Nice retro piece of SF Space Race nostalgia. The description of getting into, and out of, a Ye Olde spacesuit is surprisingly nerve-wracking. So much Nice retro piece of SF Space Race nostalgia. The description of getting into, and out of, a Ye Olde spacesuit is surprisingly nerve-wracking. So much for the Star Trek onesies.
Merged review:
Nice retro piece of SF Space Race nostalgia. The description of getting into, and out of, a Ye Olde spacesuit is surprisingly nerve-wracking. So much for the Star Trek onesies....more
Wow, another stellar tor.com novella by the author of Autonomous. Subtle, character-driven world-building in a brief tale that immerses you in its strWow, another stellar tor.com novella by the author of Autonomous. Subtle, character-driven world-building in a brief tale that immerses you in its strangeness and sexiness. Wonderful.
Merged review:
Wow, another stellar tor.com novella by the author of Autonomous. Subtle, character-driven world-building in a brief tale that immerses you in its strangeness and sexiness. Wonderful....more
If you like short-form genre fiction, tor.com now has a fantastic option whereupon you can subscribe and receive a bimonthly ebook containing everythiIf you like short-form genre fiction, tor.com now has a fantastic option whereupon you can subscribe and receive a bimonthly ebook containing everything published on its website for that period. The website has quickly established itself as a leading publisher of genre fiction that pushes boundaries, and which also gives up-and-coming writers a fantastic platform to reach a wider audience. I looked for this compilation on Goodreads, but I see that all of the tor.com novellas are listed as standalone titles. Ah well, at least that is going to boost my reading target … I love the fact that SF/fantasy still actively promotes short-form fiction, to the extent that if you want a good barometer of the state of these genres, you just have to read Lightspeed, Asimov’s, and tor.com, among others. ‘The Book of El’ by John Chu continues in the vein of excellence that has distinguished the tor.com line-up for so long: delicate, bittersweet, with just a hint of otherworldliness, and such a deft grasp of those quotidian details that make characters pop off the page.
Merged review:
If you like short-form genre fiction, tor.com now has a fantastic option whereupon you can subscribe and receive a bimonthly ebook containing everything published on its website for that period. The website has quickly established itself as a leading publisher of genre fiction that pushes boundaries, and which also gives up-and-coming writers a fantastic platform to reach a wider audience. I looked for this compilation on Goodreads, but I see that all of the tor.com novellas are listed as standalone titles. Ah well, at least that is going to boost my reading target … I love the fact that SF/fantasy still actively promotes short-form fiction, to the extent that if you want a good barometer of the state of these genres, you just have to read Lightspeed, Asimov’s, and tor.com, among others. ‘The Book of El’ by John Chu continues in the vein of excellence that has distinguished the tor.com line-up for so long: delicate, bittersweet, with just a hint of otherworldliness, and such a deft grasp of those quotidian details that make characters pop off the page....more
This is the first Wilde Stories collection I have read, sub-titled ‘The Year’s Best Gay Speculative Fiction’. There are only two ‘kind of’ SF stories This is the first Wilde Stories collection I have read, sub-titled ‘The Year’s Best Gay Speculative Fiction’. There are only two ‘kind of’ SF stories here, both are about AI, with the bulk being fantasy and/or horror. Same have more gay content than others. No spaceships, astronauts or even aliens. Unless you count the weird bloke on the block as an alien.
Editor Steve Berman definitely needs to include a brief boilerplate explanation in each year’s edition to remind regular readers, and inform new ones like me, of the connection between Oscar Wilde and speculative fiction – which SF readers will know was Robert Heinlein’s preferred term for science fiction.
Speculative fiction here obviously runs the gamut of the fantastic. While I enjoyed this collection, I would have liked to have read more explicitly SF stories (gay ‘hard’ SF!), as there is already an abundance of gay fantasy and horror.
Having said that, this is a wonderful collection, with uniformly excellent writing and varied content. I love collections like this, as they are often a treasure trove of new writers.
The Arab’s Prayer by Alex Jeffers: Evocative account of the daily minutiae of a cross-cultural relationship between Yaffe (Jewish) and Mus’ad (Muslim) in a future Jerusalem still wracked with dissent and religious turmoil. An impressive amount of detail layers this story, making for an intense, lived-in reading experience.
