Retrospectives: 1994-1995

Realms of Fantasy: December 1995 (Issue8)

Part eight in my ongoing retrospective as I read the fiction to the back issues of Realms of Fantasy and offer my thoughts, up through the present issue.  This time around I’ll be discussing the December 1995 issue.

The cover to this one is illustrated by Michael Whelan, which marks his third illustration in the magazine.  It features a dragon clasping an unconscious woman in its claws.

A rundown of this issue’s nonfiction is as follows:

In adult books, Gahan Wilson reviews Candlenight by Phil Rickman, Traveling with the Dead by Barbara Hambly, and Zod Wallop by William Browning Spencer, and Jeanne Cavelos reviews Great Writers & Kids Write Spooky Stories, edited by Martin H. Greenberg, Jill M. Morgan, and Robert Weinberg, as well as Isaac Asimov’s Ghosts, edited by Gardner Dozois & Sheila Williams; in folkroots, Terri Windling discusses the magical legends of the “Enchanted Lands” of Wales; in the movie/TV column, newcomer Lisa MacCarillo covers the movie, Jumanji; in the Artist Gallery, Ric Meyers covers James Gurney’s Dinotopia: the World Beneath; and in the gaming column Mark C. Sumner reviews the video game Pitfall: the Mayan Adventure, Panzer Dragoon for the Sega Saturn, and the miniature paints and accessories line, The Chessex Magic Wand Beginner Paint Gift Set.

On to the fiction …

The lead story is “Eagle’s Beak and Wings of Bronze” by Deborah Wheeler, which marks her third appearance in Realms (the first to reach this mark).  Art to this one is a reprint from Carl Lundgren.  With this story, Wheeler demonstrates her versatility in the fantasy short form.  The first tale she published with us was a piece of surrealism about a painter and her sick mother, the second was a post-apocalyptic about a vampire and a devout Jew.  This time she chose the fairy tale form, with the main characters being a were-griffin and a were-dragon.  I’ll point out that while I’ve yet to read any stories in Realms about werewolves, this does mark the first story in the magazine with lycanthropes.

Next up was the story “Wings” by Patricia Duffy Novak, and it was the first piece of Greek mythology in Realms of Fantasy.  Art is by Carol Heyer, which marks her third illustration in the magazine.  I have to say, the idea behind this one is major cool.  Novak chose to do a retelling of the Icarus myth,  but substitute the word “sun” with “moon” and you get the gist of the major component she tweaked.  Honestly, in terms of reinvention to a well-known tale, this is one of the more engaging ideas I’ve encountered in Realms.

The third story was “Good Help is Hard to Find” by William John Watkins, a vampire tale with a rather psychological bent.  Told strictly through the pov of one of the vampires, this tale focuses on the mindset of a vampire, why they do what they do, how they think.  It didn’t make me sympathize, but it did make me understand.  Art to this one was provided by Mark Harrison.

So of the three stories I’ve discussed so far, one was a fairy tale and another story was a retelling.  So I guess it’s only appropriate that this fourth story was a retelling of a fairy tale, the Little Mermaid to be exact.  I must confess that before reading this story (“Foam” by Dave Smeds), the only version of this tale I ever came across was early during my run as assistant editor at Realms.  One of the first slush survivors I passed along was a dark retelling of the Little Mermaid, although at the time I didn’t realize this was a retelling.  It was just a cool story by my good friend, Alethea Kontis.  Shawna didn’t take that tale, though Alethea did place it elsewhere and eventually sold us another story (to be discussed many many retrospectives from now).  So yes, this means I’ve never even seen the Disney movie for this story.  But I liked this story a lot, and I’m fairly certain this is the first story in Realms that had a mermaid in it.  Art to this one was provided by Gary Lippincott, which marks his second illustration in the magazine.

The next story was “The Perseids” by Robert Charles Wilson. This is a reprint …sort of. As Shawna explained it to me, she accepted this story first for RoF, but it was first printed in the Canadian anthology, Northern Frights 3. The Locus Awards index lists this as being nominated for 1996 Nebula Award for Best Novelette, with Realms of Fantasy as the publisher. However, it also lists the nomination as being [deleted]. This all happened way before my time, but I think I can piece together what happened here. The story was first published in a Canadian anthology, and the Nebulas only recognize stories originally published in the U.S. Meanwhile, Sovereign Media neglected to print anywhere in RoF that this story was a reprint (perhaps because Shawna accepted it first). So I suspect that for a long time a lot of people thought it was eligible for the Nebula Award, to the point that it was nominated before everyone was made aware of the mistake. What a mess! Anyway, while it never had a chance to win the Nebula Award, it should be noted that it won the Aurora Award in Canada for best short sf. And not to be left out, it was also nominated for the 1996 World Fantasy Award for Best Short Fiction (though the original publisher was listed as Northern Frights 3. This story has a heavy philosophical sensibility to it, questioning the very nature of evolution and life. Early on I was absolutely convinced this story was science fiction, but as I kept reading it, I came to see how this could be considered fantasy as well. To me, it doesn’t fall neatly into any of these categories though. You can argue for it belonging to either one of these genres really. Given this, it could certainly be published as a piece of fantasy. In her description of the piece, Shawna describes it as blend of Arthur C. Clarke & H.P. Lovecraft. I agree, but I’d also add that something about the characterizations and paranoia also brings Philip K. Dick to mind. As to the story itself, it’s really hard to describe, but it had me thinking after I was done. I may think about stories after I’m done with them, but this was something different and far more rare. It just had me thinking. Very heady stuff. Art to this one was provided by Ken Graning, which marks his third illustration in the magazine.

