Tor was not joking around this month. Two short stories and four novelettes makes this the biggest release month they’ve had in a while, and the works range from tie-ins to larger settings to some very stand alone. Fans of Tamsyn Muir and Seanan McGuire (of which there are many, I know) will be happy that they return to popular series, and there’s some interesting works interrogating uploaded consciousnesses, mythical games, and the deteriorating nature of reality itself. There’s a lot to enjoy, and a lot to get to, so I’ll cut this short and just jump into the reviews!
Two short stories and two novelettes make for a fairly full month from Tor dot com. On top of yet another Mongolian Wizard story, there are works about inter-dimensional airships, torture in the name of psychological research, and a group of young women camping in the woods. The pieces lean on the dark side, highlighting drain and the stress of living in situations where exploitation is the law of the land. But some also find people trying to break free of the cycle, even as others show people being consumed by it. A nice range of stories, which I'll get right to reviewing!
December brings a somewhat dark collection of short SFF to Lightspeed Magazine, though in some unexpected ways. Women seek to thrive following the collapse of nations. A scientist goes looking for answers deep beneath the waters and finds some she did not expect (or want). A river goddess desires a man but has some very strange demands for their relationship. And baking with grandma takes on a positively wicked edge. Many of the stories feature women stepping out of their expected roles and navigating a landscape defined by misogyny and violence. Some find ways to flip the script, while others are pulled down under the weight of history and injustice. And it’s a wonderful collection of stories that I’ll get right to reviewing!
July finds Uncanny Magazine full once again, this time with three original stories, two poems, and two nonfiction pieces. And may of the pieces examine the idea of home. Of community. Of something encroaching, and how people react to that. In some of the pieces, how is a physical building, a place of healing and haunting. In some it is a neighborhood, or a country, or a place among the stars. Many of these works show people reaching for a home that is different, that is better, where change is possible, where injustice and corruption can be put aside at last. These are stories, poems, and nonfiction pieces that reveal stunning compassion and blistering resistance. They are sometimes tender, sometimes shocking, sometimes funny, and all in all an incredibly collection of SFF. So let’s get to the reviews!
Just when I think I might have Uncanny Magazine figured out, it throws a curve-ball. Maybe that's a bit dramatic (and this month has certainly been one for publications taking some chance). But where normally I feel Uncanny keeps things rather grounded in the "real world" with a flavoring of the fantastic, the unusual, the uncanny, this month things get a bit more...out there. And certainly more dark. The fiction, at least, is about reaching out and touching something different, dark, and unhuman, and finding a sort of destruction in it. They are shocking pieces, filled with death and life and difference, and it's a bit of a tonal shift for the publication, but an effective one. Add in some thought-provoking nonfiction and a sweet (pun intended) poem, and the month's offerings maintain an interesting balance. So time to review it all!
So the May issue of Lightspeed Magazine is out and, well, rather dense. Four stories, as usual, but all of them over 5k this month means you get a little more bang for your buck than normal, perhaps to get people ready for the looming special issues that will start coming out soon. For now, though, the fiction shows a nice mix of stories that move, that bring moments of action and moments of tenderness and moments of violence that shock and sink. There is a meeting in most of these stories. Between ideologies and between people, where people get the chance to learn from each other, to reach out across a divide of distance and loss and make connections they weren't expecting to. And I should really get to those reviews!
Wow. Once again it has been a long time since I've done this. But here are my various reviews from around the internet! Gaze in wonder!
European Monsters eds.
Jo Thomas and Margrét Helgadóttir (Nerds of a Feather, my score 7/10) - A quite good collection of monster stories. I liked the premise and many of the stories, though some others I found harder to follow. Still, a fine collection!
Circumpolar! by
Richard A. Lupoff (Goodreads, my score 2/5) - This was...not the greatest. It wasn't all bad, but wow was it strange and there were parts that...just no. Got this in a "bad book swap" though, so I guess it fit...
Fragile Things by
Neil Gaiman (Goodreads, my score 2/5) - I'm something of a Gaiman fan, having liked American Gods and Good Omens and Sandman and even Smoke and Mirrors, but this collection did not really impress. There were a few I found...well, not good, though there were some good ones all the same. Just...disappointing...
European Monsters eds.
Jo Thomas and Margrét Helgadóttir (Goodreads, my score 3/5) - and the inevitable Goodreads review, because I do things like that. Different site, different review.
The Peripheral by
William Gibson (Goodreads, my score 4/5) - okay don't hate me but this was the first Gibson I've read. I liked the setting and the characters quite a bit. The ending (the very end ending) not so much, but overall I quite enjoyed it.
A Whole New Ballgame by
Phil Bildner (Kidsreads) - A very good middle grade book about education and friendship and basketball. Not speculative at all, but still charming and fun and inspiring.
A Whole New Ballgame by
Phil Bildner (Goodreads, my score 4/5) - And the Goodreads review. Again, this one is a fun read, with a richly diverse cast and a nice message. If you enjoy books for young readers, go give this one a try.
Sherlock Bones Volume 1 by
Yuma Ando and Yuki Sato (Goodreads, my score 3/5) - This one is a weird manga where a boy adopts a dog only to have it be the reincarnation of Sherlock Holmes, which means the boy is Watson. The volume gets much darker than the premise might imply. Still, very cute.
Rosemary and Rue by
Seanan McGuire (Goodreads, my score 4/5) - finally getting around to reading some of McGuire's urban fantasy and it is quite good. Lots to digest this book, but the world building is solid and the drama dramatic! Good times.
NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART (my review series of naughty books/graphic novels/manga)
Nyotai-Ka! Volume 1 by
Ru-en Rouga (Goodreads, my score 3/5) - Not really what I was expecting, but not in a bad way. It examines the main character's masculinity in some interesting and rather unexpected ways. Not a bad read, though quite strange. Technically hentai, though with some gender-bending-type stuff.
Ninth Life Love by
Lalako Kojima (Goodreads, my score 4/5) - OMG SO CUTE!!! This is actually not the happiest of yaoi because of some of the stuff going on in the longest story in the collection, but overall it is super cute and rather sexy. Just...wow apparently I get emotional at times, because that first story...quite good.
Okay, that's what I've been up to recently. Thanks for reading!
So Lightspeed wins my "Came out with their longest story of the month in the last five days of the month" award (normally reserved for Tor but then, as I haven't read the Tor stories yet, might mean there will be two winners this month). Which, given I just got back from WisCon, means that I had to sort of rush to get it done in time. But I kid (because though it would be nice for all places to schedule their releases to suit me I don't expect it...yet). It's another month of quality stories that really showed a wide variation in kinds of stories. Nothing really feels similar, but it is all worth checking out in different ways. Including the stunning conclusion (I think) to the long-running Kaslo Chronicles. So let's get to it!
