Vol. 17 / Issue 64 / Fall 2023
The Ferry Master: The Final Journey is a digital image. The black background symbolizes the uncertainty we face when we pass onto the unknown. The figure in red—well, red draws attention like no other color and radiates a strong and powerful energy that motivates us to take action. It also represents our life force and the root chakra, our foundational chakra. The falling leaves represent the completion of our life cycle.
I suppose spending time with my grandmother and being inspired by her folkloric tales inspired the image. She truly believed in the supernatural world. Tír na nÓg was a mystical enchanted island off the west coast of Ireland where everyone was young and beautiful and had no illness or unhappiness. It was home to the Tuatha de Dannan, the last band of gods and goddesses to rule Ireland. This is my rendition of being brought to that mystical place.
—Paul Nixonn
From the editor.
Ah—deep breath . . . that crisp fall air! Time to wrap up in sweaters, shivering from the ghostly chill of ectoplasm . . .
Who am I kidding? I’m in Texas, and it’s high summer. Autumn is three days in mid-December when we put a pin in Christmas to rake leaves. Still, it’s time for my favorite seasonal pastime, creating the fall issue of NewMyths. It’s a tough but delightful task, sifting through submissions from so many wonderful writers to select the relative few that can go into my kettle of treats. I'm delighted to present the debut of NewMyths editor Susan Shell Winston with a poignant sci-fi tale in verse form. And a rare-for-us love story . . . a multilayered crime caper . . . a five-star recipe for the next time you entertain a crowd . . . a controversial look over the shoulder of an author experimenting with AI . . . a nonfiction account of how growing up beside the door to fairyland influenced one of our favorite cover artists . . . and some that just plain defy my ability to describe them. Sure beats my old gig editing medical books!
Speaking of books, I’m the book review editor, and we’re expanding our “Books We Are Reading” department. Do you have a new or old favorite you’d like to introduce to your fellow NewMyths readers? Have you written a book you’d like us to feature? Since we don’t have reviewers on staff, you might ask one of your readers to submit a review for consideration. Our reviews are a little different in that we don’t focus on lit crit but rather on spreading the word about speculative fiction and nonfiction we love. Here are our guidelines. I can’t wait to hear from you.
Candyce Byrne, Editor
Table of Contents
FICTION
"Final Song of the Firebird" by Jennifer Brinn
One note from him would prevent disaster. He'd done it before, spending from the one great song that was his life force, his immortality. The key to his rebirth. A pure burst of song, lost among the trill of the flutes. The spotlight would hide the flush of light that shimmered around him. One note wouldn't reveal wings and fire. Not now, in this place without gods or magic.
"Love Across Time" by Martin Lochman
We traveled to times and places both significant and unimportant, distant and near, dangerous and secure. We experienced moments of thrill and moments of pure exhilaration. My feelings for you developed to the point of love. I knew you felt the same way because just as I was about to express the depth of my affection, you revealed that one last thing you had been keeping to yourself. And it changed everything.
"The Mona Lisa Thief" by David Hann
Then he sauntered off, away from my desk, through the squad room, and out of the station. He left in a perfectly nonchalant manner. Not at all like a man who'd left a 700-million-dollar painting on my desk. Suddenly I felt nervous.
"How to Cook a Dragon" by Caroline Misner
Roast Dragon is not a meal to be prepared lightly. It takes great skill and patience and my instructions must be followed to the letter, else you risk poisoning your banquet guests, or worse, inciting the wrath of the dragons.
"Into the Light" by Lucy Zhang
When we bury our young, we carve out their hearts to offer to the mountains. The mountains climb the sky, reaching into the white smoke and fog where it’s said trapped spirits linger, watching over the living. We bury the young close to the mouth of the cave because we’re afraid the children won’t know the way out. But if they can see where the sun reaches and licks their rotted toes, they should know how to follow the mountains and find their way above the clouds.
"Oath of the Oni Brothers" by Chun Hyon Lee
Hiten remembered his uncle’s words. “Our family lost honor when you three were born, but your deformities have their uses and you will use them to regain our honor. That’s why your mother chose death. The shame of it was unbearable.”
"Fiddler and Bear" by Tom Brennan
As they walked on, the bear remembered the first time he’d seen that grin: as a cub from inside the too-small, filthy, rusting cage. The fiddler, exponentially drunk, had spent every penny of the not small amount of money he’d just won at cards in order to buy the emaciated cub that couldn’t—or wouldn’t—dance for its captors. But sometimes, when they were poor or hungry or both, he wondered if the fiddler ever regretted exchanging those coins for him.
AI ASSISTED FICTION
"Realm's Reservations" by Matthew D. Albertson
A story partially created using AI-generated content. Includes transcript of the interactions and prompts to ChatGPT .
In the eyes of many, what few Dwarves we meet are relegated to the dark, dusty corners of the world—stony-faced, stubborn masons with an insatiable thirst for ale and an appetite only for the rugged and the rustic. But isn’t it often the case that we humans, with our penchant for simplification, box entire peoples, entire civilizations into digestible, bite-sized stereotypes? It’s these very assumptions, these half-tales gossiped across taverns and marketplaces, that have drawn me into the bowls of these mountains—to Dunhald. It is a city said to be as old as the stone itself, rife with life and tales untold.
FLASH FICTION
POETRY
"Wedding of the Ghosts" by Fabiyas M. V.
"Polymorph" by Jerri Hardesty
"Baba Yaga" by Donna Faulkner née Miller
"Skyscaping" by Susan Shell Winston
"Centric" by Josh Pearce
"A World of Questions About Forever" by Baruch November
NONFICTION
"Palpatine's Folly: The Mistakes that Defeated Star Wars' Evil Emperor" by Andrew Nickerson
Palpatine is a galactic-level parasite whose name strikes fear into the hearts of all, making him one of the most famously destructive villains in entertainment history. Seeing his final end in Episode IX brought a sigh of relief to an entire galaxy…or what’s left of it following his Final Order.
"An Artist's Journey Into Faerie” by Paul Nixon
Wood carving allowed me to see things in a more distinct way, and I found myself learning to cast and to make molds. Stained glass became an added skill, as well as painting and photography. It became an amazing transition for me. Middle-aged dreams are real. At the age of 45, I discovered this passion. My message to rising artists is to never give up on your dream.