The last story of this issue was “Stealing From the Woman Snake” by Fred Askew.  Art to this one was provided by Joel Napstrek.  It marks the first tall tale we ran in the magazine, a zany story about a man stealing soil from an ant colony run by a coral snake.  Kind of coincidence that I should read this so recently, since I’ll soon be passing along the first tall tale I’ve ever fished out of the submissions piles.

So this brings us to the end of Realms of Fantasy for 1995.    And my favorite story for this issue?   I have to give the nod to “The Perseids” because of how thought-provoking it was.  And my favorite story original to the magazine? “Foam” by Dave Smeds. And my favorite artwork?  Carol Heyer’s illustration to “Wings” by Patricia Duffy Novak.  Next time we’ll kick off the 1996 publishing year with the February 1996 issue.  Until then …

Realms of Fantasy: October 1995 (Issue 7)

Part seven in my ongoing series as I read the fiction to the back issues of Realms of Fantasy and offer my thoughts, all the way through the present issue.  This time around I’ll be discussing the October 1995 issue.  The cover to this one proudly announces this as the one-year anniversary issue, which is always a big deal.  One never knows how long any magazine will last (especially in these uncertain times for print), so a year is no small thing.  Cover art to this one is a reprint of Bob Eggleton’s work, which marks his second illustration to appear in the magazine.  It features an undead warrior riding a dragon.

A rundown of the issue’s nonfiction is as follows:

In the adult books column, Gahan Wilson covers Tales of Zothique from Necronomicon Press, which collects a number of short fiction tales from Clark Ashton Smith, The Ghosts of Sleath by James Herbert, The X-Files: Whirlwind by Charles Grant, California Gothic by  Dennis Etchison, and Jeanne Cavelos reviews Storm Rising: Books Two of the Mage Storms by Mercedes Lackey; in the Movie/TV column, Eric Niderfrost covers the silver screen flick, The Prophecy; in the Folkroots column, Terri Windling discusses the magical lore of Italy; in the Artist Gallery, Robert D. San Souci covers the art of Stephen Johnson; and in the gaming column, Mark Sumner reviews the board game, The Hobbit Adventure Board Game, Warcraft: Orcs vs. Humans, and I.M. Meen for the PC.

On to the fiction …

As is usual in these early days of Realms of Fantasy, this issue had some more firsts.  I’ve yet to actually break everything down, but I would guess the average issue of Realms of Fantasy contains six stories.  The first issue actually had 7 stories, but this was the first issue to have as few as five stories.   No surprise though.  “A Matter of Honor” by Chris Bunch is a very long tale (and the second story in this issue as opposed to the first), taking up a lot of pages.  Not that I’m complaining.  This story was rollicking good fun, filled with exotic milieus and clever solutions on the part of the protagonist who is attempting to be reunited with his wife.  It also marked the first time we ran a piece in the sub-genre of sword & sorcery.

Another first for this issue came in the lead story of this issue, “Tuli, Prince of the Monguls” by William  F. Wu (and the first story in this issue).  Art is provided by Mary O’Keefe Young, which marks her fourth illustration in the magazine.   Anyway, the previous issue featured our first story with an Asian protagonist when we ran “The Ruby” by Beverly Suarez-Beard.  But that story was set during modern times (not a knock at all, since that was my favorite story of the issue).  This was the first story we ran that featured a story set in the ancient Far East.  In this story, Tuli, prince of the Mongols, and a sad scholar both seek death, but which of them truly has nothing to live for?

Yet another first in this issue was our running a fantasy story that deals with sports, something you see from time to time.  This particular tale, “Magic Carpets” by Leslie What, was a magic realism tale in which baseball factored heavily into the story (the sport that seems to be the most popular one when it comes to fantasy).   The story wasn’t really about baseball, more about two sisters seeking a better life while living with an abusive father, but baseball factors into this story heavily enough that the sports aspect is  worth a mention in this retrospective.  On the outside this probably sounds like an odd mix to put into one story, but it works if you read it.  Art to this one was provided by Paul Salmon, which marks his third illustration in the magazine.

Following this was an unclassifiable tale by L. Timmel Duchamp called “Promises to Keep,” a story about a family that has been taking care of a primordial creature that’s been living in its basement for many generations.  It had a bit of a New Age flavor to it, something I haven’t seen in Realms before.  Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve read any New Age fantasy before this one, at least none that I can recall.  I read this one today, so I’m still digesting it and thinking it over.  Definitely worth a read.  Art to this one was provided by Broeck Steadman, which marks his second appearance in the magazine.

The last story in this issue was a short tale by Geoffrey A. Landis called “Tale of the Fish Who Loved a Bird.”  Art to this one is provided by Janet Ausilio Dannheiser, which marks her second illustration in the magazine.  It’s also worth noting that this is the first issue of Realms where the cover and interior illustrations are all by artists whose work has already appeared in the magazine in these capacities.  Anyway, this story marks the first true fable we ran in the magazine.  Going by the title, this sounds like a preposterous idea, but it’s also intriguing enough that you want to find out just what the author is up to with this.   It turned out to be a very beautiful tale, and come the end you absolutely believe it.  Just goes to show if your imagination is fertile enough and the writer is skillful enough, any idea can be made to work.

So that wraps up this issue.  And my favorite story this issue?  I have to give the nod to “Tale of the Fish Who Loved a Bird” by Geoffrey A. Landis.  And my favorite artwork?  Broeck Steadman’s illustration to “Promises to Keep” by L. Timmel Duchamp.

Next up will be the December 1995 issue, and in the meanwhile I’ll continue trying to hunt down those last few issues of Realms of Fantasy, so all future retrospectives can continue in chronological order.  Until then …

Realms of Fantasy: August 1995 (Issue 6)

Part six in my ongoing series as I read the back issues to Realms of Fantasy and offer my thoughts on the fiction, all the way through the present issue.

