Neo-opsis Science Fiction Magazine – Issue 5
The fifth issue of Neo-opsis Science Fiction
Magazine is 8” by 5 ½”, 80 pages. Published on
February 3, 2005.
Dan
O’Driscoll started
with dinosaurs. The ones he began drawing in the margins of his schoolbooks as
a kid. Later on, he found more legitimate (or at least structured) expression
in art classes, and the influence of friends and instructors led to further
interests in sketching and painting, and years later to the possibilities of
digital rendering programs, which allowed him to create three-dimensional
models and environments. His graphite renderings usually depict historical,
mythological or fantasy themes, while his colour work (CGI and otherwise) tends
toward science fiction and space images. (Cover: Planet Jemm) Dan
O’Driscoll won Best Sci-fi for his artwork at Westercon 58, July 3, 2005.
Karl Johanson’s editorial this issue is “A New Phobia,” which
includes a cartoon by Karen Kazanowski.
Maynard and the Cheese cartoon by Karl Johanson
Letters to the Editor this issue are from:
Terry Bramlett, Steve Stanton,
Leslie Peterson, Suisie Hawes, Lucy C. Cruell, Catherine Girczyc, David
Mitenko, Bill Smith.
This
issue’s A Walk Through The Periodic Chart deals
with Vanadium.
Buzz ‘n’ Toffee deals with who gets the remote. (Cartoon by Karen
Kazanowski)
The first story in issue 5 is “The Man From M.E.S.M.E.R,” by Stephen Couch. (5500 words
– Short story) Stephen’s recent fiction sales include Last Will to SDO
Fantasy, and Something Blue to Ghostbreakers: Sinister Sleuths.
(Illustration by Stephanie Ann Johanson)
The second story is “Inser,”
by David Kelly. (5517 words – Short Story) David is a post-graduate
software engineer whose life has also encompassed conservation work, driving
forklift trucks, combat pistol shooting, drag racing, and a spell as a rock
musician. He started writing to escape the boredom of the daily commute via
train, and Inser is his first short story. He is currently developing
Kelltium.com, a company that specialises in software for writers, and is
planning to swap the wild moors of Yorkshire, England for the wild nightlife of
Sudbury, Ontario in Spring 2005.
The third story is “Golem,” by Mark Budman. (1532 words – Short Story) Mark was born and
raised in the former Soviet Union, but now resides in New York State. His
fiction and poetry have appeared or are scheduled to appear in Mississippi Review,
Virginia Quarterly, Happy, Exquisite Corpse, Web Del
Sol, Parting Gifts, Conversely, Talebones and
elsewhere. Exquisite Corpse nominated him for the XXVI Pushcart Prize.
He is the publisher of the flash (short-shorts) fiction magazine Vestal Review. (Illustration by
Stephanie Ann Johanson)
““Geek” is the “New Cool”, Stories From the Computer Industry” by Karl Johanson,
and a related Buzz ‘n’ Toffee cartoon by Karen Kazanowski.
“Warning Label” is a short article by Chelsea Polk. Chelsea likes kittens, butterflies, and books. And martinis. And scotch. And long road trips. She lives in Calgary, Alberta, where it is currently cold and miserable, but will be dry and miserable any minute now.
“An Excerpt From: How
I Became a SF Geek” is by E. Gordon Howe. E. Gordon Howe was born in Hamilton, Ontario and grew up in
the suburbs of Toronto. His early interest in technology led him to a career as
an Electronics Technician in the Canadian Navy. He is currently a Petty officer
First Class, assigned to the Standards Cell in the Navy’s West Coast Fleet
School.
The fourth story is “A Travelling Companion,” by Linda DeMeulemeester. (2644 words – Short Story) Linda
lives in a drafty old writerly house with her husband, two sons and requisite
cat. This is her second story for Neo-opsis. Linda has stories upcoming
in ChiZine and in Cyberpulp’s
anthology, Dark Highways. She attended Clarion West 2001.
The fifth story is “The Wind and the Sky,” by Suzanne Church. (3770 words – Short story)
Suzanne’s recent writing credits include her story Everyone Needs a
Couch, published in Oceans of the Mind,
Fall 2003.
The sixth story is “Nothing to Fear,” by
Nigel Read. (1095 words
– Short Story) Nigel has had stories and poems published in Machinations: An Anthology of
Ingenious Designs, Aoife’s Kiss, Borderlands:
That Which Scares Us, Borderlands: Trilogy, Antipodean SF and
Visions. He will also have a story in the upcoming Encounters
anthology. (Photo illustration by Karl Johanson)
The seventh story is “A Song for Morning,”
by Hayden Trenholm. (3449 words – Short Story)
Hayden is both a playwright and a prose writer. In the past ten years, he has
written over 15 plays with productions across Alberta, in Ottawa and on CBC
radio. His short fiction has appeared in On
Spec, TransVersions,
Tesseracts 6, Neo-opsis, Challenging Destiny and on CBC radio. In 1992, Anvil Press published his novel, A Circle of Birds. He
lives in Ottawa where he does research for the Senator for the NWT.
In News and Reviews, SF News includes
the 2004 Aurora Award
winners and more, and reviews of Novellas Kath and Mekan’stan, The
Apparition Trail, and Ringworld’s
Children.
The Last Four Pages, “Seeing Patterns,” by Karl Johanson,
is a wonderful article with photo illustrations also by Karl.
Copies of this issue are still
available.
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