High Action, Low Cost ~ A Review of EconoClash #4

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The short fiction market is interesting these days. From the heroic fiction focus of Cirsova to the modern approach of Broadswords & Blasters, there is just about something for everyone. Years ago there was nothing much if you enjoyed fast-paced tales of action and adventure, but now the selection is almost overwhelming.

That said, this isn't the 1930s. Those that create short fiction magazines have to really set themselves out from the pack and stand out in a market with more writers than readers. It's not easy, but a few have managed quite well.

EconoClash is one which focuses on "Cheap Thrills", which isn't to say that the fiction itself is of lesser quality, but offers fiction that thrills at a cheap price. It's built for quick and fast reads, and some of the fiction works to give you that impression. I can imagine picking this one up late at night from the convenience store on the way to a late shift. The fiction certainly matches that feel.

There isn't any real theme here, aside from a few more detective stories than other genres, and that works to advantage as a grab bag of low cost stories to entertain. 

Included in this issue are the following stories:

Death Episode by Rex Weiner

Good old fashion detective fiction. A man is harassed for weeks and then shot through the window. It is up to a homicide detective to figure out the who and the why. The story deals with the entire investigation from discovering the victim to finding the perp. The prose is very hardboiled to match the story and characters with a heavy emphasis on tough guys talking tough. I like that in my noir-style stories. My only real issue with this one is that it ends almost as soon as it begins. But it makes for a good first story.


Hello Scum by Matthew X. Gomez

This is another detective story not too much unlike the first one, but with a small cyberpunk bent. Two crooked cops are causing problems and it's up to our protagonists to deal with them. This is good but it comes off a bit too samey for me after coming of another story in more or less the same genre. However, I will say the ending of this one is the better of the two, building up to a heated confrontation at the end which concludes in a vicious manner.

Chicken Foot Blues by Mark Slade

A man discovers a book on a park bench . . . which turns out to be from a witch! What follows is the tale of a chicken foot. I'm not making this up, it's that bizarre. This is quite the weird tale. Our protagonist finds a journal, and a bizarre entry inside reveals something I can't even explain without giving away the plot. If one wanted to imagine what a modern story published in a proper modern version of the '40s edition of Weird Tales existed, it wouldn't look too different than this. It has a lighthearted tone, but scratches that itch that only a good weird tale can. I quite liked this one.

What Stills the Heart by Hailey Piper

This is a story told by the Irish narrator to the reader about a monster encounter. I'm not going to lie, this was difficult to read and keep track of due to the narrator constantly making asides or using colloquialisms in the midst of a setting that I was also trying to wrap my head around. Then there is a twist ending, I suppose, about where the narrator is telling the story. I wasn't a fan of this one simply because it was difficult for me to be allowed in on it. Your mileage may vary.

Freak Out! by Jon Zelazny

This is a period piece taking place only a year after Bobby Fuller, the musician, died. An Englishman who works in the recording industry is in Hollywood, as is common for his job, delivering maser tapes. This story works in a lot of rock music lore from the time, including ties to the infamous Laurel Canyon, which stars a main character carrying the master tapes for The Who's I Can See For Miles. The tapes are lost to a criminal called The Serb, and things spin out from there. Unfortunately, despite dealing quite handily with the problem, the story goes on a bit further after this before sputtering out. I would have preferred more about the conspiracy theories mentioned in the story that didn't add up to anything and were just a waste of time for the reader. It's a shame because that could have led to an interesting story, or subplot, of its own.

Bad Junk by C.W. Blackwell

A junkie couple on a camping trip have problems when one of them ODs on bad junk. The survivor wanders off but soon ends up in trouble with dealers. We follow her as we learn just how far she let herself fall in life to end up in this situation. This was a tightly written story with quite an explosive conclusion. As far as thriller so, which is far, the tension is raised quite high on the last encounter and ends with quite the satisfying moment. I'm not going to spoil it except to say this one was quite a good read and is easily one the issue's best.

In the Blood by Robert Petyo

A story about a man looking into his roots. When on a site he soon learns he might be related to a famous serial killer. Does this explain his weird bloodlust, or is something else at play? It spirals out from there and gets more and more disturbing. This is a neat horror story which keeps you engaged up until the end. I would say more but then I would have to spoil what happens in it. Nonetheless, it might be the strongest story here, and had me on the edge of my seat.


Stone of Souls by J.S. Rogers

A fantasy tale starring a prisoner locked away in a cell. He soon meets a new arrival who helps him plan an escape, but not before facing the man who put them away in a deadly confrontation. This a simple straightforward action adventure yarn with well done action and some solid fantasy elements. It's not like anything else in the issue. I don't think this would be out of place in Cirsova, which is the highest compliment I can give it.

Service at Sunflower Planet by J.L. Boekestein

This one is about a funeral arranger in the multiverse. The story itself deals with a particular funeral. This one is pretty cutesy, and not really my thing. Didn't really enjoy reading it, so I can't say much. Not much to say on this one.

The Eldritch Muse by Hatebreaker

The narrator visits a priest for "Confession" then ends up telling a story about buying a house and meeting an entity. Things, naturally, don't go as expected. First, I have to congratulate the author for writing a Lovecraft-style story instead of a Lovecraftian one. The narrator's paranoia and encroaching sense of dread is palpable, and it manages to do it without namedropping another author's work or pasting tentacles on vague monsters. It can get a bit wordy at times, but its brisk pace and length offset that.

Blue Angel by A.B. Patterson

A detective story with a gruesome and graphic tinge. This one involves a bit of ghosts and the supernatural in the proceedings, inner-squabbling with detectives, as well as prostitutes who get into disturbing positions before their phantom rescuer intervenes. It's not as convoluted as I made it sound. Graphic content aside, this one goes on and on without much in the way of progression before it just ends. It also comes after several other detective stories in the issue, which doesn't help it to stand out, and is easily my least favorite among them.

All in all, this is a good selection of stories that will give you a good band for relatively cheap bucks. This appears to be editor J.D. Graves' (Good name!) intent, which allows EconoClash to stand out in the short fiction market. There isn't anything quite like this magazine.

As I said before, the current magazine market is looking better all the time. No matter what you enjoy, there is something out there for you. EconoClash's existence is itself proof of that. There's something for everybody.

I quite enjoyed my time with EconoClash and will definitely be looking for what they do in the future. Pulp and genre fans, keep your eye on this one.

Recommended.

I've got my own action tales going. Be sure to check out the super-powered planet-hopping adventure of Gemini Warrior!

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