July’s Apex Magazine starts off with “Artifact” by Peter Atwood, a tale with a similar flavor to The Deadliest Catch, wrapped up in a SF future. In it 
Reeda and Davis are still mourning the loss of their daughter, in their individual ways, when Davis finds a strange object while fishing for mussels in the nearby (toxic) lake. What exactly it is is never quite revealed, but its effect on Reeda and Davis make the tale almost palpable.
“Shrödinger’s Pussy” by Terra LeMay also available in audio format here ) is a very unusual love story, that like the previous tale is more abstract and emotional than concrete. Readers will either love being swept away by this one, or feel as lost at the end as they did at the beginning.
“Here We Are, Falling Through Shadows” by Jason Sanford is stellar tale of a firefighter who isn’t just fighting flames, but is also trying to keep people safe in a world where shadowy interstellar creatures are kidnapping, maybe torturing and killing, humans who dare to walk in the shadows. It has a Pitch Black feel, but more social SF, reminding us that not all aliens are from the stars.
“Those Below” by Jeremy C. Shipp is a thinly disguised commentary on minority issues, skewed into an ongoing conversation between a living human who’s having trouble dealing and the “Remade American” (intelligent zombie) he’s dating. While clearly a lesson on right versus wrong it’s also well written and in an interesting setting that could use a re-visit from Shipp.
Finally, fiction-wise, is “End of the Line: A Puzzle” by Susannah Mandel, a short piece that feels more like a math word problem than a story. Readers are encouraged to figure the puzzle out because the story alone offers no real conclusion.
This issue of Apex also offers three poetry selections; “Going Woodoo” By Colleen Kimsey a evocative take on werewolves, “Eclipse” by Robert Borski, a very good ghost-love tale about what can be seen in the shadows of an eclipse that can’t be seen other times, and “Wisdom” by Lydia Ondrusek, a forgiving environmental tale that’s almost gentle.
