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Review: Realms of Fantasy Oct. 2002

© Debbie Ledesma

Many magazines come and go. A few manage to stay around for years. Realms of Fantasy is one that has been around for years, bringing entertaining and thought provoking stories to the Fantasy reader. The October 2002 issue brings some good stories and interesting articles as usual. There is something to please and entertain every taste.

Science Fantasy blends the tropes of Fantasy such as magic with science. This issue has two Science Fantasy stories. The first one is "In the Witch's Garden" by Naomi Kritzer. This is a retelling of the fairy tale "The Snow Queen." Natalia is a lonely witch who finds Gerda, a made-child from the station. She tries to keep Gerda as her daughter until the day Gerda remembers she needs to find her friend Kay. Gerda leaves on a long journey to find her friend, encountering scientists and other strange characters along the way. Ms. Kritzer provides an excellent retelling that come full circle to a poignant conclusion.

The second Science Fantasy story is "East of the Sun, West of the Moon" by Elizabeth Counihan. It is a retelling of another fairy tale with the flavor of the Middle East. Three princesses disobey their father and find themselves married off to other men, Dara, the youngest, finds herself being married to a hideous beast creature. She lives in a wonderful place with her husband who assumes human form at night. One day she destroys his hideous outer skin and finds herself cast out into he world. Pregnant, she embarks on a long quest to distant worlds in search of her husband. Ms. Counihan writes a descriptive tale of vivid images and a satisfying ending.

There is an Alternate Historical Fantasy story too. "Honeydark" by Liz Williams takes place near Constantinople of 1921. Told in the first person, the main character leaves the city of politics and takes up residence in a quiet village. He befriends the young girl Melissa who has a strange relationship with bees. This is an interesting story with intriguing characters and a weird mystery. It is certainly not for readers that do not like bees.

Finally, some of the nonfiction articles are interesting too. Terri Windling returns with an article on the folk tale of Bluebeard. She covers how the tale has several different incarnations in various cultures. All of the tales involve women of diverse character dealing with a horrific situation. This in depth article provides thought provoking insights into a fascinating folk tale. Another article of interest is the movie one about "Signs." It talks about crop circles, the movie and M. Night Shyamalan's fantastic movie visions. These articles are worth investing the time for reading.

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