A.C. Wise Reviews Short Fiction: Augur

Augur 6.2

Several stories in Augur issue 6.2 draw on vari­ous traditions and fairy tales for inspiration. In “Moon-Eaters & Monsoons” by Rachel Evange­line Chiong, twin brothers Amihan and Hagbat set out to determine what is ailing one of their realm’s gods. They haven’t spoken in years, and the journey is fraught, their failure to listen to and understand each other putting both of them in danger. “Mahogany Birds” by Carol B. Duncan takes place in a house full of history and ghosts on the edge of an old plantation, where Shirley lives with her brother, cousin, and grandparents. The story is evocative of classical portal fantasies like the Chronicles of Narnia and Alice in Wonder­land, but takes the narrative in a wholly different direction as it explores multiple kinds of haunt­ings, including the way history haunts the present.

“Observations on the Strange Occurrences at the Stables at the Macha’cuay School of Magic” by Ruth Joffre is told through a series of vignettes as the students at the titular school try to uncover who is behind the vicious attack on their famil­iars. The world feels rich and lived-in, hinting at a larger story. “Wolf Mother” by Shantell Powell retells the story of Little Red Riding Hood, with a climate fiction twist, told from the perspec­tive of the grandmother, who is also the wolf, lamenting that humanity has driven her kind to near-extinction. “Winter Love” by E.C. Dorgan feels like it nods to several different fairy tales, including “Hansel and Gretel” and “The Snow Queen”. Hans and Wendy are a power couple with a booming business and a secret – they are ancient creatures who periodically give in to their hunger and remove each other’s skins, devouring snow and bones. The story is beautifully written, dark, and full of lush imagery. “June in Winter” by Alyssa Kim Donnelly is another gorgeously writ­ten story drawing on traditional stories and fairy tale. The protagonist is a gumiho who has already eaten nine hundred and ninety-nine bodies. Her best friend, June, is obsessed with fairy tales and is constantly trying to fit her life into the pattern of one. There’s a dreamlike quality to the prose that works well, furthering the feeling of characters living liminal existences, caught between story and reality, caught between words as children of immigrants, and caught between conflicting desires as they navigate what they want from life and from each other.

“Poets of Painswick” by Kate Francia is a delightful story drawing on the tropes of Gothic Romance. The story is told through a series of letters written by Ada to her mother, lamenting her older sister Fanny’s determination to catch herself a Poet. Fanny goes swooning about what she refers to as the moors, even though Ada warns her that women who fall for Poets come to Bad Ends. Once Fanny does catch a Poet’s eye, vari­ous tropes begin to take over their lives – Fanny become more waiflike, ivy colonizes their house, the Poet becomes increasingly vampiric, and all the while, their father tries to set Fanny up with a boring, but suitable Suitor, who takes a creepy in­terest in Ada. Francia captures the perfect voice for the story, at once light and snarky, poking gentle fun at Gothic tropes while paying them homage, and delivering a piece with genuine heart.

“How to Breathe Water” by D.A. Straith works as a straightforward speculative fiction story, and as a speculative lens through which to view dysphoria and various ways of experienc­ing and expressing trans identity. Zor, a trans man, struggles to undergo icthyomorphosis so he can breathe underwater, but his gills remain stubbornly shut and the water seems determined to choke him. The story is full of lovely imagery, and strikes a nice balance between pain, hope, and determination. “Justice Rocks” by Trae Hawkins evokes shows like Voltron and the Power Rangers as a group of young characters who have all been variously isolated and exploited find each other and form a found family, tapping into mysterious glowing rocks to change the shape of their world.

Recommended Stories
“Winter Love”, E.C. Dorgon (Augur 6.2)
“June in Winter”, Alyssa Kim Donnelly (Augur 6.2)
“Poets of Painswick”, Kate Francia (Augur 6.2)

This review and more like it in the March 2024 issue of Locus.

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