"Seekers" Now Available at Crimson Streets!

My fantasy short story, "Seekers," is now available at Crimson Streets.  John Waltrip did an amazing job with the illustration. 

I really enjoyed writing this story.  I tried to bring some fun into this tale of adventure and treasure seeking.  More than anything else, I think Firefly inspired the style I was going for.

This is my second published story in 2016, and both stories have excellent illustrations.  It's an exciting year!

Plasma Frequency Anthology

The Plasma Frequency anthology is available on Amazon!  Here's the link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1492791032/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1492791032&linkCode=as2&tag=plasspygpres-20

I've already ordered the print version.  I'm very excited about my first anthology (and first reprint).  Enjoy!

Galaxy Magazine - March, 1951

My review for Galaxy's March, 1951 issue is up at Black Gate: http://www.blackgate.com/2013/07/24/galaxy-science-fiction-march-1951-a-retro-review/

Enjoy!

Galaxy May, 1952

I have another Galaxy post on Black Gate.  In this latest post, I reviewed the first issue I've read, which was published in May, 1952: http://www.blackgate.com/2012/09/09/galaxy-science-fiction-may-1952-a-retro-review/

Another Black Gate Article

Today, Black Gate published another article by me about Galaxy Science Fiction: http://www.blackgate.com/2012/09/04/you%e2%80%99ll-never-see-it-in-galaxy/

Black Gate Article About Galaxy

Today, John O'Neill published an article I wrote on Black Gate's website.  It's about my new adventure of collecting issues of Galaxy.  Check it out here: http://www.blackgate.com/2012/08/15/discovering-galaxy-science-fiction/

Black Gate 15

The latest issue of Black Gate recently arrived. The immense tome is now the standard size, much to the chagrin of mail carriers everywhere. For those who love adventure fantasy, however, it is a welcome change for the bi-annual publication.

This is one of the best issues I’ve read. There is a mix of old and new writers, and there is even a theme around strong female protagonists (or “Warrior Women” as John puts it). If you’ve read Black Gate in the past but have fallen away from it in recent times, this is an excellent issue to jump back in with. If you’ve never read Black Gate, check them out.

Because this issue is so immense, I felt that I could not reasonably review every story contained within its pages. Instead, I’ll focus on my five favorite stories. By the way, I’m not counting the novel excerpt of The Desert of Souls by Howard Andrew Jones within my list of five, despite how entertaining I found it, since it’s only an excerpt. I’ll have to get the book and read it sometime soon. If you like adventure fantasy, you should probably add it to your reading list as well.

Alas, even in my attempt to narrow down to five, I’ve been unsuccessful. There are so many great stories in this issue! So here are my favorite six:

“The Vintages of Dream” by John R. Fultz – A thief infiltrates a sorcerer’s home, knowing the mage to be quite wealthy. He steals enchanted bottles that contain the sorcerer’s dreams and then departs to sell them at expensive prices, saving only the most intricate bottle for himself.

I had the pleasure of hearing Fultz read this tale at last year’s World Fantasy Convention. I recall him saying he would just plough through, or something to that effect, and off he went. This is a great tale with a great ending. But then, the quality should be of no surprise to anyone familiar with Fultz’s other tales.

“Cursing the Weather” by Maria V. Snyder – Nysa serves tables for Gekiryo Lady, taking what little she earns to purchase medicine for her dying mother. When a weather wizard comes to town, he becomes a regular patron and seems to enjoy forcing Nysa to question the things around her, including her own life.

Snyder’s characters jump to life in this tale that explores superstition and magic. Very enjoyable.

“World’s End” by Frederic S. Durbin – Kian seeks to do the god Arhazh’s work by slaying a princess at World’s End. The princess Erhin seeks a crown at World’s End. Their paths seem certain to converge, but the monkey-god who follows Erhin pleads with her to return from her journey prematurely, even if greater gods demand more from her.

This was another tale I heard in part directly from the author at the Black Gate reading at the World Fantasy Convention. When I read it, I could hear Durbin’s voice for the monkey-god and even recall the way he would change his face as he read the part. The tale is full of action, with a bit of humor thrown in as well. It is a very fast read.

“Groob’s Stupid Grubs” by Jeremiah Tolbert – Groob the goblin leaves his mate’s nest to search for food. They live deep within a mobile city – a mechanical monstrosity that devours entire towns while the residents within scavenge what comes their way. While on his search, Groob avoids attackers and ends up being hoisted to the higher realms of the city where goblins seldom go.

