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Jay Mandal, prolific English writer provides the short short "Tempest"
  Ethan
of Athos by Lois McMaster Bujold Paperback: 256 pages $5.99 Publisher: Baen Language: English ISBN: 067165604X Though I frequently came across her name as a highly recommended science fiction author, I missed out on Lois McMaster Bujold until recently, when I read Ethan of Athos. That scifi adventure involves a man from an all-male planet who uses technology to provide children for his world’s population. Ethan happens to be gay; many of the other Athosians simply practice celibacy. Unfortunately, something goes awry, and Ethan must leave Athos on a mission that will cause him to rely on a woman for help. Despite the strange plot and the comical tone, Bujold delivers an exciting story and characters that seem real. I like that she doesn’t remind me of any other writer. As someone who enjoys reading (and writing) science fiction or fantasy novels with queer themes, I suggest this novel, as well as Wraeththu (by Storm Constantine), Cinátis (by Ronald L. Donaghe), The Left Hand of Darkness (by Ursula K. Le Guin), Stealing Some Time (by Mark Kendrick) and The Handmaid’s Tale (by Margaret Atwood). Other readers could suggest more, but I loved those and plan to read many related titles. Duane Simolke Author of the West Texas fiction collection The Acorn Stories and the science fiction adventure Degranon. Editor and co-author of The Acorn Gathering: Writers Uniting Against Cancer. http://DuaneSimolke.Com |
Tempest by Jay Mandal Word Count 193 He had a name straight out of The Tempest. “Of course,” he said, “most people tend to assume I’m female until they meet me. It’s a girl’s name now, after all. Then they get embarrassed when they see what I’m like. Fey, my mother calls it. I blame her, of course. I’ve grown to be like my name. Why couldn’t she have called me Rock?” He grinned. I couldn’t help grinning back. Ariel was cute. “You think Rock would have made you more macho than Ariel?” “Well, maybe Rock was a bad example. “Probably wasn’t his real name, anyway.” “That’s it! If you’re called Marion-” “-As John Wayne was.” “Then you turn out butch. Whereas if you’re called something really hard, then you become a limp-wristed queen.” He stopped, realizing that, in the space of a few sentences, he’d contradicted himself. “So you should be really hard?” I said, trying to keep the laughter out of my voice. Ariel’s eyes narrowed. “Are you chatting me up?” “I could never go out with someone whose name is Ariel.” “What’s in a name?” “My name’s Darren. Daz for short.” “Oh, my God! Daz and Ariel!” The End Jay Mandal is from Southern England. After grammar school, he joined a City bank and worked in Europe. He’s written eighty short stories, fifty of which have been published, and two novels. ‘Slubberdegullion’ and ‘A Different Kind of Love’ are collections of short works, while ‘The Dandelion Clock’ is a novel. Speakout magazine have published at least one Mandal story in each issue, and his short stories have been featured in popular publications such as Passport and Lookout. Jay’s latest collection, The Loss of Innocence, is available from BeWrite Books and from the usual outlets |