Retrospectives: 2006
Realms of Fantasy: December 2006 (Issue 74)
Part seventy-four 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 putting a cap on 2006 as I discuss the December 2006 issue.
The cover to this one is by Joseph Corsentino. If you take a look at our cover gallery, I think you’ll agree that with this cover, things started moving in a different direction over at Sovereign Media in terms of how they handled their covers. Chicks in chain mail covers went out the window, as did high fantasy covers (mostly). Instead, things started trending toward a lot more urban fantasy. A number of covers also incorporated fairies, and media covers also remained prominent going forward. There were other covers that popped along the way, but I’d say these were the most common types of covers during the rest of RoF’s run under Sovereign. There were signs of this transition happening back in 2004 & 2005. The covers became a lot more media heavy during this time, a couple of covers with fairies popped up, and I’d say the October 2005 cover falls more into the same vein of December 2006 and on. But at the same time, there were still a number of high fantasy covers and chicks in chain mail covers during this time, so I’d say 2004-2006 represented a time of transition for RoF’s covers. With the December 2006 cover, that transition under Sovereign seems to have reached its end.
It’s also worth noting that the image to this cover also appears in the artist gallery. This is the first time an imagine in the artist gallery was used on the cover, but it wouldn’t be the last. This said, I should also point out that the cover to the April 2006 cover of RoF appeared in a different edition of the artist gallery, though I don’t have the information on hand as to which issue it was.
A rundown of this issue’s nonfiction is as follows:
In the movie/TV column, Resa Nelson covers The Prestige and The Fountain; in the folkroots column, Terri Windling discusses the personification of Death; in the adult books column, Gahan Wilson reviews The Ruins by Scott Smith, Renfield, Slave of Dracula by Barbara Hambly, Havoc Swims Jaded by David Schow, and Paul Witcover reviews Shriek: An Afterword by Jeff VanderMeer, Soldier of Sidon by Gene Wolfe, and The Stolen Child by Keith Donahue; in the YA books column, Michael Jones reviews Wuthering High by Cara Lockwood, Braced 2 Bite by Serena Robar, Chance Fortune and the Outlaws by Shane Berryhill, Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer, Leven Thumps and the Gateway to Foo by Obert Skye, Now You See It by Vivian Vande, The Wizard, the Witch, & Two Girls From Jersey by Lisa Papademetriou, and The Dark in the Woods, edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling; in this issue book review Paul Witcover also conducts an interview with Laurell K. Hamilton; in the artist gallery, Christine Colby covers the artwork of Joseph Corsentino; and in the games section, Eric T. Baker reviews Dungeon Siege II: Broken World for the PC, Prey for the Xbox 360 and the PC, Blade Dancer: Lineage of Light for the PSP, the RPG, Kobalds Ate My Baby!, and the D&DEberron supplement, Secret of Xen’drik.
On to the fiction …
The lead story is “Lost Wax” by Leah Bobet, which marks her second appearance in the magazine. In this high fantasy tale, we are introduced to a world where magic is a rather wild and untamed thing. However, there are way to shape and mold this magic. The method Bobet introduces us to is in a wax factory, where wizards, casters, and molders shape the magic through the wax. In this factory, we are introduced to our young protagonist, Simon Lake, who helps sweep, shine, clean up the loose bits of wax, etc. All agree this is a great honor. However, Simon yearns for something more. Like so many adolescents, he dreams grand dreams that seem so real and attainable at his young age. He believes magic is the way to achieving something more than the life he lives. Each day he secretly sneaks loose bits of wax from the factory and spends his nights shaping the wax, trying to capture the magic. Always his efforts meet with failure. But there are other ways of finding the magic …and sometimes, the magic finds you. And when it finds Simon, he gets far more than he ever bargained for. This story was reprinted in The Mammoth Book of Extreme Fantasy, edited by Mike Ashley. Art in RoF was provided by Hyejeong Park.
Next up we have “In the Lair of the Moonmen” by Jon Hansen. Jon is another slush survivor of mine. The story could be classified as sword & planet, a near-extinct sub-genre of sword & sorcery. It was rather popular in the days of the pulps. For those who haven’t heard of this sub-genre, sword & planet is basically sword & sorcery, with the protagonist being transported by some means from earth to another world, where s/he then proceeds to undergo a sword & sorcery adventure. Some people could trace its roots back to Edgar Rice Burrough’s John Carter of Mars. Robert E. Howard tried his hand at this with his novel Almuric (posthumously completed). Other authors who have dabbled in this area are Leigh Brackett, C.L. Moore, and Michael Moorcock. I haven’t heard much about sword & planet in some years, as most of the champions of this brand of literature have passed on, and few have stepped up to carry on the torch. So it’s probably not a surprise this this is the first sword & planet story to be published in RoF.
As to the story itself, as you might expect from a tale in this sub-genre, this one is firmly in the tradition of the pulps. Being as I love the pulps, I should mention that I mean this in the most complimentary way. Basically, we have a land that has been subject to air raids by the moon men. When it’s discovered that these raiders are in fact laired on the moon, by order of his king our princeling protagonist joins forces with a wizard to lead an enchanted hot air balloon expedition to the moon to strike back at these raiders. So while a moon is not quite a planet, for the purposes of this retrospective I’ll say it’s close enough that I’ll term this tale as sword & planet. There is a lot of wit and dry humor in this tale that brings Fritz Leiber’s Fafhrd and Gray Mouser to mind . Leiber was another one of the acknowledged sword & sorcery masters and was churning out S&S back when sword & planet was still kicking. I’m honestly not sure if Leiber ever wrote a sword & planet tale, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he did. Art to this one was provided by Tom Kidd, which marks third illustration in the magazine.
Then we have “Echoes of Me” by Michelle Thuma. This is another piece that was accepted back when Carina was with the magazine. The story itself deals with a woman is mired in the past after the losing the love of her life. In fact, she has become so mired in this past that phantoms of her have become physical manifestations, thus enabling her to “stay in the past” as opposed to dealing with her grief. Art to this one was provided by Chi-Yun Law.
After this we have “Of Swords & Horses” by Carrie Vaughn, which marks her fourth appearance in the magazine. This one deals with a daydream that so many of us might have had when we younger: what if there was a fantasy world we could go to? Would you go? Would you leave everything behind to enter a world that until now you only entered through words? It’s not a new idea, but what is new (at least to me) is how Carrie handles it. Instead of focusing on the youth faced with this choice, instead she focuses on the mother, after her child has left. Only as far as mom knows, her baby is missing and possibly dead. The possibility that she has left for some greater destiny in a magical realm hasn’t occurred to her. Everything is handled in a rather believable manner, including how someone from our would could suddenly adapt to this fantasy world. But I’ll stop right there for fear of providing too many spoilers. Art to this one was provided by Zela Lobb, which marks her second illustration in the magazine.
