“Mars’s Gift,” a new story by Jonathan Schlosser

Thanks to a recent post at the blog QuasarDragon, I had an opportunity to read “Mars’s Gift,” an interesting short story by Jonathan Schlosser that is wrapped inside the December 2008 issue of Aphelion: the Webzine of Science Fiction and Fantasy. A sad tale about Marines returning from Mars with a plague, it’s a nice blend of biology and romance. There’s even a prop that could be a classic, and appropriately titled, Stephen King book:

“The apartment was about twice the size of Adam's, but with half the furnishings. The dim lighting came from the fact that Ferrier only owned two lamps, one of which was lit. A large, cushioned chair sat against the wall, with a book face-down and open next
to it. An old book, still in paper bindings; the cover read The Stand.
A bottle of liquor sat next to the book, opened.”