Fantasy “I Have Reached Into the Quantum Basket” by Marie H. Lewis
“Christopher Mills, Return to Sender” by Isabel J. Kim
“Collecting Ynes” by Lisa M. Bradley
“The Dybbuk Ward” by Gabrielle Harbowy
Reviewed by Tara Grímravn
There’s an intriguing mix of stories in this month’s Fantasy Magazine. The editors bring to the table two flash fiction pieces and two standard works of short fiction, all original.
“I Have Reached Into the Quantum Basket” by Marie H. Lewis
Though Demeter warned her daughter about her destined husband, Hades, Persephone is determined to unite with her lover. But such a union has cosmic consequences, much to her mother’s chagrin.
This is a very short piece of flash fiction (less than 300 words) that supposes to discuss the birth of the Universe, or the Big Bang. It’s presented in a sing-song rhyming scheme that can be a little clunky in places and can make it somewhat cumbersome to read, but it’s ultimately effective—even if one has to read it more than once to work out all the various nuances presented (and there are several).
As someone who has an amateur interest in quantum physics, I particularly enjoyed the use of quantum physics-based imagery used to reimagine the mythic. Overall, it’s a fun twist on the myth of Hades’ rape of Persephone.
“Christopher Mills, Return to Sender” by Isabel J. Kim
Chris’ sister, Angelica, has summoned him back into his corpse to testify to a lawyer about his death. It’s been seven years since someone killed him on prom night. Now, Angelica wants to know who did it so he can finally get justice. Only, it might not be the type of justice he imagined at first.
Kim’s tale is a fun little story, providing a very intriguing take on the notion of necromancy becoming a corporate profession. The revenge aspect is also very well done, and one definitely becomes emotionally engaged in the plot. As for the ending, I quite enjoyed it.
I think the one thing that really sort of stumped me, however, was the condition of the bodies of the summoned. If Angelica brought Chris back into his own body that had been dead in the ground for seven years, would it really have been in good enough condition for him to be walking around? And would he not have smelled awful? Some of the “raised” are described as wearing togas, which would indicate that people from even ancient history were being brought back from the dead for one reason or another. So where did their perfectly intact bodies and clothing come from?
I kept coming back to these points throughout the reading, especially when the pair were shopping in Target. There’s no mention of people’s reaction to him, except that he wears sunglasses because his eyes are the giveaway that he is not really alive. As a result, it pulled me out of the narrative a bit.
Still, it is an enjoyable tale. It’s certainly one I’d recommend giving a read.
“Collecting Ynes” by Lisa M. Bradley
As a child, Ynes swallows a marigold. The flower makes her feel warm, and so she decides it was a small sun, not a flower. As she gets older, she continues to develop a relationship with flowers and plants, leading to many incredible experiences.
Bradley’s flash fiction piece tells a fictionalized account of real-life botanist, Ynes Mexia. Ynes was a Mexican-American woman who experienced mental illness while alive and eventually became a world-renowned botanist despite never having earned a college degree. The story follows her all the way from childhood to death, each phase of her life characterized by a particular plant or flower and her mystical connection to it. It’s very much worth a read.
“The Dybbuk Ward” by Gabrielle Harbowy
Sometimes, mental disturbance isn’t a case of psychiatric disorder but of spirit possession. A recent suicide victim has become a dybbuk and has now attached itself to Dr. Sophie Green, a Jewish psychiatrist. Slipping into her body, it rides with her, whispering thoughts into her mind, urging her to help the other patients with more than just medication and art therapy.
Harbowy’s story is a touching tale centered on the familiar trope of helping lost and trapped souls move on. While the trope itself is nothing new, the handling of it, in this case, was refreshing—and it certainly keeps one emotionally invested in the narrative, at least with the other patients.
That said, it left me wondering, if our dybbuk narrator only died the day before, how does it know so much about other dybbuks and how it all works? How does it even know what it is? It just feels as though we’re simply not really shown enough to connect us to the character or explain why it would be so familiar with dybbuks. The only potential clue is the mention of having chosen Dr. Green because she wears a Magen David. While I suppose that is enough to imply the two might share a religious paradigm, it doesn’t really explain how the narrator is so familiar with how possessing a living host and being a disincarnate soul works in less than 24 hours after death.
Overall, though, it’s a delightful story, and I genuinely enjoyed reading it.