Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine

Decay #2

Review: Dark Animus Issue #10/11

 

 

Review: Dark Animus Issue #10/11

via HorrorScope by BT on 6/24/08

Dark Animus Issue #10/11

I've read a number of these anthologies/periodicals and there has always been a story that lowers the overall level of the publication. This is simply not the case here.

Corpus by Richard Harland
Should we embrace technology simply because it's highly advanced from ours and because those offering it seem to be a totally peaceful and higher evolved species?
Corpus announces the warnings of such folly, loud and clear.
The underlying moral of making the most of what you have, live in the moment and be careful what you wish for is nicely done in this easy to read depiction of a society too ready to accept change at any cost for the promise of a better future.

No Hands by MP Johnson
What if...all the puppets in the world, from unadorned sock puppets to intricate ventriloquist's dummies, came to life, and decided that the human race didn't respect them enough? What if...they decided that the only way to get that respect was through terror? What if...this tale was told through the eyes of a contract gardener whose hidden hero came to see the light of day in a wonderful exposé of violence through the application of lawn mower blades and weed whacker cord. Then I guess you'd have the amusing read that is "No Hands" and be thankful for it.

Just A Game by George Ivanoff
When today's computer gamers and an Internet savvy public, cross over to immersing themselves into virtual gaming, will the world be a safer place? When twisted individuals want to begin their antisocial behaviour in the comfort of their living room before becoming bored and wanting to try it out in the real world, will society be able to cope? Only if good minded program writers have their way.

Necromancing the Bones by Paul Haines
A very amusing and ribald tale poking serious fun at D&D gamers and the stories they create.
It seems the adventurers in this world live interconnected lives, with "the good" guys very much in league with the perceived "bad" guys, in an eternal cycle of swindling the common folk out of their money.
Filled with acts of bestiality, brotherly love, and profanity, it is a very funny romp through the product of some very twisted gamers' imaginations.

Vara by Charles Spiteri
Is the AHWA 2006 short story contest winner. It is a beautifully told story with an extreme sting in the tail. The prose is filled with flowing descriptions that evoke wonderful emotions. Jean takes his boyfriend back to his home town to witness the Good Friday festival where there is a procession involving statues, the Vara, from the local church. But the age darkened wood effigies of Christ and his tormentors aren't what they appear to be.

Mr Swift and the Dead by George Higham
Mr Swift's last client, the witch, died before he could deliver her last requested shipment therefore he's short the coin to move from the plague infested city. When he finds himself boarded up within her house though, things quickly become dire. Now he knows what she was using all those dead baby's for that he'd supplied her with--and it wasn't for the Sunday stew.

Cold Desires by Brian M. Sammons
A tale that makes the reader hold the book at arm's length in the beginning. A tale most "normal" people would find repulsive, slowly reels you in. With wonderful use of the language, I found I had unwittingly become engrossed in the description of an act I found repugnant in the extreme. And then I was hit with the twist which made it all perfectly acceptable, kind of, in a seriously twisted and utterly brilliant way.

A Million Shades of Nightmare by Cat Sparks
Written and illustrated by Cat Sparks, this is a very well told, strangely sedate tale of one girl's fears. Cat seems to reach intimately into the heart of the girl and presents us with a fear with which we can easily connect. In a peaceful, dare I say idyllic, setting, Cat then hits us with a pinch of darkness that is never truly revealed, leaving me wondering if I'll ever be bathing in the seaside pools of my youth again.

The Corner and Back by Andrew Wood
Our hero, who has to run the gauntlet to find provisions to keep himself and his beloved alive, does something I could see myself doing in a similar situation, if I was so unfortunate to find myself as a survivor in a post-apocalyptic world.
This piece has been so well written, I found it easy to drop into the first person point of view and even easier to admit to myself that I would be capable of doing exactly what he does. Could you admit to doing what Andrew's protagonist does?

