NEW Release and Review: Cirsova Magazine of Thrilling Adventure and Daring Suspense Issue #19 (Summer 2024)

There are hungry things lurking in this issue. Hungry things – and people desperate for one last chance. There is plenty ice in the tales within Cirsova’s pages as it takes readers to places no other

Cirsova Magazine of Thrilling Adventure and Daring Suspense has outdone itself in this issue. It starts out slow, luring a reader in cautiously, carefully, with tales of mysterious flesh lumps in rivers and weird West rustlers that never take the cattle. Then it turns up the heat as it investigates the Great War, horrors better left unspoken, alt-history, and some Wild Star action. It ends off with a powerful comic preview for Yakov Merkin’s upcoming release, Amaranth Angels!

There is something for everyone in this issue as fate and the Fae vie for life and death while men struggle in the trenches. Bizarre and humorous calls to late night radio shows featuring the weird and mysterious lighten the mood, while tales of fleshy monsters and dark demons will ensure you never want to wander the halls of academia without a weapon to hand. James Hutchings returns with his next installment for My Name Is John Carter, a lyrical poem that makes you long for the days when poetry was actually serious, while Yakov Merkin takes you to the depths of space in his haunting comic Wilted Flowers.

If there was ever a magazine issue you needed on your shelf, this is it!

The Story

“The Creek Tumors” sets the stage, showing us a Stack Master named Harold at a dying University going about his business as little as he may. The school is cutting its budget due to low enrollment, and he knows he hasn’t got long left before he is given a pink slip. Why work hard when he can simply get by until then? His collected vacation days will make a nice going-away present on the University’s dime. Besides, watching the local police pick up fleshy lumps from Colton Creek is a bonus, as he gets to enjoy being dry while they are wet and wrinkling their nose at the smell….

“No-Rooms at the Kellogg Inn” is a fun romp in the Depression Era, where a hobo stumbles upon a cabin in the woods with secret passages. He has to teach himself Braille to get around, but when he learns where the passages lead, he seems to be set for life – at least until the builders get wise to him. This story is followed by “Range of Deceit,” a delightful Weird West tale about cattle that turn up dead with no clear sign of what killed them. The local cattle baron is sure it is rustlers, but as the sheriff and Marshal note, what rustler kills a cow and leaves its carcass for the predators?

Jim Breyfogle’s “Songs of Loss and Love” takes a reader to the trenches of the Great War, where Edward lies looking at the corpse of his best friend. A chance encounter with the Fae who called Flanders home before the War is Edward’s best hope to get home and meet with his lady love, his best friend’s sister. But no bargain comes without a price, and the War left its mark besides. How can Edward look into the eyes of his love now?

Daniel J. Minucci’s “The Death of Robespierre” is a masterpiece of horror in the vein of the old pulps: John “Jack” Church is tasked over the winter break with caring for a deceased pulp writer’s last effects and archives. All he has to do is light a kerosene lamp before five p.m. every night and he will be fine. But Jack makes a mistake – and the darkness the lamp keeps back escapes!

“Flyboy,” by Blake Carpenter – author of Deathbringer (reviewed here at Upstream) – is an alternate-history twist on Wonder Woman’s origin. Reed Diesel is fighting in the Oceanic forces against Imperial Russia, which has already absorbed China and Japan. Now Australia and its allies stand in an uneasy position against the Great Bear, though at the moment, Reed’s main concern is not dying after being shot down by Imperial fighters. When he lands on an island run by nude Amazons, he has to focus on the mission – doesn’t he?

“A Most Exquisite Specimen” is pure horror. Word to the wise – do not trust anyone academically inclined to see only objects where life exists. This tale is followed by “The Twilight Delve Homeowners Association,” which is an homage to Tremors that will give fans of the franchise a smile. Meanwhile, “Midnight Caller” has a neat twist on the men in black. But “Requiem for a Revolver” is, frankly, too short. There is more there and this reviewer wants it!

Jeffrey Scott Sims’ “Egyptian Blue” is an homage to noir detectives, Indiana Jones, and Harry Dresden all rolled into one. When dark magicians threaten the best thing to do is scat, and pray you are quicker than they are. Luckily Sterk Fontaine is very quick – but can he be as fast as a cat?

Rounding out the issue is My Name is John Carter (Part 18), a haunting requiem from John Carter after his return to Earth. It is followed by Yakov Merkin’s prologue for his upcoming graphic novel, Amaranth Angels. The comic has a mournful tone that sets the stage for the novel and will leave readers craving more!

The Characters

Every character in these stories has personality and jumps off the page, but the standing ovations go to Breyfogle, Minucci, and Carpenter, with a shout out to Sims as well. The protagonists in their stories all live and breathe for the reader, and Edward in particular is masterfully presented with his shell shock. That is not seen every day, and it deserves commensurate notice.

Carpenter’s skill with characters is as obvious in “Flyboy” as it is in Deathbringer. He makes sure you root for the protagonists and hiss and boo the antagonists – at least when you’re not biting your nails wondering how the good guys are going to get away, that is! Meanwhile, Minucci does an excellent job in presenting his hero as a wounded man who makes a mistake but has the will to repair the damage he does, even if it might cost him his own life.

Sims’ presentation of character is also excellent, and Burnett has mastered the art of short form fiction with enough character packed inside his works to be fulfilling no matter how small the tale may be. Merkin’s prose depiction of his protagonists is not lost when he transitions to a visual medium, either, making his comic a pitch perfect finale for the issue as a whole.

The World

All the worlds are well-crafted, but again, the standouts are Breyfogle and Carpenter’s tales. Breyfogle captures the rules of faerie well while Carpenter makes one feel the alternate history of his story. They both leave a reader hungry for more stories in these two settings. In terms of atmosphere, Minucci’s piece is one of the best, ratcheting up the suspense and the horror as a reader rushes to the finale. Sims’ adventure has plenty of atmosphere to go with the protagonist’s attitude and it makes for a tense tale.

Runners up in both departments would be “A Most Exquisite Specimen,” “Requiem for a Revolver,” “No-Rooms at Kellogg Inn,” and “The Twilight Delve Homeowners Association.” This doesn’t mean “The Creek Tumors” or “Range of Deceit” lack worldbuilding or atmosphere, they just have some stiff competition to beat. They stand among giants, but they make certain to use their height to full advantage in the process!

Politics

None.

Content Warning

There are some explicit descriptions in a couple of stories and there is a single shot in the comic of a deceased person’s hand as well. Other than that, however, the issue is clean as a whistle and a mature reader can skip past them without losing any part of the story they are reading.

Who is it for?

Anyone looking for a good summer read will want to pick up this issue. It has something for everyone; romance, tragedy, horror, weird science, Weird West, and more. There is heroism juxtaposed with great villainy, poetry for those hungry to have some lyricism to chew on, and a manga in the back (to read that, you need to flip open the issue from the back and start at what would – in an American comic – be the end of the story and read right to left). The artwork in Wilted Flowers is a real treat for the eyes and if a reader wants something beautiful to study, a comic about female starfighter pilots is a good place to start! Those who want worldbuilding they can sink their teeth into will also enjoy this volume and have a hard time not demanding the writers build upon these worlds in their other works. In short, this issue is a veritable buffet for readers looking for something good to read!

Why buy it?

This issue of Cirsova is manna in the desert for starving readers, and it just went live today. What are you waiting for? Shoo! Go pick it up and see for yourself just how good it is!