DreamForge Anvil #19, Spring 2025
“The Fine Art of Faking It” by Miranda Jubb
“The Coven” by Bruce McAllister”
“Hope Carried on an Ancient Isolated Back” by Ash Vale
“In the Form of a Question” by Beth Goder”
“The Language of Immersion” by Matt McHugh
Reviewed by Victoria Silverwolf
Five stories with optimistic moods appear in this issue.
In “The Fine Art of Faking It” by Miranda Jubb, a photographer specializing in supplying images of cryptids accepts an assignment from a man who witnessed aquatic humanoid creatures in a lake. The photographer, who is not an ordinary human being, communicates with them, leading to an agreement between the man who saw them and the creatures.
The reader learns fairly early in the story that the photographer is disguised as a human, but never finds out what kind of being this character is supposed to be. This premise reflects the desire of the cryptids not to be discovered, but is otherwise not necessary to the plot. Otherwise, the story makes for light, pleasant reading.
“Coven” by Bruce McAllister takes place in a postapocalyptic setting where seven elderly women scattered around the world have the ability to defend the planet from alien invaders through magic rituals. The narrator is one of a group of young people who journey to witness one of these women perform this feat. Her fate is linked with the woman.
The combination of themes from science fiction and fantasy is unusual, and the author manages to combine them in an effective way. Although the premise is unique, the plot is simple and ends in an expected way.
“Hope Carried on an Ancient Isolated Back” by Ash Vale is narrated by a troll who is carried from Norway to Canada by a boy whose family is emigrating to the New World. Both troll and boy are lonely and homesick for their native land. Their relationship continues over several years and into the next generation.
This bittersweet fantasy conveys the emotions of one who has left a beloved homeland powerfully. The troll is an interesting character, able to change size from tiny to enormous, and with foliage growing from its body. The conclusion is unsurprising, and borders on sentimentality.
The protagonist of “In the Form of a Question” by Beth Goder enters a spectral pirate ship inhabited by its ghostly captain and a mermaid who enjoys engaging in philosophical conversations. The captain turns herself into a duplicate of the protagonist and takes over her life, leaving her trapped in supernatural seaweed. Although the protagonist receives the ability to perceive all regions of the universe and even the remote past, she cannot regain her previous life until the relationship between the mermaid and the captain becomes clear.
This story is best described as quirky, with its matter-of-fact narrative style, multiple bizarre happenings, and combination of the fantastic and mundane. The main character’s experience of feeling what it’s like to be a pineapple, from developing seed to full fruit accidentally left on the street, is a good example of the wackiness to be found here. The author displays extraordinary imagination, in a way that may be too undisciplined for some readers.
In “The Language of Immersion” by Matt McHugh, an African art student at an American university has to complete a multimedia project, although she is only used to painting. She makes use of experimental technology from the school’s psychology department to come up with an entirely new art form.
The author reveals a gift for characterization, particularly in the form of the student’s professor, who is the narrator. The speculative technology is plausible, and the worlds of artists and academics is portrayed in a realistic fashion.
Victoria Silverwolf is not an artist or an academic.