I rank this as third best in the issue. It’s quirky, funny and very imaginative. The uniqueness of the tale makes it so refreshing.

“The Lions of Karthagar” by Chris Willrich – As two great armies converge on Karthagar -- one from the east and one from the west -- a weather mage from each army leads the way. Blim the Damp forges ahead for his princess and is surprised to discover a beautiful mage who does not share his language. The two explore Karthagar together, leaving Blim torn between duty and his romantic interest in the other mage.

This was my second favorite tale of the issue. Normally, I praise Willrich for his outstanding creativity that always leaves me gasping. His creativity certainly abounds in this tale, but what struck me even more was his character development. I also have a soft spot for light romance in fantasy, and I was completely drawn into Blim’s struggles. I think readers of Willrich’s Bone and Gaunt series will be quite pleased with this one.

“The Oracle of Gog” by Vaughn Heppner – Lod has survived as hunters’ bait and seeks to end his slavery. Meanwhile, the Nephilim, Kron, comes to his master – the terrible Firstborn named Gog – who has peered into the future and sees a threat. Kron’s mission is to eliminate that threat, while Lod’s mission is to simply survive in his newfound freedom.

This was my favorite tale within the issue. Heppner’s narrative style wrapped me into each scene and into the characters’ minds. I hope to see more stories of Lod in future issues.

Speculative Markets Rising

Years ago, it seemed like we kept losing speculative markets. Periodically, I’d see another name listed among dead markets, and readers and writers would mourn the loss of another magazine.

Recently, it seems like there’s a growing presence of speculative markets, especially in the genre of science fiction. Just yesterday, I noticed a new one named Digital Science Fiction, which focuses on a series of anthologies available for the Amazon Kindle, Sony Reader and other eBook platforms. Their premier anthology is slated for arrival in June. Another interesting note on this market – they’re paying pro rates.

A quick search of duotrope shows 16 markets consistently paying pro rates (above flash-fiction in length) that accept science fiction as well as 16 accepting fantasy (some markets overlap both genres). I don’t know what that exact number looked like a few years back, but I don’t think it was nearly so high.

Besides all of the pro-paying markets, there are of course many great magazines and anthologies available for readers and writers. It’s becoming difficult to track all of them, and I doubt most readers can keep up with the plethora of quality fiction available today. I suppose that’s a good problem to have, though.

My hat goes off to the various editors who keep churning out issues of magazines or anthologies as well as those brave souls who decide to start new ventures. Your hard work brings an abundance of joy to both readers and writers alike.

Magazine Submission Statistics

There’s something about statistics that I find intriguing. They can reveal good information in some circumstances, and sometimes they’re simply entertaining. I’ve discovered over the years that there are quite a few statistics available for submissions to magazines, and I’ll share how I analyze some of the data that I find.

One statistic I often consider is the number of submissions reported to a magazine over a given time period. Sometimes, you can find this information out directly from the magazine editor; if not, you’re limited to what was reported through your favorite market search tool, such as duotrope (which is always a subset of total submissions). This number tells me how many authors are targeting the magazine for publication and is usually a good gauge for popularity among writers; this usually ties to pay scale and circulation along with a general buzz factor among the writing community. What it does not tell me is my actual statistical chance for acceptance, a subtle point that writers may overlook. For example, suppose Magazine X has received 100 submissions in the past year and published 20. I could think to myself, “Given that they published 20 stories of 100 last year and that they’ll likely do the same this year, my odds of getting published are 1 in 5 or 20%.” That would be true if getting published was based on a lottery system where stories are picked at random. Never think in those terms, or you will be quickly overwhelmed. Instead, consider that some markets have a lot more submissions than others, so if you submit to a more popular market, your story will need to stand out that much more.

Another statistic I find helpful is the average response time. This obviously helps in understanding how long the wait will be (on average) before a response is sent. When I find markets that seem extremely unresponsive, I avoid them so as to avoid throwing my story into the same black hole with everyone else.

Once I’ve submitted, I start tracking pending responses, that is authors who reported submitting to the market and are now waiting for a response (like me). I’ve mentioned this in previous posts, but this kind of statistic is extraordinarily helpful in determining if I’m waiting for a response well past when others received theirs. On several occasions, this has revealed to me that my submission fell through the cracks, giving me the chance to query the editor about the submission without looking impatient (since I know about many others who already had responses to submissions sent after mine).

There are many other statistics available as well, but the three I’ve mentioned are what I primarily focus on. At least, they help me 85% of the time.

