Beast Men and other Bio Horror SF at Apex Magazine

There is something about the nature of biology - growing things, squishy internal organs, monsters and mutants - that lends itself to the horror end of the science fiction spectrum. And they aren't always just chilling entertainment; such horrifying stories can be used to look at philosophical questions about what it means to be human. The March 3rd edition of Apex Magazine ("where science fiction and horror collide") has a couple of good examples of that this month. As Sarah Brandel writes in her introductory essay "Beast Men and the Human Animal":

Another facet of the question ‘What is human?’ addresses the differences between human beings and other members of the animal kingdom. If, in some respects, tiny variations in DNA are all that separate human beings physically from their closest primate relatives, where is the genetic line drawn between what is human and what is not? (There are easy answers from a species perspective—only members of the same species can produce viable offspring—but we’re not looking for easy answers here.)

I won't quote any more, because there are spoilers for the stories, but you can read them online yourself:

• "The Puma" by Theodora Goss
• "The Mind of a Pig" by Ekaterina Sedia
  

And for some more good creepiness, here are a couple of other biology-science fiction-horror stories from their archives:

• "Organ Nell" by Jennifer Pelland
  
• "The New Breed" by Michael A. Burstein
  

(And if you enjoy what you read at Apex, consider clicking on their "Donate" button and making a small contribution.)

Tags:science fiction, horror, genetic engineering, organ donation