A pretty average issue: there were some good stories, some meh stories, and just one story that I rated above 4.5.
Hello! Hello! Hello! by Fiona JonesA pretty average issue: there were some good stories, some meh stories, and just one story that I rated above 4.5.
Hello! Hello! Hello! by Fiona Jones - a lovely first contact story. It’s this author’s first published one :) I liked it, 4.2 stars.
Phosphorescence by Ben Berman Ghan - a story about a post-climate apocalypse world in which the privileged are trying to save themselves and the rebels that want a different future. Good stuff. 4 stars.
Nine Beauties and the Entangled Threads by D.A. Xiaolin Spires - a pair of friends are trying to understand why forests are dying and send bots in. There are also themes of family, loss, and friendship. 4 stars.
A Brief Oral History of the Zopilote Dock by Alaya Dawn Johnson - the USA is no more, and some of the new states are white supremacist and dystopian. People are fighting back. This is brilliant and visceral. 5 stars.
One Flew Over the Songhua River by Qi Ran - a story of a family mixed with space exploration. It was alright, but nothing special. 3 stars.
Her Body, The Ship by Z. K. Abraham - a generation ship horror fever dream story. I did not enjoy the writing at first, but I liked how everything came together. 3.9 stars.
Geminoid by Malena Salazar Garcia - a very creepy and terrifying story of androids who are organ donors. 4.2 stars.
Swarm X1048 - Ethological Field Report: Canis Lupus Familiaris, “6” by F. E. Choe - alien intelligences observe and document life on deteriorating Earth and fall in love with a dog. It’s meant to be poignant, but I wasn’t very impressed. 3 stars....more
How about an action movie? How about a ride through a far-future universe where Earth had been obliterated in an interstellar war? A book club pick :)
How about an action movie? How about a ride through a far-future universe where Earth had been obliterated in an interstellar war?
Some of the remaining humans live on Gaea Station, a grim and desolate place built from the remains of four space dreadnoughts. Here, the last soldiers of humanity are bred and trained for vengeance against those who destroyed their world.
The story centers on Kyr, a genetically enhanced supersoldier who has been brainwashed from birth to serve and exact vengeance. Her life on Gaea Station is tough, but straightforward, until her brother Magnus disappears, and she is assigned to the Nursery, destined to become breeding stock until she dies. Kyr refuses. She escapes with the help of her brother's geeky friend Avi and a captive alien named Yiso. Once Kyr leaves the only world she has ever known behind, she begins to think about things she has never thought of before. Secrets unravel and realizations hit. What follows is a journey across multiverses and timelines.
Adventures, escapes, dangers, and rescues fly by in quick succession, making it difficult to put the book down. There is also shadowspace technology, which bends time and space, and Wisdom, a god-like AI to end all AI’s. All this sci-fi magic keeps the story going, even if the tech runs on "pure narrativium."
I think that Kyr's character development is what keeps the book together. The reader first sees her as an unlikeable "best fascist girl scout," brainwashed and rigid in her beliefs. Watching her question her conditioning, make bad choices, and ultimately find her strong moral core is fun and satisfying. Kyr's relationship with Yiso, the alien, was touching, as she slowly began to see them as a person rather than an enemy. Unfortunately, the other characters are mainly there to advance the plot and make Kyr react to things. Some of the things they do come out of nowhere (I know, I know, we must think of the plot).
The themes of overcoming cultish conditioning, the abuse of power, and the impact of colonialism are done well for such a fast-paced book. The author does a pretty good job of depicting a fascist society/cult and the psychological manipulation that comes with it. Also, the description of sexual abuse and its consequences is handled with care. However, the balance between these themes and maintaining the action-packed nature of a space opera is not always perfect. Tesh does not address the ethical and psychological implications of certain events. The large-scale destruction that occurs multiple times felt very "videogamey". It might have made me facepalm and cringe, if I was reading slower.
Despite these flaws, "Some Desperate Glory" kept me hooked, and I wanted to know what happened next. Is this book worth a read? Definitely, just don’t expect a sci-fi masterpiece. But you will be entertained!
This issue was interesting, especially the short story by Isabel J. Kim. But there were too many underwhelming stories, so the overall rating will be This issue was interesting, especially the short story by Isabel J. Kim. But there were too many underwhelming stories, so the overall rating will be 3 stars.
