Jupiter Magazine No. 8 (reviewed by Sarah Dobbs)£2.50, A5, pp.56, publisher Ian Redman
The only sad thing about Jupiter is that I've run out of bloody space to give it the review it deserves. Content wise there aren't any bad stories, just ones that appeal to me a little more. On that note you know you're in good hands with Neil Ayres (see p. 28 of this mag) and Remembrance is no exception. Thanks to my bloated editor's eyes, I'm a sucker for a bite-me-in-the-eye-balls first line. In this case we get three: "I am a learner. My son has been killed. It was not a gentle, expected death." Ayres' talent lies in creating atmosphere; the quirky comes alive and in Remembrance the sorrow becomes tangible as the ‘learner' wakes into his own world and out of the numbing, perhaps sham-democracy of his accepted one, where people are categorised like machine components. The irony? Our learner actually has a hell of a lot to learn. No, it's not a new idea (see Brave New World, Equilibrium, The Truman Show…that cursed Matrix) but it's one people constantly grapple with. Questioning one's reality is painful and scary, but very necessary. Onwards now to the final fic, David Turnbull's Cockroach Summer. The conceit? Mega mutant killer cockroaches invade and turf us out of our own homes. Not an anti-refugee metaphor or anything like that (I don't think) but a solid, safe story. Turnbull's style is smooth and refreshing but it lacked that extra bite (unlike the chomping cockroaches) to make it truly memorable. First things last, on the other hand, Nicola Caines' Holy Pictures is fairly mesmerising. A leisurely story, one wanders through Eden’s terrain with little Maria and her pet pelf Kern. The build up to Maria's meeting with the mysterious inhabitants of Eden and her acceptance of her gift is both touching and exciting. Caines has a feel for words which lends this touching tale a spiritual feel. I did think the story rather limped home, but is nevertheless part of a quality publication that should go from strength to strength.
Review taken from:
SCIFANTASTIC - http://scifantasticmag.co.uk
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