Retrospectives: 1996
Realms of Fantasy: December 1996 (Issue 14)
Part fourteen in my ongoing retrospective as I read the fiction in the back issues of Realms of Fantasy and offer my thoughts, right up to the present. This time around I’ll be blabbing about the December 1996 issue.
The cover to this one is by Michael Whelan, which marks his fourth illustration in the magazine. It depicts a sorcerer with an impressive dragon in the background.
Now, the masthead. A quick perusal reveals that with this issue, Rebecca McCabe, the original master of slush at RoF, was promoted from Editorial Assistant to Assistant Editor. When my own name first appeared in the RoF masthead, it was as Assistant Editor, but Rebecca still earns my jealousy. First, she was with the magazine much longer (for now), and was basically there from its inception, which is kind of cool. Second, back when she was the editorial assistant/assistant editor there was a letters page, something I’ve been enjoying reading as I go through the back issues. And in this particular issue, she actually got to answer one of the letters! That lucky #$!%. 
Barring a miraculous resurrection of the letters page, this is something I will never get to do. Alas.
Moving on …
A rundown of this issue’s nonfiction is as follows:
In the adult books column, Gahan Wilson reviews The Panic Hand by Jonathan Carroll, Sheep by Simon Magnin, The Book of Hyperborea by Clark Ashton Smith, edited by Will Murray, and Jeanne Cavelos reviews Glenraven by Marion Zimmer Bradley and Holly Lisle, and The Cormorant by Stephen Gregory; in the Folkroots column, Terri Windling discusses deer maidens and selkies; in the movie/TV column, Dan Perez discusses thirteen dark fantasy films you should see but probably haven’t; in the artist gallery, Linda D’Agostino Clinger discusses the art of Dean Morrissey; and in the games column, Mark Sumner reviews Daggerfall for the CD-ROM, and LucasArt’s Afterlife, also for the CD-ROM.
On to the fiction …
The opening story was “Where’s the Luck?” by William Nabors. Art to this one was provided by Janet Aulisio, which marks her fourth illustration in the magazine. This is a dark and entertaining tale about luck, the absence of it, and creating it. The fantastical element is rather ambiguous, but is presented in a satisfying fashion.
The second story was “The Secret of the Mummy’s Brain” by William Eakin. Art to this one was provided by David Martin, which marks his second illustration in the magazine. This story marks the first mummy tale to appear in the magazine’s pages, although it’s far from the usual story about some shambling ancient pharaoh wrapped in white tape. I really don’t even know how to describe this one, except to say it’s strangely engrossing. And the length of some of the sentences could give William Faulkner a run for his money. It should also be noted that this story is one in a series of tales that takes place in Redgunk, Mississippi, and this is the first time one of these tales appeared in RoF.
Next up was “Love Equals Four, Plus Six” by A.M. Dellamonica. Art to this one was provided by John Berkey, which marks his second illustration in the magazine. To me, this story had a slipsteam feel to it: part fantasy, past sf, part mainstream, as it explores love in terms both mathematical and transcendental. Some might not consider this one fantasy (and a letter in one of the subsequent letter pages suggested as much), but I can see the argument that it is. That said, recently I’ve noticed how much editors can influence the definitions of our genre. Some pieces are no-brainers concerning the genre no matter how you break it down. Everyone will agree that Conan and Lord of the Rings are of the fantasy brand. I, Robot & Ender’s Game are unquestionably science fiction. But every so often a story comes along where it’s not so clear as to what genre it falls in. Often, it doesn’t really matter. Over the years I’ve come to appreciate George R. R. Martin’s take on this stuff: he notes how his father just called all these kinds of stories–fantasy, science fiction, and horror–weird stuff. And it is. So long as you like it, cool. That’s what matters most.
BUT …
When you get down to the slicing and dicing, there are certainly different types of weird stuff. Readers of RoF expect fantasy stories. If they read a horror story in Realms, it had best have a fantasy element. If they read something “sciencey,” it would be wise if it were of the science fantasy variety.
