The cover
story for the May Fantasy and Science
Fiction is "The Master Miller''s Tale" by Ian R. MacLeod, which takes place in the "Aether" universe of his novels The Light Ages and The House of Storms. For the uninitiated, the story has no direct connection to the plots of either novel beyond the general setting, so no need to fear getting lost among unfamiliar references. The story covers the themes of the novels in which conflict is rooted in the inevitable cultural upheavals -- for better or worse -- wrought by scientific advancement. Here, the last of the master millers, Nathan Westover, tries to hang on to the traditional ways even while the steam-powered mill of his estranged childhood crush, Fiona Smith, is taking away his business. In an act of desperation -- or, perhaps, defiance -- Nathan joins a group of Luddites who resort to terrorism to halt progress, with disastrous consequences. From the opening paragraph, you know this is a story of the demise of Nathan and his tradition. Wind is a central metaphor, both as a source of natural, albeit transient, power as well as the notion of the "winds of change" and the difficulty -- if not ultimate futility -- in preserving whatever may be borne off whichever way the wind blows (magical inducements notwithstanding). MacLeod''s tale stands on its own as first-rate fiction without need of help of such literary comparisons, particularly ones that are inaccurately drawn. While MacLeod postulates an alternate industrial revolution to depict the onslaught of progress, in "The
Tamarisk Hunter," Paolo Bacigalupi projects the exploitation of limited resources by those with the money to acquire them into a
new future of a parched American West. The titular hunter earns a bounty for every patch of water-ingesting tamarisk removed from a system depleted by a decade long drought exacerbated by California''s near-monopolistic control of water rights. To keep himself in business, the tamarisk hunter also surreptitiously and illegally replants the shrub. He fears that inquiries by a National Guard that acts in the interests of California rather than what local residents remain may mean discovery of his criminal activities. However, it is something much more in
keeping with the nature of government, to protect the interest of the elite at the expense of the average citizenry: Of a more personally disturbing nature is "Kaleidoscope" by K.D. Wentworth, in which a 52-year-old retired librarian encounters multiple outcomes of a lost dog and a blind date. The "am I crazy or is this really happening to me?" trope is well-trod territory, and I began to lose patience with the various fractured realities to just want to get to the ending. However, though I''m not ordinarily a fan of "everything works out eventually" conclusions -- because, that''s generally not how real life works -- I did like the way the protagonist takes charge in selecting the alternative reality she wants. "The Great White Bed" by Don Webb is a horror story about a boy who has become his grandfather''s caretaker. Unfortunately, his grandfather''s well-being depends on him in a way that could not have been anticipated, with life-changing results. Pretty creepy stuff. Perhaps the most challenging story in terms of trying to figure out just what the hell is going on is "Telefunken Remix" by A.A. Antanasio. Editor Gordon Van Gelder must have feared that some readers might abandon this story out of confusion; in a prefatory note he says, "
new story is challenging, complex, and fascinating. If it seems a bit odd at first, stick with it -- it will get even odder (but it will all make sense)" (p. 130). Advice worth taking. Noel seeks to exchange places with his doppelganger, Leon; the mirrored spelling about the only thing that''s immediately obvious in this story. . Oh, and in keeping with both MacLeod and Wentworth, it''s also a sort of love story. While I wouldn''t say there''s a whe bookends of the opening MacLeod and the closing Antanasio make this worth the proverbial price of the issue.