Part thirty-nine in my ongoing retrospective as I read the fiction to the back issues of Realms of Fantasy and offer my thoughts, right up to the present.  This time around I'll be breaking in 2001 by discussing the February 2001 issue.

There is one point of interest I'd like to note before I start dissecting the fiction.  In the previous issue, I noted it was the first time the magazine had run stories by as many as five previous contributors.  This issue also has stories by five previous contributors.  The difference is that last issue had a total of six stories.  This issue has a total of five.  In other words, this marks the first issue wherein the fiction all came from previous contributors to the magazine.  Just one more example of how Realms has been building up a stable of authors over the years, but that the previous 38 issues should always have at least one new voice contributing fiction is just as significant.  Generally speaking, I think the best speculative magazines achieve a nice blend of repeat offenders and new voices.  I have no hesitation in saying that Realms has managed this just fine since I've come aboard, but clearly this wasn't a new development brought on by yours truly.  Well, maybe we have a few more stories coming out of the slush than we used to. :)

On to the fiction itself ...   

The lead story in this issue is "The Trickster's Wife" by Richard Parks, which marks his eighth appearance in the magazine.  This is a short piece steeped in Norse mythology.  It deals with Ragnarok, and as Richard often seems to do in his Realms stories (and I'd imagine in other venues as well), he does so in an unexpected way.  Being as this one is on the short side, saying anything more would pretty much give it away, so mum is the word.

Following this we have "The Darbies" by Kate Riedel, which marks her fourth appearance in the magazine.  This one deals with a mother and her troubled teenage daughter.  After her daughter has a run-in with the law, mom moves them into the woods, where she hopes to bond with her daughter and get her back on the right track.  Things slowly seem to be changing for the better, but along the way mysterious hints are dropped about the Darbies, who own this area, as well as some local folklore about some fairies that supposedly inhabit the forest.  Gradually these three ideas come together, and it's demonstrated to the reader that's it's one thing to set your child along the right path and quite another to believe they're walking it.

The middle story is "The Man Who Stole the Moon: A Story of the Flat Earth" by Tanith Lee, which marks her ninth appearance in the magazine.  This one deals with a master thief whose arrogance and carefree ways finally lead to his capture.  When he meets the king, he is given the impossible task of stealing the moon or his life will be forfeit thanks to some spells cast upon him by the court wizards.  The thief has a year to manage this task, though it hardly seems like enough time.  But when he strikes a bargain with a minor demon, it leads to layer upon layer of deception, until it finally catches the attention of the head honcho among demonkind.  It's a very rich, otherworldly tale, and it was selected for inclusion in Year's Best Fantasy 2, edited by David Hartwell & Kathryn Cramer.

Then we have "Breaking Spells" by M. Shayne Bell, which marks his third appearance in the magazine.  This one is a young adult piece with an ambiguous fantastical nature.  Dad is having an affair and Mom has become a mess as a result.  Brother & sister suspect the mistress of being a witch who has placed an enchantment on Dad.  They resort to various methods to break the spell, but in the end they resort to love lure him back.  It's left to the reader to decide whether love conquers all, even magic, or whether the resolution is the more mundane home is where the heart is, and the "spell" was nothing more than lust.  I chose to believe the mundane in this one (I usually go the other way in such stories), but as I mentioned this one is ambiguous, so I don't view it as any less of a fantasy piece.

Finally we have "Night Sweats" by Jim Van Pelt, which marks his fourth appearance in the magazine.  I guess the best way to describe this one is a post-apocalyptic ghost story.  It involves a woman who moves into a house that turns out to be haunted.  This woman's grandfather was among the native population in Japan subjected to the horrors of the Atom Bomb.  Meanwhile, back in America, there was a teenage couple.  At the precise moment the bomb was dropped, said boyfriend was on his way to meet his girlfriend for what would be their first time giving themselves to each other, shortly before he left town.  On the way he tragically loses his life in an accident with a milk truck ...and this happens at the precise moment the Bomb is dropped.  Ths unfortunate chap would be the ghost mentioned above.  As you might imagine, he's got some unresolved issues.  As to the hauntee (i.e. the woman living in the tale), when you combine her past with the fact that she's also a thirty-something virgin with issues of her own regarding sex & sexuality, we're left with a powerful combination of elements with some deep characterizations.  Jim recently mentioned to me that there was actually a whole subplot he took out of this piece before submitting it to ROF, though I can't imagine what it is.  The story feels quite complete as it is.

So that wraps up this issue.  And my favorite story?  "Night Sweats" by Jim Van Pelt.  Next time around I'll delve into the April 2001 issue.  Until then ...    

Originally published at Vylar Kaftan. You can comment here or there.

“Break the Vessel” will appear in the July issue of Helix. This is the transgressive story I plan to read aloud for the Taboo reading at WisCon (be prepared for graphic descriptions of feces!)

This is my second appearance in Helix. Kill Me was published there in October.

I love Helix. They publish weird and disturbing stories that aren’t appropriate in lots of markets.

And I’m much obliged to Aliette de Bodard and David de Beer for the market tip. Thanks.