“Scalp” by H.H. Pak - janitors walk among people in tanks, who are living virtual lives. I think it’s supposed to be poignant, but I didn’t enjoy it at all. 2.5 stars.
“The Flowers That We Intend To Share” by Rajeev Prasad - the end of childhood, sentient mechs, flowers that drug you and creepy families. I liked the feel of this story. 3.9 stars.
“The Enceladus South Pole Base Named after V.I. Lenin” by Zohar Jacobs - an alternative history of sorts, with Soviet colonies on Saturn’s moons. It’s written as old school Soviet sci-fi, but it is subversive, of course. 3.8 stars.
“Kardashev’s Palimpsest” by David Goodman - of post humanity and love spanning millennia. I liked it! 4 stars.
“The Peregrine Falcon Flies West” by Yang Wanqing - This one is a nice mix of combating climate change, aliens, birds and bird-watching, and people refusing to conform. A cool story. 4 stars.
(It’s nice to see more Chinese sci-fi in Clarkesworld! Even when I don’t like a story, it’s still interesting to read something different from my “usual” sci-fi diet.)
“Why Don’t We Just Kill the Kid in the Omelas Hole” by Isabel J. Kim - a very vicious and brilliant dialogue with Le Guin’s famous short story. 4.5 stars.
“The Beam Eidolon” by Ryan Marie Ketterer - a story featuring a living planet and stupid humans. I’ve read similar stuff before. 3 stars.
“Lonely Ghosts” by Meghan Feldman - abandoned machine intelligences are trying to be less lonely. Nothing special, 3 stars. ...more
I love Ann Leckie's work, and this collection does her writing justice.
Lake of Souls - a story about finding yourself; a poignant sA book club pick :)
I love Ann Leckie's work, and this collection does her writing justice.
Lake of Souls - a story about finding yourself; a poignant story of a first contact of sorts. Not everything is explained, but it doesn’t really have to be. It reminded me of the story in the Far Reaches collection, only this was better. 4.2 stars.
Footprints- a very short (2 minutes to read, said my Kindle) horror genre mix, featuring a very creepy teddy bear. 4 stars.
Hesperia and Glory- let’s mix old-fashioned mystery, nods to Edgar Rice Burroughs, and darker twists of imagination. The result is pretty cool. 4.3 stars.
Endangered Camp - dinosaurs build a spaceship to go to Mars. Then a meteor strikes Earth. Excellent stuff. 4.6 stars.
Another Word for World - a story about unlikely allies, people trying to co-exist and things lost in translation. Quite brilliant! 5 stars.
The Justified - aliens as Egyptian gods (or something). I’ve read this one before, in another anthology. It was great this time, too. 5 stars.
Bury the Dead - a Thanksgiving dinner with a twist. Very nice, but too short. 4 stars.
The Sad History of a Tearless Onion - a very short funny satire. Nothing special, but fun. 3.6 stars.
Stories from the Imperial Radch Universe:
Night’s Slow Poison - a long space voyage to a hidden planet, a planet hiding from the Raadchai. Is there a spy onboard? A poignant and heartbreaking story. 4.7 stars.
She Commands Me and I Obey - let’s have an Aztec ball game; on a space station, with high deadly stakes, and intrigues behind the scenes. Whoa. 5 stars.
The Creation and Destruction of the World - this is a myth/fairy tale. What does it have to do with the Raadchai universe? Is it one of their legends? Anyway, it wasn’t my cup of tea. 3.5 stars.
Stories from the universe of the Raven Tower:
The God of Au - never trust a god, and don’t make deals with a god. A bleak story with a good ending. 4.3 stars.
The Nalendar - Umri and a very small god (who is a skink) need to leave town and take a river boat together. Things are not what they seem. Adventures ensue. 4.8 stars.
The Snake’s Wife - the intrigues of gods and mortals make for a bleak and bloody story. Leckie is experimenting with gender yet again. 4.6 stars.
Marsh Gods - oh, it’s The Return of Martin Guerre plot! And very well done it is, too. 4.9 stars.
Unknown God - a god is trying to undo a bad bad thing he did and is having a spiritual crisis (oh, my). Lovely, fun, wise. I loved it! 5 stars.
