Lone Star Stories: Issue No. 25, February 1, 2008

February 7, 2008 at 3:50 pm · Filed under Review, Short fiction ·Tagged , , , , ,

The 25th issue of Lone Star Stories is quite good, featuring stories about mechanical spirits, dissapointing legends, and cruel rituals. One of them didn’t quite do it for me, but the other two are must-reads.

Cars don’t kill people; people kill cars. “The Disemboweler” by Ekaterina Sedia takes this notion, tosses in some wispy spirits that thrive in everything electronic, and steers a man named Glenn on a path of self-reflection after the evisceration of his favorite ride. Also, he plans to catch the Bad Guy, the sicko doing these nasty deeds. Yes, yes he will. For no one gets away with murdering a microwave!

“The Disemboweler” is surreal fiction, often skirting the fine line of reality and fantasy, which makes this reader extremely happy. The explanation of why the Disemboweler disembowels is quite interesting, certainly a surprise I wasn’t ready for, and the use of language here is beautifully evocative. A world is presented, familiar and not, filled with appliances rife with spirits and emotions and life. And underneath all the darkness, a layer of wry humor, black as shadows but still there, smiling at the notion of a vacuum bodyguard. This one is a definite read for the current issue.

Rating: 9 anonymous stars out of 10

In “The Frozen One” by Tim Pratt, a student is visited by a being that, at initial appearance, resembles said student exactly. Right down to the wild hair and pimple on the forehead. This alien has come to share a message with the student, a parable if you will, a tale of “monsters and heroes and swords and shit.” It speaks of the legend of a warrior frozen in a block of ice unfolds, saying that when the magical city, dubbed The City (I’m noticing a naming pattern here in Pratt’s work; see my review for “The River Boy”), is attacked the ice would melt and release to them the Chosen One who could save them all. Only when the time comes for saving, the ice refuses to melt.

It’s a story within a story. The point, I think, is to downplay Chosen One theories and if so, it works just fine. It’s all about acting and not waiting for fate to take charge. I liked the tale well enough, but still couldn’t put to rest the fact that nothing really happens in it. The outer story is only really there to frame the second one. And instead of throwing us head-first into the plot, Pratt drops us with a cliffhanger.

Rating: 6 anonymous stars out of 10

Jokla is being punished in “The Oracle Opens One Eye” by Patricia Russo. Once she’s done being whipped, the priests take her out of the village and deposit her beaten body in a cave. Five years later, the woman lives a new life, working for the oracle of the cave, seeing to questions and donations from the devoted that come bearing sacrifices. Only she hates the oracle, hates the villagers that no longer meet her gaze, hates that she suffers punishment for a reason unknown to her. But she continues on, knowing that after seven years she’ll be able to return to her village. Yet, as the end draws nearer, the oracle grows ill…

Well-writen, “The Oracle” is a work of servitude. Jokla eventually begins to understand her role as the oracle’s go-to-girl, and it might’ve looked a bit predictable to believe that she was next in line when sickness fell upon the cave’s mistress, but that turned out to not be the case. An excellent piece that builds on expectations. It felt like a sword-and-sorcery tale, but never really blossomed into one. Jokla’s struggle is both internal and external, and there are heartbreaking moments where I wished that once, just once, after seven years of mindless torture, the gods would look down and smile upon her. But they don’t. And that’s a story worth reading about.

Rating: 8 anonymous stars out of 10

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Hub, #43

February 6, 2008 at 7:35 pm · Filed under Review, Short fiction ·Tagged , ,

The 43rd issue of Hub, published the week of January 26, 2008, showcases action and flair with “Coffee Break” by Ian Whates. The story opens with one man’s desire, a yearning I’m positively sure everyone has felt at least once in their life (even if they are too young to want it or understand those decaffeinated pangs of lust):

All he wanted was a cup of coffee.

He being Bud Walker, that is. And nothing can stop him from getting his fix, nothing at al–oh, wait. An explosion? Yeah, that might work. Despite the story’s beginning mirroring eerily that of the film version for Children of Men, “Coffee Break” quickly rushes into alien terroritory. I mean that. The switch is a little jarring, especially considering that for half the piece we are focused on the mundanity of a hot drink only to spend the other half battling an off-planet race of terrorists. Still, it’s fun times, with Bud showing off his skills while never forgetting that every single bullet being shot at him was just another reason why he wasn’t able to enjoy that which brought him the greatest of great joys. If the story had been, say, any longer, this might’ve grown tiresome. Because the constant battle between what Bud wants and what is stopping him from it is really all that the story is about. The aliens are helon-like, which gives to mind a fun image, but otherwise everything else looked generic. Not generic bad, but nothing too showy.

