I think that paragraph epitomizes the spirit of good, semipro Fantasy--at least from a technical standpoint--and especially when contrasted with the letter-perfect, often homogenized prose of many "pro" SF writers. The paragraph is streamlined, earnestly composed, and refuses to call attention to the writer of the story. Instead, Bee has turned his word-energy toward his characters and to the heightening of suspense.

The end of the paragraph does indeed retain a rough 'semipro' feel. It is awkward dropping a bag in a bowl and then "turning it down and raining gold". And yet, we know what is meant by this passage and if I hadn't pointed it out, most readers, barring a few perfectionists, would have never noticed it at all.

"Dreamworld of the Djinn" is a deeply imaginative Fantasy set in an Arabian city, involving: a destitute alchemist who earns his money interpreting dreams, a mysterious priest, and a grossly villainous Djinn whose malicious and violent spirit is convincingly penned by Bee. The story relates how Juban Khammas, the alchemist, becomes a dreamthief at the paid request of the Heshun priest, Madhao al-Croft. His geas is to enter an astral world--a ruined dream-landscape where, supposedly, a merchant has hidden a ring of great value. After combating a spirit-tiger and successfully filching the ring from the astral landscape, Juban learns his quest is only half-completed when the priest admits that the ring is a magical artifact that contains all the inhabitants' souls from a fishing village, who have been imprisoned in the ring by a Djinn. After witnessing the Djinn's savage murder of the priest, Juban must confront the Djinn in a death-duel in the dream-world. His strategy for besting the Djinn, though a less than original plot device, succeeds emotionally and provides a riveting resolution to this spirited and spiritually inquisitive tale. Highly recommended.

Transposing on the "alchemist" theme, "Old Yew and the Consequences of Conduct", by Genevieve Williams is a well-meaning piece, wrought with wisdom and tenderness. Sketching an encounter between an "Old Yew"--a wizened and aged Chemist (reputed to be a powerful magician) who lives in exile from his former Royal post, and a young boy seeking a love potion, Williams' story is just a shade too predictable. However, the timeless theme of the story--that the true "magic" of life is self-will and self-mastery, is an authentically magical idea. The tale is a solid and poignant excursion into the realm of instructive fable, with a vivid and sympathetic protagonist. Lady E. particularly liked this story and pointed out the multifaceted emotions of the lead character, which range from ambivalent compassion, to bitter regret, to pride, resignation, and ultimately, honest wisdom.

"The Stone Maiden", by Vera Searles, is the knockout story in issue #8. We speculate that this piece may have been peremptorily rejected by other markets, for it has a grace and fluidity of expression that seems incongruous with the more standardized voices of certain pro pubs and also utilizes a number of archetypical symbols that we have seen foolishly denounced elsewhere.

This story is an absolutely beautiful, poetic, and linguistically rich artistic achievement that rings with an indelible melody and tender imagination. It's the kind of story that, if we lived in a "fair" world would be justly recognized and applauded. Of course, Searles' keen sense of melody and language may be lost on a few tone-deaf readers, but it's a safe bet that most readers will treasure the experience of this read... and remember it long after placing Glyph #8 on their bookshelf.

The story has some interesting, coincidental correspondences with Lady E.'s favorite story from Artemis magazine, "Mandy", by Roxanne Hutton, which appeared in Artemis #6. In both stories a non-human artifact, (one an AI computer system that "controls" a space station, the other a stone statue of "Flora the Goddess of Flowers"), functions as an observer of and a catalyst for human romance. The chief difference between the stories (setting aside the Fantasy and Science fiction backgrounds) lies in the stories' respective prose styles.

"Mandy" is a warm, inventive SF tale with plenty of action, violence, and techno-ese, while "The Stone Maiden" is a lyrical and meditative story that draws as much from the power of language as it does from plot and characterization. Hutton's story, I found a bit too glib, vocabulary-wise, and I think "Mandy" suffers just a little, being told (necessarily) from First Person POV.

"The Stone Maiden" avoids these pitfalls of diction by assuming a setting, plot, and cast that ease naturally into the poetic prose. Searles scribes a fable of magic, love, death, and rebirth that verges on heartbreaking tragedy before ascending to a richly romantic climax. It's no exaggeration to say that, "The Stone Maiden" alone is worth the $3.50 cover price for issue #8. This is the kind of story that makes reviewing SF a genuine pleasure.