This issue kicks off with some reprinted cover art that I recognize as an old cover to A Darkness at Sethanon by Raymond E. Feist, the finale to his bestselling Riftwar Saga.   It’s been ages since I’ve  read  this (like over 15 years), but if memory serves correctly I believe it’s a picture of Tomas driving his sword into the Lifestone.  The actual art to this one is by Don Maitz, which marks the second time his work has graced RoF.

A rundown of the issue’s nonfiction is as follows:

In adult books, Gahan Wilson reviews The Unnatural by David Prill, Moondog by Henry Garfield, and Mysterium by Robert Charles Wilson.  Jeanne Cavelos makes her first appearance in book reviews this issue, with a review of The Magnifiecent Wilf by Gordon R. Dickson, and Dan Silver reviews Adventures in the Twilight Zone, edited by Carol Serling.  In the Movie/TV column, Eric Niderfrost reviews fantasy movies, Pocahontas and The Indian in the Cupboard.  Folkroots is handled by Terri Windling, and she writes about the transformational power of fairy tales as they pertain to the hero’s quest.  Terri also handles the artist gallery this issue, and she covers the art of Thomas Canty.  Mark Sumner handles the Games Column, covering Terry Pratchett’s Discworld on CD-ROM, and the card game, Shadowfist, from Daedalus Games.

On to the fiction …

There are a ton of firsts in this issue.  The lead story was “Transfusion” by Deborah Wheeler.  Art is by David Beck, which marks his third appearance in the magazine.  By having fiction appear in this issue, Deborah becomes the first author to have stories in successive issues (her story in the last issue was “Mother Moves In”).  This was also the first time a piece of vampire fiction appeared in the magazine’s pages, and the first time we ran a piece of post-apocalyptic literature. The premise was a fascinating one, as a man and a vampire end up sharing a deep physical, emotional, and spiritual link after a blood transfusion.  Besides all these firsts, there is one other noting.  Two issues earlier, we reprinted a story by Lisa Goldstein called “Bread Crumbs & Stones.”  The protagonist in this one was Jewish, which actually made it the first original story run in Realms that featured a minority as the protagonist.  In “Transfusion,” there are two protagonists, one being the vampire, the other being the man he shared the transfusion with, in this case a Jewish man.  So “Transfusion” marks the first original story to Realms to feature a Jewish protagonist.

And speaking of minority protagonists, we see another one in the very next story, this by Beverly Suarez-Beard.  The name of the story is “The Ruby,” and it marks the first tale to appear in Realms featuring a protagonist of Far Eastern descent (Chinese-American).  This story also contains the very first dragon to make an appearance in the fiction pages.  The story delves into Chinese mythology, and it was a fascinating blend of characterization and tension.  I don’t want to ruin the premise behind this one, but suffice it to say that the dragon is hardly the stock interpretation that comes to mind at the mention of this mythic creature.  I think it’s cool that our first tale about the great wyrm went in a somewhat different direction.  Art to this one was provided by Web Bryant, which marks his fourth appearance in the magazine.

Next up was a piece of magic realism by Carrie Richerson called “Geckos.”  Art to this one is provided by Alan M. Clark, and seems to be a reprint of his cover to Geckos by Carrie Richerson, from Roadkill Press.  This is a very unusual piece, but in a good way.  The protagonist undergoes a rather radical transformation, and while not everything is explained down to the final letter, I didn’t much care.  The writing is really solid, and I think what ultimately sold me on this one was how many risks the author was willing to take with the story.

After this comes another reprint, “The Frog Prince” by our very own book reviewer, Gahan Wilson.  Art is provided by Michael Dubisch.  As you might guess, this was a reinterpretation of the classic fairy tale.  And as with much of the fiction that Shawna reprinted early on, it came from the same Datlow/Windling anthology, Snow White, Blood Red.  Shawna must really love this anthology, because at this rate Realms will end up reprinting the whole book!

Next up is “Radiomancer and Bubblegum” by S.N. Dyer, a quirky tale that examines the clash of pop culture and the spirit of old-school America.  Art is provided by Mike Wright, which marks his second appearance in the magazine.  At this point S.N. Dyer had published one previous story with us.  This is worth noting because this means this would be the first issue with stories by two previous fiction contributors, the other being the aforementioned Deborah Wheeler.  So by issue six, Shawna was already creating a cast of returning contributors to the magazine.

The last story was “The Evil That Men Do” by Brian Stableford.  Art is provided by Jon Foster.  This was a high fantasy tale with a lush milieu, but it’s true appeal were the moral and ethical dilemmas that the author presented to both his protagonist and his readers, and the atrocious ironies that riddle the ending.  I wasn’t quite sure how to feel after having read this one, but I was glad that I did.

So that wraps up this issue.  And my favorite story?  Lots of good stuff to choose from, but I have to give the nod “The Ruby” by Beverly Suarez-Beard.  I am most definitely a sucker for dragons.  And my favorite artwork?  The nod goes to Jon Foster’s illustration for “The Evil That Men Do.”

Next time around I’ll discuss the October 1995 issue.  Until then …

Realms of Fantasy: April 1995 (Issue 4)

Part five in my ongoing retrospective as I read the back issues to Realms of Fantasy and offer my thoughts on the fiction, all the way up to the present issue.  As has been the case until now, I continue to skip around a bit, because I don’t have the complete set of back issues yet (I’m working on it!)

Now, issue 4.

The cover to this one is a reprint of Broeck Steadman’s work.  It features a man stumbling upon a maiden and a unicorn, and was originally the cover to Song of Seashell Archives.

