The first issue of 2008 for Abyss & Apex is enjoyable. There’s a range of stories here, most of them fairly long. No flash fiction offered this time around. I enjoyed the weird pieces far more than the straightforward stories, but that’s just me.
Lindy finds bliss artificially in “Snatch Me Another” by Mercurio D. Rivera, as well as the ability to clone the shit heck out of anything or anyone thanks to her illegal Snatcher. There are consequences, of course, but they are mostly ignored. Who cares about punishment when everyone can own a copy of Starry Night? Alternate universes and multiple realities quickly play a factor, cutting a hard line between Lindy and her love Kristina as they try to live in a world that is constantly changing. It’s a world where stealing equates living…
I can’t honestly say I understood a lot of what was happening here–or how these Snatchers came to be–but it’s a somewhat engaging story about just what it takes inside of a person to love another. Even to love another so much as to risk a complete breakdown just for a moment of happiness. Plus, cloning always adds a fun layer to things, especially when one realizes that for anything to be cloned in one world, something else must be stolen away in a second one.
However, I did have a problem with the third scene, which is basically a “As you know, Bob” exposition dump with Lindy and Kristina chatting it up in bed like two robots built to tell all and to tell it profusely. Other than that, the story has some great moments laced with creepiness and uncertainty, and the ending seemed rather fitting for all that was going on.
Rating: 7 anonymous stars out of 10
“If Tears Were Wishes” by Ruth Nestvold has an excellent set-up. Brooke is in a public bathroom, gagged, and locked inside a stall that is being guarded defiantly by two men. They’re after her tears, tears she’d freely give to anyone that asked, tears that equaled wishes. But this was the first time they were going to be beaten out of her. The only thing keeping her sane is the hope that these cruel men haven’t captured her twin sister yet…
I loved how magical this piece was, not just in tone or premise. Nestvold’s lyrical and emotional prose is perfect for this tale of wishes, wants, and wonders. For such a short piece, it packs quite a punch. The story eventually switches off of Brooke and to her sister Crystal, who now must figure out exactly what happened in that bathroom. If only they could use their own tears for their own wishes, but it doesn’t work like that. The choices she makes and the actions she takes really move the plot along, and the ending is both fitting yet perfectly done. Stories that come full-circle are the best kind, and “If Tears Were Wishes” is a fine example of how to do one.
Rating: 8.5 anonymous stars out of 10
I gotta be honest; despite it probably having a clear premise, “Healer” by Phil Margolies confused me. I think it has something to do with healing. Duh, chimes the audience. It also has to do with a man’s destiny, the powers he contains within, and…children. Perhaps? Really, I read it twice and still don’t know what to say about it. I guess this one can be marked up as something that doesn’t work for me and my reading preferences.
Rating: 4 anonymous stars out of 10
Despite being told not to take the left path in “At Blue Crane Falls” by Brian Dolton, Yi Qin does and ends up at the titular place. It is whispered to be haunted. The conjuror in service of the Emperor quickly discovers she is unwelcome at Blue Crane Falls, and who she meets will reveal a truth she never expected.
Huh, this just wasn’t very interesting. The prose came across as mediocre, not well edited. Kind of clunky in spots, as well as too formal in others (I’m thinking about the dialogue here). There were a lot of ands where a simple deletion of said word and an insertion of a comma would make things read smoother. The premise felt like something I’ve read before; that, or it just feels far too common in these cultural stories that are dipped so far into honeyed lore that they are dripping with mortal gods, false sacrifices, and dramatic actions. Meh. Not for me at all.
Rating: 4.5 anonymous stars out of 10
Well, if you’re not offended by the narrator’s remarks in the beginning of “Quartet, With Mermaids” by Alan Smale then you’ll be in for a real treat of a story. It is about, if you haven’t already guessed it, a mermaid…by the name of Molly. She’s discovered off the coast of Norway.
This is a multilayered piece that is surprisingly fun. I’m not one for mermaids or unicorns or stories about how awesome cats are, but this one had a certain tick to it that made it more appreciative. It also helped that the language and tone of “Quartet, With Mermaids” is so raw and unfriendly. This is no lovey-dovey tale of a man who meets a mermaid and is soon showered in a rain of happiness. No, no. It takes a cue from reality, because really, in this day and age, if someone discovered a mermaid, you know that fish-with-arms would totally be thrown in a zoo to dance and perform for the public. And this is that story, told from a handful of perspectives, all wonderfully written and unique, offering new insights into a crumbling myth. Very impressive, and definitely one of the best stories of the issue.
Rating: 8.5 anonymous stars out of 10
A Mystery that Reads 