But a quibble, still: the ending felt a little weak (not a coffee joke) though, or maybe just a bit predictable. I mean, conflict-resolution here is so obvious. The first sentence alone tells you what is wanted, and sure enough it is gotten, but it could have been a little more powerful. Regardless, “Coffee Break” is a fun piece of fiction, and won’t really take anyone too long to read so why not put on a pot, sit down at your pooter, and give it a chance.

And on a more random note, I wondered to myself how many times the word coffee appeared in this story. Surely it had to outnumber the mighty the, right? Huh. Consider me weird, I guess. Or maybe I myself just need my daily fix…

Rating: 8 anonymous stars out of 10

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ChiZine, #35

February 6, 2008 at 3:33 pm · Filed under Review, Short fiction ·Tagged , , ,

I’ve read a bunch of issues of ChiZine before and have always found the e-zine to be well-done. This is the first I’ve written of them though, so somewhere in here is an unseen comparison to previous issues which you readers out there have no clue as to how I felt about them. Oh well. Get on and get out. On to the stories… 

“Dust and Bibles” by Michael Colangelo takes place in a different Nevada than we know today. The story opens wonderfully, hitting all the senses just right and sticking me out in the desert where vultures circled above and the sun smiled down with pleasure. Okay, if anything, the story opens strongly. A man is driving away with a severed head in the passenger seat, as well as an evelope of cash. He’s also being followed, but he soon meets a man who lives his days by selling Bibles to all kinds of folks. Good, bad, upstanding citizens, murderers. But that doesn’t make him a saint.

Mmm, this is good. Really good. Things truly pick up once betrayal rears its ugly muzzle. The story has style, it has a voice, and it has a whole lot of hilariously disturbing dialogue referencing lady parts. The plot, in actuality, is fairly basic, but the characters and descriptions keep things moving. I particularly liked the Bible salesman’s outcome, in that it was not dragged out or overtly dramatic. Just what it was. A great start to the issue. For some reason, I pictured this as a piece that the Cohen brothers–you know, Fargo and No Country for Old Men–would love to film. It has all the right makings: iconic characters, violence, and plots for lots of money. I’ll keep my fingers crossed…

Rating: 8.5 anonymous stars out of 10

Lavie Tidhar’s “The Mystery of the Missing Puskat” was a bit harder to get. In it, a man named Densley who was raised on the American lore that film noir/pulpy detective work is above and beyond one’s call of duty takes on a case. He must find a little girl’s cat, her puskat if you will.

As is common with Tidhar’s work, the story’s language and tone is evocative, atmospheric, and–I hate to say this–somewhat unreadable at times. Sporadic clues are sprinkled throughout as Densley traverses into familiar and unfamiliar terrority, remembering bits of childhood nostalgia all while continuing to focus on the task at hand. I did appreciate Densley’s innocence, his doe-eyed wonder at detecting:

There is the butt of a cigarette lying on the ground. Densley is excited again; the case is going well.

It’s moment like these that make him a likeable character, make the story worth reading. Unfortunately, the ending is not worth the buildup. Sure, conflict is resolved and all that, but it’s fairly basic stuff, never anything that jumps out of the shadows to grab you, beat your head in, and release you back into the world. Man takes on case for lost cat, man searches for cat, man finds cat, man grow up on the inside. It’s been done before, albeit with different characters and places, but it just wasn’t rewarding enough for me to love.

Rating: 6.5 anonymous stars out of 10

A. C. Wise’s “Matthew” opens with a question, and a damned good one at that:

“Do you remember being dead?”

Rana asks this of Matthew as they sit talking over a cup of coffee. See, it’s a smart thing to ask, especially considering she’d been at his funeral only just the other day. The story can sort of be summed up with the notion that you really don’t miss something until it’s gone. In Rana’s case, she never really loved Matthew until he came back from the great beyond. But he’s not the only dead to return, as soon many more come knocking at doors citywide. And, surprisingly, it is not the dead that want answers, but the living. Rana included.

This is a subtle piece of dark fiction. It deals with human connectediness in a way more chilling than, say, a monster romp where a bunch of people band together to survive the unknown. Some dead come back to live, others don’t. This brings living people to their knees, wondering who deserves what and why. Many questions, not so many answers. I found the relationship Rana and Matthew grew into to be both chilling and fascinating, never a solid thing but never one so empty of love and emotion that it felt forced.

Rating: 9 anonymous stars out of 10

Poetry’s not really my thing, but for those that like it I doubt they’d not enjoy the pieces offered within from Leah Bobet, John Grey, Joanne Merriam, and Samuel Minier.

