Stories:
"Finding Beauty" – by Lisa Goldstein (Novelet) 23 pages
"Time to Go" – by Michael Kandel (Short Story) 7 pages
"A Paleozoic Palimpsest" – by Steven Utley (Short Story) 16 pages
"The End of the World as We Know It" – by Dale Bailey (Short Story) 18 pages
"The Angst of God" – by Michael Bishop (Short Story) 11 pages
"Cold Fires" – by M. Rickert (Short Story) 16 pages
"Opal Ball" – by Robert Reed (Short Story) 7 pages
"Flat Diane" – by Daniel Abraham (Novelet) 27 pages
"The Courtship of Kate O'Farrissey" – by John Morressy (Novelet) 22 pages
"The Little Stranger" – by Gene Wolfe (Novelet) 18 pages
"In Tibor's Cardboard Castle" – by Richard Chwedyk (Novelet) 39 pages

The October-November issue of Fantasy & Science Fiction took a long time to consume, partially because it's so big and partially because I had other drags on my time. It's still available until the end of October, though, so you should still be able to find it. This is a big step up after the last issue (doubly so because it's so large and contains so many stories). All the stories are at least interesting and I didn't find myself disappointed with any of them. Some were better than others, however, with Gene Wolfe being a surprising entry in the latter column. I didn't enjoy his "The Little Stranger" as much as I have enjoyed Wolfe's past work. However, "Flat Diane" and "A Paleozoic Palimpsest" make the issue very worthwhile. Eleven stories are enough to spoil any short SF fan, especially when they're as quality as these are. Also, don't miss the rare (at least, it seems rare to me) science article about Mars. It's fascinating stuff and gives us a rundown on what is currently known about the Red Planet. Also of note is Kathi Maio's breakdown of The Stepford Wives and its ancestors. It's a great analysis of just why the current movie doesn't work, as long as reminding us of some of the sequels to the earlier film that were just laughable. This is definitely an issue worth picking up.

The Stories
"Finding Beauty" – by Lisa Goldstein
A quite different take on the classic "Sleeping Beauty" tale, this time told from the point of view of Prince Charming. This Prince Charming is a little different than what we're used to, though. He's been gifted with many blessings upon his birth, but these blessings have not produced the best prince. At his birth, a witch tells his mother that he is fated to find and awaken a sleeping princess, who is desired by everybody in the land. When Prince Charming finally finds her, she's not at all what he expected. The rest of the story shows us how Charming deals with the situation a lot to fulfill his obligations to his people. I found this a thoroughly (pardon the expression) charming story with a lot of wit and good characterization. The fates that Charming is presented with upon his birth are the usual double-edged swords, but Goldstein makes them logical and interesting as well. And Beauty is a delight. The relationship between the two is particularly noteworthy, especially the tension between them right after she wakes up and discovers the horror of her situation. You won't look at the old fairy tale the same way again.

"Time to Go" – by Michael Kandel
What would life be like if man were immortal? For one thing, families would get increasingly hard to track as ancestors would be scattered all over the place. Tim is asked by his Aunt Bessie to go find Uncle Carmine and bring him to the latest family wedding. In doing so, Tim comes upon Carmine and some of his friends in a bar. Humans are immortal, but can shut it all down with just a thought if the ennui of their long life starts to get to them. The story carries an effective suggestion that we enjoy the life we are given by showing us what it would be like if that immortality existed. This is reflected in the names of Carmine's associates at the bar: Ho Hum, Same Old, and Been There. Each person uses their own method to try and keep things fresh, but inevitably, it's time to shut it all down. The story is alternately poignant and funny, with Tim beginning to despair of bringing Carmine to the wedding as he spends time at the bar. Carmine is old enough that he doesn't even bother to keep track of how anybody's related to him. The story is quite short, but it packs a lot into a small space. I'll never look at the old gent sitting in the corner of the bar the same again.

"A Paleozoic Palimpsest" – by Steven Utley
Utley provides us with another tale of the Silurian Age. Unfortunately, being a new reader of the magazine, I'm not familiar with any of them. If they're anything like "A Paleozoic Palimpsest," though, I know I'd enjoy them. The story is written as an academic study, footnotes and all, examining this piece of Paleozoic limestone that is a haven for graffiti artists. Not only is it a history of this rock, complete with sophomoric mathematical and philosophical humour ("I micturate mightily on your meandering, monotonous, meaningless, and maximally moronic musings on mathematics") as well as other, cruder slogans. It's not only a study of the rock, but also a documentary about a woman's attempt to study it herself, and the inquiry that happens when she attempts to inhibit the Navy's attempts to wipe the rock clean. The story is hilarious, with the footnotes being even funnier. It also illustrates the vagueness that some ancient history can have as all of the accounts of what happened are jumbled. The author of the history even points out a couple of times where the written record has to have been wrong. The story loses a little steam when it gets to the inquiry (though it still elicited a few guffaws), but the details of the graffiti itself is enough to carry the story. I definitely hope that a collection of these tales is produced at some point. Probably the best story in the issue.