Following this we have “The Valhalla Job” by Sandra McDonald, which marks her third appearance in the magazine. This one is a humorous take on home makeover programs, as one of them sets out to to give Valhalla a makeover. However, along the way the crew gets embroiled in the lives and politics of Valhalla’s inhabitants. Makes perfect sense to me. After all, what’s a reality TV show without a little drama? Art to this one was provided by David Leonard.
Then we have “Shelf Life” by Thomas Seay, which marks his second story in the magazine. This was another story that was accepted back during Carina’s time. It’s also the last story that was in inventory from her time. So being as I mentioned with the covers that this issue marks something of a transition, I suppose it’s fitting that with the same issue the fiction department should finish publishing the stories that were accepted during the time of my predecessor. As to the story itself, it’s another vignette. This one is a story for writers and folks who absolutely love to read, as it tells the charming little tale of one little book who dares to be different, calling himself 1985 (among other names). Art to this one was provided by John MacDonald.
Finally we have “Infants in the Lake of Fire” by M.K. Hobson. This is a tale of innocence and unfortunate knowledge. In this tale, we are taken to Limbo, a place for souls of various folks who don’t belong in Heaven or Hell. In this story, the souls in question are a pair of very young children. As you might expect, such souls are rather innocent and have limited self-awareness. And while this may not be Hell, there are still dark and terrible things to be found in Limbo …or at least they are dark and terrible when you come to understand them. And the more you understand the more awareness this unlocks, which in turn leads to a loss of innocence. And as with Adam & Eve and the Tree of Knowledge, such knowledge and loss of innocence comes with a cost. And not even a very young child can avoid paying it. Art to this one was provided by Erin & Kelly Carty.
So that wraps up this issue, as well as 2006. Next time we’ll start delving into 2007 when I take on the February 2007 issue.
Until then …
Realms of Fantasy: October 2006 (Issue 73)
Part seventy-three 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 going toe to toe with the October 2006 issue.
The cover to this one is by Gordon Crabb, which marks his second illustration in the magazine. Inside, it’s listed as originally being the cover to The Lightstone from Tor Books.
A rundown of this issue’s nonfiction is as follows:
In the movie/TV column, Resa Nelson covers Masters of Horror on Showtime; in the folkroots column, Hal Duncan writes about death and rebirth from world mythology to contemporary magical fiction; in the adult books column, Gahan Wilson reviews Feeling Very Strange: The Slipstream Anthology, edited by James Patrick Kelly & John Kessel, H.P. Lovecraft’s Book of the Supernatural, edited by Stephen Jones, The Line Between by Peter S. Beagle, The Tough Guide to Fantasyland by Diana Wynne Jones, and Paul Witcover reviews Firebird by R. Garcia Y. Robertson, The Silver Bough by Lisa Tuttle, and Shuteye for the Timebroker by Paul Di Filippo; in the YA books column, Michael Jones reviews Fly by Night by Frances Hardinge, The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan, Jennifer Scales and the Messenger of Light by MaryJanice Davidson and Anthony Alongi, Timetripper Book One: Yestermorrow by Stefan Petrucha, The Chronicles of Fairie Book One: The Hunter’s Moon by O.R. Melling, Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz, and Boys That Bite by Mari Mancusi; in the artist gallery, A. Jaye Williams covers the art of the Hildebrandt Brothers; and in the games column, Eric T. Baker reviews X-Men III: The Official Game for the PC, PS2, Xbox, and the Xbox 360, The Da Vinci Code for the Xbox, PS2, and PC, for the D&D Eberron world, a standalone adventure module, The Voyage of the Golden Dragon, Exalted Second Edition: Storytellers Companion from White Wolf Publishing, Metal Saga for the PS2, and the latest card set in the Magic: The Gathering line, Dissension.
On to the fiction …
The lead story is “Marriage Game” by Susan J. Kroupa, which marks her fourth appearance in the magazine. This one is a lighthearted ghost story about a couple of ghost ladies who play a “Game” wherein they try to influence the lives of “Flesh & Bloods,” earning mostly meaningless points for causing certain events to happen due to their influencing. But in this instance, a marriage could hang in the balance due to their meddling. Art to this one was provided by John Singer.
Then we have “Dead Man’s Tale” by Billie Aul, which marks her second appearance in the magazine. Like her first story in RoF, this is a post-Flood tale, where the sea levels have risen to such an extent that many magical folks have been forced to come out from hiding deep in the earth and take their place among humans. This in turn has caused many undead and fey who have lived among humans in secret all along to reveal themselves. Now everyone lives together in the ultimate melting pot. In this particular tale, a gumshoe detective must determine whether a man’s severed lover is truly undead and unable to reanimate. If he is, then this was something the lovers did for kicks and that means a spell is blocking the undead body from reanimating. But if the body isn’t undead as the lover claims, then the lover will be tried for murder. Art to this one was provided by Joel Spector, which marks his second illustration in the magazine.
Next up we have “Sunday” by Alethea Kontis. Alethea would have been a slush survivor of mine since I had been passing along earlier stories of hers for consideration. Instead, she pulled a literary fast one on me. In between submissions, she went out and earned herself enough literary credits to be considered an automatic pass from the submissions pile. Good for her. As to the story itself, this is the ultimate successful mishmash of famous fairy tales. In the story, Sunday Woodcutter finds herself falling in love with both a frog and a prince, only her kisses are failing to transform the frog back into a man, and the prince is considered an enemy of the family. In reading this, I detected influences from the Frog Prince, Cinderella, Snow White, and Jack and the Beanstalk to name a few. Yet the author manages to make this tale entirely her own. Art to this one was provided by Scott Grimando, which marks his twelfth illustration in the magazine.
Following this we have “Blood of Virgins” by David Barr Kirtley, which marks his third appearance in the magazine. In this YA tale, dragons are like cars among teenagers, meaning they are status symbols. So of course almost everyone wants one. One problem, though. While the dragons are basically under control, they enjoy the blood of virgins. And wouldn’t you know it, our protagonist is a virgin going into his first year of college. So not only does he wish to hide the fact that he is a virgin, but it’s compounded by the fact that he’s absolutely terrified of dragons. So what is the solution? Well, facing down your fear always helps. Meeting the right girl could help as well. This story is available in podcast form over on the Escape Pod website under 1/11/07 entry. Art in the magazine was provided by Huan Tran.
Then we have “Snake Charmer” by Amanda Downum. This one is another one of my slush survivors. It also marks an interesting (but minor) step for me as an editor. Back when the story was still under consideration, Amanda happened to post a comment on my blog and mentioned that I had passed along her story. I asked her which one and when she replied “Snake Charmer” I said something about the story that was, well, completely wrong in terms of what kind of tale it was. I realized the mistake much later on and was rather embarrassed about it. Since that sort of error was rather unlike me, I took some time to think about why I made it. And I realized that I had finally gotten to the point that I had read so many stories for RoF (published and otherwise) that I was occasionally getting them mixed up in my head. This includes the ones I like, such as this one. It’s nothing personal to the authors, but after this happened I learned that sooner or later you start to reach a saturation point/critical mass as an editor. You just can’t remember every story as well as you’d like to. With these retrospectives, we’re well into my time here as assistant editor. That means I’ve read just about all of these stories already. And while I may remember what most of them are about in terms of the broad brush strokes, I don’t remember most of them well enough to write about them in these retrospectives without rereading them. So I came to this realization in 2006. Imagine how I feel in 2010? 
