The Stories
"The Penultimate Riddle" - by Richard Parks
"A Statement in the Case" - by Theodora Goss
"The Queen's Wood" - by Josh Rountree
"A Bedtime Tale for the Disenchanted" - by Amy Beth Forbes
"The Secret of the Broken Tickers" - by Joe Murphy
"Countless Screaming Argonauts" - by Chris Lawson
"When the Dragon Falls" - by Patrick Samphire

The August issue rebounds from the June one, as there aren't any stories that I didn't like in it. As always, some are better than others, but they are all really enjoyable. Richard Parks gives us his third story in a row, and while it's not as good as last issue, it's still interesting. Patrick Samphire returns after a hiatus with a great coming of age story, and we get another clockwork family story. This is definitely an issue to pick up.

"The Penultimate Riddle" - Richard Parks
Everybody knows what a sphinx is, with the famous "answer my riddle or be eaten" motif. Helena is a sphinx on a desolate road, where nobody ever seems to come since she took up residence there. Then Leontas shows up, but he's certainly a strange one. He seems glad to have met up with a sphinx, and he has some questions for her, as well. Helena's intrigued by this man, and finally relents to answer some questions as long as he will try to answer her riddles as well. And, of course, if he gets one wrong, there will be consequences. What could Leontas' purpose be, if not suicide? This is a decent tale, though not as strong as Parks' "Fox Tails" in last month's issue. It's told almost entirely through conversation between the two characters, and Parks handles this pretty well, giving both characters some depth, though we never see Leontas deep enough to know whether his stated reasons for seeking the sphinx are really true or not. It has a cute ending, though. Parks has had a story in each of the last three issues, and all of them have been quite different. I like his versatility.

A Statement in the Case" - by Theodora Goss
This is the standout story in the issue. Told in a sort of testimony to a police detective, this is the story of Istvan Horvath, a man who came over from old country many years ago. The narrator is a man battered by life, who doesn't really allow anybody to get close to him after his wife dies of cancer. But Istvan, an apothecary down the street, is the one exception, as he helped the narrator deal with taking care of her toward the end. They develop an interesting friendship, but soon Istvan has to go back to his country because his mother is dying. When he returns, he brings over the woman who had been taking care of his mother, only now she's his wife. She's also not quite what she seems, and the business that she gets involved in, dealing with some unique treasures from Bulgaria, ends up costing her life. Is Istvan responsible? And if the narrator knows, will he tell the police? This is a fascinating character study with just a little fantastical twist (which wouldn't even really be needed if this wasn't in Realms of Fantasy. We learn a lot about the narrator as well as Istvan, and I loved the friendship between them. As events move toward their climax, the tragedy just gets deeper. The ending fits the story, and the characters, perfectly.

"The Queen's Wood" - by Josh Rountree
Evidently the sequel to "The King's Snow" (which must have been published before I started picking up the magazine), this is another Turion adventure. Nicholas, the Witness, and Marabelle are on the annual quest to fight and defeat the Turion, which will give their king another year of immortal life (he's immortal as long as this pilgrimage happens). They are forced to cut through the Faerie Queen's wood, and the Queen tempts both of them three times, in order to stop their quest. This is a story of religious faith and doubt, and whether that bit of doubt is necessary for the true believer. It's fairly interesting, but it's also not that gripping. The characters are interesting, the revelations about Marabelle and her ultimate decision are quite good, but maybe I've seen too many "temptation" stories. This one had a sameness about it. It didn't help that it also had the typical faerie elements of talking animals, the queen, not being able to eat any food in the land, that sort of thing. It was good, but not as good as it could have been.

"A Bedtime Tale for the Disenchanted" - by Amy Beth Forbes
This is a weird little story about trying to change a mate, and the consequences that can bring. Percy is a traveler, one who constantly walks the roads and keeps the roads from forming their own republic (which would be an interesting concept in itself). As long as he walks the roads, they are docile. But Jeta, his lover, is getting tired of the traveling life, and arranges for a shaman to give him some roots, which ends up turning him into a tree. Unfortunately, as a tree he can't talk to her. He pretty much just stands there. The roads go nuts, causing travelers everywhere to not reach their destination, and Jeta must say those two magic words to get everything back to the way it was. This is a very short, but very cute story about changing natures. Given the length, there isn't much room for characterization, but I liked what we saw of both Jeta and the shaman she got to do the dirty deed. In fact, the interaction between the two of them was wonderful. Not the best story in the issue, but definitely worth a read.

