Retrospectives: 2007
Realms of Fantasy: December 2007 (Issue 80)
Part eighty 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 I’ll be polishing off 2007 as I discuss the December 2007 issue. This marks the first retrospective I’ve written since Kim and William Gilchrist of Damnation Books took over as the new publishers of Realms of Fantasy, saving the magazine from cancellation a second time after it ceased operations under Warren Lapine of Tir Na Nog Press. It’s been almost four months since I wrote the last retrospective. Part of that was due to me wanting a break from all things RoF after the magazine was cancelled once again. The rest of the layoff was due to the fact that since the magazine has come back I’ve been pretty busy getting RoF caught up. These retrospectives, while interesting to write, can be time consuming, and they needed to take a backseat to the day-to-day activities for the magazine. I’m not sure how regularly I’ll be able to write these going forward, but I do intend to see this series through to the present. It would be a shame to stop after writing seventy-nine previous installments. I’ll certainly try to write more than one every four months!
So without further ado:
The cover to this one features a fairy silhouette by Julie Fain. To date, it’s the only silhouette cover the magazine has run.
A rundown of this issue’s nonfiction is as follows:
In the movie/TV section, Resa Nelson covers the 3D movie, Beowulf; in the Folkroots section, Virginia Borges discusses Andersen’s Little Mermaid; in the Book column, Paul Witcover reviews Devices and Desires by K.J. Parker, Winterbirth by Brian Ruckley, Gospel of the Knife by Will Shetterly, Territory by Emma Bull, The Imago Sequence by Laird Barron, the anthology Fantasy, edited by Sean Wallance and Paul Tremblay, Laura Cleveland reviews God’s Demon by Wayne Barlowe, and Jeff VanderMeer reviews Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones, Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch, The Kingdom of Bones by Stephen Gallagher, Not Flesh Nor Feathers by Cherie Priest, and The Coyote Road: Trickster Tales, edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling; in the YA books column, Michael Jones reviews Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr, Vintage by Steve Berman, The Silver Moon Elm by MaryJanice Davidson and Anthony Alongi, Interworld by Neil Gaiman and Michael Reeves, The Princess and the Hound by Mette Ivie Harrison, Alex Unlimited: The Vosarak Code by Dan Jolley, and The Secret Life of Sparrow Delaney by Suzanne Harper; in the Graphic Novels column, Jeff VanderMeer reviews Scarlet Traces: The Great Game by Ian Edginton and D’Israeli, Artesia Afield/Afire by Mark Smylie, B.P.R.D.: The Universal Machine by Mike Mignola, John Arcudi, and Guy Davis, Robotika by Alex Sheikman, and Hell Beasts: How to Draw Grotesque Fantasy Creatures by Jim Pavelec; in the Artist Gallery, novelist and artist Wayne Barlowe conducts a discussion with himself; and in the Games column, Eric T. Baker reviews The Darkness for the Xbox 360 and the PS3, Vampire Rain for the Xbox 360, Transformers the Game for the PC, Confessions of a Part-Time Sorceress: A Girl’s Guide to the Dungeons & Dragons Game, and Project Sylpheed for the Xbox 360.
On to the fiction …
The lead story is “Still Point” by Graham Edwards, which marks his fourth appearance in the magazine. This is another tale about his cyber-detective, which is also the fourth such tale to appear in this magazine. In this one, our cyber-detective’s business is in dire straits and he has just hours left before it shuts down. Then a case comes his way involving the Still Point of the Turning of the World, which is the most important bank in this universe. There is some debate concerning just what this bank holds, but when he learns some corrupt cops are threatening to break into the bank, which could in turn lead to the end of the world, he accepts the case. Of course, saving the bank poses problems of its own, when you have to contend with undead cops and the last remaining Leviathan. Art to this one was provided by Tony Shasteen, which marks his third illustration in the magazine.
Next up we have “Hot Water” by Richard Parks, which marks his 21st appearance in the magazine, and his fourth Lord Yamada tale to appear in RoF. This is another detective tale (of the Far Eastern variety) as Lord Yamada must unravel the mystery of a strange entity haunting a waterfall while figuring out whether it’s a demon or goddess and what to do about it. But as usual in these Lord Yamada tales, all is not quite as it seems. Art to this one was provded by Tiffany Prothero, which marks her second illustration in the magazine.
Then we have “The Fireman’s Fairy” by Sandra McDonald, which marks her fourth appearance in the magazine. In this story, we’re introduced to a world where firemen’s mascots are creatures out myth, such as dwarves, minotaurs, satyrs, etc. We move from premise to twist when a newly minted firefighter discovers that his station’s mascot is a little fairy in pink tights called TinkerBob, who is rather flamboyant and somewhat irritating. Given that most firefighters are men and it is often considered a macho job, dealing with TinkerBob proves an exercise not just of patience but also self-discovery, acceptance, and learning for our protagonist as he also struggles to overcome post traumatic stress syndrome from his recent stint in Iraq. This piece was podcast on PodCastle as their 10/14/09 story. Art to this one was provided by Bruce MacPherson.
