Paula Guran Reviews Nightmare, PodCastle, and Baffling
Nightmare 6/23, 7/23
PodCastle 4/11/23; 5/9/23; 5/23/23
Baffling 4/23
Ozzie M. Gartrell’s “The Seconds Between Light and Sound” in Nightmare #129 centers on a horned, island-dwelling people who worship a goddess personified by an eternal storm. There are some arresting concepts, but I felt it read a bit like a preface to a longer work. A botanist journeys to Argia in “and its place remembers it no more” by Neal Auch. He seeks the Hyacinthus mercedes – “a rare breed whose pollen plays a crucial role in the manufacture of certain microchips that might be profitably incorporated into children’s toys.” He returns saddled with a monstrous creature who negatively impacts the rest of his life. Flash fiction “They Say” by Matt Dovey reminds us that no matter what they do, outsiders will never be accepted.
Nightmare #130’s “Sell Your Trauma for Salvation” by Isha Karki presents a disturbing world where trauma is harvested from the downtrodden masses to feed the elite. Further chills come from Avi Burton’s “Anatomy of a Haunted House”, flash fiction about feeding the hungry spirits of haunted house, as well as “First in Fear and Then in Pain” by Adam R. Shannon. In the latter, Carey lives in a townhouse haunted by the nightly screams of its former murdered inhabitants. His friend, Kevin, who specializes in selling such places, sold the place to him. As the situation worsens, Carey wants to sell, but a different solution presents itself.
With “An Anklet Broken”, Chaitanya Murali adapts a story from the earliest of Tamil epics – Silappadikaram – for Podcastle 788. Two women, both betrayed by the same man, band together to take justified vengeance. But when the punishment exceeds the crime, a different tactic must be taken. An ancient but still compelling tale. “Scales” by M. Stevenson (Podcastle 786) introduces a village boy abused by his mother. The child finds the forest’s monsters preferable to humans. Time passes and when his sister is free to do so, she seeks him out. A bittersweet story that reminds us there are monsters everywhere and that we find our true families where we can. PodCastle 782’s “The Girl Who Never Was” is a story by Harold R. Thompson. After meeting with an author for whom he is to illustrate a children’s book, a widowed, childless illustrator returns home to discover a daughter who never existed. An affecting story about regaining perspective.
There’s one final story I want to mention. From Baffling #11: “How to Stay Married to Baba Yaga” by S.M. Hallow. List stories seldom appeal to me, but these 36 instructional steps draw you in and illustrate the necessity of compromise in any relationship.
Recommended Stories
“How to Stay Married to Baba Yaga”, S.M. Hallow (Baffling 4/23)
Paula Guran has edited more than 40 science fiction, fantasy, and horror anthologies and more than 50 novels and collections featuring the same. She’s reviewed and written articles for dozens of publications. She lives in Akron OH, near enough to her grandchildren to frequently be indulgent.
This review and more like it in the August 2023 issue of Locus.
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