Archive of the Odd Issue #4: Please See Attached

Archive of the Odd #4

by Cormack Baldwin (Editor), Guan Un, A.K. McCarthy

Hello.

We present for your perusal 12 documents which we believe may support your research.

Nothing to worry about. Disregard the rainbow threads. Ignore the many crawling legs. Ignore the coming end of days. It's only business. It's only stories. It's only play.

Please see attached.

Feel the Burn by Guan Un (illustration by Toeken)
Exhibit 212 by AK McCarthy
Fragments of Maeve by Miel MacRae
Translation Notes by EJ Croll
We See Red by Sara Omer (illustration by Cita Farani)
Mass Hysteria by Arvee Fantilagan (illustration by Aleco)
(sic) by Logan McConnell (Illustration by Bee Olive)
Pixie's Offers Lobotomies! by Dori Lumpkin
Water Burning Bright: An Overview of A. aurora in Bekonese Culture by Mia Xuan
Transmissions from a Dying Whale by Annika Barranti Klein
Which World Ending Nightmare Are You? by Susan Taitel
The Lost Park of Max Westgate by Kay Hanifen (illustration by DS Oswald)

Genres: Short Stories, Anthologies

91 pages, Paperback

First published June 15, 2024

Reviews

[Blair · Rating 4 out of 5]

Issue 4 is bookended by two of the best stories to have ever appeared in this zine. Guan Un’s ‘Feel the Burn’ collects emails from an increasingly belligerent gym owner as he tries to get around the problem of a giant spider in the cardio room; it’s perfectly realised and very funny. Kay Hanifen’s lost-documents story, ‘The Lost Park of Max Westgate’, is terrific and terrifying: a billionaire plans a theme park filled with human-animal hybrids, and its head scientist’s journal tells the sorry tale of how it all went hideously wrong (think ‘Abandoned by Disney’ by way of The Island of Dr. Moreau). I also enjoyed ‘Which World Ending Nightmare Are You?’ by Susan Taitel, in which a BuzzFeed quiz gets Lovecraftian, and Sara Omer’s cult story through penpal letters, ‘We See Red’. The prize for most original concept goes to Annika Barranti Klein’s ‘Transmissions from a Dying Whale’, a librarian’s log of the 1,000+ days she spends alone in the ‘World Library’... which is inside a whale. As ever, a highly recommended anthology overall!

[A.K. McCarthy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes, I’m one of the authors featured in this, but I still wanted to leave a quick word here. This is the most creative, engaging anthology I think I’ve ever read — I’m in awe of many of these pieces. The diversity of viewpoints and storytelling approaches makes this an unpredictable and entertaining experience. Shoutouts to “Fragments of Maeve” by Miel MacRae for beautiful storytelling, “(sic)” by Logan McConnell for creativity, and “Pixie’s Offers Lobotomies!” by Dori Lumpkin for humor. Bravo to Cormack for putting this together, for doing justice to all of these pieces, and bringing them to life.

[Kathryn Grace Loves Horror · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love these books!

My two favorites in this volume are both unique and creative, as well as legitimately amusing.

Feel the Burn by Guan Un - A funny series of posts and emails related to a gym that is gradually being taken over by a giant spider who is eating the visitors.

Pixies Offers Lobotomies by Dori Lumpkin - A Claire's like shopping mall store begins offering lobotomies along with their ear and nose piercing services. The story is told via the official how-to guide for employees.


This is a great series and anyone with a love of found footage or epistolary storytelling should check these out.