Art to this one was provided by Chris Cocozza, which marks his seventh illustration in the magazine.
As to the story itself, this was gives off an urban gothic flare with a hint of a high fantasy undercurrent. In it, the character of Simon Magus seeks revenge for his dead wife. Simon Magus seems like a high fantasy name, only very early on we find ourselves in a club that would seem right at home in certain parts of NYC. Other tidbits also let us know this is a modern setting, such as the guns the DJ in the club, and the mention of Halloween. Yet there are also tidbits that leak into this story that seem to come from an older, almost forgotten time, such as Simon’s name, the mention of the otherkind, a history between the characters that seems to go back far longer than it should …and let us not forget the last dragon. All of these tidbits are skillfully interwoven, and you find yourself nodding along as Simon seeks the aforementioned vengeance for his dead wife, even if it means killing the dragon in the bargain. Shawna’s editorial tag line also sums this one up rather nicely: “Vengeance, they say, is a dish best served cold. But it can be hard to remember that when your veins are running hot with anger and despair.” This story was selected for inclusion in Best New Fantasy 2, edited by Sean Wallace. Art to this one was provided by Chris Cocozza.
After this was have “Myths & Legends” by Kathe Koja, another story that was accepted by the magazine before my time. This one is a rather quick tale about a high school girl who must finish her homework assignment about myths & legends that is due tomorrow while battling the ever-dangerous procrastination. Art to this one was provided by Kris Chau.
Finally we have “A Fish Story” by Sarah Totton. This is another one of my slush survivors. It also marks the first author I ever worked with on a rewrite of a story. The rewrite itself wasn’t too extensive. The story itself was basically there in my opinion. It just needed a few tweaks. I suggested them to Sarah and she came through with flying colors. Interestingly enough, Sarah had submitted something to us at an earlier time that I had rejected. In the rejection, I gave her some feedback on the story. She applied that feedback, sent the story back out, and later informed me that she had sold it to Writers of the Future. So given the end results of these two stories, I guess it’s fair to say that Sarah liked my editorial feedback. But if you need further proof, it came in the form of her next submission, i.e. the story she sent us after selling “A Fish Story.” When I informed her that because she had now sold something to us her future submissions would be automatic passes to Shawna and that it wouldn’t have to pass muster with me first, she wrote back, “What? You mean I won’t have Cohen’s guiding touch on my stories going forward?” That one brought a big old smile to my face. Of course, a few years later, Sarah is once again under the spell of “Cohen’s guiding touch,” since a while back I accepted her short story collection as an an acquiring editor for Fantastic Books. It includes “A Fish Story” as well as “The Bonefisher’s Apprentice,” the story she sold to Writers of the Future. The collection should be coming out in the not-too-distant future. Ah, symmetry.
As to the story itself, let me start off by saying that I have always been a tough sell with funny fantasies.* They have their place in our genre and I fully acknowledge that. But I also know my own likes and dislikes enough to know that most speculative literature that is meant to be funny isn’t for me. But this …this was absolutely hilarious. In the first sentence I was reading about a world with cloud fishing and pink yaks. Wild stuff. As I kept reading, I found myself laughing aloud as a young woman pursues her “one true love” with obsessively hilarious determination, to the point that she seeks to catch the legendary Barbary Fish to impress him. Having it be the girl at this age going to these lengths really breathed some life into this story. So did the style. While we were working on the rewrite, I mentioned to Sarah that reading this reminded me of reading Mervyn Peake, to which she replied, “Peake is my hero.” It shows, but she was not for one moment derivative. The style and imagination may have been somewhat reminiscent of Peake, but I haven’t seen a story like this one before or since. It was eventually reprinted in Fantasy: Best of the Year 2007, edited by Rich Horton. Art to this one was provided by Caitlin Kuhwald.
*I should also note that each time I’ve passed along a slush story to Shawna that I consider funny or silly in tone (which admittedly hasn’t happened often), it has sold to the magazine. So while I can’t promise you that passing along your funny fantasy means Shawna will buy it, I do have an excellent track record here. Basically, if you can make me laugh with a speculative tale, you’re really doing something right, because generally speaking, the humor falls flat for me. I am a very tough sell here.
So that wraps up this issue. Next time around I’ll put a cap on 2006 when I discuss the December 2006 issue.
Until then …
Realms of Fantasy: August 2006 (Issue 72)
Part seventy-two 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 revisiting the August 2006 issue.
This marks the first retrospective I’ve done since being promoted to Editor at RoF. It also marks the first retrospective I’ve done since we launched the new website, which in turn means it marks the first retrospective I’ve done since my retrospectives were added as content to the website. So before this point, I was just posting these retrospectives on my personal blog. Some people might have found them interesting to read since I work at RoF, but I had always done these in an unofficial capacity, i.e. I posted them on my blog because I wanted to, which was all the reason I needed. It’s still all the reason I need, but now that they’ve been added to the magazine’s website, I suppose these retrospectives are part of the official RoF canon. That’s not something I ever expected, though it’s certainly gratifying knowing that the magazine’s publisher and webmaster believe these retrospectives should be included in the website.
But given all these things that have happened since the last retrospective, going forward I’m going to make a few adjustments regarding how I handle these entries. First, since you can see the covers anytime you want on the website, I’m going to forgo describing each cover for your benefit. Second, I’m going to stop picking favorite stories from each issue. It was already hard enough doing this now that we’ve reached the issues that I started working with the magazine. And now that I’ve been promoted to Editor …well, all I can say is that something doesn’t sit right with me picking out my favorite stories each issue. It’s hard to explain it beyond this, especially since my responsibilities with the fiction remain the same, but I honestly don’t feel more of an explanation is required. Now, I could go back and delete all my favorites from previous entries, but I’m not going to do that. What’s done is done. But I’m afraid this feature of the retrospectives is done going forward. And so is picking my favorite piece of artwork. Even before I was promoted to Editor, I already had an inkling I was going to discontinue this feature once I reached the issues where I started handling the selection of artwork. But if I’m going to stop one feature now, I may as well stop the other. There are some entries I still need to go back and edit. These entries don’t include my favorite art picks. But for the sake of consistency, when I get around to editing these entries, I will include my selections here since I had already started this process. Otherwise these retrospectives should remain the same going forward, which means that overall they’ll be pretty much the same. So now that I’m done yakking about the retrospectives themselves, let me finally start yakking about the August 2006 issue …
The cover to this one is by Charles Keegan.