Saving Bacon - a comedy of manners! It features a piglet. A fun story, 4 stars.
Beloved of the Sun - gods’ intrigues with mortals as pawns. Interesting, but I think I might have overdosed on “Raven Tower” stories by the end of this collection. So, 3.9 stars.
The average rating for all the stories is 4.4 :)...more
“When the house laughed, it sounded like the ripple of a storm, the hush and shudder of leaves and sand trickling down a dune.”
Shiver. Shiver. Shiver.“When the house laughed, it sounded like the ripple of a storm, the hush and shudder of leaves and sand trickling down a dune.”
Shiver. Shiver. Shiver. What a creepy locked-room murder mystery! There is a haunted house, Rose House, that is also a ghastly AI.
I liked the sci-fi world building here, it is sparse, but the reader can easily fill in the blanks and paint a bigger picture. The world has a dystopian feel, but it’s not a dystopia. It’s just a version of the future, with good things and bad all mixed together. Sci-fi stories rarely wake my sense of wonder nowadays (I have read too much sci-fi, perhaps). This one did!
There are three POV’s in 120 pages, and they were masterfully done. This is not easy to write, I am very impressed. (Oliver’s POV was a respite from all the creepiness.)
How do you explain a dead body in a house to which only one person has access after the owner’s death; and that person has an alibi? The search for answers is very dark and kept me turning the pages.
I do hope that our future AI’s are not going to be like Rose House. This is during its phone call to the police to report a dead body:
“Cause of death,” said Maritza. “I’m a piece of architecture, Detective. How should I know how humans are like to die?”
Maybe trying to come in is a bad idea, Detective…
“What is a building without doors, Maritza?” Rose House asked her, blandly inquisitive. “Have you opinions?” “A prison”, Maritza thought, and went back to her car.”
The story grows more and more claustrophobic, you feel like you are getting lost in Rose House and mental fog. I have mixed feelings about the ending: it was anticlimactic and not quite clear, but it did seem fitting. ...more
All right, this was very interesting. It’s probably one of the more interesting “Tchaikovskys” I’ve read so far. I liked it a lot, A book club pick :)
All right, this was very interesting. It’s probably one of the more interesting “Tchaikovskys” I’ve read so far. I liked it a lot, with some reservations that I have so far had trouble articulating. Writing things down usually helps, so here we go.
The totalitarian state of this universe has labour camps on planets it wants to explore. Convicts are shipped there, as cheaply as possible. (Me: labour camps on Earth are cheaper.) The author obviously knows about sharashkas of the Soviet Gulag – and the main character is to help the research into the alien artefacts of Kiln. (The research findings need to confirm to the state doctrine, of course.) The artefacts are creepy and fascinating and seem to have been made by a vanished civilization. I like this kind of mystery.
The labour camp dynamics and horrors were written well, yet there was a sarcastic detachment that bothered me. It is a legitimate narrative choice; it has been done before. It is just that in this particular case I had trouble feeling, experiencing, diving in. Things were happening, I wanted to know what would happen next, so on I read, that’s it. It also made the characters more puppet-like, and the beginning of the book had led to me to expect a more character-driven story…
I really liked the subversive nods to the French Revolution, as parts 1, 2, and 3 are Liberté-Égalité-Fraternité. As you read, it becomes more and more subversive and twisted. I loved that!
The world of Kiln is fascinating and amazing, truly alien, with frighteningly different (to conservative humans, that is) genetics and ecology. The references to Hieronymus Bosch are the loveliest things. I didn’t know I wanted a Boschian alien world in my books, but suddenly, there is was, and I happily ate it all up. The true nature of Kiln wasn’t that much of surprise, but Tchaikovsky is doing ambitious, ambiguous stuff here, so kudos to him. Is our narrator reliable, by the way? Ha! But I am always eager to see another take on the “there are many ways of being human (post-human?)” theme. (Also me, screaming: doesn’t anyone in this labour camp have an immune system??? Me, having caught my breath: ok, so Kiln stuff is good it adaptation, so maybe it fools the human immune system. But do mention it specifically, please?) The ending is not unexpected. Is it satisfying or horrific? It depends.
Quotes that I liked: “Just because the tyrant dresses like a clown doesn’t mean he’s funny.”
