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Apex Magazine Promo Issue 2020

Jason Sizemore (Goodreads Author) (Editor),

Maurice Broaddus (Goodreads Author),

Beth Dawkins (Goodreads Author)

4.25 · Rating details · 4 ratings · 2 reviews

Kickstarter-funded mini issue celebrating the magazine's relaunch.

Contains:

Original Fiction
"The Legacy of Alexandria" - Maurice Broaddus
"Small Hopes and Dreams" - Beth Dawkins

Non-Fiction
"Apex Magazine Slude Editor Round Table" - Lesley Conner ...more

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ebook, 66 pages

Published November 11th 2020 by Apex Publications

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Jan 09, 2021 Felicia J. rated it really liked it

Shelves: short-fiction-zines

Apex Magazine released this promotional issue to promote the 'zine's relaunch in January 2021. It contains a note from the editor-in-chief, two new stories, and an interview with slush-pile readers.

Reviews of the short stories:

The Legacy of Alexandria by Maurice Broaddus, 1/5: Oh dear. I hate that I'm going to trash this story because I was really looking forward to reading it. It's not well written. The prose is choppy and hard to follow. Dangling clauses, misplaced modifiers, and tangled gramm Apex Magazine released this promotional issue to promote the 'zine's relaunch in January 2021. It contains a note from the editor-in-chief, two new stories, and an interview with slush-pile readers.

Reviews of the short stories:

The Legacy of Alexandria by Maurice Broaddus, 1/5: Oh dear. I hate that I'm going to trash this story because I was really looking forward to reading it. It's not well written. The prose is choppy and hard to follow. Dangling clauses, misplaced modifiers, and tangled grammar abound:

"With chiseled aquiline features, gray roots edged her blond hairline."
"Reaching around, held snug in his waistband at his back, he pulled out a copy of The West and the Rest of Us."
"Bring about the change we can in the space we find yourselves in."

Broaddus also tells readers exactly what he wants us to take away from his story via the annoying character of the librarian. After the protagonists escape a firebombing, she calmly says, "We still exist, therefore we resist." (OK Yoda.) Maybe let the reader draw that conclusion while having the character say something more appropriate, like, "Holy shit! I'm still alive?"

It's a shame as this story addressed themes I usually love, chief among them preserving history and knowledge as a bulwark against annihilation.

Broaddus is an acclaimed writer and anthologist, so I'm honestly puzzled over what happened here. The story reads like a rough draft. Since he's about to become an editor at Apex, I wonder if he was allowed to submit this without having it reviewed by another editor.

Small Hopes and Dreams by Beth Dawkins, 4.5/5. Unsettling and affecting, this story reads as a metaphor for the hopelessness of small towns ravaged by drug addiction and a dearth of opportunity. Some people get out and move on to lives that those left behind cannot fathom. Those who remain may fear the unknown as much as they long to leave. The ambiguous ending drives home this point. Change means facing whatever comes next, without knowing in advance what will happen. I grew up in a rural town similar to the one depicted here, so this story really got under my skin. ...more

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Nov 15, 2020 Eric Mesa rated it really liked it

Shelves: magazines

A mini issue to get folks ready for the relaunch of Apex Magazine. I truly enjoyed the stories in here and I can't wait until the next real issue in January. Below is what I thought of each story:

The Legacy of Alexandria: a dystopia with elements of afro-futurism that seems every so prescient with the moment we're in right now. The biggest bummer of the author now being an editor in Apex is that the magazine won't be graced with this work for the foreseeable future.

Small hopes and dreams: a meta ...more

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About Jason Sizemore

Jason Sizemore

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I was born the son of an unemployed coal miner in a tiny Kentucky Appalachian villa named Big Creek (population 400). It’s an isolated area with beautiful rolling hills, thick forests, and country folk. I lived in Big Creek until I went to college, spending my weekends cruising the Winn Dixie parking lot of ladies, partying in my cousin’s run-down three room trailer, and being a member of the bad- ...more