I was really impressed with issue #1 of Unnerving Magazine, so much so that issue #2 was always going to be a bit like the difficult second album by your new favourite band. My initial worries were laid to rest when I saw that Stephen Kozeniewski *checks spelling*, James Newman and Jessica McHugh had jumped on-board, submitting new pieces of fiction. Of the three mentioned, Mr Kozeniewski delivers a very solid Z story where the dead are controlled by the mind! Some typical dark humour and a good ending means issue #2 is off to a great start. I’m not a fan of zombie fiction due to a bit of an overdose on it a few years back, but I did enjoy this one a great deal. I’m a massive fan of James Newman but his story here didn’t do a lot for me this time. Perhaps I’m simply too exhausted with the current political climate in the US at the moment to truly enjoy this short piece. Jessica McHugh is a writer you never know what you will get from her next (this is good, by the way) and with ‘Lipstick’, McHugh delivers a cracking short about an unusual evening at a restaurant. ‘Lipstick’ is only a quick read but it should make you want to go deeper into the McHughniverse. A shout-out also to Aaron J. French who contributed a great short story and the chapter excerpt from his forthcoming novella through Unnerving also left me glad that I have pre-ordered it.
I really enjoyed the non-fiction from issue #1 and the same with this issue. A thoughtful piece from author Stephen Laws about why he stepped away from writing for a while and solid chats with Ted E. Grau and Nicole Cushing. There is a Ray Bradbury piece by Gwendolyn Kiste that’s very good too and there are the usual book reviews which never outstay their welcome by being too long, but give a very fair assessment of the contents.
All said, Unnerving Magazine looks like it is here to stay, and I for one am sure glad. If Eddie can keep on luring the calibre of writers he has for issues 1 and 2 as well as giving newer voices their chance to shine then the magazine will hopefully have a long life.
4/5 stars
Pick up a copy from here.
Or, even better, ignore the Amazon Death Lords and go direct to Unnerving Magazine where you can get 4 digital issues delivered for only $10.00!! Go here.
Be sure to check out Unnerving Magazine Website. It’s updated regularly and features reviews, interviews and guest posts.
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