“The greatest privilege of power is being able to overlook the fact that you’re even wielding it.”...more
It was a nice issue, with both nice and meh stories. There weren't any outstanding, 5 star ones, though.
"Nothing of Value” by Aimee Ogden - Humanity It was a nice issue, with both nice and meh stories. There weren't any outstanding, 5 star ones, though.
"Nothing of Value” by Aimee Ogden - Humanity has invented teleportation, so now you can jump around the solar system. This is a story about both the impact of technology and very human emotional dead ends. 4 stars.
“Down the Waterfall” by Cécile Cristofari - Yet another take on time travel, roads not taken and moments you wished you had had. Very poetic, but it left me cold. 3.5 stars.
“Binomial Nomenclature and the Mother of Happiness” by Alexandra Munck - An engineer makes a machine that lets you see physical manifestations of emotions. I liked the world building and the characters. 4.2 stars.
“Stars Don’t Dream” by Chi Hui - Maybe it’s a dystopia, maybe it’s a utopia. Anyway, everyone is in the metaverse. Space exploration, what space exploration? But some people dream… Very nice hard sci-fi! 4 stars.
”Just Another Cat in a Box” by E.N. Auslender - Someone is trapped on post-apocalyptic planet, different versions of the protagonist awake one after another. It was pretty bleak and I did not like it. 2.5 stars.
“Rail Meat” by Marie Vibbert - Two con artists in a world it would be interesting to see more of. Very enjoyable! 4.3 stars.
“You Dream of the Hive” by C.M. Fields - what kind of existence do you want? The regular human one or… something else? Interesting! 3.9 stars.
”You Cannot Grow in Salted Earth” by Priya Chand - space exploration that had gone wrong. It felt more like a fragment than a story. 3 stars...more
A wonderful issue – mostly because of “Eight or Die” by Thoraiya Dyer. But other stories were good too :)
“Morag’s Boy” by Fiona Moore - I have read abA wonderful issue – mostly because of “Eight or Die” by Thoraiya Dyer. But other stories were good too :)
“Morag’s Boy” by Fiona Moore - I have read about Morag before, in “The Spoil Heap”, issue 198 of Clarkesworld. I wasn’t too impressed, and didn’t review it. This is the same dystopian universe, but the story is so much better. Morag adopts Cliff, and begins to understand that her post-apocalyptic world can be different. 4.9 stars.
“Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Cyborg” by Samara Auman - crows are mourning their cyborg friend. This one is virtually plotless, it’s poetical and philosophical. Nice, but I was left wanting more. 3.8 stars.
“In Memories We Drown” by Kelsea Yu - some people are living in an underwater station after some kind of catastrophe. They find a strange plant. It’s a beautiful story. It felt too short and somewhat incomplete, though. 3.9 stars.
“Waffles are Only Goodbye for Now” by Ryan Cole - in a war zone, a little boy befriends a smart refrigerator. Awww. 4.0 stars.
“The World’s Wife” by Ng Yi-Sheng - there is a body that becomes a whole world… Fun! 4.0 stars.
“The Last Gamemaster in the World” by Angela Liu - Here is the grandest online game ever! Interesting, but it didn’t quite move me. 3.9 stars.
“Kill That Groundhog” by Fu Qiang - three people are trying to escape their Groundhog Day, in various ingenious ways. So much fun! Hilarious. 4.4 stars.
“Eight or Die”, Part II by Thotaiya Dyer - continued from issue 206 of Clarkesworld. We are still on a mission on an alien world. It’s weird, it’s quirky, it’s fun, it’s tragic, it’s magic, it’s humane. It’s very unlike “regular” sci-fi (whatever that is). The writing is great. The characters are great. Everything is great. I’m fangirling. Here are 5 stars....more
This is the only sci-fi novella Victoria Goddard has written. Naturally, the fangirl has to try it.
Fun, snarky space opera detected! I am getting LoisThis is the only sci-fi novella Victoria Goddard has written. Naturally, the fangirl has to try it.
Fun, snarky space opera detected! I am getting Lois McMaster Bujold vibes (In particular, A Civil Campaign and Captain Vorpatril's Alliance). The author knows what she is doing, and there are very clear nods to Bujold.