EXCEPT …
With Realms of Fantasy, Shawna determines what is fantasy. Sure, I do it with the slush, but she makes the final call. And with stories that aren’t explicitly fantasy (like Conan or LOTR) sometimes this does come into play. Shawna has published stories in the magazine I consider science fiction (Dellamonica’s story isn’t one of them). Just last week I learned about a story she enjoyed but rejected as too science fictional for Realms of Fantasy. I didn’t feel this way at all. I loved the story, believing it to be an excellent piece that expanded the definitions of both science fantasy and fantasy as a whole. But so it goes. As long as Shawna makes the calls for the magazine’s fiction, hers is the most important opinion as to what constitutes proper fantasy within our pages. If pressed, I’d say her definition of fantasy is a little broader than my own. OTOH, she did reject that piece I consider to be fantasy enough for RoF. So you never know what might tickle an editor’s opinion concerning acceptance or rejection of a particular piece when it comes to the underlying bones of its genre.
Moving on …
Next up was “The Stover Cut” by Calvin Horne. Art to this one was provided by Gary Lippincott, which marks his third illustration in the magazine. This dark fantasy was a ghost story relying heavily on voice and milieu. The milieu was particularly engaging, introducing readers to the nitty-gritty of the struggling shipping industry through swamps and marshes during the Depression. A well-researched and unusual milieu can do wonders for taking a story to the next level.
The fifth story was “Holding Pattern” by Jack McDevitt, his second story in RoF, with art provided by Lawrence Ronald. This one also gets into a lot of nitty-gritty details, in this case with airplanes …or should I say ghost-planes.
The last story was “Coyote Woman” by Margaret Ball, which marked her second story in RoF. Art to this one was provided by David Beck, which marks his fifth illustration in the magazine. This one was an interesting blend of feminism, male chauvinism, and Native America mythology, as it explores Navajo myths in some unusual ways that lead to a rather abrupt but powerful ending.
So that wraps up this issue and the publishing year for 1996. And my favorite story for December 1996? “Coyote Woman” by Margaret Ball. And my favorite David Beck’s illustration to this story. Next time I’ll kick off the 1997 publishing year by discussing the February 1997 issue. Until then …
Realms of Fantasy: October 1996 (Issue 13)
Part thirteen 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 discussing the October 1996 issue.
The cover to this one is by Sanjulian, and depicts a vampire.
A rundown of this issue’s nonfiction is as follows:
In adult books, Gahan Wilson reviews Resume with Monsters by William Brown Spencer, The Prestige by Christopher Priest (man, do I love the movie),and Bereavements by Richard Lortz; in the movie/TV column, Dan Perez reviews the ABC television miniseries based on Stephen King’s The Shining; in the Folkroots column, Terri Windling writes about the story of Cinderella; in the artist gallery, Terry Brooks writes about the art of Keith Parkinson; and in the games column, Mark Sumner reviews the PC game, Quake, White Wolf’s role-playing manual, Mage: the Ascension, and a tarot deck designed to accompany the aforementioned item.
On to the fiction …
First of all, I need to mention something about the contributors overall. Prior to this issue, the most authors we’ve had in a particular issue who had previously contributed stories to the magazine was two. In this issue, there are four authors who have previously contributed fiction to the magazine. It should be noted that one of them, Charles de Lint, had only previously contributed a reprint, whereas the other three authors had contributed original fiction. Regardless, this strikes me as an important step in the magazine’s evolution, as it demonstrates how Shawna was building a sizable lineup of regular contributors, writers the magazine’s readers will recognize from earlier issues.
The first story in the issue is “Scapegoat.” The author is Susan J. Kroupa, and while Susan would go on to publish other stories with Realms, in this particular issue she is the lone author who hasn’t contributed a previous story to the magazine. This particular story dealt with rainmaking and sacrifices, drawing heavily on Native American mythology in the process. It also marked the first story in the magazine that featured a Native American protagonist. Art to this one was provided by David Beck, which marks his fourth illustration in the magazine.