Black Gate Issue 14

I always enjoy receiving the latest issue of Black Gate, and I wish they came more often. Still, a gigantic version was a nice surprise for Issue 14, and it’s taken me quite a while to read through it. My only quibbles were the use of the scantily clad female imagery at the end of the stories; they just seemed to give the issue a cheapened feel. Also, I would have preferred something less revealing for the illustration to “Devil on the Wind”. I’m coming from a viewpoint of wanting to see Black Gate continue to gear itself towards a wide audience, age-wise, which I think has been done well to this point (such as providing warnings for stronger content).

Issue 14 had a mix of old and new authors, and I’m sure many Black Gate readers will be enthusiastic about the return of Morlock via “Destroyer,” a great novella by James Enge. My favorite story within the issue is “The Word of Azrael” by Matthew David Surridge. This was like a novel or series of novels condensed down into a single story in an impressive way; the world building was fantastic. I also want to mention another great read within the issue – “Folie and Null” by Douglas Empringham. This was a story that read really well; the narrative and flow were exceptional.

If you haven’t read this issue yet, you’re missing out. This is a good one.

Fantasy & Science Fiction, January/February 2010

“The Long Retreat” by Robert Reed – Lieutenant Castor is one of the closest assistants to the ailing emperor. Only a small entourage remains of the army as they retreat from the enemy. When it seems they cannot retreat anymore, Castor learns that the empire is much larger than he imagined.

The story had an intriguing premise with realistic characters. It was too difficult for me to wrap my mind around the plausibility of the empire, so I never felt fully grounded to the plot.

“Bait” by Robin Aurelian – Navin and his family go on a hunting trip for fantastical game. Navin, who hates these trips, has a knack for attracting pests. During the trip, he draws the attention of a rare parasite that threatens to take over his body.

“Bait” was a nice, quick read that was a tad grotesque at points.

“Writers of the Future” by Charles Oberndorf – As part of his world tour, the narrator attends Magnus Esner’s writing workshop. He learns about how to write stories readers can interact with, which is the standard of this distant future, where the line between man and machine is so blended, it’s difficult to identify where consciousness ends.

Oberndorf presents several complex ideas in this tale. It made me think about my own writing and the conveyance of ideas.

“Songwood” by Marc Laidlaw – Spar the gargoyle seeks passage oversea by stowing himself aboard a vessel. He discovers that the ship’s feminine figurehead is alive because it is made of songwood. The two converse secretly, finding they share a special bond though one is wood and one is stone.

This was my favorite story of the issue. A love story in fantasy form, I found it engaging and touching.

“Ghosts Doing the Orange Dance” by Paul Park – The narrator investigates his family’s past, trying to understand the mysteries of his life.

I had a difficult time following this story. It was full of excerpts and other narration compiled together into one tale. I think it makes a good study for writing techniques (which were very impressive), but it didn’t hold my interest.

“The Secret Lives of Fairy Tales” by Steven Popkes – A retelling of five familiar fairy tales.

This was a fun read, and I liked how Popkes tied the tales together.

“The Late Night Train” by Kate Wilhelm – As the sole caretaker for her aging parents, the narrator feels trapped between her abusive father and passive mother.

I connected with the protagonist’s pain, the unbearable situation she endured each day. Well written and surprisingly realistic.

“Nanosferatu” by Dean Whitlock – Hugh Graeber strives to create the perfect drug: a panacea that requires a lifetime prescription. His researchers design nanobots that improve health dramatically, but they never die.

I really enjoyed the change in narration in this piece, and I found myself admiring the writer’s skills as much as the story itself.

“City of the Dog” by John Langan – The narrator finds what he thinks is an injured dog while accompanying his girlfriend, Kaitlyn, to a club. Kaitlyn refuses to wait for him while he goes to inspect the wounded animal, a mistake that he later regrets when Kaitlyn disappears.

This story moves very fast, but the timing is great. Aside from being too explicit at times, I thought highly of it. I loved the eeriness and the ending.

Supporting Markets

If you find speculative magazines that you enjoy, support them. As writers, there are several ways we can do this:

1. Financially – Subscribe to magazines. Buy issues. Pay to access special online content. Every magazine has expenses, and when those expenses aren’t covered, magazines go under.

2. Promotionally – Now that you’re reading issues through your subscriptions, promote the magazines. Post reviews on your blog or website, discuss your favorite stories in discussion boards. Raise the awareness of the reading community of markets you enjoy so that they can increase readership.

3. Contributions – Submit your best stories to these magazines. If you get rejected, submit something else. Keep submitting as often as you. It seems reasonable that the quality of an issue depends on a decent selection of stories. If an editor is hoping to publish an issue with five stories and only receives six submissions, that doesn’t leave a lot of leeway.

