Issue 30 (2008)

Readers will notice that MC #30 has some new authors and some who are returning. With us for the first time are Sørina Higgins, Randy Hoyt, SD Williams. The first two explore traditional tales from different corners of the globe, while the latter experiments with a postmodern approach. Ryder Miller is with us for the second time, with a different perspective. In MC#29, he experimented with (anti)heroic fantasy; now tries his hand at Utopian Science Fiction. Some faithful contributors are also returning. Joe Christopher offers another a witty and erudite sequence based Greek mythology. Also—a departure for him—he also gives us a tale with a New World setting, “Shpuch and Shtaj.” Was he perhaps inspired by Bonnie Callahan’s cover design in #29? Dag Rossman is also back, with a rich and vivid story from the ancient North. Lala Heine-Koene, David Sparenberg and Don Williams also present their short lyrics, each eloquent in different ways. Tim Callahan offers us a masterpiece in his narrative poem, “The Hunter and the Queen of Heaven,” which clearly evokes the Babylonian Ishtar and Tammuz as well as the Graeco-Roman Venus and Adonis. C. J. Bloomer appears with us the first time, with his arresting depictions of dragons, trolls, mermaids and chivalrous love. As an illustrator also, Bonnie Callahan brings us wonderfully spooky depictions of the setting and characters for Joe Christopher’s Amerindian tale. Letters are always greatly appreciated in The Mythic Circle, especially constructive criticism to help these writers improve their craft and advance their careers.