khōréo: Short Fiction Reviews by A.C. Wise

khōréo 4.2

Madeleine Vigneron’s “Human Trials” in khōréo 4.2 is a painful story full of lovely imagery about holding on to hope in a hopeless situation. The last ships have left Earth, and a plague ravages the abandoned population left behind. Rowan is part of a team of three scientists trying to remove mass from living things so they can travel at the speed of light and escape. When Rowan gets sick, she vol­unteers to be a human test subject. The story does a nice job of considering what counts as hope and how that can look different for everyone, especially in a situation as bleak as the end of the world. “Ace of Knives” by E.A. Xiong centers on a woman living on Mars whose entire existence is training for and compet­ing in knife fights on the slim chance of earning herself a better existence. Bodies can be rebuilt, giving new meaning to the concept of death, and calling for a distinction between fatal (brain death) and lethal (body death). Like Vigneron’s story, it touches on what hope might look like in a bleak situation, while also exploring cycles of violence, and the idea of surviving versus living.

“High Performer” by Jason Pangilinan is a fun story with a strong voice, which also touches on the serious themes of identity and how people conceive of themselves versus how others see them. Leon has been many things: a horse, a staple, a rock, a song. Whenever anyone wishes for some­thing in his presence: he becomes it, which is how he meets Peace, a woman who while kicking a rock (Leon) wishes she could kick her laptop instead. After their strange meeting, Leon ponders what control he has over his identity and destiny, and Peace questions her identity as a Filipina who often doesn’t feel “enough” compared to her co-worker Marco, who constantly accuses her of being too Americanized. “Wayback” by Leslie What is a surreal story about a family on a road trip. Threads of generational trauma and guilt form an under­current running throughout. In “Mappamundi” by Angelisa Fontaine-Wood, Srdan studies a rare medieval map purporting to show the lands of the dead and begins to lose his sense of self as he is haunted by his past.

Recommended Stories
“High Performer”, Jason Pangilinan (khōréo 4.2)
“Human Trials”, Madeleine Vigneron (khōréo 4.2)

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

While you are here, please take a moment to support Locus with a one-time or recurring donation. We rely on reader donations to keep the magazine and site going, and would like to keep the site paywall free, but WE NEED YOUR FINANCIAL SUPPORT to continue quality coverage of the science fiction and fantasy field.

©Locus Magazine. Copyrighted material may not be republished without permission of LSFF.