A rundown of this issue’s nonfiction is as follows:
In the movie/TV column, Resa Nelson covers Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns (one of my most hated superhero movies ever); in the folkroots column, Midori Snyder discusses the journeys of the armless maiden; in the adult books column, Gahan Wilson reviews Star Changes, the Science Fiction of Clark Ashton Smith, edited by Scott Connors & Ron Hilger, ZIPPY/Type Z Personality by Bill Griffith, Alabaster by Caitlin R. Kiernan, and Paul Witcover reviews In the Eye of Heavenby David Keck, The Brief History of the Dead by Kevin Brockmeier, City of Saints and Madmen by Jeff VanderMeer, and In the Forest of Forgetting by Theodora Goss; in the YA books column, Michael Jones reviews The Warrior Heir by Cinda Williams Chima, Uglies # 3: Specials by Scott Westefeld, Dreams and Visions, edited by M. Jerry Weiss and Helen S. Weiss, Midnighters # 3: Blue Noon by Scott Westerfeld, The Cronus Chronicles # 1: The Shadow Thieves by Anne Ursu,Grail Quest # 1: The Camelot Spell by Laura Anne Gilman, and Golden by Cameron Dokey; in the artist gallery, Karen Haber covers the art of John Picacio; and in the games column, Eric T. Baker reviews Oblivion for the PC and Xbox 360,Bone: the Great Cow Race for the PC, Auto Assault for the PC, Kingdom Hearts II for the PS2, Samurai Champloo for the PS2, and the RPG Forgotten Realms supplement, Power of Faerun.
On to the fiction …
I mentioned in the previous retrospective that this issue has a special place in my heart. This is because of the fiction. Four of my slush survivors appear in this issue, which to this day remains a personal record for most slush survivors to appear in a single issue. There are other reasons this issue is important to me, also having to do with the fiction. I’ll get into that as I discuss the stories.
First up is “The Grand Mal Reaper” by Scott William Carter. This would be the first of the aforementioned slush survivors. This story has the rather interesting distinction of being the only one to ever get slushed by two different people at RoF before getting passed along to Shawna (unless a similar situation occurred before I joined the magazine). Allow me to explain …
When Carina Gonzalez, my predecessor, left the magazine, there were still some stories in her possession. She finished reading through them, selected those she wanted to pass along to Shawna, and eventually did just that, thus concluding her last official act with the magazine. Then Shawna turned around and gave me those stories, telling me to “re-slush” them. So in addition to my usual slush submissions, I sifted through Carina’s final picks. Carina and I must have had fairly different taste in fantasy, because I rejected all of these stories …except one. The lone exception was “The Grand Mal Reaper” by one Scott William Carter. So I passed this one along to Shawna and she ultimately bought it for the magazine. So while I count Scott as one my slush survivors, credit should also go to Carina for first pulling that story out of the slush before I arrived. So this would also mark her last slush survivor to appear in the magazine. So including Shawna, Scott’s story went through three separate rounds of editorial consideration before finding its way into RoF. Truly, this story earned its way into our pages like no other has!
As to the story itself, this one is an unconventional superhero story. It deals with a young man afflicted with grand mal epilepsy, who also has the power to see people’s deaths from far away. But he’s come to view his power as a curse, as he can’t see any way that such a power could help people. Given that he grew up a fan of comics and superheroes, it is a particularly bitter conclusion to come to. And so he does his best to suppress the visions, trying to float by on the edges of society as a normal person. But you know how it goes with superpowers …you can’t deny who you are. Sooner or later you must confront the truth about yourself in order to become a whole person. And sometimes the best ways to find truths are through love …and heartache. Art to this one was provided by Andrea Wicklund, which marks her fourth illustration in the magazine.
Next up we have “Of Metal Men and Scarlet Thread and Dancing with the Sunrise” by Ken Scholes. This is another one of my slush survivors. When I first came across this story in the slush, I recognized Ken’s name from a writing forum I belonged to. I had never met him person, but it did mark the first story I had ever set aside where I knew this person in some capacity. This one is a science fantasy tale, and when I plucked it from the slush, I never imagined what would follow. Nor did the author for that matter. Those who have already read about Ken’s successes that resulted from this tale should feel free to skip ahead. For everyone else, I will give you the short version: Doug finds story and decides it is most cool and “slush worthy.” Doug passes story along to Shawna. Shawna decides to take story. Story is published. Story receives much critical praise. Ken writes a sequel and sends it to us. Shawna rejects it and tells him to write a novel in this world. At the same time, Ken’s close friends and wife encourage him to finally sit down and write a novel. His good friend (and regular contributor to RoF), Jay Lake, tells Ken if he writes the novel then Jay will pass it along to Jennifer Jackson, a highly respected literary agent in the speculative fiction. Ken finally buckles and writes a novel. It is set in the same world as “Of Metal Men.” It incorporates parts of that story and then expands upon it significantly. Critiques, etc. follow. When the novel is ready, Jay passes it along to Jennifer Jackson. Jennifer signs Ken as his client. Then she submits Ken’s novel to Beth Meacham, an editor at Tor Books. Beth accepts the novel. Ken signs a deal for five books. Doug finally meets Ken in person at the 2007 World Fantasy Convention. Ken–a big man–gathers Doug in a monstrous bear hug that threatens to crack his spine. In case you’d like to read it, the first novel in the series is called Lamentation (in which Ken kindly included me in the acknowledgments page). The second was released not too long ago and is calledCanticle. Both of these have received good reviews as well. So this I suppose is a classic example of short story spawning the beginning of a writing career. I’m honored to have played a small part on it. And if all of this isn’t enough, the story was selected for inclusion in Best New Fantasy 2, edited by Sean Wallace.
As to the story itself, at the beginning of the tale Rudolpho and his gypsy scouts come upon an impact crater that represents the smoking ruins of Windwir, once the city housing the greatest repository of knowledge in the world. In that crater, they find a sobbing robot, or “metal man.” Rudolpho sets out to find the cause of the city’s destruction, only to learn that the robot is the one responsible. But that shouldn’t be possible. And so he sets out to uncover the truth behind this tragic destruction in a tale of sorcery, deceit, and love. Art to this one was provided Allen Douglas, which marks his eighth illustration in the magazine. It’s also worth noting that Ken has stated on more than one occasion that when he saw Alan’s artwork to his story, it resonated so deeply with him that he knew there were more tales to tell about this world and its characters. I would imagine this is one of the ultimate compliments a writer can pay his illustrator.
