Cover Art:
This is the third panel of six connected images by
Warwick Fraser-Coombe which at the end of the year will form a new, much larger image called
Playground (Hide and Seek).
Stories:
The Untied States of America by Mario Milosevic
illustrated by Dave Senecal
Quote:
Five days ago: I sighted land off the eastern cliff. I was doing a standard search of the water, part of my job. I stood on the edge of the precipice of my home state of Washington, the water lapping at the rocks a couple of thousand feet below me, a thin line of white marking the shore line. There was a beach, of sorts, down there. I sometimes wanted to descend to it, but never had the nerve. It would be an epic rock climb, something I was too old for anyway. An old woman. Good only for looking out to sea.
Iron Monk by Melissa Yuan-Innes
illustrated by Jim Burns Quote:
“Are we going to die?” asked Little Tiger. He bounced on his toes and hesitated, knees bent, as the hook and eye soles of his boots nearly ripped free of the practice mat.
A Passion For Art by David D. Levine
illustrated by Mark Pexton Quote:
Tuesday is Free Day at the Art Institute of Chicago, and the revolving door never stops turning. The old black rubber seals on the door thump with a steady rhythm, like a giant heart, and each beat pumps more people into the dark and cool of the marble-floored lobby. Mothers pushing strollers; tourists in baseball caps; noisy gaggles of school kids. They stop for a moment, their eyes adjusting to the dark, then move to the information desk in the middle of the lobby to pick up a map or ask questions. They’re here out of some sense of duty; they feel they ought to see this stuff, or show it to their kids.
Plague Birds by Jason Sanford
illustrated by Darren Winter Quote:
All morning Cristina de Ane battled her mule as they plowed furrow after furrow of stinking black dirt. This was Crista’s first time working the wheat field since the attack and Eggbeater took full advantage of her injured body, continually stopping and starting, turning left or right, and destroying every attempt to plow a straight line.
Over Water by Jon Ingold
illustrated by Richard Wagner Quote:
This is how I tell my story first. Do you understand me? This is Hawnish. Long sounds and sharp Ss like the keel of a skiff pulled up over small stones. I tell in Hawnish first, always, to be certain that I have remembered it all and all in its proper places. A story is like a path of stepping stones, placed one after the next but never too far apart, to cross the gap from my life and yours.
Features:
Ansible Link by David Langford
news and obituaries
Readers' Poll
results supplied by Martin McGrath, plus reader comments
Book Zone by Jim Steel and the team
book reviews including The Sorcerer's House + Gene Wolfe interviewed by Paul Kincaid, Shine, Ghosts of Manhattan, Wolfsangel, He Walked Among Us, The Age of Zeus, Under Heaven, Shadow Prowler, Up Jim River
Laser Fodder by Tony Lee
DVD and Blu-ray reviews including Ghost Machine, George and the Dragon, The Men Who Stare at Goats, Avatar, Sherlock Holmes, Valhalla Rising, The Prisoner, BSG: The Plan, Mutants, The Road, Bangkok Adrenaline, Geisha Assassin, Raging Phoenix, Tai-Chi Master, plus easy to enter competitions to win the blu-ray editions of Valhalla Rising and The Road
Mutant Popcorn by Nick Lowe
winner of the BSFA Award for Non-Fiction! Film reviews including Repo Men, Kick-Ass, Alice in Wonderland, Clash of the Titans, Legion, How to Train Your Dragon, The Lovely Bones, Solomon Kane
If you already have a subscription please don't forget to check the insert in the middle of IZ227 to see if it's due for renewal. If you don't yet have a subscription please consider it: click on the SHOP link above or
RIGHT HERE.
Please also help spread the word about the magazine. Thank you for your support!
IZ228 will be out on May 7th or shortly thereafter. We hope you enjoy the issue and look forward to reading your comments here.