Aurealis “Farmhouse of the Lost and Found” by Ramez Yoakeim
“Goes the Way of the Seabird” by Mia Kelly
“The Sound Your Soul Makes When It’s Happy” by Markus Wessel
Reviewed by Eric Kimminau
Aurealis is “Australia’s most successful SF/fantasy magazine” according to their About Us page. I went on the “trip of a lifetime” to The Land Down Under in 2023 to finally achieve my bucket list goal of seeing Aussie Rules Football in person and visiting the iconic stadiums I have seen remotely for 40 years. I was intrigued by Aurealis being an Aussie publication and this is my first review of their content.
In this sweeping SF tale, “Farmhouse of the Lost and Found” by Ramez Yoakeim, a weary ex-mining surveyor named Guber Eldreich, after an 84-year career charting asteroid belts, has chosen to join a group of settlers on the lush planet Pratum to start a new life as a farmer, hoping for solitude and one last chance at financial security. “After a life spent in pressurized tin cans roaming the void, punctuated by brief shore leave in overcrowded subterranean metropolises, the dense jungle nestled between jagged slate-and-brown hills and dashing river streams realized every daydream I never knew I had.”
Though burdened by suspicion and isolation, especially from the Meyers, his naively enthusiastic and annoyingly nosey neighbors, he gradually finds solace in his land, his animals, and the natural beauty around him. However, his hard-earned peace is shattered when Pratum’s native microscopic fauna, previously overlooked, begin to silently wipe out all non-human animal life. As the colony collapses and settlers flee, Guber faces a gut-wrenching choice between returning to a society he never felt part of or embracing the doomed yet genuine life he built on Pratum. In the end, he chooses to remain behind, grieving, defiant, and determined to claim the only home he’s ever truly known. This story made me consider my life’s journeys and several relocations to places and people previously unknown. I too have made my new locale of 30 years my home and I couldn’t imagine having to relocate again at this stage in my life. I very much enjoyed this story.
In the story “Goes the Way of the Seabird” by Mia Kelly, on a desert heat ravaged world, where collapse has already come and gone, three wanderers, Zeldji, Ternu, and Faramund, walk through the ruins of the dying land towards “the gathering”, seeking connection, meaning, and survival in the face of irreversible change. As Zeldji struggles with grief, bodily pain from the extreme temperature, and the loss of past ideals from her exile, she begins to understand that survival now depends not on salvation, but on mutual care and living with the land. Amid burned forests and broken memories, they continue walking, bearing offerings of life to a future they will not see, where even the last frog’s croak becomes an act of hope. This story was a difficult read. The author’s style felt almost like it was translated from another language after writing in the tongue of a less civilized culture. I was constantly forced to read then re-read a passage to determine whose voice was the author and who was the subject. The “Story Behind the Story” seems to allude that this was an intentional style but I found it clumsy and a struggle. The sentence structure and flow just didn’t resonate with me but there were moments that conjured images of a difficult world to survive in.
In “The Sound Your Soul Makes When It’s Happy” by Markus Wessel, seasoned jazz trumpeter Ray Poocho, recently down on his luck and seeking connection, meets a mysterious and alluring woman named Mina at a nearly empty bar. Their flirtation, rich with music and innuendo, leads to an invitation to her eerie, dimly lit home where she lives with her ailing “father.” As Ray is drawn deeper into Mina’s strange, seductive world, he finds himself in the presence of a skeletal, tormented, ancient being screaming in agony over a lifetime of unspeakable deeds. Mina reveals cryptic truths about her origin and her father’s torment, urging Ray to offer solace the only way he knows how: through music. The remnants of Mina’s final kiss as he plays mournful blues to ease the old man’s suffering, suggest that Ray’s soulful gift might come at a darker, more permanent cost. The story unfolds as a haunting blend of seduction, jazz, and gothic horror. The telegraphed ending that this would be a tale of vampires was masterfully stretched until it could no longer be hidden, forcefully thrust into the light with Mina’s single line of introduction. I am not really a dark fiction fan, but I enjoyed this journey.
I have enjoyed this issue of Aurealis. I have found stories which led me to reflect deeply on themes of home, survival, and the human need for connection, each rendered through very different voices and styles. A poignant meditation on aging, belonging, and sacrifice, as a retired spacefarer discovers both purpose and loss in an alien Eden, its emotional core resonating strongly with anyone who’s ever struggled to put down roots late in life. A post-collapse tale full of lyrical, sometimes confounding prose that evokes a world in decay. And a seduction with noir jazz vibes and supernatural unease, gradually unveiling its vampire twist with stylish restraint. Together, these stories showcase Aurealis’s range—from introspective SF to poetic dystopia to gothic horror—and the emotional journeys readers might find within.
Eric Kimminau is a BBS geek turned IT professional seeking the next Great Adventure. Let’s Go!