Imaginarium: The Best Canadian Speculative Writing Read online

  the best canadian speculative writing

  2012

  EDITED BY

  SANDRA KASTURI

  & HALLI VILLEGAS

  WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY STEVEN ERIKSON

  INCLUDING THE WORKS OF

  CAMILLE ALEXA, KELLEY ARMSTRONG,

  MADELINE ASHBY, PETER CHIYKOWSKI,

  CAROLYN CLINK, DAVID LIVINGSTONE CLINK,

  GEOFFREY W. COLE, CORY DOCTOROW,

  AMAL EL-MOHTAR, GEMMA FILES,

  NEILE GRAHAM, LISA L. HANNETT,

  ADA HOFFMANN, CLAIRE HUMPHREY,

  SUSAN IOANNU, KATHRYN KUITENBROUWER,

  DEREK KÜNSKEN, KRISTIN JANZ,

  HELEN MARSHALL, ANNA MIODUCHOWSKA,

  SILVIA MORENO-GARCIA, DAVID NICKLE,

  RHONDA PARRISH, KELLY ROSE PFLUG-BACK,

  IAN ROGERS, TIMOTHY REYNOLDS,

  ROBERT RUNTÉ, GEOFF RYMAN,

  REBECCA M. SENESE, GEORGE SWEDE,

  PETER WATTS, A.C. WISE,

  AND RIO YOUERS

  copyright

  Imaginarium: The Best Canadian Speculative Writing © 2012, edited by Sandra Kasturi & Halli Villegas

  Cover artwork © 2012 by Corey Beep

  Cover design and interior design © 2012 by Samantha Beiko

  All rights reserved.

  Published by ChiZine Publications

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either a product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  EPub Edition JULY 2012 ISBN: 978-1-92685-168-6

  All rights reserved under all applicable International Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen.

  No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.

  No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

  CHIZINE PUBLICATIONS

  Toronto, Canada

  www.chizinepub.com

  [email protected]

  Edited by Sandra Kasturi & Halli Villegas

  Copyedited and proofread by Sandra Kasturi and Brett Savory

  We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, which last year invested $20.1 million in writing and publishing throughout Canada.

  Published with the generous assistance of the Ontario Arts Council.

  copyright acknowledgements

  “Down Where the Best Lilies Grow” by Camille Alexa. Copyright © 2011 A. Camille Renwick. First published in 10 Flash Magazine. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “The List” by Kelley Armstrong. Copyright © 2011 Kelley Armstrong. First published in Evolve Two: Vampire Stories of the Future Undead, EDGE Science Fiction & Fantasy Publishing. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “The Education of Junior Number 12” by Madeline Ashby. Copyright © 2011 Madeline Ashby. First published in 12 Days of Christmas – Day 1, AngryRobotBooks.com. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “Breathing Bones” by Peter Chiykowski. Copyright © 2011 Peter Chiykowski. First published in Basement Stories #3 (January 2011). Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “The Cinder Girl” by Peter Chiykowski. Copyright © 2011 Peter Chiykowski. First published in In the Garden of the Crow, Elektrik Milk Bath Press. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “10 things to know about staplers” by Carolyn Clink. Copyright © 2011 Carolyn Clink. First published in Star*Line, Jan/March 2011, Issue 34.1. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “Nothing but sky overhead” by David Livingstone Clink. Copyright © 2011 David Livingstone Clink. First published in ChiZine.com, April 2011. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “On the Many Uses of Cedar” by Geoffrey W. Cole. Copyright © 2011 Geoffrey W. Cole. First published in On Spec, Summer 2011. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “Clockwork Fagin” by Cory Doctorow. Copyright © 2011 Cory Doctorow. First published in Steampunk! An Anthology of Fantastically Rich and Strange Stories, Candlewick Press. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “Biting Tongues” by Amal El-Mohtar. Copyright © 2011 Amal El-Mohtar. First published in WisCon Chronicles Vol. 5. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “Introduction” by Steven Erikson. Copyright © 2012 Steven Erikson.

