Finally pulled my finger out to review the latest Wyldblood, which is, as ever, a mixture of strange and interesting stories.
Kicking off with a twisted fairytale by Karl Dandenell called ‘‘Twas the Week Before Christmas,’ in which any magical creatures that happen to have strayed into the ‘real world’ are hunted down by Elvish press gangs and put to work in Santa’s factory. Can Mr Lynch, a rogue and brutal leprechaun, gather enough gold to buy his way back into the Otherworld before they catch up with him? An entertaining, seasonal opener.
‘Greasy’ by Rhoda Neville is a snapshot in time from a London greasy spoon in an up-and-coming area. The threat of gentrification looms as a group of wealthy hipsters start making secret plans to buy and transform the cafe, but there are some ‘unusual’ customers around when they arrive who plan to ensure they don’t get their way. The story has good characterisation and a strong sense of place.
In ‘Words Written in Water’ by Deborah L. Davitt the takeaway message is that time flows like a river, ever on; but for Lenore the wisdom of time reveals itself in the water, bringing warnings and words of comfort. Nobody believes her, but still she sees the words and plans to pass them on to the next generation. Brief but memorable.
‘No Such Thing As Monsters’ by DJ Cockburn is a very short episode about a child who is afraid of monsters under the bed, but with a neat and sinister twist which I won’t reveal here. Needless-to-say it’s worth the effort of reading, particularly for the realistic child’s view of the world and family dynamics. It made me chuckle at the end.
‘Xenogamy’ by Rob Gillham is the standout contribution for me in this edition. It tells, beautifully, the story of a ‘quantum-locked’ space vault and its unusual keepers, Jerome a mysterious archivist and Prudence his enigmatic ‘assistant.’ Faustian themes abound as Jerome is interrogated by a government ‘Queastor’ about the questionable artifacts he protects for wealthy clients. The ultimatum he receives is devastating, but he’ll do anything to stop them from taking possession of Prudence. I was impressed by the quality of the writing, and the tight, intricate plot. An author worth watching.
Hugh McCormack’s ‘Beyond Hearing’ is a prescient warning about the unintended side effects of criminal-detection technology, with a very clever idea about how the memories of witnesses can be used to track down culprits. A story that makes you go ‘hmmm…’ for sure, with a compelling protagonist. It also brings into question the ethics of witness testimony and how it is obtained.
Quinn J. Graham’s ‘The Darkness on Ferrous Street’ is a stark tale which leaves a big impression. The kid is a loner, a goth, a weirdo. They call him the Devil’s Kid. So when a tragedy occurs he is naturally the prime suspect in an otherwise respectable neighbourhood. A meditation on the power of collective hysteria, the nature of grief and the possibility of atonement. It has a filmic feel and is very well done.
The issue concludes with a tale from the familiar pen of Liam Hogan, ‘Newgen.’ Immortality comes at a price, and when that price becomes too high, Harry Carmichael attempts a coup, but gets a lot more than he bargained for. I enjoyed the mixture of SF and Fantasy, and the speedy plot had a Philip K. Dick feel to it, which was nice. An accomplished story from a writer who knows how to entertain.
Wyldblood only costs a few pounds each issue, and I wonder where else you can get such quality fiction for such a small price?
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