Before we started The Supernova Review, Alan posted a story by story review of Interzone 296 on social media. We’ve gathered his story notes here.
Another excellent edition of Interzone with some superb artwork by Sloane Long.
‘0x11 Scenarios to Stop the Train’ by Jon Lasser
Imagining outside the box in this very unusual story containing several alternative plots for Anna Karenina, as inspired by Siri the digital assistant. Weird!
‘Sfumato’ by Alexander Glass
The Mona Lisa is missing. Picasso is suspected, but there are far stranger reasons behind the theft.
As Detective Duroc tries his hardest to solve the crime, he realises the biggest mystery of all is his own existence, and the nature of time itself. A gentle, yet absorbing yarn about art, love, and temporal flux.
‘We are only Ourselves’ by Alex Fenland
A tale of augurs and forbidden desire in ancient Greece which really captures the essence of love between man, woman, and man again. The prose flows like ambrosia
‘Our Lady of the Void’ by Hesper Leveret
In the Void, no one can question your morals. Which is bad luck for field investigator Lydia, who has no skills to offer when the vacuum hits the air filters. Partly report and partly dialogue script, the characterisation and world building are cleverly done, making for a very emotive and memorable story.
‘Another Country’ by Rachael Cupp.
The prose in this story flows like honey. A personal carer, against the backdrop of world disaster, attempts to care for an illustrious patient and make a breakthrough into her enigmatic psyche with the aid of old music. A mysterious story to say the least, but what else would you expect?
‘With the Blade as Witness’ by Sloane Leong.
Sloane Leong fits an entire mythology into this story, revealed to us through the eyes of Vraya, a symbiotic ‘duelist’ with a determined will to uphold her family honour through combat and alliance. A truly original tale told with aplomb.
‘999 Swords’ by Marie Brennan
Who is Benkei, the mysterious Buddhist-warrior? What is his life’s purpose and why has he sworn loyalty to his enemy? He is about to die – so maybe we will find out. An accomplished fantasy yarn.
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