And so we come to another issue of Heroic Fantasy Quarterly. This was one of the strongest (and grimmest) issues I’ve seen in a while. There are three pieces of fiction along with two poems and a great illustration by Serbian artist Vuc Kostic. His dark style is a perfect fit for the stories contained herein. Continue reading
Apologies to Adrian Simmons, to whom I had promised this review a few weeks ago. (To give you an idea of how hectic things are, I started this post on Sunday and am finishing it on Wednesday.) In the past, I’ve read HFQ in spare moments at work and have usually managed to finish an issue in about a week or ten days. The problem this go around is that there hasn’t been any free time.
Chimera by Giovanna Guimarães
Anyway, HFQ returns with one of its strongest issues. Included are a wandering Comanche in Central America, sky pirates raiding a lost city, and an offering to a goddess which unleashes all kinds of problems. Continue reading
The current issue of Heroic Fantasy Quarterly (number 22) has been out for a little while now. I’ve been reading it here and there when I have a slow few minutes at work. (The fact that it’s taken me several weeks to finish should tell you how many slow minutes I have.)
Once again, this one is strong. There are four pieces of fiction here, two long and two short, as well as two poems. The longer stories are historical fantasy, while the shorter pieces are set in imaginary worlds.
Here’s a quick run down of what you’ll find. Continue reading
Well, actually, by this time, it’s not that new, having been out a few weeks. This issue contains four pieces of fiction (as opposed to the usual three), one of which has an extra illustration. There are also two poems. Continue reading
I didn’t realize until a few minutes ago how long it had been since I’d posted here. I guess I’d been posting more at Gumshoes, Gats, and Gams than I realized. Of course two of those posts are obituaries/tributes. I still have one review I need to write over there.
Anyway, I’ve gotten a bit burned out on novels. Probably because I’ve been juggling too many of them lately. Having multiple formats for reading has its downside. I’ve got a novel I need to finish, That would be The Raven’s Banquet by Clifford Beal, a gritty historical fantasy that I’m liking a lot.
There are a couple of more novels I need to make some progress on, but for the next couple of weeks, I’m going to concentrate on short fiction. Classes start next Monday, but I’m back in the office trying to get ready. That means the syllabus for my class, syllabi for all the labs I’m directly in charge of, and trying to get TA assignments complete. We don’t normally run labs the first week because there are too many logistical issues, but the semester schedule has some quirks in it that necessitate doing so.
All of which is to say that I’m not sure what my time is going to be like. I may have large blocks free (not likely, but hey, it could happen), or I may have to read and write in quick snatches. Which means I’ll be focusing on short fiction.
I’ve got about half a dozen anthologies/single author collections in multiple genres I’m working my way through. Plus some short fiction venues such as Weird Tales and Heroic Fantasy Quarterly. The last two will be finished and reviewed by Labor Day for sure. Beyond that, I’ve learned the hard way not to make promises I might not be able to keep.
The result could very well look like feast or famine as far as posts are concerned. I might not post anything for a week, then have four or five posts go up at my various blogs over the course of a couple of days. It will all depend on what I’m in the mood for and how much time I actually have.
And somewhere in there, I’d like to make some progress on my own writing…
It’s been a while since I looked at any online magazine here, and that includes Heroic Fantasy Quarterly. One of my goals for the year was to change that. I’m a bit behind on that one, I’m about to start making progress.
The latest issue of HFQ contains two poems and four stories rather than the usual three. All of them have a desert theme. (I wonder if the harsh winter we’ve been having has anything to do with that. California Dreamin’, sword and sorcery style.) Continue reading