The Stories
"Returning My Sister's Face" - by Eugie Foster
"All Fish and Dracula" - by Liz Williams
"Fir Na Tine" - by Sandra McDonald
"Crab Apple" - by Patrick Samphire
"The Good Doctor" - by Melissa Lee Shaw
"Peas and Carrots" - by Michael Canfield

The February issue of Realms of Fantasy has the distinction of having no stories in it that I didn't like. They were all strong in their own way, which made the issue a treat to read (which is a good thing, as I was a stuck on a plane). There's a little horror ("All Fish and Dracula"), two stories involving the faerie realm in some way, some Japanese fantasy, and an amusing coda to the issue. Add to this the wonderful profile of Peter Pan's creator, Sir James M. Barrie, and an interesting look at the movie Elektra that might actually make me want to see it, and you have a real winner of an issue. It's the best one I've read since I starting reading it three issues ago. There have been stronger stories, but they've always been coupled with weaker ones to bring the issue down a bit. Each story in this one was a hit in some way.

"Returning My Sister's Face" - by Eugie Foster
In feudal Japan, young Yasuo and his family have been rendered poor by the death of his father and survive only through the auspices of Shigekazu, lord of Yotsuya. Yasuo enters his lord's military service and things begin rather well. Then, a masterless samurai named Iyemon joins the force and becomes infatuated with Yasuo's sister, Oiwa. Events transpire with the grandaughter of Shigekazu and an apparent adultery committed by Oiwa that Yasuo must fulfill his dying mother's demand to save the other half of his sister's face. This is an interesting examination of feudal Japanese culture of honour and loyalty and how it can be destroyed by hypocrisy and lies. The only way the story lets down is that there is no hint of the deviousness of Iyemon and thus his transformation into practiced liar and dismissive husband comes a bit out of left field. Other than that, the characterization is very good and Foster makes good use out of Japanese traditions and legends to weave an interesting story.

"All Fish and Dracula" - by Liz Williams
Katya hitches a ride to the Whitby Goth Festival with brother and sister, Julian and Lily. Katya thinks they take the Goth thing a little too far, but she has no other transportation. As Katya tries to spend time with the man she likes, Damian, Julian keeps coming around. Lily ends up getting killed, and Julian insists that the bites on her neck are from a vampire. But what's rising on the night of Samhain is *not* your typical vampire, not in this town where the fishing economy has gone down the tubes. This story has a slightly environmental feel to it, but it also has an interesting story behind it with a killer twist that I didn't see coming. Williams does a good job with misdirection that has the reader going one way when the story is really going another. Couple that with strong characterization (with the exception of Damian, who is in the story too much to have his characterization be this thin), and you have a winner of a horror story.

"Fir Na Tine" - by Sandra McDonald
Lisa is a girl with a special ability that she can't explain. She seems to be able to sense when a male has an internal fire that burns so brightly that it almost consumes them. She first notices when she's a kid, seeing a boy vomit fire, and then again when she sneaks a kiss with a fiery boy at an amusement park. It becomes an addiction for her, however. She is always searching for the next fiery fix, and the sex seems to siphon that fire off, giving mutual pleasure to both parties (the males have to release it in some manner or they will die). Unfortunately, it seems to be taking its toll on her, and she starts burning up herself. She discovers there's a secret to dealing with this ability, one that she may never be able to do. This story is actually quite intense and contains some sexual content (as well as a lot of sexual discussion). It's a story of an addiction that goes too far, as well as referencing some old Irish and Celtic myths in new and different ways. There is a slight problem that Lisa gets over the addiction a little too easily after a lifetime of giving in to it, but that doesn't rob the story of its powerful imagery. As long as you don't mind some adult content, this is yet another great story in this issue.

