STORY REVIEW: Shadow—A Parable
Tim MatassaBefore “The Masque of the Red Death,” there was “Shadow”—and try as these revelers might, no amount of partying in hiding can keep Death at bay for long.
Short Stories
STORY REVIEW: Lionizing
Robert Jones has an epic nose, and everyone admires him for it. Plus, schnozzes, proboscises, and Nosology. It’s noses everywhere!
STORY REVIEW: The Unparalleled Adventure of One Hans Pfaall
A Dutch man tries to outrun his creditors by flying a hot air balloon to the moon. Plus, bulging eyeballs and ugly aliens—but is it all a hoax?
STORY REVIEW: The Hand
Did a severed human hand commit murder all by itself? Plus, does the supernatural exist, or is anything we can’t explain just “inexplicable”?
STORY REVIEW: The Monkey’s Paw
Three wishes from a mummified monkey’s paw… what could go wrong?
STORY REVIEW: The Assignation
A baby falls in a canal, and only one man can save the day. Plus, a goddess adored by all of Venice, a sinister husband, and a lovers’ pact for the ages.
STORY REVIEW: The Wolf and the Man
A wolf attacks an armed huntsman with nothing but brute strength—but was he goaded into the fight? And does he deserve praise for having more guts than brains?
STORY REVIEW: MS. Found in a Bottle
Here there be ghosts? Maybe… Plus, not one but TWO ships go down, and an unfortunate sailor journals about how no one pays attention to him.
STORY REVIEW: The Skins of the Fathers
Demons spat out from the bowels of the earth traverse the Arizona desert. Plus, what do you tell your insurance agent when an ancient monster destroys your Mustang?
STORY REVIEW: Jacqueline Ess: Her Will and Testament
A depressed woman goes from powerless to powerful, and nobody is safe. Plus, the mighty kneels, three syllables is a mouthful, and even the good guy is pathetic.