Heroic Fantasy Quarterly - Issue 2

“The Hand of Afaz” by Euan Harvey – Farid apprehends Hasan, who is accused of patricide. Hasan tells Farid that he is innocent, but Farid doesn’t want to believe his testimony, even though he can tell that Farid isn’t lying. Farid decides to investigate the matter further, trying to understand how to best serve Afaz and his superior without bringing shame to their House.

I liked the protagonist’s inner struggle through the story, and how he changes over time. Well written and engaging. I’d like to read more stories about Farid.

“Monster in the Mountains” by William Gerke – A man with a monstrous appearance named Gowther seeks shelter from a winter storm with a farmer and his family. Repulsed by his visage, they order Gowther to stay in the attached barn. During the night, the farmer tries to kill Gowther, and though Gowther is peerless in strength, he struggles against the farmer. After the fight, he learns that something on the mountain possesses the farmer, so Gowther departs from the house to seek the source of evil.

This was my favorite story in this issue. The details were vivid; I felt like I was there. Nice tension towards the end of the story to build up to the climax.

“The Waking of Angantyr” by Marie Brennan – Haunted and pestered by spirits of murdered men, Hervor seeks to silence their voices by traveling to their gravesite. Through the use of dark arts, she’s able to communicate openly with them at last to find out how she might finally be rid of them. The answer from the men’s leader, Angantyr, confronts her with a difficult reality and a path towards doom.

This tale is a retelling of an Old Norse poem (from the Poetic Edda). I might have liked it more if it had continued; at the point that the story ended, too little had been concluded. Likely this would have been difficult to do while staying somewhat true to the original poem, but I didn’t feel like there was enough plot churning with this one.

Fantasy & Science Fiction - October/November 2009

It took me a while to read through the gigantic sixtieth anniversary issue. Congratulations to all of the staff over the years for keeping the magic alive for so long.

“The Far Shore” by Elizabeth Hand – After his termination as a ballet instructor, Philip finds sympathy from his friend Emma. She suggests that Philip should spend some time at Camp Tuonela, a rustic camp that Emma and her husband own. Philip hadn’t returned to the camp since his youth, and he decides that perhaps the change in scenery might clear his mind of his recent dismissal. Though Philip is supposed to be the only one wintering at the camp, he soon discovers an aloof, adolescent boy of unknown origin.

This was a little predictable, but it moved at a good pace. I couldn’t really identify with the protagonist, so I never felt connected with the story.

“Bandits of the Trace” by Albert E. Cowdrey – Professor Keyes has been trying to find a hidden treasure, but his sleuthing skills are rather limited. When one of his students displays a knack for crossword puzzles, he decides to see if the student can decipher a decades-old clue to the treasure’s location.

This reminded me of “The Overseer” in the telling, with a story written within the story. “Bandits of the Trace” is not as engaging as “The Overseer,” but it’s still a good read.

“The Way They Wove the Spells in Sippulgar” by Robert Silverberg – The narrator tells of his investigation into the mysterious disappearance of his brother-in-law, Melifont. He journeys to the city of Sippulgar, a place filled with so many religions that he finds it difficult to traverse the streets without becoming blocked by ceremonious parades. His investigation takes him to the temple of a religion Melifont co-founded, but he’s unable to accept the eye-witness testimony of the religion’s new leader. To believe the leader’s story would mean that Melifont had some degree of authenticity, a point that the narrator finds implausible.

This was my favorite story of the issue. I guess I’m a sucker for a good sleuthing tale, but there’s just something about how a detective story unfolds that I find appealing. Yes, this is a fantasy tale, but it’s an investigation in fantasy, and I really enjoyed the narrator’s voice.

“Logicist” by Carol Emshwiller – When an instructor takes his students to watch a battle, he unexpectedly finds the enemy coming after them. During his retreat, the instructor wanders into an alien land, the land of the enemy, where he tries to use his logical skills in understanding his predicament and the people he meets.

I was a little jarred by the protagonist’s constant list-making, but it fits with his character. My main qualm was that I never felt grounded in the setting. I just felt lost. Maybe that was the intension, but it just made me apathetic about the characters.

“Blocked” by Geoff Ryman – A casino owner in Cambodia prepares for an imminent alien attack (according to the world governments) by selling his business and moving his family underground. Relocating causes the children to reminisce of a time when their father abandoned them and their mother moved them to Cambodia from Europe, and these negative emotions affect the former casino owner, giving him doubts about sealing them away in the confinement of the underground.


