I love short stories, but I struggle to find enough time to read them. Somehow in July, I managed to get through several magazines and it was such a fantastic experience. I read:
- The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, July/August 2014, guest edited by CC Finlay
- Asimov's, July 2014
- Apex Magazine 62 (July 2014)
- Lightspeed Magazine, July 2014
My favourite magazine for the quarter was the guest edited F&SF. My biggest "find" was Apex Magazine. For some reason, I always expected this magazine to border on horror and be too dark for me. This is my first time reading the magazine and I enjoyed it a lot - though the pricing does seem a bit high for the amount of material in it.
Because I haven't been reading short fiction for that long, I tend to treat original material and re-prints in the same light. Unless I've read it before, it feels 'new' to me, which I suppose is the reason editors include reprints.
For the month, my absolute 5 favourites, in ascending order were:
5. Forlesen, by Gene Wolfe [Lightspeed Magazine]
"Day in the Life of..." This story is quite uncanny and deeply unsettling, while at the same time having some hysterically funny moments. It evokes the oppression, uncertainty and hilarity of modern office-workers incredibly acutely. It also makes one question one's life and direction, as well as raising huge questions about modern life at an aggregate level. What is even more frightening is how long ago this was written!
4. Blessed are the Hungry, by Victor Fernando R. Ocampo [Apex Magazine]
Aboard a generation ship. This story illustrates the conflict between cultural or religious values and the confines of a constrained space. There were so many things I enjoyed about this story, but what I loved most was how specific it was. This wasn't any group of people aboard a generation ship; this was a very specific group.
3. The Girls Who Go Below, by Cat Hellison [Magazine of F&SF]
Sibling rivalry. I suppose the fact that this was set in South Africa, written by a South African, may have pre-disposed me to like it. I did enjoy seeing an unexplored side of the South African context - outside of the country, it's hard to appreciate the complexity and insidiousness of the many different backgrounds that exist here. I also loved how deliciously dark this story was.
2. Cimmeria: From the Journal of Imaginary Anthropology, by Theodora Goss [Lightspeed Magazine]
Sibling rivalry amid conflicts on cultural identity. The story worked on so many levels. At its highest level, it questions how much culture is invented - both internally and externally. It delves into how we interact with new / familiar cultures and also questions the nature of love and personal relationships. Everything about this story is fascinating.
1. Day of the Nuptial Flight, by Sarina Dorie [Magazine of F&SF]
A Bug's Life. I cannot speak highly enough of this story. At first, I found it a little bit tricky to get into, but it absolutely paid off. Reading stories from an "alien" point-of-view sometimes irritates me as it seems to focus more on illustrating how incomprehensible such a view might be, and less on illuminating what our lives are actually about. This story is just so insightful, delightful and moving. I would highly recommend it to anyone.
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