Rainbow Reviews

BOOK BLURB:
Icarus is the first magazine devoted to gay-themed speculative fiction and writing ~ from fantasy to horror to science fiction, and all the weird tales that fall between the cracks. Our first issue features short stories by Jeff Mann, Joel D. Lane, Jameson Currier and Tom Cardamone; interviews with Dan Stone and graphic artist Peter Grahame; poetry by Lawrence M. Schoen; plus book reviews, an article about the Gaylactic Network, and brief happenings in gay publishing. Icarus is published by Lethe Press.

BOOK REVIEW:
This is a new magazine focusing gay speculative fiction and a bit of industry news. I read the electronic version so I can’t comment on the actual construction of the magazine but it was a very interesting read. This first issue feels very insular with references to books and news that are mostly related to Lethe Press, the magazine publisher, so this particular issue would be of most interest to fans of the Press. As the magazine grows and more issues are produced, I have confidence the contributions from other areas/publishers will filter in more heavily. As an inaugural issue though, I thought it was intriguing and should be enough to generate a small group of followers destined to grow as the magazine does.

There were only four short stories but each was nicely paced and tucked between other interesting tidbits of information. The stories included “Watching Dark Shadows" from Jeff Mann, which is an autobiographical essay on the TV show. This was wonderfully written and instantly engaging as he speaks about his fascination with the show and its affect on his life and personality. This compelling story should resonate even with readers who aren’t familiar with the particular show as the concept of loving a show or icon to obsession is not unknown. This excerpt had me looking for his longer work, Edge. Another good addition was “Man in the Mirror” by Jameson Currier about an aging actor as he contemplates his life, choices, and the men he loved and denied. The paranormal aspect of seeing himself in the mirror at various portions of his life was chilling and a touch creepy, giving a darker tone to the fiction and fitting in very well with the offered stories.

There were also three included reviews of current fiction books. Two hits and a miss in the review section show that the magazine won’t just be offering incentives to get Lethe books. The first is by Paul Bens who wrote a brutally honest and comprehensive review of an unfortunate miss. The next review is by the equally intelligent and thorough Obsidian and the final review by Eric Arvin is a look at one of Lethe Press’s anthologies. Each of these was well written and in depth, giving hope for future reviews within that section.

The interviews with Dan Stone and Paul Grahame were interesting and informative as each has strong beliefs and roots in speculative themes. From magic to artistry the two interviews are well matched as Grahame did the cover work for Stone’s book, which was also featured in a one page ad. Stone’s book, by the way, was great and worth reading and those readers who haven’t read it may be intrigued by his interview.

The other bits were some amusing robot comics, “binary and proud,” along with some industry news and possible upcoming books. Again, as this was an initial issue most of the news and ads were centered on Lethe Press authors and associates but no doubt that will expand as the magazine grows. I’ll be interested in seeing new issues in the Network’d section. Overall this felt like a slick, new magazine that had a lot of interesting content but still needs to grow. As I only had the electronic version not all the color schemes on the ads and placements translated well but I’m sure the print version was stunning.

For fans of gay fiction and specifically science fiction/horror with an initial focus on darker themes and images, you won’t be disappointed.

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