Scarecrows and Devils by Kevin Anderson
A look from the other side, without actually telling us what side we're on to begin with.
A well paced story similar to a roller coaster with plenty of ups and downs. When purchasing your ticket, the vendor obviously forgot to warn you about the surprises you're in for, and when you come upon them, you're totally unprepared. And have a greater enjoyment because of it.

Der Wulf by Tim Curran
Dark, visceral and extremely powerful, it becomes a simple task for the reader to identify with a group of German soldiers and the horrors they endure during war. Then when it turns supernatural, it is only a small step to find yourself barracking for the historical bad guys to find an escape.

Dig This by Paul Kane
A thinking man's zombie story. A story of three teenage boys and a simple implanted thought that they are compelled to follow through to its fateful conclusion. An easy read that lulls the participant into turning the pages till the final scenes, where it really doesn't matter who's idea it was to begin with.

The Shape by Tim Curran
Tim shows his versatility with his second included story in this collection, by moving to a post-apocalyptic setting where something decidedly malignant has been born by man's self destructive tendencies. The old saying of "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned" takes on a whole new meaning when the man made denizens of hell have been unleashed to walk the earth.

 

 

 

 

News: Kryptographik #24

 

 

News: Kryptographik #24

via HorrorScope by Talie Helene on 6/8/08

Kryptographik is a trans-continental podcast featuring Brian (in the U.S.) and Damian (in Australia), providing news, reviews, commentary and interviews covering horror, dark fantasy and science-fiction.

In the 24th podcast, the guys have the second half of a horror comics discussion with Bob Bretall (continued from Kryptographik 23). Most of the episode is devoted to discussing Locke & Key, written by Bram Stoker Award-winning author Joe Hill and published by IDW. The lads also discuss Max Allen Collins' Johnny Dynamite, published by AiT/PlanetLar, and Suckulina: Vampire Temp ("The sexiest Torture Princess in Hell's history"), published by Moonstone Books.

49 minutes of Kryptography in only 22 MB

Listen to streaming audio online , by direct download (iPod not required), or visit the homepage for show notes, links and iTunes/Zune/Podcatcher feeds.

Source: Brian Matus

 

 

 

 

Review: Apex #11

 

 

Review: Apex #11

via HorrorScope by Matthew Tait on 3/16/08

Apex Science Fiction and Horror Digest is a quarterly print magazine in what could be termed science-horror. Jason Sizemore, the editor, found this niche in the small press market and Apex has evolved to publish authors such as Kevin J Anderson, Bev Vincent, and William F Nolan.

Blackboard Sky by Gary Braunbeck

This issue's opener is by the prodigious Gary Braunbeck, a story that fits nice and snug into what Jason Sizemore probably had in mind when terming the phrase 'Science-Horror' to describe what he envisioned for Apex. A delicious little tale, it serves as perhaps surveillance on Art (any kind) used for medicinal purposes - a motif King has used to great effect. Although I've been unlucky enough not to read any of Braunbeck's novels, I have the distinct feeling isolation and loneliness is a theme he might use often. (Pessimistic, I heard from one reader). A central character, Vincent, has become symbiotic with a device from another star-system that was originally charged with the task finding God itself. Vincent, tortured and vulnerable, uses the power to change humanity, but cries out for help to another soul in the format of storytelling. There are surprises, here, as the mundane and the miraculous intertwine to become one.

Spinnetje by Stefani Nellen

Any story featuring scuttling metal spiders that have a relationship with the human brain has to be disconcerting for anyone. Spinnetje is described by the author as: an autonomous creature composed of a horde of nanites that could crawl through brains like a crowd of tourists crawling through ruins. Charming. Our main guy, Milo, uses it to experience and taste the emotions of someone else … in this case his partner. Everything seems to be going swimmingly for a while; but one of the great things about these tales – or indeed, Apex tales in particular – is that we know the horror to come . . . and wait for it apprehensively. Primarily, this is a short piece of obsession turning into possession, but it's the nuances, the subtle things that work for me . . . like kitchen-ware that cleans itself up by folding into balls and bouncing away. Also, there are tangible scenes here that spring to mind grotesque images from quite a few films. In this case, it's Cronenberg's Naked Lunch.

