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4.5 

Apex Magazine Issue 130

By Jason Sizemore & Lesley Conner &
Apex Magazine Issue 130 by Jason Sizemore & Lesley Conner &  digital book - Fable

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Publisher Description

Strange. Beautiful. Shocking. Surreal.

 

APEX MAGAZINE is a digital dark science fiction and fantasy genre zine that features award-winning short fiction, essays, and interviews. Established in 2009, our fiction has won several Hugo and Nebula Awards.

 

We publish every other month.

 

Issue 130 contains the following short stories, essays, reviews, and interviews.

 

EDITORIAL
Musings from Maryland: Editorial by Lesley Conner

 

ORIGINAL FICTION
Nine Theories of Time by Spencer Nitkey
To Live and Die in Dixieland by Russell Nichols
The First Promise We Break by Risa Wolf
Tenure by Devon Mihesuah
It Rises and Falls and Rises Again by RJ Taylor
Strata by Benjamin Blattberg

 

CLASSIC FICTION
An Arc of Electric Skin by Wole Talabi
In the Garden of Ibn Ghazi by Molly Tanzer

 

NONFICTION
Always and Forever by Milton J. Davis
Never Let the Light Go Out by Linda D. Addison

 

REVIEWS
Words for Thought: Short Fiction Review by A.C. Wise
Book Review: A Spindle Splintered Alix E. Harrow (reviewed by Lesley Conner)
Book Review: Sweep of Stars by Maurice Broaddus (reviewed by Tracy Robinson)

 

INTERVIEWS
Interview with Author Spencer Nitkey by Andrea Johnson
Interview with Author RJ Taylor by Andrea Johnson
Interview with Cover Artist JR Slattum by Bradley Powers

2 Reviews

4.5
“The Following Are My Favorite Short Stories & Articles Within APEX MAGAZINE – ISSUE 130 – Edited by JASON SIZEMORE & LESLEY CONNER ‘TO LIVE AND DIE IN DIXIELAND’ – by RUSSELL NICHOLS – A Must Read! ‘Overhead, a crow caws. Royce wonders what the caw means? Is it trying to send a message? Scare him off? Warn him of a threat? Royce thinks about his father’s father’s father’s father. Josiah Mitchell couldn’t go for a “stroll in the park.” He couldn’t go birdwatching because he was too busy watching his back. For him, trees were probably torturous symbols of death.’ ‘What can you do when even the natural world conspires against you?’ ‘NINE THEORIES OF TIME’ – By SPENCER NITKEY – My Heart! Beautifully Written, Heartbreakingly Real ‘There is nothing that changes time, not speed, not love, not distance. It slips, moment by moment by. I try to hold it. I take a dozen pictures at his ballet recitals. I record his giggle as he rips the wrapping off of his presents. Still, time marches. I cannot pause it, try though I might. I cannot live in any single moment, as desperately beautiful as they are.’ ‘THE FIRST PROMISE WE BREAK’ – by RISA WOLF ‘Whenever my story is told, I cringe. Some versions cast me as rude and weak; some versions cast him as violent and cruel. Sometimes I wed him. Sometimes I kill him. But in all versions, promises are broken. If any version of the story revealed the truth of the thing, I wouldn’t mind so much. But in the distilling, so much is lost.’ ‘TENURE’ – by DEVON MIHESUAH – Love The Ending! ‘“Be careful what you wish for, lest your wish come true.”’ ‘IT RISES AND FALLS AND RISES AGAIN’ – by RJ TAYLOR – Love The Hook Line! ‘The screaming began, as it always did, from above, from far away, from someone falling off the summit, or maybe being pushed. No one knew.’ ‘AN ARC OF ELECTRIC SKIN’ – by WOLE TALABI – My Heart! ‘For a long time, I wondered what kind of person would volunteer to point of aluminium and the night-time surface temperature of Mercury, riding a wave of thermal torment that would drive most people insane with pain.’ ‘Now I know.’ NON-FICTION: ‘NEVER LET THE LIGHT GO OUT’ – by LINDA D. ADDISON Love And Needed This Right Now! – ‘Tomorrow is another day, full of possibilities and Light is waiting in each breath.’ ‘Light in our lives makes life visible and positive, it stimulates hope and creativity. When I think of what is light in life, I’m filled with memories of uplifting people and events. Even quiet, peaceful moments represent light because that’s often when things become visible.’ ‘ALWAYS AND FOREVER’ – by MILTON J. DAVIS ‘Fiction in 2005, little did I know that I was part of a wave of creators that would change the face of science fiction and fantasy publishing and introduce the diversity the industry lacked for so long.’ ‘The reality is that there had always been Black authors and readers in speculative fiction, reaching as far back as the 19th century.’ Love This! – ‘The Black Speculative Movement unlocked the door; Black Panther shoved it open.’ WORDS FOR THOUGHT: SHORT FICTION REVIEW – by AC WISE Wise reviews short stories published in the following magazines: Kaleidotrope, The Dark, Nightmare Magazine, Solarpunk Magazine, and Uncanny. ‘By the time this column publishes however, we’ll be that much closer to spring. So, out of the heart of winter, I offer you a mix of truly chilling horror balanced with stories of love and hope.’ LESLEY CONNER’S BOOK REVIEW OF: A SPINDLE SPLINTERED - BY ALIX E. HARROW ‘A Spindle Splintered is an enchanting novella. It weaves the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale with a dash of science fiction and a whole heap of snark, and gives everything a feminist twist that makes me want to cheer.’ Yes, Please, And Thank You – Need! I Love The Cover! KETURAH BARCHERS’ BOOK REVIEW OF: SWEEP OF STARS - BY MAURICE BROADDUS - ‘[A] fantastic afro-futurist story that dives into the community versus the individual, the long reach of slavery, and what healing from oppression looks like.’ ‘The year is 2121, and the Muungano empire spreads across the stars with bases on the Moon and Titan and the starship Cypher. A group of people helps lead this community-minded powerhouse. This group’s influence is far-reaching and they have no trouble putting aside their personal lives and feelings for the good of the community.’ Another, Yes, Please, And Thank You – Need! INTERVIEWS BY ANDREA JOHNSON WITH AUTHORS: RJ TAYLOR SPENCER NITKEY INTERVIEW WITH ARTIST J.R. SLATTUM By BRADLEY POWERS Thank you, Jason Sizemore & Lesley Conner, for providing me with an eMagazine of APEX – Issue 130 at the request of an honest review.”

Bradley Powers

Russell Nichols

Devon Mihesuah

Benjamin Blattberg

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