The
Issue With No Resolution
(Click here to read a pdf of the issue – or
you might find it easier to right-click and then save it to a safe place to
read at your leisure. Click here to see the
cover in full.)
This is the eighth issue of my magazine, and just like every issue so far,
it is the best yet. But it is slightly unusual, in that it contains no less
than four distinct tales, by four entirely different authors, whereas in the
past I have been more likely to present my readers with one or two long
pieces. It is very interesting, I feel, that I launched this magazine mainly
in order to encourage myself to sit down to write at least four times a year,
only to be eventually pushed out of it by the submissions of other people. I
would vow to ruin them all for stymieing my plans were it not for their
stories being so much better than anything I would have been likely to write.
If there is a theme to this issue, it is probably highlighted best by “The
Hidden Game”, intended by the author,
John Greenwood, the editor of
our sister journal, November Spawned,
to be the first in a series – Newton Braddell And His Inconclusive Researches
Into the Unknown. Planned to be of indefinite length, John has promised, if it
is within his writerly power, to send an instalment for several issues to
come. Let’s hope that he does not waver in that resolution after seeing that,
in my guise as illustrator, I decided to clothe his character in a costume
rather similar to that of Elvis in his Vegas years. I have no explanation – I
am only a beginner when it comes to art, so I am as yet at the mercy of my
muse.
Anyway, back to the theme I mentioned. The key word in John’s story, so far
as this issue is concerned, is Inconclusive. None of this issue’s items
reaches a conclusion. I hope that nevertheless the issue will stand alone, as
a good read in itself, but it is worth alerting the reader to the fact before
he or she plunges in.
As already mentioned, Newton
Braddell's adventures are intended to be an ongoing series. The story
submitted by my sometime friend Howard Phillips is the beginning of an
autobiographical epic, in which he will, step-by-step, take us through the
assembly of what some claim to be the greatest rock band of all time, Howard
Phillips and the Saturation Point. This is the beginning of The Saturation
Point Saga – mark this moment well! This first, introductory, story deals with
the fate of his former band, The Sound of Howard Phillips (who he discussed at
some length in last issue’s editorial), and with this
published, he then plans to assault us with a series of novels and stories,
each of which will report how he recruited one or another of the band. Now,
longtime Silver Age readers will be fully aware of the number of projects
Howard has undertaken but not completed, but he seems very enthusiastic, so I
will not be the one to discourage him. He has all the makings of a multi-media
triple threat, at the very least, so if I am nice now maybe he will tip his
hat to the SAB at some opportune time in the future.
Steven Gilligan has blessed
us with the first half (or less, depending on how the rest of the story plays
out) of Excelsior, the heartwarming tale of a young man and his giant robot.
The eponymous metal star can be seen on the cover of this issue, as
interpreted by your hard-working editor. He ended up looking quite a bit like
Jet Jaguar, but was that in Steven’s descriptions of the robot, or was that
just how I interpreted his words? Resolve this conundrum by reading it now!
Steven also created the hilarious cartoon that graces the back cover.
The fourth piece in this issue is the fascinating prologue to Valiant
Razalia, the first science fiction novel by
Michael Wyndham Thomas,
better known as a poet and historical novelist. I have never read anything
quite like it. In all honesty, from someone writing their first science
fiction novel, I expected a certain amount of reinventing the wheel, being hit
over the head with the hoariest of old tropes (that’s the role my fiction
plays in this magazine!), and a story that struggled to breathe through the
condescension to genre, but that is not what we have here. This is a unique
piece of writing – dense and atmospheric, yet wilful, whimsical and playful.
Initially perhaps somewhat forbidding in its tumult of adjectives and similes,
to the careful reader it reveals a rich bounty of laughter and mystery. It
might take you a few paragraphs or pages to settle into its rhythms, but take
the time, make the effort, and at the end ask yourself when the rest of the
novel will be available to read. The author has said he may submit further
instalments to this journal, but I can only hope to be so lucky.
Observant readers may notice that the format of the publication has had a
revamp this issue. It was not by choice – all our files were lost in a hard
drive failure, and so, starting again, we decided to make a few changes. I
hope you like them. – SWT
Editorial
The Issue With No Resolution
Stephen William Theaker
The Saturation Point Saga: MY RISE AND FALL
Howard Phillips
A Dream ~ The Sound and the Saturation ~ My Career Takes Off ~ Meditation
and Self-Medication
Newton Braddell And His Inconclusive Researches Into the Unknown
The Hidden Game
John Greenwood
Valiant Razalia
Prologue
Michael Wyndham Thomas
Excelsior
Steven Gilligan
Prisoner ~ Visitor
You can get this issue free by clicking on the cover as usual.
It is also included in the bound volume of the 2005 issues:
Theaker's Quarterly Fiction: Year
Two (#5-8).
