The Magazine of Fantasy \u0026 Science Fiction, November/December 2021 (F\u0026SF #758) by Sheree Renée Thomas

The Magazine of Fantasy \u0026 Science Fiction, November/December 2021 (F\u0026SF #758) Reviews

• 
  Fernando Goulart

  An average edition. My favorite stories were:
  
  
  “A Vast Silence” by T. R. Napper - A criminal with a “voice” in his head, is on the run in Australia, shares a ride share with a student, unaware of the danger
  
  “The Reckoning” by Alexander Glass - Chistopher Marlon meets Shakespeare in this alt history story
  
  “Laki” by Eleanor Arneson - A family is forced to leave their farm in southern Iceland to escape the eruption’s poisonous air and ash. On their journey they encounter trolls
  
  “Lajos and His Bees” by K.A. Teryna - A favor about a silent man who communes with nature, lives a hermit-like existence and attracts swarms of bees, from which he makes honey and fend off unwanted visitors
• 
  Oleksandr Zholud

  This is the November/December 2021 issue of the Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, the first issue I’ve read from cover to cover and in general I liked what I’ve read.
  
  Contents:
  Letter from the Editor: Gathering Light essay by Sheree Renée Thomas a general overview of works in the issue plus musings about needing more light in these gloomy times
  Broad Dutty Water novelette by Nalo Hopkinson a story about a girl Jacquee and her pet pig with a voxvoder named Lickchop. They live in a water world after global warming changed Earth. She takes her Uncle Silvis’s ultralight (a kind of plane) but on her flight faces a storm and crashes, having to fight for her life. It reads as a part of a series set in this world, per se a-ok read but not great. 2.5*
  A Dime short story by Robin Hobb an ill woman travels to a payphone booth shortly before Christmas, for this special phone connect not only thru distance. A poignant Christmas story. 3*
  What Makes You Forget short story by Victor Pseftakis a weird piece about a hard-working woman going to ask a wish at a ‘Hole’, some kind of mysterious artefact, granting wishes for a price. She has two kids, a drunkard for a husband and works as a violinist – what should she sacrifice? 2*
  A Vast Silence novelette by T. R. Napper a near future and two small crooks rob a wrong woman, getting something valuable, they don’t know what. 3*
  Books to Look For (The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, November-December 2021) essay by Charles de Lint out of listed I’ve read only
  We Are Satellites, reviews of others hasn’t picked my interest. 2*
  Books (The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, November-December 2021) essay by James Sallis a detailed review of Octavia E. Butler: Kindred, Fledgling, Collected Stories 3*
  The Reckoning short story by Alexander Glass a historical/SF mix for those in the know, Will and Kit meet in an Elizabethan bar. Midway we find out they are Christopher ‘Kit’ Marlowe, the Elizabethan playwright and William Shakespeare and one came with a strange proposal to another. 3*
  Castellia novelette by Graham Edwards a fantasy about an old lady Isobel, who is a chanter that wakes up a castle named Byre. The awakened fortress can move, feel (but not see) and is ordered on a mission 3*
  Laki novelette by Eleanor Arnason a story as if based on the author’s five-times great-grandmother Sofia Thordsdottir dairy. She was born in 1775 on a farm in southern Iceland and survived the
  Laki Rift eruption, the real catastrophe that killed 20–25% of the population. She and her family meet trolls and survives. 4*
  How to Hear the Stars poem by Mary Soon Lee
  How to Count Astronomically poem by Mary Soon Lee
  Ways of the Multiverse poem by Vincent Miskell
  Mad Milk novella by Natalia Theodoridou a (pseudo-)historical story about the army of the Epyroteans, who came with revenge to the Minoreans. Their leader is Semandra, whose husband/lover was supposedly killed by the Minoreans in a raid for which they now want a retribution. She was a woman advisor/lover Phyllida. Epyroteans’ ‘secret weapon’ is Mad milk – a concoction that makes them insensible to pain and fatigue, turning them temporary to berserks. The story does show why Semandra leads, for she is neither a super-strategist nor a popular leader and this makes the story flat. 2*
  Coming Attractions (The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, November-December 2021) essay by uncredited nothing that captured my attention
  Films: Worth the Wait? essay by David J. Skal a review of movies: [1] Raya and the Last Dragon, [2] Chaos Walking
  Science: Telescopes in Fact and Fiction essay by Jerry Oltion a nice pop-science on why cannot we build a telescope to see a person of he Moon. 5*
  Jeopardy! essay by uncredited a humorous competition, readers gave us both an answer and question, where the answer is a science fiction/fantasy story, and the question is a humorous take on the title. The first prize for Answer: Jurassic Park, directed by Steven Spielberg.
  Question: What is: You’re gonna need a bigger goat?
  Subgenre essay by uncredited another competition, Take your favorite subgenre, then write a sentence or two (or even more, but no more than fifty words) that can only be written or spoken within that subgenre.
  Lajos and His Bees short story by К. А. Терина a fantasy fairytale-like story, about an enigmatic ‘whisperer’ Lajos who lives alone in the nearby mountains and keeps bees. He makes terrifying carvings and the bees made wonderful honey. Once he falls in love. 3*
  The Black Dog Gone Gray short story by Hayley Stone an older woman-werewolf takes a young were-girl to teach her. 3*
  A Demon's Christmas Carol short story by Jennie Goloboy kids’ abused by a foster mother summon a (goodhearted) demon’s who is glad to return to Earth, where once he was in love with a man. Another Christmas story. 3*
  Curiosities: Shadows Move Among Them by Edgar Mittelhölzer (1951) essay by Paul Di Filippo a review of
  Shadows Move Among Them
  