Ray Gun by Daniel G Keohane

This is a small piece that's like a second course in between a first and third, with a bit of light comic relief. Ray Gun has a kind of sixties nostalgic feel as an old man wakes up early one morning to find a spaceship has crash-landed in his back yard. A friend comes over to help with its perusal, and havoc ensues. This is a sort of 'every day Jill's and Joe's getting caught up in a nasty situation' kind of story, and they never fail to entertain. One of the aliens is described thus:

An octopus with too few heads one moment, too many the next.

Uncanny by Sammuel Tinianow

Told in first person narration, Uncanny by Samuel Tinianow is extremely short and … uncanny. Too many question marks abound, but you'll want to read it anyway to have a crack at deciphering it. Lying in a Hospital bed, our narrator recounts the story of a female cyborg who has been adopted by his family whilst they wait for her resurrection.

The Moldy Dead by Sara King

Another classy sci-fi story with a 'pulp fiction' type feel The Moldy Dead is the epicenter of this issue. Esteei is a receiver who joins a motley band of inter-species aliens to discover a 'mold' planet orbiting the fringes of space. Stephen King gave us a sand planet with Beachworld. Also, there was a 'Grassworld' story a couple of Apex issue's back. Now 'molds' on the agenda to cover a planet – and, although it starts off somewhat sluggishly – The Moldy Dead becomes a tearful tale of endurance and grief. Sara King is a new writer, and in this issue she shares space with Gary Braunbeck to take away top honors for best story.

Also included in this issue is a fascinating interview conducted by Steven Savile with Gary Braunbeck (whose Mr. Hands in now in the post and flying my way), and horror writer Bryan Smith. The highly entertaining Althea Kontis gives us her thoughts on Curses and there's a quaint epilogue of a story entitled What to Expect when your Expectorating by regular Jennifer Pelland.

Part three of a serial is also included CainXp11: What to do about all the Blood. Unfortunately, this reviewer lost the previous issue which included part two in a bar, and does not feel confident to elucidate on this one.

With prolific authors now regular contributors to Apex, I suspect this little magazine will only ever evolve from here.

Subscriptions can be ordered directly from their website.

 

 

News: Kryptographik #22

 

 

News: Kryptographik #22

via HorrorScope by Talie Helene on 3/20/08

Kryptographik is a trans-continental podcast featuring Brian (in the U.S.) and Damian (in Australia), providing news, reviews, and commentary regarding science-fiction, dark fantasy and horror, in and out of comics.

In this 22nd podcast, Brian and Damian respond to some voice messages, review Warren Ellis' Freak Angels and Gravel, and finally give away those copies of Utopiates by Kat Rocha & Josh Finney. They also discuss Marvel Comics treatment of their horror properties, The films Hatchet, Turistas, Behind The Mask, 300, Watchmen and The Spirit - and what may be the most misunderstood film of the decade.

77 Minutes of Kryptography in only 35 MB

Listen online, by direct download (iPod not required), or visit the homepage for show notes, links and iTunes, Zune and Podcatcher feeds.


Source: Brian Matus

 

 

Review: Black Static Issue #1

 

 

Review: Black Static Issue #1

via HorrorScope by Brenton Tomlinson... on 3/9/08

Black Static would have been the 43rd issue of “The Third Alternative” (TTA) and released two years ago but the inclusion of Interzone into this stable of magazines required a restructure. No point in competing against yourself. Part of the restructure became allowing TTA to fully embrace its darker side. {Insert evil laugh here} Hence the birth of Black Static.

It’s amazing the magazine actually made it into the light of day, let alone into the hands of subscribers or reviewers. The copy I have is a third reprint of the first issue. Printing issues requiring changes that required further changes may have been enough to derail less determined editors. Thankfully not so in this case and Black Static has been officially delivered to its anxiously waiting public.

I had heard only good things about this British magazine and was not disappointed by my initial experiences.

Stephen Volk’s column “Electric Darkness” discusses the current state of Dark Fiction on the small screen. His insights are amusing but highlight a growing mentality of “playing it safe” by those that control the purse strings. He expands his theories to include Dark Fiction in all its forms. It is a well written column with some interesting thoughts.

“Bury The Carnival” by Simon Avery is simply brilliant. This is short Dark Fiction of the highest calibre. A tale of a magician/puppeteer in a small town and a local reporter who hunts down his secret, only to discover a secret of her own she never knew she had. The prose is excellent with descriptive passages of outstanding quality and the characters are beautifully crafted (in more ways than one) allowing a strong buy in by the reader.

After such a strong opening for issue #1, I was a little disappointed by the remaining content.

“Nights Plutonian Shore” by Mike O’Driscoll seems to begin as a commentary on the media in general. As this is a Dark Fiction magazine I patiently continued to read, expecting the discussion to turn to specific dark offerings in media not covered in other columns. Unfortunately it turned into a diatribe against the media in general over the handling of the Madeleine McCann abduction case in Portugal. Due to the delays in releasing the issue, the comments are unfortunately those of someone not fully informed and are easily interpreted as simply “having a go” at a ferocious European media, in particular the British press.

“Pale Saints & Dark Madonnas” by Jamie Barras is a tale based on true events in South America. It involves an age old religion based on West African Voodoo, transported/transplanted along with slaves in the early 1800’s and continued by the poorer classes in the slums of Rio to this day. The story is well written but skims across the surface of what could have been a much deeper and more disturbing sequence of events.

“Interference” is another column within the issue. By Christopher Fowler it descends quickly into a social commentary slanging off the lack of morals and increasing apathy in England. That maybe so but I’m not sure what it has to do with Dark Fiction.

“Acton Undream” by Daniel Bennett is an interesting premise for a dark tale. If we could dream things into reality, could we then undream real things into oblivion? Unfortunately the possibilities were not endless for the author and seemed to take a relatively mundane trek to a telegraphed ending.

Yet another column then separates the fictional offerings. “Blood Spectrum” by Tony Lee reviews Dark Fiction on the big screen. Unlike his two previous columnists, Tony discusses Dark Fiction on the big screen! This was surprising after the complete lack of pertinent content in the earlier commentaries. Tony gives the reader lots of useful information on films and everyone involved in the making of them. He provides more than enough detail for any movie goer to make an informed choice on their next cinematic experience.

“Votary” by Mary K. Hobson is, as the title suggests, a story of devotion - between a daughter and her father. But because this is a tale of Dark Fiction, there is a twist. The story has well defined three dimensional characters (some much larger than others) that allow the reader to gain an empathy with two rather nasty pieces of work. The second shortest of the offered works, it easily deserves its place in this first issue.

“Japan’s Dark Lanterns” is a column by John Paul Catton, told in a satirical manner, regarding the current (May 2007) state of affairs in Japan. Offered as a transcript of an interview between a teacher and one of his students, it is a light hearted look at one man’s opinion of modern Japan. Although amusing to read it touches on some serious political and social issues. Not sure what this has to do with Dark Fiction though....

“My Stone Desire” by Joel Lane is a dark tale of reminiscence by a police officer. During his last year at the academy, he meets a young woman and begins a journey of self awakening. Filled with metaphors, the shortest piece in this issue makes for interesting reading.

“Case Notes” by Peter Tennant is a comprehensive section of the magazine with “Bury The Carnival” being the only section to take up more pages. The first section covers a review of Michael Marshall-Smith’s (or his other by-line Michael Marshall’s) latest two published titles. Peter gives a good overview of the artist and the two books: The Servants and The Intruders.
A transcript of an interview between Peter and the author is then offered although this is very short with only six questions answered.

