Neo-Opsis was one of the magazines that I purchased a single copy of several weeks ago as part of my move to find magazines worth subscribing to. Part of the reason is I that I need to keep up with the short story market for my own writing and because I feel rather detached from the market anyway, having not read any 'new' short stories in some time.
When I bought this issue I had never heard of Neo-Opsis before. It's a quarterly Canadian magazine that pays roughly 2.5 cents USD per word, putting it in the semi-pro market. It hosts a wide range of material from fiction to poetry to non-fiction. I actually hadn't intended to finish this so fast, but like anyone who loves to read, when you get hooked on something you just can't stop. I read the entire issue in a day. This is a high quality magazine publishing everything from hard SF to near-future and even urban fantasy. It may be difficult for Americans to find this magazine anywhere but online, but it is definitely worth trying out if you're at all interested in short fiction.
Now on to the individual items:
* The Value of Paper Clips by Stephan Ingstrand
This is probably my favorite story from the whole issue. It's a time travel story set in what seems to be the world of today. Chris is a business man running a new stationary store hoping to bring himself riches when his lift is suddenly interfered by a time traveling entrepeneur named Nuntia, who, as it turns out, has come back in time for some paper clips. This story is really rather ridiculous, but that's part of its charm. I really enjoyed this story.
* In Search of a Loophole by C. S. Johnson
Another time travel story that takes an entirely different approach, and one that some of us have probably seen somewhere before. It deals with the consequences of someone trapped in the never-ending web of trying to fix the past to change the future. Just as you might suspect, it doesn't always work out the way it's supposed to. I found this story to be rather interesting even if it is an idea that has been done before. Sometimes new writers can put a new spin on a story.
* The Lost Generation by David Wright
This story is set in a world where orphan children are assigned an intelligent floating sphere to guide them somewhat like a parent would. I think the story is okay, but it sort of fell apart for me when the main character randomly said "I love you" to the sphere even though throughout the entire story the character has made no indication that his feelings are
Below are the top articles rated and ranked by Helium members on:
by Shaun Duke
Neo-Opsis was one of the magazines that I purchased a single copy of several weeks ago as part of my move to find magazines
Add your voice
Know something about Magazine reviews: Neo-Opsis Issue #12?
We want to hear your view.
Write now!
hide