Next up was an urban fantasy tale, “Shining Nowhere But in the Dark,” by the aforementioned Charles de Lint. And as I said, while Charles had contributed fiction to the magazine before, this marked his first original piece within Realms’ pages. This was an interesting and thoughtful piece , dealing with the links between life, death, and dreaming, and what happens when a woman who never dreams tries to keep it this way. Art to this one was provided by Mary O’Keefe Young, which marks her seventh illustration in the magazine.
Next up was “Nairich” by William F. Wu, and it marks his second appearance in the magazine. This piece is set in 1906 San Francisco , right around the time of the Great Quake. It’s a very atmospheric piece, and it informs the readers about some of the darker practices during this time, all in the interests of making $$$. Somehow I guessed the ending to this one. Growing up, I mostly read novels and it became a habit of mine to figure out the endings to books. Eventually, I got so good at it that I was guessing endings hundreds of pages in advance, and lots of stuff along the way. For me, one of the major indicators of a good book was if I didn’t see the plot twists coming. With short fiction though, it’s a different bag of worms. Sure, I figure out some of the endings, but short fiction relies on a lot of literary tricks I’m not nearly as used to reading about (yet). Also, with a magazine like Realms, where we generally don’t publish anything longer than 10,000 words, a story is often over in the blink of an eye. You don’t have time to chew on a story as you’re reading it like you do with a novel. You read, you blink, and it’s over. It’s more like swallowing stuff whole. So sometimes, before I can figure out where a story might be going, it’s done. This particular story wasn’t terribly long, and the ending was one that should have surprised me, I think, but somehow, halfway through it, I said to myself “She must be [blank].” And she was. So maybe all this short fiction reading is making me better at figuring out the endings to shorter works, or maybe I got lucky. Either way, I’ll give myself a tip o’ the literary cap for figuring it out! Art to this one was provided by Web Bryant, which marks his sixth illustration in the magazine.
The fourth story was “The Beautiful Wassilissa” by Don Webb, and it marks his second appearance in the magazine, the first where he wrote the story himself. This was a dark fairy tale, a mixture of Cinderella components and Russian folklore. Despite its brevity, I found it rather engrossing because of its macabre presentation. Art to this one was provided by Annie Lunsford, which marks her third illustration in the magazine.
The last story was “Hot Death on Wheels” by Geoffrey A. Landis, and it marked his second appearance in the magazine. This was an enjoyable piece about a hot-rodder who never loses …and then one day he must drag-race with Death. It was the voice that sold me on this one, because it was particularly strong. One interesting thing about this story though was the personality of the narrator. He slanders entire groups of people as he tells the tale, using terms such as “fags” and “coons” (being as this piece seems to be set in the 1950s, the insult of “coons” was a little more common then, I think). Now this is the sort of thing where people could take offense. Easily. But I have friends that are gay, and friends that are black, and I wasn’t offended by the author’s language. Why? Because I didn’t believe these were the author’s opinions, but the narrator’s. There is a definite difference. With stories that deal with racism or other prejudices, ignorant/slanderous language is often used to help illuminate the themes of a given piece. But this piece wasn’t about racism, and the terms were used in a very casual manner. So in a case such as this it falls to the author to get it across that these are the narrator’s views, not his, and to do this without interrupting the flow of the story. And I do believe he pulled it off, all through the voice of the narrator. Shawna must have thought so too, or she never would have published this. Also, given when this piece was supposed to take place, the language could arguably be viewed as a sign of the times. Art to this one was provided by Mike Wright, which marks his third illustration in the magazine.
