Nightmare #62, November 2017

“The Summer Mask” by Karin Lowachee

Reviewed by Rebecca DeVendra

“The Summer Mask” by Karin Lowachee is a ponderous narrative about a man called David, who is a mask maker for the maimed in battle. “Ugly things need to be needed. They need to have a function to be worthy of their existence. We must justify the spider, not the swan. Beauty can stand on its own.” David fashions a face out of clay, and puts more into it than his technical, artistic brilliance. The prose is beautiful, even if the ending is a bit predictable.

“The Zodiac Walks on the Moon” by Will Ludwigsen is about a murderer writing letters to the police in order the tantalize them. Inspired by the Moon landing, he decides that he wants to be known as a bold hunter, not to be outdone. Killing is an art, after all. Short, tense, and expertly written.

Rebecca DeVendra is a figure artist and speculative fiction writer living in Boston. Her fiction can be found at Starship Sofa. She’s also a mom to three cacophonous, early-rising children. She’s probably in her pajamas, but she has an emergency collar shirt for video calls. Check out her blog.