This issue’s first story is once again part of a series, and like a previous instance of this, does not stand very well on its own. “For Lost Time” by Therese Arkenberg is even less independent than ““Sweet Death” in Issue #161 was – it is not episodic but reads like it was ripped out of the middle of an ongoing longer tale. That being said, I still thought that “For Lost Time” works better than “Sweet Death”, the reason for it being that Therese Arkenberg’s story relies very heavily on atmosphere (and is very deft at conjuring it), which makes it enjoyable to read even if one does not really get either the plot or the characters. Of course, the story will likely be better if it is read in context with the other parts, and I will be looking out for a sequel in future issues of the magazine.

“Day of the Dragonfly” by Raphael Ordoñez is a variation on the dragon slayer story, in a genre that one will probably have to call “Sword & Steampunk”. It’s competently written and does some fun things with Fantasy tropes, but I just could not warm up to it; for some reason the story’s individual elements just did not come together for me. But, seeing how I can’t even say why the story did not work for me, the fault lies very likely with me rather than the story.