Fantasy and Science Fiction, November/December 2021

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Rating: 4/5 Stars

A better than average issue with some intersting stories by Nalo Hopkinson, Graham Edwards, Eleanor Arnason, K. A. Teryna, Hayley Stone and Jennie Goloboy.

• “Broad Dutty Water: A Sunken Story” by Nalo Hopkinson: an interesting story in a future when global warming has caused water to cover much of the world. A girl with newly added augments attempts to use them before they are ready, causing her to crash in a storm. On an island, she finds something new, but it would have to wait for rescue to find in the form of her augmented pet pig.
• “A Dime” by Megan Lindholm: a story of s payphone used yearly by a character to call home, but never seems to be able to find the time to go home for Christmas. But maybe this time she will.
• “What Makes You Forget” by Victor Pseftakis: in a mining town there is a mysterious Hole that hints at the ability to fulfil the wishes and wants of people, but for a price. For a mother who works at the mine but has big ambitions for her sons, it may be a price she may be willing to pay at the end.
• “A Vast Silence” by T. R. Napper: a petty thief is on the run from the law, unknowingly carrying with him a ‘voice’ that may be the cause of the pursuit. Discovering what the voice is and why it is important enough to make police officers murder to get it back is part of the story.
• “The Reckoning” by Alexander Glass: in historic England, Christopher Marlowe meets Will Shakespeare, who warns him of his impending death. But it can be avoided, for this Shakespeare is from the future, and offers him a way to escape his fate.
• “Castellia” by Graham Edwards: in a world where castles of stone come to life and can move, one castle makes a journey north on a journey to discover why it has been awakened and the role it will play at the end of the trip.
• “Laki” by Eleanor Arnason: a fantasy story based on a real life eruption of an Icelandic volcano, involving trolls and one wise old sheep.
• “Mad Milk” by Natalia Theodoridou: in a war between two countries, a general also looks for revenge for the murder of her lover. But as the war progresses, helped along by milk that gives warlike furry and strength, she begins to doubt the reasons for the war. But it may be too late, for the horrors caused by her actions cannot be undone.
• “Lajos and his Bees” by K. A. Teryna, translated by Alex Shvartsman: a fairy tale-like story of a man more at home in the forest who has a magical connection with bees. But then the harmony is disturbed by the entry of love, and things would never be the same.
• “The Black Dog Gone Gray” by Hayley Stone: a nice short tale of a person given the task to train a young girl to live with her condition. Through patience, and lots of cake, he manages, but not without some tantrums in between.
• “A Demon’s Christmas Carol” by Jennie Goloboy: the usual demon gets summoned, but there’s nothing usual in this story about a demon who prefers to be on Earth, taking care of children and hoping to find one particular person.

Magazine read from 2021/11/06 to 2021/11/17