NEW HOPE INTERNATIONAL REVIEW ON-LINE

Subtitled a journal of parthenogenetic fiction and late labelling, the magazine consists of 96 pages, perfect bound. It is stated that

the authors of these sixteen stories will have their by-lines published in issue two of nemonymous, together with a new selection of stories the by-lines of which will in turn be published in issue three

It is not only excellent, it is outstanding. Every story is of the highest quality. It is a long time since I can honestly say that I loved and was impressed by each and every story in a collection. And it's not because I'm in a jolly festive mood either. The reverse, in fact, because my son has just run his remote control racing car into the Christmas tree and broken my favourite glass bauble.

The lack of by-lines is compensated by quotes from literary greats, such as Virginia Woolf, which are featured at the end of each tale. This collection is a total reading experience and I won't spoil it for you by naming each tale and describing it. Suffice to say, the opening story, A SMILE IN THE SKY, is an intensely moving piece about star-gazing. And yet, it's so much more than that. THE FRIENDS OF MIKE SANTINI is the token sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll piece but with deep, dark, sinister undertones. The whole galaxy of writing is showcased from girlie relationships to the secrets the dead have buried with them. Don't you think all these family trees are asking for trouble? ALL FOR NOTHING is one for the girls, too. While ALONE carries a message for all earthlings.

This is in serious danger of becoming a cult magazine.

NEMONYMOUS (and am I alone in always having difficulty in pronouncing or even typing that name?) publishes its stories anonymously, revealing the authors' names in the subsequent issue. So this issue tells you who actually wrote the stories you loved or hated in the first issue; and the names of this issue's contributors will be revealed in NEMONYMOUS 3.

I'm not sure how much of a gimmick this is. A story is good or not, regardless of the byline. But there is some entertainment value in trying to guess who wrote a story, and coming across a fine piece by a despised author could be highly instructive! (I will say now that I only guessed the identity of one author correctly, and that is because I heard him tell a joke featured in the story. The source was thus pure and unimpeachable; and the story was a fine one, too!)

So, then, is NEMONYMOUS a good magazine? Undoubtedly. This issue contains nearly 20 stories, all on the short side. Therefore boredom never gets the chance to set in — if a story doesn't grab you after a few lines, you can move on (rapidly) to one that does. The fiction is by turn funny, weird, absurd, horrific. Everything is off-beat. This is a magazine that does not keep pace with its companions because it hears a different drummer.

And given that NEMONYMOUS is beautifully produced, it is impossible to lose here. And as is quoted from Jules Verne on page 95:

So, to that question: 'Who has ever fathomed the depths of the abyss?' two men, among all men, have the right to reply: Captain Nemo and I.

A nicely produced, perfect bound journal of short stories. It is well-edited, with a pleasing modern feel.

It is irritating when journals do not include details of price, submissions, and the ethos (the contact is via email). It is even more irritating when the names of the contributors are not included. They will be given in the next edition, along with short biographies. This, of course, has been done for a reason. The story is to be judged on merit alone, and not on the popularity or otherwise of the author. However, this does make it awkward when picking up a book and wanting to know who to attribute a fine piece of work to.

If the short story form is your metal, then this is for you. There is a wide range of work, and some pieces can be considered as vignettes. All are high quality. We have images of a man crossing a road, a man destroying a blackberry pie and a foetus dangling from a balloon. With the story form you can be anything and go anywhere, and even bury your parents and escape for a while, as in the case of this piece called DIGGING FOR ADULTS:

The adults in the neighborhood had disappeared a few days ago; sick of always having to take care of the children, they made a communal decision to bury themselves underground in hopes that, after a while, the children would get the hint that nobody like them and go away. So far the endeavor was ineffective. Not only were the children not going away, they persisted in trying to find the adults and dig them out of the ground.

Nemonymous part four is an unusual and intriguing collection of short stories. Written by a variety of authors, the names of whom are witheld until 'part five' where their by-lines will be published.

The stories in this collection vary from author to author and therfore I found that I prefered some more than others. One which particularly caught my attention was a story called SEXY BEAST. This story incorporates themes of obsession and desire focusing on a married couple and their discovery of strange buried bones. This story uses a transission between the husband and wife creating an unexpected and peculiar twist in the tale.

Another story which kept me turning the pages was MY BURGLAR. This story begins by creating an image of the typical inhumane burglar invading a victim's personal space. Yet by the end this image shifts, creating an intriguing perspective and a very new image of the burglar.

Despite enjoying some stories in this collection more than others, I would still recommend it as a good read. Especially for those looking for something away from the norm.