Cyberpunks, Gays, and...Squirrels?
Review: More Perfect by Temi Oh
Is this cyberpunk? It barely touches on identity, but does go deeply into surveillance. I’m coming down on yes, mostly.
Oh postulates a future world (the novel is set in London, but the situation seems to be global) in which brain implants to connect to the internet are normal. In which the implant combined with a drug named Nox allows for incredibly realistic dreams…which can be programmed. (It gets extremely weird and spiritual in places…Oh is a devout Christian and it shows through, but not in a bad way).
Nox addiction is an epidemic, and it feels as if Oh is speaking to concerns about social media addiction and internet addiction in general.
It’s really about our complicated relationship with technology. Oh chastises both the singularity seekers and the neo Luddites who don’t care who they hurt in a search for a simpler life. She ultimately comes down somewhere in the middle.
This is a beautifully written book. Both Moremi and Orpheus are well-rounded characters and perhaps a bit too deeply flawed. What will VR bring us? How should we use it? Do we own our dreams? All of these questions get answers that are at once satisfying and messy. I very much enjoyed this one.
Recommended to cyberpunk fans.
Review: The Shadow Regent by Chad Corrie (Dark Horse)
No, not a comic. This book is listed as a standalone but ends practically on a cliffhanger. It’s related to his Wizard King Trilogy, and it also feels as if it should be the middle of a trilogy or something.
This takes away from the quality of the writing. It feels almost as if he wrote down his Amber or In Nomine campaign, in a good way. However, most of the characters aren’t likable…and the ones that are are definitely at a disadvantage. This is a world in which it pays to be an asshole, just saying.
Despite the fact that it doesn’t stand alone, it’s interesting for fantasy fans, but might be a little bit frustrating. I felt as if I was having to fill in what came before even after reading the (extensive) appendices.
Review: Uranians by Theodore McComb
This collection is deeply literary, it cares, in some cases, more about the prose than telling a good story. The balance, though, gets better towards the end. The first two stories are definitely a bit too literary, but things turn a good corner with “Six Hangings in the Land of Unkillable Women” (disturbing), “Talk To Your Children About Two-Tongued Jeremy” (somebody hates AI) and the title novella. Well worth picking up for those three, even if the first two are a little more forgettable.
Oh and it’s gay. Very, very gay.
Review: Nightmare 129
Three stories, one poem, two articles. All three stories were excellent. “The Seconds Between Light And Sound” by Ozzie M. Gartrell is a dark fantasy that explores a very demanding goddess. “and its place remembers it no more” by Neal Auch is disturbing body horror and “They Say” is masking horror by Matt Dovey. The poem is neat too, and the non-review article is about the nature of fear.
An excellent issue I was glad to get my hands on.
Review: Sons of Ashgard: Ill Met in Elmgard by Chad Corrie, Matt Wendt, Hi Fi and Taylor Esposito
A tropy SF story about a guy who gets exiled for manslaughter and ends up becoming a hero. Except they’re all squirrels.
It’s worth reading for Matt Wendt’s utterly delightful anthropomorphic art and for being just a romp. It’s light, it brings nothing new to the genre, but it’s a lot of fun and I didn’t really care.
Plus. Squirrels.
Short Fiction
Property of PAUSE Ltd by Ai Jiang (Fighting For The Future)
Ai Jiang isn’t too fond of Amazon. This story takes corporate feudalism to the next level, with a delivery driver who has to live in the van with her daughter…because they’re slaves. CW for child loss…
Moving, disturbing, amd might make you think twice about your next Prime order.
Two People by Ben Francisco (Indiana Review)
Not quite sure what genre to put this in, but it’s about realizing you don’t know your partner as well as you though you did. Fredo wakes up one day to discover that his husband is now two people. Things go downhill from there. It’s never explained, but probably has something to do with the sea monster.
The Portal in Andrea’s Dryer by Katherine Karch (Uncharted).
A really silly story about a science fiction author who discovers a portal leading from her dryer to her fridge. Well, the cat finds it.
It’s mostly about the scientific method. And SF authors.
The Colony Ship’s Companion by Katherine Karch (Radon Journal)
An AI built by humans is going to need human company. Makes sense to me.
Between the Mountain and the Sea by Katherine Karch (Metastellar)
I’m not a fan of this one, because I’m not a fan of pointless sacrifice-to-the-gods stories. Sorry, Katherine.
The Twelve Dying Princesses by Marisca Pischette (Nightmare Magazine)
Let’s take fairy tale princesses and kill them horribly. But there’s a point to this list story every woman knows.
How To Store Your Dragons by Marisca Pischette (Flash Fiction Online)
This is completely adorable. I want one of these dragons. But from this story, I don’t have room. Quite.
Radoret by Serafina Bersonage
The witch in the forest eats children. Or, well, does she? This story puts a quite different spin on that particular legend.
I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm by Jill Tew
A story about grief, love, and dealing with your partner’s baggage. It doesn’t end well, but it’s interestingly written…and is mostly about misunderstandings. Or is it?
It Clings by Hammond Diehl (Diabolical Plots)
Another story about grief, except this one is very Jewish. Apparently it was triggered by a dream, like many of the best stories. A ghost shaped like a pancake…
IfThenDo by Andrew Gudgel
A cute story about a very unlucky sentient drone, first contact, and well…let’s just say the aliens aren’t exactly nice.