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Very strong issue. I enjoyed almost every story (with the unfortunate exception of Charles de Lint’s (an author I usually enjoy) “Dirty Old Town”)I particularly enjoyed “A Thousand Deaths Through Flesh and Stone” and “First Day of Someone Else’s Life”
A Thousand Deaths Through Flesh and Stone, Brian Trent. A post- and/or trans-humanism story wherein one or more of the same hunter tracks and executes one or more of the same war criminal/terrorist across the galaxy. It's hard to enact justice when the bad guys can print up a new body to wear. 4/5.Witch's Hour, Shannon Connor Winward. She's the King's cook, she's a witch, and she's haunted by the old cook whose job she took. He was an asshole, and she wants rid of him for good. The King has a cr...
I love this magazine and always look forward to seeing the newest install many appearing on my kindle. This issue had so many good stories to choose from that I can't pick a favourite. I love discovering authors I haven't come across before but my TBR list is getting longer than I can cope with!
Probably my favorite issue in a long while. Everything was good in this one, but "Dirty Old Town" by Richard Bowes was just amazing, and I've really come to enjoy Matthew Hughe's Vancian-esque stories.
The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction for many years used to be part of my monthly reading diet. For an incredibly reasonable price the reader gets what is basicly an anthology with benefits.Not only are we supplied with five or six novellas, an equal number of short stories plus book reviews and also get cartoons, and miscellaneous trivia. The only problem is the reader is unlikely to be familure with many of the authors. Unless an author you really like or admire is featured in the months
Always love to see a Matthew Hughes but this issue was packed with quality from start to finish.
All of my ratings average this installment out to a 3.16, but I'm rounding this up to a 4 because of two amazing stories: Witch's Hour and the incomparable My English Name. lots of really strong stories sprinkled throughout, with a few clunkers and duds as well."A Thousand Deaths Through Flesh and Stone" by Brian Trent; 4/5 starsReally, really, liked this one. Trent does a masterful job at conveying a huge story into the relatively short confines of the story. Harris was immediately an interesti...
Highlights: Witch's Hour by Shannon Connor Winward and My English Name by R.S. Benedicts
This was a good issue—no skimming necessary. Some of my favorites were "Neko Brushes" by Leah Cypress and "A Thousand Deaths Through Flesh and Stone" by Brian Trent.
A better than average issue, with pretty good stories featured in general. Stand-outs would be R.S. Benedict's tale of a strange creature living in our midst and Leah Cypess's tale of a kid who likes to paint cats being involved in a war because the drawings can come to life.- "A Thousand Deaths Through Flesh and Stone" by Brian Trent: set in the future after a devastating war, a soldier is sent to execute war criminals. But things get dicey when the target has copied herself into more than one
Another good, solid collection of stories. No duffers in this one, in my opinion. Lots of different settings, characters and styles, but an overall theme of controlling or inhabiting the bodies of other people.
I prefer that a fiction magazine try different things, fail big or score big with my enjoyment, rather than play it safe in the middle. That's just what this issue did. I loved that a flash fiction piece was included this issue (it was one of the gems). I liked the different styles of fantasy stories on offer. SF was a mixed bag, a couple engaging reads, a couple not-so-thrilling thrillers, in which the identity of a character I didn't care much about was the main point of the story.
This was really good! It took me awhile to go through it just because I did not have much time to read. I had to let this magazine lapse due to lack of funds, but I will be renewing it as soon as I'm able. I have enjoyed it way more than I expected.My favorite was "A History the Invasion Told in Five Dogs" by Kelly Jennings. It was so short and simple. It said so little but conveyed so much. Typically I need more to really get into a story, but I some how became totally immersed in this book tha...
My favorite stories:- Matthew Hughes "The Prognosticant." The further adventures of Baldemar! I am looking forward to more stories of this arc set in the world of Rafalon . An observation- Baldemar reminds me of a young Mike Ehrmantraut from "Breaking Bad" and "Better Call Saul."- Kelly Jennings "The History of the Invasion Told in Five Dogs."- R S. Benedict "My English Name."
Review for My English Name - Set in China, this is a charming story with a romantic overtone of an enigmatic being posing as a human. Fun and lighthearted, yet endearing and a bit chilling as well, this was a pure delight.
A Thousand Deaths Through Flesh And Stone - Brian Trent ***Cloned consciousnesses of a supersoldier hunt down those of a war criminal on the run. The action is bog-standard but there are is a bit more depth hinted at in the interactions with the criminal's bodies and the hunter's superiors. Witch's Hour - Shannon Connor Winward ***A cook uses a blend of spices and magic to enhance her meals, balancing pleasing the new king with fending off the attentions of the ghost of her abusive predecessor.
A solid issue. I particularly liked Dirty Old Town and My English Name. Also, I'd like to see Nina Kiriki Hoffman's story Rings expanded into a full length treatment.
Favorites:The Prognosticant by Matthew Hughes: Another tale with Baldemar but this time with more responsibility.The History of the Invasion Told in Five Dogs by Kelly Jennings: An extremely short version of The Road by Cormac McCarthy except told from the child's POV.The Woman with the Long Black Hair by Zach Shephard: sometimes you just have to forgive yourself.
Shout out to the short stories: "History of the Invasion Told in Five Dogs" by Kelly Jennings - an innovative structure that refreshes the alien invasion trope."Rings" by Nina Kiriki Hoffman - male-female relations ships are at their essence a type of power structure, and this short pokes at our patriarchy in all the right ways. I smell a novel story here....
A couple of stories pull this issue up to the four star level.Brian Trent - A Thousand Deaths Through Flesh and Stone - 3 stars - Tracking down war criminals when a person's identity can be transferred into different bodies, multiple different bodies. The story was OK, but a little bit scrambled.Shannon Connor Winward - Witch's Hour - 4 stars - A woman, who is the primary cook for the king, uses magic to assist her cooking. She is haunted by the ghost of the former cook. She finds a way to elimi...