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MagazinesScifi

Spaceports & Spidersilk April 2017 by Marcie Tentchoff (emag review).

‘Spaceports And Spidersilk’ is a small magazine of fantasy and Science Fiction aimed at young readers which features a mix of poetry and fiction. The kindle edition is easily navigable from the contents page.

The first story is ‘The Five-Star Underwear’ by Rebecca Linam. Narrator Jake and his pal Brandon are cycling to school when they hear a truck bearing down on them. At least, they think it’s a truck. They’re knocked flying and on recovery see no vehicle but only a few boxes scattered in the road. Brandon has ‘had an accident’ after this terrifying event but luckily one of the boxes contains brand new underwear. He dons it and proceeds to school where strange events happen. Light-hearted and inventive, this was an enjoyable read.

Even more inventive is ‘All the World’s A Stage’ by Michael S. Collins. A graffiti girl painted on a school wall steps off it and goes to join a class. She tells the teacher she’s new, which is certainly true. A neat fantasy with a clever ending.

‘Cydonia Based Egg for Rent (short term)’ by Russell Hemmell is the story of Jess, a girl living in a dome on Mars who is bullied by other children. Few go outside the dome but she does and meets another girl named Gaia, a very odd girl indeed. This was okay but the writing went wonky in places, possibly just typos.

‘Gravel Beneath Pounding Feet’ by Alexander D Jones is more of a scene than a story. A boy races through jungle escaping some large and dangerous pursuer. The author is young, according to the bio, but it’s well-crafted and he probably has a future in the business. He’ll have to watch his terminology though as some ray guns are under copyright.

‘Nica And The Whales’ by Anne E. Johnson is about a lowly hand on a pirate ship who longs to see the world. One day, when the ship is surrounded by a school of whales, a fog descends and, after stumbling around, she finds herself seated on top of one! It takes her to the big city where adventures ensue. The fast-paced yet elegant prose on this one makes it the best story in the magazine, I think.

The poems are generally short and light-hearted but have the virtue of being comprehensible and fun, which is surely what kids want.

You can’t use a sledgehammer to crack a walnut or bring adult criticism of plot and originality to a small magazine meant for children. However, ‘Spaceports And Spidersilk’ is excellent for younger readers, safe reading with no unsuitable content and a gentle introduction to the genre. It’s also dirt cheap. Worth a look for your little ones.

Eamonn Murphy

April 2017

(pub: Nomadic Delirium Press. 206kb Kindle ebook. Price: £0.99 (UK), $ 1.23 (US). ASIN: B06XTKHHDY)

check out website: http://nomadicdeliriumpress.com/

Eamonn Murphy

Eamonn Murphy reviews books for sfcrowsnest and writes short stories for small press magazines. His eBooks are available at all good retailers or see his website: https://eamonnmurphywriter298729969.wordpress.com/

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