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Albedo One # 31
01/09/2006 . Source: Pauline Morgan 
publisher Albedo One, 2 Post Road, Lusk, County Dublin, Ireland. 56 page illustrated magazine. Price: £ 4.95 (UK), 5.95 euros. Buy Albedo One in the USA - or Buy Albedo One in the UK  check out website: www.albedo1.com
This issue of 'Albedo One' is a showcase for the stories short-listed for the Aeon Award. This award is organised by the publishes of the magazine and the winner, Julian West, was presented with his prize at the 2005 World SF Convention in Glasgow. This issue contains the six top stories and one which has no connection with the competition.
Julian West's story, 'My Marriage', is the best in this edition. It is set in a society where sexual dimorphism is extreme. Males are land dwellers and farm the coastal lands, while women spend most of their lives in the sea. Adolescent males and females meet at piers built over the water where courtship takes place. Later, they will go to the Wooing Reefs where coupling takes place. Occasionally couples live together in a marriage house which has both land-based and water-filled rooms. The male children are brought up by their fathers, girls by their mothers. This story is a poignant account of the relationship between Stephe and Anya. Through it, West has painted an excellent picture of the society.
'Queen Of Engines' by Dev Agarwal is well-written and potentially a good story but is a little confusing. It is set in an alternative Victorian Britain. The scientists of the day seem to have a method of powering their machines using the blood of a particular woman. The narrator is paid by her mother to either rescue or kill her. It probably needs a longer vehicle to express the ideas properly and clearly.
'Like Snow' by Brian Richmond is an interesting idea but ultimately nothing happens. Ghosts gradually appear over a number of weeks, then they slowly disappear. No explanation is suggested nothing seems to have been changed by the phenomenon.
'Expiating Ancestral Sins' by Tais Teng is a very condensed story which deserves to be written at a longer length. In it, a human has been physically changed so that he can move amongst an alien race inhabiting a water world. His alteration is irreversible but his task is to retrieve the capsule we sent out into space on the early space probes. The aliens have been able to decipher the whale song included in it. The content is not something we want aliens to hear.
'I Hold My Father's Paws' by David D. Levine also involves surgical alteration. In this case, the narrator's father, who he hasn't seen for twenty years, is in the process of being changed into a dog. He has decided that he wants to spend the rest of his life being cared for without the worries and concerns that plague human existence. In many ways, it is a story of reconciliation.
'Letting Out The Angels' by Andrew McKenna is a nasty little horror story. It is the author's first published story and describes the motives of a serial killer. It lacks polish and finesse but gives an indication of McKenna's future potential.
The story not on the Aeon Award shortlist is 'A Coin For The Ferryman' by Justin Stanchfield. The action is set aboard a shuttle which is ferrying prisoners to a high gravity world to serve out their life sentences. Once dropped there, there is no chance of escape. Caroline Dolens has been assigned the unenviable task of trying to delay the drop of one particular prisoner until her appeal can be heard. He attempts to do her job, put the lives of the whole crew in jeopardy. It is an excellent story.
This issue of 'Albedo One' also contains an interview with Charles Stross. He comes across as an erudite man who has strong opinions on subjects such as politics. The material could have been better organised to provide better continuity to the subjects discussed.
Other regular features are the letters page and the reviews. The quality of the reviews is a little better than in the previous issue, but not as helpful as they could be. There is also the deliberately provocative rant. The cover art is by Alexander Kruglov and is surreal and slightly Daliesque. It does not seem to have any connection with the magazines contents.
Pauline Morgan
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