Cirsova “The Superior Griefs” by Michael Tierney (serial, not reviewed)
“The Short Unhappy Immortality of Owen McKinty” by Bill Willingham
“Beneath the Samite Shroud of the Grave Sphinx” by Matthew Pungitore
“In the Thrall of Tessa Nyx” by Michael Gallagher
“The Ragged Red Masque at Carter’s Hall” by Caroline Furlong
“Necromancing the Stone” by Teel James Glenn
“Qarinah” by Mohsin
“Mirage Carousal” by J. D. Cowan
“In the Garden of Madness” by Declan Finn
“Melkart on the Isle of the Damned” by Mark Mellon
“A Vested Interest” by Michael Reyes
“Dancing with the Indians” by Rodica Bretin
Reviewed by Victoria Silverwolf
Two novelettes and nine short stories, a few of them featuring characters who have appeared in previous works, fill the pages of this issue.
In “The Short Unhappy Immortality of Owen McKinty” by Bill Willingham, an ancient vampire turns a thug into one of the undead, as part of a scheme to avenge himself on an old enemy. An unexpected event ruins his plans.
The opening scene, in which the criminal tries to rob the vampire, is intriguing, as is the back story of a centuries-old rivalry. The conclusion comes suddenly, in a way that changes a serious story into a joke.
“Beneath the Samite Shroud of the Grave Sphinx” by Matthew Pungitore is difficult to describe. The plot has something to do with a group of esthetes and a supernatural being. The work effectively captures a mood of fin de siècle decadence, but the author’s frequent use of obscure words and affected style render it nearly incomprehensible.
The protagonist of “In the Thrall of Tessa Nyx” by Michael Gallagher works for a security agency. He accepts an assignment to act as a guard for a famous psychic, whose ability to predict the future seems genuine. Their first meeting leads to a moment of horror, but also offers hope.
Although an altercation with the enemies of the psychic leads to a scene of violence, much of the story deals with the main character’s personal life, and how his encounter with the clairvoyant is both terrifying and promising. This aspect of the plot, and the author’s gift for characterization, lift the story above what might have been an ordinary dark fantasy.
Set in the early years of the twentieth century, “The Ragged Red Masque at Carter’s Hall” by Caroline Furlong features a young woman attempting to free the man she loves from his domineering stepmother. With the aid of friends, she helps him escape from virtual imprisonment.
As this synopsis may suggest, the fantasy content of this tale is minimal, and may not be present at all. There are references to “real magic,” but the events in the plot can be explained as trickery rather than supernatural happenings. With that in mind, the story might still qualify as genre fiction, as it strongly resembles the so-called Gothic Romances of the 1960’s. Fans of those combinations of suspense and love stories may enjoy this modern variation, even if the beginning requires a great deal of exposition in the form of long conversations.
“Necromancing the Stone” by Teel James Glenn is one of a series of stories featuring a private eye in a version of New York City full of supernatural beings. In this adventure, he accepts an assignment to deliver a locked box. Of course, there is much more to the situation than a simple task.
The story supplies fantasy versions of familiar clichés from hardboiled detective fiction. There’s a beautiful femme fatale (who happens to be an elf), a dangerous criminal (who happens to be a gargoyle), a tough cop (who happens to be a werewolf), and so forth. Readers of crime fiction will best appreciation these magical variations on standard tropes.
In “Qarinah” by Mohsin, a desert spirit in the form of a supernaturally beautiful woman seduces the main character, even though he has been warned about her. That’s the entire plot of this brief tale, whose conclusion is telegraphed in full early in the text.
“Mirage Carousal” by J. D. Cowan begins after a group of witches brought apocalypse to the world. The protagonist has dreams of the one witch who rebelled against the others. He follows her nightly messages to the place where she is held captive and battles a weird being.
This overly simplified synopsis fails to capture the story’s surreal quality and many strange concepts. The people inhabiting the town where the witch is imprisoned (which is something like an illusory version of Las Vegas) are somehow divided into three parts, each one residing in a different location. The witch and other characters are connected in some way to the town’s casino by gold chains. These fantasy premises are certainly original, but are often confusing.
“In the Garden of Madness” by Declan Finn is the latest in a series of stories about a detective dealing with crimes involving the supernatural. He has his own magical powers, such as the ability to literally smell evil. In this tale, he investigates the murder of a teenage girl found buried in a botanical garden.
This combination of dark fantasy and police procedural often has a postmodern, self-aware feeling, as the characters discuss movies with themes similar to their own situation. This tends to lessen the reader’s suspension of belief. (References to the campy comedy Attack of the Killer Tomatoes is particularly questionable in a serious story.)
The climax depends on a supernatural ability possessed by the detective not previously revealed, making it something of a deus ex machina. (It may have appeared in previous stories. If so, it still seems to come out of nowhere to one who is not familiar with other works in the series.)
“Melkart on the Isle of the Damned” by Mark Mellon is one of a series of stories featuring the title hero. In this tale, he accompanies traders to an island ruled by a secretive cult. When one of the traders is captured, he sets out on a one-man mission to rescue the captive and end the reign of terror of the cultists, who perform human sacrifices to an evil god.
The protagonist is firmly in the tradition of Conan, waging war against sinister magic with strength and courage. Fans of old-fashioned sword-and-sorcery yarns will best appreciate this action-packed example, even if there is little new in it.
In “A Vested Interest” by Michael Reyes, a man who has served as the mystical guardian of Coney Island since ancient times battles a pair of serial killers who have escaped from Hell. In addition to that, evil forces have released other undead beings, in an attempt to overrun the world.
This is a tale full of violence and sadism. It also features a great deal of supernatural content; perhaps too much, as it seems that almost anything can happen. The hero is so powerful that there is little doubt that he will destroy his enemies. What suspense the story possesses involves an ordinary man who becomes involved with the two murderers. (It should be noted that the author’s biography indicates that this work is part of a series.)
“Dancing with the Indians” by Rodica Bretin takes place in colonial America in the late eighteenth century. The protagonist and others are captured by Frenchmen and Indians and forced to drink a drugged concoction. The main character usually has powerful psychic abilities that would enable her to free herself and her companions, and destroy their captors, but she finds herself unable to use them when rape, torture, and murder begin.
The story reads as if one should already be aware of the protagonist’s powers, although I do not know if it is part of a series or not. In any case, the climax involves the intervention of another character, which seems overly convenient. Sensitive readers should be aware that the plot involves sexual violence against both men and women.
Victoria Silverwolf has seen Attack of the Killer Tomatoes.