So that wraps up this issue. And my favorite story? “Shining Nowhere But in the Dark” by Charles de Lint. And my favorite artwork? David Beck’s illustration to “Scapegoat” by Susan J. Kroupa. Next time I’ll polish off the 1996 publishing year when I discuss the December 1996 issue. Until then ..
Realms of Fantasy: August 1996 (Issue 12)
Part 12 in my ongoing retrospective as I read the fiction in the back issues of Realms of Fantasy and offer my thoughts, right up to the present issue. This edition’s subject will be the August 1996 issue.
The cover to this one is by Tim Hildebrandt. It features a warrior with a glowing sword, along with a flying dragon in the background.
A rundown of this issue’s nonfiction is as follows:
In adult books, Gahan Wilson reviews The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman, Remnant Population by Elizabeth Moon, Serial Killer Days by David Prill, and Jeanne Cavelos reviews Black Horse for the King by Anne McCaffrey, and Touch Wood, edited by Peter Crowther; in the movie/TV column, Dan Perez reviews Peter Jackson’s The Frighteners; in the Folkroots column, Terri Windling discusses fairy tales in poetry; in the artist gallery, Harlan Ellison discusses the art of Barclay Shaw; and in the games column, Mark Sumner reviews Civilization II for the PC, the miniature game, Warhammer, and the video game, Resident Evil.
On to the fiction …
The lead story was a magic realism piece by Peni R. Griffin called “Goldfish,” with art provided by Jody Williams. This one resonated with me very powerfully, revolving around a premise that on the surface sounds extremely absurd: a man and a goldfish swap places. And no, this wasn’t a comical piece. Far from it. It actually features some very deep characterizations, and at times the protagonist reminded me of Charlie from Flowers for Algernon, one of my all-time favorite novels (I’ve yet to read the shorter version of this story). Just goes to show you that if you have a story worth telling, it really doesn’t matter how absurd your premise is. It’s also worth noting that was the first piece in Realms of Fantasy that featured a protagonist of Hispanic descent.
Next up was “Death Loves Me” by Tanith Lee, her third appearance in Realms, pulling her into a tie with Deborah Wheeler for most appearances in the magazine (to this point). Art to this one was provided by Todd Lockwood, which marks his third illustration in the magazine. This illustration was the winner of the 1997 Chesley Award for Interior Illustration, making this the first artwork in Realms to win an award. Getting back to the story, this particular piece takes place in ancient Greece, and considering the author, it’s no surprise that it features a lush atmosphere and rich language. Overall the fantasy element here is slight, but it plays a pivotal role as Lee delves into the world of charioteers in a story of love, lust, betrayal, and deception.
The next story, “Remedy of the Bane” by Storm Constantine, also relies on a slight but essential fantasy element, and also relies on a whole lot of lust, deception, and evocative language. The characterizations here were perfect, and for beginning authors I’d point to this story as an excellent example of characters creating plot through their behaviors and actions, to such an extent that there was no other way this piece could have ended. I saw it coming, and was very satisfied when the author delivered. And then she took it a step further, surprising me and taking the story to another level in the last paragraph. I love it when that happens. Art to this one was provided by Carol Heyer, which marks her fifth illustration in the magazine.
Following this was a short-short by Pat York called “A Faerie’s Tale.” Art to this was provided by Laurie Harden, which marks her third illustration in the magazine. It’s often hard to go into a lot of detail about short-shorts because, well, they’re particularly short. Suffice it to say that the author spins a quick yarn about the lengths some fairies will go to protect that which is theirs.
