Mythaxis has been around for quite some time now, so we though we’d have a look at the free-to-read stories that editor Andrew Leon Hudson has got for us this…
A pretty strong mix of stories in this Spring edition of Mythaxis, starting with the daring opener ‘The Kid Is Killing Me’ by Aubrey Taylor, whose title is a content warning you should be aware of. This story left me with questions. I think it’s an extreme allegory for parenthood (her child is ‘literally’ trying to kill her, and vice versa), it is told with gruesome abandon and with a garrulous honesty that drew me in. It remains rather vague throughout though and does not explain what you want to be explained – there are a couple of moments where clarity would have really helped; but ultimately the ending seems right and the humour is spot on.
Second up is ‘Not-man Kidnaps a Sheep’ by Jennifer Jeanne McArdle. An encounter with a vampiric creature is retold from multiple animal perspectives – a hawk, a sheep-dog, a sheep – raising questions about the way humans treat them, and whether this new monster is human or not. Odd, possible hints of Beowulf’s monster, and a subtext of what makes a monster and is the not-man any different from the humans who own the animals? The ending is strange, though, and the dilemma isn’t fully explored. I enjoyed the prose style and characters very much, but perhaps the animal perspectives distance the reader from the Not-man, and he is the central mystery of the story.
Then comes ‘Nightshade Memory’ by Micah Hyatt. A short, yet impactful piece about what it feels like to have once been human, to now be android, and to be oh so fragmented by time. A confident story which stands out from the crowd somewhat, wistful and sensuous in its exploration of sense memory. It has a nice touch and feel, and held my interest throughout. My favourite in this edition.
‘Friends in High Places’ by Emma Burnett. A twisted fairy tale with a fun, characterful cast of mismatched wish-seekers, who set out on a quest to find a wish-fulfilling troll. Despite a moment of eye-rolling exposition, I very much enjoyed the sense of anticipation, the banter, and the deceit. A good fantasy yarn which appears to be going in a well-worn direction, but then does something quite different. The ending is clever and cute. Also recommended.
‘Things I Learned from Puppets about Kindness’ by Steve Loiaconi is a wacky thriller about autonomous puppets putting their traditional puppeteers out of business… and then moving in with them! It has a strong plot, is well constructed, and has some thought-provoking scenes about the nature of friendship and attachment, how the family dynamic can be subverted by an over-friendly puppet, not to mention some great puppet/human fight scenes. If only we hadn’t already had the movie Ted, that Angel episode with the puppets, and all those other stories where puppets exist in the real world. Not quite as original as it deserves to be, but lots and lots of fun.
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