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Gordon Van Gelder
| | Posted on Monday, May 02, 2005 - 06:45 am: | |
NOVELETS
The Tournament at Surreptitia -6- John Morressy
Hero, The Movie -130- Bruce McAllister
SHORT STORIES
The Pitiless Stars -46- Jim Young
Angry Duck -60- Scott Bradfield
Twilight States -71- Albert E. Cowdrey
Think So? -90- Robert Reed
Promised Land -96- Steven Utley
Old as Books -118- Mike Shultz
DEPARTMENTS
Books to Look For -35- Charles de Lint
Books -40- James Sallis
Films: Post Traumatic Straitjacket Syndrome -112- Kathi Maio
Coming Attractions -129-
Competition #69 -159-
Curiosities -162- Paul Di Filippo
CARTOONS: Danny Shanahan (59), Joseph Farris (70), Arthur Masear (111), S. Harris (117).
COVER BY MICHAEL GARLAND FOR "HERO, THE MOVIE"
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Michael Samerdyke
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 18, 2005 - 07:43 am: | |
I saw the cover on Locus Online, and it looks terrific. F&SF usually has good cover art, but this one is especially striking. |
Gordon Van Gelder
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 24, 2005 - 10:22 am: | |
Our subscription copies of the July issue arrived today in Hoboken, NJ. |
Pat Swift
| | Posted on Thursday, May 26, 2005 - 09:59 am: | |
My subscription copy of the June issue still hasn't arrived in the Bronx (it's not that far a trip) & I was looking forward to "The Gist Hunter" |
Matt Hughes
| | Posted on Thursday, May 26, 2005 - 10:55 am: | |
Pat:
Send me an email -- mhughes(at)mars.ark.com -- and I'll email you a copy.
Matt Hughes
http://www.archonate.com/ |
John Thiel
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 01, 2005 - 09:59 am: | |
Wow, the newest cover is up before I got my copy! The site manager has really gotten cracking! |
John Thiel
| | Posted on Thursday, June 02, 2005 - 02:09 pm: | |
Well, I got my copy today. Your art penchant seems inclined toward Dada for this issue's cover, and it should be a startling thing for the casual viewer to see on the news-stand. I look inside and see that it illustrates "Hero, the Movie," so we don't have to imagine what it's about--and with the theme-issue quality this issue has, that's a good thing.
Looking next at "Angry Duck" since it's bannered on the cover--what could it be about? Ducky Devil? Howard the Duck? Disco Duck? Well, more like Disco than anything. To retro your contest, pre-therapy, "Wanna buy a duck?"
The humor's good this issue. People watching me reading it said, "He laughed!" But then I read "Twilight States" and it has horror quite on par with the humor. "The Pitiless Stars" had that quality too.
I would call it a horror-humor issue, mixed very well indeed by some potent alchemists. |
Pat swift
| | Posted on Friday, June 03, 2005 - 05:59 am: | |
Andrew: the replacement copy of the June issue arrived last night & the July issue came Wed night, I'll catch up this weekend. Thanks!
Matt: that's very gracious of you but the friendly folks at F&SF saw my note & sent a replacement copy. |
Michael Samerdyke
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 08, 2005 - 07:36 pm: | |
I thought that the best story this issue was "Twilight States" by Cowdrey with "Angry Duck" in second place. "Twilight States" was a good horror story that kept me guessing, while "Angry Duck" had me laughing out loud. (I have known poets like that.)
At a step down but still very enjoyable were: "Tournament at surreptitia," by Morressy, a refreshing shot of Kedrigen; "Think So?" by Reed, fun and clever; and "Old as Books" by Shultz, a very clever piece. I look forward to Shultz' next story.
This was the strongest issue in a while. |
John Thiel
| | Posted on Thursday, June 09, 2005 - 07:40 am: | |
I can't help being reminded, in reading "Angry Duck," of a much earlier sf story, "Stickney and the Critic," by I think it was Winona McClintic. That had a very similar poet in it, but he was a child, not a duck. His first verse said,
"Poor little baby,
Tant walk hardy,
Won't chase tzickies
Out of mama's gardy."
Then it shows what he wrote later on as he grew up--avant garde material about a monster in a well.
The duck character also reminds me of the Gumby covers. But I like the new art forms the magazine now has better. |
S. Parker
| | Posted on Sunday, July 03, 2005 - 04:43 am: | |
Much like Mr. Samerdyke, I thought this was a pretty strong issue.
On a scale of 1-10 (one being an active hatred of a story and ten being deep love, with five being total indifference), I personally rated the stories as follows:
A Tournament at Surreptitia: 8/10
Hero, The Movie: 6/10
The Pitiless Stars: 7/10
Angry Duck: 6/10
Twilight States: 7/10
Think So?: 5/10
Promised Land: 6/10
Old as Books: 8/10 |
Pat Swift
| | Posted on Thursday, July 07, 2005 - 12:19 pm: | |
Cowdrey's "Twilight States" had to be the outstanding story in the July issue. Like everyone else it reminded me of Robert Bloch not just because it was a psychological horror story, but because of the fate of Dr. Bloch, Robert Bloch always had a low opinion of psychiatry. I also liked "Old as Books" for its originality.
Since I've been reading a lot of Lovecraft & Lovecraft criticism recently I found James Sallis's article interesting. Now that HPL is officially in the canon what happens next?
My copies of the June & July issues arrived a day apart so I'll comment on "The Gist Hunter" here. Looking back on the last 5 Henghis Hapthorn stories he doesn't really do that much detecting, more pushing things around until they fall into place, that said, I thoroughly enjoyed the story although it seemed like a prologue to another forthcoming story. Henghis always struck me as a young Peter Ustinov type though, not the lean and canine person on the cover. |
Matt Hughes
| | Posted on Thursday, July 07, 2005 - 12:56 pm: | |
Henghis always struck me as a young Peter Ustinov type though, not the lean and canine person on the cover.
Me, too.
Matt Hughes
http://www.archonate.com/black-brillion
BSP: my first collection, The Gist Hunter & Other Stories, will be published in 24 days. |
Elizabeth
| | Posted on Thursday, July 14, 2005 - 03:41 pm: | |
"Old as Books" was just lovely. |
John Joseph Adams
| | Posted on Sunday, July 24, 2005 - 08:57 am: | |
Review: http://www.bestsf.net/reviews/fsf0507.html |
T Andrews
| | Posted on Friday, July 29, 2005 - 02:32 pm: | |
I enjoyed "Old as Books" SO much. What a great story! |
Mike Shultz
| | Posted on Thursday, August 04, 2005 - 11:27 am: | |
Many thanks for the comments on "Old As Books." August's "Refried Cliches" is a mite different, so I hope no one was hoping for more of the same...
I've got another one coming maybe early next year.
Thanks again!
http://home.att.net/~c.n.shultz/
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Gordon Van Gelder
| | Posted on Sunday, October 30, 2005 - 01:45 pm: | |
another brief review of this issue:
http://ahmedakhan.journalspace.com/?b=1119423600&e=1120201200
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