[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, May 4, 11 & 18, 2026
“Senesence” by Aegor Ray (May 4th)
“Coming Home” by Dhiyana Hassan (May 11th)
“Hymn To Scylla” by Elena Goh (May 18th)
Reviewed by Eric Kimminau
Strange Horizons is “a weekly magazine of and about speculative fiction” with a definition that “speculative fiction includes science fiction, fantasy, horror, slipstream, and all other flavors of fantastika.” They have dedicated this issue to what this reviewer characterizes as individuals experiencing severe mental health challenges. Thankfully each story includes warnings. The expectations bar has been set low.
“Senesence” by Aeger Ray follows an unnamed, extraterrestrial entity that begins its life cycle as a scattered collection of intelligent, microscopic droplets sheltered beneath an ancient tree. Over decades of quiet isolation, the creature absorbs ambient elements and consciously interfaces with the tree’s subterranean root system, gradually coalescing into a sentient, multi-eyed, carapaced being. As its sensory capabilities sharpen, it transitions from a passive observer of the natural world into a predatory force, consuming local wildlife. The author crafts a dense, atmospheric narrative that treats the traditional themes of metamorphosis and alien behavior with an almost clinical focus on sensory data and instinct. However, the protagonist’s abrupt shift from a passive, symbiotic observer to a violent apex predator, culminating in the graphic evisceration of human beings, and then sudden departure reveals a dark, underlying nihilism that disrupts the initial pastoral tranquility of the piece. While the prose is detailed, traditionalist readers may find the narrative’s lack of a clear moral framework and its ultimate departure into the cold vacuum of space somewhat sterile and spiritually ungrounded.
In “Coming Home” by Dhiyana Hassan, the content warnings shadow the content with “homophobia” and “gender discrimination.” The story centers on Serthe’P and Mnth’R, two female crab-like creatures living on the fringes of the Ketam Timur territory who must rely on partnership and hard work to survive a harsh, volatile environment. When Mnth’R defends their home against an aggressive guard named Prt’T, a predatory sky bird suddenly intervenes, allowing the couple to escape the conflict safely. Serthe’P and Mnth’R then step into leadership roles, teaching a group of displaced juveniles practical survival skills.
The narrative exposes the chaos of a society corrupted by tyranny, the abandonment of youth, and personal vengeance. Ultimately, the story implies that true peace and security are restored only when individuals reject castes and commit to the preservation of life, practical labor, and the protection of the vulnerable.
Within “Hymn To Scylla” by Elena Goh, a near-future, climate collapse has forced humanity onto floating cities. The protagonist, an Arts graduate holding a now worthless and abolished degree was now isolated and working in a marketing job for a toddler swim school. They escape reality through recurring dreams of a submerged realm. There, they are bound by an oath to an ancient, monstrous siren who demands that the protagonist act as her poet, “sing for me, to carry my name through generations” in order to secure her legacy in a world that has forgotten the age of heroes.
Mistaking this supernatural task for a grand, personal destiny, the protagonist grows desperate for answers, but upon delivering the siren’s narrative, the fading deity laughingly reveals that they were chosen simply because their soul was the closest and loosest in the collective net of dreamers, leaving the protagonist awake and broken-hearted.
By depicting a world where traditional “Classic” education and historical literacy are deemed obsolete, a purely materialistic society emerges where the solitary individual becomes vulnerable to the seductive, chaotic allure of pagan myths. The siren song of the liberal progressive.
I did not enjoy Strange Horizons. From the perspective of a traditionalist reviewer, this collection within Strange Horizons exemplifies a disappointing trend in contemporary speculative fiction, where the grandiose promise of science fiction and fantasy is frequently sidelined by navel-gazing narratives and a pervasive, progressive nihilism. Across these three stories, authors craft detailed environments, whether exploring clinical alien metamorphosis, the caste-based struggles of extraterrestrial creatures, or the spiritual void of a post-climate-collapse society, yet they consistently fail to ground their worlds in a coherent moral framework, opting instead to prioritize insular, therapeutic character psyches over timeless virtues. Ultimately, this focus on subjective emotional validation and pagan allure leaves the narratives feeling spiritually sterile, reflecting a generation of writers who mistakenly believe their own internal neuroses carry profound meaning for the broader world. I do not plan to review their product again.
Eric Kimminau is a BBS geek turned IT professional seeking the next Great Adventure. Let’s Go!