"The End of the World as We Know It" – by Dale Bailey
Bailey writes a story about the end of the world. He doesn't bother to tell us what happened, instead dealing with the aftermath. Wyndham wakes up one morning to find everybody dead and decaying. His morning routine is disrupted when his wife doesn't mumble a "good-bye" as he gets ready to go off to work. He discovers a strange smell and determines that she's dead. He runs out of the house only to find that everybody else is dead too. "The End of the World as We Know It" is the story of how Wyndham deals with all of this. Bailey has various asides where he tells us about other natural and man-made disasters, giving the approximate body count each time. He also points out how different this story will be from the typical "end of the world" stories. The narrator says that, typically, end of the world stories have a man and a woman survive, ready to repopulate the species. However, "There's a woman in this story too. Don't get your hopes up." Ultimately, the story is just depressing. The message Wyndham seems to give to us is that when the entire world has gone to pot, you might as well just make a gin and tonic for yourself and sit on the porch watching the sunset. There's really nothing else to be done. This was an ok story, but nothing special.

"The Angst of God" – by Michael Bishop
A support group for war criminals and dictators? "The Angst of God" is a story about the alien Ztun and their attempts to cleanse the universe of evil. They go around to various planets, "gas" the entire populace, and remove the evil-doers. The "good" people are only out for a day and are placed back where they began, but the "bad" people are removed for up to a year. General Draper is one of those war criminals, and the narrator of the story. He details the sessions with the alien counselor and various despots and thugs from other worlds. When the reason the Ztun are doing this becomes clear, perhaps the reader should start rooting for the bad guys? This story is supposedly an homage to George Alec Effinger, but since I haven't read any of his books. It didn't make any difference, though. It was still very enjoyable. The idea of extra matter in the universe being "the angst of God" caused by evil actions, and this matter preventing the eventual heat death of the universe was quite inventive. The "villains" are intriguing, and the Ztun are also quite interesting. It's a weird concept, brilliantly done.

"Cold Fires" – by M. Rickert
A married couple finds themselves snowed in to their cabin, and so trade tales of long-lost loves by the fire to keep warm. Unfortunately, these tales demonstrate how their love for each other can never be as complete as it should be. First, the woman tells a story of her past that explains the fact that, despite being from an island where the natives are dark and swarthy, she is light and has blonde hair. It's a story of a woman that her great-great grandfather brings home to be his wife's helpmate and who eventually becomes his new wife. He tells a story about his past and his job in an art museum. He discovers a painting with the visage of a haunting woman that is found in a rich man's estate. It's a tale of spectacular love, between a man and an image, and it had a great effect. These tales have a huge effect on the couple's marriage from that point on, showing that it's not always good to find out the deep dark secrets of your lover. It's another thoroughly depressing story, but it is effectively told. It's atmospheric, though the man's tale is more interesting than the woman's. Rickert manages to evoke the great cold that sparks these stories, almost giving the reader a chill. Good stuff, but it almost wears out its welcome.

"Opal Ball" – by Robert Reed
Robert Reed seems to be one of Gordon Van Gelder's favourite authors (along with Matthew Hughes) as he has yet another story in this month's issue. This story takes "futures trading" to a new, rather bleak height. In the future, people don't just gamble on sporting events. They also gamble on people and other world events. Which woman is right for me? Will there be any visible supernovas in the next ten years? Cliff has been "playing" for a long time, but he's never met the right woman, until he met a fellow player. He fully believes she is the one, but when he posts to the players' board asking if people believe she is, and he gets a 92% "no" response. Determined to beat the odds, they decide to continue the relationship, even going so far as to get married. Perhaps the public knows more than you would think? The story shows that knowing the future isn't always a good thing, and that we shouldn't invest so much of our self-identity into what other people think. It's a tragic story, with an uplifting coda. Robert Reed once again provides an interesting, thought-provoking story. It's very short so the characterization isn't much, but the concept is chilling.

