Ah, these one story issues of Hub are perfect for reading and reviewing in your lunchbreak.

Issue 87’s story in Nightlife by Dean Grondo. Wow, that’s disturbing. I think I’m actually horrified. This is a snippet of an insight into the mind of a serial killer. There’s no attempt to construct a narrative or give any backstory and I think that shows just how competent and assured the writing is. All throughout the story I was thinking in a slightly hysterical way ‘but why? Why?’ and no why was given. It would have been a much weaker piece if the author had attempted to answer the questions. I’m not sure I actually liked it but it’s the first time in ages I’ve been really disturbed by a horror story – and isn’t that exactly what the genre is supposed to do? I’ll be looking out for more of Grondo’s work.

I am now reviewing Hub in the same month of its publication. I’m giddy.

The story in Issue 85 is Old Clothes by Chris Cyr. I didn’t like this. It’s a ghost story and is the experience of a woman’s spirit after her death. Old clothes are used to hang old memories on and tell parts of the woman’s life story. For me, it lacks conflict and emotion. It is, unfortunately, just a bit dull.

Special treats in Issue 83 of Hub. There’s a poem as well as a story.

Story first, as usual, and it’s Mother Sponge by Mur Lafferty. This is really good. Exposition is handled in great dialogue and adds to the story rather than slowing it down. It builds from a strong start into a gripping finish – something that I now realise is rare. Stories often seem to start strong and falter towards the end but this gets better as it goes along.

The poem is The REAL Easter Bunny by Peter Roberts. It’s cute in a horrible sort of way. I should mention that I don’t read much poetry, although I do appreciate some of it. I’m interested in form and prefer stuff with some structure rather than free verse, so the rhyming couplets appealed to me.

Once upon a time, I thought I was catching up but this is real life and there’s no happily ever after. Which sounds more depressing than I mean. There are endings and many of them are happy and then the story keeps on going. Much like my quest to catch up on my reading. Oh happy fool.

Issue 82 of Hub contains the story Under A Bridge by Paul Fairbairn. It’s okay. It’s a modern fairy tale and that’s quite nice to see. I like the idea but the telling of it lacks depth. Exposition is nicely weaved in with dialogue and the writing is competent. It took me a moment to put my finger on what was missing – and in this case, it is that something is missing rather than that something is wrong. There’s no sensation. A very physical scene is described very cerebrally. There’s no smell or sound or texture and little colour.

Still struggling to get used to the new blocky design of Hub‘s website. And still struggling to catch up with all the things I want to read.

Anyway, Issue 81. The story is Gifted by Philip Palmer. Wow. This is fantastic. The very sad tale of a lonely boy who wastes the gifts he has, and knows that he wastes them. The non-linear structure underpins the sense of dislocation and conveys some of the backstory without words. I loved the repetition of some of the scenes and the way it helped to heighten the emotion. Definitely read this one.

Yikes, Hub‘s had another redesign. I’m not so keen on this version; it hurts my eyes a little and seems a bit old-fashioned. Still, what it looks like is less important than what’s in it.

On to Issue 80 and Hush a Bye by Beverly Allen. This story starts off well. Allen takes a mundance breakfast scene, hints at a mundance cause of her protagonist’s sleepless nights and makes it compelling through wonderful writing. She creates a viscerally real atmosphere and knowable characters with a deft hand. I was really impressed.

The ending was a little disappointing. It felt rushed and lacked the drama that the story really deserves. It’s worth a read, for the brilliance of Allen’s writing, and I’ll be looking out for more of her work.

The story in Issue 79 of Hub is another that plays with format. SBIR Proposal by Richard K Lyon takes the well used guise of a letter from one organisation to another. There is quite a lot of back story early on that I think would be unlikely to form part of the content of such a letter. The central idea is entertaining and suits the letter format, but it might have been more effective to have had an exchange of letters. I found myself skipping a couple of paragraphs. It’s a neat idea that could have been executed better.

OK, I’m steadily catching up.

We’re on to Issue 78 of Hub, only five issues behind now. The story is Gravestones by Mari Ness and it’s a real treat. I’m really interested in structure and the impact it has on a story. The same tale structured in different ways can be so different. I like to see something new. Gravestones is a short, anecdotal story, given a lift by a staccato structure. The graveyard is given a discordant, creepy feel in a deft manner and the ending was hilarious. I laughed out loud.

I’ll be looking out for more of Mari Ness’s work.