Cirsova“A Quick Laugh with Death” by William Drell
“The Titan of Zhorn” by Richard Rubin
“Jewel of the Joltunwyrm” by Kevan Larson
“The Weather Maker” by J. Comer
“Joe vs. the Mad Wizard of Druun” by W. E. Wertenberger
“On the Eve of Xerkhet-Buul” by Howie K. Bentley
“Cargo Cult” by Jed Jaleco Del Rosario
“The Screamers” by Andrew Reichard
“Caf-Fiend” by Julie Frost
“Computer Games” by Louise Sorensen
“The Codex of Naku-Lankha” by Frank Sawielijew
“The Superior Griefs” by Michael Tierney (serial, not reviewed)
Reviewed by Victoria Silverwolf
Many of the stories in this issue can be classified as science fantasy, with elements both futuristic and supernatural combined into action-packed adventure stories. The heroes in these tales are as likely to wield ray guns as swords, and face menaces both technological and magical.
“A Quick Laugh with Death” by William Drell takes the traditional hardboiled private eye of crime fiction and puts him into interstellar space. The narrator investigates a case of disappearing medical records and blackmail, winding up on a planet where he faces gangsters, dangerous aliens, and a mysterious, beautiful woman.
The combination of science fiction and detective story may appeal to fans of both genres, with sufficient suspense and speculation to fire their imaginations. The climax involves an ability that the narrator possesses that is not revealed to the reader until it is needed. This plot twist seems a little too convenient.
The protagonist of “The Titan of Zhorn” by Richard Rubin is an Earthman stranded on an alien planet, where he works as a mercenary. An aristocrat hires him to find an ancient giant robot in the ruins of a sorcerer’s citadel. An alchemist accompanies him as they battle rival forces after the robot and the magic of the undead wizard himself.
Both the sword-and-sorcery and space opera aspects of this story are old-fashioned, in the style of pulp magazines of the 1930s and 1940s. Readers nostalgic for Weird Tales and Planet Stories will best appreciate this backward-looking yarn.
The narrator of “Jewel of the Joltunwyrm” by Kevan Larson takes part in a desperate effort to capture a body organ from a gigantic worm that produces a large amount of useful electrical power. As if that dangerous quest were not enough, he also has to escape from a building full of deadly plants in order to claim his prize.
As I have tried to indicate, this piece reads like two stories blended into one. The hunt for the worm and the battle with the plants have little to do with each other, although separately they contain enough action to satisfy readers looking for adventure.
In “The Weather Maker” by J. Comer, adventurers encounter a nun dying of thirst in the desert. Short of water themselves, they revive her and discover that she has a device that can direct them in the direction of storms. Disagreement about what to do with her leads to conflict within the small group.
A footnote offers a clue that this is a sequel to a previous story. As such, it may not be surprising that the present tale seems like an episode within a larger work. The plot is simple, and the resulting narrative is little more than an anecdote.
The title hero of “Joe vs. the Mad Wizard of Drunn” by W. E. Wertenberger is a Texan transported to a fantasy world by technological means not explained until late in the text. Like the protagonist in Richard Rubin’s story, he acts as a mercenary while far from home. Furry beings hire him to stop the experiments performed by the antagonist found in the title, whose identity turns out to be surprising.
This example of science fantasy is most notable for the hero’s companion, a talking crow that offers sardonic commentary. The nature of the wizard is an interesting twist, but Joe’s relationship with the character is not fully satisfying.
The protagonist of “On the Eve of Xerkhet-Buul” by Howie K. Bentley is a feline humanoid. He travels through an alien solar system in search of those who killed his lover. When he finds the ones responsible, events make it necessary for them to work together against a plague of homicidal insanity, at least until the final showdown.
Even in a magazine full of violence, this story is particularly gruesome. Readers need to have a high tolerance for gore and bloodshed to enjoy it. The primary antagonist is a stereotypical villain.
In “Cargo Cult” by Jed Jaleco Del Rosario, a space pirate is pressured into finding out why humans on a benevolent mission to save aliens from extinction died. The mission reveals a startling fact about alien biology and culture.
The revelations about the aliens are the most intriguing aspects of this story. Some readers may not care for the protagonist’s cynicism, or the plot’s downbeat conclusion. The fact that the main character speaks in dialect is likely to be experienced as a minor distraction.
In “The Screamers” by Andrew Reichard, a military officer reports on friendly, peaceful aliens. The extraterrestrials always communicate by screaming and are disturbed by human laugher.
I have deliberately kept this synopsis short and simple because I didn’t really understand this story, particularly the officer’s conclusion about the aliens. Perhaps the point is that certain sounds cause serious psychological harm in those who hear them. Either that, or the author is too subtle for me.
“Caf-Fiend” by Julie Frost involves kopi luwak, the extremely expensive gourmet coffee that is derived from beans that pass through the digestive system of civets. (I hasten to assure readers who are not familiar with this product that it really exists.) When a billionaire genius (who happens to be married to a werewolf) discovers that his morning cup of kopi luwak is not up to its usual standard, he travels to Indonesia to find out why. The journey leads to a battle with demonic civets.
As can be seen, this is a quirky supernatural comedy adventure. The author manages to avoid descending into sheer silliness, maintaining an eccentric tongue-in-cheek mood throughout. The story serves as a pleasant change of pace in an issue filled with very serious tales.
In “Computer Games” by Louise Sorensen, a woman who helped develop an all-powerful artificial intelligence falls victim to its sadistic whims. The AI forces her to kill people, in order to avoid killing her own husband and child. She uses the AI’s computer nature in an attempt to escape its constant control.
The mood and premise of this grim tale remind me of Harlan Ellison’s famous work “I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream,” although the plot is completely original. The way in which the protagonist distracts the AI is clever, without diminishing the story’s emotional power.
“The Codex of Naku-Lankha” by Frank Sawielijew takes place at a time when remnants of advanced technology from the remote past are treated as magical items. A pair of adventurers are hired to obtain the Codex mentioned in the title, said to be the key to the ultimate weapon. Their quest involves the evil leader of a cult that worships a space station (now fallen to Earth, as related in a previous story) as well as the robotic guardians of the fabled Codex.
Although the speculative events in the plot can all be interpreted as technological, the story has the flavor of a fantasy adventure. The primary villain is as black-hearted as any necromancer in a sword-and-sorcery yarn. Readers may be able to predict the true nature of the Codex before it is revealed.
Victoria Silverwolf has never used a ray gun or a sword.