This tale had great tension. I could feel the protagonist’s dilemma in hiding in the cramped quarters of an electronic advertisement overload. Very intriguing.

“Halloween Town” by Lucius Shepard – Clyde Ormoloo tries to escape from the world after a head injury causes him to peer into the dark makeup of each person. He becomes a citizen (probationary for six months) of Halloween, a town that lines a river at the bottom of a deep gorge. The longer Clyde stays in town, the more oddities and dangers he observes, especially in those who run the town.

I haven’t read of such unique scenery for quite some time; it’s highly captivating. The overall tone of the story was that of morose depression shadowed in gloom, but it works. At times, I got tired of the protagonist’s nihilistic philosophy or dark view of humanity, but overall, I could tolerate him. I would have enjoyed this piece much more without the explicit scenes.

“Mermaid” by Robert Reed – A young man’s car breaks down outside Jake’s home, and though Jake has no interest in helping the young man, he does have an interest in the young man’s companion, a girl who seems underage. Jake learns what he can of his unexpected visitor, leveraging the help of a retired detective. He pursues his investigation relentlessly, but what is Jake’s true motivation?

This was a pleasant Reed piece, but not one that will likely stick with me for a long time.

“Never Enough Blood” by Joe Haldeman – Xenobiologist Travis Dobb wears many hats in his authoritative role on the planet Runaway. When he’s called in to the scene of a young woman’s apparent murder, he finds himself inadequate in the role of solving the crime, but that doesn’t stop him from trying.

A quick read, “Never Enough Blood” has a great science-fiction world and an unpredictable plot. I hope to see more of Haldeman’s work in future issues.

“I Waltzed with a Zombie” by Ron Goulart – Hix, a B-movie scriptwriter, meets with actress Marlys Regal after she asks him to do some detective work. She informs him that well-known actor named Alex Stoner died and was brought back to life in order to complete the shooting for a new film. Hix hopes to uncover this scandal in order to bring publicity to his idea for a new musical titled I Waltzed with a Zombie.

There’s a lot of humor in this story, especially around Hix’s character. I found it really amusing.

“The President’s Book Tour” by M. Rickert – In a small town, the survivors of war only give birth to children suffering from extreme physical disorders, likening them more as monsters than people. When the president stops in town to promote his book, they try to find the good in his speech, of the beauty he sees in their children. The president then decides to live in the community, though his motivations for doing so are not as benign as they appear.

I felt like Rickert was trying to make a political statement, perhaps about environmentalism (based on statements about “green” and destroying vegetation), but I couldn’t discern any clear statement. Perhaps this piece spoke against environmentalism, perhaps for it, or maybe it was about war or the deceit of politicians. Even when I wasn’t searching for a point to the tale, I couldn’t get a sense of what was happening – why these children were misshapen or why the president wanted to marry one of the children. I suppose the whole thing was just over my head.

“Shadows on the Wall of the Cave” by Kate Wilhelm – When Ashley and her cousins Nathan and Joey are children, they often play in a small cave near their grandparents’ home. One day, while the three of them are pretending to be in a pirate cave, Ashley finds herself enveloped in darkness. When she finally escapes, they can’t locate Joey. Ashley and Nathan have no explanation for Joey’s disappearance, other than what she experienced, and years later, Nathan is determined to reenter the cave to search for clues and prove his innocence. Though Ashley is terrified of what might await them, she agrees to return in hopes of understanding what happened to Joey.

This story took an unexpected turn, one that I found refreshing. I really felt pulled into the story and the struggles of the characters. It’s a great tale.

Aoife’s Kiss Giveaway

This Giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to the following winners: Nina Iordache, Desmond Warzel, and busweet. If you're a winner, and I have not contacted you directly, please send me an email (matt [at] matthewwuertz.com).

To celebrate my recent science-fiction publication, “fc01a9,” in Aoife’s Kiss magazine, I’m holding a special giveaway. Three winners will be selected at random from all entries.

The Prize: A copy of the September Issue of Aoife’s Kiss.

What is fc01a9?

Before Dale can enjoy a weekend of reading manga in seclusion, Mark interrupts his plans with the news that they’ve lost contact with the rover on Phobos. The most recent download of its data contains a file that neither developer recognizes named “fc01a9”. When they’re unable to open the file within any standard applications, Dale decides to see what fc01a9 does by running it on a test rover in the building’s sub-basement. The mysterious program puts the machine into self-diagnostic mode, and as fc01a9 runs, it grows in size. When the diagnostics finish, the five-ton arachnid stands still. Or is it ominously waiting?