The last story in this issue was “The Women Kahele Loved” by Julie Stevens. Art to this one was provided by Ken Graning, which marks his fifth illustration in the magazine. With this story, Stevens returns to her milieu of a Hawaii imbued with gods and magic, which she introduced to us with “Pacifica” in the February 1996 issue. As with “Pacifica” (a story I rather enjoyed), a big chunk of the story’s charm comes from the author exploring this rather exotic milieu that is rarely seen in the pages of fantasy. She also wields a deft hand with the characterization, telling the story a chief’s wife and his witch-lover working together to avenge his murder. And let’s not look past an important first for the magazine because of this story, this being the lesbian relationship that develops between these women. Before this, the closest any story came to this territory was a tale by Tanith Lee back in the February 1995 issue called “The Story Told By Smoke: From the Journals of St. Strange.” In that story, two female characters shared kisses and caresses, but before things might progress further things were cut tragically short. So “The Women Kahele Loved” represents the first story in the magazine to significantly explore homosexuality, and since both women had also shared a bed with Kahele (the aforementioned chief), one might also argue there is at least a passing exploration of bisexuality. Of course, Kahele is dead when these women get together, and the fact that these women end up having sex with both sexes isn’t something the author really focuses on. Still, it’s worth mentioning.
So that wraps up this issue. And my favorite? A lot good stories in this issue, but for me the runaway favorite is “Goldfish” by Peni R. Griffin. And my favorite artwork? Todd Lockwood’s illustration to “Death Loves Me” by Tanith Lee. Next time I’ll be examining the October 1996 issue. Until then …
Realms of Fantasy: June 1996 (Issue 11)
Part eleven in my ongoing retrospective as I read the fiction in the back issues of Realms of Fantasy and offer my thoughts, right up to the present. This time around I’ll be tackling the June 1996 issue.
The cover to this one is provided by Keith Parkinson. It features a half-elf warrior with a little dragon familiar perched on her hand, with her horse in the background. It’s also worth noting that this marks the first of Realms of Fantasy’s infamous chicks in chain mail covers.
A look in the masthead reveals that Ronald M. Stevens is no longer the art director. His replacement is Stephen Vann.
A rundown of this issue’s nonfiction is as follows:
In the adult books column, Gahan Wilson reviews Expiration Date by Tim Powers, The 37th Mandala by Marc Laidlaw, Common Clay: 20 Odd Stories by Brian W. Aldiss, and Jeanne Cavlos reviews Lammas Night, created by Mercedes Lackey, edited by Josepha Sherman; in the Movie/TV column, Dan Perez reviews the movie, Dragonheart; in the Folkroots column, Terri Windling writes about hounds, hares, and standing stones: the lore of England’s west country; in the artist gallery, renowned children’s author Jane Yolen discusses children’s book illustrations; and in the games column Mark Sumner reviews the CD Rom games, D and Psychic Detective.
On to the fiction …
As to the first story in this issue, that honor goes to James Killus for “The Emperor of Dreams.” This story falls somewhere between the realm of surrealism and metafiction. It deals with alternating scenes between a fantasy author in search of the perfect ending to his story, and snippets from the actual story. At one point an ending is suggested to him (one we don’t learn), and he discards it. Come the end, we get to read the end to the “author’s” story, and I do think it’s right the one, both to the story and to the story-within-the-story. I suspect it’s the ending he discarded, though there’s no way to be certain. Stories like this usually fail, or if nothing else fail to hold my attention. This one pulled it off though. Art to this one is provided by Chuck Demorat, which marks his second illustration in the magazine.
Next up was “Sphinx Song” by the aforementioned Jane Yolen. Art to this one was provided by Janet Ausilio, which marks her third illustration in the magazine. This marks the third time I’m admitting to my pathetic inadequacies as a fantasy reader, because I’d never before read anything by Jane Yolen (and since I’d never read any Tanith Lee until I started reading the back issues, I suppose that makes four pathetic inadequacies. Oye!) There’s nothing like going through every issue of a fantasy magazine to throw a man off his pedestal of fantasy knowledge. Of course, now that I’m reading all of these issues, I’m beginning the slow crawl back to respectability. Anyway, Jane Yolen has such an honest and easy storytelling voice. It oozes unassuming charm. And I learned more about the different kinds of sphinxes than I ever expected. A short read, but a fun one.