Peter moves onto reviews of three novellas although this takes a second to differentiate from his involvement with Michael Marshall-Smith as it’s tacked onto the bottom of a page with no heading of its own. Still his reviews are straight forward and pull no punches. He calls a spade a spade and a lack of innovation, “just solid storytelling”.

Again without fanfare or title, “Case Notes” moves on to cover stories involving vampires. After offering up reviews on six titles and interesting side facts, he continues to review other Dark Fiction/Horror books without letting the reader know that, what looked like a special section on vampires, is now over.

“Case Notes” is filled with good stuff but it is not well laid out.

“Lady Of The Crows” by Tim Casson is an interesting tale that is filled with tension building, well built characters and great descriptive phrases that – fizzles into nothing. I thought it was a column on dark theatrical offerings to begin with (which I thought was a cool idea), but turned out to be an interesting opening to what quickly built into a well paced and well written piece of short fiction. The last twelve paragraphs were rushed through leaving me wondering why the author had gone to such lengths to rush it to an unsatisfactory ending. Did the editors need to cut it off right there and then to fit it into the issue at the cost of a better ending? I hope not.

In the end, Black Static didn’t quite reach the heights I was hoping it would. Three of the “features” weren’t relevant to turning TTA to its darker side as mentioned in the editorial “White Noise” first up.

They have had a huge amount of teething problems getting the first issue of this magazine out to the public. Feedback through their readership and from reviews such as this will shape future issues for the better – I hope.

For any writers of Dark Fiction out there, I would suggest you buy the first issue, if for no other reason than to read Simon Avery’s “Bury The Carnival”. To the editors of Black Static I would suggest they ensure their features/columns are relevant to the magazine’s overall aim otherwise cut them and spend the extra money on some additional fictional offerings.

I look forward to Issue #2 with the new format that they had so many issues with on the release of Issue #1.

 

 

 

Review: Albedo One, Issue #34

 

 

Review: Albedo One, Issue #34

via HorrorScope by Brenton Tomlinson... on 3/6/08

Albedo One is Ireland’s Magazine of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror. It is also home of the Aeon Award . They claim under their guidelines, their definition of what constitutes SF, horror and fantasy is extremely broad and they love to see material which pushes at the boundaries – I think they have easily achieved that goal within this issue and still remained within the chosen theme of “Things Change”.

Once I moved on from the beautiful cover art, the first item I came across was an Interview with Raymond E Feist by Bob Neilson titled “Hey I think I forgot Uncle Tom Cobley”.

I found this to be a down to earth and open look at Raymond’s career from Magician through to Wrath of a Mad God, and the processes he, as a writer, has gone through to make that journey. He is very candid and gives some interesting insights, not only into the world of Epic Fantasy but into writing in general - with some interesting thoughts on other genres. Detailed discussion into the titles he believes will make writers into authors would be worth the price of the mag alone for new scribes among us.

But Albedo One prides itself on distinctive fiction and as previously stated, in this department it delivers.

“LOOB: Love Only Oily Bodies” by William R. Eakin’s is a dark tale that encompasses a man who is finally forced to find himself - his inner self. This is a complex tale told with an underlying force that pushes the reader on to an unexpected ending.

The White Knight by Devon Code placed third in the Aeon Award 2006-2007 contest. After reading this, you’ll never look at chess, Casablanca or research assistants the same.

Boneless by Rebecca Sian Pyne is based on an Oxfordshire legend about a gelatinous monster that roams the leafy English countryside engulfing unlucky travellers. This is a delightfully twisted tale of a man receiving justice from an unlikely source. Rich in its descriptions and almost tangible in its flavours, Boneless is an excellent example that cheating wives can sometimes be called on to pay their dues.