I’ll mention here that in addition to everything else, each issue I’ve been reading the editorials and the letter pages.  So in this issue it’s worth mentioning how it was the first “Guest Editorial,” i.e. someone writing the Editorial other than Shawna McCarthy.  And of all possible people, it was written by Jeanne Cavelos.  Jeanne is the director of the Odyssey Fantasy & Science Fiction Writing Workshop.  I attended the Odyssey Workshop back in 2000, and am forever grateful to Jeanne for the countless lessons she imparted to me concerning writing & editing speculative literature.  The  first year of Odyssey  was in the summer of ‘96, so when Jeanne wrote this editorial I’d imagine she’d already conceived Odyssey and was deep into the planning phases for its inaugural year.

A rundown of this issue’s nonfiction is as follows:

Book reviews are handled by Gahan Wilson and Dan Silver. Gahan covers A Plague of Angels by Sheri S. Tepper and Bride of the Rat God by Barbara Hambly and Dan Silver reviews Exiles: Volume I–The Ruins of Ambrai by Melanie Rawn and Ships of Merior by Janny Wurts.  In the Movie/TV column, Dan Persons has been replaced by Michael Cassutt, who offers an examination of science fiction vs. fantasy TV programming, any how fantasy has played second fiddle for some time.  Folkroots is again handled by Terri Windling, who examines the diverse ancient folk traditions of North America.  Janny Wurts handles this issue’s Artist Gallery, covering artist, Don Maitz. (IIRC, these two are married.  And in the Games column, M.C Sumner covers a pair of PC games with an adaptation of Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman’s Deathgate Cycle, along with Magic Carpet, which offers an Arabian flavor.  And for RPGs, he covers Masque of the Red Death, which is a supplement to TSR’s Ravenloft campaign.

On to the fiction …

Let’s start by noting that this is the first issue of Realms of Fantasy with all original fiction.  The first piece is called “Excerpts From the Diary of Samuel Pepys” by John Moore.  Art is by Janet Aulisio Dannheiser.  I’ve got to say, this one felt more like science fiction than fantasy to me.  So after I finished it I spent a few minutes thinking about why Shawna considered this piece as fantasy.  The best answer I have comes back to her editorial in the very first issue of  Realms, wherein she offered her definitions of fantasy and science fiction.  To sum up, fantasy=chaos.  Science fiction=order.  This piece certainly leaned much more toward the chaos side of the equation,  so in this respect I could see why Shawna considered it fantasy.  And there could be other reasons as well.  And clearly the author had his own reasons for considering this fantasy.  And while I’m certainly entitled to my opinion, at the end of the day it really only matters how John & Shawna saw this piece.

Next up was “His True and Only Wife” a very dark piece by Louise Cooper, with art by Tom Canty.   What I liked about this piece was the way it completely messed with my expectations.   It started off leaving me sympathizing with the protagonist, but with each successive scene the author kept taking me in a rather horrifying direction that seemed so at odds with the opening (but really made perfect sense).  If nothing else, I had to keep reading to see how this one would end.

Following this was “The Hour of Their Need” by Amy Wolf.  Art is by Gary Freeman. This one is a piece of Arthuriana that deals with Knights of the Round Table coming back to aid Britain during WWII.  It’s worth noting that Amy is the first author to have a second story appear within our pages.

After this was “Random Noise” by Carol Ives Gilman.  Art is by Web Bryant, which marks his second appearance in the magazine.  This was another piece that felt a lot more like sf than fantasy (to me), until the last few paragraphs when I suddenly decided it was in fact a contemporary fantasy about a woman trying to decipher the hidden language of trees.

Then we have “Breeding Lilacs” by Daniel Marcus, with art by Alfred Kamajian.  This one is piece of magic realism with an absolutely unexpected, shocking, and haunting ending.  I won’t soon forget it, as it explores how love for one’s family can become utterly twisted around when a woman is given a second chance to spend time with her dead father.

Finally we have “Hold Me Fast and Fear Not” by Margaret Ball.  Art is by David Beck, which marks his third appearance in the magazine.  I see stories about selkies in the slush pile all the time (and I’ve actually grown rather tired of them), but this marks the first time a selkie tale was in the magazine’s pages.  The trend-setter, if you will, as we see a woman risking all to rescue her child from the selkies.

So that wraps up this issue.  And my favorite story to this issue?  “Breeding Lilacs” by Daniel Marcus.  And my favorite artwork?  David Beck’s artwork to “Hold Me Fast and Fear Not.”  Next time around I will discuss issue 6, and then, amazingly enough, issue 7.  Until then …

Realms of Fantasy: December 1994 (Issue 2)

Part four 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 latest issue.  Again, we’re going a bit of out of order here, because it took me a little while to track down issue # 2 in my mission to assemble a complete set.  Here we go.

The cover to this issue is by Don Maitz.  It features a warrior in Asian(esque) armor, with electricity running up and down his sword.

A rundown of this issue’s nonfiction is as follows:

In adult book reviews, Gahan Wilson covers Curfew by Phil Rickman, The Winter Prince by Elizabeth E. Wein, Black Thorn, White Rose, edited by Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling, and The H.P. Lovecraft Dream Book, edited by S.T. Joshi, Will Murray & David E. Schultz.  Also, newcomer Dan Silver covers The Forest House by Marion Zimmer Bradley.  I must admit, John Jude Palencar’s illustration to this book’s cover has always freaked me out.  Something about the woman’s hands is just plain …wrong.  In the movie column, newcomer Dan Persons reviews the adaptation to Anne Rice’s Interview with a Vampire.  In the Folkroots column, Terri Windling covers the music of Faery, and how fantasy literature and folks music have their roots in Celtic ballads.  Author Charles de Lint handles the artist gallery this issue, and discusses the DreamWeavers traveling exhibition.  In the games column, M.C. Sumner covers the computer game, Companions of Xanth, which incorporates elements of Piers Anthony’s latest Xanth book (at the time), Demons Don’t Dream.  Also covered in this column are a pair of RPGs: White Wolf’s Vampire & TSR’s Ravenloft.