However, I’m very much looking forward to the next issue…

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Things To Come

February 1, 2008 at 3:48 pm · Filed under Miscellaneous ·Tagged ,

I’m looking around for more online sites that offer free fiction. Speculative fiction, that is. Not too keen on stories about old people eating oatmeal and thinking back on the good ol’ days. Coming up, I’ll be reading the latest issues from ChiZine, Flash Fiction Online, and Abyss & Apex. I prefer e-zines, but if anyone knows how I can get a hold of .PDFs for print mags…please, e-mail me with that information.

Got a suggestion on what else I should take a look at?

The first person to suggest anything remotely erotic or involving fuzzy wuzzy polar bears gets ten beatings.

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Fantasy Magazine, “Bones” by Leslie Claire Walker

January 31, 2008 at 3:54 pm · Filed under Review, Short fiction ·Tagged , , , , ,

I’m guessing there’s a problem with the opening paragraph of “Bones” by Leslie Claire Walker, which looks like so:

The crows dove from the pregnant summer sky, sleek and hungry. Ballard hadn’t fed them in a week. I know — I used to be his apprentice. His birds dug their claws into the limestone and glass of Rite Company Shackles, 899 Louisiana Street, Houston, Texas 77002, which this morning became a subsidiary of HOLY WELL PRISON UNIFORMS AND ACCESSORIES, EVERYTHING FOR THE PRISON-INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX, IF YOU NEED IT WE’VE GOT IT.

Um. Why am I getting yelled at about prison attire? I’m thinking this shouldn’t be. See, I’m the type of reader that sees things as they are. If a word is bolded, it is bolded for a reason. If a word is in italics or single quotes or highlighted a bright, teenage girl pink then it is so. Okay, let’s move past this…

We have here a man named Smoke who works for Ballard, a fellow that can think you dead and let his crows clean up the mess. The story is, I think, about competing businesses, as well as a slew of other things: death, stress, work ethics, wizards, birds in the sky, deals gone awry. It’s a strange story, not really grounded enough for me to get, but the writing and visuals (I love birds!) were powerful enough to get the job done. Smoke is a very one-sided fellow, and there could’ve been more to him than I first read. He does bad things for a woman, which I guess makes him somewhat likable if a bit shallow. Still, there’s a comparison being made here, one that equates businessmen (or maybe just people in general) to predators. I can see that, but I don’t have to like it. I think this one might be worth a second read, whereby some parts that weren’t as clear on the first go are much more another time through. For some reason, I couldn’t help but think this had a Neil Gaiman feel to it, as if the urban and fantasy mixed with horrofic moments more than enough presented a reality all of its own.

Rating: 7 anonymous stars out of 10

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Strange Horizons, 01/21/08

January 30, 2008 at 4:19 pm · Filed under Review, Short fiction ·Tagged , , ,

“How to Hide Your Heart” by Deborah Coates opens, like far too many short stories, in a bar. Thankfully, this one is well worth the read despite the cliched start. We have here a man, nameless perhaps, or maybe not. In truth, he has any and every name he wants. Let’s go with Max. It doesn’t matter. He’s out for the night with Amy, a girl he knows is good for a fuck but won’t have her heart broken come morning. At the bar, Amy introduces him to Beth, a mousy girl that, for the most part, doesn’t matter. Except that she’s their designated driver. And our narrator, despite Amy nibbling at his ear on the ride home, can’t help but notice many things about Beth: the way she can’t smile, the way she’s a fine driver, the way she gets on without getting noticed, the way she might just be the girl he needs…

The story starts out innocent enough, making me wonder just what were in for this time around. There was no clear indication that I was heading into anything speculative fiction, but I don’t give up easily. By the first scene change, we get it. He’s hunting legendary creatures. Dark things. Such as a wendigo. Or, uh, not-zombies. Ahhh. The plot thickens.

“How to Hide Your Heart” turns itself up a notch with some great action scenes as our deep-thinking and somewhat battered Max battles against these Things. Coates has a nice way to her writing, its tone both friendly and familiar. Quite welcoming. I found the descriptions of usually trite details like clothing or friends of a friend to be rather well-done. The ending more than makes up for the beginning, and there’s definitely something appealing in a story that has both kissing and shotgun-weilding. Looking forward to either more of these characters and the Things, as well as other entries from Deborah Coates.

Rating: 8.5 anonymous stars out of 10

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Strange Horizons, 01/14/08

January 18, 2008 at 2:55 pm · Filed under Review, Short fiction ·Tagged , , , , ,

For starters, I naturally assumed “The End of Tin” by Bill Kte’pi opened with a typo:

When Nick Chopper was a boy and not yet tin, they used to say every mirror was haunted.