  
  
• 
  Michael Frasca

  Solid issue with a Holiday flavor and a theme running through it.
  
  Here are my favorite stories:
  
  - Broad Dutty Water: A Sunken Story by Nalo Hopkinson
  Personal and existential survival are at stake for a young woman and her piggy companion after crashing on an isolated island that holds some surprises for their future and the future of the inundated world. Pairs well with J.G.Ballard’s The Drowned World.
  
  - A Vast Silence by T. R. Tapper
  Espionage, international intrigue and murder in Australia. In the Nullarbor, no one can hear you scream.
  
  - Castellia by Graham Edwards
  A stone fortress and a women on a long, cold, and arduous journey. What is the name for a gathering of castles? A rookery perhaps?
  
  - Laki by Eleanor Arnason
  A harrowing tale of one Icelandic family’s struggle to survive the massive 1783-84 eruption of the Laki rift. Also a reminder that trolls are people too—sometimes more so than some humans.
  
  - A Dime by Megan Lindholm
  Be sure to call before going home for Christmas. Here’s a dime. You remember the old number, right? And have a hanky handy.
  
  - What Makes You Forget by Victor Pseftakis
  This wishing well exacts a price. Will you offer up enough to get what you truly want? A chilling horror story.
  
  - The Reckoning by Alexander Glass
  Hours before his murder, Kit Marlowe faces an existential reckoning offered up by his good friend Will. Best enjoyed with Wikipedia at the ready.
  
  - Lajos and His Bees by K. A. Teryna
  Wonderful folk story about the strange boy who grew up to be the strange mountain man who maintained a very special apiary. A tragic tale of art, craft, and a jealous lover.
  
  - The Black Dog Gone Gray by Hayley Stone
  Mentorship: helping others traverse the same rocky road that you once traveled—making their journey just a little easier. An allegory…with yummy cake.
  
  - A Demon’s Christmas Carol by Jennie Goloboy
  Abused children, a demon from hell, and a blood contract—just your typical feel-good Christmas love story. I hope it’s picked up by the Hallmark Channel! Pairs well with the film “Wings of Desire.”
• 
  VexenReplica

  An OK collection of stories; tempted to round up to 3.5/5 for the last few short stories. CW for child abuse, child/innocents death, suicide, and things that go creep in the sea.
  
  Happy poetry month! Some nice poems in this edition. ALSO BOOK BEE WHO MAY OR MAY NOT BE ON GOODREADS THERE IS A STORY ABOUT BEES IN THIS ISSUE.
  
  Favs included Laki, Black Dog Gone Grey, and Demon's Christmas Carol. Seriously lots of good demon summoning stories in F&SF--there was the pizza one as well as the old person one a couple years ago. Guess I'm a sucker for them.
  
  Amusingly the cover says to "Display Until ADec 27," oops.
  
  Book Bingo 2022: Short Stories, 2+ authors (13 total)
• 
  Kam Yung Soh

  A better than average issue with some intersting stories by Nalo Hopkinson, Graham Edwards, Eleanor Arnason, K. A. Teryna, Hayley Stone and Jennie Goloboy.
  
