Since switching from print to on-line publication, Hub has presented a new story, along with reviews and articles, every Friday. June also saw the first ‘Special Issue’, so along with issues 9 to 13 there were six stories to read during the month.
Read my review at
UK SF Review.
Edit: UK SF Review is no longer available, so the review is reprinted here:
Since switching from print to on-line publication, Hub has presented a new story, along
with reviews and articles, every Friday.
June also saw the first ‘Special Issue’, so along with issues 9 to 13
there were six stories to read during the month.
First off The Boy at
the Gate by Barry J House is the creepy tale of a man plagued by the dream
of a boy who wants to be followed somewhere.
It’s a mystery that goes back to the traumatic events of childhood, and
the unsettling air is maintained throughout to make a compelling story.
Mur Lafferty does an excellent job of avoiding paradoxes and
the confusion that is all to common when writing a time-travel story. In Looking
Forward to Remembering You a time travelling escort agency guarantees to
provide just the experience you missed out on when you were younger. It’s written with great feeling and is
convincing enough that there’s no need to worry about the mechanics of time
travel. Very enjoyable.
The Blue Parallel is
a cleverly inventive story by Jessica Reissman that explores a world where
reality is not solid and precautions are necessary against the chaotic work of
‘patterners’. It’s one of those stories
that could be SF or fantasy, but it doesn’t actually matter as you are caught
up in her marvellously crafted world.
I’m afraid I didn’t enjoy Jeff Cook’s Man for a Moment. Not that
it wasn’t competently written, but the subject matter was rather too brutal to
make it enjoyable. Evisceration,
bestiality, babies being killed – all the things submission guidelines usually
tell you to avoid are there if you like that kind of thing.
Special issue 1 is a reprint of Alasdair Stuart’s Connected to mark it’s nomination for a
BFS award. It’s a creepy tale of how
modern technology can be more trouble than it’s worth. It’s very short, but very effective.
Finally January Mortimer gives us More than a Butterfly. It’s
a story of genetic manipulation, fashion, butterflies and one woman’s passion
for her work. There are some nice
touches that help to flesh out the main character, showing her to be a complex
person while hinting at the complexity of the subject without getting bogged
down in technicalities. It came across
with great feeling.
Altogether the magazine is maintaining a high standard of
fiction and a consistency of publication that is every magazine’s dream. With news that it is now receiving Arts
Council funding (and that one of my stories will be appearing in
November!) it looks to have a secure
future.
End.
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