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Fantasy & Science Fiction, November/December 2011
NOVELLA
Quartet and Triptych – Matthew Hughes
The Ice Owl – Carolyn Ives Gilman
NOVELETS
Under Glass – Tim Sullivan
They That Have Wings – Evangeline Walton
Object Three – James L. Cambias
How Peter Met Pan – Albert E. Cowdrey
SHORT STORIES
The Klepsydra: A Chapter from A Faunery of Recondite Beings – Michaela Roessner
DEPARTMENTS
Books to Look For – Charles de Lint
Books – James Sallis
Films: Nowhere, U.S.A. – Lucius Shepard
Coming Attractions –
Competition #82 –
Index to Volumes 120 & 121 –
Curiosities – Paul Dellinger
CARTOONS
Danny Shanahan, Bill Long
COVER
Kent Bash for "The Ice Owl"
Quartet and Triptych – Matthew Hughes
The Ice Owl – Carolyn Ives Gilman
NOVELETS
Under Glass – Tim Sullivan
They That Have Wings – Evangeline Walton
Object Three – James L. Cambias
How Peter Met Pan – Albert E. Cowdrey
SHORT STORIES
The Klepsydra: A Chapter from A Faunery of Recondite Beings – Michaela Roessner
DEPARTMENTS
Books to Look For – Charles de Lint
Books – James Sallis
Films: Nowhere, U.S.A. – Lucius Shepard
Coming Attractions –
Competition #82 –
Index to Volumes 120 & 121 –
Curiosities – Paul Dellinger
CARTOONS
Danny Shanahan, Bill Long
COVER
Kent Bash for "The Ice Owl"
274 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 1, 2011
About the author
Gordon Van Gelder
316 books28 followersGordon Van Gelder (born 1966) is an American science fiction editor. From 1997 until 2014, Van Gelder was editor and later publisher of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, for which he has twice won the Hugo Award for Best Editor Short Form. He was also a managing editor of The New York Review of Science Fiction from 1988 to 1993, for which he was nominated for the Hugo Award a number of times. As of January 2015, Van Gelder has stepped down as editor of Fantasy & Science Fiction in favour of Charles Coleman Finlay, but remains publisher of the magazine.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 11, 2020
I've written paragraph reviews of the fiction, and am ignoring the articles for the purposes of this review. There were a few good stories, but nothing really outstanding or memorable, and nothing that was offensively bad.
Quartet and Triptych - Matthew Hughes
A thief matches his wits against space aristocrats in a Vancian homage. I was expecting this might be a bit tiresome, but was pleasantly surprised especially when it dropped it’s arch tone. There’s some pretty callous references to rape and torture, but they do fit the setting of a very callous world.
The Ice Owl - Carolyn Ives Gilman
Teenage angst meets harsh reality amidst space ghettoes. This fell a little flat for me, because the contemporary middle-class American dynamics of mother-daughter relationships and teenage angst was out of place in the science-fiction glossed portrayal of refugee enclaves, post-genocidal dictatorships and theocracies. Of course teenagers in physically dangerous circumstances have the universal teenage struggles around their identity and relationship with parents and parental values, but they don’t tend to play out in the same way that they do for contemporary suburban kids. That’s not to say that the problems of modern first-world teenagers aren’t serious or deserving of stories, just that sulky teen-goth “Thorn” feels implausible for her fictional background.
Under Glass - Tim Sullivan
Two really nice people deal with the haunting legacy of a reclusive nerd. This sweet and mature fantasy upends the expected nasty twist as compassion and decency release a curse. It’s a rejection of a strain of misanthropy and cynicism that sometimes infected nerd culture, when pride in being a misfit devolved into resentment of people who seem more socially assured. I use the past tense because I’m not sure there’s such a thing anymore, those people have now become Incels or the alt-Right and bond over fascism instead of comic books and B-movies. Also, the socially awkward recluse in this story would have been diagnosed with Autism and probably got some more help earlier on. What a difference a few decades makes.
They That Have Wings - Evangeline Walton (posthumous publication)
Three Allied soldiers holding out in Crete during WWII find the locals sheltering them are less friendly than they appear. Horror fiction is rarely this straightforward these days. The story from the previously unpublished papers of Evangeline Walton, feels like it was written in the 50’s (and probably was). It’s ok as a period piece. .