After this we have “Transformations” by David Barr Kirtley, which marks his fifth appearance in the magazine. In this one, we meet a robot named Carrus who is somewhat reminiscent of the Transformers (as is the title, for that matter). The most obvious similarity is the robot’s ability to transform into a car. The similarities end there though, as he learn Carrus has been stationed on this planet for some time in secret, waiting to hear from his people. He breaks protocol when he reveals himself to a teenage boy, and from there this story becomes an exploration of love and friendship between the two of them. To me, this story has a feel of science fiction, but as Shawna sometimes does with these pieces I consider to be science fictional, she justifies the fantastical element through the exploration of love. Given this, her editorial blurb for this story reads thusly: “Whether you’re made of metal and oil or flesh and bone, love can be an incredible transformative force.” Art to this was provided by Rob Johnson, which marks his third illustration in the magazine.
Then we have “On Tuesday it Rained Horned Toads” by Joe Murphy, which marks his third appearance in the magazine. This is another Sprokly tale, a wooden girl brought to life, his third such tale to appear in RoF (it would seem this is an issue for recurring characters). In this one, Sprokly has become something between wood and real and has run away from home, as she’s becoming more determined to assert her own independence, which means getting out from under the thumb of Grampser, her creator and the paternal figure in her life. She ends up taking refuge with an older couple whose child is mentally challenged. While there, Sprokly attempts to help the boy overcome her disabilities. No doubt she feels a certain connection to him given that she would like to be something a little closer to normal as well. But when Grampser and his mechanical horned toads come looking for Sprokly, there might be enough time to help her newfound friend. Art to this one was provided by Lori Koefoed, which marks her thirteenth illustration in the magazine.
Finally we have “The White Isle” by Von Carr. This is another tale I pulled from the slush and I worked with the author on some very modest edits before passing this up the editorial ladder to Shawna McCarthy. In this one, a young naive merchant prince is shipwrecked on a nearly deserted island. He falls in love with the oddly quiet witch woman who lives there, and when he’s rescued he brings her back with him, intent on making him his wife. They say love is blind, but it isn’t love that blinds the prince to what the woman is, just his own sheltered upbringing. The author makes it plain that just about everyone else recognizes the woman for what she is, and we witness what you might call a slowly unfolding train wreck as the story progresses in this richly detailed world. Art to this one was provided by Stephanie Pui-Mun Law, which marks her second illustration in the magazine. This illustration was nominated for a 2008 Chesley Award for Interior Illustration. At this time, I had nothing to do with the magazine’s artwork, though I do recall experiencing a certain level of excitement at seeing artwork nominated for a story I had pulled from the slush and worked on with the author. Who knows? Maybe one of these days a story I assign to an artist will be nominated for a Chesley. Dare to dream.
So that wraps up this issue, as well as 2007. Next time around I’ll pop the cork on 2008 when I discuss the February 2008 issue.
Until then …
Realms of Fantasy: October 2007 (Issue 79)
Part seventy-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 sharing some thoughts on the October 2007 issue. In my last retrospective, I had hinted that this next issue was somewhat milestone-y in my retrospective series. The reason behind this is back in August 2007, when I wrote my very first RoF Retrospective for the very first issue of Realms of Fantasy, the October 2007 was the magazine’s current issue. Being as the current issue of the magazine is now the October 2010 issue, it’s taken me roughly three years to get to this point, and a run of thirty-five issues. It would be thirty-six, but when Tir Na Nog Press took over this magazine, RoF missed one issue before resuming publication. So over the course of thirty-five issues, I’ve done retrospectives on seventy-nine issues (including this one). That’s averages out to a little over two retrospectives per issue. Not bad, and if nothing else, this points to definite progress being made. I am drawing ever closer to becoming current with this series.
The cover to this one feature’s Michelle Pfeiffer in her role in the movie adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s novel, Stardust. This marks the magazine’s ninth movie cover and eleventh media cover.
A rundown of this issue’s nonfiction is as follows:
In the Movie/TV column, Resa Nelson covers the big-screen adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s aforementioned novel, Stardust; in the Books column, Paul Witcover reviews Acacia: Book One of the War with the Mein by David Anthony Durham, The Kingkiller Chronicle, Day One: The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss, The End of the Story: The Collected Fantasies of Clark Ashton Smith, Volume One, edited by Scott Connors and Ron Hilger, Softspoken by Lucius Shepard, Soon I Will Be Invincible by Austin Grossman, and Jeff VanderMeer joins the magazine with this issue and reviews Deadstock by Jeffrey Thomas, Dangerous Offspring by Steph Swainstron, Ilario: The Lion’s Eye by Mary Gentle, Vacation by Jeremy C. Shipp, and The Music of Razors by Cameron Rogers; in the YA Books column, Michael Jones reviews Ironside by Holly Black, The Titan’s Curse by Rick Riordan, The Wizard Heir by Cinda Williams Chima, Nobody’s Princess by Esther Friesner, In the Serpent’s Coils by Tiffany Trent, Tantalize by Cynthia Leitich-Smith, The Good Ghoul’s Guide to Getting Even by Julie Kenner, and Hex Education by Emily Gould; in the Folkroots column, Terri Windling discusses the orphaned hero in myth, folklore, and fantasy; in the Artist Gallery, Karen Haber covers the artwork of Scott M. Fischer; and in the Games column, Eric T. Baker reviews Pirates of the Caribbean at World’s End for the XBox, Spiderman 3 for all consoles and the PC, Penumbra: Overture Episode One for the PC, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl for the PC, and Touch the Dead for the Nintendo Dual Screen. This issue also marks the introduction of the Graphic Novel column, and its inaugural reviewer is the aforementioned Jeff VanderMeer. This first time around he reviews Mouse Guard Fall 1152 by David Peterson, Death by Chocolate by David Yurkovich, Wormwood, Gentleman Corpse: Birds, Bees, Blood, and Beer by Ben Templesmith, The Secret History, Book One: Genesis and Book Two: Castle of the Djinns by Jeane-Pierre Pecau, Igor Kordeey, and Carole Beau, and Dungeon: Twilight, Vol. 1: Dragon Cemetery and Vol. 2: Armageddon by Joann Sfar and Lewis Trondheim.