Next up we have “The Cold Drake” by Renee Bennett, another one of my slush survivors. This one is a high fantasy tale. Even better, it deals with dragons. As I’ve mentioned elsewhere in these retrospectives, I’ve always been a sucker for a well-told dragon tale. So I should point how happy I was to see this published, my first dragon slush as it were. As to the story itself, the main character is the child of a human mother whose father was a high mage. Her father was an evil cold drake who raped the protagonist’s mother, leaving her with a half-drake child. I will always remember being drawn into this story based on how liquid smooth the prose was. This is worth mentioning because when I found this story I was trying to get the magazine caught up in its response times. I was doing pretty good on this front …until I found a hidden cache of manuscripts. Suffice it to say this cache had been hidden from me far longer than it should have been. I was kind of buried in manuscripts when I first joined the magazine, and in my efforts to get caught up, somehow this stack of manuscripts got lost (the first and only time such a thing has ever happened to me). And once I found them and saw how old they were, I dived in like a madman, attempting to burn through them as fast as humanly possible. I rejected around 50 manuscripts in a little over an hour that day. I don’t know how I managed to do that. The only answer I have is that I had to, so I did. I suppose you could argue I wasn’t really reading the stories if I went through everything that quickly. Except …”The Cold Drake” was one of those stories. Even in that frenzied pace of reading, there was no way I could let this jewel of a tale go unnoticed. A good story will always stand out, regardless of the circumstances. That’s my story behind the story on this one. As the story itself, our half-drake protagonist attempts to learn her origins and ultimately face them down as she attempts to reconcile the two warring halves that make up who she is. Art to this one was provided by Brian Horton, which marks his third illustration in the magazine.
Next up we have “The Hero Shore” by Darrell Schweitzer, which marks his fourth appearance in the magazine. This was another story that was accepted before I joined the magazine, so the first time I read it was when it was published. This one is a weird fantasy that deconstructs much of the mythos surrounding being a Hero, as a man driven mad with grief reveals the true cost of bearing such a burden. Art to this one was provided by Chuck Lukucs.
Then we have “True North” by K.D. Wentworth, which marks her third appearance in the magazine. This one is a YA tale. In it, we are introduced to a world much like our own. Only in this world, nearly every adolescent will at one point experience “the Call,” to “Journey” to “the North Lands.” Most adolescents heed “the Call” and make “the Journey.” There are even way stations along the way for adolescents on the road to the North Lands. Each person’s Journey is different–some beautiful, some dangerous–and this tale chronicles the Journey of one girl who receives the Call. When you try talking to an adult about their Journey, they’re unable to relate their experiences, as it’s not something that can be described or understood in this world. The big metaphor here is obvious, i.e. the North Lands are a physical manifestation of the highs and lows of adolescence, with all its beauty and scariness and ugliness and passion. But the imagination and imagery in the writing are rich, and the metaphor is not heavy-handed, and so it works quite well. Art to this one was provided by Peter Ferguson, which marks his fourth illustration in Realms.
Finally we have “Indigo with Distance” by E. Catherine Tobler. This would be my fourth slush survivor in this particular issue. As with Ken, I had known E. through an online writing forum (actually the same writing forum as Ken), but had never met her in person. This is one of the stories I’m most proud of pulling from the slush, for the simple reason that at this time I wasn’t reading much of this kind of fantasy. So it would have been easy to let this slip past my guard. Luckily that didn’t happen. As to the story itself, it has a bit of magic realism bent mixed with a fairy tale. In it, a young woman translating books in Japan falls in love with and has a secret affair with the boss’ daughter, only to lose her in horrifying fashion. It’s a story that poignantly illustrates how sometimes tragedy is the only means to achieve happily ever after. Art to this one was provided by Zela Lobb.
So that wraps up this issue. Next time around I’ll stare down October 2006.
Until then …
Realms of Fantasy: June 2006 (Issue 71)
Part seventy-one 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 dishing the goods on the June 2006 issue.
The cover to this one is by Luis Royo, which marks his fourteenth illustration in the magazine. It features a sexy albino fairy in some revealing attire. It’s not quite a chick in chain mail, but the vibe is similar enough that I’m going to lump this one in with RoF’s infamous chick in chain mail covers. This would make it the last chick in chain mail cover published by RoF, at least in the negative sense. If that doesn’t make sense, it will in subsequent retrospectives.
There is a change in the masthead worth noting. Christopher D’Amore’s run as Managing Editor is over. His replacement is Catherine Sumner.
A rundown of the nonfiction is as follows:
In the movie/TV column, Resa Nelson covers the Stephen King miniseries, Nightmares and Dreamscapes, based on the book of the same name; in the folkroots column, Kit Whitfield discusses the werewolf in literature; in the adult books column, Gahan Wilson reviews The Plot Against America by Philip Roth, the short story collection, The Ocean and All Its Devices by William Browning Spencer, Weird Shadows Over Innsmouth, edited by Stephen Jones, The Complete Encyclopedia of Elves, Goblins, and Other Little Creatures by Pierre Dubois, illustrated by Claudine and Roland Sabatier, and Paul Witcover reviews The Thousandfold Thought, The Prince of Nothing, Book Three by R. Scott Bakker, His Majesty’s Dragon by Naomi Novik, and A Shadow in Summer by Daniel Abraham; in the YA books column, Michael Jones is this time credited as the reviewer, and he reviews Firebirds Rising, edited by Sharyn November, Tempting Fate by Esther Friesner,Skybreaker by Kenneth Oppel, When the Beast Ravens by E. Rose Sabin, and Young Warriors, edited by Tamora Pierce and Josepha Sherman; in the artist gallery, Karen Haber covers the artwork of Rob Alexander; and in the games column, Eric T. Baker reviews Dungeons and Dragons Online: Stormreach, the miniature game, Dream Blade, Kameo: Elements of Power for the Xbox 360, Dead or Alive 4 for the Xbox 360, Perfect Dark Zero for the Xbox 360, and the rpg, World of Darkness Chicago.
On to the fiction …
The lead story in this one is “Robin of the Green” by A.C. Wise. This is one of my slush survivors (my second to appear in the magazine), so obviously it was bought after I joined the magazine. As you might suspect based on the title, this story deals with Robin Hood. And the author turns a lot of the mythology inside out. For starters, Robin is a fey in this one. And the character of Guy, someone he is normally at odds with, has been friends with him since childhood. At the beginning of the story, Guy is engaged to be married to the famous Maid Marion, and he exacts a promise from Robin that he will cause no problems. Robin agrees, and what follows is a rather interesting love triangle between these three characters, as Robin is unable to help himself when he looks upon Marion for the first time. Throughout the course of the story, there is also the subtle suggestion of another more intimate relationship between Robin and Guy that goes back year. However, being as I don’t consider any of the tidbits the author drops to be conclusive on this front, I believe it is for the reader to decide whether any such relationship exists. I also find it interesting that this is the first piece of Robin Hood fiction RoF has ever published. This caught me a little bit by surprise when I learned this, and I admit I’m a little proud that twelve years into the magazine’s run I was able to discover a story for the magazine that was a first. Art to this story was provided by Tom Kidd, which marks his second illustration in the magazine.
