OBIR: Occasional Biased and Ignorant Reviews reflecting this reader’s opinion.
ON SPEC MAGAZINE issue #132, Vol. 35 No. 2.
Publisher: The Copper Pig Writer’s Society.
Managing Editor and Art Director: Diane L. Walton.
Issue Designer: Jerry LePage. Poetry Editor: 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, William Thompson, Lareina Abbott, Cheryl Merkel, Jade Mah-Vierling, Asley Alton, Jessica Zdril, Thomas Schwarz, Lorina Stephens, Kathleen Phul and Matthew Stobie Jackman
Cover Art: Lunar Base – by Dan O’Driscoll
FICTION:
Thinking of you – by Mary Sanche
Premise:
A museum contains more than memories.
Review:
Mx. Turner Green has taken on the task of running their deceased great aunt’s family museum devoted to the history of the Greens. Located near Pointes Cove, Newfoundland (possibly a fictionalized version of Pouch Cove), it is open only on weekends. This leaves weekdays free to putter about putting the museum’s artifacts in order.
Since aunt Agatha neglected dusting, leaving displays alone once they had been set up, getting the contents of the museum presentable is a never-ending herculean task, but one that Turner is well suited for. All in all, Turner is content.
Till, in pursuit of the museum cat, Turner makes an unexpected discovery in the basement. That’s the thing about museums, sometimes the bulk of the collection is hidden out of public view. It is not uncommon for lesser items to be misplaced and forgotten. In fiction, at least, some items deserve to be forgotten. Indeed, need to be forgotten.
A pleasant tale at first, revealing the joy of maintaining local tradition and history, which gradually takes on Lovecraftian overtones with creepy implications. Enough to keep you out of a museum basement? Heck, enough to keep you out of the family attic, enough to motivate you to throw away your personal family archive and albums. A quiet but powerful story.
Typhoid Harry – (poem) by Dave Cherniak
Premise:
Harry proud to be immune.
Review:
An amusing yet chilling glimpse of the paranoia associated with disease outbreaks.
His Ninth Pilgrim Soul – by Christine Lucas
Premise:
Daedalus is the perfect god for a spacefaring religion.
Review:
Except, of course, for what his hubris brought him. Then again, a useful reminder to be cautious while exploring the stars. In this story humanity has evolved to include biomechanical traits which enhance spiritual power. The need to direct evolution toward this goal is so obvious even alien races have pursued the same concept of perfection. Unfortunately, this similarity does not achieve a meeting of minds. The aliens refuse to communicate. Nobody knows why.
Two religious healers, responsible for maintaining the health of cryogenically frozen refugees aboard a refuge station until they can be awakened, are sent on a mission to a distant moon in answer to a distress call. Their worst fear is meeting up with aliens, since nobody knows how to defeat them.
An intriguing story exploring the consequences of bio-technology impacting religious faith and spirituality. Subversively, it appears to suggest the two can be perfectly compatible and lead to a fusion that produces spiritual power greater than ever previously conceived, and yet, turn out to be merely a single step in an evolution which has no end.
Even more subversively, at least to an atheist like myself, the spiritual healing actually works on a practical level, brains having been augmented to manipulate matter through thought alone—here I’m tempted to say “remember the Monsters of the Id,” but never mind—the premise works once it is accepted by the reader.
An original glimpse of what the future might have in store for us. Intriguing.
Well-Woven – (poem) by Lynne Sargent
Premise:
The universe dances.
Review:
An evocative explanation of why it dances so well. A beautiful poem.
Mabel’s Creek – by M.L.D. Curelas and Rhonda Parrish
Premise:
What could be more paradisical than a writer’s retreat in rural Alberta?
Review:
Fair to say authors are desperate for inspiration. What they really mean is freedom from the distractions of mundane life. “If only I could get away from it all and just be myself.” That sort of thing.
So, a cabin on the edge of both woods and winter, well provisioned and with a functioning furnace, sounds ideal. And the small rural town nearby has an excellent library. Mr. Bailey feels lucky to have found his retreat. His pet malamute bitch agrees. They are free to romp in the woods and fresh air, and to relax in the cabin. Invigorated, Mr. Bailey feels truly inspired. He senses a novel coming on. His dog senses something else. Soon, Bailey’s attention to detail begins to reveal all is not perfect in this writer’s paradise.
Curelas and Parrish conjure up a vision of a joyful writer’s retreat equivalent to every writer’s fantasy. As a writer, I readily identify with such. Indeed, I am envious of Bailey’s luck. But then, I always was prone to be taken in by my imagination. Once I turned 18 and could buy drinks, a sudden desire to create a writer salon in a bar led to me to the closest establishment in the hope of meeting like-minded fools willing to discuss literature and inspire each other. I wound up sitting alone at a tiny table in a crowded sports pub, slowly nursing a beer while staring at my pen lying dormant beside my empty notebook. Learned a lesson, I did. Reality is far more real than fantasy and always will be.