On to the fiction …
The lead story is “Everyone Bleeds Through” by Jack Skillingstead. In this story, we are presented with universe filled with parallel worlds, and a pair of people who have met in alternate realities meet each other again, and we see an attraction based on recognition through molecules. This story was reprinted in Science Fiction, Best of the Year 2008, edited by Rich Horton. To the best of my knowledge, this marks the first time a story from RoF was included in a Best of science fiction anthology. Art to this one was provided by Janet Hamlin, which marks her third illustration in the magazine.
Next up we have “Paper Cuts Scissors” by Holly Black. This was the second story in RoF’s Charles Vess project, wherein authors write stories based around illustrations provided by Charles Vess. In this piece, after having a fight with her boyfriend, a young woman who is able to change what takes place inside a story flees into a book, taking refuge inside the story within its pages. And our young protagonist attempts to win her back by tracking her down at the ultimate literary party, as scores of characters come to life in a very special library. This story was reprinted in Year’s Best Fantasy 8, edited by David Hartwell & Kathryn Cramer. It is also available as a free podcast on the PodCastle website, in their 8/3/10 entry. Art to this one was obviously provided by Charles Vess, which marks his second illustration in the magazine.
After this we have “Save Me Plz” by David Barr Kirtley, which marks his fourth appearance in the magazine. In this piece, a college student is trying to track down her ex, who had been so addicted to multiplayer online fantasy game it led to them breaking up. But it turns out that our protagonist is actually part of the online game in question and is stuck in a repeating quest that started long ago by her ex. With each successive quest, she is helping shape a new reality, one that is more in line with the fantasy world in question. Hints to this revelation are provided throughout, and this far-fetched idea ends up setting up rather nicely. This story was reprinted in Fantasy, Best of the Year 2008, edited by Rich Horton. It also aired as a podcast on the Escape Pod website, in their 9/20/07 edition. Art to this one was provided by Hyejeong Park, which marks his second illustration in the magazine.
Then we have “Roger Lambelin” by Jay Lake & Ruth Nestvold. This marks Jay’s seventh appearance in the magazine and Ruth’s third appearance. It also marks their second collaboration to appear in the magazine. Their first collaboration in RoF was “Schwarze Madonna and the Sandalwood Knight,” and “Roger Lambelin” is set in the same high fantasy universe, though the characters this time around are different. In this piece, a knight and companion journey into the strange dangerous world of the fairies to save the lady knight he loves. As to what results from this quest, I will go ahead and steal Shawna’s editorial tag to this piece: “In fairyland each day is like a year in our world, and love can conquer all. In the real world love sometimes has to take a different path, and it’s often unclear just what love has conquered.” Art to this one was provided by Dave Leri, which marks his illustration in the magazine. This illustration was also nominated for a 2008 Chesley Award for Interior Illustration. The illustration also appeared in Spectrum 15: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art. I’ll note here that I’m sure a number of other illustrations in RoF have appeared in the Spectrum series over the years, but I’m afraid my Spectrum collection begins with the fifteenth edition. Should I ever procure earlier volumes, I will go back and add other Spectrum appearances to the appropriate retrospectives.
Following this we have “When the Train Calls Lonely” by Devon Monk, which marks her eighth appearance in the magazine. In this piece, a young woman able to see the dead sees her sweetheart go off to war. When the nearby train passes the farm she works on, the dead come to her with its whistle, telling her their last words so she can write them down and mail them off to the loved ones of the deceased. During their time apart, the couple-to-be grow into adults as they each learn to deal with death in their own ways. Art to this one was provided by Paul Lee, which marks his fifteenth illustration in the magazine.
Finally we have ”Honest Man” by Naomi Kritzer, which marks her fifth appearance in the magazine. In this piece a young woman during WWII runs into an honest con man, i.e. he only cons liars and cheats. This con man has the ability to read thoughts, which he often uses to his advantage while running his schemes. Since the woman in question is honest, their relationship never becomes adversarial. As the years go by, he pops into her life a couple of more times, the last one being when she’s an old woman who has just been conned. With his help, they team up to con the con artist …but just how far this con runs is a fun answer that you don’t get in full until the end of the tale. This story was aired as as podcast on the PodCastle website, and is available for free listening in their 1/21/09 edition. Art to this one was provided by Joe Kovach. It marks his third illustration in the magazine and it appeared in Spectrum 15: Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art.
