Quick Sips - Tor dot com June 2016

It's another full month of fiction at Tor dot com with five original fiction that mostly stick to fantasy but with a few science fiction or at least science fictional elements going on as well. It's also something of a mixed bag for me personally, but I think overall the good outweighs the things I didn't quite care so much for. What's for sure is that there's a lot to think about in these stories, from what justice might look like in a post apocalypse to what it might be to have Sasquatch governors. It's what speculative fiction is all about, asking "What if?" and trying to provide a satisfying answer. Now to the reviews!

Art by Alyssa Winans

Quick Sips - Beneath Ceaseless Skies #202

The stories in this issue of Beneath Ceaseless Skies are, to me, about choice. In two very different settings, with two very different characters, choice is examined and pulled apart. It's not exactly the most optimistic of issues, as both stories focus in many ways on how sometimes, despite what you choose, there's no real escaping punishment. There's no real justice. It's a view that is shaped by their circumstances, by what they witness and experience. They are dark stories, haunting and beautiful, and I'm going to jump right into the reviews! 
 

Art by Martin Ende

Quick Sips - The Sockdolager #6 Summer 2016

This is my first issue reviewing The Sockdolager, and I'm definitely glad I've added it to my list. The goal of the publication is to provide stories that are fun to read. Not stories that are shallow, but stories that breathe life into the reader. That provoke a smile, or a grin, or a laugh. That are full of energy and style. And it delivers. The stories tend a bit more toward the fantasy (and especially contemporary fantasy), but there's some science fiction here as well, and some horror. There's enough variety that nothing gets old, that each story hits well, bows, and clears the stage for the next act. So let's get this show on the road, because it's review time! 
 

Art by Paul Starr and Alison Wilgus

Quick Sips - Apex #85

If ever you forget that Apex Magazine is a market for dark fiction and horror, just pick up this issue and be reminded. Because the stories and poetry this issue are pretty fucking intensely dark. The stories especially look at violence and fear and cycles of abuse and hate and...well, they aren't exactly happy strolls in the park. But they are compelling, gritty, and good. Though violent and at times bleak, they do reach for hope, and they end in ways that maybe...well, just read them to find out. The poetry adds a nice layer as well, from a creepy series of journal entries to a piece I want put to jazz to a slice of something serene...and inhuman. So without further ado, the reviews!
 

Art by Joe Badon

Quick Thoughts - "Medium"

In some ways I'm very glad that I've had a story out almost every week for the past two months, because with everything that's been going on, in America and beyond, has been a bit numbing to me personally, and it's easy to let my thoughts sink into some dark waters. It's been healthy, I hope, to try and think about happy things instead. Like the fact that my contemporary fantasy story, "Medium," is out now in the first ever Book Smugglers Quarterly Almanac! It's an amazing project with a cover illustration based on my story (which is so gorgeous!) and I'm incredibly proud (and humbled) to share a table of contents with such an amazing line up of writers.

Art by Kristina Tsenova

I actually already wrote a bit about this story over at The Book Smugglers blog, so you might already know the kind of inspirations that went into this story. What I didn't go into there and can now is the sort of strange journey this story had to getting published. I actually wrote this story for a themed call (Success). I wanted to work a little bit with the idea of success, and the more traditional superhero story was a great place to start. Part of what I liked about writing this story was playing with victory, and the cost of victory and the responsibility of being a superhero. I think much of the time the emphasis is solely on winning. But in light of things like the Superman movie and beyond, where collateral damage is accepted and not really cared about, I wanted to look at a different kind of success. A moral success.

So that's an added wrinkle in what went into the story. The wrinkle in its publishing adventure is that it was rejected for the call (which is no surprise, as I subbed a lot to that publication and it was all rejected). And because it's sold and out now the sting of this particular rejection is dulled a little and I feel I can talk about it. It's nothing against the very good people who rejected the story, but I was told that the story was the last story rejected. Basically, that they accept 3 stories per issue, and mine was number 4. I think I stared at that email a little bit. I mean, it was nice to know that they liked the story, but I'm not sure I needed to know just how close I was to making the cut. Still, they said I should resubmit it if I thought it would be appropriate for a different theme. The publication, of course, closed for good shortly after.

But the story has a happy ending! Because lo and behold later in the year the Year of the Superhero call went up and I was all over that. All. Over. That! And I am super super excited to be published by The Book Smugglers, who I have admired since they started putting out original fiction. They are a great source of fiction and nonfiction and all things SFF. And I am so pumped to be in the inaugural issue of the Almanac, which has an awesome physical edition that will be coming out early next week. Seriously there is so much awesome swirling around this. The reprints look phenomenal (I've read 2 of them and loved them both). The original fiction not by me is by John Chu!!! I've loved his work at Lightspeed and Tor.com and beyond and am super excited to once again share a TOC with him (we were both also in QDSF!). And the nonfiction comes from some genre all-stars!

So yeah, definitely check out this collection. I will probably be looking at the other original story as part of my next month's Book Smugglers review, so there's that to look forward to, and otherwise, thanks for reading!

All the best,

Charles Payseur

Quick Sips - Strange Horizons 06/06/2016, 06/13/2016, & 06/20/2016

Today I'm looking at three weeks of content from Strange Horizons, and there is certainly a lot to see. Three original stories, three poems, and two nonfiction pieces anchor what has been a very strong, and very wide-ranging array of pieces. The fiction, though, is pretty heavily contemporary fantasy, stories that mix magic with very different life experiences. Characters of different classes, races, genders, and sexualities all confront magic in their own ways, from ghosts to art to traditions. The poems take readers to far off worlds and plunge into the heart of myths. And the nonfiction looks at history and awards and place. There's a lot to enjoy, so I'm just going to get to the reviews! 

Art by Sandro Castelli

Quick Sips - The Book Smugglers June 2016

The Year of the Superhero continues at The Book Smugglers with two stories that combine a nice sense of fun with more touching and serious messages about age, choice, trauma, and  hope. One of the stories acts a bit like a meta-narrative about how superheroes and origin stories and sidekicks don't quite translate out of comic books into the real world. How giving young people powers and telling them to fight crime isn't exactly the most responsible of things. And there's some saying about power and responsibility in comic books that…well, you get the idea. And the other bridges the gap between two novels with a heartwarming story about falling from the sky...and getting back up again. To the reviews! 

Art by Jade Liebes