On Spec “Stone Tablets” by Kevin Cockle
“We Invited the Harbingers to Dinner” by Sarah Totton
“Raofin’s Daughter” by J. A. Legg
“Taking Root” by Jeanna Cammarano
“La Fiera di Mezzanote” by Hava Steinmetz-Cumbo
“Shambolic Manor” by Cat Girczyc
“Push Hands” by Jack Powers
“Toll of the Tides” by Tom Brennan
“Muddy Memories” by Dana Vickerson
“A Ballad in Ten Acts” by Pascal Raud and Paul Côté
“Carol of the Hells” by Mike Rimar
Reviewed by Victoria Silverwolf
Eleven new works of fiction, including one translated story, appear in this issue.
The narrator of “Stone Tablets” by Kevin Cockle is a businessman who visits a mathematical genius in order to use his ideas for his company. One of his notions leads to a change in the world, which the narrator ponders years later.
Some of the speculative content of this story is difficult to understand. The idea of biological viruses being used to decode computer security is clear enough in outline, although how this would work in detail is left to the reader’s imagination. However, the premise that imagining Germany as the victor in World War Two would lead to theoretical (but not actual) faster-than-light travel that could somehow allow one to change records baffled me. Perhaps one needs to be very familiar with technical details to fully appreciate this story. (For example, the term “blockchain” appears frequently, which is unknown to me but may be meaningful to other readers.)
“We Invited the Harbingers to Dinner” by Sarah Totton is a brief tale in which people with meaningful names such as Portentous and Ominous attend a party. Once the reader realizes the meanings of the names of two of the guests, the outcome becomes obvious. Otherwise, this is a very light, minor comedy.
In “Raofin’s Daughter” by J. A. Legg, a young girl disappears, only to return after a week as if nothing had happened. In truth, she has undergone a transformation related to supernatural beings inhabiting an abandoned morgue.
It may seem that I have given away too much of the plot, but in fact the premise is made clear at the very start. In essence, the story provides its own spoiler. The conclusion does nothing but confirm what the reader knows at the beginning. The setting is Bangladesh, and the author portrays a culture that is likely to be unfamiliar to many Western readers in a detailed and vivid fashion. This background is more interesting than the plot.
The narrator of “Taking Root” by Jeanna Cammarano returns to a tree she used to visit with her daughter, who is now deceased. In a world devastated by environmental degradation, she finds a touch of hope.
This is a very emotional story, despite having little plot. The speculative content is not strictly necessary in what is essentially an account of the narrator dealing with grief.
The title of “La Fiera di Mezzanote” by Hava Steinmetz-Cumbo refers to a magical fair that appears once every seven years in an Italian village. It is possible for an ordinary mortal to join it, if the correct steps are followed, but more difficult to return. The narrator enters this other world, with the help of a local woman, in an attempt to find her brother, who vanished long ago.
The author manages to make a fantasy world that contains tiny elephants, miniature lions, and gigantic cattle seem real, although some of this seems overly whimsical for what is a completely serious story. The premise can be interpreted as an allegory for allowing others to find their own place in life, and as such it is effective.
In “Shambolic Manor” by Cat Girczyc, a woman who deals with supernatural rental properties confronts the ghost of a hippie trapped in a bed in a beach house. There is not much else to this featherweight fantasy, which provides some amusement in its portrait of a stereotypical 1960’s flower child. (One odd aspect of the story is that it takes place on Hallowe’en in the year 2026. The near future setting is of no relevance that I can see.)
“Push Hands” by Jack Powers takes place in a world where all cockroaches have disappeared. This leads to a split in culture, with some people worried about the vanished creatures, even dressing as them, and others glad to see them gone, going so far as to dress as exterminators. The plot deals with two lovers on opposite sides of the issue.
The premise is certainly unique, if difficult to believe in its drastic change in society. The story does not appear to be a satire or a comedy, but rather a simple tale of people learning to live with their differences.
In “Toll of the Tides” by Tom Brennan, a repairman shows up at the home of a meek housewife. Because of his work, the woman finds an object of which she lost all memory, due to being on medication. The discovery radically changes her life.
Once the object appears, the astute reader will be able to predict the fantasy premise and how the story will end. The plot can be read as a metaphor for a woman who is dominated by a man seeking her freedom.
“Muddy Memories” by Dana Vickerson is a brief account of a character attempting to adjust to a change in her life. To say much more would be to lessen the impact of the story, which deals with a science fiction premise in an original and powerful way. Second person narration, often used without a good reason, is appropriate in this case, given the character’s initial disorientation.
“A Ballad in Ten Acts” by Pascal Raud and Dave Côté is translated from French by Margaret Sankey. A woman encounters a child’s fairy godmother. The woman and the female fairy become lovers, and the human even gives birth to their magical child. When the little girl is five years old, she discovers her supernatural powers, leading to chaos.
The portrait of a fairy godmother as a young woman in modern clothing is an interestingly original version of an old concept. The story is told in multiple flashbacks, and there are frequent changes of mood, from poetic fantasy to love story to almost farce, when the child changes vehicles into cartoonish dinosaurs. Whether or not this is due to the fact that there are two authors, the effect is somewhat chaotic.
“Carol of the Hells” by Mike Rimar is a direct sequel to Charles Dickens’ famous 1843 novella “A Christmas Carol.” The reformed Ebenezer Scrooge receives a visit from the ghost of an old acquaintance, who accuses him of still doing evil while acting in a benevolent manner. The spirit shows him the fates suffered by others in his life, but not all is as it seems.
The author clearly knows and loves Dickens’ tale. (Like the original, this sequel is divided into “staves” rather than chapters.) Readers who are not familiar with some of the characters in “A Christmas Carol” (who are often left out of its countless adaptations) may be confused. Those who know the work well may be able to enjoy a bit of old-fashioned sentimentality.
Victoria Silverwolf looked up the word “blockchain” and still doesn’t fully understand it.