So that wraps up this issue. Next time I’ll wrap up 2007 when I jump into the December 2007 issue.
Until then …
Realms of Fantasy: August 2007 (Issue 78)
Part seventy-eight 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 making nice with the August 2007 issue.
The cover to this one is a Harry Potter illustration by Tony Shasteen, which marks his second illustration in the magazine. It also marks the third Harry Potter cover for the magazine.
A rundown of this issue’s nonfiction is as follows:
In the Movie/TV column, Resa Nelson covers Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, in the Folkroots column, Terri Windling discusses the themes in Rapunzel; in the Books column, Paul Witcover reviews Day Watch by Segei Lukyanenko, Endless Things: A Part of Aegypt by John Crowley, Worshipping Small Gods by Richard Parks, No Dominion by Charlie Huston, and When They Came by Don Webb; in the YA Books column, Michael Jones reviews Prom Dates From Hell by Rosemary Clement-Moore, The Dead Girls’ Dance by Rachel Caine, Worldweavers: Gift of the Unmage by Alma Alexander, City of Bones by Cassandra Clare, The Game by Diana Wynn Jones, Why I Let My Hair Grow Out by Maryrose Wood, Alfred Kropp: The Seal of Solomon by Rick Yancey, Iris, Messenger by Sarah Deming, and Laura Cleveland reviews Vintage: A Ghost Story by Steve Berman; in the Artist Gallery, Ari Berk covers the art of Charles Vess in Neil Gaiman’s world of Stardust; and in the Games column, Eric T. Baker reviews Supreme Commander for the PC, Galactic Civilizations II: Dark Avatar for the PC, Earth Defense Force 2017 for the Xbox 360, Armored Core 4 for Xbox 360, Ghost Rider for the PS2 and PSP, Atelier Iris 3: Grand Phantasm for the PS2, and the Dungeons & Dragons supplement, Dungeonscape: An Essential Guide to Dungeon Adventuring.
On to the fiction …
The lead story is “Waiting at the Door” by Cherith Baldry, which marks her second appearance in the magazine. In this one, a woman comes to the fairy court, begging the fairy queen to return her stolen child. During the course of this encounter, we meet the fairy lord who originally stole the child. He has reached a crossroads in his life, and is no longer satisfied with his callous decadent existence. When he starts experiencing guilt over his actions, it leads to a number of changes in his life. Art to this one was provided by Stephanie Pui-Mun Law.
Next up we have “Little Miss Apocalypse” by Christopher Barzak, which marks his fourth appearance in the magazine. In this piece, a shy college student falls in love with a brilliant classmate. Over time, she reveals to him that she has the ability to see and sense clouds of death around people. But when it’s later revealed that she’s bipolar, it puts into question what is true vs. what is not. But come the end of this story, the author makes a pretty convincing case as to which side of the fence we should stand on concerning her supernatural abilities. Art to this one was provided by Chris Cocozza, which marks his ninth illustration in the magazine.
After this we have “A Trade in Serpents” by Alan Smale, which marks his third appearance in the magazine. In this piece, Smale takes an actual quote from Benjamin Franklin and reinvents its meaning, so that Benjamin Franklin has called down on a curse on Britain, causing them to become infested with a plague of snakes. He adds further credence to this reinvention by noting Franklin’s associations with Salem, not to mention the respective time period is close to the time when the witch trials and burnings were taking place. When the story begins, Franklin has been captured by the British, and they’re attempting to extract the truth from him. But there is more to this Benjamin Franklin than meets the eye, as he proves to be something of a schizophrenic, with a personality that goes along with the scientist in him, one for the politician in him, and so on. And perhaps, just perhaps, there is a personality associated with Franklin’s dark sorcerer. Art to this one was provided by Tony Shasteen, which marks his second illustration in this issue and his third in the magazine overall.
Then we have “MetaPhysics” by Elizabeth M. Glover. This is another story I pulled from the slush, and it marks Elizabeth’s first fiction sale. And in the interests of full disclosure, I’ll note that she happened to be a personal friend of mine before she ever submitted to the magazine (at least while I was there). I rejected her first piece, encouraged her to submit again, and she sent along “MetaPhysics.” I read it, asked her to tweak the ending, and to make a long story short, she ended up snagging her first sale when Shawna decided to take this one for the magazine. As to the story itself, this one is a lighthearted tale about a demon from Hell, seeking souls to collect and bring back to meet his quota. He happens along a potential couple. When the man proves to be devout, he turns his attention to the woman, a scientist who also happens to be an atheist. Atheists are prime targets, and so the demon believes he has found a likely victim. However, our atheistic target demonstrates that it’s not about believing in God that can provide protection from Satan’s minions. It’s believing itself that is important. And if there is one thing a scientist believes in, it’s in the immutable laws of science. She goes on to demonstrate these believes, with amusing results. This story actually has three separate illustrations, by Mark Harmon, Cameron Munk, Annika De Castro. As to why this specific story has three illustrations, I’ll simply provide the following note that was included on the first page of the story: Note: You may wonder why there are three illustrations for this story. Well, we ran a very successful experiment with the illustration class at Southern Utah University in Cedar City. The class, taught by well-known artist Ben Sowards, was given the challenge of illustrating this story on time and on budget, and eleven students submitted their work to Realms of Fantasy. We chose our three favorites and decided to print all of them. We’d like to thank the all of the students for sharing their illustrations with us and we wish we could have shown all of them. We expect you’ll see their work in future issues of Realms of Fantasy. This story was also reprinted in the recent anthology, Sympathy for the Devil, edited by Tim Pratt.
After this we have “Restless in My Hand” by none other than Tim Pratt (ah, symmetry), which marks his eighth appearance in the magazine. In this one, a man with a family in modern times inherits a strange ax from an even stranger delivery man, who informs him that this ax is his birthright and is to be delivered to him now that the ancient curse on his line has expired. The ax proves to be sentient, and it wants its owner to resume wielding him in an alternate reality to resume a war against the enemies for which this ax was forged to kill. One problem: the aforementioned family. Our protagonist experiences deep urges because of this ax, but he loves and is dedicated to his family. But that love gets put to the test at times, and while I’m not going to give away the ending to this one, our protagonist’s struggle to resist the lure to indulge the ultimate adolescent fantasy of becoming a hero in another world makes him a hero in an entirely different way. This story is available as a podcast over on PodCastle for their 12/29/09 edition. Art to this one was provided by Rob Johnson, which mark his second illustration in the magazine.
Finally we have “Time Tells All” by Way Jeng, which marks his second appearance in the magazine. In this amusing tale, we are introduced to a seemingly simple man who has a karmic surplus, so the sisters Happiness and Fate attempt to improve his life. As you might guess, these names indicate they’re more than just ordinary sisters. However, the man they’re out to help is more complex than meets the eye, and when Happiness falls for him, and then Fate too, hilarity ensues. Art to this one was provided by David Leonard, which marks his second illustration in the magazine.
So that wraps up this issue. Next time around I’ll discuss the October 2007 issue, which is another milestone issue for the retrospective series.
Until then …
Realms of Fantasy: June 2007 (Issue 77)
Part seventy-seven in my ongoing retrospective as I read the fiction to the back issues of Realms of Fantasy and offer my thoughts, right up to the present. This time around I’ll be saying hello to the June 2007 issue.
The cover to this one features Karl Urban in his role in the fantasy movie, Pathfinder. This marks the magazine’s eighth movie cover and tenth media cover.
A rundown of this issue’s nonfiction is as follows:
In the movie/TV column, Resa Nelson covers the aforementioned Pathfinder; in the Folkroots column, Heinz Insu Fenkl discusses Trickster tales; in the books column, Gahan Wilson reviews The End of the Story: Volume One of the Collected Fantasy of Clark Ashton Smith, edited by Scott Connors and Roger Hilger, The Further Adventures of Beowulf, Champion of Middle Earth, edited by Brian M. Thomsen, and he provides coverage of the online magazine, The Cimmerian, which was dedicated to Conan and his creator, Robert E. Howard; also in the books column, Paul Witcover reviews Polyphony 6, edited by Deborah Layne & Jay Lake, Scar Night, The Deepgate Codex: Volume 1 by Alan Campbell, Flora Segunda by Ysabeau S. Wilce, and Weatherwitch: Book Three of the Crowthistle Chronicles by Cecila Dart-Thornton; in the YA Books column, Michael Jones reviews Into the Wild by Sarah Beth Durst, Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier, Tattoo by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George, Evil Genius by Catherine Jinks, Dragonfrigate Wizard Halcyon Blithe by James M. Ward, The Scarlet Letterman by Cara Lockwood, and The Faerie Path by Frewin Jones; in the artist gallery, Karen Haber covers the art of Stephaniu Pui-Mun Law; and in the games section, Eric T. Baker reviews Star Trek Legacy for the PC and Xbox 360, Marvel Ultimate Alliance for the Xbox, Xbox 360, PS2, and PC, Bionicle Heroes for the PS2, Xbox 360, and GameCube, and the Dungeons & Dragons supplement adventure, Scourge of the Howling Horde.
It should also be noted that this issue marks the last one for book reviewer, Gahan Wilson. Gahan had been part of the magazine since the very first issue, a very respectable run of 77 issues, or almost thirteen years.
On to the fiction …
The lead story is “Afghan Buddha Payback” by David Pinault. This story was plucked from the slush and marks it marks David’s first fiction publication. It is also marks the first story I ever fished from the slush that went on to publication wherein the author had no fiction credits whatsoever (though he did have a number of nonfiction credits outside the genre). As to the story itself, this one is a quirky contemporary fantasy tale, in which a pair of art thieves get involved with the Taliban and a Buddhist djinn while hunting for art in Pakistan that they might sell on the black market. Art to this one was provided by Lori Koefoed, which marks her 12th illustration in the magazine.
Next up we have “Companions to the Moon” by Charles de Lint, which marks his fourth appearance in the magazine. This story was the first in the “Charles Vess project,” in which Charles Vess allowed the magazine to pair six of his paintings with various well known fantasy authors. In this one, de Lint tells the tale of a woman who suspects her lover is cheating on her, only to discover that he is a member of the fairy court. Art to this one was obviously provided by Charles Vess.
Then we have “The Hotel Astarte” by M.K. Hobson, which marks her second appearance in the magazine. You might want to term this one historical fantasy. It takes right before the Great Depression, and introduces us to an alternate America where magic is alive and kicking, and the land is dominated by figures such as the King of the Midwest and the Emperor of the East. As you might expect right before the Great Depression, things are becoming somewhat ominous. The King of the Midwest is seeking the death of the Emperor of the East, believing that this will help the farmers and crops of his own land. To accomplish this, he employs a dead warlock who is his wife’s former lover from years ago who almost killed her before falling in love with her instead. He also sends along the Prince of the Midwest, and he treats both of them as little more than chess pieces. But the past has a way of catching up to the present, and when it does, it sends powerful repercussions that will be felt in the future. This story appeared online on PodCastle as their 5/6/08 broadcast and you can listen to it for free. Art to this one was provided by Michael Gibbs, which marks his thirteenth illustration in the magazine.
After this we have “Pennsylvania Dragon” by Stephen Chambers. This takes place in a small dwindling town in Pennsylvania, and is a dark tale about the dark things that come from the old country and rule from the shadows. In it, a young man who is looking forward to the rest of his life must deal an dangerous and enigmatic figure known as the chicken man while those closest to him are dying or in danger of dying. But the chicken man is just the tip of the iceberg. There are things far more dangerous, and the chicken man amounts to little more than the messenger. Art to this one was provided by Chric Cocozza, which marks his eighth illustration in the magazine.
Finally we have “Princess Lucinda and the Hound of the Moon” by Theodora Goss, which marks her fourth appearance in the magazine. This one is a charming fairy tale that takes place in the fictional European country of Sylvania. In it, we learn that the queen is heartbroken when she learns that she is unable to bear children. Then out of nowhere she discovers a baby in a basket and raises the child as her own daughter. But when it turns out the child is in fact the daughter of the moon, well, it’s safe to say this complicates matters. This story was reprinted in Year’s Best Fantasy 8, edited by David Hartwell & Kathryn Cramer. Art was provided by Erin & Kelly Carty, which marks their second illustration in the magazine.
So that wraps up this issue. Next time around the August 2007 will step up to the plate.
Until then …
Realms of Fantasy: April 2007 (Issue 76)
Part seventy-six in my ongoing retrospective as I read the fiction to the back issues of Realms of Fantasy and offer my thoughts, right up to the present. This time around I’ll be discussing the April 2007 issue.
The cover to this one features the artwork of Victoria Frances, which marks her second illustration in the magazine.
A rundown of this issue’s nonfiction is as follows:
In the movie/TV column, Resa Nelson covers the movie, 300; in the folkroots column, Midori Snyder discusses the ancient roots of the masked comic theaters; in the books column, Gahan Wilson reviews Adventures in Unhistory: Conjectures on the Factual Foundations of Several Ancient Legends by Avram Davidson, The Darkening Garden: A Short Lexicon of Horror by John Clute, The Salon of the Fantastique: Fifteen Original Tales of Fantasy, edited by Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling, and Paul Witcover reviews The Orphan’s Tales, Volume I: In the Night Garden by Catherynne M. Valente, Dragon Avenger by E.E. Knight, Pictures from an Expedition by Alexander C. Irvine, and Three Days to Never by Tim Powers; in the YA Books column, Michael Jones reviews Beka Cooper: Terrier by Tamora Pierce, Spirits That Walk in Shadow by Nina Kiriki Hoffman, Flora Segunda by Ysabeau S. Wilce, Cupid by Julius Lester, Fangs 4 Freaks by Serena Robar, Larklight by Phillip Reeve, Water Song by Suzanne Weyn, The Salem Witch Tryouts by Kelly McClymer, and Laura Cleveland reviews Here, There Be Dragons by James A. Owen; in the artist gallery, Karen Haber covers the art of P. Craig Russell; and in the games column, Eric T. Baker reviews World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade, Gears of War for the Xbox 360, the RPG, Neverwinter Nights 2, the D&D module, Expedition to Castle Ravenloft, and Mage Knight Apocalypse for the PC.
On to the fiction …
The lead story is “A Touch of Hell” by Richard Parks, which marks his twentieth appearance in the magazine, making him the first author to have twenty stories appear in RoF. This is another story about his far eastern samurai detective, Lord Yamada, the third such story to appear in the magazine. In this one, Lord Yamada is pressed for cash and accepts an assignment to deal with an ogre that has killed a young women and is causing trouble along an important path, but as is often the case, this assignment proves to be far less than straightforward. Art to this one was provided by Tiffany Prothero, and the artwork was nominated for a 2007 Chesley Award for Interior Illustration.
