Cirsova “The Creek Tumors” by Mark Pellegrini
“No-Rooms at a Kellogg Inn” by Andrew Majors
“Range of Deceit” by Joseph W. Knowles
“Songs of Loss and Love” by Jim Breyfogle
“The Death of Robespierre” by Daniel J. Minucci
“Flyboy” by Blake Carpenter
“A Most Exquisite Specimen” by J. Manfred Weichsel
“The Twilight Delve Homeowners Association” by Misha Burnett
“Mystery in Egyptian Blue” by Jeffery Scott Sims
“Midnight Caller” by J. Ishiro Finney
“Requiem for a Revolver” by Rodica Bretin
“The Superior Griefs” by Michael Tierney (serial, not reviewed)
Reviewed by Victoria Silverwolf
Eleven short stories appear in this issue, all of them taking place on Earth in the past, in modern times, or in alternate histories. This is unusual for the magazine, which often features tales set in fantasy worlds or on other planets.
The protagonist of “The Creek Tumors” by Mark Pellegrini is an employee of a university, one of the few left behind during the winter holidays. Hordes of things resembling grotesquely distorted human body parts invade his workplace, leading to a desperate struggle for survival.
This grim horror story describes a typical monster movie plot in vivid detail. The menace is unique, even if the protagonist’s fate is predictable. Readers may enjoy the main character’s cynical, misanthropic attitude.
“No-Rooms at a Kellogg Inn” by Andrew Majors takes place during the Great Depression. A wanderer finds an isolated building concealing a maze that leads to various places in the past and future. He uses the labyrinth for his own profit, but faces a dilemma when its owners arrive.
This time travel story has an intriguing premise and a protagonist who is interestingly imperfect. One might wish that the idea had been developed to a greater extent.
Set in the Old West, “Range of Deceit” by Joseph W. Knowles features a pair of lawmen investigating the mysterious burning deaths of cattle. They discover a man using a weird device to kill the beasts, risking their lives in the process.
Despite references to “visitors,” the origin of the man’s weird weapon is never fully explained. His motive for killing the cattle is also unclear. More background information would help the reader.
In “Songs of Loss and Love” by Jim Breyfogle, a soldier dying in the First World War encounters a supernatural being whose life is also about to end. The being saves the man’s life, at the cost of a promise that he will sing to the woman he loves. At home, the man experiences nightmares and flashbacks to the horrors of the war. When he finally sings, he has another encounter with the supernatural.
In addition to an imaginative and emotionally powerful fantasy premise, the author provides insight into the mind of a veteran experiencing shell shock (or, as we would say today, post-traumatic stress disorder). This adds depth to the story, as well as greater empathy for its main character.
Like the first tale in this issue, “The Death of Robespierre” by Daniel J. Minucci features a man left alone on a college campus during the holiday season. A colleague takes him to the school’s collection of papers and artifacts of a pulp magazine writer who committed suicide. The colleague informs him that he must light the writer’s oil lamp every night. A snow storm causes him to neglect this duty, with horrific consequences.
Nearly from the start, one can tell that the protagonist’s failure to light the lamp will release something hideous. The only suspense comes from wondering what form it will take. The reference to a deceased writer for pulp magazines emphasizes that this story would be at home in an old issue of Weird Tales.
In “Flyboy” by Blake Carpenter, an aviator is shot down during battle, winding up on an isolated island. He is greeted by a group of naked women who know nothing of the modern world. In addition to dealing with the injuries he sustained during the crash landing, he has to face the presence of enemy fighters on the island.
The story takes place in an alternate version of the twentieth century, with references to the biplane fleets of the Russian Empire and the Oceanic Federation (including Australia.) This is irrelevant to the plot, which could have been mainstream fiction (although extremely implausible) set during the Second World War. Although the protagonist spends a great deal of time admiring the beautiful, unclothed women, this initial encounter isn’t really relevant either, since the island is also inhabited by men, who only show up later.
In “A Most Exquisite Specimen” by J. Manfred Weichsel, a lepidopterist encounters a naked woman with butterfly wings. He pursues her, only to wind up in a realm populated by others of her kind, who attack him. A similar woman, who only comes out at night, aids him. Their meeting ends unexpectedly.
I found the lepidopterist’s actions to be disturbing. The author’s intent may be a dark satire on the obsession of butterfly collectors. In any case, this brief tale ends in a memorable fashion.
The title of “The Twilight Delve Homeowners Association” by Misha Burnett refers to a group of men, all living in the same housing development, who meet once a month under the new moon to combat monsters emerging from an abandoned copper mine.
That’s about all there is to the plot. Much more unbelievable than the survival of ancient creatures deep underground is the fact that this is all kept secret, even from the men’s wives. We even find out that atomic weapons were used, unsuccessfully, to attack the monsters. I seriously doubt that this could be kept sub rosa for any length of time.
The narrator of “Mystery in Egyptian Blue” by Jeffrey Scott Sims makes a living by obtaining genuine magical objects for his clients. His current assignment is to get his hands on an ancient statue of a cat. The plan is to switch the real item, owned by a man who has no knowledge of its power, with a duplicate. Complications arrive in the form of an evil sorcerer who is also after the statue.
Narrated in the wisecracking manner of a hardboiled detective yarn, this combination of violent action and black magic is likely to appeal to fans of suspense stories and dark fantasy. Others may find the narrator and his beautiful assistant/lover to be somewhat clichéd. As a bonus, one aspect of the plot is likely to please ailurophiles.
“Midnight Caller” by J. Ishiro Finney takes the form of a transcript between a radio talk show host and a caller who relates his encounter with two strange visitors. The mysterious pair, who are obviously something more than just ordinary human beings, warn the caller not to reveal what he witnessed.
This brief synopsis may not indicate that the story is played for very broad comedy. The dimwitted caller, who drinks a six-pack of beer for breakfast, is the main source of amusement. Some may find the attempt at humor less than fully successful.
In “Requiem for a Revolver” by Rodica Bretin, the narrator experiences the memories of a soldier during the First World War when she touches a firearm from that time. She meets the man who donated the weapon to a museum, and gains insight into who he is.
This very short work is more of an anecdote than a fully developed story. It is best appreciated as a mood piece.
Victoria Silverwolf has been working a lot of extra days lately.