The third and longest story of the issue was “The God at Midnight” by Thomas E. Fuller & Brad Strickland. This one provides a fascinating alternate version of Greece where several gods act as advisers to Alexander the Great, and Alexander himself, practically a god already, is on the verge of achieving immortality, courtesy of Egyptian vampire that’s forced to obey him. The word “vampire” is never used, but if you pay attention it’s obvious enough that what we’re dealing with. This one is dark, lush, and rich with invention. Art to this one was provided by Mary O’Keefe Young, which marks her sixth illustration in the magazine.
Next up was “Vanishing Acts” by Kelly Link, a magic realism piece, I think, although the age of the protagonist might leave one wanting to call this YA. Art to this one was provided by Michael Gibbs. This story was one of Kelly’s first published stories. I know this because over the summer Gavin J. Grant happened to mention to me that one of Kelly’s first stories was published in Realms. This must be the one he was referring to. As to the story itself, I have to describe it as a slow burn. Kelly really excelled at capturing the mundane details of life, and while I could appreciate the writing and her eye for detail, I wasn’t sure if this piece was for me. But the more it went on the more it drew me in, until after a few pages I was devouring the words, and the mundane had smoothly and seamlessly become quite a fabulous tale. Very skillfully done.
After this came a rather silly tale called “Grandma’s Blessing” by Frank C. Gunderloy, a story about how blessings can just as easily be viewed as curses. It’s kind of hard to explain or comment on this one, just because it’s so zany. You’ll understand if you read it. Art to this one was provided by Michael Dubisch, which marks his third illustration in the magazine.
The last story was a YA tale, “Beth’s Unicorn” by Lawrence Watt-Evans. Art provided was provided by Ken Graning, which marks his fourth illustration in the magazine. On more than one occasion Shawna has mentioned to me how tired she is of unicorn stories. So I guess that means she must have really liked this one. It’s an engaging enough tale, and I think it’s the thematic content that puts this one over the top. Among the themes I detected here were how sometimes we blind ourselves to the magic right beneath our noses, and how we should never take gifts granted. There are others too, if I were to keep thinking about it, but I feel my brain shutting down, so this will have to do.
So that’s it for this issue. And my favorite story? “Vanishing Acts” by Kelly Link. And my favorite artwork? Keith Parkinson’s cover. Next time I’ll offer my thoughts on the August 1996 issue. Until then …
Realms of Fantasy: April 1996 (Issue 10)
Part 10 in my ongoing retrospective as I read and offer my thoughts on the fiction in the Realms of Fantasy back issues, right up to the present. This time around I’ll be offering some thoughts on the April 1996 issue.
The cover of this issue is by Brom and it features a half-elf warrior with a dragon in the background. This cover was nominated for a 1997 Chesley for Cover Illustration.
A rundown of this issue’s nonfiction is as follows:
In adult books, Gahan Wilson reviews a reissuing of Ill Met in Lankhmar by Fritz Leiber, Love & Sleep by John Crowley, and The Bloody Red Baron by Kim Newman, and Jeanne Cavelos reviews The Book of Atrix Wolfe by Patricia A. McKillip; in the Folkroots column, Terri Windling writes about Merlin and Melusine: legends from the Breton coast of France; In the Movie/TV column, newcomer Craig Reid discusses the TV shows Hercules and Xena; in the artist gallery, Michael Resnick discusses the art of Jim Warren; and in the gaming column, Mark C. Sumner reviews Warcraft II and Shannara, based on Terry Brooks’ books, both for the PC.
On to the fiction …
The first story is “Sarah’s Window” by Janni Lee Simner. Art to this one was provided by J.K.Potter. In my opinion, this story is a middle-grade fantasy, which marks the first time such tale has graced the magazine. What is interesting is that the protagonist isn’t a young child, which is usually the case with this type of fantasy. Instead, the protagonist is the child’s father. In a very few pages, Janni manages to explore a lot of old and familiar tropes in fresh ways, all the while painting a rather vivid picture with powerful characterizations. I haven’t read too much fantasy in this vein, but I must say that I really liked this one.