On to the fiction …

This issue’s fiction had a distinctly different feel from issue # 1, which probably did a lot to establish Realms as a market for all fantasy stories back during the magazine’s early days.  The lead story in this issue is “The Rusty Smith and Faer Linden” by Nancy Varian Berberick.  Art is by Mary O’Keefe Young, which marks her second illustration in the magazine.  While the fey made an appearance for the second issue in a row, this time they did so in a more traditional role, as this story seems to draw heavily on Celtic mythology as a less-than-stunning blacksmith pursues a beautiful fey who cannot escape the call of fate.

Next up is “A Rush of Wings” by Richard Rowand.  Art is by Laurie Harden.  This one featured our first piece of magic realism (although I should add the disclaimer that some might consider certain pieces of magic realism to be more accurately defined as contemporary fantasy) and also the first appearance of an angel (at least that’s what I assumed the creature to be).  In this one, a man recounts stumbling upon a dead creature washed up on the beach, and buries the creature, much the way his father wished him to bury his dreams.

Following this we have “The Lazarus Chronicle” by Amy Wolf, with art by Tom Simonton.  There also a small note beside the illustration stating the following: “Translated from the Arabic by Phillip D. Monroe, Cambridge, 1977.”  This was our first piece of historical fantasy as it’s set in the Crusades, and it’s also our first story featuring an anti-hero as the protagonist.  In this one, an unrepentant nobleman by the name of Roger of York is shipped off to Palestine, where he is afflicted with leprosy and proceeds to recount the deeds of his wicked life.

Then we have “Beyond Munchen Town” by Paula May, with art by David Beck, which marks his second illustration in the magazine.  This tale is our first dark fantasy.  It is a literary stew, as band of gypsies clash with some German soldiers, all in the framework of a fairy tale twisted inside out as they unleash an ancient curse and cause all hell to break loose.

After this we have “The Other Land” by Andrea Schlect, with art by Ken Graning.  This story felt very much like high fantasy, but it was set in this world, with references to countries we’ve all heard of.  But there was also a certain fairy tale quality to this, especially the way a dark and secret land seems to beckon with all the charms of a Pied Piper.  Of course, it beckons to an old man instead of a child, but still.

Finally we have “A Little Moonshine” by Connie Willis, with art by Charles Demorat.  This one is a reprint, the second to appear in the magazine.  This one is a quirky blend of fairy tale, mythology, astrology, and astronomy.

So that wraps up this issue.  And my favorite story?  “Beyond Munchen Town” by Paula May.  And my favorite artwork?  I’ll go with Don Maitz’s cover artwork, featuring his bad-ass warrior.  I’ve already offered my thoughts on issues 3 & 5, so next time I’ll be doing issue 4, and after that issue 6, which will hopefully lead to a semblance of chronological going forward.

Until then …

Realms of Fantasy: June 1995 (Issue 5)

Part three in my ongoing retrospective as I read the back issues to Realms of Fantasy and offer my thoughts, all the way through to the present issue.  Unfortunately, the Realms warehouse didn’t have all the back issues, so I’m doing my best to hunt down the missing issues through other means.  This explains why my first entry was about issue 1, the second entry about issue 3, and the latest entry concerns issue 5.  Issue 4 arrived in the mail today, and I’m expecting issue 2 very shortly.  After I’ve read these, by the time I read and discuss issue 6, I hope to read and journal about the issues in chronological order for the foreseeable future.

Now, issue 5 …

The cover to this one is by Michael Whelan, which marks his second illustration to appear in the magazine,  It depicts a fire-breathing dragon.

In the masthead, it should be mentioned that this marks the first appearance of Rebecca McCabe.  Before Douglas Cohen, Assistant Editor, there was Carina Gonzalez, Editorial Intern, and before her there was Rebecca McCabe, Editorial Assistant (though her title would later change to Assistant Editor).  Why each of us has/had different titles, I don’t know.  Ask Shawna.  I’m not going to.  And while there were some differences here and there for each of us, we all filled the same basic role.  The most important part is dealing with the slush.  We are the ones responsible for crushing the dreams of new writers, and occasionally we also help bring these dreams to fruition.  Over the years other names have been mentioned in the masthead that use the term editorial assistant or editorial intern, but I checked with Shawna and none of them filled this role the way we did.  They were down in the publisher’s office in VA,  and I can only surmise their roles were more in the areas of copy editing/proofreading.  There have only been three slush readers (a term I don’t like if truth be told, because it implies this is all I do for the magazine–it isn’t, which is why I’m the assistant editor).

Rebecca was the first of us, and she held this role the longest.  Going by the mastheads, she was there from June 1995 all the way through April 2002.  That’s 42 issues, a stretch of seven years.  To put things in perspective, as entrenched as I am here at the magazine, at the time I write this I’ve only been doing this two years and a little over three months, not even close to Rebecca’s tenure.  She was part of the team for a long time.  If I’m discussing the fiction of Realms of Fantasy then she certainly deserves a mention here as one of its editors.  There will be others as we move along.

