What’s in Issue 98
This issue might be titled something like “The Seemingly Random Emergence of Three Stephvens”: Stephen Heister, Steven Francis Murphy and Steven Utley. Three’s our point and we’re feeling lucky. Pass the dice!
| Novels | Tala Bar has brought her two heroines of Gaia, Dar and Nim, a long way: from “The Land” to “The Forest.” And now they feel a mysterious compulsion to follow “The River.” In chapter 3, part 1, Dar senses that the river may not be as pretty as its colors make it look from a distance. Stay with her; she’s right.
In Made It Way Up, Ian Donnell Arbuckle’s characters are deeply affected by losing Lane. Their quiet, internal despair is depicted in a touching and yet serious way as their relationship, like Lane’s rocket, seems to be coming apart in mid-air: part 22, Bernard; part 23, Essa and Kelly |
|---|---|
| Serial | Michael J A Tyzuk brings Tamara Tomson into the case in part 2 of The Soul Hunter. Tamara and her partner feel that an intelligence officer is briefing them without briefing them even as he pretends to brief them... |
| Short Stories |
New contributor euhal allen gives us a lively story about philately. In a way, it’s an ironic joke on the reader: if you’re too young to recognize the cultural reference the story is based on, you won’t get the joke, but recognizing the Stamp of Distinction may make you feel pretty old.
Stephen Heister’s short story will also play a joke on you: unless you do a double-take, you may miss the Seemingly Random Emergence of Threes. |
| Poetry | Steven Francis Murphy’s tender poem explains how profound the title is: “Earth, One Each.”
Steven Utley expresses in a boxed-set pair of poems the frustration that all writers feel at some time or another: “Nothing Comes” and “Burn, and Begone.” |
Departments
| Welcome | Bewildering Stories welcomes euhal allen |
|---|---|
| Discussion | Stephen Heister probes deeply into the emotions suggested by Kristen Tracey’s “Words and Colors No Man Can Understand” (issue 97) in his response to Challenge 97.
Don Webb picks up on some implications in Stephen’s response and asks three questions about identity in “The Dynamic Text.” |
| Challenge | Challenge 98: On the Way Down |
| Letters | Deep Bora follows up on “Election Day in Assam” with Post-Election Days in India, which invites a hypothetical comparison... |
| The Reading Room |
Jerry Wright reviews John G. Hemry’s Burden of Proof. |
| Editorial | Steven Utley, Visit with a Fun Guy |
In Times to Come
Tweet! Referee’s whistle. Time out for soda and sandwiches. Science fiction is supposed to “predict the future,” among other things, isn’t it? So how come Bewildering Stories can’t predict its own future one issue in advance? Well, we’re proud of our heady mixture of science fiction and other speculative and experimental writing, but our “crystal ball” is multicolored, weighs 16 pounds and has three finger holes. Maybe it’s time for a beer frame. More about it in the News.
Readers’ reactions are always welcome.
Please write!
Copyright © 2004 by Bewildering Stories