Some genre tropes get dissected – in school, people of this universe are told that spaceship faster-than-light engines run on “magic”. I think these teachers were probably lying shamelessly, but this is how we roll. Do I dare suppose that Victoria Goddard had read some sci-fi? ...more
This novella is the back story of one of the characters from Who Fears Death. I haven’t read it, but She Who Knows stands perfectly well on its own.
ThThis novella is the back story of one of the characters from Who Fears Death. I haven’t read it, but She Who Knows stands perfectly well on its own.
The world is post-apocalyptic, afro-futuristic and fascinating. There is technology, but also strange spirits, strange creatures and things that feel like magic. The vibes are reminiscent of Binti, but the story is less emotionally wrenching (it’s not a criticism, I just mean that it has a calmer feel).
Najeeba is of the Osu-nu, the “untouchables” of the Okeke peoples. Osu-nu harvest salt, and their salt caravans travel on paths forbidden to anyone else. People Know when to go on the salt path. It’s the men who do this (because tradition!), but then the girl Najeeba Knows as well. This is the path that will lead her towards other strange talents.
The writing sparkles with sunshine, salt crystals, and mystery. Nnedi Okorafor, thank you for yet another good story.
Thanks a lot to NetGalley and the publisher for the free e-book!...more
My friends, I have just immersed myself in a Star Trek episode that was almost 500 pages long.
(With maybe a bit of Firefly thrown A book club pick :)
My friends, I have just immersed myself in a Star Trek episode that was almost 500 pages long.
(With maybe a bit of Firefly thrown in, but I only ever saw two episodes, so I am not an expert.)
The above is not a bad thing in itself, Star Trek being Star Trek :)
“It’s like the ship is being hammered by some kind of anomalous subspace energy.” Well, of course it is!
“I’m a mathematical genius, not a fucking magician.” (That was the best line in this book!)
I thought I was going to have fun. The story was not very original, but interesting enough to keep me turning the pages. And I did have fun (all these fortunate coincidences ;) ), but only for a while.
The writing keeps you going from chapter to chapter. This is not the kind of writing that goes right to your heart, and that’s usually ok for this kind of book. It kept giving me an unpleasant aftertaste, though. Also, there were way too many long, long, long info dump conversations that tried my patience. All of them should have been cut in half (at least).
The Felen and the Voiced are very obviously “inspired by” Ann Leckie’s universe – the Presger and the Presger Translators. I rolled my eyes at that. All the books out there influence each other in some way, but there is borrowing and then there is borrowing. Borrowing done badly is just annoying.
The characters were not done well. I don’t mind flat characters in a “Star Trek book”, the problem was that this book wanted them to have some depth and tragic (oh, so traaaaaaaagic) backstories. It didn’t work. That feeling of overwhelming second-hand embarrassment when you are watching a badly acted mediocre play? That was me for about two thirds of the book. “Oh, no, I can’t believe the author made character X say this.” The characters broke down in tears a lot, too, falling sobbing to the ground. I looked away, embarrassed. Cringe, cringe, cringe. I don’t think that was the reaction I was supposed to have ;) Oh, and the romance was achingly bad.
While I was still having fun, I thought it was going to be three star read – an entertaining and undemanding book with some flaws to facepalm at. But the bad characterization and ambitions that really have no place in a book of this kind made me so annoyed and impatient to finish that I am giving this two stars. Somebody give me better sci-fi, please!...more
An excellent issue! I liked all of the stories, and most of them were very good.
“Eddies are the Worst” by Bo Balder - a world with aging population, lAn excellent issue! I liked all of the stories, and most of them were very good.
“Eddies are the Worst” by Bo Balder - a world with aging population, low birth rates, labour shortages and clones. People make do, it’s a human thing. 4.2 stars.
“Bird-Girl Builds a Machine” by Hannah Young - your mother builds a mysterious machine for you… Great writing; I liked the twist at the end. 4.2 stars.
“The Long Mural” by James van Pelt - People on a generation ship are painting a long, long mural. Some of them are not who they seem. Wonderful in every way. 4.7 stars.
“The Parts That Make Me" by Louise Hughes - a cyborg on a spaceship crew wakes up after repairs and reminisces. Very nice - and too short, I wanted to spend more time with it. 4.3 stars.