Fairy Tale by Justin Torres: Deliciously grimy and shockingly sexy little fairy story by the author of ‘We, The Animals’.
Thou Earth, Thou by K.M. Ferebee: Gay couple Dunbar and Mason move to the countryside, where Dunbar discovers his green thumbs. This is a slow-building and intense horror story that packs a shocking ending.
Hoffmann, Godzilla and Me by Richard Bowes: Elegiac tale about a gay writer confronting his own mortality, wrapped up in considerations of Japanese horror movies, New York at the height of the AIDS epidemic, and Hoffmann’s Copelia, about a man who falls in love with a doll (or a robot, in this SF version).
Color Zap! by Sam Sommer: Disappointingly didactic, by-the-numbers story about a planetary colony founded by gay people where genetic manipulation occasionally burps out a child with coloured hair, leading to ridicule and discrimination. Spencer, he of the periwinkle locks, soon finds he is not alone, and joins a revolutionary movement called the Community of Recessives whose acts of civil disobedience are called ‘color zaps’.
All Smiles by Steve Berman: From the frying pan into the fire ... Saul escapes from a youth detention / rehabilitation centre and hitches a ride with an enigmatic pair of teenagers, who turn out to be vampires on the prowl. This is far more a horror story, with no discernible SF element and borderline gay content.
The Peacock by Ted Infinity and Nabil Hijazi: This delightful story about an AI’s romantic awakening ticks all the boxes of SF and gay (and then some). Wonderfully evocative and laugh-out-loud funny. Definitely one of the strongest stories in the anthology.
Ashes in the Water by Joel Lane and Mat Joiner: Moody, borderline fantasy piece. Josh visits the houseboat of his friend Anthony, after his partner Warren passes away, and discovers that the houseboat is either a doorway to a darker realm, or a funeral barge carrying him away from normality.
A Razor in an Apple by Kristopher Reisz: Beautiful story about loss and the power of memory. No overt SF elements in this fantasy story, which borders on horror. Philip visits a strange apothecary shop where it is rumoured one can buy memories … at a price.
The Cloud Dragon Ate Red Balloons by Tom Cardamone: Like the Justin Torres story, this one is only a handful of pages ... but, wow, how the writing sizzles. I suppose this wishful fantasy is about the power of belief and desire. Beguiling and whimsical.
Filling up the Void by Richard E. Gropp: One of the few hard SF stories in this anthology, about AI and full body modification ... with the irony being that the gay porn industry pioneers both technologies (reminiscent of The Peacock).
The House by the Park by Lee Thomas: The most sexually explicit story in this anthology, the most overt horror story ... and also the most romantic. Denis and Fred, two older men who survive difficult relationships, find solace and compatibility in each other. Unbeknown to them, a man in the house by the park has committed suicide and cursed the world in the process, opening the gates to hell. Intense and unsettling.
Pinion by Stellan Thorne: Beautiful story about a hard-bitten cop who has to arrest an angel for a crime, and is haunted by the experience for his entire life.
We Do Not Come in Peace by Christopher Barzak: Infatuation and the passion of youth collide in a mysterious town on the Border, where revolution simmers.
The Duke of Riverside by Ellen Kushner: Standard sword-and-sorcery fare, with only a token nod to gay content.
Merged review:
This is the first Wilde Stories collection I have read, sub-titled ‘The Year’s Best Gay Speculative Fiction’. There are only two ‘kind of’ SF stories here, both are about AI, with the bulk being fantasy and/or horror. Same have more gay content than others. No spaceships, astronauts or even aliens. Unless you count the weird bloke on the block as an alien.
Editor Steve Berman definitely needs to include a brief boilerplate explanation in each year’s edition to remind regular readers, and inform new ones like me, of the connection between Oscar Wilde and speculative fiction – which SF readers will know was Robert Heinlein’s preferred term for science fiction.
Speculative fiction here obviously runs the gamut of the fantastic. While I enjoyed this collection, I would have liked to have read more explicitly SF stories (gay ‘hard’ SF!), as there is already an abundance of gay fantasy and horror.
Having said that, this is a wonderful collection, with uniformly excellent writing and varied content. I love collections like this, as they are often a treasure trove of new writers.
The Arab’s Prayer by Alex Jeffers: Evocative account of the daily minutiae of a cross-cultural relationship between Yaffe (Jewish) and Mus’ad (Muslim) in a future Jerusalem still wracked with dissent and religious turmoil. An impressive amount of detail layers this story, making for an intense, lived-in reading experience.
Fairy Tale by Justin Torres: Deliciously grimy and shockingly sexy little fairy story by the author of ‘We, The Animals’.
Thou Earth, Thou by K.M. Ferebee: Gay couple Dunbar and Mason move to the countryside, where Dunbar discovers his green thumbs. This is a slow-building and intense horror story that packs a shocking ending.
Hoffmann, Godzilla and Me by Richard Bowes: Elegiac tale about a gay writer confronting his own mortality, wrapped up in considerations of Japanese horror movies, New York at the height of the AIDS epidemic, and Hoffmann’s Copelia, about a man who falls in love with a doll (or a robot, in this SF version).
Color Zap! by Sam Sommer: Disappointingly didactic, by-the-numbers story about a planetary colony founded by gay people where genetic manipulation occasionally burps out a child with coloured hair, leading to ridicule and discrimination. Spencer, he of the periwinkle locks, soon finds he is not alone, and joins a revolutionary movement called the Community of Recessives whose acts of civil disobedience are called ‘color zaps’.
All Smiles by Steve Berman: From the frying pan into the fire ... Saul escapes from a youth detention / rehabilitation centre and hitches a ride with an enigmatic pair of teenagers, who turn out to be vampires on the prowl. This is far more a horror story, with no discernible SF element and borderline gay content.
The Peacock by Ted Infinity and Nabil Hijazi: This delightful story about an AI’s romantic awakening ticks all the boxes of SF and gay (and then some). Wonderfully evocative and laugh-out-loud funny. Definitely one of the strongest stories in the anthology.
Ashes in the Water by Joel Lane and Mat Joiner: Moody, borderline fantasy piece. Josh visits the houseboat of his friend Anthony, after his partner Warren passes away, and discovers that the houseboat is either a doorway to a darker realm, or a funeral barge carrying him away from normality.
A Razor in an Apple by Kristopher Reisz: Beautiful story about loss and the power of memory. No overt SF elements in this fantasy story, which borders on horror. Philip visits a strange apothecary shop where it is rumoured one can buy memories … at a price.
The Cloud Dragon Ate Red Balloons by Tom Cardamone: Like the Justin Torres story, this one is only a handful of pages ... but, wow, how the writing sizzles. I suppose this wishful fantasy is about the power of belief and desire. Beguiling and whimsical.
Filling up the Void by Richard E. Gropp: One of the few hard SF stories in this anthology, about AI and full body modification ... with the irony being that the gay porn industry pioneers both technologies (reminiscent of The Peacock).
The House by the Park by Lee Thomas: The most sexually explicit story in this anthology, the most overt horror story ... and also the most romantic. Denis and Fred, two older men who survive difficult relationships, find solace and compatibility in each other. Unbeknown to them, a man in the house by the park has committed suicide and cursed the world in the process, opening the gates to hell. Intense and unsettling.
Pinion by Stellan Thorne: Beautiful story about a hard-bitten cop who has to arrest an angel for a crime, and is haunted by the experience for his entire life.
We Do Not Come in Peace by Christopher Barzak: Infatuation and the passion of youth collide in a mysterious town on the Border, where revolution simmers.
The Duke of Riverside by Ellen Kushner: Standard sword-and-sorcery fare, with only a token nod to gay content....more
The second story in the tor.com Jan-Feb ebook collection. It takes a particular kind of chutzpah for a writer to turn a common-day occurrence like somThe second story in the tor.com Jan-Feb ebook collection. It takes a particular kind of chutzpah for a writer to turn a common-day occurrence like someone dying from cancer into the subject matter of a speculative piece.
There is perhaps nothing less speculative than a lingering death from an aggressive form of cancer. A friend of mine’s mother has Stage 4 cancer, so when I began reading this, I almost stopped, as it was too close to home.
