For this edition of Third Flatiron Anthologies, we challenged
authors to give us stories to fit our theme of "under the radar," for example, things that are
happening quietly, without a lot of fanfare, that may still be extremely
significant or make a big difference. We thought maybe a little "Tragedy
of the Commons" would work under this theme. We also were interested in
speculative fiction that upon "scratching the surface"—reveals
something deeper hidden beneath. Hence, the title, It's Come to Our Attention.
Leading off, Pauline J. Alama's fantasy, "Surplus
Army" speculates about what may be
happening unnoticed in our landfills.
We greatly
enjoyed Wendy Nikel's mystery, "Midnight on Addison Street," as a man
seeks a mysterious librarian to see if she can reveal who’s trying to kill him.
(And as we all know, librarians know everything).
Think you know
how the French Revolution came about? What if there’s more to it than meets the
eye? Philip Brian Hall's steampunk/alternate history tale, "Time's
Winged Chariot," asks and answers this very question.
Magical realism often begins in a world that resembles
reality, yet leads us into a fantastic or mythical adventure. We feature three
such fabulous tales this time: "Spirit Cat" by Hunter Liguore, in
which a famed artist who paints after-life
paintings of the dead is haunted by an extinct Asian cat that wants its
portrait painted. In "The Argentine Radio" by Joel Richards, a
piece of Jorge Luis Borges's Zahir
finds its way into everyone's pocket. Get out your handkerchiefs for
"Something in Forever" by E. M. Eastick. As the world around them
drifts through the inevitable changes of time, a teenage girl and her mother
discover their own versions of peace through immortality.
Our "Grins and Gurgles" (flash humor) offering
this time is "Chocolat" by James Dorr, in which an elderly Parisian
bemoans the recent decline in standards. It's a great little reminder of all
that we owe to French culture.
Well, sometimes things lurking beneath the surface are just
plain horrible. So, never forget to throw a few coins in "The Wishing Well"
by Terri Bruce, and don't go downstairs, because "The Thing Is, the Basement"
by Greg Beatty.
We're inclined to favor hard science fiction in our
collections—when we can find it. With James H. Zorn's oddball galactic agent in
"Agents of the Volurian Empire, Help Is on the Way!" we’re never sure whether he is
really just a human who’s gone around the bend. Is the climate
misbehaving, or is it all in our minds? Find out in "Ice-Cold" by
Nyki Blatchley. Those outlandish claims in the tabloids just might be "All
True," according to Marie DesJardin. What would it be like if you could
understand what people were really
thinking? "The Translator" by Arthur M. Doweyko gives us a glimpse.
We close with a bit of illegal but highly satisfying genetic tinkering in
"Déjà Vu" by Lisa Timpf.
We were pleased to be able to include a larger percentage of
female authors in this issue and hope you'll enjoy this wide-ranging collection
by a group of international authors as much as we did putting it together.
It's Come to Our Attention is now available on Amazon and Smashwords and other online distributors. Paperbacks will be available shortly.
