I will admit, it took me a couple of false starts before I got far enough into this book for the momentum to keep me going. I’m used to reading fast and this was just not something I could read quickly, not because of density or complexity but because of its strangeness, because I had… Continue reading The Promise of the Child by Tom Toner
The story delivers an interesting premise, where the only profession left after the rise of the machines and the enslavement of humanity is basically being more human than human, being the best actor you can be. There’s something that works for me in the public/private dichotomy for the actress (highlighted in the last line, an… Continue reading “The Next Scene” by Robert Reed
Horrific and heartbreaking in equal measure, and for the same reasons. Every one of the characters has seen so much and been through so much, and there is more than one kind of monster, sometimes in the same person. The werewolf—or really, the transformed monster—mythos is played very differently here, both in its cultural place… Continue reading “Damnatio Ad Beastias” by Kristi DeMeester
I usually don’t warn about spoilers, because if you’re reading a review of something then it rather goes without saying, but this time really—experience the story for yourself first, then come back. Don’t worry, this’ll keep. So! This is really kind of brilliant. You think it’s one story, then another, then it turns out it’s… Continue reading “Everyone from Themis Sends Letters Home” by Genevieve Valentine
There was a time when a story about data hacking and the surveillance state was the stuff of cyberpunk and pure speculation. Right now, most elements of this story are so near-future it could exist tomorrow. This is a journey through an emerging culture, rather than something that doesn’t yet exist (if sometimes only in… Continue reading “Unauthorized Access” by An Owomoyela
I thought I knew where this story was going, based on a fairly extensive knowledge of genre tropes, but I didn’t, and that delighted me. It wasn’t so far afield that I could characterise it as shocking or revolutionary, but the horror—as it were—didn’t come from any kind of malevolence on the part of the… Continue reading “Under One Roof” by Sarah Pinsker
At its foundation, this is a story with a lot of really interesting ideas—particularly those to do with the symbiotic roles of superhero and supervillain, and the sometimes fine line between them—but in execution it’s kind of a big ol’ mess. The novel that’s described in the summary only lasts for maybe the first quarter… Continue reading Seven Wonders by Adam Christopher
I was intrigued by this piece right from the title, which hints at a story that questions gender roles and privilege. What I got was more an upending of pronouns than roles or identities, which made me question a bit what it was all meant to amount to. The vivid yet fable-like narrative did keep… Continue reading “The Prince Who Gave Up Her Empire” by Benjanun Sriduangkaew
Reminiscent of Johnny Got His Gun, an unwilling soldier is pushed beyond the reasonable limits of endurance into a state where free will and communication are taken from them, and they struggle to retain what personal power they can. It’s dark and cautionary, exploring the lengths to which a person can be exploited in the… Continue reading “Toward the Luminous Towers” by Bogi Takács
I have never read anything quite like this, and found myself wishing it were twice as long (or more!) because just imagine the adventures of the space veterinarian! The possibilities are endless! Funny and fast-paced and deeply creative. [And also deeply sexist. Now, a lot of that is on the narrator, who explicitly acknowledges his… Continue reading Super Extra Grande by Yoss