Object Three - James L. Cambias
Space opera in which an archeologist gets embroiled in a plot to capture an artefact that could upend her entire civilisation. Heist plots, with the variously unpleasant conspirators double-dealing and betraying each other, rarely appeal to me, and this wasn’t an exception. . I also found the world building, with an entire society built around a mysterious but inert object, yet one that only the heroine is actually curious about, narratively and psychologically implausible.
How Peter Met Pan - Albert E. Cowdrey
Hikers hear creepy local stories that turn out to be real. Yep, it’s the urban legend about the guy with the hook, just a lot longer and more pointless. For some reason this set in a centuries in the future North America, where rising sea waters have entirely reshaped the continent - apart from the newly described geography society apparently is exactly the same as now. Or more precisely, like the aughts when the story was written, as it’s amazing how dated this seems, for example when it comes to sexism and campus culture.
The Klepsydra - Michaela Roessner
Chapter from a fictional bestiary. Cute and quite well done, my favourite of the issue. I liked how the beast itself was subtly fantastical, but the history of its discovery increasingly revealed an ever more divergent alternative world. Specifically a world where academia is a lot better resourced than in ours.
Quartet and Triptych - Matthew Hughes
A thief matches his wits against space aristocrats in a Vancian homage. I was expecting this might be a bit tiresome, but was pleasantly surprised especially when it dropped it’s arch tone. There’s some pretty callous references to rape and torture, but they do fit the setting of a very callous world.
The Ice Owl - Carolyn Ives Gilman
Teenage angst meets harsh reality amidst space ghettoes. This fell a little flat for me, because the contemporary middle-class American dynamics of mother-daughter relationships and teenage angst was out of place in the science-fiction glossed portrayal of refugee enclaves, post-genocidal dictatorships and theocracies. Of course teenagers in physically dangerous circumstances have the universal teenage struggles around their identity and relationship with parents and parental values, but they don’t tend to play out in the same way that they do for contemporary suburban kids. That’s not to say that the problems of modern first-world teenagers aren’t serious or deserving of stories, just that sulky teen-goth “Thorn” feels implausible for her fictional background.
Under Glass - Tim Sullivan
Two really nice people deal with the haunting legacy of a reclusive nerd. This sweet and mature fantasy upends the expected nasty twist as compassion and decency release a curse. It’s a rejection of a strain of misanthropy and cynicism that sometimes infected nerd culture, when pride in being a misfit devolved into resentment of people who seem more socially assured. I use the past tense because I’m not sure there’s such a thing anymore, those people have now become Incels or the alt-Right and bond over fascism instead of comic books and B-movies. Also, the socially awkward recluse in this story would have been diagnosed with Autism and probably got some more help earlier on. What a difference a few decades makes.
They That Have Wings - Evangeline Walton (posthumous publication)
Three Allied soldiers holding out in Crete during WWII find the locals sheltering them are less friendly than they appear. Horror fiction is rarely this straightforward these days. The story from the previously unpublished papers of Evangeline Walton, feels like it was written in the 50’s (and probably was). It’s ok as a period piece. .
Object Three - James L. Cambias
Space opera in which an archeologist gets embroiled in a plot to capture an artefact that could upend her entire civilisation. Heist plots, with the variously unpleasant conspirators double-dealing and betraying each other, rarely appeal to me, and this wasn’t an exception. . I also found the world building, with an entire society built around a mysterious but inert object, yet one that only the heroine is actually curious about, narratively and psychologically implausible.
How Peter Met Pan - Albert E. Cowdrey
Hikers hear creepy local stories that turn out to be real. Yep, it’s the urban legend about the guy with the hook, just a lot longer and more pointless. For some reason this set in a centuries in the future North America, where rising sea waters have entirely reshaped the continent - apart from the newly described geography society apparently is exactly the same as now. Or more precisely, like the aughts when the story was written, as it’s amazing how dated this seems, for example when it comes to sexism and campus culture.
The Klepsydra - Michaela Roessner
Chapter from a fictional bestiary. Cute and quite well done, my favourite of the issue. I liked how the beast itself was subtly fantastical, but the history of its discovery increasingly revealed an ever more divergent alternative world. Specifically a world where academia is a lot better resourced than in ours.