”The Mub” by Thomas Ha - strange creatures are everywhere, the world is dystopian. More horror than sci-fi, but I found it interesting. 3.5 stars.
”Eight or Die” (Part One) by Thoraiya Dyer - alien abductions, missions on distant planets and lots of great weirdness. This is a novella, to be continued. It’s pretty amazing, too. 4.9 stars.
“Thin Ice” by Kemi Ashing-Giwa - AIs as conquerors; but the story is really about colonialism and robbing peoples of their culture. I prefer less heavy-handed messaging, but it’s a good story. 3.8 stars.
“To Carry You Inside You” by Tia Tashiro - of neuroimplants and their many uses… This is the author’s first published story? This is excellent! 4.4 stars....more
I’ve been struggling with myself how to rate this. Four stars was way too generous… Three stars was way too harsh – but maybe not eA book club pick ;)
I’ve been struggling with myself how to rate this. Four stars was way too generous… Three stars was way too harsh – but maybe not entirely unfair.
The premise is great: a space mission that is humanity’s last hope; a near future Earth full of environmental disasters and global conflict; cool future technology; things go badly wrong and there is a traitor onboard; the crew has to investigate and save the mission.
I liked the latter half of the book, because of all the danger, drama, excitement and whodunit. The pages flew by, rapidly and satisfyingly. Alpha the ship AI was cool.
Are you sensing a “but”? Yes, I do have quite a few of those:
I couldn’t connect to any of the characters. They felt flat and uninteresting. Asuka, I am sorry, but I want more from my main characters than an inferiority complex the size of the known universe and memories of past traumas.
The whole crew selection process? All right, you take a bunch of talented twelve-year-olds, put them into a boarding school and train them for many years. If they (some of them, at least) are to be a spaceship crew, should not cooperation skills be one of the priorities? Not an one-on-one academic battle royale, with rankings? This was possibly the reason so many of the spaceship crew were crumbling so nicely under pressure. Also, there was no difference, personality- and maturity-wise, between the characters at twelve etc and the characters as adults. Annoying!
The mystery was too easy! I guessed the villain (villainness ;) ) about halfway through the book (not all the details, though).
The author said in the acknowledgments that some of the mistakes in physics were intentional. Nice save, but it doesn’t mean that this reader can’t be annoyed. There is suspension of disbelief in sci-fi and suspension of disbelief in near future sci-fi ;) Hmmm, they are supposed to reach Planet X in 20 years. So, I am assuming something like light speed, unless they are using fusion rockets (speculative future technology) and are going to Proxima Centauri, our nearest star. It’s not mentioned where the heck Planet X is, so let’s say it’s not Proxima Centauri. Anyway, the crew has been hibernating for 10 years, they wake up, and lo and behold, ten years have passed on Earth. Isn’t that convenient? There is also lovely instantaneous communication with Earth, using quantum computers (just add quantum – well, at least it was done better here than in Spaceman of Bohemia). For some reason, they only have one onboard and no backup plan for communication when more shit hits the fan. Who planned this mission???
My other “buts” are mostly spoiler territory, so I think I’ll save them for the book club meeting.
There were flashes of promise in this debut novel, however. I might try this author’s other books in the future....more
I ended up enjoying this issue, despite a very shaky start and three rather meh stories.
“Possibly Just About a Coach” by Suzanne Palmer – a whimsicalI ended up enjoying this issue, despite a very shaky start and three rather meh stories.
“Possibly Just About a Coach” by Suzanne Palmer – a whimsical and very short piece about a couch, the universe, and everything. I’ve read similar stuff before and this author’s stories are usually better. 3.3 stars, I guess
“The Blaumilch” by Lavie Tidhar – a fully realized, vivid world. The story takes place on Mars, it’s the outback, and people are just living their lives, finding out who they are. Brilliant. 5 stars.
“Down to the Root” by Lisa Papademetriou – the galaxy may be huge, and human lives small… But life, loss, friendship, and debts paid never fade. 4.8 stars.
“Such is My Idea of Happiness” by David Goodman – in a dystopian England, the gene-manipulated minority rules. Maybe there is a way out? I liked the world-building, but the story itself did not make me feel anything. 3.6 stars.
