DreamForge Anvil #9, Fall 2022
“No Real Evidence” by Jean Martin
“No Place in Space” by Mike Jack Stoumbos
“The Art of Unpicking Stitches” by Jennifer Hudak (Reprint)
“Demonology Book Club” by George Lockett
“Conference of the Birds” by Benjamin C. Kinney (Reprint)
“Vern Fronk Returns to Our Neighborhood” by Margaret Balch-Gonzalez
“Pour One Out” by Shannon Fox
Reviewed by Kevin P Hallett
The ninth issue of DreamForge Anvil has five first-publication stories, including two flash stories. All the stories in this issue were a pleasure to read.
“No Real Evidence” by Jean Martin
The author, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, admires fairies a small girl shows him in this flash fantasy. She has already told reporters about the fairies, and Sir Arthur fears how the scientific community will treat them, so he devises a simple plan to ensure their safety.
The author found an alternative reason for a famous piece of English history.
“No Place in Space” by Mike Jack Stoumbos
This SF short tells the story of a pirate trying to capture a family’s salvage ship. The smooth-talking pirate convinces the patriarch that he is well-intentioned. But the daughter is skeptical.
That night, the daughter reads an old novel about sailing ships from the early nineteenth century. The pirate doesn’t see her as he sets about sabotaging the ship so his mates can salvage it. But she’s well versed in the old rules of the sea and prepares to fight anyone boarding the ship.
The prose enticed the reader into the story, pondering if the protagonist would succeed.
“Demonology Book Club” by George Lockett
Alkane summons a she-demon in this flash fantasy. The demon expects her summoner to demand untold power or wealth in exchange for her soul. But Alkane only asks for a chat, offering nothing in exchange. The first meeting goes poorly, but Alkane still summons the demon the next day.
This plot was perfect for the length of a flash story, and it made for an entertaining read.
“Vern Fronk Returns to Our Neighborhood” by Margaret Balch-Gonzalez
Grace feels sorry for Vern in this short fantasy. Vern was never popular when he was alive, and it hasn’t gotten better now that he’s returned from the dead. What’s worse, he doesn’t respond to the usual interventions that convince the typical undead to return to their graves. It’s not long before the local people get angry with Vern’s persistent presence; after all, he smells terrible.
But Grace wonders what she can do to convince him to return to the cemetery. She asks for help, but the experts don’t have a clear-cut solution for atypical undead people. It seems to Grace that Vern wants to be treated nicely, which seems unlikely in these circumstances.
This tale twisted the zombie subgenre on its head, making for a nice character-based story to read.
“Pour One Out” by Shannon Fox
He is in Belize chasing after a mythical treasure in this short fantasy. Thatcher’s friend told him about it on his deathbed, so here he was, in a bar asking about a remote location. With the directions, the young barmaid warned him about a nagual, a human during the day, and a jaguar at night. She says it guards the treasure to ensure it stays in Belize.
Thatcher ignores the warning from the pretty barmaid and sets off to investigate the last unexplored location for the treasure. In truth, he was more interested in finding the treasure to prove his friend right than in making himself rich. Scanning the site, his metal detector sounds a loud beep. And shortly after, he hears the jaguar’s menacing growl.
The well-paced story allowed the mystery to pull the reader through the tale.
You can follow Kevin P Hallett’s writing on www.kevinphallett.com. There are links to join his mailing list for a weekly newsletter on the recent release of his debut novel, the Defender of Vosj.