by Mirna Cicioni
As the editors, Miriam and Geoff (bless them for their dedication and good taste) explain in their introduction, this zine 'reflects wider diversity' within the straight/queer continuum (or should it be continua?): writers and characters are heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, trans-gender, trans-species, and virtual.
The stories also show a diversity of style and approaches. A few (Defective Gene 11257, Tri Again, Don We Now Our Gay Apparel) tend towards didacticism, the ever-present danger of science fiction writing: the messages are conveyed through transparent allusions to the present or predictable last-paragraph twists. Other stories present fairly easy solutions to homophobia and bigotry: benevolent deus-ex-machina homosexual aliens (Redemption, which could have been much better if the initial four pages of explanatory dialogue had been drastically edited), time reversion (Full Circle), and escape from Earth (the cleverly titled 'Sodom and Tomorrow', which presents an appealing reinterpretation of the sin of Sodom).
A few pieces are witty send-ups of age-old plots. In the politically incorrect (and very funny) Ladies' Day, by Helen Patrice, time travel to the past results in a ghastly mess when a soapbox feminist tries to convert Jane Austen to radical separatism. Trans-Formed by Stephen Stonewall, manages to make connections between biotechnology, 'deviant' desires, and a future society dominated by capitalism and religious fundamentalism. Priscilla, Drag Queen of the Nebula by Will Gauvin, is a camp fairy-tale vignette.
Some stories are memorable for their originality in style and content. An Angel's Shoulders, by Aaron A. Hughes, is, rather than an overt political message, a moving plea for emotional closeness conveyed through a successful blend of internal monologue, third-person narration and first-person narration. Aster Nought by Stephen Stonewall does have a message, but it is subtly delivered at the end, after a powerfully-written exploration of alienness and estrangement which turn into the beginnings of subjectivity.
My own personal favourite is Jetsam by Kerry Greenwood, a beautifully-written crossover between a joyless future society, dominated by technology and alienated from nature, and a mythical past of death, rebirth and passionate ties to the seasons.
The only non-fiction piece, Kate Doolan's Destination: Low Earth Orbit, about the decline of the space program, seems painfully topical today, when the aftermath of the destruction of the Columbia raises many difficult questions about funding priorities and the loss of seven symbolic lives in the context of present and threatened mass killings.
Solar Spectrum issues 1 and 2 are now available for sale from the club.
Solar Spectrum issue 3 is now being compiled, and we invite you to be involved.