I picked up this issue because I wanted to read A Que's novella "Farewell, Doraemon" and unfortunately, it was the only story I really loved here. TheI picked up this issue because I wanted to read A Que's novella "Farewell, Doraemon" and unfortunately, it was the only story I really loved here. The others are varying levels of interesting science & competent writing (like Murphy & Doherty's "Cold Comfort" or Flynn's "In Panic Town, on the Backward Moon") but the whole issue suffers for not being up to A Que's level. If you read this, at least read "Farewell, Doraemon," a story that captures those long ago feelings of childhood and missed chances....more
I picked up this up because I had read an interview with R.S.A. Garcia about what she was working on, and she mentioned more novellas in the world of I picked up this up because I had read an interview with R.S.A. Garcia about what she was working on, and she mentioned more novellas in the world of "Bishop's Opening," which I then had to check out. And it's great! Very strange setting with not only the typical "humanity on different planets and spaceships and stations" but also "we've got magical teleporting tree thingies with a chess-piece-themed Machiavellian society." Very enjoyable, and I'm looking forward to reading Garcia's other stories in the same setting (including at least 2 that I've seen from earlier Clarkesworlds).
My other favorite stories were "The Five Rules of Supernova Surfing, or A For Real Solution to the Fermi Paradox, Bro," "Learning to Hate Yourself as a Self-Defense Mechanism," and "For Whom the Psychopomp Calls." All stories with humor or interesting things to say. I did really like "The Uncurling of Samsara" a lot as well, but I tend to judge stories about grief based on how much it reminds me of mine, and this one didn't quite get there (I don't have the food connection with my dad like the narrator did with Gram).
The nonfiction was good, the article by Julie Nováková was very sobering indeed about life in space or other planets, and the interviews were quite fun (I'm a huge Ann VanderMeer fan)....more
This was an interesting "Golden Age mystery" that got bogged down in far too much psychology and misdirection. King has an interesting conceit here ofThis was an interesting "Golden Age mystery" that got bogged down in far too much psychology and misdirection. King has an interesting conceit here of using four psychologists of different interests and disciplines aboard a ship to London to attempt to help solve the crime. Except... they don't do a whole lot in the end and only incidentally. The modern introduction speaks of the author commenting satirically on mysteries, but I have to admit I didn't really catch much of the satire. Also, even for a book from 1932, this had a surprising amount of antisemitism and sexism. (Using a Jewish character's desire to keep kosher in his eating habits against him is pretty low.) The book did have a "clue finder" at the end which pointed to all of the clues the author left to the true killer, which is pretty neat....more
This book is super fun! I loved the multiple mysteries here that the modern day folks are trying to solve, and I loved all the early 20th century musiThis book is super fun! I loved the multiple mysteries here that the modern day folks are trying to solve, and I loved all the early 20th century musical history as well. Just exciting all around, though I thought the modern timeline climax perhaps got a tad too silly for me. I'm excited to read Slocumb's other book, too....more
A varied collection of stories with a couple standouts to me. One is the very funny story "Their Changing Bodies" about teens at a summer camp and cruA varied collection of stories with a couple standouts to me. One is the very funny story "Their Changing Bodies" about teens at a summer camp and crushes and vampires and the gross things they're willing to do, haha. (The boys especially are super gross.) The other I really enjoyed was "Far and Deep," which I believe is set in Johnson's never-finished Spirit Binders series, where a young woman's taboo-breaking mother is murdered, and everything that arose from that.
Others of interest were "The Score" (a mysterious epistolary/found documents story of a prophetic ghost protesters), "A Guide to the Fruits of Hawai'i" (vampire resorts and what we really want when we finally get it), and "Reconstruction" (a historical story following Black troops in South Carolina during the Civil War with small elements of magic).
Having read this and Johnson's (cowritten with Janelle Monáe) "The Memory Librarian" recently, I'm very intrigued by her novels, even if not every story worked for me in this collection....more
An alternate history noir mystery set in a post-war Nazi-occupied London, as the hapless Gunther flails about looking for his ex-lover Ulla. I really An alternate history noir mystery set in a post-war Nazi-occupied London, as the hapless Gunther flails about looking for his ex-lover Ulla. I really liked the narrator, Everly, a British Gestapo agent. The dry narrative voice and the shifts in perspective really worked for me, and the ending was quite appropriate....more
I haven't actually read any Donald E. Westlake, so I can't make the comparison that other reviews are able to, but I'll say that this was a really funI haven't actually read any Donald E. Westlake, so I can't make the comparison that other reviews are able to, but I'll say that this was a really fun SF heist thriller, and I loved watching Starman get into and out of his various troubles, and the mysterious sphere was very interesting....more
A really fun cozy mystery involving stage magic and lots and lots of misdirection. I really liked Tempest and her family and friends (and the food souA really fun cozy mystery involving stage magic and lots and lots of misdirection. I really liked Tempest and her family and friends (and the food sounds delicious). There were a couple of quibbles with the writing that I had (a few scenes had inexplicable transitions), but it was very engaging and didn't annoy me like some other cozy mysteries I've tried....more
This omnibus consists of Straczynski's original Rising Stars run (24 issues), plus some side material, and Avery's three prequel spinoffs (Bright, VoiThis omnibus consists of Straczynski's original Rising Stars run (24 issues), plus some side material, and Avery's three prequel spinoffs (Bright, Voices of the Dead, and Untouchable). I had a lot of fun with the series, though I did think I could tell at the start that JMS was a bit new to writing comics (a tad too much text, a tad too much explaining). I think I would've preferred it if the original series had a bit more time to breathe, as we get a lot of time skips and due to the large cast, we don't get too deep with more than a few characters. However, the story as a whole was freaking cool, and I definitely had chills in his final issue (#24). The spinoffs by Avery were pretty good, just showing episodes in Matthew's, Lionel's, and Laurel's histories....more
Containing stories first published between 1950 and 2022, this anthology was quite the journey through cyberpunk. Unlike the three earlier Big Books bContaining stories first published between 1950 and 2022, this anthology was quite the journey through cyberpunk. Unlike the three earlier Big Books by Ann & Jeff VanderMeer (Science Fiction, Classic Fantasy, and Modern Fantasy), editor Jared Shurin forgoes the individual story introduction, but he does group all 108 stories into 5 sections detailing different themes relating to cyberpunk: Self, Society, Culture, Challenge, and Post-Cyberpunk. Each thematic grouping also gets its own introduction, and honestly, as much as I liked most of the stories, I feel like the editorial matter was incredibly valuable, a great lens to view these stories in. Even when I wasn't reading this anthology over the last 4 months, I was still viewing other SF I read using these perspectives.
The editor definitely has a broader definition of cyberpunk than I think many would be used to, but I think that is to this anthology's benefit--both for considering the larger subgenre and realizing (as he mentions in post-cyberpunk) how much of it has become the bedrock of our narrative future.
As with the VanderMeer Big Books, we also get a lot of translated and global fiction--it's not just an American subgenre, with stories from every continent except Antarctica (presumably--I didn't check to see if any of the authors were Antarctic researchers)....more
I'm a long time fan of Brubaker & Phillips's collaborations (Criminal, Fatale, Reckless, etc.), and Night Fever was an interesting story. Yes, it's esI'm a long time fan of Brubaker & Phillips's collaborations (Criminal, Fatale, Reckless, etc.), and Night Fever was an interesting story. Yes, it's essentially a story of a mid-life crisis, but told in their unique style. I really liked the exploration of a shadow-self, with his "adventures" with Rainer while walking at night. (Amusingly, in a newsletter, Brubaker said that part of this story (the setting) was due to Phillips asking for a story set in Europe so he'd have different landscapes to draw for once.)
This probably isn't the Brubaker/Phillips I'd recommend people try at first (I think the three I mentioned at the beginning might be better intros), but it's a good one....more
I haven't read the earlier Crispin Guest novels, but I didn't feel lost at all in this volume as Crispin is perfectly willing to wallow in self-pity aI haven't read the earlier Crispin Guest novels, but I didn't feel lost at all in this volume as Crispin is perfectly willing to wallow in self-pity about how he came to his present circumstances. I liked the premise of Crispin's current occupation as the Tracker (your local medieval private detective!). I was also continually frustrated with Crispin being sidetracked by the Jews in the story, since as a reader, I knew (or trusted!) that the author wasn't going to play into antisemitism, so I had to wait for the obvious "They're just like us!" moment from him (yes, I know the author's afterword talked about the medieval attitudes about Jews, but that still didn't stop my annoyance). There's also a small subplot that plays with sexuality, but it ended up being something of a fake-out for plot reasons....more
The Extinction Event is the final anthology from non-for-profit small press Jurassic London (founded by Jared Shurin and Anne C. Perry). The press ranThe Extinction Event is the final anthology from non-for-profit small press Jurassic London (founded by Jared Shurin and Anne C. Perry). The press ran for five years before closing down, but before they did, they produced this beautiful anthology which collects 33 short stories, 18 of which they've previously published before in their earlier books, 11 original to this anthology, and an additional 4 pieces that were reprinted here but not in earlier Jurassic London works. Most were on the speculative fiction spectrum, but several stories had no genre elements and the Dickens piece is actually an essay about Mary Anning.
I didn't read every single story because I happened to have read most of the Jurassic London catalog in the past year, so I only read those new to me (17 stories). I did read every single story introduction, as I enjoyed reading different people's assessment of the story--from Johnston's in-depth look at the history behind Will Hill's "Three Memories of Death" or Shurin's tongue-in-cheek claim that he doesn't really like science fiction before Joe Vaz's "Front Row, Centre." I also loved the behind-the-scenes looks, such as intended anthologies that were never made (RIP The Streets of Pandemonium, but thank goodness for Molly Tanzer's "Genius Without Education" anyway).