Next up we have “Pavel Petrovich” by Daniel Hood. This story was also accepted by the magazine after I joined up. This one is a dark fantasy tale about a man from the deepest wilds of the defunct Soviet Union, “beyond the beyond” as the author puts it. His tribe and his people are rather primitive, so when he is imprisoned, dealing with being locked up becomes something of an additional adjustment for one Pavel Petrovich. A definitive fantastical element in this one doesn’t show up until later, but it’s made clear rather early on that there’s something off about Pavel, something different and strange, even in a prison. There are hints and suggestions of something stranger going on, and the character of Pavel Petrovich and the world of Soviet prisons are so interesting that it keeps you reading until the fantastical elements make themselves known. Art to this one was provided by Chris Cocozza, which marks his sixth illustration in the magazine.
The next story is “Undine” by Catherine Krahe. This one was also submitted to the magazine after I joined up. In this one, a gifted swimmer with a chance at the Olympics is getting over a serious injury that nearly cost her leg. Her swimming career is over, and her life has lost all direction. Enter the water-sprite that is trapped in the lake near her home that can offer her a chance to swim again like she used to if they trade places. The device in this story is an old standard, but the execution made this one fresh. Art to this one was provided by Eric Fortune, which marks his third illustration in the magazine.
Then we have “Sister of the Hedge” by Jim C. Hines, which marks his second story in the magazine. This one was an interesting merger between Christianity and the old Sleeping Beauty tale. In this particular tale, a girl is fleeing her dark past and flees to the Church of the Iron Cross where she takes up service with the others there in tending the Hedge. Inside this Hedge, rests the sleeping princess (who, btw, is never referred to as Sleeping Beauty–I just picked up on the parallel). Also in this enchanted Hedge are the many princes over the years who have come seeking the sleeping princess, only to become trapped by the vines and impaled by their thorns, leaving them in living agony. It falls to the sisters and brothers of the Chruch of the Iron Cross to tend them in all things. I don’t want to give too much of this one away, but suffice it to say that all these disparate elements come together quite smoothly when the protagonist’s dark past threatens to catch up with her. Art to this one was provided by Eric Deschamps, which marks his third illustration in the magazine.
After this we have “A Better Place” by Josh Rountree, which marks his third story in the magazine. This one was bought before I joined RoF. This one is a rather short piece about a young boy on a farm who has a chance to leave for “a better place,” what sounds like every kid’s wonderland. To say more is to give it entirely away. Art to this one was provided by Janet Hamlin.
Next up is “Schwarze Madonna and the Sandalwood Knight” by Jay Lake & Ruth Nestvold. This story was submitted before I joined the magazine, was caught in slush limbo for a while due to the change in assistant editors, and ended up being bought some months afterward. For Jay, it’s his fifth appearance in the magazine. For Ruth, it’s her second. It’s also worth noting this is the first co-written story to appear in the magazine where both authors had previously been published in the magazine with just solo pieces. As to the story itself, this is a high fantasy tale. On the surface, it seems like something you might have heard about before, i.e. the farmer taking up the sword to confront the enemy. But the truth is that this story entirely deconstructs and reconstructs the high fantasy genre. Yes, a farmer takes up a sword, but he behaves as a farmer should and would under these circumstances, and that impacts the entire tale on every single level. And the world is quite original to boot, dripping with details and atmosphere. Kudos to the authors for successfully tackling this one. It’s a story of vengeance and especially love, and I’ll steal Shawna’s editorial tag for this one since it really captures the spirit of the piece, and trying to convey what’s going on otherwise would fail to do this one justice: “Love can take many shapes and form and lead lovers to many words and deeds. Some may ultimately be self-destructive, but in the end only time will tell.” Art to this one was provided by Michael Komarck, which marks his third illustration in the magazine.
Finally we have “Ice” by Patrice E. Sarath, which marks her second appearance in the magazine. In this one, an unnamed Canadian city is becoming buried in an endlessly falling snow. Everyone who didn’t flee at the outset is now trapped in the city, including our professional hockey player protagonist. At the beginning of the story he is dealing with an injury just suffered in a game, but it’s clear he’s also dealing with some issues with his wife and a fellow teammate of his. All of these elements begin to build toward a head when he receives a surprising invitation to the ballet and attends, at which point it becomes clear there is something sinister and strange at play. Art to this one was provided by Eric Dinyer, which marks his eighth illustration in the magazine.
So that wraps up this issue. And my favorite story? “Pavel Petrovich” by Daniel Hood. And my favorite artwork? Eric Fortune’s illustration to “Undine” by Catherine Krahe. Next time around I’ll slice, dice, and make nice with the August 2006 issue, another issue that has a special place in my heart.
Until then …
Realms of Fantasy: April 2006 (Issue 70)
Part seventy 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 serving up the April 2006 issue.
The cover to this one is by Kinuko Craft, which marks her third illustration in the magazine. It features a woman, who, judging by her arm, is starting to shape-change into a wolf or canine of some sort.
In the last retrospective, I mentioned that this issue holds some special meaning for me. One reason why is the masthead, as it finally lists me as Assistant Editor. We’ll get to the other reason once I get to the fiction.
But first a rundown of the nonfiction:
In the movie/TV column, Resa Nelson covers the video game adapted to the big screen, Silent Hill; in the Folkroots column, Kristen McDermott discussed the connection between fairies and English-speaking dramatic theater; in the adult books column, Gahan Wilson reviews Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman, Platinum Pohl: The Collected Best Stories of Frederick Pohl, and The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian (illustrated by Mark Shultz) & The Conquering Sword of Conan(illustrated by Gregory Manchess), both of which collect Robert E. Howard’s original tales; and Paul Witcover reviews A Feast for Crows by George R. R. Martin, The Narrows by Alex Irvine, and Bear Daughter by Judith Berman; in the artist gallery, Karen Haber covers the art of Tom Kidd, and in the games column, Eric T. Baker reviews The Movies for the PC,Quake 4 for the PC and Xbox 360, Call of Cthulu: Dark Corners of the Earth for the Xbox, Soul Calibur III for the PS2,Lord of the Rings: Tactics for the PSP, and the Whitewolf rpg, The Wurst of Grimtooth’s Traps. I should also mention that the YA books column appears to have made its first appearance this issue. I’m assuming Michael Jones–the current YA book columnist–wrote this column, but for some strange reason the columnist isn’t listed. Either way, the books reviewed were The Inheritance Trilogy Book 2: Eldest by Christopher Paolini, The Sisters Grimm: The Fairy Tale Detectives and The Sister Grimm: The Unusual Suspects, both by Michael Buckley, The Lucy Chronicles: High School Bites by Liza Conrad, Rebel Angels by Libba Bray, and Wizards at War by Diane Duane.
