The story that kicks off this latest edition left me cold,
which is ironic given that it revolves around the a city surrounded by fire and
lava. Wall Wardens, by Lynn Rushlau, tells one chapter
of the tale of the last city in the world, and one of the wizards charged with
maintaining the massive magic barricade that keeps the fire and the drakes
outside, looking in. The setting is
fantastically creative – a literal safe bubble in a sea of fire, and I could
see many a role-playing game revolving around the politics of the city and foiling
the numerous attempts by apocalyptic cults to bring down the magic
barricade. In this short story, however,
the villain’s motivation didn’t make enough sense, and I didn’t have enough
reason to root for the protagonist to give this story a solid recommendation. It’s not a bad story, but it doesn’t stand
out among the usual Cirsova affair.
The second story starts as a standard King Aurthur as a
young boy story, and then takes an unexpected twist into a Lovecraftian
nightmare. That this twist surprised me
actually surprised me given that it’s right there on the cover. The Lady of the Amorous City, by Edward M. Erdelac, uabashedly mashes up heroic
knights with damsels in distress, tentacled monsters, and bottomless lakes
housing things best left undisturbed.
Thought it starts slow, when the action ramps up, the story doesn’t
relent until the end. Even with
everything I’ve said already, this story still contains a few surprises for
readers. All in all, this winds up a
tight little read with a little bit of everything mixed in.