A rundown of this issue’s nonfiction is as follows:

Gahan Wilson & Dan Silver handle adult books, with Gahan reviewing Worldwar: In the Balance by Harry Turtledove and Holy Terror by Josephine Boyle, and Dan reviewing Daughter of Prophecy by Anne Kelleher Bush and Sword and Sorceress XII, edited by Marion Zimmer Bradley.  In the Movie/TV Column, newcomer Eric Niderost covers First Knight, Braveheart, and Rob Roy.  Folkroots is once again handled by Terri Windling, and she discusses how Native American legends inspire magical fiction, art, and music.  In the Artist Gallery, Jane Frank profiles the works of artist, Les Edwards.  And in Games, M.C. Sumner reviews Kilk & Play, which allows you to design your own game, The Great Dalmuti from Wizards of the Coast, another card game by the creator of Magic: The Gathering, and Ecastia, a game for the PC.

Onto the fiction (though I wish I had read issues 2 & 4 first, to better track the evolution of the magazine’s fiction) …

The lead story is “Bread Crumbs & Stones” by Lisa Goldstein.  Art is by Paul Salmon, which is his second illustration in the magazine.  This story is a reprint from the Datlow/Windling anthology, Snow White, Blood Red.  It is RoF’s first story involving people of the Jewish faith.  Set in contemporary times, it uses the fairy tale of Hansel & Gretal as a metaphor for the ovens that Nazis killed Jewish prisoners in during WWII.

I would term this piece as surrealism, which would be the first surrealistic piece to appear in the magazine.  While surrealism is often more complex than the definition I’m about to offer, for the sake of brevity I’ll use the following definition: surrealism is fantasy that is primarily achieved through the use of metaphors and/or symbolism.  The tangible element of the fantastical is often absent or slight in such pieces (please, no arguments–we could spend a week debating over what surrealism is, along with all its nuances).

This is actually one of two surrealistic pieces in this issue.  And I think it’s important to note their appearance in the magazine, as I believe surrealism is probably the most unrecognizable form of fantasy to the general reading audience.  Including such stories in an early issue signals to readers that this truly is a magazine for all realms of fantasy.

If you rewind to ten years ago, I would have been one of these people who didn’t recognize this as fantasy.  Actually, I would have sneered derisively, convinced this was literary fiction with no place whatsoever in a magazine like Realms of Fantasy.  Whether they like it or not, even traditionalists will recognize things like urban fantasy & magic realism as fantasy literature.  It’s just of a sort they don’t like.  But some people don’t get surrealism, not if it’s supposed to be fantasy literature.  It all comes down to whether you’re willing to accept stories that often rely heavily (or solely) on metaphors and symbolism to achieve the fantastical (again, the disclaimer of a simplistic definition).

I’ll admit this form isn’t my favorite kind of fantasy.  In fact, I usually hate it.  The metaphors and symbols that most authors rely on (in my slush anyway) are terribly plain.  Sometimes I’ll reject a piece of what’s supposed to be surrealism and scribble a quick note along the lines of “There’s some nice writing here, but I don’t consider this fantasy.”  I’m sure a certain % of these writers get annoyed because they figure I just don’t understand surrealism.  The thing is I do.  The problem is that when the metaphors and symbols are plain or cliche, the story falls short of fantastical and becomes mundane literary fiction.  The metaphor of hell-on-earth is cliche.  So are most dream metaphors authors come up with.  These are what I see most often in the slush.  You need to reach for something more powerful, more beautiful (or ugly), more original and thoughtful to convince me this is fantastical fiction.  Fortunately, both of the surrealistic pieces in this issue do precisely this.

Anyway, next up we have “Thorns” by Martha Wells.  Art to this piece is by Todd Lockwood, and was nominated for the 1996 Chesley Award for Best Interior Illustration, making it the first RoF illustration to receive an award nomination.  As to the story, this was a reinvention of Sleeping Beauty, as a family protects Sleeping Beauty from being awoken by a prince because it would be cruel to bring into this modern world.

Following this we have “Outside the Walls” by Dan’l Danehy-Oakes, with art provided by Mike Wright.  This is another reivented fairy tale, this for Little Red Riding Hood, wherein we witness  Red Riding Hood break all the literary rules to deliver her basket of goodies to grandma.

Then we have “Mending Maris” by Anne Young.  Art is provided by Mary O’Keefe Young, which marks her fourth illustration in the magazine.  Anne’s story marked her first fiction publication.  I should mention here that other than my own slush survivors, I never know if someone is publishing with us for the first time or is a slush survivor unless it’s mentioned in the bio page.  So I may miss mentioning someone’s first publication as I continue doing these entries.  As to the story itself, I found myself debating as to whether it was science fantasy or high fantasy.  Eventually I decided this was science fantasy that changes back to high fantasy, and hence high fantasy at its heart.  In a nutshell, it deals with how a king and queen’s reconciliation leads to the rejection of technology and a chance at a fresh start.

After this comes “Mother Moves In” by Deborah Wheeler, with art provided by Debbie Hughes.  This is that other surrealistic piece I was talking about, and it deals with a mother seeking to reconcile with her artistically tormented daughter before the mother dies.

Finally we have “The Purl of the Pacific” by Allan Dean Foster.  Art is provided by Web Bryant, his third illustration for the magazine.  This one is a Mad Amos Malone tale.  According to Foster’s bio, Del Rey published a whole book of these tales, so if you like this one you may want to hunt down this collection.  Not sure how I’d classify this story, hence I’ll call it unclassifiable.  As to what it’s about, Mad Amos Malone and his spunky unicorn attempt foil an evil Native American sorcerer.

