[On May 10, 2021 Strange Horizons officially expressed its political support for Palestinian solidarity. The views of Tangent Online reviewers are not necessarily those of Strange Horizons. Fiction critiqued at Tangent Online is, as much as is humanly possible, without prejudice and based solely on artistic merit.]

Strange Horizons, July 29, 2024

“Him beneath the water, whom I love” by Alex Sandground

“Cicadas, and Their Skins” by Avra Margariti

Reviewed by Victoria Silverwolf

This special issue offers two tales of body horror.

The narrator of “Him beneath the water, whom I love” by Alex Sandground is drawn into the sea multiple times by a tentacled monster, for the purpose of an unnatural form of reproduction. The story deals primarily with the narrator’s mixed emotions.

The text is full of vivid details, but very little plot. Readers more interested in descriptive writing than storyline will best appreciate it.

In “Cicadas, and Their Skins” by Avra Margariti, an adolescent is able to transform herself into various creatures by cutting off her skin and wearing skins removed from animals. She teaches other teenagers how to use the same technique. A discovery concerning her mother and her grandmother leads to the story’s climax.

Unlike the previous story, this one uses a fantasy premise to produce a fully developed plot. The protagonist’s shapeshifting ability is said to be inherited, but she is able to teach it to people outside her family, which seems inconsistent. Readers are likely to find some of the actions taken by the youngsters against their elders out of proportion to what they have suffered at their hands.

Victoria Silverwolf went to a restaurant that doesn’t accept cash today.