Hungur Magazine (Issue 1), by Terrie Leigh Relf
Book Review by David A. Olson
Have you read this book?
Hungur Magazine is a new magazine from Sam's Dot Publishing that publishes vampire stories and poetry. However the focus is less on standard vampire stories (although they won't object to a strongly written traditional vampire tale), and more on those with a science fiction element. Let me first discuss the stories presented by editor Terrie Leigh Relf.
In "Daybreak" by Matthew Spence, a colony on an alien world ceases all communication with the outside world. An investigative team arrives to find the colonists are perfectly fine...except that something has gone terribly wrong. This story investigates a possible scientific basis for vampires, and it makes for an interesting read. Although this story is the longest in the magazine, it would've been better if it were longer, as there are a couple places where things are summarized a little too much.
"The Sequin Man" by Derek J Goodman is about a group of vampires being hunted by a mysterious and legendary vampire hunter. At first I was thinking of Blade, but this story isn't like that at all. First, it's a comedy (well, as funny as vampire stories ever get). Second, the hunter is far more interesting than Blade. He's probably the most interesting vampire hunter I've ever read about.
"Hunting" by David Probert is more of a literary tale than the others that explores the psyche of a vampire. Although short, the twist at the end is believable as an event to make the heroine reexamine her life.
"Van Helsing in London" by Barton Paul Levenson explores what happens to Van Helsing after the events in Dracula. It's a slice of life story and there isn't much of a plot, but there is a mystery throughout of what happened to Sylvia, This maintains the tension right up to the end.
"Myth-taken Identity" by Mark Allan Gunnels is about aliens who arrive at earth and .... I can't say much more about the plot without spoiling the story. As a whole, the story fell a bit flat. There wasn't much tension, nor information about the characters, nor much of a plot. The story seemed to be a long setup for a punch line at the end.
"Black Rose of Winter" by Ben Wesling is about a couple vampires from another universe who go car shopping. The main character has a tendency to daydream, which makes for some interesting reading. However, this story didn't seem to have any specific reason for ending where it did. It just presented a nice image and stopped.
The poetry is harder to comment on than the stories, because of its very subjective nature. The featured poets are David C. Kopaska-Merkel with two stories, Cathy Buburuz with an accompanying illustration by Marge B. Simon, Ben Wesling, Ann K. Schwader, Marge B. Simon, Karen A. Romanko, and Derek Clendening. Many are regulars to Sam's Dot Publishing's other publications and are experienced poets. I found the poems intriguing and fun to read. The final poem about a vampire's victim dying adds a morbid closure to a morbid magazine.
If you're craving stories and poems about vampires, you'll enjoy this magazine. The science fiction slant is there, but in most tales, it is slight. Altogether, it's a good first issue, and I look forward to more to come. After all, who knows what new vampires science fiction may bring us?
In "Daybreak" by Matthew Spence, a colony on an alien world ceases all communication with the outside world. An investigative team arrives to find the colonists are perfectly fine...except that something has gone terribly wrong. This story investigates a possible scientific basis for vampires, and it makes for an interesting read. Although this story is the longest in the magazine, it would've been better if it were longer, as there are a couple places where things are summarized a little too much.
"The Sequin Man" by Derek J Goodman is about a group of vampires being hunted by a mysterious and legendary vampire hunter. At first I was thinking of Blade, but this story isn't like that at all. First, it's a comedy (well, as funny as vampire stories ever get). Second, the hunter is far more interesting than Blade. He's probably the most interesting vampire hunter I've ever read about.
"Hunting" by David Probert is more of a literary tale than the others that explores the psyche of a vampire. Although short, the twist at the end is believable as an event to make the heroine reexamine her life.
"Van Helsing in London" by Barton Paul Levenson explores what happens to Van Helsing after the events in Dracula. It's a slice of life story and there isn't much of a plot, but there is a mystery throughout of what happened to Sylvia, This maintains the tension right up to the end.
"Myth-taken Identity" by Mark Allan Gunnels is about aliens who arrive at earth and .... I can't say much more about the plot without spoiling the story. As a whole, the story fell a bit flat. There wasn't much tension, nor information about the characters, nor much of a plot. The story seemed to be a long setup for a punch line at the end.
"Black Rose of Winter" by Ben Wesling is about a couple vampires from another universe who go car shopping. The main character has a tendency to daydream, which makes for some interesting reading. However, this story didn't seem to have any specific reason for ending where it did. It just presented a nice image and stopped.
The poetry is harder to comment on than the stories, because of its very subjective nature. The featured poets are David C. Kopaska-Merkel with two stories, Cathy Buburuz with an accompanying illustration by Marge B. Simon, Ben Wesling, Ann K. Schwader, Marge B. Simon, Karen A. Romanko, and Derek Clendening. Many are regulars to Sam's Dot Publishing's other publications and are experienced poets. I found the poems intriguing and fun to read. The final poem about a vampire's victim dying adds a morbid closure to a morbid magazine.
If you're craving stories and poems about vampires, you'll enjoy this magazine. The science fiction slant is there, but in most tales, it is slight. Altogether, it's a good first issue, and I look forward to more to come. After all, who knows what new vampires science fiction may bring us?
|
Click here to buy Hungur Magazine (Issue 1), by Terrie Leigh Relf on Amazon
|
Hungur Magazine (Issue 1), by Terrie Leigh Relf on Amazon
| More Books You Might Like |
Comment on Hungur Magazine (Issue 1), by Terrie Leigh Relf
| Comments on Hungur Magazine (Issue 1), by Terrie Leigh Relf |
| There are no comments on this book. |