So that wraps up this issue.  And my favorite story this issue?  The surrealistic reprint, “Bread Crumbs & Stones” by Lisa Goldstein.  And my favorite original piece to this issue?  “Mother Moves In” by Deborah Wheeler.  Surrealism wins in a landslide!  And my favorite artwork?  Todd Lockwood’s illustration to “Thorns.”  Next time I’ll offer my thoughts on issue 2 or 4, depending on when 2 arrives.  Until then …

Realms of Fantasy: February 1995 (Issue 3)

Part two in my continuing series as I read the back issues to Realms of Fantasy and offer my thoughts. I don’t have issue 2 yet (though it should be arriving shortly), so bear with me as I skip ahead to issue # 3. Let’s see …

The cover to this one is by Bob Eggleton.  It features a dragon in flight.

A rundown of this issue’s nonfiction is as follows:

The Folkroots column is by Terri Windling, which discusses the transformation of Beauty and the Beast  folk tales.  In adult book reviews, Gahan Wilson covers Street by Jack Cady, Throat Sprockets by Tim Lucas, The Hastur Cycle, Mysteries of the Worm, and The Shrub Niggurath Cycle, all edited by Robert M. Price, and Cthulu’s Heirs, edited by Thomas M.K. Stratman.  In the TV column, Dan Person discusses Chris Carter’s The X-Files.  Nigel Suckling handles the Artist Gallery, covering the work of J.K. Potter, and it includes an introduction to the artist’s work by Stephen King.  And in the Games column, M.C. Sumner covers the PC game, Master of Magic, TSR’s AD&D Player Pack Survival Kits, and the video game Dragon’s Lair, available on PC CD-ROM, 3DO, and Sega CD.

On to the fiction …

The lead story in “The Story Told By Smoke” by Tanith Lee, one of Journals of St. Strange Tales.  Art is by Mary O’Keefe Young, which marks her third illustration in the magazine.  This is a story about a domineering man who spits in the face of tradition, causing the city he lives in untold suffering for many years.

Next up is “The Chapter of Bringing a Boat into Heaven” by Noreen Doyle.  Art is by Ken Graning, which marks his second illustration in the magazine.  This story marks Noreen’s first publication.  It is a piece of Egyptian mythology about a young boy who draws upon the powers of the gods to sail a boat into the heavens.

Then we have “The Moon is Drowning While I Sleep” by Charles de Lint.  Art is by Carol Heyer, which marks her second appearance in the magazine.  This one is another reprint, coming from a Datlow/Windling anthology.  Like Neil Gaiman’s reprint in issue 1, this story was basically an urban fairy tale, about a woman who must unravel the riddle of the drowning moon in her dreams.  It’s also worth noting that when the story was originally published, it was nominated for the 1994 World Fantasy Award for Best Short fiction.

Next up is “The Year of Storms” by Judith Berman, with art by Web Bryant.  Like Noreen’s story, this one marks Judith’s first publication.  I think it’s important to note that this story and Noreen’s represent the first stories pubished in RoF by unpublished.  This in itself is rather important, because it demonstrated early on that RoF was open to publishing new talent.  As to the story itself, I was rather impressed with this piece as a first publication, especially considering it’s the sort of fantasy I tend to gravitate toward.  In this piece, a pair of revered twins must figure out why the revered salmon have stopped coming to the land, and they must figure it out before everyone starves.

Following this we have “The Last Waltz” by Richard Parks, with art by Paul Salmon.  I’d like to note that this is Richard’s first appearance in the magazine.  I note this because at this time Richard has appeared in RoF more than any other author.  It’s also interesting to note that this issue feature’s Tanith Lee’s first appearance in RoF, because after Richard she is the magazine’s most-published author.  As to the story, this one is a piece about Death.  Only Death has grown tired from his work, so he takes the time to “live a little.”

Finally we  have “Mission: Rescue Merlin!” by S.N. Dyer, with art by Annie Lunsford.  This one is a lighthearted piece of Arthuriana about the media circus that ensues when the stone is removed from Merlin’s cave and he is rescued in modern times.  It’s a nice enough story, but I had trouble connecting with it.  This has nothing to do with the story or the author’s skills, both of which are solid.   But I prefer Arthurian tales of a more serious nature than the story in question.  It’s a personal reader tic.

So that wraps up this issue.  And my favorite story?  “The Year of Storms” by Judith Berman.  And my favorite artwork?  Carol Heyer’s illustration to “The Moon is Drowning While I Sleep.”  I’m still tracking down some rogue issues in an effort to complete my collection, so it looks like next time around I’ll be discussing issue 5.  Until then …

Realms of Fantasy: October 1994 (Issue 1)

Welcome to part one of what will be an ongoing retrospective.  I will read the fiction in each issue of Realms of Fantasy Magazine and offer my thoughts as Assistant Editor of fiction.  I will touch upon the art and nonfiction features as well.  A few of the early retrospectives will be out of order, because I’m still scrambling to assemble the final few issues for a complete set of RoF.  Once I have these, I will blog about each issue in order of publication.

So, let’s jump in, shall we?

The honor of the first cover ever for RoF goes to artist Michael Whelan.  It features a wounded warrior with a dragon in the background.  Inside, it was interesting to note a couple of features the magazine no longer has, such as the editorial column and the Letters Page.  Also, contributor bios are in the back instead of the front.  Other than Shawna, there are almost no names in the masthead still with the magazine.  The publisher and editorial director–Mark Hintz and Carl A. Gnam–are still around.  While she isn’t in every issue, Terri Windling is in the first issue with her popular Folkroots column.  Other than this, the only other name I saw that you can still find in the latest masthead is Diane Bonifanti, the business manager.  But the supporting editorial staffs are different, as is the art director, and all the other people in various branches that help run a magazine.  I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised, because the magazine is in its 13th year (at the time I’m writing this anyway).  But it’s still interesting to note.  Since the art is such an important part of each issue, I will note that the magazine’s original art director is Ronald M. Stevens.

