Unfit Magazine: Vol. 3, ed. Daniel Scott White

United by the theme of perception vs reality but varying in themes and tone, the contents of this magazine provide engaging perspectives on whether we are defined by our experience of reality. This magazine contains six short stories themed around technology altering perception, along with a brief essay about film funding. ‘Ender’s Game’ by Orson …

Mythaxis Poetry Competition

I have been asked to be a judge in the inaugural Mythaxis Poetry Competition (spoiler: I said yes). The theme is "Predictions of the future written in poetry". I'm greatly looking forward to seeing how everyone captures their visions of the future. The entry window 1 August–31 October 2020 so you have plenty of time …

The End of all Halloweens by Matthew S. Cox

Cox blends the simplicity and passion of middle-grade narratives with the grand scale of superhero fiction, creating another humorous tale that contains much to appeal to readers of all ages. This is the third book in The Adventures of Übergirl series. This review might be plotting to spoil the previous books. After saving the world …

Haemopolitics

Whilst modern portrayals of vampires are as varied as modern society, the most common trope in Western media is still the male vampire biting female prey (whether willing or not). But why does this image endure so strongly when other classic monsters are portrayed without such a clear biological divide? Unsurprisingly perhaps, a combination of …

Born of Treasure by Jordan Elizabeth

Fusing necromancy and steampunk devices with a classic Western tale of honest ranchers facing corrupt officials, Elizabeth provides a fantasy Western that has much to attract fans of either genre. Fleeing from the military after mistakenly consuming a chemical that grants the power to raise the dead, Clark Griffin is pretending to be the son …

Air Conditioning Ninja*

No longer will I feel like the bad guy in a Western, when I wear a mask while shopping. Henceforth, thanks to the most wonderful Changes Bristol, I shall feel like a very stylish bad guy in a superhero film. Unfortunately, the masks are made by volunteers from donated materials, so it was pure fortune …

Write Like Hell: Kaiju, ed. Sentinel Creatives

Ranging across genres, locations, and time-periods, this anthology provides a variety of perspectives on the question “How might humans act if giant monsters were real?” This anthology contains twelve kaiju tales, united by the presence of some immense creature or creatures but spanning genres from horror to romance. ‘Big Bloody Ben’ by Adam Gray. When …

Not Stomping Ants

One of the criticisms levelled at "The Call of Cthulhu" is that Cthulhu isn't the immense threat that fans claim: after all, he was defeated in 1925 by someone driving a boat into his head so would be no match for modern weapons. However, while it is certainly true The Alert ended his pursuit by …

A Vampire’s Guide to Adulting by Matthew S. Cox

Cox blends fast-paced vampire thrills with the entirely mundane challenges of being the responsible adult, creating a plausible image of what living amongst humans as a vampire could well actually be like. This novel is the tenth volume of Cox’s Vampire Innocent series. Consider carefully whether you wish to risk spoilers. After nine months as …

Cometh the Time, Eventually Cometh the Man

Perhaps the greatest annoyance with both deliveries and tradespersons is having to stay in for a large chunk of the day because they only give a rough estimate, and the only time they arrive on the early side if one has tried to run an errand before the slot started. With the current lockdown meaning …