  - "Broad Dutty Water: A Sunken Story" by Nalo Hopkinson: an interesting story in a future when global warming has caused water to cover much of the world. A girl with newly added augments attempts to use them before they are ready, causing her to crash in a storm. On an island, she finds something new, but it would have to wait for rescue to find in the form of her augmented pet pig.
  
  - "A Dime" by Megan Lindholm: a story of s payphone used yearly by a character to call home, but never seems to be able to find the time to go home for Christmas. But maybe this time she will.
  
  - "What Makes You Forget" by Victor Pseftakis: in a mining town there is a mysterious Hole that hints at the ability to fulfil the wishes and wants of people, but for a price. For a mother who works at the mine but has big ambitions for her sons, it may be a price she may be willing to pay at the end.
  
  - "A Vast Silence" by T. R. Napper: a petty thief is on the run from the law, unknowingly carrying with him a 'voice' that may be the cause of the pursuit. Discovering what the voice is and why it is important enough to make police officers murder to get it back is part of the story.
  
  - "The Reckoning" by Alexander Glass: in historic England, Christopher Marlowe meets Will Shakespeare, who warns him of his impending death. But it can be avoided, for this Shakespeare is from the future, and offers him a way to escape his fate.
  
  - "Castellia" by Graham Edwards: in a world where castles of stone come to life and can move, one castle makes a journey north on a journey to discover why it has been awakened and the role it will play at the end of the trip.
  
  - "Laki" by Eleanor Arnason: a fantasy story based on a real life eruption of an Icelandic volcano, involving trolls and one wise old sheep.
  
  - "Mad Milk" by Natalia Theodoridou: in a war between two countries, a general also looks for revenge for the murder of her lover. But as the war progresses, helped along by milk that gives warlike furry and strength, she begins to doubt the reasons for the war. But it may be too late, for the horrors caused by her actions cannot be undone.
  
  - "Lajos and his Bees" by K. A. Teryna, translated by Alex Shvartsman: a fairy tale-like story of a man more at home in the forest who has a magical connection with bees. But then the harmony is disturbed by the entry of love, and things would never be the same.
  
  - "The Black Dog Gone Gray" by Hayley Stone: a nice short tale of a person given the task to train a young girl to live with her condition. Through patience, and lots of cake, he manages, but not without some tantrums in between.
  
  - "A Demon’s Christmas Carol" by Jennie Goloboy: the usual demon gets summoned, but there's nothing usual in this story about a demon who prefers to be on Earth, taking care of children and hoping to find one particular person.
• 
  David Agranoff

  Kinda decided against writing a full review. I just want to quickly write a note about why I am so happy to be a subscriber and my favorite things in this issue. I have read this magazine all my life off and on. Picking it up at the rack when stories by certain authors caught my interest. Recently learning the history of the magazine by researching the co-founder Anthony Boucher for an episode of the podcast (featuring publisher Gordan Van Gelder) really got me thinking about the importance of this magazine and that I wanted to be around forever. So I put my money where my mouth is and got a subscription.
  
  This is the first issue I have read edited by Sheree Renee' Thomas, A writer whose stories I have read a few times and enjoyed. I follow her online and thought She was a great choice for the editor. It is clear that she was by the international feeling of this issue.
  
  My favorite piece was the cover novella by Nalo Hopkinson - "Broad Duty Water." It is a Cli-fi somewhat cyberpunk tale that plays with a similar future and vibe to Stormland the latest by Cyperpunk legend John Shirley. Hopkinson's story here is just the most solid in the issue that I wished was a whole novel. Here is hoping she explores this future again.
  
  I enjoy the more sci-fi stories than the fantasy ones so my other favorite was the Australian set "The Vast Silence" by T.R. Napper. This was a really good story with subtle but effective world-building.
  
  I am glad I got the subscription. I hope you will follow me.
• 
  John Loyd

  6 • Broad Dutty Water: a Sunken Story • 26 pages by Nalo Hopkinson
  Fair. Jacquee is returning to the taz after getting a tech enhancement on land. The dialect/grammar (“is so she’d found him last year”) made it a slog at the start, and the trope of surviving an accident isn’t my favorite. Until it was answered, I was thinking "Why did she bring a pig with here on the trip?" And I’m can’t quite believe the amount of tech, no mention of cost, with the world losing to climate change.
  