To read the entire story, it's currently available at the website for Aoife's Kiss.

If you use twitter, you can earn two entries:

For one entry: Follow MatthewWuertz on Twitter
For a second entry: Retweet the following message: “@MatthewWuertz is giving away a free copy of Aoife’s Kiss magazine: http://tinyurl.com/l3odse”

If you have your own blog site or web site, you can earn up to ten entries:

For two entries: Post a link on your site titled: “What is fc01a9?” that points to this URL: (http://tinyurl.com/l3odse). As proof, add a comment to this post that links to your post.
OR
For ten entries: Write a review on your site (minimum of 50 words) about my story, “fc01a9,” that includes a link to the September Issue of Aoife’s Kiss as well as a link to this contest (http://tinyurl.com/l3odse). As proof, add a comment to this post that links to your post.

Official Rules: This contest is open from now through October 4, 2009 (11:59:59 EST). There is a maximum of twelve entries per person, via the means described above. Each person may only win once. I am not responsible for merchandise lost or damaged in transit. The selected winners will be listed on an update to this post. Once the winners and I have come in contact, I will mail a copy of the magazine to each winner as soon as possible (yes, I’ll cover the postage – even for winners located outside of the United States).

Beneath Ceaseless Skies Issue #23

“Between Two Treasons” by Michael J. DeLuca – Periphas leaves his centaur master, Eurytus, to infiltrate a gathering of sorcerers who hope to gain enlightenment in defending their home nations against the centaurs. Though Periphas has lived with the centaurs for most of his life, the longer he remains with his own kind, the more he struggles between serving Eurytus and saving humanity.

This was one of the best stories I’ve read in Beneath Ceaseless Skies. The fantasy world is unique, and I found the interactions between Periphas and Eurytus intriguing. Nice pacing as well. At some point soon, I’m going to check out DeLuca’s “Of Thinking Being and Beast” that appeared in Issue #9.

“Oil Fire” by Kate MacLeod – Bearing the mark of an exile for theft, Puabi hides in the houses of the dead while continuing to read from the priests’ library, immersing herself in the ways of magic. When the father of her dearest friend, Enanatuma, dies, Puabi reveals herself for only the second time since her banishment ten years ago. Enanatuma asks for help in securing her household, but Puabi’s only solution is through the unpredictable magic she wields.

I liked the consequences of magic in this story. There are no simple solutions in life, and deceit and manipulation cause only further grief. Clever and thought-provoking.

Fantasy & Science Fiction - August/September 2009

“The Art of the Dragon” by Sean McMullen – A two-mile long dragon appears from nowhere and begins destroying all architectural works of art across the world. With the credentials of an art historian and survivor of the attack on the Eiffel Tower, Scott Carr is selected for an elite group in Britain who try to understand the dragon’s origin and purpose.

The opening was strong and compelling, but I found the concept behind the dragon disappointing and implausible, even for a speculative story.

“You Are Such a One” by Nancy Springer – The middle-aged protagonist is driving to a funeral for one of her distant relatives. Plagued by a recurring dream of wandering through a strange house, she is startled to discover the house of her dreams along her route. When she inquires of the caretaker, she discovers something even more peculiar than her dreams.

The second-person narrative is refreshing, and I think it works well for this story. I was hoping for more closure, but perhaps I simply failed to grasp the ending.

“A Token of a Better Age” by Melinda M. Snodgrass – An imprisoned centurion awaits his chance to fight for freedom in the morning. He meets a patrician sentenced to death who asks the centurion to listen to his fantastic tale and report it to his mother.

I enjoyed this story until it became so outlandish that it turned sour. The historical settings and characters were well written, but once the plot became laughable, I lost a lot of interest in this piece. I think the enjoyment of this story will depend upon the reader’s personal theological views.

“Hunchster” by Matthew Hughes – Out of the small group of poker players in Lee’s garage, a young man nicknamed “the hunchster” has an odd way of playing, relying upon hunches rather than trying to read the other players.

Simple, surprising and humorous. Hughes presents an interesting tale that’s a quick read.

“The Bones of Giants” by Yoon Ha Lee – After years of existing in the rim of the Pit with the undead as his caretakers, Tamim despairs of life and nearly commits suicide. He postpones his plan when a young necromancer asks him to accompany her as she attempts to overthrow the sorcerer who rules the rim. Should they complete her quest, she promises him the death he desires.

An appropriate amount of creepiness and dread sets the tone, and I really enjoyed how Tamim and Sakera (the young necromancer) interact. I think this has been my favorite story by Lee that I’ve read so far.

