Introduction to Issue 45 Fiction by Edwin Riddell

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I must apologise to contributors and readers for the lateness of this issue. Unfortunately this was because of an unwelcome visit from Covid-19, which has caused a good deal of time to be lost.

Here are my brief thoughts on the individual selections.

 

Them Noises Stop, Always Do – Stephen King style horror tale, deploying sophisticated ‘Deep Third’ narrative technique

The Asimov Chip – Neat piece of sci-fi with a bow in the direction of one of its most celebrated practitioners

Alone in Skara Brae – Maureen Bowden on top form in the neolithic ruins of the Orkney Islands, showing there’s more than one way to achieve narrative propulsion – characteristically, here, through sharp humour

The Thorn in the Hybrid Rose – Creepily effective bit of sci-fi wrapped up in a telling moral fable, and with a sting in the tail

Read This Again Please – Yes it’s a bit meta, but it also works well within its own narrative terms

The Forbidden Chapter – Another King-ish piece, allusive and creepy at the same time