A rundown on our first nonfiction columns are as follows:

Book reviews are handled by Gahan Wilson.  The first books he covered are: The Hollowing by Robert Holdstock, Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror 7 (covering 1993), edited by Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling, and Skin by Kathe Koja.  There is also a defunct mini-column called ”Books to Look For,” but I’m going to skip listing each of those each issue.  I am only willing to be so thorough. Our first movie column is handled by J.B. Mauceri, who covers Frankenstein, directed by Kenneth Branagh & produced by Francis Ford Coppola.  Our first folkroots column is handled by Terri Windling, as she covers the Green Man and the Lore of the Woods.  Terri also covers our first ever Artist Gallery, where she profiles Brian Froud.  And in our first gaming column, M.C. Sumner covers the following: The Horde (3DO Multiplayer and PC CD-ROM from Crystal Dynamics), and Magic: the Gathering from Wizards of the Coast, back when the game was relatively new and before WOTC acquired TSR, the original publishers of D&D.

On to the fiction …

In terms of the stories, Shawna did an excellent job in this first issue of establishing that Realms of Fantasy is a magazine interested in publishing all sorts of fantasy stories.  Since it was the first issue, to lure readers it looks like Shawna went out and got stories by Roger Zelazny and Neil Gaiman.  But we’ll get to those stories in a moment.

The first story ever published in RoF is “Twixt Dust and Dawn” by L. Dean James.  Accompanying artwork is by Luis Royo, which makes his work the first interior illustration to appear in the magazine.  This is a high fantasy tale that starts, in, of all places, a bar.  On the surface this seems rather cliche.  However, there is nothing wrong with the tale itself, as it tells the story of a warrior-woman tries to reclaim her ancestral throne from an evil magician with the help of a fey who has other ideas.  And if Shawna selected the order of the stories in this issue (I’m uncertain whether it was her or Carl Gnam, the Editorial Director, handling this), I would propose this was her thinking: she wanted to lead off with a well told but familiar-feeling high fantasy tale, something the typical fantasy reader of the mid-nineties might expect.  And from here it would be a launching point as she would publish fantasy stories across the board.  In fact, I think this might be the last high fantasy story that starts in a bar that I’ve ever seen in the magazine.

Next up we “Pest Control” by Chuck Rothman.  Art is by Gary Yealdhall.  This one is a funny fantasy tale about a house infested with magical pests and the exterminator hired to deal with them.  Of all the authors in the first issue, the only one I’ve seen submissions from since coming to ROF is Chuck.  And just last year he published a story in our pages called “Spare Change.”

After this we have “The Land Down Under” by Billie Sue Mosiman.  Art is by Mary O’Keefe Young.  This is the first science fantasy tale published in the magazine.  This one deals with a far-flung future where magic and science are practically indistinguishable, and the greatest healer of the time attempts to treat her granddaughter’s sick mind.

Then we have ”The Shrouding and the Guisel” by Roger Zelazny.  Art is provided by Doug Andersen.  Zelazny’s story is actually an Amber story, in which the great wizard Merlin wakes to find himself making love to a long-lost love who needs his help to defeat an unconquerable beast.  To my surprise, I didn’t enjoy this one.  Everything I’ve read by Zelazny (admittedly, not enough by far) has always left me hugely impressed.  In all fairness, I’ll note that I haven’t read any of the Amber books (yet), and this story takes place after the 10th book, which I believe was the last.  Perhaps if I knew something about the world of Amber I would feel differently about this story.  I expect that one day, after I’ve read the Amber books, I’ll go back and give this story another try.

Following this we have “The Redemption of Silky Bill” by Sarah Zettel, with art provided by David Beck.  This one kills two birds with one stone by being our first Wild West fantasy and our first deal with the Devil story.  As to the particulars (without providing spoilers, of course!),the cowboy Silky Bill is out to save his soul and those of all Native Americans in the ultimate card game with the Devil.

Next up we have “Troll Bridge” by Neil Gaiman, with art provided by Gary Lippincott.  This one is reprint (something I’ve yet to see in RoF since I joined the team), though I’m afraid it isn’t mentioned in the magazine where this one was originally published.  As to the story itself, it’s an adult fairy tale about a young boy who encounters a troll beneath a bridge who bargains to save his life.  These bargains continue over the years, leading to an unexpected result. This story was originally nominated for the 1994 World Fantasy Award for Best Short Fiction. Since it’s a reprint, RoF can’t take credit for this. Still, it’s worth mentioning.

Finally we have “The Beholder” by Jean Lorrah, with art provided by Carol Heyer.  This one is high fantasy with a romantic flare.  I’d like to note that sandwiched between the first tale (which is also high fantasy) and this, the last tale of the first issue, we have a funny fantasy set in modern times, a science fantasy, a Roger Zelazny Amber tale, a Wild West fantasy, and an adult fairy tale.  In other words, enough content has already been provided to let readers know that this magazine will indeed cover all the realms of fantasy.  I make a point of saying this because every so often I read or hear about people complaining that RoF was supposed to be a magazine all about high fantasy.  No, it wasn’t.  It’s clear from the fiction in the very first issue, not to mention that in the last line of Shawna’s very first editorial she makes it plain that she has a very broad definition as to what fantasy is.  As to the story, I believe Shawna’s editorial tag-line sums it up best: Challenged by a love-struck prince to break a wizard’s hideous spell, a young witch learns a lesson about love’s ability to defeat even the most powerful magic.

So that wraps up the premiere issue of Realms of Fantasy.  And my favorite story?  “The Land Down Under,” by Billie Sue Mosiman.  And my favorite artwork?  David Beck’s illustration to “The Redemption of Silky Bill.”  I’m missing issue two (for the moment), so I’m currently reading issue three.  I’ll share some thoughts on it when I’m done.  Until then …