Next up was “Snow” by Al Sarrantonio, another middle-grade fantasy, though this time the protagonists are children. The story itself is fun, as it explores the old theme of being careful what you wish for. Saying anything more would give too much of this story away, but I enjoyed this one as well. Art to this was provided by Laurie Harden, which marks her second illustration in the magazine.
We move back to an adult protagonist in the next tale, “Pavanne For a Dead Pross” by Jo Clayton. Art to this was provided by John Berkey. This story is dark urban fantasy. So far I haven’t encountered too much urban fantasy in the back issues. For that matter, I’ve noticed we haven’t run too much urban fantasy since I’ve come aboard, nor have I come across too many stories of this sort in the slush that have excited me (my slush survivor “Snake Charmer” by Amanda Downum being an obvious exception). And this leaves me wondering something. I’ve heard a number of times (and have said as much myself) that it’s difficult to write effective high fantasy in the shorter form. But based on everything I’ve read so far–these being the earliest issues of Realms and the most recent ones–I’d say we’ve published noticeably more high fantasy than urban fantasy. So maybe urban fantasy is another sub-genre that lends itself more to the longer form (in reference to some of the other more recognizable areas, sword & sorcery strikes me as lending itself to the shorter form, and magic realism seems to lend itself to all lengths). If others have thoughts on this matter, I’d love to hear them. Regardless, I enjoyed the darkness and tension in this tale. It kept me engaged throughout, so I see why Shawna took this one.
Next up is “With Vorpal Sword in Hand” by Bruce Boston. Art to this was provided by Marc Sasso. Just about everyone is familiar with Lewis Carroll’s nonsense poem dealing with the Jabberwocky & co. This tale attempts to make some sense of the nonsensical, as it treats the Jabberwocky & co. as real characters with real motivations. A very outside-the-box tale, and I’m sure fans of Lewis Carroll’s ALICE IN WONDERLAND will appreciate this one. Alas, I’ve yet to read this classic. I know, I know. How could I have not read this yet? The more I do these entries, the more my reading deficiencies in fantasy literature are becoming revealed. Oh, well. There’s always something we need to read. So far we know I need to read more Robert Silverberg (see my last retrospective) and Alice in Wonderland. I’m sure the list will grow as we continue.
The last story is a high fantasy piece, “Leuka and Phlego,” by Lisa R. Cohen. Art to this one was provided by David Martin. This has to be one of the longest stories we’ve ever run in RoF. If it’s not a novella, than it comes in as a very long novelette. The characterizations and ideas in this piece strike me as its biggest strengths. Each character is clearly defined, and some of the ideas–like a fey queen stealing a human male’s beautiful voice for her own nefarious purposes–strike me as awesome. Certainly worth a read.
So that covers the fiction for April 1996. And my favorite story? “Sarah’s Window” by Janni Lee Simner. And my favorite artwork? Marc Sasso’s illustration to “Vorpal Sword in Hand” by Bruce Boston. Next time I’ll yak about the June 1996 issue. Until then …
Realms of Fantasy: February 1996 (Issue 9)
Part 9 in my ongoing series as I read the fiction to Realms of Fantasy and offer my thoughts, right up to the present issue. This time around I’ll be discussing the February 1996 issue.
The cover to this issue is by Steven Assel,and features a woman warrior on horseback armed with a spear.
A rundown of this issue’s nonfiction is as follows:
In adult books, Gahan Wilson reviews The Off Season by Jack Cady, The Shape-Changer’s Wife by Sharon Shinn, Cthulu 2000, edited by Jim Turner, and Jeanne Cavlos reviews The Merlin Chronicles, edited by Mike Ashley, and newcomer Louisa Bourne reviews The Book of Goddesses, words and pictures by Kris Waldherr; in folkroots Terri Windling writes about Eastern European Magic: alchemy, witchery, and puppetry in Prague; in the movie/TV column, newcomer Dan Perez writes about the thirteen best fantasy films you’ve never heard of; in the art gallery, Jane Frank writes about the art in game and collector cards; and in the games column, Marc C. Sumner reviews the rpg, Everway, from Wizards of the Coast, and the dice game, Dragon Dice, from TSR. Obviously this review takes place in the days before Wizards of the Coast bought TSR.