“De Profundis, a Space Love Letter” by Bella Han – in a universe where all stories are written and recycled by machines, there are no more stories that move hearts. There are lots of cool descriptions, but little plot. 3.6 stars.
“Post Hacking for the Uninitiated” by Grace Chan – hackers extraordinaire take on a corrupt government. People can be hacked too… Well-written, imaginative, moving. I want to spend more time with these characters! 4.9 stars.
“Rafi” by Amal Singh – in a dystopian society, a seed grows into something amazing. I loved everything about this story. 4.9 stars.
“Timothy: An Oral History” by Michael Swanwick – it’s a new world, a world without men. An excellent and well-written thought experiment. The characters and their different voices are very believable, it’s impressive for such a short story. 4.4 stars....more
Well… Where do I even start? First of all: dear book club, I am very sorry. It was my suggestion. It sounded interesting! I have noA book club pick ;)
Well… Where do I even start? First of all: dear book club, I am very sorry. It was my suggestion. It sounded interesting! I have no other excuse.
The writing is competent, the kind of writing that wins competitions. Unfortunately, I don’t mean it as a compliment. Yes, there are harrowing pages about Czechoslovakia under communism, Czech Republic after the Velvet revolution, generational trauma etc. There is some deadpan stuff, where the author seems to make fun of nationalism – or so I think; surely, he cannot be serious about “yeah, aren’t we a great country, please look at us” all over the book. There is a lot of love for Prague, the city comes alive in beautiful ways sometimes. But the text quickly grows extremely pretentious, quasi-philosophical, rambling, with pages and pages of musings and descriptions that go on forever and ever and ever and ever and ever, can somebody make this book end already, and ever and ever and ever, please stop…
The Czech space programme that comes out of nowhere is ridiculous. The astronaut selection and astronaut training (what we see of it, anyway) are ridiculous. The instantaneous video communication and live blogging sessions (!) when Jakub the astronaut is traveling towards Venus are ridiculous squared. We know what happens to astronauts’ bodies after months in space, and the author does talk about this – so, surviving the stuff that Jakub survives towards the end of the book is beyond ridiculous.
Also, Jakub, with all his trauma, has no business being an astronaut. He also has no business being married to another human being. Getting Lenka’s perspective on things at the end of the book felt good: take that, you selfish idiot! I don’t mind flawed, annoying characters, as my book friends know. Just put them in better books, please.
The alien spider (or whatever the hell it was) was somewhat fun. I can understand the Nutella obsession (I don’t like it myself, but then there is chocolate). It certainly wasn’t enough to save this book.
The ending is as pretentious as the rest. I was planning on giving the book two stars. I got so annoyed while writing this, though, that it turned into my first one-star review of 2024! I need therapy after this, good book therapy....more
A book with its heart in the right place and good intentions. Ultimately, it tries to do too much, but I still ended up enjoying it.
There is Abeona, aA book with its heart in the right place and good intentions. Ultimately, it tries to do too much, but I still ended up enjoying it.
There is Abeona, a hotel-shaped oasis in an evil (of course it’s evil) Galactic Empire.
“Not for Abeona were the sharply curled edges of a gilt pedestal, the bone-bruising hardness of a veined marble floor, sallow gold and lace trim. … It looked like something somebody loved.”
Here are the guests and the employees with their backstories, and here are those who would rebel against the Empire. It starts off cozy. Come and follow Carl the manager (who is too nice to have this job, if you ask me); Uwade at the reception (good backstory); Dunk the sous-chef (“People sometimes asked Dunk what he’d be of he wasn’t a chef. … “Easy,” he’d say. “I’d be dead.”); Acad the grumpy linguistics professor; Ooly the math genius with bad social skills (such a cliché, but the author makes it work) etc etc etc. There is some Shakespeare and other poetry that made me smile in happy recognition. There are movie nights. The plot veers off into darker territory quite fast, though. Increased reading speed detected!
My problem was too many POV’s, all the characters hardly had space to breathe, so some were more well-written than others. I wasn’t impressed with the undercover agents’ chapters, for example. There were too many stories in one book, too many themes. We spent too little time on the big reveal and I had to suspend disbelief a couple of times. But there were brilliant scenes, passages, conversations, and a life-affirming ending.
