On Spec #123, Spring 2023
“First Day on Night Shift” by Robert Runté
“A Cry of Distress” by Nicole Luiken
“The Downer” by Aeryn Rudel
“Penny Farthing Dreadful” by Steve Vernon
“Immaculate Deception” by Kajetan Kwiatkowski
“Not With a Whimper” by Lindsey Duncan
“Leviathan’s Legacy” by Nina Shepardson
“An Incomplete Transmission” by Louis Evans
“Defying Winter” by Rachel Unger
Reviewed by Chuck Rothman
Norton sees some strange goings on during his “First Day on Night Shift” by Robert Runté, which starts out the June issue of On Spec. He works in an airport lost and found and find a mysterious empty cardboard box left behind. It looks empty, but is not, and inside it is a suitcase that tries to get him to open it, even when he resists. I found the story engaging overall, but didn’t care for the ending.
Laura Riodan is a psychic who is awakened by “A Cry of Distress” in the middle of the night. She formerly was in a psychic rescue organization but tries to find out where it comes from, but neither she nor any of her colleagues can be sure. It’s from two young girls who are trapped in some sort of cave in, and Laura must try to figure out where. When the signal dies, it becomes even more difficult. Nicole Luiken purs together an excellent combination of tension with politics on the side.
Aeryn Rudel contributes “The Downer,” a letter to the FBI from “Maggie,” who promises to assassinate a senator. Maggie has a special talent she calls “the Downer,” which causes people she touches to die. Not necessarily at once, and often when she wasn’t even with them when it happens. Sometimes it’s a disease; sometimes it’s a freak accident. Maggie is writing to the FBI for a job. A fascinating idea and a study of a person who must try to live with such a curse.
“Penny Farthing Dreadful” by Steve Vernon has Jimmy going to play in the park, not far from the beach where the pirate Ned Jordan was hanged 200 years earlier. But on his way, Jimmy finds himself being followed by a boy riding a penny farthing bicycle and who is relentless and terrifying. Nice bit of horror with an ending I didn’t see coming.
Kajetan Kwiatkowski’s “Immaculate Deception” is a very unusual concept. Chlor is an ant-mimicking spider, who is trying to infiltrate an ant nest. She is almost caught by an ant named Nels and has to stick with the role in order not to be treated as an intruder. Very clever throughout; Chlor’s feelings as a spider imitating an ant are well thought out, and the ending is well designed.
“Not With a Whimper” by Lindsey Duncan is a bit of flash fiction set in a world where everyone has suddenly gone deaf. The narrator reflects on the situation, but is especially bothered by the fact that she cannot sing. It shows how one can triumph even in seemingly impossible circumstances.
Nina Shepardson’s “Leviathan’s Legacy” is set in a seaside community with a mysterious cave that is off limits to all. Kairos wants to know why and discovers the secret, one that comes in handy when the village is attacked. Good characters and some first-class worldbuilding.
“An Incomplete Transmission” by Louis Evans is a series of letters from Dietrich, a German scientist who is one of many trying to decode a mysterious message from the stars. It’s set in the Nazi era, though the signal is the only bit of alternate history in a story that otherwise sticks with the reality of the time. Dietrich finds a solution by looking at it in ways that others have overlooked. A good look at the problems of science due to political demands with a little bit of hope given the darkness of the times.
Rachel Unger provides “Defying Winter.” Rana, who is telepathic and who also is dealing with depression, is given a mechanical flower to repair by her friend Shayla. It was owned by Shayla’s grandmother and doesn’t seem to work. When Rana repairs it however, she discovers it moves and operates even without a power source. Additional flowers show the same characteristics. Interesting character but the story as a whole did not grab me.
Overall, this is an excellent issue, with a high percentage of top-notch stories.
Chuck Rothman’s novels Staroamer’s Fate and Syron’s Fate are available from Fantastic Books.