"Joke Hell" by K. Mark Hoover
"The Broker" by Ed Gorman
"Lavish" by Daniel Keohane
"Soul Man" by Patrick Thomas
"Resistance" by Thomas Claburn
"Crows" by Richard Parks
"Limitations on Hospitality" by Nicholas J. Perry
"At One Stride Comes the Dark" by Tom Piccirilli
The summer issue of Fantastic Stories is the first one I've seen in a while and unfortunately it didn't do much for me. The science fiction sensibilities were a bit too campy for my taste, and I felt most of the fantasy pieces didn't fully explore their premises. I was also stunned by the number of typos and proof-reading glitches in the text, which at times grew very distracting.
The issue opens with "Joke Hell" by K. Mark Hoover, which is basically an idea piece detailing an afterlife dimension that fuses aspects of both Heaven and Hell. This struck me more as an extended description of a premise than an actual story, although the premise is a funny one.
Not so the case with Ed Gorman's "The Broker," which features a real slimeball of a protagonist who specializes in connecting wealthy clients with various kinds of expensive merchandise, including an exotic, fantastical prostitute central to the events of this piece. This one also feels like a snapshot of an idea, with no real story arc. The characters are unlikeable, the tone is generally unpleasant, and the author abandons us just as the fantasy element is revealed. Not for me.
"Lavish" by Daniel Keohane is a considerable step up, a multiple protagonist examination of how people might react in the face of a coming disaster. The imminent threat of a coming deluge has inspired the building of arks across the world, and a variety of characters are forced to wrestle with their fears and issues of religious faith. I found this story more entertaining and engaging than the first two, but its length didn't feel sufficient to sustain the various story lines. Also it seemed to me as though the scene breaks had been accidentally deleted; the story careens confusingly from one viewpoint to the next without hinting at any change of setting or character. It seems more likely this was a production error than an authorial decision, but either way it doesn't serve the work.
"Soul Man" by Patrick Thomas is a magical tavern story and apparently part of a series. Bulfinche's Pub is a New York establishment that plays host to Gods and various fantastic visitors. The story concerns Argos, a hit man who works for the devil. When his deal with the devil nears its conclusion, however, he finds himself up against the wall and seeks help from the people of Bulfinche's. I found the prose of this piece a bit too casual and uninvolving to bring off its whimsical, light-hearted plot.
The issue shows some improvement in its second half, starting with "Resistance" by Thomas Claburn. The story involves a young girl, her relationship with a heroic grandmother, and an alien invasion of microscopic life forms that are causing a worldwide plague. The story is effective for the most part, but never fully engaged me.
For my money, "Crows" by Richard Parks provides the most memorable imagery and the most sophisticated SF sensibilities in this issue. A couple has outlived the rest of humanity in the wake of a cataclysm caused by alien invaders. During the course of the story they attempt to resolve the mystery of their survival and imprisonment. The scenario is effectively grim, and while the resolution wasn't entirely satisfying for me, the story has considerably more emotional depth than the rest of the issues fiction, and its mysteries are far more intriguing.
From there we move on to some lighter fare–and more aliens–in "Limitations on Hospitality" by Nicholas J. Perry, which has a funny enough premise: a farm owner brings a multi-million dollar lawsuit against the aliens who land on and damage her property. I found this an amusing piece that was perhaps a bit longer than its subject matter warranted, but there is a funny point here that rings all too true: only in America could historic first contact with an alien species be perverted into a money-grubbing spectacle.
For me the strongest story here is the last one, "At One Stride Comes the Dark" by Tom Piccirilli. The tale involves two couples with a long history together that includes, among other things, sexual partner-swapping. The protagonist, Danny, is wracked by guilt when he begins to suspect that other members of this kinky foursome may have uncovered a shady event from his past. The atmosphere is effectively spooky, and this story–like the Parks–possesses a polish and depth I found lacking in most of this issue's fiction.
Overall, I was not terribly impressed with this issue of Fantastic. While the Parks and Piccirilli stories managed to deliver, I left the issue feeling rather unsatisfied and hoping that the next one is an improvement.
Christopher East's fiction has appeared in Aboriginal SF, Terra Incognita and The Third Alternative, and is forthcoming in Talebones. He lives and works in Iowa City, Iowa.