Contents16 November 2009ARTICLE: Jesse Bullington and The Brutal Invasion of The Brothers Grossbart, by S.J. ChambersI absolutely love monsters. After all that talk of everything else, I neglected to mention I also wanted to write a book with a lot of monsters. Not just human monsters. I wanted to deal with the question of what is more horrific: a person who is capable of anything, or something that is literally monstrous and out of the bowels of our collective imagination? Rather than just sticking to medieval bestiaries, I tried to incorporate the parallel between different mythologies of similar creatures. FICTION: A Brief Investigation of the Process of Decay, by Genevieve ValentineThere was a pause before "interested" that meant "acclimated," as if Mars was going to be just like the rez, except without oxygen. POETRY: Deluge, by Mike AllenWhen he learned he could drink the stars, he vowed / that even one burning sphere could never be enough REVIEW: This Week's Reviews, posted three times a weekMonday: Filaria by Brent Hayward, reviewed by Matt Denault 9 November 2009ARTICLE: A History of the Death Ray, by Benjamin WakefieldPhasers, lasers, masers, disruptors, blasters, pulse rifles, plasma cannons and concussion beams—call it what you will, the directed energy weapon has become a staple element of the science fiction and fantasy genre. FICTION: True Names, by Stephanie BurgisWhen I let Sam sweet talk me into moving out here to the back of beyond to be his wife, it was all about the romance of the wild, the two of us standing at each other's sides against mountain lions and poisonous snakes, and me learning to be just as fierce against them as any man. Days like today somehow never got mentioned in any of his stories, back then. POETRY: f(love) = 0, by Monica M. Eilandhow could I have missed Newton's trick / to finding area where none used to exist? REVIEW: This Week's Reviews, posted three times a weekMonday: The Magicians by Lev Grossman, reviewed by John Clute 2 November 2009ARTICLE: A Memory of Robert Jordan, by Stefan JózefowiczRobert Jordan has been recognized as one of the most famous fantasy writers of his time. He passed away on September 16, 2007, before he was able to finish his magnum opus. Nevertheless, the Wheel of Time still turns. October 27, 2009 marked the publication of The Gathering Storm, the first of three posthumous novels planned to conclude the series. FICTION: Nomadology, by Chris Nakashima-BrownOn-screen, stop-motion set pieces illustrated a science fiction fantasy of the destruction of the state apparatus and the abolition of private property mediated by alien invasion and natural disaster. The only sound in the room was the soft clicking of aluminum knitting needles, like a DIY Geiger counter monitoring our entropic half-lives. POETRY: Off the Pi Charts, by P M F JohnsonThe gates of Faerie are eroding— REVIEW: This Week's Reviews, posted three times a weekMonday: Ark by Stephen Baxter, reviewed by Jonathan McCalmont and Alvaro Zinos-Amaro 26 October 2009FICTION: Ms. Liberty Gets a Haircut, by Cat Rambo"If you're going to be our leader, you need to look like you haven't time-travelled here from the 20th century," Dr. Arcane grumbles to Ms. Liberty. "You may have been built with the blueprints from the Stepford wives, but you don't have to keep looking like one." POETRY: Surreal People, by Bruce BostonThe evolution of flora and fawning / would have learned nothing / from Darwin. REVIEW: This Week's Reviews, posted three times a weekMonday: The Black Mirror and Other Stories, edited by Franz Rottensteiner (trans. Mike Mitchell), reviewed by Adam Roberts Strange Horizons is a weekly online magazine of science fiction, fantasy, science fact, opinion, art, and reviews. All material in Strange Horizons is copyrighted to the original authors and may not be reproduced without permission. Violators will be prosecuted. Updated every Monday Graphic design by Elaine Chen. |