Review: On Spec #68

The most recent issue of On Spec: the Canadian Magazine of the Fantastic offers slim pickings for fans of Dark Fantasy and Horror, but that’s no comment upon the overall quality of the journal, which compares favourably to the better issues of such local fare as Aurealis and Agog!.

Out of the seven pieces of short fiction offered, only two tackled darker themes, and even then were really more ‘dark SF’ than outright horror.

‘Why the Poets Were Banned from the City’ by Jerome Stueart examines the issues of murder, redemption, madness and media manipulation. Literary in style, it disturbs on both a gory, in-your-face level, and on a far more subtle, far nastier level as it examines just how far a person can be manipulated before something snaps.

More emotive in style, and a definite highlight of this publication in general, was ‘Made’ by Paul Hosek. Here, Hosek takes the clichéd trope of the killer with psychic powers, and twists them into a slick, brutal tale with a simple message: sometimes the bad guys don’t get a comeuppance.

Additionally, of interest to writers – in any genre – is this issue’s editorial, entitled ‘How We Do It’, which details the do’s and don’ts of submitting to On Spec specifically, but which serves admirably as a guide to submissions in general. Definitely worth reading, whether you’re aspiring, breaking in, or an old hand.

Overall, a very good read, although – again – more geared towards SF and modern fantasy than the darker genres. On for the all-round speculative reader.