The Three Books and What They Tell by Alexandra Manglis (Lightspeed Magazine; Oct. 2022, Issue 149)
The first story I tackled in October was a piece of flash fiction called The Three Books and What They Tell by Alexandra Manglis. This story was beautiful. And, as its title suggests, it’s about three books. I liked what the author did by adding some fantasy elements into the descriptions about the substance of the books, and who their ideal readers are. All-in-all, this was a great story.
The Skinless Man Counts to Five by Paul Jessup (Apex Magazine; September 27, 2022)
The second story I read is called The Skinless Man Counts to Five by Paul Jessup. This was the perfect kind of read for October, because there was something so eerie and horrifying about the events as they unfolded. The first death was a warning. And from there the story spiraled into an apocalyptic nightmare set in space and aboard a generation ship that may or may not be about to fail. The isolation of the setting provided the perfect backdrop, and the lightning quick way the story was told kept me on the edge of my seat. It would be a page-turner, if there were pages to turn.
The First Morning In May by Rebecca Buchanan (Strange Horizons; Issue: 3, October 2022)
The third piece I read in October was some poetry from Strange Horizons. I am a sucker for almost anything that reads like a fairy tale, and The First Morning in May by Rebecca Buchanan fit the bill perfectly. It involved an elf and seven brides, and with the way it played out, I was reminded of certain aspects of the folktale Bluebeard. The writing was lyrical, and it accurately conveyed the inherent darkness within the framework of the poem.
The Portal Keeper by Lavie Tidhar (Uncanny Magazine; Issue Forty-Eight)
The next and last story I read was The Portal Keeper by Lavie Tidhar. I was interested in this one, because it seemed totally different from the Judge Dee stories. I loved it. The story was written like a daily log from October 1st to the 31st, and each entry showed a scene that was like an overview of the keeper’s day. So the title tells you what it’s about. But I also liked the exploration of the role of “portal keeper”—the loneliness of the job, the routine, but also the need for connection in a situation where encountering the fantastical (and sometimes dangerous) is the norm. There are a few recognizable references here, particularly for stories like Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland as well as Peter Pan.
From around the web…
- Come On, Younglings, We’re Not Totally Screwed [Brandon Crilly; Apex Magazine, September 8, 2022]
- A Reflection on Consistency [Essay by Ashia Monet; October 7, 2022]
- Print Run Podcast Episode 154: Object Lessons
- Words for Thoughts: October 2022 [A.C. Wise; Apex Magazine, September 29, 2022]
- Our Opinions Are Correct Episode 116: Water Disasters
- Our Opinions Are Correct Episode 117: What Makes a Story Feel "Fast" or "Slow"?