Nevertheless, the authors use their talent for telling detail to subtly shift the “normal” writer’s paradise into a writer’s hell that feels just as credible and realistic. A neat trick, extremely well done. Though, a tad subversive of every writer’s utopian vision of what a writer’s retreat should be. Consider it a horror story that specifically targets authors and their worst fears. Very cool.
Penny Dreadful – by Lorina Stephens
Premise:
When is a curse not a curse?
Review:
A certain Mr. Richard Cameron, formerly master of a slave ship, now earns a pathetic living selling tracts and stories on the street in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. (Hmm, should I regard this as an omen?) A curse has doomed him to his fate.
Along comes a young governess with a habit of reading unusual fare. Someone to exploit and discard, or perhaps the solution to his curse? What to do? How to decide?
This is a delightful story. The language and the sensibilities suit the era to perfection. As does the resolution. No wonder. Lorina is a master of research, such that her historical fiction is always credible and authentic. More than most writers, she is well aware different cultures amid different eras reflect patterns of thought subtly different from our own. It’s a matter of emphasis and priorities. The end result is that her stories are not merely set in a different time but read as if they were written back in the day.
To be sure, life at the time of the story was unbelievably difficult and brutal for most, yet taken for granted as normal, and people often rose above the filth afflicting them to behave in a genteel and decent manner as far as their restraint and self-discipline could merit. That was how one bettered oneself, at least in one’s own mind. A lesson to be learned.
Despite horrific elements, it is actually a charming story. Lorina is an exceptionally good writer.
Rat-aTat-Tat Biofeedback – (poem) by She-La E. Nefertiti Morrison
Premise:
The quick pace of seductive technology.
Review:
A complex and fascinating glimpse of our ultimate fate.
Escape from the Urvara – by John M. Campbell
Premise:
What secrets does a derelict warship from a forgotten war hold?
Review:
I’m a sucker for stories and films dealing with derelict spacecraft found drifting in space or on worlds previously unexplored. Precisely the kind of concept-driven story I like best.
This story is old-fashioned, redolent of early pulp fiction, but fascinating all the same. For one thing it is a sophisticated treatment of how the legacy of war propaganda often buggers up reconciliation and forgiveness for years even though the need to demonize the enemy is now obsolete. It is also a fun exercise in paranoia and betrayal. And just as much fun, it details in a credible manner how robots and humans utilize different combat tactics aboard what is a fragile and sensitive life environment for both sides. All of this in the form of a mystery which is revealed one tentative step at a time, albeit with many unexpected twists and turns.
I found this story thoroughly entertaining.
Katabasis – by Joanna Rifkin
Premise:
The underworld is not easy to visit.
Review:
A knight enters the underworld to bring her squire back to the land of the living. The usual suspects are encountered: the ferryman, Cerberus, the river Lethe, etc. Also numerous beasties originally revealed in medieval illustrations. Best of all, there’s interaction with the wraiths and phantoms that is all that is left of the dead. Brings the whole underworld to life, pun intended.
The resolution to the quest is simple and straightforward, but not to be dismissed, for it explores the influence of modern myths that are non-religious yet believed in with the fervour of the fanatic. The potential consequences of such misguided passion imply the Underworld is always just around the corner. Which, of course, is perfectly true, in that death is always on the other side of our finite lives. Still, no need to hasten the process, especially since it is so difficult to reverse it, to put it mildly.
A dignified tour of the underworld as defined by European Christian faith influenced by classical tradition. Nice to see Hades portrayed seriously as a state of being for the human condition. In particular, it is by no means a form of Hell. It is simply the place where the dead dwell. Parts of it are quite beautiful. I am very please to see this vision properly represented as per the original myths.
I guess the moral of the story is that the underworld is a nice place to visit but you wouldn’t want to live there. Just like many a tourist trap. I enjoyed reading this story. I appreciate its sensibilities and evocative description.
West Seattle Coin Laundry – (poem) by M.C. Childs
Premise:
A brief prose poem portraying a laundromat as something more than a laundromat.
Review:
An unusual and intriguing glimpse of what going to a laundromat is really all about. Could inspire a cult. Renders the very existence of a laundromat numinous. I like it.
The Fishwife Who Killed Death – by D.A. Straith
Premise:
Doesn’t death deserve to die?
Review:
A very unusual tale indeed. The inhabitants of a fishing village are tired of seeing death scythe entire boatloads of men. They resolve to do something about it. A particularly striking aspect of the plot is that of a seven-year-old girl growing accustomed to spying on death to help the others understand his habits. In the end, the scythe always swings. Yet the ending to this story is satisfying and renders the story all of a piece. It is an take on a cliché trope that manages to adds fresh meaning and strip away cliché elements. Very much like bringing new life to an oft-told fairy tale. Full marks for originality.
