Midnight Echo is the official magazine of the Australian Horror Writer’s Association (AHWA). Issue number two was edited by Angela Challis and Shane Jiraiya Cummings.
In this issue, the editors aimed to include stories with an Australian feel. There is a mixture of both flash fiction and short stories, all of which flow together into a coherent whole. Three stories which were winners of the AHWA flash and short story competitions in 2007 and 2008 are also included.
There are several clear standout stories in this issue, the first of which is Shadow of Drought by Joanne Anderton. Firmly grounded in the Australian landscape, the reality of drought gives this story a particular impact and makes the creepy events occurring feel even more vivid. This one will stay with you, and haunt you the next time you leave the city.
The Message by Andrew J. McKiernan is the absolute standout in this issue. Again, a grounding in real life events gives this story real impact. There’s a real emotional hit to this one that will linger long after you’ve closed the magazine.
The Emancipated Dance is Felicity Dowker’s second appearance in Midnight Echo. Here, Dowker shows us a peek into a slipstream world, an undercurrent of feminism flowing beneath it. Her imagery has a great impact – even as some of it turns your stomach, you’ll find yourself compelled to read on.
In Tangled Roots Where Hearts Entwine by Kurt Newton veers more towards the surreal, twisting the world into something new and completely original. Haunting, and like the other best stories in this issue, will linger with the reader.
Challis and Cummings aimed for an Australian feel to this issue, and in that, they have succeeded. Midnight Echo continues to be a great showcase of dark fiction writers that is maintaining an extremely high standard.
Midnight Echo can be purchased from the AHWA in either electronic format or hard copy.
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