"Flat Diane" – by Daniel Abraham
I'm sure most of you are familiar with the whole "Flat Stanley" phenomenon, where school kids make a cut-out that's supposed to represent themselves and send it to friends and family all over the world. Pictures need to be taken with the cut-out to show it in each place. It then gets sent on to somebody else. In "Flat Diane," it's not a school project but instead an idea a single father has to try and help cheer his daughter up. Flat Diane goes on many adventures, until the girl's mother accidentally shows it to somebody who shouldn't see it. When that man steals it and starts doing horrible things to the doll, Diane starts to show the effects of these actions. Suspicions flare in Diane's school about her father, and her father has to do something to stop this madness. There really isn't much of a fantastic element to this story, with only the weirdness of whatever is happening to the doll happens to Diane too. Instead, it's a story about love, divorce, and two parents who have let their problems get in the way of their daughter. It's a creepy story with a stunning ending. The anguish of the father is well-portrayed, when evidence of molestation shows up on his daughter and we know that he didn't do it, but all of the clues point to him. He's a man who will do anything to protect his daughter, even kill. An excellent story.

"The Courtship of Kate O'Farrissey" – by John Morressy
Conhoon is a wizard who enjoys his isolation in the forest (is it just me, or does "Conhoon" remind anybody else of "coot?"). He has an apprentice, Kate O'Farrissey, who also does everything around the house. Life is hard in the house for Kate, but there are benefits: she is learning the wizardly skills, she isn't beaten (which can't be said for the home she came from), and eating well and regularly (though, of course, she was the one who had to do the cooking). She's also becoming quite beautiful as she grows up. She starts to attract the attention of the local boys, and soon some of them are interrupting Conhoon's peace with loud singing, attempting to woo her by serenading her. Conhoon gripes but Kate just finds it funny. Soon, though, her Fairy Godmother (who has neglected to come to her before now) shows up to try and get her hitched. But Kate doesn't want any help in that fashion, and a war of wills begins. Conhoon just wants life back to the way it was, Kate is enjoying the attention but also wishes the same, and the Fairy Godmother insists that she has to carry through on her job or she'll get thrown out of the union. Hijinks ensue. Morressy has crafted a delightful tale that's not very deep but is quite satisfying. The characterization of these three is wonderful, and the dialogue in the constant arguing is crisp. Kate is a firebrand that matches her red hair and Conhoon is a lovable, though arrogant, coot (there's that word again). I give Morressy credit for not going for the clichéd ending as Kate ends up solving her problem in a way I hadn't figured on. It's believable and very, very funny.

"The Little Stranger" – by Gene Wolfe
This story turns a classic fairy tale on its head (I won't say which one because it doesn't become clear until you're quite far into the story). Ivy is an old woman living an isolated lifestyle in the forest. A car passing on the road near her house breaks down and the occupants ask if they can use her yard to try and fix it. Ivy is very suspicious of them and doesn't even want to let them use the bathroom, but she knows they can't go anywhere without their car. She's also dealing with a house that continually moans, until she decides that it must want a companion. Fortunately, the family who is living in her yard needs money to fix their car, so she offers to pay for the repair if they will build a cottage for her. A little bit of intrigue from the daughter in the family sparks some rumours and investigations into Ivy, but meanwhile Ivy's cottage is built. It's a very hard story to summarize without revealing the twist, so I'll stop there. "The Little Stranger" is told in a series of letters from Ivy to her dead cousin Danny. Ivy is delightfully eccentric and I did love the twist, but strangely this story didn't really do that much for me. I found the motivations for family members strange and unexplained. Granted, this was told from Ivy's point of view, so maybe that was intentional, but I found it a bit unsatisfying. The writing is wonderful, however, and it's definitely worth a read the first time.

"In Tibor's Cardboard Castle" – by Richard Chwedyk
This is part of yet another series of stories, this time involving intelligent dinosaur toys sometime in the 21st century. Tibor and Geraldine are two saurians inventors, both with huge egos. The story begins with them arguing over whose universe it is, loudly proclaiming "Tibor's universe!" "Geraldine's Universe!!" until the other saurs in the house start getting really annoyed. Otherwise, life is continuing normally for the saurs in the house. Preston is a tyrannosaur and author of eight novels. He's answering mail from graduate students, and one letter intrigues him, making him wonder if he should reveal his dinosaur secret identity. Alphonse is listening to a digital radio, ready to answer today's trivia question that would set a record for most consecutive questions answered. Others are going about their business. The tale quickly becomes one of science as two of the other saurs go into Tibor's castle to discover what he's been working on, and we discover that it is truly almost another universe. There seems to be teleportation, levitation, pocket universes, and the like. The characterization of all the saurs is wonderful, though some of it appears superfluous. They all become affected by the main problem of the story, and their all cute, but the reader is sometimes overwhelmed. Still, I quite enjoyed the story and I look forward to more saurian fun in future issues.