Magazine of the Month - Hexagon #17
In an attempt to stay current on short fiction without emptying my entire bank account, each month I pick a magazine at random and review it. The current list of magazines I choose from is here.
This month's magazine is issue 17 of Hexagon, which can be downloaded from their Patreon here. Hexagon is edited by JW Stebner, and this issue collects five "eco-rebellion" stories. Here's what's inside:
- “Heat Devils” by Madi Haab
- “Feathers and Wax: A Triptych” by André Geleynse
- “Smugglers Without Borders” by Christopher R. Muscato
- “An Epicurean’s 10 Steps to Utopia” by John Eric Vona
- “Wonders of a Plastic Ocean” by James Cato
Hexagon is completely new to me, but I'm definitely going to pick up some of their back issues because I really enjoyed this. One thing that really stood out to me was the sequencing of the issue. The issue flicks back and forth between longer works and flash fiction (though most of the longer stories are still sub-2000 words, so very quick reads), providing a nice sense of pacing as you move through the issue. The stories also get progressively stranger as you move on, which I really liked.
There's a lot to like in here but the stories that really stood out to me were André Geleynse's "Feathers and Wax: A Triptych" and James Cato's "Wonders of a Plastic Ocean". "Feathers and Wax" is a very short trio of flash pieces, barely more than 300 words in total, about humanity's attempt to flee a dying Earth to the stars. While the mega-rich send 8000 people skywards about the Daedalus, everyone else is left behind to suffer. The triptych charts the launch of the craft and the disaster that follows, crashing back to Earth and being scavenged by those left behind. Despite the incredible brevity it packs a nice punch, and I really enjoyed it.
"Wonders of a Plastic Ocean" is really the standout of the issue for me, though. It's by far the longest story here, clocking in at over 7000 words, and after the rapid pace of the rest of the issue I really appreciated having something to sit with for a bit longer to close things out. This is also the weirdest story here (though John Eric Vona's story of climate rebellion told through the various courses of a private dinner for the super rich is really structurally interesting, and also very good), with strange god-effigies made of discarded plastic, a cult of climate refugees, and bounty hunters wearing fake faces. I absolutely loved it and I'm going to be seeking out more of Cato's writing.
It's frankly ridiculous that Hexagon is available entirely for free. I've subscribed to their Patreon off the back of this issue and I highly encourage you to do the same.
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