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Rich Horton's Market Summaries:
Summary: Paradox, 2004
Paradox is a magazine devoted to historical fiction and speculative fiction -- as a result, they seem to publish more historical fantasy than anything. They now publish twice-yearly. I saw two issues this year, #5 and #6, Summer and Winter. It is possible that there was another earlier in the year (they were previously trying to publish quarterly) -- if so, I didn't see it. The editor is Christopher M. Cevasco.
They published 15 stories in those two issues, four novelettes and eleven short stories (one a short-short). 93,000 words total. (38,000 words were novelettes, 55,000 short stories, for averages of 9500 words per novelette and 5000 words per short story.)
Of the novelettes I liked Adam Stemple's "The Three Truths", about a samurai framed for the murder of his master's wife, and what his servant does to save him; and David J. Sakmyster's "Restoration", which is actually SF set in the future, about immortality -- vaguely reminiscent of Damon Knight's "Dio" (though not even nearly as good a story).
Of the short stories I liked Beverly Suarez-Beard's "Lady of the Birds", about a deformed woman who falls in love with a vain nobleman, and who is helped by the Phoenix to gain her wish -- but was her wish wise? Also, Rita Oakes's "Lili Marlene", about a gypsy in the aftermath of World War II; and Howard Andrew Jones's "Servant of Iblis", in which a moneylender haunted by an efreet enlists the help of a Caliph's aide.
