chisom Umeh
“Thank Mother For Your Life” by Mary G. Thompson
“Chupa Sangre” by Tre Harris Salas
“A World Unto Myself” by P. A. Cornell
“Lady Koi-Koi: A Book Report” by Suyi Davies Okungbowa
“Measure Twice, Cut Once” by K. R. March
“Smoke Fire Wind Sea” by Valerie Kemp
“A Mastery of German” by Marian Denise Moore (reprint, not reviewed)
“An Inventory of the Property of the Escaped Suspect, Confiscated at the Time of Her Arrest Following the Incident on Ash Street, With Annotations by Acting Sheriff Helena Fairwind” by Tim Pratt (reprint, not reviewed)
Reviewed by Victoria Silverwolf
In addition to new and old stories, this issue contains interviews and an extensive article on women and horror fiction.
“The Relationship of Blood to Ink” by Alex Langer takes place in a nation ruled by an oppressive government. The main character, known only as the Clerk, is in charge of files relating to rebels tortured and killed by the authorities. He is able to communicate with the dead through these files, and falls in love with one of the deceased victims. A crisis leads to a dramatic conclusion.
The premise is intriguing, and the author manages to portray it in a convincing manner. I particularly liked the scene in which one of the dead rebels speaks with the Clerk as if they were friends, chatting about sports and women. (Understandably, most of the deceased are angry and hate the Clerk.) This quiet moment was more effective than the melodramatic climax.
All the characters in “Ncheta” by Chisom Umeh are gods or spirits, dwelling in another plane of existence. The title character is one such spirit, who also inhabits the bodies of humans from time to time. A disaster threatens the existence of these entities, leading to a battle between Ncheta and a god.
I have barely scratched the surface of a complex story in this greatly simplified synopsis. The most fascinating part is the idea that humans in virtual reality are encroaching on the land of spirits and deities. Unfortunately, this interesting blend of science fiction and fantasy has very little relevance to the plot.
“Thank Mother For Your Life” by Mary G. Thompson is narrated by a young alien raised from infancy by humans. The adults of the species were destroyed because they posed a threat to humanity. The woman that it thinks of as its mother secretly carries it to meet another such alien, with unexpected results.
Essentially a science fiction horror story, this relatively short work creates a sense of tension in the reader from the very start. The author does a fine job of writing from the point of view of an inhuman being. As can be seen, the story appeals more to the emotions than the intellect, and some of the actions of both human and alien may seem less than rational.
In “Chupa Sangre” by Tre Harris Salas, a monster from Latin American folklore ravages a community in the United States, preying first on dogs and then on children. The narrator’s grandmother has encountered the creature before, and builds a trap to catch it. From what happens next, the narrator learns something about his grandmother’s life before she immigrated to the USA.
The plot is fairly simple, and the narrative is interrupted by flashbacks that provide depth of character. The story can be read, to some extent, as an allegory of loyalty to one’s family. How the grandmother deals with the monster is surprising, and some readers may disapprove of it.
“A World Unto Myself” by P. A. Cornell is a very brief tale; shorter, in fact, than either of the two works of flash fiction featured in the magazine. The narrator is a robot, left on a bench in a scrapyard when it is no longer of use. As the robot slowly deteriorates, it observes the natural world around it.
Reminiscent of the pastoral science fiction of Clifford D. Simak, this is a quiet, gentle mood piece rather than a fully developed story. Beautifully written, it leaves the reader wanting to spend more time with the narrator.
As the title suggests, “Lady Koi-Koi: A Book Report” by Suyi Davies Okungbowa takes the form of a student essay. Through the text and footnotes, the reader learns that the pupil encountered a supernatural being.
The unusual structure is used cleverly. (A similar technique appears in Vladimir Nabokov’s 1962 novel Pale Fire, which consists of a lengthy poem by an imaginary poet and footnotes from an equally fictional critic.) The theme of resisting the loss of one’s culture to a dominant one comes across powerfully. Some readers may find the offbeat manner of telling the story gimmicky.
“Measure Twice, Cut Once” by K. R. March is the first of two works of flash fiction based on story prompts. In this case, the prompt was “swallow.” The narrators and others work on creating a coronation dress for a monarch, making use of parts of their own skin and the teeth of children. The dressmakers act together to work their revenge on their oppressor.
I hope this synopsis is not misleading, because I have read this little chiller twice and it still seems opaque. (Should I say “read twice, reviewed once”?) The author definitely creates a mood of dark beauty, although one might wish for a little more clarity.
“Smoke Fire Wind Sea” by Valerie Kemp is based on the prompt “land and sea.” Written in the currently popular second person present tense, it relates how you find yourself emerging from the ocean onto an island, with no memory of your past. A mysterious person advises you to go back to the sea to recover what you have lost.
This story is at least as obscure as the previous one, although it appears to be a fantasy of the afterlife, and perhaps reincarnation as well. As with the other work of flash fiction, it is better appreciated for its eerie mood and vivid descriptions rather than for its enigmatic plot.
Victoria Silverwolf reviewed and recommended one of the reprinted stories when it was first published. (Hint: It doesn’t have a really long title.)