Icarus Saved from the Skies “Icare suavé des cieux” by Georges-Olivier Châteaureynaud (Translated by Edward Gauvin) – A man discovers to his horror that he begins to grow wings on his back, and he takes whatever measures necessary to hide them from everyone. His love interest, whom he eventually marries, sees his curse as an impressive gift and hopes to see them grow so large that one day he’ll be able to fly into the air in plain view of everyone.

I kept thinking of the scenes around Angel in X-Men: The Last Stand as I read this. I empathized with the protagonist, which is a sign of good writing when I consider how fantastic his condition is.

“The Others” by Lawrence C. Connolly – Clone iterations of a woman named Cara explore a new world, one clone at a time. The third clone, Gamma (who thinks of herself as Cara), was injured while defending a village of intelligent natives from a deadly fang-claw. Alpha, who orbits the planet, creates more clones to assist Cara in destroying a nest of thousands of fang-claws in order to save the villagers and prevent the fang-claws from overtaking the entire island.

This was my favorite story of the issue. I’d read Connolly’s prequel to this, “Daughters of Prime,” and this is a great continuation of that story. It isn’t necessary to read the other story before reading this, but if you have the chance, I highly recommend it as well. I like the action and tension throughout the tale, and I’m hoping Connolly might keep this series going.

“Three Leaves of Aloe” by Rand B. Lee – Amrit’s daughter has caused too many problems in her school and is facing permanent expulsion unless she’s implanted with a nannychip as a safeguard against disobedience. Amrit faces a great deal of opposition from her daughter at the thought of being chipped, and Amrit isn’t certain about how she feels about the idea until she has an insightful and disturbing conversation with her uncle’s young wife.

The setting and culture of India seemed unique to me, and I think the freshness of the scenery kept the story moving more than the actual plot. Don’t get me wrong. I liked the story; I just don’t think I would have liked it much if the author had tried a similar plot set in America.

“The Private Eye” by Albert E. Cowdrey – JJ Link has psychic abilities, talents he uses at the local casino until he’s banned due to his winning streaks. When a local girl is kidnapped and held for ransom, the local police and FBI run out of leads and turn to JJ for help. The young man learns how far his powers can go towards solving mysteries, but JJ’s interest is to simply retreat and live a life of solitude.

I don’t know how Cowdrey consistently writes so well. Honestly, I’m dumbfounded. If he hasn’t run a writing clinic yet, he needs to. And if such a clinic takes place, I need to find a way to attend. Yes, this is another good story. Read it.

“Snowfall” by Jessie Thompson – Harlan Ellison’s pick for the 60th anniversary of Fantasy & Science Fiction is “Snowfall,” and I can see why he picked it. This was a really moving, artful piece, and I won’t even attempt to summarize it. I highly recommend reading this if you can.

“Esoteric City” by Bruce Sterling – Achille Occhietti’s lifetime of successes are a result of his prowess as a dark magician, particularly in the art of necromancy. A long-term associate named Djoser, an ancient Egyptian priest he raised from the dead, comes to escort Achille to hell in order to meet with Achille’s former boss and master. Achille’s master warns him of a dreadful encounter he must soon face.

The humor around Djoser carried this piece for me. I wasn’t that interested in the main plot of the story, but I’d like to read other stories featuring Achille and Djoser.

Beneath Ceaseless Skies Issue #20

It’s hard to believe that Beneath Ceaseless Skies has been around for twenty issues already. It’s impressive to see a new magazine that can maintain great, consistent content for so long. I wish them the best for the next twenty issues.

“The Land of Empty Shells” by Caroline M. Yoachim – Terra and Dziko form children from their own clay bodies, following the traditions of their people. Their daughter, Urvara, is chosen for service in the temple, which greatly upsets their son, Joren, who felt that he should be the one selected from their family. The events that follow break Urvara’s faith in the priestess and disturb the natural course of life for her family.

It took me some time to adjust to the people in this story due to their cultural and physical differences, but I’m glad I stayed the course. The combination of lore and a detailed account made the story intriguing and engaging.

“The Bone House” by James Lecky – Mikulas and his father live in isolation as fugitives from a long-lasting war. His father was a great mage, but the cost of exercising his talents left him poisoned, which eventually killed Mikulas’ mother, and it deformed Mikulas into a being of flesh and stone. Each day, Mikulas pulls some of the dead from the river, stripping these casualties of war of their valuables and carving their bones into various items. He rescues a young woman floating among the dead because she reminds him of his mother, but he soon discovers that the two aren’t that similar at all.