Angelus by Nina Allan was the winning entrant for the Aeon Award for 2007. It is an in-depth characterization of two men whose lives are irrevocably changed by a single woman and the different relationships they have with her. The tale is rich in detail and highly charged with emotional minefields as two men meet up again years after they’d last seen each other and the thread that ties them together.

Alice & Bob, by Phil Raines and Harvey Welles, is very different. I’ve never been a fan of stories told disjointedly through the exchange of letters, but here it works. In a world where your very location isn’t guaranteed we follow a love story as it unfolds via letters left by Alice and Bob. Through their missives we learn how the world has gone to ruin through unnatural forces acting on the flesh of mankind to pick them up without warning (and without their clothing) and transport them to a random point somewhere else on the globe: hardly the type of situation conducive to finding a soul-mate.

Isle of Beauty by Larry Taylor came second place in the Aeon Award 2006-2007 contest. This apocalyptic tale focuses on one small community and how they come together to cope with the change that is about to be thrust upon them. Told with fantastic descriptiveness, the changes this college based community go through is amazing and thought provoking. It is the least abstract of all the pieces presented and yet easily holds its head up among its surrounding award winners.

Siren by Nassau Hedron takes yet another road to illuminating how things change with a story depicting the relationship of a man and a woman through different incarnations, as they progress through time. The change is not the incarnations but the equilibrium of their relationship – it is a change that is unexpected and all the more powerful because it should have happened a long time ago. Love between a man and a woman can be strong; love between a mother and child is something else entirely.

The Supplanter by James Steimle is a strange little tale of ghosts, child birth and the passage of spirits from one generation to the next.

In the back of the magazine is more reviews than you’ll need to decide on your next month’s fictional purchases but hidden within them was Australia's own David Conyers. Of particular note is an excellent review by David of Australian Dark Fantasy & Horror 2006. I imagine Albedo may be happy to take a follow up review for the just released 2007 edition.

Also among the reviews I found an excellent review for Aurealis #36 (Issue #38/39 out now) from a self confessed “not the biggest fan” of Sci-Fi, Andrew McKenna, a regular reviewer for the magazine for the past three issues. It is proof positive that Australian fiction is being taken ever more seriously around the world.

Albedo One, Issue 34 is out now.

 

 

Review: Cthulhu Australias

 

 

 

Review: Cthulhu Australias

via HorrorScope by Robert Black on 3/5/08

Cthulhu Australis
Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos
David Conyers
Edited: John B.Ford
Rainfall Publications

Reviewer: Robert Black

Cthulhu Australis is a nicely produced limited edition chapbook. It has been released in 100 signed and numbered copies only and has a laminated cover with a suitably “Lovecraftian” image. It is well edited and typeset in an easy to read manner. It includes three impressive tales, each which offers a different facet of the Mythos. One is unique to this publication, two have been previously published.

The background to such a work is complex. H.P Lovecraft August 20, 1890 – March 15, 1937) was an American horror writer who only achieved a minimal level of success during his life, primarily publishing in pulp magazines. His stories were anti-rational and focused on the experience of a terrifying “unknown” which generally destroyed those who perceived it. His work was marked by this perception of an “unknown” quality which intruded into the world of rational thought. His model of the world was that of a skeptic, even cynic and indeed sometimes even bordered on paranoia. It was only after his death and with the tireless work of August Derleth that his work started to reach a larger audience. In the Sixties Colin Wilson wrote of Lovecraft as the ultimate outsider and this brought his work to a much wider audience and it is from there it has continued to develop.

Lovecraft’s Cthulhu and Necronomicon Mythos is the central defining aspect of his work and I think it illustrates the paradox at the heart of Lovecraft’s fiction and indeed of the man. In his personal life he was a rationalist even an atheist and yet he used occult and esoteric themes to incredible advantage throughout his tales. Indeed, he was so adept at manipulating occult themes such as the Old Ones and Elder Gods that some pagans and magicians today still claim that he was really secretly one of their own. Kenneth Grant, for example, the idiosyncratic follower of the infamous Aliester Crowley, regularly writes of the work of Lovecraft as fact rather than fiction. In my mind this simply shows the true genius of the author rather than its factual basis.