The Knotted Hand – by Jonathan Olfert
Premise:
No matter what your technological level, traditionalists resent change.
Review:
The protagonist, Akall, despises new-fangled concepts like huts and cooked meat. He prefers to live in the forest with the other animals. But, having lost his right hand, digging ochre with his left hand and going to the mighty 100-hut village of Saalik to trade for life’s needs is the best he can manage. He loathes being part of a barter system, longing for the days when he simply took what he wanted. His only way out of his humiliating life is to marry the village matriarch Yellowcrane. All suitors have to pass a test of her choosing. To fail is to die. So far, no one has succeeded. Dare he, crippled as he is, give it a try?
This story, set in a historical setting, is nonetheless almost pure speculation, given that the actual conditions of early stone age life remain difficult to determine. Oh, there are stone tools galore, and occasional nifty cave paintings, plus hints of surprising sophistication in fragments of clothing, bone carving and suchlike, but envisioning the mindset of prehistoric people is virtually impossible. Generally, much has been extrapolated from “primitive” tribes in recent history, but it has to be born in mind their cultures continued to evolve over millennia and may not at all truly reflect the point of view of distant ancestors.
That said, the mindset of the characters in this story is consistent and credible. Witchcraft is taken for granted, and you’re only as good as your last victim implies. Challengers can crop up like mushrooms if you are perceived as weak. Life is competition. Hard to share your life with someone else when everyone’s life is so ephemeral. I think the author has done a splendid job creating a culture inherently more brutal than our own yet capable of great subtlety in interpersonal relationships. Only the elite and powerful dare to be fully human.
In short, “primitive” life was not the utopian fantasy some people prefer to believe. This story points out that “the noble savage” is just a myth. In fact even cavemen were just folks trying to survive as best they can, often at the expense of others. They were probably just like us, but with a different set of concerns. What was practical back then would probably strike us as monstrous now. Even so, they were still as human as we are.
Is the culture imagined by the author accurate? Impossible to say, but it’s damned good speculation, thoroughly plausible. Best of all, it makes one reconsider modern thinking. Maybe we’re not so modern after all. Thought provoking mythic tale. Well done.
How I am Here – (poem) by Jesse Keith Butler
Premise:
What if Noah’s flood returned?
Review:
A surreal interpretation of myth offering an entirely different resolution. Definitely mystical, yet, if one chooses to see them, there are hints of a science-fictional interpretation. To put it another way, innovatively traditional. The imagery is amazing. It will linger in your memory.
Children of a Bronze Sun – by Robert Luke Wilkins
Premise:
Can the human race survive the apocalypse?
Review:
Yes and no. A few people survive in walled cities, with skills to offer the wandering tribes outside. Medical assistance for birthing mothers, for instance. The tribes wander ceaselessly, since the very air is so poisoned that prey animals are small in number and any given area is quickly harvested by hunters, so the tribe must move on when their salted meat runs out. Life is short. That people die is taken for granted. But how to prevent the tribe from going extinct?
Here, a future “primitive” society is imagined, again a product of speculation, but credible in light of the circumstances of the premise. The real struggle is, in essence, the continued domination of the tribe by the alpha male and the competition intended to test for weakness and topple him from power if at all possible.
The setting is bleak and grim, yet even in extremis most people are willing to help each other and nurture a spark of hope. Perhaps this reflects one of the useful attributes of the human race, no matter how bad things get there are always those who struggle to keep going. Am I too jaded and cynical to believe that? I’m not sure. This story makes me question my cynicism. Rather useful that. Potentially.
NON-FICTION:
“Remember, the Arts are Why We are Here” – Editorial – by Diane L. Walton
Advocates principles of diversity and inclusivity along with support by governments for the arts, followed by descriptions of the works in this issue.
By the way, let me mention late-breaking news: CSFFA has just announced that Diane has been inducted into the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame. Congratulations, Diane! Well deserved!
Dan O’Driscoll Retrospective
Wonderful reproductions of six cover artworks O’Dricoll did for On Spec, with emphasis on meticulously detailed spacecraft.
The Stephen King in the Room: – Author Interview with M.L.D. Curelas and Rhonda Parrish – by Roberta Laurie
Both authors love the works of Stephen King and, as I suspected, this story is in part a homage to his influence on them. Interestingly, their childhood educational experience are near opposites, yet their early quest to write is what brings them together. The hints they drop as to how they successfully collaborate are fascinating. That is something I attempted but never successfully accomplished, apart from the “Godzilla Sex Life” lecture Stan G. Hyde and I co-wrote and co-performed at two dozen science fiction conventions over the years, but I digress…
Anyway, Curelas and Parrish are co-writing a novella. Promises to be very interesting.
Comic & Bot: “Roswell” & “Ralph” – By Lynne Taylor Fahnestalk
Witty and amusing as always.
CONCLUSION:
As usual, this issue, primarily fantasy themed, 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 #132 >
