Issue #24 of Clarkesworld Magazine kicks off with “Worm Within” by Cat Rambo, which takes you to a mechanical dystopia where everything from the humans to the insects are now robots except for one character, the last Homo sapien, who narrates the tale. I can forgive the “Where’s Ishmael” in this tale since the narrator is the last of his (or her, it’s never made clear) kind and thus wouldn’t need a name anymore. The mystery lies in whether or not he (I’ll just assume it’s a he) is truly human or just insane or both or neither. Rambo delves deeply into the inner workings of the narrating character’s mental gears and shows his feelings of isolation and terror in having to live in a world where everything around him is the enemy. This paranoia compounded by self-hatred truly makes an interesting character, especially for a narrator. The ending, while not a complete surprise (I figured half of it out halfway through) is very clever and is a perfect fit for the story and its theme. Overall, “Worm Within” is an excellent tale.

“Can You See Me Now?” by Eric M. Witchey shows a near future where people are so immersed in virtual reality that it becomes the primary form of entertainment to the point where almost everything is done in VR, even history simulations. The desire for VR escape is so great that laws are in place to limit how much immersion can be allowed per day. There is much that can be explored in such a setting, but Witchey decides to keep it simple, which tends to be the best way to handle short stories. Overall, it’s a good read, but not something that will take your breath away. Personally, I’d like to see a novel come from this type of setting.

Clarkesworld continues to deliver surprising gems while also maintaining decent quality throughout. As far as online zines go, this one is worth keeping in your bookmarks to return to often.