Fantasy & Science Fiction - September 2006
Aug 22 '06
The Bottom Line A good issue, but I hope they don't devote so much space to a non-fiction piece for a while. It's a good thing the piece was very good.
Fantasy & Science Fiction - September 2006
The Stories
Prologue to the Endeavour: Luck be a Lady Tonight - Proposed by Harlan Ellison
"Senora Suerte" - by Tananarive Due (short story) 10 pages
"The Return of O'Farrissey" - by John Morressy (short story) 17 pages
"The Song of Kido" - by Matthew Corradi (novelet) 26 pages
"Poor Guy" - by Michael Kandel (short story) 8 pages
"Dear Starbear: Letters Between Ursula K. Le Guin and James Tiptree Jr." - by edited by Julie Phillips (non-fiction) 39 pages
"Perfect Stranger" - by Amy Sterling Casil (short story) 15 pages
"If You've Ever Been a Lady" - by Michael Libling (short story) 20 pages
The September issue is a strange one. Though it is quite intriguing, I hope it doesn't happen very often. The issue contains three stories that were written at the behest of Harlan Ellison. Ellison begins the issue with a proposal, and editor Gordon Van Gelder was to find authors to write stories from it. Thus, three of the stories begin from the same premise. It's very interesting to see how the same premise can be taken in three completely different directions, though. Also included is a very long piece of non-fiction, a series of letters back and forth between Ursula K. Le Guin and James Tiptree Jr. I almost skipped this part, but became more fascinated as I read further into it. Soon, I couldn't put it down. It helps that the other fiction is quite good as well, but I really hope the magazine doesn't include such a long piece of non-fiction again for a while. Even though I enjoyed it, I felt like I was missing some stories that might have been placed in that spot. Anyway, that's just a personal preference and certainly not a criticism of the issue itself.
The stories
Prologue to the Endeavour: Luck be a Lady Tonight - Proposed by Harlan Ellison
Beginning the issue is the proposal. Ellison says that, in his long writing career, there have only been two ideas that he could not turn into a story. Thus, he decided to offer one of the premises to the editor and see what some choice writers can do with it. The premise (boiled down from a longer description, of course) is that Lady Luck is making her rounds in some form of betting establishment, and is spotted by a man who becomes hopelessly smitten with her. The caveat is that the guy is the biggest loser who has ever walked the Earth. While Ellison gives some ideas of what he's getting at, he doesn't want to tie the authors down by being specific. It's an effective idea, but let's see what the authors do with it.
"Senora Suerte" - by Tananarive Due
The first of the three "Luck" stories, this is one I would classify as second best, but only because the first one is outstanding. Gilberto is an old man who has suffered a stroke, and thus has been placed in an assisted care facility. He's also a lifelong loser, with two dead ex-wives (one happily, one not), and a family that has lost interest in him. During one of the weekly bingo games, he sees a nurse who he hasn't seen before. She's making her rounds, and touches one of the poor residents, who finally screams out "BINGO!" and actually has it. He wins a couple more times, too. Later that night, however, he dies. Gilberto becomes obsessed with seeing her, coming to the games despite not playing. What may be the greatest form of luck in a home where old people are just waiting to die? And will Gilberto finally get lucky? This is an extremely powerful story, taking the concept Ellison has provided and making something that's almost touching. Due creates a wonderful atmosphere, capturing the desolation of this home perfectly. Gilberto is a great narrator as well, bringing the reader up close to what the home is truly like. His desperation to finally get lucky is almost palpable, and is definitely heart-breaking.
