Contents12 May 2008ART GALLERY: Hanged Man's Gallery, by Malcolm McClintonI have found a nice little niche for myself that satisfies my natural anti-authoritism, reclusiveness and my need for adulation all at once. ARTICLE: The Farmer Vanishes, by Marian Kensler[M]any American children have unknowingly become acquainted with Ambrose Bierce's fiction well before the obligatory high school reading of "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge." COLUMN: Revisiting the Canon with Susannah! Formal Boasts, Magic Armor, and Watchers in the Water: Beowulf, Part 2, by Susannah MandelIf your world-view was shaped by Tolkien, then it probably seems very natural to you that magic swords and talismans exist in the world. In Tolkien's world, and the worlds of his contemporaries and his imitators, such objects had usually been made by dwarves or elves, a Very Long Time ago; or by someone who used to be a dwarf or elf or angel before he turned bad – you know the drill. FICTION: The Refutation of Rosemont, by Barth AndersonThough Jeremiah Rosemont used his authority and status several years ago to liberate me from my tenure at Liggett & LaSalle, and the burden of the salary that went with it, my life's work is still a search for living, modern myths that make sense of the world--but more, that make the world. POETRY: How Wizards Duel, by Jessica P. WickI know your fingers. / I know them in the salt-sea. / I know them, charcoal-smudged, / smelling of smoke. REVIEW: This Week's Reviews, posted three times a weekMonday: Alastair Reynolds' House of Suns, reviewed by Dan Hartland 5 May 2008FICTION: The Gadgey, by Alan CampbellBesides, E.T. was plastic-looking, not like the proper aliens he'd seen on Sky when he was round at Gordie's. Not like this thing. This thing had a whole bunch of tentacles, like wee willies, hanging from its chin. POETRY: Thousand Flower Sun, by Jennifer CrowWe waited in the light / of our thousand-flower sun REVIEW: This Week's Reviews, posted three times a weekMonday: What It Is We Do When We Read Science Fiction by Paul Kincaid, reviewed by Martin Lewis 28 April 2008ARTICLE: Tribute to Dean Koontz: Forty Years as a Published Novelist, by Michael McCartyDean Koontz is a rarity in this business: someone who cares. He could have simply signed my books and sent me on my merry way, but instead he reached out, he made an effort . . . and he gave me a career. ARTICLE: Fear Nothing: Interview with Dean Koontz, by Michael McCartyThere is such a thing as "reckless caring," and by God there has to be in order for any civilization to arise and to be sustained. COLUMN: Ender's Peak, by James SchellenbergSo it was with some trepidation that I started a project to listen to all eight audiobooks in the Ender's Game series. FICTION: Five Good Things About Meghan Sheedy (part 2 of 2), by A.M. DellamonicaThe dust bomb had been concealed under the steps of the infirmary, just on the edge of the playground. Dispersal had spread it like a ball of seeds from a dandelion, and now the infirmary was missing a perfect quarter-sphere of its structure. POETRY: Diaspora, by Robert BorskiThe Word fractured then, like a crystalline / vase, and has been cracking and / splintering ever since. REVIEW: This Week's Reviews, posted three times a weekMonday: The 2008 Arthur C Clarke Award Shortlist—Part One, reviewed by Abigail Nussbaum 21 April 2008COLUMN: Zombie Kings Sing Songs of BRAAAAAAAINS!, by Iain JacksonI have a theory. Now, it's coming completely out of the air, and no doubt displaying a fine ignorance of history, religion, psychology, sociology, and several other -ologies, but bear with me. FICTION: Five Good Things About Meghan Sheedy (part 1 of 2), by A.M. DellamonicaIt was a way of dealing, Dinah knew, and she tried to ignore Aidan as he threw an imaginary grenade and then made a sprinkling motion over Jesse, a finger-waving shorthand that used to mean falling snow. POETRY: Topquark, by Gene van TroyerYou are the top quark / in the particle stream blasting through your nerves REVIEW: This Week's Reviews, posted three times a weekMonday: The Starry Rift edited by Jonathan Strahan, reviewed by Karen Burnham 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. |