Over the past couple of years, Jason Stanford’s stories in Interzone have proven very popular, and have been among my favourite. He receives his own special issues this time, with three stories and an in-depth interview.
Read the rest of my review at SF Crowsnest.
Over the past couple of years, Jason Stanford’s stories in
‘Interzone’ have proven very popular, and have been among my favourite. He
receives his own special issues this time, with three stories and an in-depth
interview.
‘The Shoe Factory’ by Matthew Cook is one of those stories
told in a multiplicity of timelines, flicking back and forth from a disaster in
deep space to various random points in the pilot’s life. Unlike some who
attempt this kind of structure, Matthew Cook doesn’t loose us along the way,
and there is a good reason for this chaos. The dreamlike memories are
ironically more tangible than the ‘present’, full of sounds and scents, making
this a very absorbing story.
‘The Shipmaker’ takes us back to Aliette De Bodard’s Xuyan
universe, a future where imperial China rules the planet. The elegant, almost
mystical setting gives this story of creating a starship a unique twist, where
aesthetics and auroras are more important than mere engineering. Another finely
wrought tale from a master craftsman of the short story.
Jason Sanford’s first contribution is ‘Peacemaker,
Peacemaker, Little Bo Peep’, a story that uses a familiar idea with a
satisfying new twist. Most of the Earth’s population is under a mysterious
outside influence, turning towns into scenes familiar from many zombie movies.
But the people aren’t zombies, and their victims are an unusual combination of
criminals and law men. The twisted logic behind this strings us along through
an intriguing tale of loyalty and morality.
‘Memoria’ takes us on a trip to alternate earths in a tale
where Jason Sanford mixes in several intriguing ideas with a half-crazed
narrator whose mind has been inhabited by the memories of long-dead humans.
What is happening and why takes a while to sort out in between the mixed up
memories and emotions, but Jason Sanford holds together what could be a
nonsensical plot and turns it into something smart and satisfying.
‘Millicent Ka Plays In Real Time’ takes us to a future
where time is used as a currency, reverting society to a kind of feudalism
where the population is indentured to local lords until they can work off their
debts. Jason Sanford explores this concept with his usual flair, telling the
story through interesting characters as we learn what is special about
Millicent Ka. It’s a fine conclusion to this special issue.
Previous special issues have been given over to long-term Interzone contributors with many stories published over many years, so I was initially surprised that a relative newcomer was being showcased. It’s a strong showing from Jason Sanford though, and the other two stories were both fabulous too – not a weak story in the issue. I’ll be intrigued to see who features next.
End
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