"The Return of O'Farrissey" - by John Morressy
Morressy returns to the world of the grand wizard Conhoon and his beautiful apprentice, Kate O'Farrissey. Kate's father, who left her Conhoon's care when she was ten while he went off with the faeries, has returned, and he wants Kate to come home and keep him in the way a daughter should: cooking, cleaning, not letting him want for anything. But Conhoon's become used to having her around doing the same thing (oh, and it's very possible she'll turn into a very powerful wizard as well) and so resists. Kate is torn between her loyalty to Conhoon and her familial obligation to her father, but then the King of the Faeries shows up to collect on a promise that her father made. When Kate's Fairy Godmother shows up (after failing to marry her off and fulfill her Godmother duties in "The Courtship of Kate O'Farrissey") to try and intervene, things may go from bad to worse. Much like most of Morressy's other stories in Fantasy and Science Fiction, this is an extremely light, amusing fantasy story, but nothing more. There's not a lot of substance to it, but it is entertaining, and sometimes we don't get enough of that. It's too bad that Morressy has died, but it sounds like the magazine has a few of his stories saved up. On thinking about it, this is the perfect counterpoint for the sadder story that precedes it.
"The Song of Kido" - by Matthew Corradi
Ridimon is a cursed man. He hears the exhortations of the dead, and he can't shut them up. He's obsessed with getting an answer to the secret of the other side. What is death? And how can he get rid of this genetically-engineered torture? He visits a swampy planet full of inhabitants that may offer some sort of cure, if only he can catch one. But he has drastically misinterpreted the nature of these creatures, and finding the answer may be the death of him. I know I keep going on about atmosphere, but when an author succeeds in making you feel like you're part of the setting, it makes you feel like part of the story as well. You care more about the characters. For me, unfortunately, that's the main saving grace in this science-fiction ghost story, as I didn't really care that much about Ridimon and his curse. Corradi takes some side-steps into trying to explain some of the science involved with interstellar travel in this universe, which drags the story down even more. But I definitely did feel like I was in the swamps. Corradi's prose is quite good. Give me at least one character to care about, and I'd be very happy.
"Poor Guy" - by Michael Kandel
The second of the "Luck" stories, and the weakest, in my opinion. Told as a religious parable within a story, it begins with a young monk confessing to his elder that he is beginning to lose his faith in the great Gumby. When he levitates in his cell, he can't go as high as he used to. He has to hold his breath when he walks through walls, that sort of thing. So his Confessor tells him the tale of Anselm, one of the biggest losers ever. His luck was horrible, tripping on nothing, spraining his ankle on less, and generally having the whole world dump on him every day of his life. But he fell in love with a "gifter of tu (another name for Luck, of course)" named Lily Lu, and suddenly, his luck began to change. He was part of momentous events, but yet these events didn't have the best outcome for the world. What happens to him could lead to the founding of a religion, even. I didn't really know what to make of this story. It's interesting, it's amusing, but it just sort of sat there for me. Again, it's a good take on the concept, turning even good luck into headaches for the loser, but it didn't really affect me that much. Of course, since it's a parable, there isn't much characterization either. Not bad, but certainly not my favourite.
"Dear Starbear: Letters Between Ursula K. Le Guin and James Tiptree Jr." - by edited by Julie Phillips
James Tiptree Jr, for those who don't know, was a pseudonym for author Alice B. Sheldon, a deception she kept up for many years. She never made public appearances and she never even hinted that she was really a woman. She also corresponded with many fans and fellow authors, and one of them was Ursula Le Guin. Here are printed a series of letters between the two, and it was an interesting relationship, almost flirtatious. What was most fascinating to me was the actual writing of the letters. They're almost literary, and I loved the language used from both authors. People don't write letters like that, anymore. The letters cover a span from 1972 until (the final letter included in this piece, anyway) Sheldon reveals the truth to Le Guin as she's been found out. She doesn't want Le Guin to find out by reading the papers, so reveals everything. What's surprising is Le Guin's reaction to it, one that appears to have been mirrored by many of her compatriots as well. The mutual admiration between the two authors, unfortunately emphasized by the flowery writing, almost turned me off, but I wanted to see what the end result would be. I was very happy to have read this when I was done, and it's an interesting look into the lives of two of the best-known authors in the SF genre.
