Apex Digest #9

As you all know (or should know), Apex Digest is the next big thing in Horror-SF. After much pleading and cajoling, I finally got the editor to set up an online issue at Fictionwise, making it possible for everyone who lives in the Wrong Continent or Other Axis to access the magazine. (There's a moderate amount of tongue-in-cheek here. I know you, Human, can tell, but there are a lot of confused Reptilian Humanoids and literal-meaning Nazis out there who don't always get it)

What follows is a review of what I've read so far of issue #9. I'm pacing myself to make it last. I'm not a reviewer and I'm not objective if I can help it, but I've read a bit and I know what I like.

The issue opens with The Sum Of His Parts, by Kevin J. Anderson no less. Playing off the Frankenstein monster theme, Anderson explores the origin of the monster's organs and their respective owners Although the ending is predictable, each character sketch is fascinating enough to make the story interesting.

In The End Of Crazy Katherine Sparrow shows us what happens when people don't study their pharmacology. Just kidding. This is a classic medical dystopia "meds gone wrong" story about a cured schizophrenic who has to stop taking the miracle drug when she gets pregnant. Horror readers will love the insanity theme, but what scared me was the subtext, dealing with loss of freedom and medical ethics.

Lavie Tidhar is everywhere these days, including Apex and his story Gunslinger of Chelem has that unmistakable Tidhar feel. A detective who polices people's dreams, a gunslinger gone amok who kills his victims in a dream only he controls... Perfect ingredients for a different kind of western. A great story full of that Tidhar whimsical groove that makes him editor's pet in so many mags.

Mary Robinette Kowal has a sick mind and Locked In, one of the shortest stories of this issue, is also the one I've found most terrifying so far. It's another medical dystopia about a paralyzed man who cannot communicate with the outside world. When his family finds a way to get through to him, the result isn't what he imagined.

Projector is a well written story by Daniel LeMoal. It's written in 1st person, which is clearly one of the main strengths of the story, since the protagonist is a sassy junky that readers will love, no matter what he does. The plot about drug addicts forced into a hit job is spiced up by the supernatural powers of the intended victim. Disaster is imminent, but when you're touching bottom, there's not much further that you can sink.

Today's last story is At the 24-Hour, by William F. Nolan. I have a strong feeling that it was written tongue-in-cheek, using traditional horror tropes to get a good smirk out of the reader. This subtext keeps the story moving despite the predictable ending.

That's it for today. Overall, this was my favorite issue of Apex (I haven't read all of them, so you're allowed to contradict me). Normally in a magazine you find three or four stories you love and one or two that don't do much for you. Not here. All of the above are strong stories, and if I were forced to pick one, I'd have a hard time. My personal favorites are Locked In, Projector and Gunslinger of Chelem, but I can't honestly say that the other ones are less good. This is personal taste, not reviewer objectivity. If you thought you were going to find objectivity in this blog, someone probably sent you here for it on April 1st.

Name-dropping

David Kopaska-Merkel, fellow founder and writer of www.dailycabal.com, has been nominated for the Rhysling.
David also writes wonderful prose. Check out his cool microfiction at Daily Cabal My favorite is "Three Wishes".
David already won second place for short poem and first place with Kendall Evans for long poemin 2006, and I wish him as much luck this time round.

Man, do I hang out with cool people or what?

Go Home is up at Mytholog

My nanoshort "Go Home" is up.
Check it out.

Sara in Wonderland

I pulled a Hemingway last night, and after the writer's group, I went with Lance to a bar he knew in X (exact name with-held to protect our state of privilege)
The bar-owner is one of those guys who loves his job. When he saw Lance walking in, he immediately started singing the song "New York, New York" which was playing. A couple minutes after we sat down, the lights went out, thunder roared through the loudspeakers and a flash of (artificial) lightning shone through a fake window. "I'm singing in the rain" started playing and the owner walked around spraying customers with a pulverized water. Kevin joined us and the owner kept coming back to joke and talk.
Everything went uphill from there. I'm afraid I talked too much. I discovered that Lance and Kevin are wonderful people (I already suspected this about Lance, but I'd never met Kevin before). They talked about the graphic novels they're working on, and I asked Lance to draw me a storkiphant. He also drew a very fast portrait of me talking. As I said, I talked too much.
When it was time to close the bar, I expected to be kicked out, but my friends told me not to worry. We helped the owner close and then he turned and said: "Friends only" and invited us to drinks. He also produced a plate of decent cured Spanish ham with superb olive oil "that is not sold in stores".
"I'm gonna blog this," I told him, but he shook his head, aghast. "No, this is for friends only. If more people come, we can't have such a good time."
I talked a lot, I'm afraid, and all that white wine went to my head. The owner kept trying to hook me up with Lance and Kevin counting on the fact that they don't speak much Spanish and couldn't catch him "pitching" them to me.
I felt like Alice in Wonderland.
We left after 5 am, and the guys accompanied me to find a taxi.
The taxi driver was Colombian and thought I was too. He drove me home under 21e, teasing the speed limit and apologizing when he had to stop at a red light.
Wonderful evening. I'll be sure to go back to that bar, and I'd love to have drinks with these guys again.
Welcome to Spain, welcome to Wonderland.

Critical Ink

Marshall Payne from Tangent has reviewed "Pretty Little Thing"


Sara Genge uses multi-viewpoint first person in "Pretty Little Thing." While Claude is a charming narrator at first, it quickly becomes clear that he is a psychopath stalking Annita, a young black woman who’s been rejuvenated to look like a teenager. The speculative element is provided with a future replete with nanos and thought diaries, the latter figuring into the structure of the narrative. Genge is a new writer and I remember her vivid story, "Godtouched," in Strange Horizons. "Pretty Little Thing" isn’t as strong, but still interesting enough. Genge is definitely a talent to watch.

Nice!

While we're at it, here's what has been said about "Godtouched"
From Tangent, but this time from Ellisabeth A. Allen:

Moving on to "Godtouched" by Sara Genge, we find a vividly depicted postapocalyptic setting and the disturbed (or "godtouched") country girl, Denise. Mostly a sketch of Denise's raw and virulent world, the story boasts a small plot in the form of Denise's choice—city sophistication or rural poverty?—but the atmospheric tale, promising enough for a novel's lead, doesn't need high-octane events to draw you in.

IROSF is harder on "Godtouched". This is Lois Tilton's opinion:

As an ecocatastrophic Cautionary Tale, the vision of the Waste intrigues, but Denise's story is too slight, not sufficiently original to be of as much interest as its setting.

Thanks for the reviews, both good and bad.

I Loved Ophelia-- The Lorelei Signal

I Love Ophelia is a poem I wrote a few years ago, long before I took up prose. I didn't plan to submit it anywhere but last year in Paris I showed it to Richard and he loved it, so... here's the result.
Please do vote for the reader's poll. Think of it as a way to tell me that my writing sucks without being threatened by a blunt katana.

"Pretty Little Thing" up at Helix SF

My story "Pretty Little Thing" is up at Helix-SF.

www.helixsf.com

This story was easy to start but hell to finish. I wrote it last year in Paris. I got the idea returning home late-ish at night by Metro and then joined a party in my Residence where I talked to interesting people who helped me flesh it out. I had fun "researching" this one. Then I was stuck and it took me several months of tinkering to finish the story.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy it and tell me what you think.