Some of my favorite stories in The Extinction Event are Hill's "Three Memories of Death" (beautiful look at death and grief in ancient Egypt), Coombe's "The Life of Her Mother" (following a young girl and her cancer-recovering mother during one year), Chambers's "Chrysalis" (a mother and her daughter who wants to change her body for her future), Roberts's whirlwind of a story "Martin Citywit" (an amusing Dickensian tale of city-AIs), Jones's "The Comet's Tale" (bittersweet coming of age tale in the wake of a comet flyby), Vance's "Closer" (my all-time favorite apocalyptic baseball story), Vaz's "Front Row, Centre" (just really got to me about preserving life), Sharp's "(0, 0)" (short and manic and mathematical), McDougall's creepy and wonderful "Not the End of the World" (following Germans stuck in a boardinghouse during WWII), Swift's "The Spiders of Stockholm" (a lovely story of spiders and names), and Den Patrick's "People, Places, and Things" which hit a lot closer to home than I was expecting. The rest of the stories were great, too (I only listed my favorites above), and even if I didn't love them, they really brought something to the book (like Green's "The Golden Slipper" or Chambers's "Marooned").
Perry's introduction and Shurin's afterword show two people very much in love with stories and sharing them, and I love that Jurassic London even existed, despite all their mishaps (the wrong paper! invisible covers! late night craft projects! two pubs with similar names!). I only wish I could've been around London circa 2011-16, as their various museum partnerships and exhibits/events seemed to have been a lot of fun (assuming you can find the right pub)....more
Another fun entry, this time following Paladin Galen and Piper the lich-doctor (basically the coroner). The initial mystery was quite interesting for Another fun entry, this time following Paladin Galen and Piper the lich-doctor (basically the coroner). The initial mystery was quite interesting for a fantasy setting, and I liked learning a bit more about the gnoles. The epilogue was certainly interesting, but at this point, I'll read any Saint of Steel book....more
I had a lot of fun with this one--the premise was interesting, and I really liked Stephen and Grace. Stephen's feelings as a "broken" paladin after thI had a lot of fun with this one--the premise was interesting, and I really liked Stephen and Grace. Stephen's feelings as a "broken" paladin after the death of his god really struck me, like how I felt after my dad died....more
I have always wanted to read a book set in a never-colonized North America, and Chippewa (Ojibwe) author B. L. Blanchard finally delivered that book tI have always wanted to read a book set in a never-colonized North America, and Chippewa (Ojibwe) author B. L. Blanchard finally delivered that book to me. By happenstance I recently read Rez Life by David Treuer (Ojibwe), so I was a tiny bit familiar with some of the traditions shown in this book (specifically Manoomim, the harvesting of the wild rice).
In any case, The Peacekeeper was and wasn't what I was expecting. The small town cop forced to go to the big city to uncover answers was definitely a plot I've read before, but Blanchard did a good job of the necessarily groundwork to make us believe in this indigenous America--both with setting up the community and how this specific society is organized, with plenty of hints at how the world is a bit different. Because the justice system is so different, Blanchard had to lay it out for readers, especially for those readers who may not be used to it. At first, it seemed a bit too good to be true or utopian, but there are definitely some cracks that show that this is still an imperfectly human society.
The main character Chibenashi also had quite the internal struggle throughout the book in ways that really made me want to smack him, even as I empathized with him. The plot was somewhat predictable (and in one aspect, hard to believe), but I really loved the how hard the resolution was. I also have no idea where this series is going to go, as it may not exactly be the detective mystery series I thought it was going to be....more
I love these Reckless stories. This one happens at the same time as the previous volume, but follows Ethan, who has his own journey here. Brubaker andI love these Reckless stories. This one happens at the same time as the previous volume, but follows Ethan, who has his own journey here. Brubaker and Phillips are so good at this atmosphere and storytelling. Just really hit the spot with this one....more
One of Brubaker's early comics, and it was quite nice. I can tell that this is early in his career, though--he becomes much smoother in his later stufOne of Brubaker's early comics, and it was quite nice. I can tell that this is early in his career, though--he becomes much smoother in his later stuff like Criminal and the other noir stuff I've read of his. Fairly depressing in the two cases we see in this deluxe edition, but that's noir for ya....more
Family can be complicated, and it very much is for Isla, with her father dying at the beginning of the book and her mom being unable to handle what's Family can be complicated, and it very much is for Isla, with her father dying at the beginning of the book and her mom being unable to handle what's left of her life. Following mostly the special summers that Isla spends in Puerto Rico, and learning more about the family and the world as she gets older. There's an enormous amount of love for Puerto Rico, but it doesn't ignore issues of class or race. The main mystery that occupies the plot of the final half of the book was interesting, and as I said at the beginning, family can be complicated....more
A disappointing mystery; I really loved the premise and concept, but there were far too many unlikable characters including Mambo Reina herself. I nevA disappointing mystery; I really loved the premise and concept, but there were far too many unlikable characters including Mambo Reina herself. I never really bought that she'd be in love with a cop who put her and her beliefs down on every occasion, and Reina was a busybody in the worst way....more
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