This story was original and drew me in very quickly. All of the characters seemed very distinct, and I loved the ending. This is the second tale by Lecky I’ve come across this month (the other was published in Heroic Fantasy Quarterly), and both were impressive. I’m not sure where his stories might be found next, but I think he’s an author to look for.

Personal Rejection Letters

When I first began submitting stories more than ten years ago, I was quickly introduced to the type of form letter used by most magazines and agents who weren’t interested in my works. Form letters in general were nothing new to me, but I was foolish enough to believe that such things weren’t used in the publishing industry.

Within a year, I became bitter at the form letters. Why was this piece rejected? What didn’t the editors like? A series of such questions went through my mind, and the question I most wanted answered was: what, if anything, can I change in this story so that it is accepted by another publisher? Without any feedback, I felt lost and completely uncertain of my writing skills (or lack thereof).

When I finally began to receive personal rejection letters on occasion, I felt like my questions were answered. I would change what I could with the feedback provided in hopes of making the story better. Unfortunately, I didn’t understand that each editor has his or her own viewpoint. They aren’t all hanging out in the same club waiting for a new revision to satisfy a common desire in storytelling.

I’m now at a point that I prefer form rejection letters. I’ve realized that magazines need to stay focused on their core business, which is publishing stories. Commenting on rejected stories doesn’t make any money. As writers, we need magazines to stay in business and keep up with their deadlines, and I would rather receive a form rejection that came from an editor reading two paragraphs of my story if it meant that the magazine remains profitable and on schedule. Even if I look at it with a purely selfish motivation, what good would it do to have a story accepted at a magazine that has to close because it can’t meet its own business needs?

As writers, if we want feedback on our stories, we need to seek other writers, critique groups or seminars. It isn’t the responsibility of editors to make us better writers. They need to focus on the works they have accepted and on the other priorities necessary in meeting deadlines and growing subscriptions.

Form letters are a good thing. All we need to know is that a story was not accepted. Put a fresh manuscript in an envelope and send it to the next place. Trust me, the time I spent in years past grumbling and complaining was wasted. It’s fun to get a personal note at times, but don’t use it to guide your entire writing career.

Heroic Fantasy Quarterly

A new online fantasy magazine has made a strong appearance, deubuting earlier this month. Heroic Fantasy Quarterly publishes short works (poetry and stories) of heroic fantasy and strives "to hearken an older age of storytelling - an age when a story well told enthralled audiences." The premier issue was an impressive one, and I highly recommed checking them out. I will bestow the small honor of adding their link to this blog site.

"The Black Flowers of Sevan" by James Lecky - Tulun serves the Melik in Sevan as a mercenary, captaining soldiers in various skirmishes as he attempts to bring peace to the Ten Kingdoms. When Tulun hustles one of his soldiers, Abbas Bedvian, out of a considerable amount of gold, Abbas asks for a final wager as a double-or-nothing. The stakes are that Tulun must bring Abbas black poppy from around the neck of Lady Shimshal, who is the Melik's woman. It is a risky proposal, and as Tulun considers the beautiful and secretive lady, he finds himself more interested in her than in the wager itself.

This was an intriguing tale of passion. Though somewhat predictable, the characters and well-written prose carried the story along quite well. Everything came together nicely for the ending.

"Man of Moldania" by Richard Marsden - The last dragon slayer, Golorus von Zekwit, follows rumors into the east in hopes of finding employment. The aged man enters the small town of Moldania, boasting of his experience with slaying dragons and offering to solve their problem with a local dragon for a certain fee. Dimitru, the town's leader, has his doubts, but he's willing to let Golorus try so long as he can accompany him. When the two men find the dragon's lair, Golorus finds that his previous experience cannot compensate for the beast he encounters.

It isn't often that I come across original dragon slaying tales, but this is a good one. I liked the limitations an older dragon slayer and felt his surprise at the dragon he attempts to slay. Humorous at times with ample tension, Marsden shares a fun story.

"Beyond the Lizard Gate" by Alex Marshall - After watching his father slain at the hands of his older brother, Agenor, Prince Inarus has sought revenge for the past eleven years, draining all of the resources of his kingdom to the point of poverty. With the final battle won, his sister begs him not to pursue Agenor further, but the hatred Inarus feels for his brother overrides his reason. Unable to dissuade him, his sister joins the other forty soldiers who follow Inarus into a valley for a final confrontation with Agenor.

This was my favorite story of the issue. Great tension, flow and angst. Highly entertaining.