Deep Magic “Shackles” by Michael Wisehart (reprint, not reviewed)
“One Way” by Gerri Leen
“A Tale of Two Thieves” by Sarah C. Roethe (reprint, not reviewed)
“Blackheart” by David VonAllmen
“Standing with Centaurs” by Jennifer L. Hilty
“The Edge of Darkness” by D. K. Holmberg (excerpt, not reviewed)
“The Bone Charmer” by Breeanna Shields (excerpt, not reviewed)
Reviewed by Victoria Silverwolf
The original short fiction in this issue consists of two works of science fiction and one of fantasy.
“One Way” by Gerri Leen deals with a suicidal woman aboard a small spaceship controlled by an artificial intelligence. Given the means to kill herself at any time during the mission, she manages to delay her death while teaching the AI something about humanity.
The story is told in reverse order of time, so that the reader does not learn everything about the woman’s decision to delay her suicide long enough to accept the mission until the end. However, most of this background is evident from the start, so the backwards structure adds little. The plot is reminiscent of Joan D. Vinge’s well-known story “View from a Height,” although in that case the lone woman aboard a one-way space mission was not suicidal, but suffering from an incurable illness. The comparison does not favor the newer story.
“Blackheart” by David VonAllmen is, in many ways, a typical seafaring yarn about pirates attacking a ship carrying a valuable treasure. In this instance, the prize is not money or jewels, but a powerful magic spell. The narrator receives an invisibility spell intended to allow him to sneak aboard the target ship, but he has plans of his own.
Although not a comedy, the story has moments of humor that are not always in keeping with the overall mood of swashbuckling adventure. Readers in search of light entertainment may enjoy the author’s vivid descriptions and tongue-in-cheek style.
Despite its title, “Standing with Centaurs” by Jennifer L. Hilty is not fantasy, but rather a story about an alien on Earth. She arrives on a college campus, only to face rejection from the human students. Only the narrator, who has a secret of his own, helps her overcome their prejudice.
In essence, this is a simple fable about bigotry and the pain of being an outsider. The nature of the narrator’s secret weakens the allegory, and seems intended only to give the plot a twist.
Victoria Silverwolf has the same birthday as Jules Verne.