What’s in Issue 107

Second Anniversary Retrospective: issues 81-90.

Novel	At their camp in the island’s ancient temple, Dar, Nim and Nunez dream of a volcano and a burning man. Following the sign of the crows, they set off along the shore and, as rain begins to fall, they reach a point opposite the volcano. At that point, Nim makes a discovery that is not really a surprise but is nonetheless unsettling... Tala Bar, Gaia, conclusion of chapter 5, “The Island,” part III: installment 1, installment 2.
Novellas	Fishing boat captain Denzo Kurihawa must complete a perilous mission for the Bridge while fleeing pirates, and Vice-President Lockly weaves a plot in euhal allen’s The Bridge, part IV, installment 2. At the beginning, Inspector John Parker was forced to turn over his prisoner Madelyn Dawes to a pair of special agents who seemed to lack the proper authorization. Now on vacation, Parker meets with Michelle Halloway, who is ambitious to do field work. Some vacation for Parker: he also receives a very mysterious telephone call... Wallace W. Cass, Vessel, part 2.
Serials	Gregory Hansen follows up his hapless insurance agent Orin Bennett, of “Adverse Selection” fame (issues 102-104), with his opposite counterpart, a slick confidence man. Skidbett Larsen arrives on the remote planet Varfleet in a creaky spaceship and with just the right plan for a tycoon who’s newly rich and socially ambitious enough to be suitably gullible: Investment Horizon, part 1. New contributor Kenneth Mark Hoover creates a fantasy world in the mode of antiquity. A young servant, Murt, chafes at having to work for the Nightcaster Bayard. Around an evening campfire on their journey to Toldhaven they meet an old, far-traveled soldier who has encountered a deadly legend: The Engines of Manta-Geth, part 1.
Short Stories	Mike Hansen created an eerie house in “Gladys” (issue 106), one that was haunted by sweets. Get set for the ultimate in spooky office décor, where an ambitious young demon appears for a very intimidating job interview: Gnart Moves up in Hell. New contributor Viacheslav Iatsko writes to us from Siberia. His story may read like science fiction, but it is unsettlingly realistic. It proves once again our unofficial motto: there is no story so truly bewildering as... reality: Two Days in the Life of Alex Lavrov, an Average Russian. Roberto Sanhueza takes us to the Moon, where an amiable detective regales us over drinks with accounts of interplanetary genetic engineering, cloning, and the skullduggery of the rich and powerful. Wait... isn’t the detective being just a little too friendly and talkative for our own good? Guilty Baby.
Essay	Steven Utley demonstrates how, with the slightest nudge, one can send the occasional surrealism of an on-line bulletin board or chat room tumbling completely over the brink: JGoldman10 Theatre.

Departments

Welcome	Bewildering Stories welcomes Kenneth Mark Hoover and Viacheslav Iatsko.
Challenge	Challenge 107 invites you to play “This is Your Life.” Or somebody’s. All you have to do is Choose Two Days.
Letters	Viacheslav Iatsko sheds light on The “Little” Russian.
The Reading Room	Jerry Wright reviews Sean McMullen’s Glass Dragons.
Editorial	Internationally??

In Times to Come

Stay tuned to issue 108 for the exciting continuations and conclusions of our serials! Steven Utley will tell us about his “Day Job,” and the Retrospectives will conclude with selections from issues 91-104.

Readers’ reactions are always welcome.
Please write!

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