December 24, 2025
In the penultimate age of Earth the thief Imbry is tasked with obtaining some rare eidolons from an ancient abandoned estate. Unfortunately the land is still protected by dangerous devices and Imbry must secure the essence of an ancient resident to render the traps harmless. The essence however reveals a much greater treasure hidden in a maze defended by deadly machines. And Imbry might also be being led into a trap in “Quartet And Triptych” by Matthew Hughes. Thorn and her flighty mother have inadvertently become entangled in a revolution on a rim planet. Unbeknownst to Thorn her new tutor seems to know a great deal about an historical massacre called the Holocide, teaches her more than mathematics when she entrusts “The Ice Owl” to her keeping in Carolyn Ives Gilman’s tale. When reclusive Bob died his closest friend finds that his last obsession seemed to be collecting souls in jars. Not really believing it he starts to entertain some credence when he is willed Bob’s own soul in “Under Glass” by Tim Sullivan. In the depths of World War 2 three desperate Allied soldiers flee into the mountains of Crete. Aided by two Greek women they feel safe, but the area is also home to the striga, flesh-eating demons, in “They That Have Wings” by Evangeline Walton. An impervious alien object has been found and a second object seems unrelated. However “Object Three” may be the key to opening the first one up, and as a result is keenly sought after and worth killing for in this tale from James L. Cambias. Attempting to forget a failed love affair a young men goes hiking with a friend but finds terror in the form of a homicidal beast in “How Peter Met Pan” by Albert E. Cowdrey, and Michaela Roessner shows us an archeological etymologist who discovers “The Klepsydra” was more than just an ancient clock. Good issue.
June 13, 2026
Good collection of stories.
November 3, 2011
Sometimes I wish for half-stars, as I can't decide between three or four...
"Under Glass", by Tim Sullivan - A fantasy dealing with a man who inherits his friend's collection of bottled souls. Interesting takes on the themes of loss and how to deal with someone's 'beliefs' respectfully when you may not share or acknowledge their reality or power.
"They That Have Wings", by Evangeline Walton - A previously unpublished tale by the late author. In it, a few World War II Allied soldiers hiding from Germans in the mountains of Crete are attacked by a large bird and then aided by two strange women with suspect motivations. A creepy tale, but nothing special.
"Quartet and Triptych", by Matthew Hughes - A large novella that takes up the bulk of the issue, I groaned when I saw it. Hughes is an entertaining and proficient writer, but his stories aren't the kind to stay with me long after to turn over in my mind. Plus, his plots will sometimes quickly lose my interest as entertainment even. Thankfully I found this witty and entertaining and I was eager to see how it ended as a thief in Vance's Old Earth (ie our future) pursues a unique artifact with the coerced help of a life mask that contains the 'essence/soul/spirit/copy' of a long-dead aristocrat.
"The Klepshydra: A Chapter from 'A Faunary of Recondite Beings'", by Michaela Roessner - Short story written as a nonfiction history of a woman's research in the etymology of klepshydra and the discovery of a forgotten creature. Interesting story and concepts, but I would have found it far more engrossing and moving as a fictional narrative rather than as a dry 'history'.
"Object Three", by James L. Cambias - A science fiction story about a woman's fascination with a large mysterious object found in space and her pursuit at all costs to obtain the other objects that she believes are the key. Again, a good science fiction about obsession and betrayal.
"How Peter Met Pan", by Albert E. Cowdrey - Not a typical Cowdrey story in that it is science fiction, taking place in a future North America where the landscape has been altered by climate change. But typical in that it turns out to be a creepy mysterious horror tale by the end. Honestly I don't understand why he chose to write this in the future, it seems as it could have just as easily taken place as a present-day camping trip - or does the altered environment of the future make it more unsettling?
"The Ice Owl", by Carolyn Ives Gilman - Another science fiction story with a girl who with her mother have skipped from planet to planet for most of her life. The long travel time between requires stasis, causing her to still be a young girl although decades of real time have passed. On a chaotic new world swept up in cultural revolution (or oppression) she finds herself drawn to her strange new tutor and begins to learn more about his dark, secret past. A good mix of mystery, entertainment, and depth.
