A Look at Heroic Fantasy Quarterly 33

The latest issue of Heroic Fantasy Quarterly (issue 33 for those who are counting) went live a few weeks ago.  Let’s take a look at it, shall we?

This is a standard issue of HFQ, in that there are three pieces of fiction and three poems.  I’ll review the fiction and mention the poems.  I’m not sure I can keep my comments shorter than the poetry, and since I’m not sure what purpose that would serve, I’ll keep my trap shut for once.  Two of the three stories take place in Central America, and all of them have female protagonists (although in one story, the viewpoint starts out female and changes to a male after another character enters the scene).  I don’t know if there is an unofficial theme at work, or if things just turned out that way.  Not that it matters. What counts is if the fiction is any good.

The first story is “Between Sea and Flame” by Evan Dicken. A disgraced Aztec soldier named Hummingbird finds herself allied with a chieftain and a rogue conquistador to defeat an extra dimensional menace that threatens the world.  This one had some pretty heavy lovecraftian tones to it and turned out to be a lot of fun. There’s plenty of action, and the tale is not without character development. Hummingbird appeared in a previous story, “Mouth of the Jaguar” in 2014, which I haven’t read. I’ve missed a few issues of HFQ here and there, and that appears to be one of them.  I’ll have to go back and check the earlier story out.

The next story was harder for me to get into, but eventually I did.  “I am Become Death, the Destroyer of Worlds” by Raphael Ordonez also features a returning character, although he doesn’t show up for a bit.  That character is Francisco Carvajal, who last appeared in “Heart of Tashyas” earlier this year. (My review is here.)  I enjoyed the previous story, but it took me a bit to get into this one. I’m not sure why. Maybe because I was reading on my phone and got interrupted a few times. Once I got into it, though, things started moving and it turned out to be an enjoyable adventure with some lovecraftian overtones as well.

The story I liked the most was by Jason Carney.  “Rakefire” is about a woman seeking to capture a rogue hedge wizard in order to track down the rogue sorcerer who trained him. There was a freshness to this one that I like. The downside of this story is it read as though it were part of a larger story arc. Having been accused of that type of writing myself, I don’t have a problem with seeing an episode from a larger canvas. What bothered me about this one is that the ending seemed a little abrupt, as though there were a page missing. Still, I’d be interested in seeing more of this character.

So overall, Issue 33 of Heroic Fantasy Quarterly is another solid installment. It’s not my favorite issue, but it certainly had some good fiction in it. And that’s probably one of the most important things about HFQ, its consistency.  When I read a magazine (print or electronic) or an anthology, I don’t expect every story to always be to my taste. What I look for is consistency in the storytelling. I can set my personal likes and dislikes aside and look at the storytelling and writing. Are the stories well-written? Do they contain characters the reader will care about? Is there entertainment value here?

When judged by those standards and not my personal preferences, I’ve never known Heroic Fantasy Quarterly to fail to deliver. That’s why I’m still reading it long after I’ve quit reading of short fiction venues.

8 thoughts on “A Look at Heroic Fantasy Quarterly 33

    1. Keith West Post author

      That’s one part of the world that seems to have been neglected by the sff field. I’m glad there are writers mining those veins and glad you’re publishing them.

      Reply
      1. Matthew

        You’re right. Aside from Lucius Shepard’s work there isn’t a lot of work that deals with South America. Avram Davidson’s stories set in British Hidalgo which is basically Belize (which is actually Central America not South.) I do seem to remember Analog publishing what was essentially an detective story set in a world where the Aztec Empire never failed. Other that I can’t think of any.

        Reply
        1. Keith West Post author

          I had forgotten about Davidson’s stories, but you’re right. And I remember that story from Analog. I liked it a lot. If there were sequels, I’m not aware of them. I certainly would have read them if I had been. Now that I think about it, wasn’t Tiptree’s “The Women Men Don’t See” set in Central America?

          Reply
  1. Matthew

    I’m glad you remember that story. I was wondering if I dreamt it up. The Limerkiller story I’ve read was the first one but I liked it a lot. I actually got to visit Belize. Nice country.

    Reply
    1. Keith West Post author

      No, you definitely weren’t dreaming it. It has been nearly 20 years since that story was published. I remember because I read it coming back from a job interview on the other side of the country and they put me on a red-eye for my return flight.

      I’ve only read one of the Limekiller stories, and it’s been so long that I don’t recall which one. It was in The Avram Davidson Treasury IIRC. I’ve got the collected stories but haven’t read the book yet. I’ve never been to Central America, but the university I work for is opening a branch campus there, and I might be able to wrangle a visit to inspect the labs before they start meeting classes in them.

      Reply
  2. Jason

    Thanks so much for the encouraging review! Alas, I feel the same way about the abruptness of the end! I really struggled with tying it up. I know Augrim and Rakefire will become traveling companions as her Seeking proceeds. I just couldn’t find a way of getting them to interact without initiating what seemed to be a whole different story. Anyway, I really enjoy your blog! Thanks so much for the review! It’s wind in my sails! JRC

    Reply
    1. Keith West Post author

      You’re quite welcome, Jason. Thanks for the kind words. I’m looking forward to reading the next installment of this series.

      Reply

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