Review: Nightmare Magazine, Issue 137 (February 2024)

Nightmare Magazine, Issue 137 by Nightmare Magazine

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Cut Cares Not for the Flesh (George Sandison) - It was foreshadowed from the first paragraphs, but if one finds themselves in a horror story, it pays to read the contractual fine-print. I’ve read stories in a similar genre before, but I love the way this one focused more on the characters than the mechanisms behind the magic. Also, some interesting gender dynamics on this one.

First Girls (Jessica Luke García) - Many stories - in this magazine and others - have been tackling the Final Girl trope for years now. Well, this story is an ode to the ones that die so that the last girl can be the final girl. I love the tone of this flash fiction story.

Preamble to the Death of a Small God (H.B. Menendez) - I absolutely love this story. This is the kind of story that works so well in the short story form - we travel back and forth in time to learn the reasons behind what we’re seeing happen in the present. And, in the end, it seems like the prologue or first chapter to a book I’d love to read.

Poetry
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The Mourning of Sam Lillow, the Gardener (Adriana C. Grigore) - Poem about the beauty and the beast’s gardener.

Non-Fiction
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The H-Word: You Can’t Leave (Jenny Kiefer) - An essay that explores movies where the protagonists are unable to leave - as opposed to the ones where they choose not to leave.

de•crypt•ed: Moraine on King (Sunny Moraine) - Does The Stand hold up? How does it feel after the COVID pandemic?

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