  “Lie-Father” by Gemma Files. Copyright © 2011 Gemma Files. First published in Strange Horizons, September 2011. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “Signal to Noise” by Gemma Files. Copyright © 2011 Gemma Files. First published in ChiZine.com, April 2011. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “The Bean-Sidhe Calls in Owl-Light” by Neile Graham. Copyright © 2011 Neile Graham. First published in Goblin Fruit, Fall Issue. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “The Ones Outside Your Door” by Neile Graham. Copyright © 2011 Neile Graham. First published in Goblin Fruit, Fall Issue. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “Fur and Feathers” by Lisa L. Hannett. Copyright © 2011 Lisa L. Hannett. First published in Bluegrass Symphony, Ticonderoga Publications. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “Centipede Girl” by Ada Hoffmann. Copyright © 2011 Ada Hoffmann. First published in The Journal of Unlikely Entomology, Issue 2, November 2011. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “Bleaker Collegiate Presents an All-Female Production of Waiting for Godot” by Claire Humphrey. Copyright © 2011 Claire Humphrey. First published in Strange Horizons, July 2011. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “Through the Door” by Susan Ioannu. Copyright © 2011 Susan Ioannu. First published in Descant 152: Ghosts and the Uncanny, Vol. 42, No. 1, Spring 2011. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “The Kiss of the Blood-Red Pomegranate” by Kristin Janz. Copyright © 2011 Kristin Janz. First published in Aoife’s Kiss, December 2011. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “Laikas I” by Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer. Copyright © 2011 Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer. First published in Granta 116. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “To Live and Die in Gibbontown” by Derek Künsken. Copyright © 2011 Derek Künsken. First published in Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine, Oct/Nov 2011. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “Beautiful Monster” by Helen Marshall. Copyright © 2011 Helen Marshall. First published in Paper Crow, Fall Issue, 2011, Elektrik Milk Bath Press. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “One Quarter Gorgon” by Helen Marshall. Copyright © 2011 Helen Marshall. First published in ChiZine.com, April 2011. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “Charm” by Anna Mioduchowska. Copyright © 2011 Anna Mioduchowska. First published in The New Quarterly 119/Arc Poetry Magazine 66: The QuArc Issue. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “A Puddle of Blood” by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. Copyright © 2011 Silvia Moreno-Garcia. First published in Evolve Two: Vampire Stories of the Future Undead, EDGE Science Fiction & Fantasy Publishing. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “Looker” by David Nickle. Copyright © 2011 David Nickle. First published in Chilling Tales: Evil D
id I Dwell; Lewd I Did Live, EDGE Science Fiction & Fantasy Publishing. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “Obscured” by Rhonda Parrish. Copyright © 2011 Rhonda Parrish. First published in Bête Noire, Issue 3, April 2011. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “Razor Voices” by Kelly Rose Pflug-Back. Copyright © 2011 Kelly Rose Pflug-Back. First published in The Monster Book for Girls, The Exaggerated Press. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “The Candle” by Ian Rogers. Copyright © 2011 Ian Rogers. First published in Shadows & Tall Trees, Issue 2 – Autumn 2011, Undertow Publications. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “Hawkwood’s Folly” by Timothy Reynolds. Copyright © 2011 Timothy Reynolds. First published in 20,001: A Steampunk Odyssey, Kindling Press. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “Split Decision” by Robert Runté. Copyright © 2011 Robert Runté. First published in Tesseracts Fifteen: A Case of Quite Curious Tales, EDGE Science Fiction & Fantasy Publishing. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “What We Found” by Geoff Ryman. Copyright © 2011 by Spilogale, Inc. First published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Sep/Oct. 2011. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “Hide” by Rebecca M. Senese. Copyright © 2011 by Rebecca M. Senese. First published in Tesseracts Fifteen: A Case of Quite Curious Tales, EDGE Science Fiction & Fantasy Publishing. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “Selected Haiku” by George Swede. Copyright © 2011 by George Swede. First published in Ribbons, Winter, 2011; Modern Haiku, 42.2, 2011; and Roadrunner, 11.2, 2011. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “Malak” by Peter Watts. Copyright © 2011 by Peter Watts. First published in Engineering Infinity, Solaris Books. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “Final Girl Theory” by A.C. Wise. Copyright © 2011 by A.C. Wise. First published in ChiZine.com, April 2011. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “Pure” by Rio Youers. Copyright © 2011 by Rio Youers. First published in Dark Dreams, Pale Horses, PS Publishing Ltd. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  table of contents

  INTRODUCTION

  STEVEN ERIKSON

  LOOKER

  DAVID NICKLE

  THE LIST

  KELLEY ARMSTONG

  BITING TONGUES

  AMAL EL-MOHTAR

  BLEAKER COLLEGIATE PRESENTS AN

  ALL-FEMALE PRODUCTION OF

  WAITING FOR GODOT

  CLAIRE HUMPHREY

  SPLIT DECISION

  ROBERT RUNTÉ

  THE CINDER GIRL

  PETER CHIYKOWSKI

  THE CANDLE

  IAN ROGERS

  THROUGH THE DOOR

  SUSAN IOANNU

  SIGNAL TO NOISE

  GEMMA FILES

  THE ONES OUTSIDE YOUR DOOR

  NEILE GRAHAM

  DOWN WHERE THE BEST LILIES GROW

  CAMILLE ALEXA

  HIDE

  REBECCA M. SENESE

  WHAT WE FOUND

  GEOFF RYMAN

  LIE-FATHER

  GEMMA FILES

  CENTIPEDE GIRL

  ADA HOFFMANN

  CLOCKWORK FAGIN

  CORY DOCTOROW

  SELECTED HAIKU

  GEORGE SWEDE

  PURE

  RIO YOUERS

  10 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT STAPLERS

  CAROLYN CLINK

  LAIKAS I

  KATHRYN KUITENBROUWER

  ON THE MANY USES OF CEDAR

  GEOFFREY W. COLE

  OBSCURED

  RHONDA PARRISH

  HAWKWOOD’S FOLLY

  TIMOTHY REYNOLDS

  RAZOR VOICES

  KELLY ROSE PFLUG-BACK

  THE BEAN-SIDHE CALLS IN OWL-LIGHT

  NEILE GRAHAM

  FUR AND FEATHERS

  LISA L. HANNETT

  BREATHING BONES

  PETER CHIYKOWSKI

  THE EDUCATION OF JUNIOR

  NUMBER 12

  MADELINE ASHBY

  ONE QUARTER GORGON

  HELEN MARSHALL

  A PUDDLE OF BLOOD

  SILVIA MORENO-GARCIA

  NOTHING BUT SKY OVERHEAD

  DAVID LIVINGSTONE CLINK

  THE KISS OF THE BLOOD-RED

  POMEGRANATE

  KRISTIN JANZ

  CHARM

  ANNA MIODUCHOWSKA

  FINAL GIRL THEORY

  A.C. WISE

  TO LIVE AND DIE IN GIBBONTOWN

  DEREK KÜNSKEN

  BEAUTIFUL MONSTER

  HELEN MARSHALL

  MALAK

  PETER WATTS

  HONOURABLE MENTIONS

  ABOUT THE EDITORS

  introduction

  STEVEN ERIKSON

  It is a common conceit, among those critics, academics and indeed, readers, unfamiliar with the genre of the Fantastic, that in the genre’s departing from this “real” world—with its presumably explicable details amounting to an agreed-upon reality—one also ventures from the significant to the irrelevant. A host of descriptive words arrive to accompany this easy dismissal: escapist, popular, the not-quite-serious; and for many even the subgenre labels themselves carry pejorative connotations. Fantasy. Science Fiction. Horror.

  If there was ever a time when Fantasy or Science Fiction or Horror embraced true escapism, it was long ago, when the very notion of flights of fancy was enough to elicit disapproving frowns among certain literati, for whom mundane reality was all the challenge they cared to face.

  If you note some derision in my tone, be assured it is accompanied by a loose shrug. The debate over the significance or relevance of fantastic literature within the broader stream of literature seems to be a perpetual one, exercised in varying levels of snarky commentary and frustrated indignation. The pendulum knocks and crashes in its wild swinging to and fro, with an increasingly large element of the population blissfully indifferent to those distinctions so avidly sweated over, promulgated and defended by a shrinking subset of self-avowed arbiters of culture. Despite this, at times it’s enough to leave a writer (even me) ticked off in the face of what is clearly studied indifference.

  It is probably fair to assume that the majority of readers now holding this book are well familiar with the genres on display in this collection. You don’t need convincing as to the relevance of these tales, or the value of their place in the canon of modern literature. Equally likely, many of you will have been challenged, from time to time, and made to defend not only your choice of reading material but also your interest in prose and poetry definitively not subservient to mundane reality. You can probably recall, in sharp detail, those expressions of disapproval and dismay—from teachers, parents, even friends—and at some point the question arrives: Is it not all a waste of time? After all, where among the classics of literature will you find such absurd, escapist fare?

  Well, everywhere. It is no stretch—no stretch at all—to argue the works of Homer as being Fantasy fiction, Epic Fantasy fiction at that. The same argument can be made for Gilgamesh, and Beowulf. I have, on occasion, described Lord of the Flies as dystopic Science Fiction—and received reactions of skepticism, if not outright disbelief, in response. As for Horror, well, the potential list one could make from the literary canon just goes on and on (Dracula, Frankenstein, Paradise Lost, etc.).

  Whatever. Enlightenment makes no inroads on ignorance, and sad to say, we are talking about ignorance. The willful kind. The kind that isn’t interested in arguments, or intellectual engagement. The kind that makes its pronouncement a declaration voiced in tones of actual pride (“Well, I don’t read that rubbish. . . .” or “I don’t read that rubbish,” or, “I don’t read that rubbish”). Judgement precedes knowledge and once the door is slammed shut, good luck in prying it open again.

  I am not unmindful of counterarguments in this position, where it might seem to some that I am beating a straw-man of my own making: there are examples of literature of the Fantastic that a
re indeed acknowledged as worthy of being called serious. But I would argue that in each case, a strange kind of intellectual shell-game has preceded the label of acceptability, and it is this: by virtue of being deemed “worthy,” such works (and their authors) are deftly extricated from the genres of Fantasy, Science Fiction or Horror. The very act of “exceptionalism” permits serious consideration of said work or author, while perpetuating the ghettoization of the original genre. Sadly, sometimes the author him- or herself participates in this exercise, to the detriment of every other author and every other self-identified genre work of fiction (often for reasons of choice placement in bookstores, and consideration in the book review sections of major newspapers, not to mention invitations to “serious” literary festivals and so on). It’s all rather ridiculous.

  Although it’s probably not well-suited given this collection’s subtitle, I’m not much of a fan of the phrase “speculative fiction” either, which strikes me as yet another (diffident) effort to legitimize works of the Fantastic. After all, all fiction is speculative, isn’t it? Whether it’s a story set in modern day Winnipeg, or the Weimar Republic, or the seedy side of downtown Vancouver: each of these examples may purport to a reality, one based on life experience or exhaustive research, but in the end, if you give it some thought, you’ll realise that it’s all invented; that the recognizable traits are just there to convince you that what you’re reading is real, and that accordingly the characters within that tale, their thoughts, their emotions, their actions, their motivations, are all authentic—when the truth is, they are all inventions of the author’s imagination.