Interzone 224 From TTA Press, Reviewed
The September-October Issue of Britain's Leading SF Magazine
Nov 6, 2009
The September/October 2009 issue of Interzone sees the magazine pass New Worlds' record of 223 issues. The former record for the most issues under one magazine title has stood for over a decade, and this new one may stand for much, much longer.
Reviews
The usual departments are present: Nick Lowe reviews film releases in Mutant Popcorn, including The Time Traveler's Wife, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince and Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs.Tony Lee's Laser Fodder eviscerates season 5 of Stargate Atlantis, but likes Outlander and season 1 of Dollhouse rather more.
And Sandy Auden interviews Robert Holdstock and reviews his new novel Avilion on the 25th anniversary of the publication of it's precursor Mythago Wood, while others tackle James Barclay's Ravensoul, David Langford's Starcombing and various other tomes.
Jason Sanford
Jason Sanford's novella 'Sublimation Angels' is set on a distant planet six centuries after humans have been resettled by the alien Aurals, who are determined to wean people off their dependence on AIs. The planet is deep-frozen, in open tribute to Fritz Leiber's classic 'A Pail of Air,' but there resemblences end, for while Leiber tapped into fears of a nuclear Armageddon, Sanford is more interested in betrayal and rebirth in a Sci-Fi Strange setting. One of the best novellas of the year, written by a writer whose reputation grows with each story.
Rachel Swirsky returns and Katherine Sparrow debuts with their collaboration 'No Longer You,' a carefully depicted character study of a broken-hearted dancer who can no longer dance, and has also split with his girlfriend. When he meets a Tomid, a genetically altered entity who promises him immortality – of a sort.
Adrian Joyce debuts with 'Shucked' a story of a new...something..."an anti-matter mastiff, a shadow hound, maw agape" (p.32) generated by the internet which communicates in spam. It's lean and atmospheric, and would have been equally at home in Black Static; Joyce's debut promises much, but ultimately doesn't deliver. A shame.
Jeremiah Tolbert
'The Godfall's Chemsong' marks the return of Jeremiah Tolbert after a four year absence. Aside from the opening paragraphs, it's written entirely from a close alien point of view, rather like James Tiptree, jr.'s classic 'Love is the Plan, the Plan is Death.' Muskblue is at the point of death when a corpse falls as manna from heaven – literally, as Muskblue perceives it. The ending has echoes of Walter Jon William's 'Surfacing,' and begs for more. Highly Recommended.
Closing out the fiction section is Chris Butler's 'The Festival of Tethselem,' in which a group of travellers try to penetrate a semi-closed city with its statuary Figure of Frozen Time. With only hints of setting (terrabirds are mentioned, which implies it's offworld and war-torn backstory) and exotic society, it reads at first as almost fantasy, but black holes and alternate timelines make it definitely SF. Outstanding.
Adam Tredowski's fifth consecutive cover could have been written specifically for the Butler story, and there are equally striking internal illustrations from Paul Drummond and Martin Bland. Interzone has been described by Gardner Dozois as 'the best looking SF magazine,' but there's more to it than simple good looks – there's content, as well.
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