On to the fiction …
The lead story is “Lady of Ashuelot” by Karen L. Abrahamson. This is the other reason this is a special issue for me, as this story marks my first slush survivor to appear in the magazine. I also take pride in the fact that it’s the first piece of slush I ever pulled out from the submissions pile. I suppose it’s only fitting that the first issue in which my name appears in the masthead is also the first issue in which one of my slush survivors appeared. As to the story itself, this is a piece of Arthuriana that takes place in modern-day New Hampshire. Guinevere (or Gwen, as she’s called in this version) is making a living for herself as a blacksmith, and taking care of the Lady of the Lake, who still has Excalibur. Enter Lancelot, who walks off the Greyhound bus, seeking Excalibur so that Arthur can be awakened from his mystical sleep so that the once and future king can walk again and return Britain to its glory. It sounds good in theory, but Lancelot is only thinking about himself and the love triangle (in this case between Gwen, Lance, and the Lady) complicates things further. This story has something of a feminist take on the mythos, and one of the things that grabbed my attention when reading was far from dainty Gwen was. Giving her a talent for black-smithing goes so against expectations of the iconic princess, just as T.H. White went against expectations in The Once and Future King when he had the guts to make Lancelot ugly. When you can flip everything on its head in this sub-genre, you’re doing something interesting. Art to this one was provided by Michael Kerr, which marks his ninth illustration in the magazine.
Next up we have “Moon Viewing at Shijo Bridge” by Richard Parks, which marks his 19th appearance in the magazine. If memory serves me correctly, this piece was already in inventory when I joined the magazine. This is the second of Richard’s Lord Yamada stories to appear in the magazine, and possibly the one to receive the most attention, as it received a number of positive reviews and was reprinted in Fantasy: Best of the Year 2007, edited by Rich Horton. It was also podcasted over on the PodCastle website, under the 9/2/08 entry. In this one, Lord Yamada is drawn back to his days at the Imperial Court in feudal Japan when the princess he used to know there sends for him. She is seeking his help as he son’s claim to become the future emperor is in jeopardy. What follows is a labyrinthine story of twists and turns as Yamada and his companion seek the truth while providing aid, in what is probably the most politically dominated plot to ever appear in the magazine. At the same time, everything throughout remains completely character-driven, so there’s some real nice balance here. Art to this one was provided by Paul Lee, which marks his thirteenth illustration in the magazine.
Then we have “Anywhere There’s a Game” by Greg Van Eekhout, which marks his second appearance in the magazine, and his first solo appearance. This one was bought after I joined the magazine. Usually a sports story in fantasy turns out to be about baseball, but this one is a rare basketball fantasy. In this story, a former professional basketball player relates to a reporter various supernatural encounters he’s had during the course of his career. The story is really broken down into five shorter pieces, with each one focusing around his encounter with a different position player, i.e. one supernatural story each for the center, power forward, small forward, shooting guard, and point guard. This one was podcasted on the PodCastle website under its 9/16/08 entry. Art in the magazine was provided by Web Bryant, which marks his twenty second illustration in the magazine.
Following this we have “Ducks in a Row” by Devon Monk, which marks her seventh appearance in the magazine. Again, if memory serves me correctly, this one was accepted by the magazine before I joined up. This is a short piece about a boy at a carnival who has a somewhat supernatural connection to inanimate objects. And while this does factor into the story, it is not the point of this story. What is the point? Well, there is an underlying secret that’s hinted at throughout the story, a dark one. It’s easy to miss if you don’t pay attention, and pushes the story to an entirely new level once you realize what it is. No, I won’t tell you. That would defeat the purpose. You must read it and decipher it for yourself. Art to this one was provided by Yuko Shimizu.
After this we have “Jane. A Story of Manners, Magic, and Romance” by Sarah Prineas, which marks her third appearance in the magazine. It was submitted after I joined RoF. This one is a romantic fantasy piece with a heavy helping of Victorian flavor. In this one, scientists are warlocks dabbling with magic in this world, which is called “the element.” And the main character, one Jane, is extraordinarily irresistible to warlocks once they’re around her. And just about all warlocks are men. All of this comes to a head when a group of warlocks endeavor to discover why her uncle’s home seems to attract so many random storms containing “the element.” As the title says, this is a story of manners, magic, and romance. Art to this one was provided by J.K. Potter, which marks his tenth illustration in the magazine.
Finally we have “Heart of Ice” by Jena Snyder. This one was submitted while I was with the magazine. With a few touches, this one could easily be high fantasy. As it is, it is dark fantasy piece that takes place at an undetermined time in what I’m deducing to be somewhere in Quebec, Canada. In this piece the author draws on the mythology of the wendigo (or wittigo, as she calls it here), as we meet a woman who long ago was reduced to cannibalism and in a feverish state, she fed her dying child to her husband to save his life during a terrible winter. Only her husband killed himself when he learned what she had done, and she went mad, and has survived in misery for countless years since then while maintaining her youthful beautiful appearance. Enter the requisite young man who is attracted to her. Only it sounds like you’re being set up for the classic foolish man/Femme Fatale story. But this isn’t the case. The author takes everything in some rather refreshing directions that make reading this more than worthwhile. Art to this one was provided by Craig Elliott, which marks his second illustration in the magazine.
So that wraps up this issue. And my favorite story? Well, from here on out it gets trickier to judge everything fairly whenever there’s a slush survivor of mine in one of the issues., but I think I’m up to the task. So my pick this time around is “Anywhere There’s a Game” by Greg Van Eekhout. And my favorite artwork? Web Bryant’s illustration to “Anywhere There’s a Game.” Next time around I’ll discuss the June 2006 issue.
Until then …
Realms of Fantasy: February 2006 (Issue 69)
Part sixty-nine 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 poking and prodding the February 2006 issue.
The cover to this one features an illustration by Donato Giancola. It depicts Arthur and Guinevere from the Arthurian legends.
A rundown of this issue’s nonfiction is as follows:
In the adult books column, Gahan Wilson reviews Screaming Science Fiction: Horrors from Outer Space, edited by Brian Lumley, To Charles Fort with Love by Caitlin R. Kiernan, Dark Delicacies, edited by Del Howison and Jeff Gelb, andSongs and Sonnets Atlantean; the Third Series by Donald Sidney-Fryer, while Paul Witcover reviews A Princess of Roumania by Paul Park, and The Girl in the Glass by Jeffrey Ford; in Folkroots, Helen Pilinovsky discusses how goblin markets are the magical marketplaces of fantasy literature; in the movie/TV column, Resa Nelson review’s Peter Jackson’sKing Kong, in the artist gallery, Karen Haber discusses the art of Scott Gustafson; and in the games column, Eric T. Baker reviews MediEvil for the Sony PSP, Kingdom Under Fire: Heroes for the Xbox, Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga 2 for the PS2, the real-time rpg, Dragonsbard, for the PC, X-Men Legends 2: Rise of the Apocalypse for the PC, PS2, Xbox, PSP, and Gamecube, and the James Bond game, From Russia with Love, for the PS2, Xbox, and Gamecube.
