Part seventy-seven in my ongoing retrospective as I read the fiction to the back issues of Realms of Fantasy and offer my thoughts, right up to the present. This time around I’ll be saying hello to the June 2007 issue.
The cover to this one features Karl Urban in his role in the fantasy movie, Pathfinder. This marks the magazine’s eighth movie cover and tenth media cover.
A rundown of this issue’s nonfiction is as follows:
In the movie/TV column, Resa Nelson covers the aforementioned Pathfinder; in the Folkroots column, Heinz Insu Fenkl discusses Trickster tales; in the books column, Gahan Wilson reviews The End of the Story: Volume One of the Collected Fantasy of Clark Ashton Smith, edited by Scott Connors and Roger Hilger, The Further Adventures of Beowulf, Champion of Middle Earth, edited by Brian M. Thomsen, and he provides coverage of the online magazine, The Cimmerian, which was dedicated to Conan and his creator, Robert E. Howard; also in the books column, Paul Witcover reviews Polyphony 6, edited by Deborah Layne & Jay Lake, Scar Night, The Deepgate Codex: Volume 1 by Alan Campbell, Flora Segunda by Ysabeau S. Wilce, and Weatherwitch: Book Three of the Crowthistle Chronicles by Cecila Dart-Thornton; in the YA Books column, Michael Jones reviews Into the Wild by Sarah Beth Durst, Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier, Tattoo by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George, Evil Genius by Catherine Jinks, Dragonfrigate Wizard Halcyon Blithe by James M. Ward, The Scarlet Letterman by Cara Lockwood, and The Faerie Path by Frewin Jones; in the artist gallery, Karen Haber covers the art of Stephaniu Pui-Mun Law; and in the games section, Eric T. Baker reviews Star Trek Legacy for the PC and Xbox 360, Marvel Ultimate Alliance for the Xbox, Xbox 360, PS2, and PC, Bionicle Heroes for the PS2, Xbox 360, and GameCube, and the Dungeons & Dragons supplement adventure, Scourge of the Howling Horde.
It should also be noted that this issue marks the last one for book reviewer, Gahan Wilson. Gahan had been part of the magazine since the very first issue, a very respectable run of 77 issues, or almost thirteen years.
On to the fiction …
The lead story is “Afghan Buddha Payback” by David Pinault. This story was plucked from the slush and marks it marks David’s first fiction publication. It is also marks the first story I ever fished from the slush that went on to publication wherein the author had no fiction credits whatsoever (though he did have a number of nonfiction credits outside the genre). As to the story itself, this one is a quirky contemporary fantasy tale, in which a pair of art thieves get involved with the Taliban and a Buddhist djinn while hunting for art in Pakistan that they might sell on the black market. Art to this one was provided by Lori Koefoed, which marks her 12th illustration in the magazine.
Next up we have “Companions to the Moon” by Charles de Lint, which marks his fourth appearance in the magazine. This story was the first in the “Charles Vess project,” in which Charles Vess allowed the magazine to pair six of his paintings with various well known fantasy authors. In this one, de Lint tells the tale of a woman who suspects her lover is cheating on her, only to discover that he is a member of the fairy court. Art to this one was obviously provided by Charles Vess.
Then we have “The Hotel Astarte” by M.K. Hobson, which marks her second appearance in the magazine. You might want to term this one historical fantasy. It takes right before the Great Depression, and introduces us to an alternate America where magic is alive and kicking, and the land is dominated by figures such as the King of the Midwest and the Emperor of the East. As you might expect right before the Great Depression, things are becoming somewhat ominous. The King of the Midwest is seeking the death of the Emperor of the East, believing that this will help the farmers and crops of his own land. To accomplish this, he employs a dead warlock who is his wife’s former lover from years ago who almost killed her before falling in love with her instead. He also sends along the Prince of the Midwest, and he treats both of them as little more than chess pieces. But the past has a way of catching up to the present, and when it does, it sends powerful repercussions that will be felt in the future. This story appeared online on PodCastle as their 5/6/08 broadcast and you can listen to it for free. Art to this one was provided by Michael Gibbs, which marks his thirteenth illustration in the magazine.
After this we have “Pennsylvania Dragon” by Stephen Chambers. This takes place in a small dwindling town in Pennsylvania, and is a dark tale about the dark things that come from the old country and rule from the shadows. In it, a young man who is looking forward to the rest of his life must deal an dangerous and enigmatic figure known as the chicken man while those closest to him are dying or in danger of dying. But the chicken man is just the tip of the iceberg. There are things far more dangerous, and the chicken man amounts to little more than the messenger. Art to this one was provided by Chric Cocozza, which marks his eighth illustration in the magazine.
Finally we have “Princess Lucinda and the Hound of the Moon” by Theodora Goss, which marks her fourth appearance in the magazine. This one is a charming fairy tale that takes place in the fictional European country of Sylvania. In it, we learn that the queen is heartbroken when she learns that she is unable to bear children. Then out of nowhere she discovers a baby in a basket and raises the child as her own daughter. But when it turns out the child is in fact the daughter of the moon, well, it’s safe to say this complicates matters. This story was reprinted in Year’s Best Fantasy 8, edited by David Hartwell & Kathryn Cramer. Art was provided by Erin & Kelly Carty, which marks their second illustration in the magazine.
So that wraps up this issue. Next time around the August 2007 will step up to the plate. Until then …