"Crab Apple" - by Patrick Samphire
The story of Josh, his father dying of lung cancer and alcoholism, and a young wayward girl named Emma who appears just at the right moment for the boy. Emma is a wild and carefree girl, trying to get Josh to follow her in her wild antics. When she leads him to the Crab, a fairie tree that is able to pass along its wild roots by getting people to eat its crab apples. Emma seems to be becoming more and more a part of the tree, often appearing with sticks and leaves in her hair that break off and bleed if snapped. While Josh can't save his dad from the cancer eating him from the inside out, can he save this young girl from a sinister influence? This is an interesting story with nice parallels between Josh's dad and the "father" figure of the Crab, both malevolent in their own way, except that Josh's father is self-destructive while the Crab is trying to spread its seed. Samphire does capture the characters in an interesting fashion, with Josh especially being well-drawn. He's quick and intelligent when dealing with Emma toward the end of the story, but whenever he's with his dad he's just another little boy who is facing the fact that his father is very likely going to die. Having re-read the story for this review, I just realized that the ending is a little bit open-ended, with the possibility that Josh may do something incredibly stupid in an attempt to save his dad. This adds a whole new dimension to the story that I really liked.

"The Good Doctor" - by Melissa Lee Shaw
Deep in the tropical forest of Bolivia, there is a village with a doctor. One doctor, one minor clinic, and an assistant who has a bad leg. Paolo is that assistant, and he knows the secret of this doctor. Unfortunately, it's a secret that he can never tell. His wife is after him to have another baby to help ease the loss of one of their other children, but Paolo can't do that. He knows too much, and he doesn't want to give the doctor any more than he already has. When a woman and her 10-year-old daughter come to the village, the woman is bitten by a caimano. Horribly poisoned, the woman is near comatose. The daughter refuses to leave her side, but she will soon have her own problems. Will Paolo be able to do the right thing as circumstances come to a head? How desperate will this village be without a doctor? This is an incredibly powerful story of a man torn. The doctor has a horrible hold over the village as he has done so much for them, even though there are other things that the villagers don't know about. Everything is told from Paolo's point of view, so we only see the doctor through his eyes, which adds to the tension since Paolo is pretty much the only person who knows. The doctor's almost a malevolent force rather than a character. Paolo's home situation is even more tragic, as he can't explain what happened to their child or why he refuses to have another one, and his wife grows increasingly despondent. While the story does drag a little bit in the middle, it is still worth a read.

"Peas and Carrots" - by Michael Canfield
What is life like for a minor character in a play with no lines? What would it be like to have to perform the same act every night, despite the fact that you're really in love with the heroine and you know she will never be happy with the man who is courting her? Being a character with no lines, he's restricted to saying "peas and carrots" to force his lips to move, as the background characters are supposed to be conversing even as the main characters perform their lines. But this character doesn't want to be restricted. He is in love, and determined to break through the confines of what the script says. This is a really cute story with more substance than it seems, addressing how sometimes we find ourselves restricted to roles that we put ourselves into and can't get out of. We move through life, saying our lines and never taking chances with the unknown. What happens if we break through the self-imposed barriers and jump into the mist? Especially amusing is the waiter who is supposed to be taking his order in the background of the play. As the character ("Handsome Stranger with Newspaper at Next Table") begins to force himself out of his bonds, the waiter is increasingly horrified, trying desperately to stick to the script as the man he is supposed to be talking to refuses to do the same. "Peasandcarrots!" he keeps shouting, but to no avail. The wall is broken and he is being left behind. It's a nice, fluffy way to end the issue while still making a point about society in general. Well done.

Other features of this issue
"Movies" - Interview with David Bowman, director of Elektra, starring Jennifer Garner. Also, a Winter 2005 fantasy film preview
"Folkroots" - a fascinating profile of Peter Pan creator, Sir James M. Barrie, written by noted fantasy author Terri Windling
"Books" - reviews of upcoming and just published books
"Gallery" - the Duirwaigh Gallery of fantasy art. Interview with the president of the gallery, Angi Sullins
"Games" - Reviews of upcoming and just published RPGs and video games