Lightspeed“The Crowning of the Lord Tazenket, Vulture God of the Eye” by S.G. Demciri
“Picnic, with Monster” by Susan Palwick
“Zen Solaris and the God-Child” by Arden Powell
“The Turnip, or, How the Whole World Was Brought to Peace” by P H Lee
“Scientists Confirm: There’s a Black Hole in the Center of Your Heart” by Jo Miles
Reviewed by Kevin P Hallett
There are five original stories in Lightspeed’s 145th issue, plus two previously published stories. The new tales include two flash stories plus a novelette split into two short stories.
“The Crowning of the Lord Tazenket, Vulture God of the Eye” by S.G. Demciri
The oracle Ihuet, in this fantasy novelette, sees a future in which her brother becomes the new God of the Eye after killing her father. It is a future she hates for the Amzu empire that spans many star systems.
Though she cannot force the future to her whim, she sees the possible paths each encounter offers and can influence the future. Ihuet selects a warrior, Tazenket, from the Ascendancy, a hostile domain outside the empire, to begin her attempt to find the future paths that lead to the desired outcome.
After appearing in Tazenket’s dreams, Ihuet helps her rise through the ranks, even helping her defeat the usurper god’s fleet. The one impediment to her plans is that she loves Tazenket, which fogs her predictions enough that she finds herself constantly surprised by Tazenket’s actions.
This story was often slow as it became mired in sterile descriptions. At other times it was confusing as the characters carried several names, making it hard to follow. Overall, the plot wasn’t big enough to fill the length of a novelette.
“Picnic, with Monster” by Susan Palwick
Palwick’s flash horror story explores the day a man with psychosis gets his freedom from hospital-mandated medications. Caleb welcomes his release from the drugs that slow him down. As he walks through the park, he sees a commotion ahead. A famous Japanese monster is loose in the city. This is great, he thinks as the people sprint away; now they won’t think he’s mad. So, he grabs some hotdogs and runs toward the ruckus.
The author presented an entertaining glimpse into the troubled mind of a man dealing with psychosis.
“Zen Solaris and the God-Child” by Arden Powell
In this short SF tale set in a post-climatic future, Zen lives in the fringe-area between the Capital and the wastelands. Officially a she, he knows that isn’t entirely true. Still, mercs from the Capital round him up to bring him back for breeding.
On the way, he meets a strange androgynous human who could be the one chosen to bring greenery back to the planet. Zen and the kid are rescued and brought before the Oracle in the wasteland. Zen wonders if the kid really is the god-child everyone has been waiting for.
The well-structured story reminds the reader that humanity isn’t destroying the planet in the geological long-term, just our ability to live on it in the short-term.
“The Turnip, or, How the Whole World Was Brought to Peace” by P H Lee
Two brothers farm their plots in this SF short story set in a different world and time. One brother is kind, but his farm is poor. The other is mean, and his farm prosperous. The nasty brother is happy to be more successful than his brother until the day the poor brother grows a giant turnip, which he gives to the king. So impressed is the monarch that he heaps riches on the kinder brother.
The greedy brother is jealous and hatches a plan to win similar favors from the unpredictable king. But his first plan goes awry, as does the second, more wicked plot. Ultimately, it takes creative planning to get what everyone wants.
The author’s story carried a moral most can agree with, and the prose was good enough to make it enjoyable.
“Scientists Confirm: There’s a Black Hole in the Center of Your Heart” by Jo Miles
In this flash SF, the girl next door tries to escape from the pull of a black hole in a boy’s heart. The girl manages to stay just beyond the event horizon as the black hole gobbles up the Earth and then the solar system. She knows what to do when she realizes the boy enjoys chasing her.
This story was a whimsical look at an improbable event.
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