On to the fiction …
The fiction leads off with a rather familiar title to all fantasy fans, this being “The Return of the King.” And while this funny fantasy does indeed draw upon elements from Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion (indirectly for both), it also draws heavily on Norse mythology (as do LOTR & the Silmarillion, of course), and, of all things, Elvis. Quite a mix. And with the story being written by Susan Wade & Don Webb, this also marks the first time that Realms published a co-written story. Art to this was provided by Annie Lunsford, which marks her second illustration in the magazine.
Next up was “Diana of the Hundred Breasts” by Robert Silverberg. According to the records I’m keeping as I go along, this marks the 50th work of fiction published by Realms of Fantasy. I’m almost embarrassed to admit that this is the first piece of fiction I’ve read by Robert Silverberg. I’ve known about him and respected his accomplishments/contributions to our genre for some years, have at least a few of his novels in my room, but somehow I’ve never read any of his works. After reading this piece, I understand why it was Long Listed for the Locus Award in 1997 for Best Novelette, and was also selected for inclusion in the 10th annual edition of Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror. As to what the story is about, in the broadest sense of the word it falls into the realms of Greek mythology, but really it is a character piece, and an observation about how lack of faith can be a kind of faith itself, and having this shattered can be every bit as powerful as having one’s faith shattered. Very powerful and I’m looking forward to reading more of Silverberg’s works in the future. Art to this piece was provided by Web Bryant, which marks his fifth illustration in the magazine.
Third in the lineup was “Pacifica” by Julie Stevens. Art to this one is provided by Carol Heyer, which marks her fourth illustration in the magazine. Sort of a historical fantasy piece, it’s set in the in the milieu of Hawaii before the white men reached its shores. The author does an excellent job of conveying the milieu, the simple but fascinating way of life, as she tells the story of one man who rises to be the greatest of prophets among his people, but where she takes the tale is full of sad, powerful, and unexpected ironies. Nicely done.
Jack McDevitt is generally known for his science fiction, but with “Duex Ex” he shows that he can write fantasy as well. This is a quirky tale about thieves pulling off a heist in a house containing a rather eclectic assortment of artifacts. Elaborating will simply give away the story, so I’ll simply add that there’s nice undercurrent of humor here and leave it at that. Art to this one was provided by Michael Dubisch, which mark his second illustration in the magazine.
The final story is “Doll Skulls: A New Tale of Paradis” by Tanith Lee, which marks her second appearance in Realms of Fantasy. I gave some thought as to how I would classify this story, before settling on literary fairy tale. In the city of Paradis, a poor and beleaguered woman buys her daughter a pair of beautiful dolls at an extreme discount. As is often the case in such stories, the dolls turn out to be more than she bargained for. But Lee excels at keeping the reader uncertain what will happen next, and coupled with skill at weaving hypnotic prose and lush milieus, you find yourself being drawn ever deeper into the story before it reaches a rather satisfying conclusion. Good stuff. Art to this one was provided by Mary O’Keefe Young, which marks her fifth illustration in the magazine.
And that’s it for February 1996. I liked a number of tales in this issue, but my runaway favorite is “Diana of the Hundred Breasts” by Robert Silverberg. I have a feeling this is one of my favorite authors waiting to happen. Just need to read more of his stuff before I can make such a bold statement. And my favorite art this issue? Carol Heyer’s piece to “Pacifica” by Julie Stevens. Next time around I’ll discuss the April 1996 issue. Until then …
