THE MAGAZINE OF FANTASY & SCIENCE FICTION May/June 2022 (Volume 142, #5 & #6) edited by Sheree Renee Thomas (Spilogale, Inc, April 2022) Paperback, 260 pages.
It took me a month plus of reading these stories in-between other literature, and helped me appreciate the quantity of quality stories here. I just pick up science fiction magazines only a couple times a year, and this was rewarding enough to encourage me to try another much sooner. Overall, I'd rate this issue 3.5 STARS.
The opening story, "The Voice Of A Thousand Years" by Fawaz al-Matrouk is especially good, and reminded me of the best of 10001 Arabian Nights and other moralistic fables. FOUR STARS.
"Cold Trade" by Aliya Whiteley is a bit disturbing, dealing with a future where trade between planets and cultures is of utmost importance, maybe too much when values and morals conflict with missions and objectives. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
The fascinating cover image by Alan Clark and the name of Norman Spinrad on the cover are what prompted me to pick up this issue. "The Canopy" novelette does not disappoint. What happens to those displaced individuals when they can no longer live on the streets of a near-future New York City? They migrate to rooftops, where an entire subculture exists with buildings connected by single-file walkways suspended between buildings. It's not just the homeless and drug-addicted who live atop skyscrapers. It's also working people who, despite pulling down a wage, can no longer afford the rising rents in the city - - including a policeman who makes some spare money by escorting some high-rise residents across the rooftops when the elevator in their building breaks down. A wry commentary on gentrification, the homeless, and other aspects of modern city life with a rational solution proposed. I was pulled into this story. Spinrad still has the gift. FIVE STARS.
"Give Me English" by Ai Jiang posits a world in which language becomes a currency and when you run out of money you lose the ability to use words and read them in your communication. A very interesting premise that I didn't feel the author explored adequately. TWO AND ONE-HALF STARS.
"Green Street" by S.R. Mandel seems to be more absorbed in it's different way of telling a story than it is in making a clear point. I became bored about half-way through. TWO STARS.
"Breathless In The Green" by Octavia Cade reads like a modern Aesop's fable, with a grim twist. This reminded me to always respect younger children and don't give them a reason to dislike you. THREE STARS.
"Ninety-Five Percent of the Ocean" by Jennifer Hudak. When the story is only three pages long, it's natural for me to expect either a punchline ending or a Twilight Zone-like twist. This did not disappoint in that respect, but I just couldn't engage with this story. Granted, it's difficult for many writers to craft compelling flash fiction. Thankfully it's very short. TWO STARS.
"The Hunger" by James Enge reminds me of good sword-and-sorcery short stories. I'm especially interested in the Morlock character, and hope Enge writes more of him. Every life needs a little music. Great opening line: "There comes a time when you have to change your life or die." FOUR STARS.
"The Mechanic" by Julie Le Blanc has some interesting world-building but it felt like an excerpt from a longer work. I would have liked a little more explanation of the circumstances, but there's enough here to create an image of a desolate, lonely world where the only currency seems to be mechanical parts to rebuild things. THREE STARS.
It's all over within two pages of "Modern Cassandra" by Julia August. I kept wondering as I read if this was intended to be based on the Cassandra of myth. That punchline is just plain mean, but actually elevated my appreciation for the story. THREE STARS.
"An Ill-Fated Girl Happens To Meet An Ill-Fated Man" by P.H. Lee is a homage to the romances of The Qing Dynasty and serves as an interesting morality play. THREE STARS.
A science-fiction/fantasy blend involving a gifted snake charmer and the incredible beast that serves as both her livelihood and companionship is the theme of "Nightmares Come From Stolen Dreams", a creative story by Taemumi Richardson that I enjoyed. FOUR STARS.
"The Angel's Call" by Jae Steinbacher occurs post-apocalypse after an event that transformed some survivors into winged beings with unspecified motives that make others afraid to make contact. The story themes are about relationships and transformations, prejudices and suspicions. It could have benefited from a bit more explanation of the circumstances and background to engage me further. This felt like I walked into a film after missing the first twenty minutes. THREE STARS.
“Mother, Mother” by Shreya Ila Anasuya is a fantasy employing the mythology of India. A daughter mourns the loss of her mother and beseeches a god of the forests to reunite them. I struggled to become engaged with this story and really didn't enjoy it. TWO STARS.
Whimsical and engaging, "L'Enfant Terrible" by Mark H. Huston deals with a creature from an alternate world trapped in the land of wizards and trying to mesmerize a wizard's intern to send her home through a portal. I was reminded of Disney's The Sorcerer's Apprentice. FOUR STARS.
The other novella this issue is "The Big Many" by Albert E. Cowdrey, a survival tale with some interesting characters and twists surrounding many devastating natural disasters that plunge the world into an every-person-for-themselves scenario with a few exceptions, one being the interesting family trying to stay together just as asteroids from space threaten to turn Earth into a dust bowl. This was somewhat episodic and felt like a big slice out of a longer novel. THREE STARS.
The issue ends with a humorous piece of flash fiction, "The True Meaning of Father's Day" by John Wiswell that plays around with an annual reunion of friends and time travel, resulting in multiple reunions and multiple characters. Funny, and thankfully gets to the punchline without delay. THREE STARS.
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