Cirsova “Across the Poison Sea” by Adrian Cole
“An Affair of Honor” by Will Lowry
“Curse of the Iron Moon” by Frank Sawielijew
“Meat on the Bone” by Tia Ja’nae
“Olvir’s Dream” by C. D. Crabtree
“The Red Queen of Ustari” by Shuya Nanahara
“The Gold Exigency” by Michael Tierney (serial, not reviewed)
“Terror-Trap of the Jintra” by John Gradoville
“The Machine of Fear” by Harold R. Thompson
“The Ruins of the Dalgre” by Richard Rubin
“The Serpent and the Spire” by J. Thomas Howard
Reviewed by Victoria Silverwolf
Two-fisted tales of adventure and combat fill the pages of this issue, with a grimly satiric look at the near future as a change of pace.
In “Across the Poison Sea” by Adrian Cole, a team of peacekeepers serves a local government on Earth long after a solar system wide empire collapsed. They deal with a band of raiders who slaughtered nomads who discovered an ancient weapon of immense power.
This is a violent story with a high body count. The heroes suffer losses nearly as great as those of the villains. Readers who don’t mind a grim, melancholy mood in an action-packed yarn will best appreciate it.
“An Affair of Honor” by Will Lowry depicts a duel between a young man in love with a woman and the older man who is betrothed to her. The encounter does not turn out the way the challenger expected.
There is no fantasy content at all in this story, although it takes place in an imaginary land resembling Europe, but with goddess worshippers. This ironic little anecdote could have easily been straight historical fiction.
“Curse of the Iron Moon” by Frank Sawielijew is a story that seems, at first, to be pure fantasy. It soon becomes clear, however, that the setting is the far future, and that the characters know nothing about the technology left behind by an older civilization. A woman escaping cultists who worship a so-called Iron Moon (actually a spaceship in orbit) hires an adventurer to help her destroy the stronghold of the sect.
Some events in this fast-moving tale depend on enormous luck on the part of the protagonist. The technology she does not understand seems ready to help her out of every crisis. Despite these overly convenient plot twists, those who enjoy blending concepts from science fiction with the flavor of fantasy will be drawn into the story.
“Meat on the Bone” by Tia Ja’nae is something of an anomaly among all these stories set in imaginary worlds or on distant planets. In the near future, the main character’s barbecue joint is replaced by an automated facility serving artificial food. He uses advanced technology to perform an act of rebellion.
The author forcefully conveys the protagonist’s passion for real food and anger at being driven out of business. Although one may not fully approve of the action he takes, it is still possible to sympathize with him. Even the most squeamish vegetarian will be able to understand the character’s love of genuine barbecue and disdain for tasteless substitutes.
The title character in “Olvir’s Dream” by C. D. Crabtree undertakes a dangerous quest for a beautiful, alluring goddess. His reward is not quite what he expected or desired.
This fantasy adventure has the flavor of a folk tale, with a talking fish, a sentient sled that moves by itself, and beings that are a mixture of fox and human. The goddess frequently helps the hero out of danger, lessening the suspense.
In “The Red Queen of Ustari” by Shuya Nanahara, a thief scales a tower in search of treasure. He finds the room at the peak inhabited by a female minotaur. Battle ensues between the mighty creature and the wily thief, but concludes in an unexpected way.
The minotaur is a more fully developed character than the typical fantasy monster, and the conversation between the two adversaries adds a touch of wit. There is, perhaps, a little too much focus on the size of the minotaur’s breasts.
One glance at the title of “Terror-Trap of the Jintra” by John Gradoville will convince any reader that it is an old-fashioned pulp adventure. After saving a woman (who is, of course, a beautiful, scantily clad princess) from a carnivorous tree on an alien world, he sets out on a quest to defeat a black-hearted villain who has discovered ancient technology that threatens the entire universe.
The action never stops, providing sufficient thrills to allow some readers to ignore the stereotypes and clichés. Those who look with affection on old copies of Planet Stories are likely to derive some pleasure from this nostalgic yarn.
In “The Machine of Fear” by Harold R. Thompson, an officer in the service of a space empire investigates reports that a cult making use of the ancient device in the title is in control of a community. With the help of a local woman, he destroys the sinister device.
The plot is very simple and linear, so the above synopsis does not give away anything that is not obvious. A couple of points of interest are the strange alien animal that the hero makes use of in a clever way, and the fact that the woman resents the empire almost as much as the cult.
“The Ruins of the Dalgre” by Richard Rubin features a man who has been stranded on an alien planet for a decade. He acts as a mercenary for local rulers, and has even married one of the planet’s humanoid inhabitants. In this adventure, he rescues a beautiful slave girl from the clutches of a mad alchemist who has discovered ancient technology (a common theme in this issue) that allows him to control the minds of others, and to bring dangerous creatures back from the distant past.
As can be seen, this is a very traditional science fantasy story, reminiscent of the works of Edgar Rice Burroughs. Readers who don’t mind the disparity of a yarn including both robots and magicians, as well as ray guns and swords, may get a kick out of it. If nothing else, the villain’s fate is certainly fitting.
“The Serpent and the Spire” by J. Thomas Howard takes place far in the future, when the sun grows dim and humanity is dying out. Ancient technology now forgotten (again) brought back prehistoric beasts long before the story begins, so the protagonist is a warrior who rides a pterodactyl. A man hires him to bring back his two daughters, one of whom is pregnant, something rare in this dying world. The hero battles an old acquaintance, and faces the strange woman who kidnapped the daughters for her own purpose.
The most interesting aspect of this otherwise familiar sword-and-sorcery yarn is its twilight mood. The protagonist has suffered his own tragedy, adding some depth of character.
Victoria Silverwolf is a squeamish vegetarian.