The bolding is my doing. I guessed Kte’pi meant ten not tin, but I soon learned the error of assuming. And thankfully, I kept on reading. It slowly becomes known that this tin boy eventually grows up to be a tin man…that’s right, a Tin Man. No heart and all. In the land of Oz, too. But he wasn’t always this way. In fact, he used to be a man, a real man with a real body that he called his own before it was stolen. Anyways, one day he spies an odd reflection in one of his magical mirrors, hops through, and…ends up on the other side. Sort of a combination of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland.

That said, I can confirm that Kte’pi has done a far better job with the re-imagining of Oz than Gregory Maguire did in Wicked, even if the story still feels ungrounded at times. The frenetic prose occasionally moves a little too fast, making some scenes a tad unclear. I’m talking about the moment right after Nick crashes through the mirror, as well as the exposition-heavy opening scenes where we really learn a lot of background details and not enough plot-wise. I had trouble figuring out exactly what had happened, and it took a couple re-reads to get there.

Still, I’m an Oz fan and a sucker for anything set in its world. Any of you ever see Return to Oz? It was supposed to be a children’s sequel the kid-friendly, Judy Garland spotlight film. In actuality, it was dark, creepy, and much more closer to the work of L. Frank Baum. And so is “The End of Tin.” This one gets my approval for being violent, dark, and ruthlessly upsetting. Sure, we probably remember the Tin Man as a lovable, melodramatic sod that danced and bounced about until his joints needed some oiling. Not here. Nick Chopper carries an axe for a reason. He wants his body back, but the rules of our world and the rules of Oz differ greatly. Consequences shall rise.

Well recommended. Now, I’m off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of Oz, because because because because becaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaause…

Rating: 8 anonymous stars out of 10

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Ideomancer, December 2007

January 17, 2008 at 8:20 pm · Filed under Review, Short fiction ·Tagged , , , ,

The first story in Ideomancer‘s December 2007 issue isn’t exactly a story at all. “How to Draw the Dark Lord” by Jon Hansen offers some guidelines on, well, drawing a dark lord for a fantasy land. These are simplified, meant for a child’s coloring book perhaps. Ten steps is all it takes, and the humor laced within them by Hansen is tone-perfect. It’s a light piece to read, and probably couldn’t have gone on for much longer without ruining its charm and appeal. Definitely original, despite all the stereotypes it brings up. And I couldn’t help, but see the final drawing as a distorted mashup of Sauron, Voldemort, and Dr. Evil from Austin Powers. Talk about dark…

Rating: 6 anonymous stars out of 10

Bleeding walls. Always a creepy image. In “Behind the Walls” by Samuel Minier, the walls have been bleeding for several nights now. Tommy and Brian try to sleep through it, but sometimes the smell is too much. There might be a connection with their father. Let the investigation begin! This is good stuff, quite different in mood than the other stories. The use of foul language is put to good order here, and not just there for shock value. Overall, the piece is a bit unsettling. It deals with abuse and dysfunctionality, it deals with children and wonder, it deals with blood and horrific things. I liked it, but it wasn’t a pleasant read. Not all good fiction is, I hear you say. Correct.

Rating: 8 anonymous stars out of 10

Eh. Wasn’t blown away with “Elohim” by John Parke Davis. I guess it felt too preachy for my tastes. Or maybe it didn’t have enough zing, zap, zoom to it. More explosions please. The fantasy story deals with Sonny and Jonas and their plot to buy off all of the properties on an island with hopes of building a holiday resort. The problem lies in that Sonny and Jonas are white, the inhabitants of the island are black, and oppression shows its ugly head(s). An interesting take, certainly well-written, but the story in general just didn’t grab me like I’d have hoped it would. Still, the drawl and speak of the individual characters makes for easy, engaging reading. I promise, y’all.

Rating: 5.5 anonymous stars out of 10

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Flash Fiction Online, #2 January 2008

January 16, 2008 at 8:41 pm · Filed under Review, Short fiction ·Tagged , ,

Flash Fiction Online is a new site that pays pro rates for flash fiction. You know, stories under a thousand words. I myself enjoy shorter stories though do admit some can be pretty stupid or just rely too heavily on a pun or ironic twist at the end that doesn’t ultimately make the piece of story. Well, let’s take a look…

“The Materialist” by Eric Garcia starts with a doctor waking up to discover himself on fire. A predicament, for sure. Once that problem is dealt with, a new one surfaces. He finds his entire body covered in a weird solution. The story’s quite dark, and has a nastiness to it that is much appreciated. The doctor begins…er, creating pieces of silver and platinum, selling his wares and living a dream. I enjoyed it and thought it was a well-accomplished story that balanced horror and humor effectively.

