Same as it ever was

I haven't looked into The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction in some years. This is not F&SF's fault. Every encounter I've had with the magazine has been positive; in fact, the first issue I ever read really made an impression on me. Sometime in my junior high school years, I encountered the film essay in which Harlan Ellison eviscerated the film Spaceballs. This was the first piece of genre-related writing that challenged me, as I had to go look up words and puzzle out references. This is a fond recollection for me, and F&SF has, ever since, occupied a special place in my heart, if not always on my shelves.

The reason? At the moment, the magazine isn't carried by any newsstand that I can locate; nor is it stocked by the single bookstore in the county in which I reside (and that will shortly be a moot point, as that establishment closes its doors for good after the upcoming Christmas season. Yes, I could subscribe; but that sort of commitment just doesn't seem to be the manner in which I roll. Feel free to psychoanalyze at your leisure.

(Yes, yes, I know; I forfeit forever my right to comment on the state of short fiction if I don't subscribe to every publication from now until the end of time. Alternately: how can I ever expect magazines like F&SF to consider publishing my own work if I don't occasionally put my money where my mouth is by supporting them? Not buying either one. Subscribing, though admirable, is no moral obligation. As for the latter point, variations upon which I see all the time: if anything, the genre could do with a little less quid pro quo.)

But there is one way to get me to read the magazine: graft. A free issue gets you a review, and that's the case here.

First: the magazine is almost comforting it its superficial familiarity. The typefaces haven't changed since I was a kid. For the record, I consider this a plus. The only main difference is the size, which has doubled for the foreseeable future, coupled with a halving of the magazine's frequency. We persevere...

This is the December 2009 issue, aka issue #686, aka Volume 117 Number 5, as they reckon time in the duchy of Hoboken.

The cover (by Kent Bash, illustrating "Hell of a Fix") is a wonderfully disturbing demon-portrait-with-hellscape, simply awash in Roger Dean-Uriah Heep-album-cover-purple and related tones. I can think of a couple of images from the story that I would have found more visually-arresting, but it more than serves.

"Editorial": Gordon Van Gelder reveals the winner of a "predict-the-future" contest that was held in 1980.

"Dragon's Teeth" by Alex Irvine: A fantasy about a quest to slay a dragon, in which the dragon turns out to be very nearly beside the point. The world is very well-realized for a piece of this length, and in fact this piece has the feel of a novel excerpt (though there is nothing to indicate this)--the protagonist's immediate challenge is addressed, but the overarching issues are left unresolved.

"Books to Look For": Charles de Lint favors us with a meaty helping of genre-related nonfiction books.

"Books": James Sallis discusses a pair of small-press offerings.

"Bad Matter" by Alexandra Duncan: Interstellar spacefarers have developed their own distinct culture; a woman must deal with the consequences of her late father having briefly gone native years before. The footnotes flesh out the milieu elegantly.

"Farewell Atlantis" by Terry Bisson: Once I realized this has nothing to do with the fictitious book of the same name featured in the disaster film 2012, I settled down to enjoy this brief tale of a man and woman revived from stasis to repopulate the Earth. The catch? We're all still here.

"Hell of a Fix" by Matthew Hughes: A pact-with-the-devil story in this day and age? Absolutely, as long as it has a touch of originality. This one does.

"Illusions of Tranquillity" by Brendan DuBois: Down and out in a lunar colony. A classic hustle.

"The Blight Family Singers" by Kit Reed: Weird (in a good way) look at an isolated university's winter carnival, two very different young people try to escape from two very different prisons of their respective parents' making.

"Films": Kathy Maio on $9.99 (yes, that's the title).

"The Economy of Vacuum" by Sarah Thomas: The moon's sole inhabitant manages to outlive her colleagues, her nation, and possibly her sanity. It's a bizarrely fun ride that, out of left field, veers into very odd territory toward the end; the resolution seems a little tacked-on.

"Iris" by Nancy Springer: What would the holidays be without a bittersweet little tale of personal redemption?

"Inside Time" by Tim Sullivan: When you're imprisoned outside of spacetime by unknown forces, you really should make an effort to learn the rules.

"The Man Who Did Something about It" by Harvey Jacobs: A mechanic helps out an after-hours customer. You might imagine she turns out to be an unusual individual, but you won't predict the rest.

"I Needs Must Part, the Policeman Said" by Richard Bowes: A hospital patient receives numerous visitors, both corporeal and insubstantial. To be honest, this is the one story I can honestly say I didn't quite get. This is not a bad thing, and I feel no shame in admitting it, though it bring me scorn from other readers. This is a tale I shall be revisiting shortly.

"Curiosities": F. Gwynplaine McIntyre on Voltaire.

A nice mix.

My favorites: "Dragon's Teeth," "Bad Matter," "Hell of a Fix," and "The Man Who Did Something about It."

My verdict: just buy the thing. You know what you're getting, and this issue doesn't disappoint. Better yet, subscribe. I get all the grief, but surely I can't be the only one not contributing.