Reviewing a collection of stories is always a tricky task, and it is of course impossible not to be subjective to some degree. However, I can say without equivocation that every author in Fission #6 is a talent, and the selection is also a credit to the slush readers and editors, who have clearly honed their skills in choosing the best of the bunch. Let’s take a look at them – and apologies for not giving them to you in publication order, but I do feel it’s in the spirit of this issue
Nobody Talks About Reg / William Jablonsky
A bizarre opener about time travellers documenting the history of a certain well-known singer. The reason for this never becomes clear, but as they hop in and out of the decades between the 60s and the present day, they provide an entertaining window into the zeitgeist of each period, including the sartorial triumphs and failures (particularly from the 70s!). Our two sliders have varying levels of dedication to the time-travel rulebook, which states they should blend in and never be conspicuous enough to change history. A charge that the colourful Joz seems to take with an irreverent pinch of salt – but then, maybe a little change can be a good thing after all.
The Whitechapel Variables / J. Edward Tremlett
A complex steampunk story set in Victorian London and featuring a real-life inspector as lead protagonist. Namely, Inspector Abberline, the inspector who was in charge of the Jack the Ripper investigation. In this fictional inquiry he is faced with a case of bodysnatching and forced to rely on a spiritualist’s visions for his clues, alongside the mechanical mind of ‘Central Control,’ which assigns their cases – or maybe the entire affair is merely in its own clockwork imagination. Despite being set in an alternative steampunk history, it feels very authentic and of its time – an enjoyable romp.
Remembrance / Mike Brooks
Having quite recently read the Murderbot books and Winterstrike by Liz Williams, I felt this had a similar vibe, and also a similar quality of excellent prose. It has an organic feel that kept me immersed, and caring about the characters.
Loren and Zura are dissidents against the powerful ‘Republic,’ on a mission to smuggle out an outlawed Shugra priestess who is part of a banned religion, condemned by the state. The relationship between the three women, one of them an almost indestructible government soldier (defected), is the beauty of the story and its driving force as we witness their attempt at escape. There’s also quite a bit of exciting action too.
The Last Pig on Earth / Fiona Moore
This doesn’t appear to be an allegory, but is literally about the last pig on Earth, a charming character called Snout. It reads like a fable but I’m unsure what the moral lesson is (possibly the benefits of cooperation). Avoiding humans is a strong theme, and the instinctive desire to be with one’s own species, to be communal. Snout is a positive houdini, escaping from wherever he is held captive – but all he really wants is to find some piggy friends. It’s bonkers, but so readable, and I loved it.
The Last Story of Silica / Erin Cullen
The last survivor of the Artemis, a ship harvesting metals in the Silica nebula, and her incubator-born daughter, do all they can to survive until contact can be made with Earth – years in the waiting. Sara believes she was only grown so her heart could be used to keep her mother alive, but there’s more to this mother/daughter relationship than meets the eye. A touching portrayal of motherhood and unconditional love, with some deep space atmosphere thrown in.
Expired Girl/ Beatriz Esteban Brau (Translated by Mike Lucas)
An interesting study of motherhood and maternal desire. Eloise has always wanted a daughter, but after years of saving she can only afford one with an expiry date, provided by ARCOCEN, an ‘artificial conception centre’ that uses customer DNA to produce desired offspring. There are shades of the Handmaid’s Tale in this one as we see what happens when commerce becomes the main motivation for childbirth. Strong characters and an important theme.
Scar City/ Andrew Leon Hudson
How to fit thirty years of life into a short story without it feeling rushed. How to ‘tell’ the story rather than ‘show’ it but still make it engaging, exciting, intimate. Ceci, bicycle courier restricted by a future economy where saving, even of benefits, its prohibited (you spend your credits or they get returned at the end of the month) the government’s scheme for boosting the economy. But how to escape this rigid, soul-destroying and isolating system and start living in the world of real money? Ceci sets out on a path to the top, but at what cost? A fast moving and page-turning story that will keep you guessing, and biting your nails, until the end.
Her Outro / Charlotte Ashley
In a time when climate change is ravaging the earth with great storms, Kay and her friends are chasing bigger and bigger thrills through chemicals, sex and wild rides. Now, the biggest vibe the world has ever seen is on its way in the guise of storm Yashna. The cities and towns in its wake are evacuated, but for the previously indestructible Kay, this could be the ultimate trip, even if it’s her last. As populations flee, Kay stays behind to feel the force of the hurricane. An intense, electric tale of future hopes and dreams in a collapsing world.
Triangulation or The Three-Button Problem or An Adventure in Space with Djinn / Liam Hogan
Hogan’s sci-fantasy reads like an old episode of Star Trek, with the crew of the Romulus and Remus tackling the shenanigans of an alien genie, who can perform the most unlikely of miracles. Their destination is Mars, but due to a mix up with said genie’s wish allocation, they end up a very long way away indeed, and are forced to rely on their remaining wishes to rectify the situation. A wacky space drama, but as ever with this author, very well done.
Thirty Percent Pig / Andrew Knighton
Another piggy tale, Wilbur and his shipmates with freshly implanted pig organs are making a new start on the planet Ander, living off protein blocks and in houses made of fungi, hoping to make enough money to pay for their lifesaving surgeries. But then their debtors are bought out and the new company wants to reverse the deal, with tragic consequences. It moves from hopeful and calm to tense and action packed in a flash, and keeps you guessing until the end.