  32 • A Dime • 8 pages by Megan Lindholm
  OK. Peggy has a tradition of calling home using a particular phone booth, amazing that this one is still around when most payphones have vanished, at Christmas. Not explicitly SF, read between the lines of that last paragraph. Maybe?
  
  40 • What Makes You Forget • 19 pages by Victor Pseftakis
  Fair. There's a hole that grants wishes or something near the mine where Marta works. She wants to make her way as a violinist. I didn't connect with Marta, or any of the characters. It just seemed like a dismal world.
  
  59 • A Vast Silence • 25 pages by T. R. Napper
  Good+. Jack is getting a ride from Sally and hearing a voice in his head when they get pulled over by the cops.
  
  99 • The Reckoning • 10 pages by Alexander Glass
  OK+. Kit is given the opportunity to come back as a ghost. Probably better if I knew all the allusions. I got Will, but the others alluded me and the quote at the end wasn't familiar to me.
  
  109 • Castellia • 22 pages by Graham Edwards
  Good/OK. Isobel wakes the castle, Byre, and commands it to travel. And travel. Byre remembers nothing, and we know no more than him. We still know nothing when the action starts. It’s a mystery but not posed as one, i.e. Isobel’s actions/commands have a purpose beyond getting from point A to point B.
  
  131 • Laki • 32 pages by Eleanor Arnason
  OK+. Sofia’s family is forced to move when fallout from the volcano poisons the land. Along the way they take refuge in a cave and are unable to continue their journey.
  
  163 • Mad Milk • 51 pages by Natalia Theodoridou
  OK. Epyrotea invades Minorea to punish them because they broke the truce and slaughtered a village. It’s certainly not for gain. Minorea is a desert and many of the soldiers will die of thirst or starvation before they reach Cedula. The ending was good, made sense of the story, but the first forty-five pages was just long.
  
  228 • Lajos and His Bees • 9 pages by K. A. Teryna
  OK/Good. Kind of a fairy tale. Lajos is a loner, goes to live in the mountains. Every once in a while comes to town trading carvings and honey for things he can't make for himself. One day he takes a wife. No that's not the twist.
  
  237 • The Black Dog Gone Gray • 8 pages by Haley Stone
  Very Good. Armitage is hired to help Maddie deal with the same werewolf affliction that he has. He's come to terms with it, Maddie is just a child and needs to learn how to handle the urges.
  
  245 • A Demon's Christmas Carol • 13 pages by Jennie Goloboy
  Very Good+. Martha summons a demon so she and her foster brother can be free of their foster mother. The demon has his own agenda, but it aligns with the kids.
• 
  Leroy Erickson

  This was an okay issue, with one story that I liked a lot and a couple of others that were above average.
  
  Nalo Hopkinson - Broad Dutty Water: A Sunken Story - 3 stars
  - I tend to not like stories where the author creates his/her own language for some or all of the characters. It may help to set the mood, environment, whatever, but it also makes it more difficult to read and understand the story. Other than that, it's a nice story with a very gloomy view of the future.
  
  Megan Lindholm - A Dime - 5 stars
  - This story hit me. An old pay telephone which is somehow connected to ... ? For a similar idea, read Rainbow Rowell's book "Landline". Both this story and Rowell's book are very well written and leave you with an internal glow.
  
  Victor Pseftakis - What Makes You Forget - 4 stars
  - Magical holes, remnants of old mines, are said to be able to grant wishes. To get your wish, though, you have to give up something equally important to you. The story is nicely written.
  
  T. R. Napper - A Vast Silence - 3 stars
  - What initially seems to be a 'spirit' communicating with a minor criminal is actually a highly capable AI which is doing whatever it needs to in order to survive. Fairly well done.
  
  Alexander Glass - The Reckoning - 3 stars
  - The basis for this story is a little bit nebulous. Shakespeare approaches Marlowe with an offer which will allow him to live far into the future, but as a kind of ghost, which Shakespeare has already become. It's a nice idea, but just a bit odd.
  
  Graham Edwards - Castellia - 3 stars
  - Animated castles fighting to rescue the world from a castle virus. Okay?
  
  Eleanor Arnason - Laki - 4 stars
  - An Icelandic tale of people trying to survive the after effects of a volcanic eruption. If that isn't bad enough, there are the trolls. A good story.
  
