The Alternate History issue of Midnight Circus is out (lucky no. 7) and features a fairly stark illustration on the cover of a giant kraken as it cracks what appears to be a Spanish galleon like a peanut shell. The collection of short stories and a single, minimalist poem range over a variety of topics from the assassination of Uncle Joe Stalin to a trip to Tucson, AZ by Franz Kafka in quest for relief from his tuberculosis. There’s also a short story by some guy named Mark Mellon wherein Oscar Wilde meets a much happier and far more melodramatic fate than the seamy, squalid one that destroyed him in real life. The poor author must suffer from some silly, romantic Irish strain that leads him to engage in such flights of fancy.
Midnight Circus is available in paperback for the very reasonable price of $5.00. Virtual literature fans can read the magazine on Kindle for a measly 99 cents. If you want a fun, uplifting story, trust me, this is about as close as I ever get to that sort of thing. Please click the links below to learn more: