OBIR: Occasional Biased and Ignorant Reviews reflecting this reader’s opinion.
ON SPEC MAGAZINE issue #131, Vol. 35 No. 1.
Publisher: The Copper Pig Writer’s Society. Managing Editor and Art Director: Diane L. Walton.
Issue Designer: Jerry LePage. Poetry Editors: Celine Low & Colleen Anderson.
Fiction Editors: Barb Galler-Smith, Virginia O’Dine, Constantine Kaoukakis, Susan MacGregor, Ann Marston, Krystle McGraith, A.J. Wells, Diane L. Walton, Dan Gyoba, Ethan Zou, Alyssa Kulchisky, Celine Low, Lareina Abbott, Cheryl Merkel, Jade Mah-Vierling, Asley Alton, Jessica Zdril, Thomas Schwarz, & Lorina Stephens.
Cover Art: Pirates in Peril – by Tim Hammell
FICTION:
Tornado Seeds – by Chadwick Ginther
Premise:
Nothing worse for a prairie farm than an assault by a tornado. It’s the worst thing the farmer can imagine. But what about the far greater threat he dares not imagine?
Review:
The story centres on a classic conundrum which, allegedly, afflicts certain belief systems. I feel it offers a partial explanation as to why, in the popular mind at least, farmers are believed to be more religious than city folk. It’s not just always being threatened by extreme weather conditions, be it storm, drought, unseasonable temperatures, and the like. Not just always teetering on the edge of being a victim of nature. Psychologically, it’s no surprise if a farmer attributes prolonged bad luck to dark forces, to a palpable evil intent on hurting targeted victims. How to cope?
This is a fresh and innovative look at a problem that normally results in automatic rejection on the grounds of being a time-worn cliché. Ah, but not when approached from a new angle leading to an unexpected and powerful ending. Editor’s live in hope of being presented with a story of this calibre. It’s proof that originality is key to getting published. Probably the most important key, in fact.
Never mind that many tropes, memes and plots have been reduced to clichés. Originality can revive any of them. Something all writers should keep in mind. This story being a perfect example of the value of originality.
First Aid for Androids – (poem) by Tehnuka
Premise:
If hurt/wounded, what should an android do?
Review:
In the 1977 edition of “The Visual Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, Isaac Asimov defined androids as “Robots made of flesh. While they can be programmed to accept orders in the same way as robots, their bodies are chemically or biologically based and are grown rather than built.”
Consequently, it makes sense that instructions in this poem are expressed in both robotic and human terms, implying that not only are the two points of view parallel but are two sides of the same coin. Makes me wonder if a wounded android would focus on the robotic aspect to distance itself from human emotions. This raises further questions to do with AI vs. humanity, whether cyborgs are preferable to androids, will any combination of human AI will require therapy, and so on. That’s what is delightful about this poem. It points the way to many needful debates essential to our future.
Your Packing List for the Apocalypse – (1) by Tehnuka
Premise:
What you need to have with you when the Apocalypse happens.
Review:
Apocalypse Services will not only prepare you to survive but will protect (if at all possible) its clients during the apocalypse. Since the nature of the apocalypse cannot be predicted with any certainty (there are so many possibilities), one must be prepared for anything and everything.
Though written with a wry sense of humour, some of the advice is very practical. This need not be read by actual preppers, who would probably nitpick it to death, but by anyone contemplating writing about an apocalypse. Much useful advice.
Wonder of Crows – (poem) by Crystal Sidell
Premise:
Crows are more wonderful than you know.
Review:
Crows appear to be extraordinarily watchful. This poem explains why. It has the feel of authentic folklore but may be entirely original to the poet. If so, the revelation of a supernatural explanation powerful enough to make one envy the crows is quite remarkable.
Your Packing List for the Apocalypse Cont’d – (2) by Tehnuka
Premise:
Gathering points and likely safe refuges are listed and described.
Review:
The problem is that the services are offered to multiple alien species visiting the Earth, not just humans, and the environment traveling to the refuges meets the statistical average rather than local needs. A bit like dealing with a travel agent unfamiliar with your nation’s customs. The service may not produce the results you anticipate. Quite amusing.
Little Bag of Wind – by Danica Klewchuk
Premise:
Elderly people often exhibit peculiar obsessions. Sometimes, they turn out to be true.
Review:
Helen, an elderly woman, is often treated as if she has been elderly all her life. People tend to forget the young child and the mature woman hidden within. What a surprise then, when she turns out to harbour strengths and powers beyond our comprehension.
This is perilously close to being a charming fantasy about an old woman struggling to carry out one last task before she dies. Her determination to make use of Lena, a young librarian visiting the old folks home once a month, speaks volumes about a senior’s capacity to utilize other people in compensation for lost stamina, mobility, and strength. As long as mind and purpose remain sharp…
There are strong hints that Helen is much more than she seems. This transforms the charming fantasy aspect into a charming horror story. The reader roots for Helen, and applauds her sense of life completion, yet shies away from wanting to know her. She’s too powerful to handle.
The story would seem to imply that when a senior tells you to do something, you’d better obey or face drastic consequences. That’s the fantasy element. As for reality, I believe the underlying message is that all seniors are as human and alive as we are and that we should never, ever, think of them as relics no longer relevant to our personal lives. In that sense, a very positive and useful story.
Your Packing List for the Apocalypse Cont’d – (3) by Tehnuka
Premise:
Too short to state.
Review:
An example of feel-good levity to keep spirits up? You are preparing for an apocalypse. Bit of a downer, that. So, a joke comes in handy. At least, in marketing theory.
The Challenge Unit – by Hugh A.D. Spencer
Premise:
One subject in the experiment is a retired history professor trying to earn a little extra money. He’s beginning to think that was a bad idea.
Review:
The experiment, at first, is reminiscent of certain psychological experiments carried out in Canada by the CIA circa the early 1960s. I used to know one of the victims. She was traumatized for life. In other words, at first this appears to be a straightforward medical research horror story. But soon hard science fiction concepts intrude. Something of vast importance to the future of the human race is at stake, but the plan to obtain the desired result is devious and cruel, reflective of the worst aspects of experimentation on human beings.
The ultimate result of the professor’s participation is considered a great success by the scientists running the program. They are gleeful, convinced the benefits obtained for the human race as a whole far outweigh the sacrifices made by the tiny number of insignificant participants. And that’s the true horror of scientific progress. How is it obtained? At what cost?
Let me explain why this story resonates with me. Partly because of the victim I knew. And partly because I come from a military family. There’s a military saying, “Never volunteer.” Young Canadian soldiers volunteered to be guinea pigs in Canada’s secret chemical and biological warfare program in the 1930s. Some of them wound up in hospital for the remainder of their lives. Some of them died young. Me, I knew I could earn money as a volunteer subject for medical and psychological research projects at UBC while I majored in Creative Writing, but under no conditions whatsoever would I consider doing so. “Never volunteer” is excellent advice. Always.
This is a strikingly original story offering a subtle perspective on what it might take to accomplish something most SF fans dream about. But the whiff of hubris involved is rendered plausible and credible by its depiction of human beings being treated like lab rats. In fact, the story is thoroughly grounded in reality. Because of this, it is a powerful horror story. Impressive.
Your Packing List for the Apocalypse Cont’d – (4) by Tehnuka
Premise:
Why not work for Apocalypse Services?
Review:
Rather like being asked to participate in any charity service, with the added benefit of (possibly) being one of the survivors. There are subtle hints that the beings running the service are outliers uncomfortably aware their knowledge of human nature is less than accurate. Somewhat similar to many existing charities, in fact.
House, Quartz, Home – by Kelsey Hutton
Premise:
Is it wise to colonize an alien planet abandoned by its former inhabitants?
Review:
Kelsey Hutton is a Métis author, and the main character, Masānāhtik, is also Métis. Their culture adds anti-colonial sensibilities to a tale of refugee colonists trying to find a suitable new home for the human race. Everyone knows what needs to be done but questions whether they are going about it the right way.
Meanwhile, I’m a sucker for stories featuring derelict alien habitats which may or may not be harboring secrets and potential dangers. This story did not disappoint. I quite enjoyed it.
The Sea, Like Glass – by Ainsley Hawthorn
Premise:
Those born by the sea can never escape the sea.
Review:
Something of a fantasy vignette describing the state of mind of Aylif, a young woman constantly obsessed with the ocean. Its timeless beauty attracts her, but its ruthless dominance she finds frightening. Loving something or someone that one fears is a genuinely human commonplace. A series of dreams exaggerating the consequences of her love offers no solution. It appears to be inevitable she will eventually succumb to the lure of the waves, but how, when, and why? For the moment she is balanced between denial and desire, but tomorrow?
The poignant mood of the piece is reinforced by detailed and evocative description which renders it more of a surreal prose poem than a straightforward story. I can relate to Aylif’s conundrum. I live within walking distance of the Salish Sea, and happily gaze upon its waters. But I never go swimming. Too many sharks, sea lions and orcas come close to shore. I prefer to admire from afar. Just as I admire the visuals conjured by the story.
Your Packing List for the Apocalypse Cont’d – (5) by Tehnuka
Premise:
The “About Us” section of the Apocalypse promotion package.
Review:
I’m reminded of a number of “Let Us Help You” book publishing promotions. Relatively modest achievements are touted as evidence their services will be a guaranteed success story for you. Not necessarily true at all.
Night Bartering – (Poem) by Crystal Sidell
Premise:
Goblins under the bed are a horrific problem.
Review:
This is a horror fantasy. It seems the only solution is to out-goblin the goblins. But what price victory? Survival does not lie easy on one’s conscience. A disturbing poem.
The Liberties – by Timothy Quinn
Premise:
We discovered an artifact of a dead alien civilization. So what?
