Axolotol Special #1 / The Jennifer Morgue
The Axolotl Special is a slim volume of three short stories by different authors, prefaced by introduction by three different authors.
I'm pretty sure I've read Lucius Shepard's "Aymara" before, but it's still a great time travel story, and the star of this collection. John Kessel provides the most cogent intro. Michael Shea's "Fill it with Regular" takes on an interesting end of the world scenario, but the humorous take doesn't quite work for me. Bruce Sterling provides the intro. Jessica Amanda Salmonson's "The Revelations and Pursuits of Timith, Son of Timith" has some nice Dunsanian touches here and there, but wears out its welcome a bit. Tom Ligotti has interesting things to say about the hero in fantasy literature, but little to say about JAS' story. It's pretty sweet to have it signed by all participants.
The Jennifer Morgue is one of Charlie Stross' Laundry Files books, the series about spies that deal with Lovecraft-ish-oid things that got started with the Atrocity Archives. Jennifer Morgue is Stross' nod toward the James Bond franchise, and there are amusing details throughout for lovers of Bond. But the story stands pretty well on its own.
Thanks to my trip to the HPLFF, this one is also signed.
I'm pretty sure I've read Lucius Shepard's "Aymara" before, but it's still a great time travel story, and the star of this collection. John Kessel provides the most cogent intro. Michael Shea's "Fill it with Regular" takes on an interesting end of the world scenario, but the humorous take doesn't quite work for me. Bruce Sterling provides the intro. Jessica Amanda Salmonson's "The Revelations and Pursuits of Timith, Son of Timith" has some nice Dunsanian touches here and there, but wears out its welcome a bit. Tom Ligotti has interesting things to say about the hero in fantasy literature, but little to say about JAS' story. It's pretty sweet to have it signed by all participants.
The Jennifer Morgue is one of Charlie Stross' Laundry Files books, the series about spies that deal with Lovecraft-ish-oid things that got started with the Atrocity Archives. Jennifer Morgue is Stross' nod toward the James Bond franchise, and there are amusing details throughout for lovers of Bond. But the story stands pretty well on its own.
Thanks to my trip to the HPLFF, this one is also signed.