Rating: 8 anonymous stars out of 10

“James Brown is Alive and Doing Laundry in South Lake Tahoe” by Stefanie Freele has the sort of title that gets under my skin. It is trying too hard, revealing far too much before the journey can even begin. Anyways, for all that, Freele offers up a frenetic tale about a man named Stu and his Family of Four. Stu’s driving to South Lake Tahoe, and along the way we get glimspes into his family’s life (yup, even Beebop the dog’s). Amazingly, this is done very well. I think the quickness of the prose, the no-lingering-here aura surrounding ‘graphs and sentences alike made everything go so smooth. Though I can’t say I got the ending or the inclusion of James Brown here. Maybe I missed something along the ride…

Rating: 7.5 anonymous stars out of 10

In “The Human Clockwork” by Beth Wodzinski, a Sundial Woman nabs the Human Clockwork’s spot in the park, stealing his thunder. People come and flock to the woman telling time with her shadow. Jealousy will soon rear its ugly head. This is a weird story, but weird in a good way. It has all the makings of a steampunk story, with clockwork obviously being a heavy theme, and the absurdness is what makes it special. Wodzinski paces the piece well, and by the end had me rooting for love and redemption all the same.

Rating: 8 anonymous stars out of 10

More stories need to open with a squirrel in a bar. I’m just saying. “Speed Dating and Spirit Guides” by Rod M. Santos deals with speed-dating. Joseph Ahanu can see totems–animal-esque spirt guides–and for the girls he’ll soon meet, this ability will come in handy sooner than he expected. A fun story, with some jokes and splashes of humor. Unlike Garcia’s, the jokes relied on pop culture and timing. The idea of animal spirit guides isn’t really too far from Philip Pullman’s daemons, but mixed with modern bits of socializing it is workable.

Rating: 7.5 anonymous stars out of 10

I decided not to read the classic flash fiction, “Mold of the Earth” by Boleslaw Prus, simply because, right now, I’m only interested in what is being written recently and what is being published in 2008. 

Flash fiction is tough stuff. And one thousand words isn’t very much at all. Why, this little blog post here is almost 600 words. Now imagine all this plus 400 more words and that it had to be a story, a coherent one with characters and a plot and some sort of conflict/resolution. I can say this about Flash Fiction Online: they are publishing original speculative fiction that pushes the edge. Some are better than others, but for the most part everything is worth a read. And the black-and-white illustrations accompany each piece are nice additions.

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The Town Drunk, January 2008

January 15, 2008 at 7:19 pm · Filed under Review, Short fiction ·Tagged , , ,

The most current issue of The Town Drunk presents two very different yet equally humorous stories: “Panko” by Zdravka Evtimova and “Naked Revenge” by Sonya M. Sipes.

We’ll start with the story about a donkey. “Panko” is both the story’s title and donkey’s name, and what a beast he is! The twenty-something-old donkey is dying and his master, Uncle Pesho, can’t stand to see his cart-puller suffer. Rather than let death just take the animal he decides to cut the poor thing up into minced meat. And then sausages. Evidently, the meat turns out to be magical, and good fortune abounds for all that take a bite. Men begin throwing themselves at the ladies, asking for hands in marriage, and greed quickly sets in as a business venture is soon revealed.

Fun, fun, disturbing when you really think about it, and lastly fun. That’s how I’d describe “Panko” to one of you chaps on the sidewalk. And it didn’t end in the way I thought it would. I worried it was going to set itself up for a “learn a lesson” curtain drop, but it didn’t. Still, the idea of women hungry for magical donkey meat is both out there and enjoyable. Give it a read, and see for yourself if you like the taste too.

Rating: 7 anonymous stars out of 10

Now, “Naked Revenge” by Sonya M. Sipes is a quick piece of flash that deals with some cliche subjects all while retaining its charms. A woman/man seeking refuge in an upperclass community has come down with a…sickness, you might say. You know, the kind that makes people late for work the day after a full moon. Anyways, the change is approaching and for Mrs. Cuthbertson, a leering neighbor, revenge is on its way. The last line of the story brought a chuckle out of me. Which was surprising. This is funny stuff.

Rating: 8 anonymous stars out of 10

One thing I feel worth mentioning about The Town Drunk is that I love that they offer work-safe ratings in terms of content, as well as PDF versions of the individual stories in each issue. Overall, this was time well spent on two light-hearted and entertaining stories.

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