"Under Glass", by Tim Sullivan - A fantasy dealing with a man who inherits his friend's collection of bottled souls. Interesting takes on the themes of loss and how to deal with someone's 'beliefs' respectfully when you may not share or acknowledge their reality or power.
"They That Have Wings", by Evangeline Walton - A previously unpublished tale by the late author. In it, a few World War II Allied soldiers hiding from Germans in the mountains of Crete are attacked by a large bird and then aided by two strange women with suspect motivations. A creepy tale, but nothing special.
"Quartet and Triptych", by Matthew Hughes - A large novella that takes up the bulk of the issue, I groaned when I saw it. Hughes is an entertaining and proficient writer, but his stories aren't the kind to stay with me long after to turn over in my mind. Plus, his plots will sometimes quickly lose my interest as entertainment even. Thankfully I found this witty and entertaining and I was eager to see how it ended as a thief in Vance's Old Earth (ie our future) pursues a unique artifact with the coerced help of a life mask that contains the 'essence/soul/spirit/copy' of a long-dead aristocrat.
"The Klepshydra: A Chapter from 'A Faunary of Recondite Beings'", by Michaela Roessner - Short story written as a nonfiction history of a woman's research in the etymology of klepshydra and the discovery of a forgotten creature. Interesting story and concepts, but I would have found it far more engrossing and moving as a fictional narrative rather than as a dry 'history'.
"Object Three", by James L. Cambias - A science fiction story about a woman's fascination with a large mysterious object found in space and her pursuit at all costs to obtain the other objects that she believes are the key. Again, a good science fiction about obsession and betrayal.
"How Peter Met Pan", by Albert E. Cowdrey - Not a typical Cowdrey story in that it is science fiction, taking place in a future North America where the landscape has been altered by climate change. But typical in that it turns out to be a creepy mysterious horror tale by the end. Honestly I don't understand why he chose to write this in the future, it seems as it could have just as easily taken place as a present-day camping trip - or does the altered environment of the future make it more unsettling?
"The Ice Owl", by Carolyn Ives Gilman - Another science fiction story with a girl who with her mother have skipped from planet to planet for most of her life. The long travel time between requires stasis, causing her to still be a young girl although decades of real time have passed. On a chaotic new world swept up in cultural revolution (or oppression) she finds herself drawn to her strange new tutor and begins to learn more about his dark, secret past. A good mix of mystery, entertainment, and depth.
February 10, 2012
Personal Summary:
5 Star:
The Klepsydra Is this really just a chapter??? I want so much more of this story!!! Added Walkabout Woman to my to-be-read pile based on this story. Can't wait to find time to start reading it.
How Peter Met Pan *hugs* to Albert Cowdrey. All I have to say about this one is "Baroque". :)
4 Star:
Under Glass Souls in a jar. Nice. Not over the top either.
Quartet and Triptych I always think that Matthew Hughes is just writing to flex his vocabulary. Luckily, there's something about his story that catches just enough to keep on reading.
2.5 - 3 Star:
The Ice Owl Ah, teenage angst. Took a little while to get into her character's world, but worth the effort. I now want a pet ice owl.
They That Have Wings Creepy. A little dark.
Object Three Good world building. Just couldn't get into it for some reason.
5 Star:
The Klepsydra Is this really just a chapter??? I want so much more of this story!!! Added Walkabout Woman to my to-be-read pile based on this story. Can't wait to find time to start reading it.
How Peter Met Pan *hugs* to Albert Cowdrey. All I have to say about this one is "Baroque". :)
4 Star:
Under Glass Souls in a jar. Nice. Not over the top either.
Quartet and Triptych I always think that Matthew Hughes is just writing to flex his vocabulary. Luckily, there's something about his story that catches just enough to keep on reading.
2.5 - 3 Star:
The Ice Owl Ah, teenage angst. Took a little while to get into her character's world, but worth the effort. I now want a pet ice owl.
They That Have Wings Creepy. A little dark.
Object Three Good world building. Just couldn't get into it for some reason.
Read
November 28, 2011Especially enjoyed The Ice Owl by Carolyn Ives Gilman. As always, this magazine is the best thing that ever appears in my mailbox.
[Edit: The Ice Owl has been nominated for a Hugo. Hooray! - ah 4/12/2012]
[Edit: The Ice Owl has been nominated for a Hugo. Hooray! - ah 4/12/2012]
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews