Shimmer - Vol. 1 Issue 1, August 2005 - website: www.shimmerzine.com
Table of Contents: Fiction: Sour Hands by Kuzhali Manickavel * Nobody's Fool by Edward Cox * Lucy by Chrissy Ellsworth * White Burn by Stephen M. Dare * Valley of the Shadow by Dario Ciriello * An Interrupted Nap by Richard S. Crawford * Finders Keepers by J. Albert Bell * The Shoppers by Michael Matthews * And Death Will Seize the Doctor, Too by Jeremiah Swanson * A Convocation of Clowns by Mel Cameron Non-Fiction: John Joseph Adams reviews The Traveler Departments: Letters to the Editor * Contributors * Shimmer Staff

This is a nicely produced new small press publication. The editor states that she wants a "particular kind of short story - the combination of a strange and original idea, a well-developed plot and characters, delivered with exquisite writing." Does it succeed at this? Let's see.

"Sour Hands" by Kuzhali Manickavel is set (I presume) in the author's native India. Ezhil's grandmother is a venomous woman who tells her that the reason that the mango the little girl ate was sour is because she is evil and soured it. The girl believes it and lives her life accordingly. "Nobody's Fool" by Edward Cox is a chilling little tale of a man who becomes obsessed with writing using an owl's feather that had been sold to him. In "White Burn" by Stephen M. Dare, we get a predictable tale about a bus driver haunted by a near-miss accident. It's the only disappointing tale in the issue. "Valley of the Shadow" by Dario Ciriello is the cover story and the longest one. In this story, the ghosts of the dead have returned to share the world with the living. That's all the dead of history for a nice little story.

Richard S. Crawford's "An Interrupted Nap" is an amusing little take on The Rapture. "Finders Keepers" by J. Albert Bell is another horror tale about an evil old man who is expecting a mysterious visitor and the return of something he wants. Michael Matthews gives us an amusing but nasty view of people shopping. In "And Death Will Seize the Doctor, Too" by Jeremiah Swanson we get another chilling story about a man with a special power and what he must do with it. Last, "A Convocation of Clowns" by Mel Cameron will appeal to the clown-haters out there (which is probably most people.)

So yes, this is well worth the $5. Buy it!

(Source: Beth Wodinski)