"Of Mist and Blue Lanterns", a battle-story by Bart Carroll, seemed a bit underdeveloped, particularly in the areas of setting and story background. I had a difficult time understanding the motivations of the protag, an "Avatar" on a misty battlefield, questing to destroy Brother Jeremiah, an apparently mega-powerful sorcerer who proves to be as tactically inspired as he is gifted in the Dark Arts. There was a lot of outright exposition in this tale, some of it disseminated through awkward passages of dialogue. That notwithstanding, I still had trouble getting a clear picture of the characters and setting in my mind. It naturally follows that the story's "twist" ending had less of an impact on me than it was designed to produce, but there is nothing blatantly wrong with this piece and it is an entertaining, quick-read adventure.

Comic relief comes in the form of James David Collins' Absurdist fantasy short, "Max's Library: Mali Knows Things". Here is a gesture of rebellion to all of those editors who believe solemnity equals intelligence, or that cynicism must always be portrayed through trappings of dystopia, leather jackets, and blazing guns. Collins' satirical tale feels like a Fantasy footnote (or homage) to Tom Stoppard's "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead". What happens when Grimboy and Pelton set out to invade a Wizard's demesnes, with the intention of stealing their "debt papers"? This is an uproariously odd tale, astoundingly produced by a newbie writer who has been "actively practicing the writing craft for almost a year now". I will certainly keep my eyes open for more of Mr. Collins' work and suggest all of you do the same.

The final selection of fiction in #8 is "The Scent of Apples", by Morgan Stuart. This Arthurian tale takes up where Mallory left off, just after the final battle of the Knights of the Round Table against Modred's rebellious army. Fatally wounded by his son in a mutually lethal clash of arms, Arthur is carried by his surviving troops to the Lady of the Lake, who, by Cosmic design, must ferry him to Avalon.

Stuart broaches a difficult theme and backdrop for his story. In the hands of one of the aforementioned homogenized "pro" writers, this story would have probably spawned a much more tame and predictable ending. The story is, indeed, shocking and almost Shakespearean in its romantically intense and tragic denoument. The problem here is not so much with Stuart's prose and emotional vitality, both of which are quite keen--but with the task of telling this tale at all. Perhaps the Arthurian myth leaves little room for such dramatically grandiose re-visioning, or perhaps I am personally resistant to Mr. Stuart's vision.... In the end, I felt that the story had been more of a catharsis for the writer than his audience, though this tale is still a dynamic and imaginative piece.

Glyph #8 weaves an undeniable poetic motif throughout its contents, from the fiction right on through the delicate and romantic line drawings that grace its pages. In addition, poetry in verse form is included. All four of the poems in #8 are worthy efforts, from K.L. Jones slight lyric, "Out of the Mirror", to Nancy Taylor's Symbolist/historical vision, "In Pompeii".

"The Caravel" by A.J. Miller might have succeeded more fully as a prose poem due to its rather arbitrary and sometimes awkward stanza breaks. The best poem is "Moon Goddess", by Greg Bauder, which is a lunar meditation with Wiccan overtones. Bauder's delicacy of expression and linguistic restraint is commendable and his articulation of spiritual experience authentic and lovely. There is nothing contrived or artificial about the poems in Glyph, and the inclusion of such lyrically sincere pieces intensifies the pub's mythical and imaginative aura.

In the end, you really can't afford not to subscribe to Glyph, especially if you have a hankering for imaginative fantasy and an aversion to slick, commercial fiction that often promises much more than it delivers. In this case, Glyph reverses the con and may fool you by its semipro classification. When you pick up the pub you might think, "This is quite simple--where's the fireworks?"

You'll have your answer as soon as you start reading the contents -- because the fireworks are in the fiction, art, and poetry--exactly where they are supposed to be.

Glyph is a kindly affordable pub at $13.00 a year for four issues. For your money you get unforgettable fantasy fiction, great artwork, and a highly imaginative pub that will slip neatly into your pocket, purse, or glove box, and dutifully transport you to other worlds whenever and wherever you have a few minutes to spare.

Our Great Fiction Award this biweek goes to Vera Searles for "The Stone Maiden". Congrats, Vera! From this day on should you name appear again in our humble column, it will be followed by the Brand.

For those of you wondering: where is the link to free fiction? Well, we've again left ourselves too little time to cover all the great Fantasy fiction we had in mind... So, we heartily direct you to an awesome new web-zine, "Sword's Edge", available through AtFantasy.com, and Edited by Fraser Ronald. This pub will have a proper review in the column at a future date, but we encourage everyone to get a head start by clicking over and perusing the latest issue (and archives). All content is free and Fraser Ronald has done a fabulous job with his new project. We particularly recommend the "Elise" stories by Howard Andrew Jones (in issues #3 and #5) and "The Queen is Not Amused", (in issue #4) by Kenneth C. Goldman.