But then I thought: what is the purpose of fiction if not to take the ephemeral thread of both life and death, and to weave it into the magic of Story, so that we may live forever in each other’s thoughts and memories?
At first glance, the idea of an alien host that metastasises with its human host, in order to create a symbiont that guarantees extended life for both, appears appallingly horrific. Bear applies surgical precision to this idea to pick out the repercussions and consequences, some obvious, others banal, others shattering in their transgressive redefinition of love and grief, in a complex story about the nature of relationships.
Another hugely impressive entry in the tor.com fiction line-up, which seems to raise the bar with everything it publishes.
Merged review:
The second story in the tor.com Jan-Feb ebook collection. It takes a particular kind of chutzpah for a writer to turn a common-day occurrence like someone dying from cancer into the subject matter of a speculative piece.
There is perhaps nothing less speculative than a lingering death from an aggressive form of cancer. A friend of mine’s mother has Stage 4 cancer, so when I began reading this, I almost stopped, as it was too close to home.
But then I thought: what is the purpose of fiction if not to take the ephemeral thread of both life and death, and to weave it into the magic of Story, so that we may live forever in each other’s thoughts and memories?
At first glance, the idea of an alien host that metastasises with its human host, in order to create a symbiont that guarantees extended life for both, appears appallingly horrific. Bear applies surgical precision to this idea to pick out the repercussions and consequences, some obvious, others banal, others shattering in their transgressive redefinition of love and grief, in a complex story about the nature of relationships.
Another hugely impressive entry in the tor.com fiction line-up, which seems to raise the bar with everything it publishes....more
'Enough time at the Majestic Oriental Circus opens the mind to all kinds of possibilities.' Interesting idea: a jinn in a lamp in love with its owner,'Enough time at the Majestic Oriental Circus opens the mind to all kinds of possibilities.' Interesting idea: a jinn in a lamp in love with its owner, but sidetracked by a subplot of letting a temple girl join the circus, with (predictably) unforeseen consequences.
Merged review:
'Enough time at the Majestic Oriental Circus opens the mind to all kinds of possibilities.' Interesting idea: a jinn in a lamp in love with its owner, but sidetracked by a subplot of letting a temple girl join the circus, with (predictably) unforeseen consequences....more
Mashigo’s ‘Afrofuturism: Ayashis’ Amateki’ (2018) is one of the most important position statements on the 1994 Mark Dery definition after Okorafor’s ‘Mashigo’s ‘Afrofuturism: Ayashis’ Amateki’ (2018) is one of the most important position statements on the 1994 Mark Dery definition after Okorafor’s ‘Africanfuturism Defined’ (2019). Despite the ‘future’ being implicit in the name, I disagree with Mashigo that afrofuturism has to contain futuristic elements. The weakest stories here are the ones that, reluctantly, attempt a space opera vibe. The best are the ones that slip effortlessly between the cracks of any genre definition. As Samuel R. Delany – who was interviewed by Dery for his original 1994 article ‘Black to the Future’ – states in ‘The Mirror of Afrofuturism’ (2020): “Unless we set up our critical mirrors very carefully, arguably there is no such thing as Afrofuturism.”...more
The first thing that captures your attention is that rather brash title, How Quini the Squid Misplaced His Klobučar, which apart from being intriguingThe first thing that captures your attention is that rather brash title, How Quini the Squid Misplaced His Klobučar, which apart from being intriguing contains quite a bit of information. Perhaps the keyword is ‘misplaced’, which seems odd, as this is a heist story about liberating the last-mentioned work-of-art from the tentacles of Quini, an underworld-type figure modelled on a stereotypical African-South American druglord-cum-arms-smuggler.
If you think I have given too much of the plot away, fear not … The surface gloss of this hugely entertaining, fast-paced caper hides a lot of sly misdirection and subversion. This includes a lovely twist on gender involving one of the heist members – and if you’re one of those hidebound readers who feel that SF is selling out to political correctness, do not worry your pretty head, for this is not a PC sop but is instead integral to the ending.