The Green Willow / Tony Dunnell
Enjoyable space thriller with 2001 vibes (or maybe Solaris), in which murder and mayhem ensue as a love triangle between Michael, Bala and Altea,crew members enroute to Herschel’s Star b, goes very sour. Watching over them all, and over the ‘replacement’ crew member that Michael has grown, is the ship itself, a seemingly sentient and rather more moral presence. As the ship and the fledgling clone bond, Michael becomes increasingly detached from both and slips into unhealthy delusions. Strong characterisation and a good sense of suspense make The Green Willow a most enjoyable read.
Leonard Woke in A Silent Room / Tim Girsby
A locked room mystery with a difference. Leonard has a problem to solve inside a tiny, sparse room. He has no idea how he got there but wakes each day with his memory wiped and messages he has left himself. If he doesn’t work, he is punished – but his ultimate goal remains disturbingly unclear. An intriguing page turner.
Sleepless / Vaughan Stanger
If you nod off, you die. Grant and his buddies must fight to stay awake as a pandemic of sleep deaths sweeps across the world. With the help of strong coffee, loud music and a lot of illegal substances, they decide to put on one last gig as Sonic Tsunami, the rock band they are all members of, before the inevitable happens; but not any old gig, a Beatlesesque rooftop extravaganza. As fear, grief and despair wash over the nation, Sonic Tsunami call everyone to the show. Anything could happen next! A ramshackle but well-told tale.
There’s Just Something About Mr Darcy… and This Reality / Sarina Dorie
What will Amazon get its mitts into next? According to Sarina Dorie it could be induced simulations for people in long-term comas. Madrigal has been unconscious for four years, and is dropped into the world of Pride and Prejudice, where every young woman is destined to fall in love with Mr Darcy. The question is, which reality does she prefer? As she slips in and out of the two worlds, and the worlds slip in and out of each other, that becomes the only question worth answering. It’s very short, but a fun flash story with a worrying glimpse into a possible future.
A Map for the Labyrinth / Jamie M. Boyd
If you’ve ever seen the film Fantastic Voyage, in which a medical team are shrunk to a microscopic size and travel into the body of a dying man to remove a blood clot, you’ll get some idea of what Boyd’s story is about – only this time, they travel into a patients virtual mind to attempt a kind of physical therapy, removing traumas, relabelling past actions as positive and the like. It could be the cure-all for mental illness, for anxiety and depressions. If only the scientists get it right, and if patients don’t object to someone else being in their head. Ethical dilemmas abound in this one, but it’s a story that would make a great discussion over dinner.
The Doleful Shades / Thomas Norford
Benny is a petty thief preying on vulnerable victims at a local hospital, but gets his comeuppance when his chosen location fragments into a new reality that makes little sense. Surreal simulation drama about a character who may or may not be real, may or may not be alive, and may be an entirely different person altogether; but getting into heaven is the ultimate prize, even if it’s a makebelieve one. You won’t know where you are for most of this tale, but I guess that’s kind of the point.
Hyde Street Supplements / Ray Chanteur
Janelle might think she’s in control of her cravings, but they are increasingly in control of her, even becoming a second consciousness in her head, making their own decisions and influencing hers – at times even usurping her own personality entirely. As the days drift by the two minds begin to argue and fight, until all-out war ensues and one of them must go. It’s internal family systems taken to the extreme, and certainly an appropriate warning for our world today.
Decisions, Decisions / Sam E. Sutin
It’s Groundhog day (kind of) in the time loop, and it’s up to the reader to decide how they want their lives to play out in this choose-your-own-adventure gallop through time, which stretches so far even infinity becomes meaningless, and even when the universe dies (and time with it), the nature of the loop may mean you still carry on, endlessly wondering what everything means and if it will ever end. A garrulous narrative you won’t be able to look away from.
Chameleon / Thomas K. Slee
Reggie is in a care home, his children too busy to visit him as he slips into dementia; but they do have the funds to pay for a ‘ChameLEON,’ a person who can ‘become’ them whenever Reggie needs one of his children there to calm his anxiety. It’s ok, because he can’t tell – can he? A story that raises questions about authenticity and whether or not it matters, especially when the results are so beneficial, and about what makes us care, or not, for our ageing parents. All too prescient.
The Colour of Lies / Emmi Khor
Khor’s childlike morality tale had me thinking about the early robot stories of Asimov, as we witness a naïve young boy, Han, engaging with his rather too honest robot companion, CaIrbot. However, the child is not the problem, it’s the little white lies told by the adults, which CaIrbot doesn’t understand and questions continually. Of course, they do harm – at first; but when the lies get out of control, what lengths will the all-too-truthful bot go to in order to protect his ward? I’m not telling, but it’s definitely worth finding out.
Fission is an annual publication by the BSFA, but the stories aren’t restricted to just its members. They have an open submission window to find great stories. Members get the ebook for free, and if you’re not a member, you can pick it up on the usual channels.
Join the BSFA now and download Fission #6 to enjoy these stories, or you can get each issue for a modest sum via amazon.
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