  Natalia Theodoridou - Mad Milk - 3 stars
  - A fighting story, a sex story. Nicely done, but it it didn't accomplish anything.
  
  K. A. Teryna - Lajos and his Bees - 4 stars
  - An unusual young boy runs off to live by himself in the mountains. He attunes himself to the mountain bees and thrives in his isolation. When he decides to take a wife, the bees don't like it. Another good story.
  
  Hayley Stone - The Black Dog Gone Gray - 4 stars
  - A werewolf, or something similar, helps a young girl who is similarly afflicted adapt to her her life and grow up. Well done.
  
  Jennie Goloboy - A Demon’s Christmas Carol - 4 stars
  - Cute. Years ago, a demon was invoked by a man to become his companion. The demon learned to enjoy the job and kept to the contract until the man died, then the demon was returned to hell. A couple of centuries later he is invoked by a young girl to be a protector. He takes advantage of the situation to create a new life on Earth for himself. A nice idea.
  
• 
  David H.

  Another very mixed bag of an issue, but some absolute wonderful ones were included. I'm definitely going to be pushing Alexander Glass's "The Reckoning" (Kit Marlowe!) and Jennie Goloboy's "A Demon's Christmas Carol" (a demon makes a contract with children) at my friends, as both stories were just fantastic. I also really enjoyed Megan Lindholm's (aka Robin Hobb) "A Dime," which was was mostly unexpected but quite striking at the end. Hayley Stone's "The Black Dog Gone Gray" was quite sweet and a reminder of change. I do want to point out one of the more creative stories I've read with Graham Edwards's "Castellia," which had as its main character an animate castle (unfortunately, some of the backstory was a bit muddled which detracted from some of its overall impact). Unfortunately I wasn't able to finish Theodoridou's "Mad Milk"--I can tell that its story was definitely interesting, but I just never sunk myself into it.
  
  I really enjoyed Jerry Oltion's article on telescopes.
• 
  Jordi

  Some good stories in this issue. “Mad Milk” from Natalia Theodoridou was probably my favorite - a grappling novella dealing with revenge and atonement that gets wilder and wilder. A writer to follow.
  
  Other highlights were the dark “What Makes You Forget” from Victor Pseftakis - a weird fable on poverty - or the peculiar “Laki” by Eleanor Arnason - a fantastic retelling of a shattering volcanic eruption that took place in Iceland during the 18th century - it’s been a while I’ve read trolls this good.
  
  Finally, it’s worth mentioning two short stories that almost seem the flip sides of the same coin, with two very different approaches on a Christmas story: the cozy “A Demon’s Christmas Carol”, by Jennie Goloboy, and the bleak “A Dime”, from Megan Lindholm (AKA Robin Hobb).
• 
  Greg

  Mixed bag. A lot of portions of unfinished novels (which I usually hate…have someone else do your critical analysis) but each of them an interesting in their own right. I straight up skipped the longest entry (Mad Milk), the fist couple of pages were so off-putting. But there’s still a lot of like in this issue that seems full of debuts.
• 
  Julie

  This was my first issue of F & SF! Standout stories for me were:
  
  - Mad Milk (hard-hitting military fantasy = great stuff)
  - Broad Dutty Water (Lickchop charmed the heck out of me!)
  - Laki (If a story about an erupting volcano can be cozy, it's this one.)
  -The Black Dog Gone Gray
  - A Demon's Christmas Carol
• 
  Jordan Dant

  Good and bad issue. The novella "Mad Milk" was engrossing, but a heavy read. The first few stories of the issue didn't work for me, but "Laki" and "Lajos and his Bees" had a great folkloric feel to them, very good stories.
• 
  Emelee

  Favorites: “Broad Dutty Water: A Sunken Story”, Nalo Hopkinson; “Laki”, Eleanor Arnason: “A Dime”, Megan Lindholm; “The Black Dog Gone Gray”, Hayley Stone; and “A Demon’s Christmas Carol”, Jennie Goloboy.
• 
  Mark Catalfano

  I liked "Laki" by Eleanor Arnason
• 
  Corinne

  So far only read:
  
  -- A Demon's Christmas Carol by Jennie Goloboy - 4*
  That was a surprising and sweet story about a demon happily being summoned to Earth. He could use a vacation from Hell and he has fond memories of previous times on Earth.