On Spec review – fairy tales for grown ups, with many an uncertain ending
On Spec Fall 2009 issue
Contained within “The Canadian magazine of the Fantastic”, you’ll find fairy tales for grown ups, dark and eerie, with many an uncertain ending. The stories and poems unfold on the edges of shores, in woods, between everyday city and dreamland, with inspiration drawn from myths and legends from a plethora of cultures.
In the most recent issue, with a fabulous cover designed by artist Cristy Road, we’re asked to consider what it would be like if our mum was a mermaid or a witch, if our sister was a werewolf, or if our sister’s only role in life was to extend our own likelihood of survival.
There’s a contemplative tone to the tales chosen by managing editor Diane Walton, and an uncommon beauty that makes them hang together in a very satisfying way. Reading them I felt transported in a way that I haven’t since reading Hans Christian Andersen’s stories as a child.
One fine example is the wonderfully wrought fantasy tale From The Sea by Brent Knowles, which seems at first caught up in the human issues of battered wives, told interestingly from the regretful husband’s point of view, before venturing into tales of merfolk and glittering mer-cities.
The story is followed by an in-depth question and answer session with Brent, providing a new dimension to the story by explaining the mind behind it.
A magical heritage
One of my favourite’s was Joanna M. Weston’s Every Witch Way, which offers a beautiful blend of fantasy and reality in the tale of a construction worker trying to deny his magic heritage. The moment when he transforms into a bear made me want to applaud with glee!
Amanda Downum’s tale Aconite & Rue was also glorious, drawing on all the senses to build powerful descriptions: “The smell wound through the air, dark and rich, coiling on her tongue, drowning the stuffy heater-scent and the lingering reek of sweat and smoke on her skin.”
A great twist caught me unawares, as distracted by tales of faeries and other beings, I missed the metamorphosis beginning right before me.
The poems were enchanting short stories in themselves, offering rich imagery. I particularly loved Phoebe T. H. Tsang’s The White Cat, which captures the essence of felines with a few quivering lines: “Blink and she’s dissolved halfway down a black alley.”
The one true sci-fi story in the issue is Erin Thomas’ morally complex Julia, in which a disturbing future allows each couple only one child, plus a number of ‘multiples’ to use for spare parts. Erin’s delicately handled metaphors and the warmth of the characters prevent the tale being to bleak, and there are a number of pitch-perfect sentences, including: “Nature, they say, belongs only to the very rich and the very poor”, which perfectly encapsulates the dystopian future she’s describing.
As with many of the stories it raises questions that extend to our own society, as the mother who narrates is told her desire to raise both her daughters is unnatural, reminding how much our beliefs are dictated to us by the society we live in.
The true, quiet power
In fact, to me that’s the true, quiet power of On Spec, as on the surface the magazines offers a few moments of pure escapism, while underneath the magic and strangeness it provides a litany of questions about the world we inhabit and the principles we judge our lives by.
Serious issues are touched on throughout, from domestic violence (which has a starring role in two of the stories) to family values to prejudice in its many forms.
I relished every page of On Spec, and my only complaint would be that it didn’t have space for additional stories and poems, as it left me thirsting for more.
To submit or subscribe to On Spec, please visit www.onspec.ca
To submit a review of a book, course, film, magazine or website, please email judy@EssentialWriters.com
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Wow! Thanks for a fantastic review of OnSpec. It brought tears to my eyes to read such praise, and to know that others completely get what we are trying to do. Sometimes the stories themselves are so strong, we can’t wait to buy them. More are on the way. So far my favourite issue is always the latest one .