Short Fiction Feature: Apex Magazine (Issue 31)
In the last few months I have been reading, critiquing, and occasionally writing, a fair amount of short fiction. In doing so, I have discovered a range of interesting stories from talented authors that can be enjoyed all in one sitting. Despite the wide range of talent on offer from the realm of short fiction, short stories rarely get the kind of attention from readers and reviewers that we give their longer counterparts.
Therefore, I thought I might make an effort to read a couple of short stories a week, mostly from recent journals, magazines or whatever I happen to have on hand, and review them.
Therefore, I am proud to announce the first instalment of my new Short Fiction Feature, hopefully destined to become a weekly (or at least, bi-weekly) occurrence.
This week I've decided to review the three short stories (two original works and a reprint) featured in the 31st issue of Apex Magazine.
The 24 Hour Brother by Christopher Barzak
The 24 Hour Brother begins with the birth of Joe, the narrator's brother. However, it soon becomes clear that Joe is no ordinary boy and is afflicted by a mysterious condition that means he will be born, grow, age and die, all in the timeframe of a single day. Through Joe, Barzak depicts the quintessential human struggle to understand and come to terms with the nature of ones existence, all condensed into a twenty-four hour period. Nevertheless, the story is less about Joe himself, as it is about the lasting effect his short life has on those around him; his family and most of all the narrator.
Overall, The 24 Hour Brother offers a well written, thoughtful and affecting depiction of the fleeting thing that we call life.
Faithful City by Michael Pevzner
Faithful City, Pevzner's first published story, is set in what would appear to be a future version of Earth, or at least what is left of it in the wake of a cataclysmic environmental apocalypse. One city remains, heralded as the last bastion of humanity, while the rest of the surviving population struggles to subsist on the wreckage civilisation left behind. The city grants visions to those it considers worthy, calling them to it with its irresistible song. However, the city may not be what it truly seems, and what exactly does it want from those it summons? All in all, Faithful City is a strange, dark tale that offers a glimpse of a disturbing yet intriguing world. Although it is perhaps not as polished as the other two stories in this issue, and I was able to guess how its conclusion with relative ease, I still thought it was generally well written and imaginative, a decent all-round effort for a first published short story.
The Yellow Dressing Gown by Sarah Monette (reprint)
The classic reprint in this issue, The Yellow Dressing Gown, was first published in Weird Tales 63:2 (March-April 2008).
The Yellow Dressing Gown tells the tale of Michael Overton, the slightly over-zealous curator of the 18th century clothing exhibit in the Samuel Mather Parrington Museum from the perspective of one of his museum colleagues, Mr Booth. Although Booth dislikes Overton, and is sick to death of his propensity to commandeer more than his fair share of the museums resources, he soon finds himself bearing witness to the textile-enthusiast's growing obsession with finding the hideous yellow dressing gown worn by Ephraim Catesby, a rather famous, and seemingly rather insane, 18th century artist. Unfortunately for Michael, it soon becomes evident that the horrifying subjects of Ephraim's paintings may be slightly more than the mad imaginings of a tormented artistic soul. This story was probably my favourite in this issue, although it does have the advantage of being a carefully selected reprint instead of a previously unpublished work. All in all, I found it interesting, well-paced and readable and believe Monette deserves some commendation for managing to make an ugly dressing gown, of all things, convincingly sinister.
So that is all for this week, seeing as I'm new to reviewing short fiction I'd love to hear any comments or suggestions you might have, and would appreciate any recommendations of magazines or journals that might be worth a look.