Review:
An expert on extraterrestrial economics is down on his luck in Dublin, Ireland. While able to contrast and compare the future financial fate of human civilization with that of three failed alien races, his immediate concern is a heist designed to enable him to pay his bills for another month or two. It seems no matter what we discover in the cosmos, we are fated to always be down to Earth. The way it should be, perhaps. A wryly amusing tale. Offers much to contemplate.
Your Packing List for the Apocalypse Cont’d – (6) by Tehnuka
Premise:
Final notes.
Review:
The perils of waiting for the apocalypse are laid out with reassuring practical measures you can take to give yourself peace of mind. Even better, a stunning solution is offered providing two thirds of the clientele agree. Expect a referendum in the near future.
When I saw this story was divided into six components I wondered if the author could pull it off. The answer is yes. This is a light-hearted parody of preparations for the individual extinction which awaits us all, a fate for which apocalypse fiction in general is just a metaphor. This story makes you think, makes you chuckle, and may possibly convince you to worry less. Well done.
Party Performance Optimization using Numerical Methods – by Robert E. Harpold
Premise:
Is it possible to program a party?
Review:
A tongue-in-cheek story about a programmer creating a computer program he’s named Belushi (no doubt after the actor in the film “Animal House”) designed to control the behaviour of partygoers. A possible side effect could be the extinction of the human race. Best not to let the program run unattended. It needs to be monitored constantly.
There’s a tendency for “experts” to codify human behaviour into predictable algorithms. Kennedy/Johnson whizzkid Robert McNamara did something like that with formulas concerning kill ratios, to disastrous results. The old problem of garbage in, garbage out.
Unfortunately, today more than ever we live in an age where everyone is a self-proclaimed expert. This story suggests only enthusiastic amateurs can save us. One can hope.
The Minotaur’s Tale – by Colleen Anderson
Premise:
The Minotaur is not the dumb beast you think it is.
Review:
It may have the skull of a bull, but the brain within is as human as yours (I’m assuming) and mine (I hope). It ponders the life it was cursed into and contemplates ways and means of exerting some semblance of control in its life and fate. Something of a philosopher. Self pity, or wisdom? You decide.
Jukebox Cellist – by Brian D. Hinson
Premise:
Aviva lost an arm in an accident. Pity, because her job as a cellist was now at risk. How to cope?
Review:
Fortunately, her new bionic arm, once mastered, allows her to play her cello like the virtuoso she is. Alas, popular prejudice against musicians equipped with mech, condescendingly referred to as jukeboxes, ends her career. Again, how to cope? What are her options, if any?
The life of a symphony musician is difficult at the best of times. Pay is generally poor, formal clothes for performances often threadbare. Being despised for mech augments could well be a common prejudice in the near future. The human predilection for prejudice does tend to keep pace with the latest technological and sociological developments, so the premise is entirely credible. But Aviva is determined to succeed.
This story does what science fiction does best, come up with a concept and explore all the possible ramifications. As a result, it is both prescient and entertaining. No need for humanity to give up yet.
Querulous Times – by Rick Danforth
Premise:
The Captain of a space freighter oversleeping in a cryopod by sixty years is bound to cause problems.
Review:
Captain Schettino, once awakened, must deal with one urgent problem after another. The ships bots have become insolent, for one thing. An infestation of space lobsters equally unwelcome. Fortunately, the Captain is versatile. He can outwit the opposition, or outrun it, as the occasion demands. And the sentient ship itself is on his side, thus far. Confidence is high, for now.
This story is a lighthearted spoof of traditional pulp SF fiction memes and tropes. A pleasant throwback to earlier times, it is delightful to read.
NON-FICTION:
“It’s the Same but Different” – Editorial – by Diane L. Walton
Due to rising costs of print production and distribution, On Spec is no longer available in hard copy. This is the first “fully digital” edition. End of an era. This is what current reality dictates.
End of another era, this will be Diane’s last year as Managing editor. She is the one remaining member of the original founders still listed on the masthead. She feels “it is time to hand this off to someone younger with new ideas to handle the workload.” On Spec has an excellent editorial team. No doubt someone already experienced in the challenges facing the magazine will step forward.
The Origin Story of Chadwick Ginther – Author Interview with – by Roberta Laurie
His writing based on his life experience growing up in Manitoba. Of particular interest, his two uncles telling him stories based on their memories of Tarzan and Lone Ranger radio plays they’d heard in their youth, and his love of Marvel comics, particularly the X-Men series. The first inspirational source being before my time, and the second after my childhood influences. We appear to have had totally different formative experiences.
Much else of interest, including his working habits and method of responding immediately to anthology submission openings.
Comic & Bot: “Stop” & “Mildred and Poochie” – By Lynne Taylor Fahnestalk
Always amusing and fun to contemplate.
CONCLUSION:
As usual, this issue exhibits the wide variety and high quality of stories selected by the editorial team at On Spec. Well worth getting a subscription.
Check it out at: < On Spec #131 >