The mythos that Lovecraft created of course outlived his death; it has taken a myriad of forms from B Grade horror films (who can forget the Dunwich Horror) to all manner of novels and tales. Cthulhu Australis explores how these tales can be expressed in terms of the world as we know it and more significantly, within the Australian environment. The tales are intrinsically Australian using Australian locations, characters and cultural idioms to create a unique expression of the mythos in a form not seen before.

The tales offered are also modern, while Lovecraft was writing a long time in the past and was somewhat coy about sex (if not a little misogynist according to many biographers), here we have a more “2008” Cthulhu mythos with all the sex, neurosis and psychological trauma that modern living entails.

I highly recommend this chapbook and believe it is imperative that we support small press efforts such as this one, especially when they are of such high quality and offer such a unique approach to one of the more intriguing strands of horror fiction.

 

Review: Bust Down the Door and Eat all the Chickens #6

 

Review: Bust Down the Door and Eat all the Chickens #6

via HorrorScope by Miranda Siemienowicz on 9/22/07

Issue 6 of Bust Down the Door and Eat all the Chickens, the small press absurdist magazine edited by Bradley Sands, presents its usual gamut of strange, hilarious and downright nonsensical stories.

The most experimental, by which is meant ridiculous, is Bryson Newhart's "Too Much Psychic Jesus Blood", a piece of writing that is impossible to describe, but contains thoughts and images such as psychic gardening, surplus limbs, megaphones, airborne horse shodding and micturitional tintinnabulation. It seems to be about some kind of war, but the content is hardly the point. What is the point, however, is dreamy, meandering use of language that propels the reader forward despite an utter lack of tangible logic, only wavering towards making sense for a sentence or, at worst, a paragraph at a time. By the time you finish it, you're sure you've read it but can't remember a word.

Far more sane are such stories as "How the Discovery of a New Element Reflected the Relationship of Those Who Unearthed It" by Julius Henry, essentially the transcript of a conversation occurring during the event described in the title. The drawback here is that it is not always easy to keep track of which of the two parties is speaking, a feat that is required for the proper enjoyment of this piece. A nice ending, for all that.

Some pieces are written like ordinary stories, where the words make sense and the characters do things that are reasonably easy to follow. In D. Harlan Wilson's "The Silo" - the first chapter of Wilson's upcoming novel Blankety Blank: A Novel of Vulgaria - the protagonist drives a nail into his hand during his supervision of the erection of a silo in his front yard. Similarly understandable is "Robo-Trippin'" by Joey Goebel, the longest story in this issue. Here a young boy, ostracised by his friends, is built a robot by his father as a substitute playmate. The drug use, the debauchery and the general devastation is just an interesting aside.

"Scratch" by Jeremy C. Shipp is the most carefully structured story of the issue. Some nice images, like a wind-up microwave, complete the basic storyline of a man whose decisions about family come back to haunt him. The re-use of significant sentences gives the story a sense of completeness without sacrificing the obligatory suspension of reality.

Some stories deliver little. Ryder Collins' "Mr. Man Opens a Whole Can Of..." is a whole lot of talk about practically nothing, without any of the evolving imagery of outright absurdism, and "Clive Confesses", by Anthony Neil Smith, lacks maturity in the writing as it tells the story of a number of accidental murders. Rather than making for an entertaining black comedy, it is tacky in its content and fails to impress with its craft.

In Issue 6, Bust Down the Door and Eat all the Chickens delivers a reasonably rounded array of its trademark absurdist fiction. The presentation, as always, fits the contents of the magazine to perfection, with delightfully appropriate colour cover art. A light, carnivalesque read.

Bust Down the Door and Eat all the Chickens
Editor: Bradley Sands
Publisher: No Girls Allowed Press
Available online for $US10.99 (includes shipping to Australia).