Prior to reading this I had not heard of Rich Larson, but was so impressed that I have his short collection Tomorrow Factory and his first novel Annex lined up to read as a result. Apart from the flashy, hip cyberpunk and neat twists and turns, there is a really nasty, seedy streak that runs like a fault line through the middle. And all of that in a mere 40-odd pages?
I read online that Rich Larson was born in Galmi, Niger, has lived in Canada and Spain, and is now based in Prague. Which kind of explains why his SF feels like a European art movie that subverts the tropes of a traditional Hollywood blockbuster, while celebrating these tropes at the same time.
It is a difficult balance to pull off, and can backfire spectacularly in the wrong hands, but Larson knows the nuts-and-bolts of SF and how to bend its structure to his own anarchic vision. He is one of those firecracker writers likely to go off in any direction, but who demands to be followed for the light he throws in the darkness.
Merged review:
The first thing that captures your attention is that rather brash title, How Quini the Squid Misplaced His Klobučar, which apart from being intriguing contains quite a bit of information. Perhaps the keyword is ‘misplaced’, which seems odd, as this is a heist story about liberating the last-mentioned work-of-art from the tentacles of Quini, an underworld-type figure modelled on a stereotypical African-South American druglord-cum-arms-smuggler.
If you think I have given too much of the plot away, fear not … The surface gloss of this hugely entertaining, fast-paced caper hides a lot of sly misdirection and subversion. This includes a lovely twist on gender involving one of the heist members – and if you’re one of those hidebound readers who feel that SF is selling out to political correctness, do not worry your pretty head, for this is not a PC sop but is instead integral to the ending.
Prior to reading this I had not heard of Rich Larson, but was so impressed that I have his short collection Tomorrow Factory and his first novel Annex lined up to read as a result. Apart from the flashy, hip cyberpunk and neat twists and turns, there is a really nasty, seedy streak that runs like a fault line through the middle. And all of that in a mere 40-odd pages?
I read online that Rich Larson was born in Galmi, Niger, has lived in Canada and Spain, and is now based in Prague. Which kind of explains why his SF feels like a European art movie that subverts the tropes of a traditional Hollywood blockbuster, while celebrating these tropes at the same time.
It is a difficult balance to pull off, and can backfire spectacularly in the wrong hands, but Larson knows the nuts-and-bolts of SF and how to bend its structure to his own anarchic vision. He is one of those firecracker writers likely to go off in any direction, but who demands to be followed for the light he throws in the darkness....more
'Don’t ever mix juju with technology. There is witchcraft in science and a science to witchcraft.'
I read this out of interest 'cos it's the basis of t'Don’t ever mix juju with technology. There is witchcraft in science and a science to witchcraft.'
I read this out of interest 'cos it's the basis of the Nigerian short film 'Hello, Rain'. Kind of a weird short story about evil wigs? Good premise for an Africanfuturist Rusical....more
A 'progressive dinner party' in an upmarket neighbourhood goes nuts. Great fun, with a dark twist or two.A 'progressive dinner party' in an upmarket neighbourhood goes nuts. Great fun, with a dark twist or two....more
'I push through the gleaming brass doors of the Royal Ruby Theatre. God, I love the smell of this place, the mineral crispness emanating from the anti'I push through the gleaming brass doors of the Royal Ruby Theatre. God, I love the smell of this place, the mineral crispness emanating from the antique marble floors, the hints of metallic tang from the brass details, and that other scent, too, a mix of perfumes and colognes and anticipation from the decades of theatergoers who’ve visited this hallowed place.'
Diva hated by everyone in a hit play, in a haunted theatre, has a spectacular comeuppance. Loved the detail and characterisation. And you certainly won't predict that bone-chilling-cold ending....more
'I wished I could talk to Grandmother and ask her what to do. We had buried her in the backyard, in a flower bed underneath the apple tree, and asters'I wished I could talk to Grandmother and ask her what to do. We had buried her in the backyard, in a flower bed underneath the apple tree, and asters and salvia and toad lilies were still blooming there. I knelt down, and for the first time I realized it was the same garden as in that painting in the drawing room, The Beckoning Fair One. But no ghost came toward me with arms outstretched, out of the drear mist.'
Dark little nugget of a story that, er, climaxes in a creepy-as-fuck ending. My first time reading Dan Chaon; certainly won't be my last....more