Saturday, December 16, 2006

"The Long and The Short and The Tall", John Morressy

NT F&SF (Fantasy & Science Fiction) Feb 2006 – fantasy
The King of the Dwarves hires the wizard Kedrigern to find his stolen magical belt. Along the way the wizard goes to a fair where he encounters an old friend, the giant Ossomore, and later solves the crime.

A sort of rambling, but pleasant story. Apparently part of a loose series of stories.

Friday, December 15, 2006

"Boon", Madeleine E. Robbins

NT F&SF (Fantasy & Science Fiction) Feb 2006 – fantasy
Elves have come to New York City. Young unmarried mother Mia, who is just scrapping by with a waitress job, is uncomfortable with elves. After the lady who watched her baby daughter takes ills, Mia reluctantly hires a gnome couple as child sitters.

This is an entertaining contemporary fantasy tale.

Wednesday, December 06, 2006

"Infants at the Lake of of Fire", M.K. Hobson

SS RoF (Realms of Fantasy) December 2006 - fantasy
In limbo, or perhaps purgatory, a girl child gets a mentally challenged young man to help her rescue burned people from a hellish lake.

Hopefully having to go to a "different place" is good.

"Lost Wax", Leah Bobet

SS RoF (Realms of Fantasy) December 2006 - fantasy
Young naïve man who cleans at a factory steals scraps of magical wax and tries casting a spell to get himself a better life.

Not sure if I get the entire meaning of what he did to himself.

Friday, December 01, 2006

"The Kewlest Thing of All", David Ira Cleary

Asimov's Science Fiction March 2006NT ASFM Mar 2006 - science fiction
<<- Asimov's Science Fiction Mar 2006 cover by J.K. Potter for "The Kewlest Thing of All"

Genuinely cool girl Bonny Brood, who has a videophone embedded in her palm and browser windows across her skin, is guerilla marketing "kewlness" to fat and uncool Katelyn Sayed. Bonny is blocking Katelyn from being branded by corporation Steward International for this guy Terrence. The setting is a future San Francisco after melt waters flood the city.

This seems like updated cyberpunk. It humorously includes a girl on girl crush. The ending confounded me somewhat, but I'd recommend this novelette.