Galaxy’s Edge #11, Nov./Dec. 2014
“Zombies at Work” by Leena Likitalo
“No Place for a Hero” by James Aquilone
“Fate and Other Variables” by Alex Shvartsman
“The Orphan Tractors” by Ralph Roberts
“Song of the Sargasso (Sargasso)” by Marina J. Lostetter
“Nikki Dark and the Black Rust (Sargasso)” by Lou J. Berger
Reviewed by Michelle Ristuccia
This exemplary issue of Galaxy’s Edge introduces the Sargasso Legacy with two hard SF stories set in the Sargasso Containment universe. Galaxy’s Edge magazine staff have set up a separate page for the the Sargasso Legacy where you can read about the writers, the Sargasso timeline, and upcoming stories (http://sargassolegacy.com/). Galaxy’s Edge has also put out a call for voluntary subscriptions to their magazine in order to keep them running and to support their payment of pro rates for their pro quality fiction. The Sargasso stories promise to add even more value to an already valuable publication.
“Zombies at Work” by Leena Likitalo takes readers into the realm of the absurd when the protagonist’s love interest is reanimated after a fatal accident. Likitalo’s flash piece manages to be both creepy and hilarious.
In “No Place for a Hero” by James Aquilone, Bernard comes up with a creative way to get himself accepted as the world’s first superhero, because living in isolation on an island gets rather boring. Bernard’s over-the-top powers are a fun jab at superhero tropes.
“Fate and Other Variables” by Alex Shvartsman takes on the question of free will in a fast-paced first-person narrative where hacker Michael attempts to break into God’s Book of Fate. Shvartsman once again combines religion and science in an exciting way, without placing a burden of knowledge on the reader. Tight storytelling and keen misdirection make for a satisfying ending.
“The Orphan Tractors” by Ralph Roberts is an adorable story about sentient tractors with toddler mindsets and their father, Bobby, who suddenly finds himself on the lowest rungs of the corporate ladder for inventing the tractors in the first place. When a potential buyer instead runs off with a suitcase full of credits, Bobby and the tractors run them down in an attempt to rescue one of the tractors and Bobby’s future. Asimov’s laws need not apply in this humorous tale.
In “Song of the Sargasso” A Sargasso story by Marina J. Lostetter, the disappearance of spaceships like the Illico One mark an invisible border of mystery and fear, the dreaded Sargasso Containment. When the Basilisk braves the border to scope out a potential mining base, they quickly learn that the danger is more than superstition. Lostetter preys on our fear of the unknown in this expertly woven horror story. A great introduction to the Sargasso Containment series, “Song of Sargasso” introduces a secondary character, Lily, who is already slated for a story of her own in the next Galaxy’s Edge, issue #12 in January 2015.
“Nikki Dark and the Black Rust” A Sargasso story by Lou J. Berger follows smuggler Nikki Dark as her food suppliers fall on hard times and ask her to sell drugs. Nikki is vehemently opposed to drug smuggling but suddenly needs the money to rescue her son from the questionable care of her brother. This Sargasso tale gives the reader an engrossing look at dangers far from the Sargasso Containment. Nikki’s narrative stands well on its own as an adventure on the edge of the law, with solid characters developed through a convincing plot.
Michelle Ristuccia enjoys slowing down time in the middle of the night to read and review speculative fiction, because sleeping offspring are the best inspiration and motivation. You can find out more about her other writing projects and geeky obsessions by visiting her blog.