Forgotten Worlds continues to bring us a varied selection of SF, fantasy and horror and his been remarkably regular for its first seven issues. As usual the wide variety of tastes means there’s something for everyone, but each reader won’t necessarily like everything. It’s a balance that has to be made when producing a cross-genre magazine.
Read the rest of my review on
UK SF Review.
Edit: UK SF Review is no longer available, so I reprint the review here:
Forgotten Worlds continues to bring us a varied selection of
SF, fantasy and horror and his been remarkably regular for its first seven
issues. As usual the wide variety of
tastes means there’s something for everyone, but each reader won’t necessarily
like everything. It’s a balance that has
to be made when producing a cross-genre magazine.
A space ship from an ancient culture cleaning up the
biological contamination their ancestors left behind is the setting for The Garbage Men by Drew Arrants. The contamination in question is, of course,
life on Earth and humanity’s future hangs in the balance while they decide what
to do. The ship has arrived coincidentally
at the time of a significant historical event, but unfortunately the author has
gone along with a common misconception of the incident which rather ruined the
whole point of the story for me.
Fortunately it is a common misconception, so most people won’t notice
the error and can instead enjoy the entertaining interplay and character
development aboard ship.
Jarra is a fantasy
tale from B.A.Barnett about a young woman’s attempt to free herself, and her
people, from tyranny. While the plight
of the woman is well-developed in the brief space afforded, the mechanics of
her powers are not sufficiently explained.
This leads to my problem with magic: you can use it to solve
anything. More attention to that aspect
would have made for a more well-rounded story.
The relationship between human and faerie forms the basis of
Fran Jacobs’ Ume’s Lament, with an
ancient cursed castle the setting. The
writing is solid and the situation nicely developed.
All in a Day’s Work
is a very short story by Chris Silva.
It’s quite atmospheric, but so brief that the point of the story is not
entirely obvious. There’s an equally
brief sequel in issue 8 that begins to build up the picture.
Law Yihua is the featured writer who’s story Seize the Lightning is fabulously
bizarre and my favourite of the issue. A
warrior king is determined to defend his kingdom against an ancient sentient
robot in this tale that could be fantasy or science fiction but is probably
both. There’s also a man with a bowler
hat thrown in for good measure. It’s a
fast paced story, the prose not entirely smooth, but the dialogue and action
combine to produce a very unusual and enjoyable tale.
A janitor at a museum has quite a surprise when he discovers
that a stuffed bird has come alive in Mark Rigney’s The Mynah. The how and why
are never explained, but the mynah’s slow development and the janitor’s
struggle with his conscience make this steady story a compelling read. Other characters – the wife and the vicar –
and glimpses of the janitor’s family history all add to a well-realised story.
The final tale is a slice of horror from Dylan J
Morgan. The Mind Creatures deals with a creature that feasts on people’s
minds to absorb their experiences. It’s
brief and to the point and ends the magazine with a shiver.
End.
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