Magazine Review: Concept SciFi #1

Concept SciFi is the first new UK SF magazine to be launched this year, creating an aura of excitement and anticipation. It’s in PDF format, with a simple text-based layout and other than the fabulous cover art has minimal illustrations – just a couple of author photos. This makes it quick to download and easy to print out in a readable format. It contains a couple of articles and interviews, but as usual I shall concentrate on the fiction.

Read the rest of my review at SF Crowsnest.

This review is no longer available at SF Crowsnest and is reprinted here:

‘Concept SciFi’ is the first new UK SF magazine to be launched this year, creating an aura of excitement and anticipation.  It’s in PDF format, with a simple text-based layout and minimal illustrations.  This makes it quick to download and easy to print out in a readable format.  It contains a couple of articles and interviews, but as usual I shall concentrate on the fiction.

 

James Hartley’s opening story ‘The Thursday Night League’ is an excellent start, assuaging the slightly nervous feeling I always have on behalf of new magazine editors.  Earth has been taken over by the Doxzji, who seem to be doing a fair job of running things if you don’t mind being ruled by aliens.  It’s a fairly short story, but thoughtfully put together.  The pros and cons of the situation are weighed as a former UN employee tries to find out what goes on on Thursday nights.  Definitely worth reading.

 

‘Softlight Sins’ is a reprint of an older story from Peter F Hamilton that deals with memory erasure as capital punishment.  The moral and ethical dilemmas this creates are woven into the disturbing story of the first criminal to undergo the treatment.  Most of the characters are somewhat two-dimensional, contrasting sharply with the condemned man who takes centre stage for most of this fascinating story.        

 

A very short piece of flash fiction by Samantha Frankenstein, ‘The Pet’ is a nice little twist on old themes.  I can’t say anything about the minimalist plot without giving it away.

 

Fed up with being mediocre, a scientist determines to become ‘The Oldest Man In The World’ in Richmond A Clements’ story of future technology and ambition.  There are some interesting concepts crammed into this little tale and it could easily have stretched to something longer to develop the characters more satisfactorily.  A fun story though.  

 

Following a head injury, a man starts seeing numbers floating above people’s heads in Andrew Males’ ‘Fatal Vision’.  At first frightened, he soon comes to realise that he can use the insight they give to his advantage.  It’s a well thought out plot and does a good job of developing the tension.

 

An alien abduction as at the heart of ‘Taxi’  by Wayne Summers.  Whisked off into the future to see the fate of the world, a world-weary traveller is given the chance to forget his woes.  The story has some great ideas, but the plot is not entirely convincing.  As long as you’re not too worried about the logic of the story you can enjoy the tranquil feeling that the writer conveys as you wander through the jungle village.  That part was particularly effective.

 

All in all, not a bad bunch of stories.  Certainly for a first edition of a non-paying market the editor has pulled together a good selection of SF tales.  Of course, that’s another advantage if, like me, you’re purely an SF fan – there’s no horror or fantasy in sight.  I think this ‘zine will be worth keeping an eye on. 

End.