Description

Etherea Magazine #12

Etherea Magazine, July 2022. A wonderful collection of speculative fiction, from Australia and around the globe!

We interview talented author, Jason Fischer

Real Sugar is Hard to Find by Sim Kern is reviewed by Katie McIvor

THE STORIES:

Dawn homicides weren’t exactly Delalande’s idea of a fun time either. It didn’t matter which end of a shift you were at. ‘Relax, Davo. You’ll be home to your Milo in no time.’ – Body in a Bullrush, by Vic Tietze

We walk down the tunnel, Lia’s flashlight parting the curtain of oppressive darkness. I wish she would tell me something, anything, about what it was like for her three years ago. But it’s forbidden, and Lia always follows the rules. – I Am the Chalice and the Offering, by H.V. Patterson

Welcome to the fantastical world of 3D printing souls! Printing pocket-sized souls is quite easy. With a single specialized machine, a bit of fairy magic, and this pri-mer, you will be on your way to creating plastic copies of absent loved ones’ souls in no time! – Print a Soul in Six Easy Steps, A Primer by Clover Silverbrook, by Amanda Cook

Greta gazes at the waves the pontoon boat leaves behind, then closes her eyes for ten seconds before an audible click resonates in her head. The retro audio effects of the newest edition of the CamLens contacts leave her anxious, but she doesn’t know how to turn them off, and she is too stubborn to ask. – Blink and You Miss It, by Keily Blair

Asylum was a fairy tale, or that’s what most people thought. I believed. I believed that somewhere out there was a group of humans who had escaped the Skarkul onslaught and were planning to retake our planet. Belief was rare, these days. – Asylum, by Dawn Vogel

“Hey there,” growled a guy too young for his silver hair to be natural, planting himself in front of the door. “Awfully late to be out here alone.” He licked his blood-red lips, black eyes shining with something akin to hunger. – Stone City Shadow: Vampire Vigilante, by Julia LaFond

Solomon filled the pewter bowl with water. As it settled, his unease grew. Was this proper? In a bowl of this size, he should’ve been able to see to the bottom. Instead, it was unnaturally opaque, as deep and dark as the great river. Solomon toyed with the idea of plunging his hand into it. – Three Times, by Samantha Kelly

The mountains of eastern Australia are an ancient land, and their high, cool rainforests hold their secrets close. I could not have said what silent stirring drew me, my whole life through, to their mysterious glades, but a day came when I could face something grander and more terrifying than I ever imagined this world could hold. – An Echo of Gondwana, by Mike Adamson

It’s not easy to live inside the armor, but between getting my skin peeled away like wet paper by the razorstorms and my bones shredded to chalk, it’s an easy choice. You get used to it after the first two or three months, but only just. – Dead Men Walking, by Jeremy Szal

Fast as thought, she flattened. No reaction from the patrol yet. A quick belly-crawl and she reached the entrance of a tavern. She risked a glance: the Droolers’ glazed eyes had missed her. Shinning to the tavern’s awning, from there Vora gained the roof. – A Thief’s Work, by Scott Forbes Crawford

The dragons have a direct line to my mind. Their voices enveloping, filling, as though their warm, scaled bodies are at once wrapping around me and within me. They pull me now from deep dreams. “The Red Dragon passes. Attend at dawn.” – And the Red Dragon Passes, by Emily Randolph-Epstein