"Perfect Stranger" - by Amy Sterling Casil
This has to be one of the most powerful stories I've read in a while, even more so than Senora Suerte earlier in the issue. In a world where genetic modification is relatively simple, what will the modified end up thinking of those who don't indulge? Mr. Gill (the only way he's identified, as it's told in first-person) is a father with a problem. Denny, his only son, almost didn't survive being born. He had a heart ailment which was fixed with a genetic procedure when he was still in the womb. Gill almost didn't want to do it, but was convinced by his wife. As Denny grows up, they do other procedures when it's determined that he's a little behind in math (that's what his mother keeps on saying, even though that's not what the counselor says, which says something interesting about the mother as well) or for other cosmetic reasons. Now, the boy is 15, and what has he gained with all of this? The mods have caught on worldwide as well, leading to a possible fracture in society. And just what is Gill going to do about it, especially as his own actions when he was growing up led to this? I felt like I had been punched in the gut after I finished this story. We only see Denny at the end, after witnessing him grow up through his father's eyes, and it's not a pretty sight. I liked the way that details about Gill are slowly interspersed with the memories he is dealing with. The mother, who we never see except in flashback, seems like a controlling harpy, wanting what she thinks the boy needs despite whatever dangers there might be, and Gill is too weak to argue about it. The only problem I had with the story is the house itself, which has a computer that provides for just about everything. It detects a drop in Gill's body temperature and asks if he wants the heat turned up, it asks if he wants his bread sliced when he says he's going to make a sandwich, that sort of thing. I'm sure Casil was trying to make a point with the house and the attempts to make life extremely easy and perfect, but I still think it didn't really fit with the rest of the story. Otherwise, this is the best story in the issue.
"If You've Ever Been a Lady" - by Michael Libling
The third "Luck" story, and definitely the best of the bunch. It's almost the best of the issue as well, but not quite. Denny is a complete loser. His girlfriend (he's been putting off the wedding) is sleeping around, he's a horrible bedding salesman who's about to lose his job while at a junket in Las Vegas, and he becomes smitten with a strange woman in the elevator of the casino. He wants to kill his girlfriend and her lover, but he can't even do that right, injuring himself in the process while they're not even aware that he is there. The woman has designs on him, though, but even that doesn't work out right. Is it possible to be such a loser that even Lady Luck can't help you? I was of two minds with this story. When it began, I was so annoyed with Denny that I didn't care about him at all. Once the action moved to Las Vegas, however, and he met the woman, he became more pitiful than annoying, and watching him turn into a hopeless schmuck was interesting. When he finally meets the woman, however, the story becomes hilarious. Libling's characterization is wonderful and it quickly moved near the top of my favourites. This is by far the most interesting take on Ellison's story idea, and I think he would be pleased.
The Articles:
"Books to Look For" - by Charles de Lint
High School Bites - by Liza Conrad
The Sisters Grimm: The Fairy-Tale Detectives - by Michael Buckley
The Sisters Grimm: The Unusual Suspects - by Michael Buckley
Vampire Kisses - by Ellen Schreiber
Vampire Kisses 2: Kissing Coffins - by Ellen Schreiber
"Musing on Books" - by Michelle West
Vellum - by Hal Duncan
His Majesty's Dragon - by Naomi Novik
"Films" - by Lucius Shepard
Reviews of some small, Russian films
"Plumes From Pegasus" - by Paul Di Filippo
"The Goth Squad"
A trio of adult do-gooders pretend to be Goths and infiltrate a local high school, because a study has shown that, despite a proclivity for harming themselves or attempting suicide, joining the modern subculture of Goth-ness may actually "protect vulnerable children." Of course, the children aren't fooled for a moment, despite the heavy-handed attempts to recruit them to the movement.
“Curiosities” – by F. Gwynplaine MacIntyre
Dr. Transit by I.S. (1925)
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