3.7 encouraging stars, rounded up.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the free e-book!...more
I don’t make a habit of reading Christmas stuff around Christmas, but there was so much of it in my feed during December that I started to have secondI don’t make a habit of reading Christmas stuff around Christmas, but there was so much of it in my feed during December that I started to have second thoughts. And then I happened to see this Connie Willis collection… (Also, there was a spaceship ornament on the Christmas tree on the cover. It was the last straw ;) ).
Which one is the best Christmas story? In the introduction, Connie Willis tells you that it is the very first one ;) I liked that.
“Miracle” All the deities help us, it’s time for the office Christmas party! Luckily, Christmas spirits intervene and everything works out in the end. I was delighted. 4.3 stars.
“All About Emily” Broadway, All About Eve and androids. What a mess this one is – a cool, humane, and very touching one. 4.2 stars.
“Inn” Strange things begin to happen during a Christmas pageant rehearsal. Awww. I felt that the author could have done more with the idea, maybe? Still, it’s awww. 4.0 stars.
“All Seated on the Ground” Three stories down, and I was getting worried. Where were my sci-fi Christmas stories? Phew, there were the aliens, there was First Contact. There were Christmas songs, lots of them. And rules of civilised behaviour. And men not listening to women done very well. Meg and Colin are adorable! 4.5 stars.
“In Coppelius’ Toyshop” Oh, a horror Christmas story about getting stuck in a toy store! Cool. The MC had it coming, too. 4.0 stars.
“Adaptation” Inspired by A Christmas Carol. What a lovely ending! 4.5 stars.
“deck.halls@boughs/holly” Let a professional do your Christmas! Sweet and very silly. 4.8 stars.
“Cat’s Paw” The author has fun with classic mystery novels and country house Christmas. Nothing special, 3.6 stars.
“Now Showing” Do you hate multiplexes? I hate multiplexes. This is a fever dream story of trying to see a movie. I liked the twist! 4.4 stars.
“Newsletter” It’s almost Christmas! Everyone is so nice, considerate, and reasonable… suspiciously so. Something’s up! Fun, fun, fun! 4.2 stars.
“Epiphany” “You stole a Gideon Bible?” Mel said. “They put them there for people who need them. And I’d say we qualify.” There is a Second Coming. Maybe. This one just warmed my heart. 4.6 stars.
“Just Like the Ones We Used to Know” Epic snowstorm! You might want to careful when you wish for a White Christmas… Too many stories in this story, imo, it feels very long. I liked the ones about the wedding and the goose. 3.9 stars. ...more
This was a great issue, imo! I ended up loving/liking all of the stories. I am very happy about this :)
“Stones” by Nnedi Okorafor – a mysterious and wThis was a great issue, imo! I ended up loving/liking all of the stories. I am very happy about this :)
“Stones” by Nnedi Okorafor – a mysterious and wondrous life-form travels the universe and encounters humans. A well-written, solid story. 4.0 stars.
“The Queen of Calligraphic Susurrations” by D. A. Xiolin Spires – a breathtaking future take on aspiring authors, AI, and virtual reality. It’s gorgeously written. (Also, I interrupted my reading in order to resarch zhezhi and how it is different from origami. Fun!) The ending was way to abrupt, it left me wanting more. 4.3 stars.
“A Guide to Matchmaking on Station 9” by Nika Murphy – heartbreaking, poignant, uplifting. There were glimpses of a world I wanted to see more of. I’ll be looking out for more stories by Nika Murphy! 4.9 stars.
"Axiom of Dreams" by Arula Ratnakar - Don't do strange experiments with brain chips! The characters, the dialogues, and the ending were not done well. But the neuroscience, the math, and the worlds were awesome! 4.2 stars
“The People from the Dead Whale” by Djuna – human colonists are trying to survive on a strange, tidally locked planet. There was a lot of world building going on in just a few pages! I liked the writing, too. 4.3 stars.
“The Five Remembrances, According to STE-319” by R. L. Meza – a discarded war robot does a humane and kind thing. It was quiet and lovely. 4.4 stars.
“Upgrade Day” by RJ Taylor – a story that wants to be wonderful and humane, but I am not sure what it wants to say. I wasn’t moved enough, I guess? Putting a human consciousness into a robot servant is a ghastly idea, though. 3.9 stars....more
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