On to the fiction …
The lead story in this one is “Messages” by Brett Alexander Savory. This story has the odd distinction of being the first story published in Realms to have a repeat title. Back in the April 2001 issue, the magazine published “Messages” by Rob Vagle. But that’s where the similarities end. This one is a rather dark tale set in modern times. It deals with different secret parties, competing to obtain the writings from people who are “fugue writers.” Fugue writers are people who are unknowingly channeling the words of a higher power, what might possibly be God. Any such writings are extremely valuable to the most powerful people in the world, as these folks wish to obtain such writings so they can carry out what they believe to be God’s will. But here’s the twist, and pardon me while I steal Shawna’s editorial blurb to this one: “We humans think it’s all about us. But what if it’s not?” For those curious about this sort of thing, this story was submitted to the magazine after I joined up as assistant editor. It should also be noted that this story was reprinted in Year’s Best Fantasy & Horror 2007, 20th edition, edited by Ellen Datlow, Kelly Link & Gavin Grant. Art to this one was provided by Michael Gibbs, which marks his twelfth illustration in the magazine.
Next up we have “Swansdown” by Deborah Roggie. This is a high fantasy tale about a wizard’s young wife and her lover who steal the wizard’s swanskins, don them, become swans, and flee. The problem? The woman wants to stay in the swanskin, while the man wishes to resume his human form for a time. When a spinster on a farm happens to see him remove his swanskin and change back to a man, the lives of these three individuals becomes inextricably linked …and even more so, when the wizard comes looking for his wife. This is a tale of love, loss, and change. And for the curious, this one was in inventory before I joined up with the magazine. Art to this one was provided by Scott Grimando, which marks his eleventh illustration in the magazine.
Following this we have “The Road’s End” by James Van Pelt, which marks his sixth appearance in the magazine. This one is a high fantasy tale about a man who returns home to settle down with his family after many years of traveling and adventure. He thinks that at last he is content, that he can rest after having seen and done so much. But the call of the world proves too strong too resist. This is another piece that was submitted to the magazine after I joined up. I can still remember my main to Shawna about this one, that being that this story’s theme is one I haven’t seen too often in secondary fantasies for short fiction (still don’t). It brought to mind Robert E. Howard’s poem, “Solomon Kane’s Homecoming.” Of course, that’s a poem as opposed to prose, but I think it’s still worth mentioning, since it was a poem that tells a story, and the bulk of Howard’s tales about Solomon Kane were in fact prose. And being as I rather enjoyed Howard’s poem, this comparison is also a compliment. Art to this one was provided by Craig Elliott.
Then we have “Uncle Vernon’s Lie” by Patrick Samphire, which marks his fifth appearance in the magazine. This one was accepted by the magazine before I joined up. This is a middle-grade fantasy tale about a young boy who’s so scared of everything that it prevents him enjoying childhood as he should. So in an effort to cure him of his fears, the boy’s father has him spend the summer with his Uncle Vernon. Before they part ways, his father issue’s a warning, telling Beji that his uncle will tell one lie all summer. Seems simple enough. Except here a few of the things Uncle Vernon tells Benji during his stay: that there are little men living inside the black balls he uses as tea leaves, that there is a spring deep inside the earth that keeps it winding, that every time you shed a tear you’re shedding an entire world, and the people inside have until that tear hits the ground to live their entire lives, etc. So figuring out the one lie is not so easy as it seems. It’s also not easy to figure out Uncle Vernon. He’s an old man, but on the inside he has what you might call at least a partial Peter Pan complex. So while he’s taking care of Benji for the summer, he also maintains the imagination of a child, which aids him in overcoming Beji’s fears. This is a heartfelt and honest tale that drew me the way few middle-grade pieces can …and I have to admit the following: when i read the ending, there was a lump in my throat. Kudos to the author. I’ve read and enjoyed quite a number of Realms stories, many of them sad, but off the top of my head I can of two stories that made the sadness come bubbling up come the end. Goosebumps is another story. But actually leaving me sad for more than a heartbeat? Not too often, I’m afraid. I’m thick-skinned about this kind of stuff, so it’s not a reflection on the authors or their stories. But this story broke through the proverbial wall (and I’ve yet to discuss the other), and I feel that’s worth noting. Art to this one was provided by J.K. Potter, which marks his ninth illustration in the magazine.
Following this we have “Dead Letters” by Christopher Barzak, which marks his third appearance in the magazine. I’ll also note that this story is “for Jenna Felice.” Jenna Felice was an editor for Tor some years back (I can’t remember her official title) who unexpectedly died at a young age. If I remember correctly, it was from an asthma attack. I met her once, at an Ursula K. Le Guin reading. Very nice person. As to the story, this was another one that was submitted to the magazine after I joined up. In this one, we are introduced to a character who used to be imaginary. She was the make-believe childhood friend of a girl named Sarah, and you can gather from the story that Sarah had a rather vivid imagination, and she believed in her friend more than most kids do with theirs. Eventually Sarah moved on as she got older. You would think that would be the end of it. But when Sarah is murdered, her imaginary friend Alice comes to life, looking for Sarah, refusing to believe that she is truly dead. The bulk of the story is told through a series of letters that Alice mails to Sarah’s old house. It’s a rather surreal and emotional journey for the character, and while the premise may sound a bit far-fetched, the strong writing in this one makes you more than willing to believe what you’re reading. Art to this one was provided by Chris Cocozza, which marks his fifth illustration in Realms.
Finally we have “The Land of Reeds” by Patrick Samphire, which marks his sixth appearance in the magazine, and his second story in this issue, Art to this one was provided by Allen Douglas. This is another story that was submitted to the magazine after I joined up. Now, in the last issue, Patrick’s “Lavender’s Blue, Lavender’s Green” marked the first story to be published in the magazine that was submitted for consideration after I joined up. In this issue, we’ve jumped to four out of six stories being submitted to the magazine after I joined up. So you can see that at this point Sovereign Media has burned through most of the inventory from the Carina Gonzalez era. As to the story itself, this one is a piece of Egyptian mythology. When Alexander the Great proclaims himself the pharaoh of Egypt, the god Amon-Re stops walking through the underworld, because Alexander’s blood is an outsider claiming to be pharaoh. And so everything is put into doubt as to what will happen to future souls that seek the Land of Reeds, a place they go in the afterlife. Art to this one was provided by Allen Douglas, which marks his This story was podcasted on the Pseudopod website, under the 6/6/08 entry.
So that wraps up this issue. And my favorite story? Wow. I think this is one of the strongest issues I’ve read. In another issue, I would select just about any of these stories as my favorite in a heartbeat. But I’ve got to go with “Uncle Vernon’s Lie” by Patrick Samphire for pulling on the old heartstrings. And my favorite artwork? I’ll go with Allen Douglas’ illustration to “The Land of Reeds” by Patrick Samphire. Next time around I’ll tackle the April 2006 issue, a very special issue to me for a couple of reasons.
Until then …