"The Secret of the Broken Tickers"
Another story in the same universe as "The Secret of Making Brains" (December, 2004), with the clockwork Maezel family and Sprokly, the young clockwork girl. In the previous story, her brother Billy went off to college, one of the first to go out into the world. Now, their Ma is sick, and Grampser (their creator, who can never tell the truth), hasn't been able to do anything for her. Billy comes home, bringing a young medical student (Sylvine) who he has fallen in love with. He's also told her a lot about the family and how it works. Sylvine tries to convince them to bring her father, a noted physician, in to help Ma, but Pa won't hear of it. As little Sprokly gets to know Sylvine, she tells perhaps a little too much about their family, and when Sprokly and Grampser end up creating what they need to fix Ma, it could have unintended consequences. This is probably my second favourite story in this issue, as I just love the concept of this independent clockwork family. The magic is very neat, with little gadgets that form letters in the air, forming reality. Sprokly is a sweet, innocent girl, who will do anything to help her family, but doesn't always realize what she's doing. And I just love Grampser, who always says the opposite of what he means. The ending leaves room for another sequel, which I eagerly await.

"Countless Screaming Argonauts" - by Chris Lawson
Ok, somebody (either Lawson, or whoever else came up with the title) must be a They Might be Giants fan. I love it!! This is a mythological tale about that includes a lot of various aspects of Greek myth: the Cyclops that Odysseus maimed, Jason & the Argonauts, the Colossus of Rhodes, and oracles. Chares of Lindos has been given a surprisingly straightforward prophecy by a young oracle. After he completes the quest, she tells him that what he has done will play a large role in what is to come. Fifty-six years later, the Cyclops whose eye Odysseus poked out is determined to finally get revenge on Odysseus. Jason, of Argonaut fame, is a hero, but not always the most intelligent sea captain around. His crew ends up having to save him a lot when his courage overshadows his intellect (which is often). When the Cyclops attacks, he just has to get involved. But even now, his lack of forethought may be the death of him, and Chares' fortune now comes full circle. This was a fun story, sprawling out over many pages and many ages, giving us a lot of mythological goodies. Deep down, though, it's about "what is a hero?" and what a hero needs to do to keep on being a hero. I loved the characterization and the use of the various myths, and Jason was the best part. He is not completely stupid, but he does rush in without thinking way too often, and his crew usually pays for it. This is one of the good ones.

"When the Dragon Falls" - by Patrick Samphire
This is a coming of age story about a how sometimes, our childish sensibilities of what is fantasy and what is reality can be brutally ripped open, letting the real world in too soon. Tam has found a fossil by the lake. Some think it's a dinosaur. His young friend, Rosie, thinks it's a dragon. Whatever it is, Tam feels like it's his. It gives him something to cling to as both of their families are slowly falling apart due to infidelity. Rosie still sees everything as fantastic, with bright faeries darting every which way, but the fantastical veneer is being pulled away from Tam's life, as he is forced to grow up all too soon. This story is also extremely short (just two pages), but Samphire packs a lot into it. It's alternately sweet and sad, as Tam realizes he can't cling to his fantasy any more. Rosie gives a good counter to this, as she is still too young to let reality crowd everything out. Perhaps this is a warning to us all that we need that little bit of fantasy in our lives, even if it's not as much as when we were kids. Definitely a thought-provoking finale to the issue.

Other features of this issue
"Movies" - An article on Tom Cruise & Steven Spielberg's War of the Worlds, as well as a Summer Fantasy preview
"Folkroots" - mythology and the use of fire through various mythologies
"Books" - reviews of upcoming and just published books
"Gallery" - Selections from the pages of Spectrum
"Games" - Reviews of upcoming and just published RPGs and video games