The Magazine Of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Winter 2024, Volume 146 #771 (magazine review).
After a delay, this 771st issue of ‘The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction’ is finally here. The publisher notes that the delay was due to unfortunate circumstances but doesn’t elaborate. First time in decades that a book fell apart in my hands. I hope it’s not related. The range of material within the pages is as diverse as ever.
Among the memorable stories is ‘The Icy Wasteland At Her Feet’ by Deborah L. Davitt. It covers a day in the life of Tora Janson, who is the last surviving member of a scientific expedition to Saturn’s moon Enceladus. Her thoughts explain what has happened to the other team members. Some of their problems stemmed from being crowded into a limited space with each other.
Mental issues are also at the heart of ‘Guilt Can Wilt The Sweetest Flower’ by Veronica G. Henry. The caretaker at a library is a war veteran suffering from PTSD. It gives him a job and a place to live. In the depths of winter, he befriends Nina, a vagrant who says she is looking for her way home. A homeless girl befriends him after the librarian’s vindictiveness evicts him from the library. This is a poignant story that ends with hope.
The novelette in this issue is ‘How To Care For Your Domestic God’ by Clara Madrigano. It’s a serious story with a ridiculous side to it. David and Beatriz have recently bought a house that seems to be a bargain. In so many stories, that kind of deal tends to come with something nasty attached. They have a god, not a ghost. The god tends to the house and desires sustenance. The problem is that David upsets it, and they have to find a way of placating it and getting the equilibrium between them and the god restored.
This issue has a number of pure SF stories, one of which is ‘Mackson’s Mardi Gras Moon Race’ by David DeGraff. Every year, there is a race across the moon’s surface with minimal equipment to celebrate a past feat. This year, Mackson is determined to win and has worked out a way to do it. Although it is a traditional story of an underdog banking everything on one chance, it also evokes the harsh environment of the Moon.
‘The Diamond Factory’ by Phoebe Barton has a far-future setting. Adamantia Dawn is part of an inspection team preparing to sign off a disused habitat for destruction. For her, this task represents a form of retaliation, as it is the same habitat that caused her harm.
Often an issue has at least one story tackling environmental concerns. T. R. Napper’s ‘Burned Like Coal’ is here. A raid on a highly polluting coal-fired power station should have been simple, but events go wrong. ‘The Wizzzer’ by Scott Nicolay plays on a child’s fears for horror. Russell believes that the toy has eaten his mother and brother.
Authors have often called on folk tales as a starting point for their stories. There are two in this issue. ‘The Ndayaan Sea’ by Mousapha Mbacké Diop is a reimagining of a Senegalese folktale, whereas ‘The Wounded King’ by J.A. Prentice is a riff on the Arthurian story of ‘The Fisher King’.
As usual, the collection includes a variety of items beyond the fiction. One of the poems is very apt: ‘A Selection of Book Curses’ by Megan Branning should be a warning to anyone who does not treat a book nicely.
The issue meets its usual high quality standards.
Pauline Morgan
July 2023
(pub: Spilogale Inc. 260 page A5 magazine. Price: $10.99 (US), $11.99 (CAN). ISSN: 1095-8258)
check out website: www.fandsf.com