Fantasy “The Life and Death of Atomic Tangerine” by Michelle Muenzler
“The Memory of Chemistry” by Sabrina Vourvoulias
“A Star is Born” by Lindsey Godfrey Eccles
“Odd Peas in a Pod” by B.S
Reviewed by Victoria Silverwolf
Although all the stories in this issue contain elements of fantasy, these are often in the background of works that otherwise seem like science fiction or mainstream fiction.
Less than one thousand words long, “The Life and Death of Atomic Tangerine” by Michelle Muenzler consists of excerpts from documents relating to riots caused by water shortages a few decades from now. The title character is a sort of supernatural superhero, appearing out of nowhere to protect protesters from the authorities. She does things like change bullets into flowers.
The brief length and episodic structure of this futuristic fantasy make it more of an impressionistic portrait of an extraordinary occurrence rather than a fully developed story. There is no explanation for the sudden arrival of Atomic Tangerine, and the various excerpts are contradictory, some denying that she ever existed at all.
“The Memory of Chemistry” by Sabrina Vourvoulias is a dense, complex story, so any synopsis is certain to be misleading. With that in mind, suffice to say that the narrator suffers the loss of her family in a terrorist attack. Her best friend flees, taking a new name. Years later, in a near future United States in which people are given tattoos designating different levels of citizenship, the narrator uses her scientific skills to fight against the oppression, and finds her old friend.
As I have tried to indicate, this description fails to mention many important aspects of the story. The fantasy elements are subtle, giving the work the feeling of magic realism. (As an example, the narrator’s tears turn into bees, which only certain persons can see.) The narrative involves multiple themes, such as the experiences of the children of Latin American immigrants and dictatorships of both the Left and the Right.
The first part of the story is opaque, and only begins to make sense once one has reached the end. Full understanding requires going back over the opening, which may be too much to ask of some readers. In any event, the author is to be commended for creating such an ambitious work within the boundaries of a short story of average length.
The protagonist of “A Star is Born” by Lindsey Godfrey Eccles is literally a star, created during the explosive death of another star that he thinks of as his mother. (The author uses gendered pronouns throughout the text, despite the sexless nature of the characters.) He creates planets from gas and dust, eventually witnessing life emerge on one of them.
There is not much more to this brief bit of anthropomorphism than the basic premise. The story can be enjoyed as a pleasant little bagatelle.
“Odd Peas in a Pod” by B.S (the author’s biography offers the full name Boloere Seibidor) deals with the narrator’s mother, the mother’s friend, and the friend’s two twin girls. The plot, such as it is, consists of various anecdotes concerning these characters. There are hints of the supernatural scattered throughout the text, particularly involving the mysterious twins.
This work reads more like bits and pieces of a memoir than a work of fiction, even given the touches of fantasy. As such, it evokes a time and place effectively, but many readers may wish for more of a story.
Victoria Silverwolf was late for work again tonight.