The Stories
"The Storyteller's Wife" - by Eugie Foster
"Deliverance" - by Jim C. Hines
"Foxtails" - by Richard Parks
"Midnight Hunt" - by Susan Yi
"Moments of Grace" - by Aaron Schutz
"Stones in Winter" - by Karen D. Fishler

The June issue of Realms of Fantasy has some interesting stuff in it, with the theme of life, death, and that in-between. Some if it is just plain weird ("The Midnight Hunt"), some is poignant ("The Storyteller's Wife"), and some is just rather unpleasant ("Deliverance"). The good stories outweigh the one that I didn't care for, and while this isn't the strongest issue of the year, it is quite good.

"The Storyteller's Wife" - Eugie Foster
Janie Harper is on the last day of her dead-end job, as she was laid off three months ago. It was a job she hated, but it made ends meet while her painfully disabled husband stayed at home and wrote. When she gets home that day, she finds a horrible note from him, stating what he has done. However, when the paramedics come, she goes upstairs to see her husband one last time, only to find a wooden simulacrum instead of her husband, despite the paramedics insisting it's his body. It seems a faerie creature had taken a liking to his stories, and spirited him away to his land to entertain his queen. There, he is alive and well, but he does not remember Janie. Will she condemn him to a few more years of pain and suffering so that she can have him, or let him live out his life here, even though he will never remember her? It seems there has to be a Faerie story in every issue of this magazine, but Foster at least provides a little poignancy to the whole thing. The ending is a little too pat, robbing Janie's ultimate choice of some of its impact, but her character is well-rounded and the choice that she has to make is an interesting one. Best of all, she has to make it, rather than being robbed of it. An excellent way to start the issue.

"Deliverance" - by Graham Edwards
Claire, Terry, and Jennifer are living in a weird situation. Claire has died, but she's a ghost hanging around the house with Terry. Even weirder is, somehow, she got pregnant *as a ghost* (they figured out some way to have sex despite the fact that she…isn't quite there. Claire died in a fire three years ago due to Terry's negligence, and Jennifer (Claire's sister) has never forgiven him, only hanging around because Claire is still there. Unfortunately, as the baby grows, it seems to be having an adverse affect on Claire. Eventually, they may have to decide between the baby and Claire's ultimate dissolution. This story seems to really drag as none of the characters are in the least bit interesting and I didn't find the situation even fantastically believable. Not only are they not interesting, but they're not likeable either, which makes a rather short story (only around 6200 words) feel much longer.

"Fox Tails" - by Richard Parks
Asian noir isn't really a genre, but this story could make it one. It's a story set in ancient Japan with a modern-day detective feel to the whole thing. Yamada-san is a detective hired by a local noble to find his missing son, supposedly kidnapped by his mother. It turns out that the mother is a sort of "fox-spirit," and things get more complicated when other factions enter the whole proceedings. Does the son even want to leave his mother? And what's with the noble's mother? Yamada-san may be in a situation a lot trickier than he thought it would be. This tale is simply delightful, though the combination of noir and ancient Japan took a little getting used to at first. Once I had, though, Parks has Yamada-san's character shine through, making the story seem fresh and interesting compared to other detective stories. The ending has a nice little twist, and I ultimately enjoyed this story a great deal.

"Midnight Hunt" - by Susan Yi
Winning the title of "Weirdest story of the issue" is this one. In a world where humans co-exist with things…not human, shall we say, terror lurks around every corner. The monsters feed on this terror attacking villages and other human settlements just for the terror it brings, which they drink up. One of the leaders has taken a human wife, however, and his son Kyle is to be introduced into the hunt. Kyle's mother is horrified, and when Kyle seems to be falling into the trap of his half-blood heritage, she determines that they cannot stay any longer. Will they be able to escape, or will her sacrifice be in vain? This is a weird world, with a rather strange ending where the reader has to determine whether or not it's tragic. The entire story is from Kyle's point of view, and his struggle between the mother who loves him and the father who wants him to become like the rest of his people is quite well-portrayed. Not for the squeamish, as this story is quite bloody.

"Moments of Grace" - by Aaron Schutz
An old man is picked up on the road by a young woman in the Southwest desert. The old man isn't quite what he seems, but Betty's daughter seems to take a liking to him. He has a weird form of magic all his own, and it comes in very handy in Betty's situation. Her ex-husband, Ray, is a lunatic state trooper, and his family has the power to keep her in this dead-end town. When the situation threatens to become explosive, the old man, who has almost become a part of this family as he stays with Betty, has to step in and resolve things in a way only he can. This story was quite good, with all of the characterizations being interesting, and the old man's magic is definitely appealing. I've never seen that kind of magic before in a story, and it suits the story, fitting into the theme of memories and how they can affect somebody even into adulthood. I think Ray was a little too stereotypically bloodthirsty, but I believe Schutz takes him to the extreme in order to make the ending even more poignant. Everything's tied up a little too tidily at the end, but overall, this is a strong story.

"Stones in Winter" - by Karen D. Fishler
An interesting and extremely literary piece of fantasy. Arnora is a Norse woman who loses her man in battle. She has the unusual ability to actually see the Valkyries as they come to collect the fallen, and she determines to follow Gedmund to his final resting place. She forces her way into Valhalla, but is rudely sent back. She decides she has to die in battle to get to Gedmund, and endeavours to do so, until finally, she has to take the Valkyries on herself. This story is a good way to end the issue, with a bit of literary quality about love that will never die. Fishler does a good job with the Valkyries, as well as with Anorna herself. Arnorna stubbornly refuses to let her man go, and is willing to do anything for it. The ending fits the story perfectly.

Other features of this issue
"Folkroots" - an article on gems and their traditional lore
"Movies" - "Crossing the line of perception in fantasy and horror." Also, a small article on Kingdom of Heaven
"Books" - reviews of upcoming and just published books
"Gallery" - the art of Tony Diterlizzi
"Games" - Reviews of upcoming and just published RPGs and video games