Next up we have “The Rope: A New Tale of the Antique Lands” by Noreen Doyle, which marks her fourth appearance in the magazine. In this one, there is a rope-charmer of considerable skill and something of a mystery about him. For whenever the young boys climb up the rope that he causes to rise into the sky, they seem to vanish. Finally, a young woman endeavors to work with the rope-charmer and solve the mystery of where this rope leads. Well, wherever it goes, Rich Horton must have appreciated the location, because this piece was included in his anthology, Fantasy, The Best of the Year, 2008. Art to this one was provided by Paul Lee, which marks his fourteenth illustration in the magazine.
Then we have “Stephanie Shrugs” by Josh Rountree, which marks his fifth appearance in the magazine. In this urban fantasy, we are introduced to a young rock n’ roller who has dreams of stardom. Before his career takes off, he receives a visit from a beautiful and mysterious woman who seems to know more than she should and who ends up setting him along the path he has been dreaming of. Over the years, she shows up again and again at crucial points in his life. She might be his muse, but she might be something else entirely. Music lovers should get a particular kick out of this one. Art to this one was provided by Eric Fortune, which marks his fourth illustration in the magazine.
After this we have “Black Jack Davy” by Trent Hergenrader. In this Wild West fantasy, a newly made widow struggles to find happiness on the frontier while the ghost of Black Jack Davy haunts the land, stealing young women away with a method that seems more in keeping with the fey than with any sort of frontier shootout as you might first imagine based on the milieu. Art to this one was provided by Brian Horton, which marks his fourth illustration in the magazine. I will also humbly point out that Trent’s story marks my tenth slush survivor to appear in the magazine.
Following this we have “Red” by Jackie Kessler. This is a retelling of the Little Red Riding Hood fairy tale. The big twist? Well, if Little Red befriends the Wolf, would that qualify as a big enough twist for you? Yes? I thought so. Art to this one was provided by Jada Fitch.
Next up is “Bottles” by Samantha Henderson. In this dark fantasy, a single mother is struggling with her recent divorce, her repressed anger, and the psychic abilities she’s been repressing since adolescence. Things become even more convoluted when she discovers that her daughter, early into adolescence herself, has developed the ability to remove the souls of living beings and store them in glass bottles. This story can be best summed up by two words the author uses quite effectively: never assume. It’s also interesting that I reread this story when I did, because some months back this story was adapted into a twenty minute independent film. It’s since been making the indie film circuit and has been doing quite well for itself. Sam was kind enough to send me a copy of the film. I suspect this was a thank you for the part I played in helping this one get into print. While Sam’s story isn’t a slush survivor, suffice it to say this one took a rather unusual and circuitous journey before finally making its way into the magazine’s pages, and I ended up playing some small role in making this happen. As to what exactly happened, I believe this is a story best left off the web, but if you ask Sam really nicely, maybe she’ll tell you some time. As to the film, I ended up watching it right after I reread the story. As I told Sam, I think she should be very pleased. There were obviously some changes made to translate this into another medium, but overall I thought the film stayed very true to the original story. Art to this story was provided by Tony Shasteen.
Finally we have “The Tao of Crocodiles” by Euan Harvey, another of my slush survivors. At the time Euan wrote this he was living in Thailand, and he does an excellent job of painting the picture of what this land is like for the readers, making it feel truly exotic. As to the story itself, a woman’s dead lover is haunting her dreams in the form of a sexual crocodile. Yeah, pretty dark, and things just get darker when they try to get rid of the ghost. Art to this one was provided by Rob Johnson.
So that wraps up this issue. Next time around, yup, you guessed it. I’ll be discussing the June 2007 issue.
Until then …
Realms of Fantasy: February 2007 (Issue 75)
Part seventy-five (!) 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 butting heads with the February 2007 issue.
The cover to this one features the artwork of Wendy Froud. Wendy Froud is also one of the artist’s profiled in this issue’s artist gallery, and, as with last issue, the cover illustration also appears in the artist gallery.
A rundown of this issue’s nonfiction is as follows:
In the movie/TV column, Resa Nelson covers the movie, Eragon; in the folkroots column, Midori Snyder writes about the magic of food; in the adult books column, managing editor Laura Cleveland reviews Peter Pan in Scarlet by Geraldine McCaughrean, the first authorized sequel to J.M. Barrie’s original story, Gahan Wilson reviews Here Comes a Candle by Fredric Brown, and Paul Witcover reviews Tourmaline by Paul Park, The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories by Susanna Clarke, The Privilege of the Sword by Ellen Kushner, and Ex Cathedra by Rebecca Maines; in the YA books column, Michael Jones reviews Fairest by Gail Carson Levine, Changeling by Delia Sherman, Troll Bridge by Jane Yolen and Adam Stemple, No Place For Magic by E.D. Baker, River Secrets by Shannon Hale, Peter and the Shadow Thieves by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, The Last Days by Scott Westerfeld, and Catalyst by Nina Kiriki Hoffman; in the artist gallery, Ari Berk interviews the aforementioned Wendy Froud, and also Brian Froud; and in the games column, Eric T. Baker reviews the board game, War of the Ring, based on Lord of the Rings, Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy, “for the PC and every game system except the Wii and the PS3,” Spectral Souls for the PSP, Disgaea 2 for the PSP, Yakuza for the PS2, and Test Drive Unlimited for XBox 360 and the PC.
