Review: Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine # 20

Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine is an Australian bi-monthly publication of humorous and light-hearted speculative fiction. It is published by a co-op of more than 20 people including Robbie Matthews, Simon Haynes, Andrew Finch, Sally Beasley and Dirk Flinthart. Issue #20 is edited by Stuart Barrow.

Issue #20 of Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine sees the magazine take on an International flavour with authors from six countries represented in the 13 short stories on offer. Strangely, Australian authors are the minority here with only four stories in the collection coming from down under. Other countries to earn a gong include the UK, US, Canada, Amsterdam and England. While this is discerning for Aussie authors looking for publishing opportunities it does suggest the magazine has attracted strong international interest and the high quality of most of the stories backs up the editor’s choices. A good sign is that three of the authors featured are print virgins, showing the magazine’s willingness to support new writers.

The issue is presented in a neat A5 size with attractive full-colour cover artwork from Brian Smith. Inside, the issue is black and white and laid out in an easy to read format much like a paperback novel. It is a more professional interior design than early issues of the magazine and is pleasantly void of ads in the body of the issue.

As far as the stories go, Issue #20 is by large well worth a look with an entertaining range of tales on offer. The issue kicks off with Martin Austwick’s The Rat Catcher - a comic tale about a medieval rat catcher. The story is short, sharp and has a funny twist, but reads more like a joke than true prose. As a reader I failed to have any emotional attachment to the characters but the twist made it entertaining enough and set the tone for new readers.

Matthew Bey’s The Monster at Baggage Carousel # 3 is another example of the magazine’s humorous feel. The story sees a man return from a week’s holiday to discover his girlfriend has turned into a monster. It is a hilarious comment on the true face of most break-ups. Bey is right on the money and blends just the right amount of wit, suspense and social comment to hit the mark. But be warned, the monster may be a little for close for comfort to close to an ex of yours.

Suzanne Palmer’s The Ins and Outs of Intergalactic Diplomacy is one of the issue’s highlights and tells the story of two polar bears trying to eat what they think is a penguin while discussing the finer points in life. Fast paced and sharply written this represents what the magazine should aim to be at all times.

Other stories to use humour to good effect are Malcolm Aslett’s Thomas Malthus and the Beanstalk and Paul E. Martens’ Dressing Down. Aslett delivers a clever take on the Jack and the Beanstalk fairytale while Martens is able to turn a mundane barbeque into a spiritual situation. Both stories suffer slightly by using contrived situations to drive the plot but the general good nature in both of them wins out in the end.

Stories that fail to hit the mark are Eric Mann’s Flashes in the Trees trilogy, Ben Cook’s Space Aliens Brought Back Elvis and Ross Raith’s In the Sweet Pie and Pie. Eric Mann’s three entries deal with an interesting concept - what if trees decided to fight back for the wrongs man has inflicted on our planet. While part one is written with a quirkiness that engages the reader the trilogy quickly becomes bogged down in its environmental message. Mann loses sight of the narrative and the stories become a sounding board for his social commentary. Sure the message he’s delivering is a good one, but a more subtle approach would have a better effect.

Ben Cook’s story is a sequel to his previous AISM publication Hitler’s Ghost Possessed My Cat and one of the longest in the collection. The story takes too long to get to the going and its humour fails to hit the mark. Cook obviously has a love for his characters but spends too much time on indulgent sub-plots that slow the “A’’ story and do little for the narrative. I get the feeling he plans to run these story strands throughout a series of short stories, i.e. as evident with a possible developing love plot between the protagonist and his buddy-antagonist, but its hard to connect when we don’t see any real growth in the characters.

Ross Raith’s tale about a washed up comedian and a robot trying to understand humour is an interesting premise but after a strong start doesn’t go anywhere. The story is well written and has its own sense of charm but seems to lack something to take it that next step.

The rest of the stories are strange inclusions - in that they are void of the humour that Andromeda promotes. These stories align themselves more closely with harder sci-fi or horror tag and are driven more by exploring issues on humanity than playing for laughs. While they appear a little out of place in the collection they also offer some of the richest and most fulfilling storytelling in the issue.

These stories include Dirk Flinthart’s Monochrome for Two, Lydia Fazio Theys’ Elena’s Seclusion and Floris M. Kleijne’s Beans and Marbles.

Monochrome for Two is a tragic tale of lost love set in a futuristic society where workers are no more than drones. Flinthart is able to draw us into this world with vivid descriptions of colour that paint a picture in the reader’s mind. He also allows his character’s actions and decisions to drive the story leading it to a conclusion that is both satisfying and believable.

Elena’s Seclusion is another example of what can be achieved when a character’s decisions is allowed to carry the story. It is a moving tale of a couple unable to say goodbye to each other, even after death. Theys’ shows a good understanding of rising tension and is able to create a haunting mood that ebbs throughout the story. This is a piece that is likely to stay with you after you’ve finished it, but is perhaps a little too literary for Andromeda.

Beans and Marbles rounds out the collection and tells the story of how far one person will go to get their morning coffee. One of the few true sci-fi tales in the collection it is also the only story set in space. The story’s strength lies in its building sense of paranoia and tension. The story is slow off the mark, mirroring the dull routines of its protagonists but kicks into gear about half way through. The ending is truly chilling.

Issue #20 also includes non-fiction pieces on author Margo Lanagan, artist Brian Smith, and tips on attending Australian conventions. There are also a handful of reviews on some of the country’s latest sci-fi and fantasy novels.

Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine is available by subscription or at selected retailers such as Slowglass Books for $7.95 per issue. For full details check out the Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine website.