Runalong The Short Shelves - Adventitious Issue 1
I would like to thank the editor for an advance copy of this magazine in exchange for a fair and honest review
Publisher - Two Weeks From Anywhere
Price - $5.49 via https://www.adventitious.net/shop/
This week for the short fiction shelves I look at a new magazine that came in my radar. A speculative magazine that is looking for stories to create wonder in the reader and I’m broadly very impressed by its first issue which offers a lot of variety and does indeed often have a refreshing emotional focus to their stories.
Teapot by Ben Williams - a story taking into deep space starts off promising some form of encounter and then dangles without explanation a mystery. The solution is not the point to the story but for me this story worked as a reminder you do not need everything explained and indeed our private solutions may always work better.
Recording of Professor Elizabeth Boucher’s Opening Lecture on Death Ages Novels, University of Presque Isle, March 32, 2667 By Stacie Turner - a far future lecture is being recorded and we find out why one of the few found digital stores of our time is so important. When we discover it’s an AO3 erotic take but being treated as deep and meaningful literature you can say there is a humours side - the reactions of class and lecturer are funny. But it’s also a reminder that stories have lived past time of creation and we see some interesting commentary but als importantly how it supports the views of the time now viewing it. For me a really smart bit of storytelling.
This is Why Magical Realism and Family Tree School Projects Shouldn't Mix By Abigail Guerrero - A little girl with hooves goes to the front of the class to tell everyone the story of her family tree. You should already have spotted the clue this story may not be that normal. There is very subtle weaving of the magic, saga and also gender politics into how this family line got created with undead matriarchs and a potential involvement with the devil and yet it’s never going straight into horror but just very inventive and entertaining.
The Soundtrack of My Afterlife By P. A. Cornell - I really really liked the majority of this story and I’m fascinated by the one aspect I do not. We have a spirit reincarnated as a 1972 Mustang and we watch him work for a single parent family. It’s a story of growing up, how music and cars are quite key to that part of American life and Cornell’s storytelling is absolutely beautiful - we feel the decades pass, we watch people change and grow and it’s just a lovely focus on lives. The ending for me I can see why the choice is there and it needs a final act but the bit of me thinking of this was the reason for the reincarnation for me really undercuts one of the strongest characters in the story.
The Furthest Point By Alethea Paul - a lovely bit of flash fiction here as we get something impossible that hints at magic, powerful forces and a beautiful setting but never needs to explain itself too much. This was a delicious quick read
A Húlíjīng Always Keeps One Tail Hidden By Melissa Ren - a mix darker tale where a young woman tries to get in contact with the spirit of her lost sister. A mysterious magical being holds the key hit all magic has a price. The emotional power of the sister’s bond works very well to hold the story together and leads to a fascinating reveal that reshapes the whole tale. I really loved this one.
What a Name Does Is Let You Leave By Meagan Kane - I enjoyed this tale of a deep space prisoner and their robotic guardian friend but for me a little too long to get to the finale.
What Any Dead Thing Wants By Aimee Ogden - A tale of how terraforming words sometimes needs an exorcist crew to remove the spirits of the life that lived before humans came. It’s a story for me with too many ideas and it’s quite slow paced. The idea is smart and I support the theme but I never gelled with it’s it kept adding in new elements and it feels bit overcooked.
To Devour Your Own Name By Katlina Sommerberg - A hyena spirit appears at a mysterious carousel. Quick, compelling and magical
Hunter Mother Sailor Wife By Catherine Tavares - I loved this! A mother and her children and spouse watch a Kraken attack. The mother once was a fearsome Karen Hunter - what should she do. It’s very well told tale that we are more than any one thing at once and families should support and recognise this.
A Place to Grow By Sarah Grace Tuttle - finishing this is another smart flash tale of how a strange organism had a powerful future fate
This was really strong varied collection and I think even the stories that don’t work for me I recognise was more down to my taste than their quality. Definitely one to look out for and highly recommended!