On to the fiction …
It’s worth noting that this is the first issue where all the fiction contributors have had stories appear in earlier issues of the magazine. Considering that this is the seventy-fifth issue of RoF, that’s quite an achievement. It clearly demonstrates the magazine was very consistent in publishing new talent and/or established authors who hadn’t appeared in the magazine before. And since by this point there were a ton of regular contributors as well, RoF really did and still does strike a great balance between the regulars and the new. What makes this all the more interesting is that most issues contain 5-6 stories. But this issue contains 8 stories. Not bad!
The lead story is “Three Wishes” by Bruce Holland Rogers, which marks his tenth appearance in the magazine. In this rather short piece, a man finds a genie in a bottle and his granted the standard three wishes. Only Rogers takes things in a somewhat different direction when the man doesn’t use any of them. Art to this one was provided by William L. Brown
Next up we have “Looking After Family” by Carrie Vaughn, which marks her fifth appearance in the magazine. This one is set in the same universe as her very popular Kitty Werewolf novels. In this piece, a young man whose father hunted werewolves was killed by one of these creatures. The young man is taken in by his father’s family. The son wishes to take up the father’s work and perhaps wreak a little vengeance in the bargain, but when the opportunity presents itself, is he willing to follow through at the cost of the lives of his family. Art to this one was provided by Scott Anderson.
Then we have “Spare Change” by Chuck Rothman, which marks his second appearance in the magazine. It’s worth noting that Chuck’s first appearance in the magazine was in the very first issue. Interesting RoF factoid: to date, he remains the only author from the first issue to have a second story appear in the magazine. As to the story itself, a man has had his life ruined by a mysterious organization known as THEM. But when he has an opportunity to end his suffering by passing it along to another, unexpected results occur. This one had an sf vibe to me, and at times the vibe reminded me of the movie, The Matrix. Of course, I like The Matrix, so this is hardly a shot at the story. Art to this one was provided by Janet Hamlin, which marks her second illustration in the magazine.
After this we have “Syren” by Graham Edwards, which marks his third appearance in the magazine. This is another one of his gumshoe detective tales, the third such to appear in the magazine. With this story, Graham really begins to open his universe up. Until this point (at least in RoF), his stories in this world mostly seemed to be a blend of contemporary fantasy and mythology. And while these elements are still present, with this story, a decided cyberpunk bent also starts to emerge in this universe. It’s with this story that I pretty much stopped thinking of the protagonist as the gumshoe detective, and started thinking of him as the cyber detective. As to the story itself, our cyber detective gets pulled into a case he’d rather not be a part of it, but favors are owed and powerful people are doing some big-time arm-twisting. And so the detective must hunt down the son of a titan of industry, while navigating through golems, cybernetic syrens, temporal thieves, crooked cops, and of course, the perils of misguided love. Art to this one was provided by Scott Grimando, which marks his thirteenth illustration in the magazine.
Following this we have “The Devil and Mrs. Comstock’s Snickerdoodles” by Eugie Foster, which marks her third appearance in the magazine. In this lighthearted tale, a reporter investigates reports of the Devil …only when he arrives on the scene, he finds that the purported Devil is in the form of a cat. Very naturally, he is inclined to dismiss this report as a hoax. But as well know, the Devil can come in many shapes and sizes. Is this cat one of them? Perhaps. 
Art to this one was provided by Lori Koefoed, which marks her eleventh illustration in the magazine.
Then we have “Number of the Bus” by Jay Lake, which marks his sixth appearance in the magazine. In this world, wizards find their magic through stories. And in this tale, our young protagonist’s magic is based around the stories of those people circulating through the transit bus. And not just the living people, for there is a regular ghost on this bus as well. And when a living version of that ghost one day steps onto the bus, it throws everything into question. Numbers and particularly prime numbers factor heavily into this tale, for every bus has a number and follows its own schedule. Math was my worst subject in high school, so I took a lot of what the author told me at face value in this one, but I would imagine the math geeks out there will get an extra thrill from reading this one. Art to this piece was provided by Andrea Wicklund, which marks her fifth illustration in the magazine.
The next story is “Circus, Circus” by Eric M. Witchey, which marks his third appearance in the magazine. This also marks the 450th story to be published in RoF. As to the story itself, it’s a rather touching tale. A young boy makes a request of the spirit of the circus, for all circuses have a spirit. He wants nothing more in the world than to be a circus. Not to run away with the circus, but to be a circus. It seems like an impossible request, but when tragedy strikes, we learn exactly what a circus is capable of. Art to this one was provided by Val Bochkov.
And finally, we have “In the Thicket, With Wolves” by Josh Rountree, which marks his fourth appearance in the magazine. In this one, a young woman is pregnant and the father has taken off. She’s struggling to make enough money, and to add to her worries, it seems as though her child will be born with complications. Desperate, she turns to the mystical thicket wolves to strike a bargain that will ensure her child is born healthy. But like the oldest of fairy tales, we all know bargains such as these come with a steep price. Art to this one was provided by Patrick Arrasmith, which marks his fifteenth illustration in the magazine.
So that wraps up this issue. Next time around I’ll dive into the April 2007 issue.
Until then …
