Nice, Apologetic Sirens and...Some Stuff that isn't Apologetic At All
Reviews of Siren Bridge by Jean Marie Ward, To The Woman in the Pink Hat by LaToya Jordan, and Sordidez by E.G. Condé.
Review: Siren Bridge by Jean Marie Ward
(I won this one as a prize).
The siren isn’t the bad guy. This novella starts with an illusionist stealing a jewel and includes politics, some very unpleasant men (not all men, mind, but some of these deserve to get pushed off a pier), assorted shenanigans and, as mentioned, a siren. A very nice apologetic siren.
The protagonist tosses the apparent love interest at the siren. It works. No, he doesn’t get eaten.
If you like capers, you should get this, because it is 100% a caper, nothing more, nothing less. Amusing, cute, and a page turner.
Recommended for heist fans. And possibly sirens.
Review: To the Woman in the Pink Hat by LaToya Jordan
This story is angry. It punches up. White people might be hugely uncomfortable with it. Especially white women who think they are feminists.
In the future, Jordan postulates, uterine transplants have been perfected…and Black women are being tricked into donating their uteruses to wealthy white women. (Note, I think uterine transplants are awesome and if somebody who doesn’t want kids wants to donate their uterus…maybe one day trans women can be recipients and trans men can give them the chance…but the history of forced sterilization makes this an entirely plausible nightmare).
Jada is in an institution to rehabilitate young Black women who have committed serious crimes. But that’s not all that is going on.
Like I said, this is an angry story, and tells us maybe we need to treat people better…
Recommended for people who are doing the work on their racism…and if you can sneak a copy to those who need to…especially if they wear pussy hats.
Review: Sordidez by E.G. Condé.
Climate fiction with a touch of magical realism. Anti-colonialist and emphatically Puerto Rican, this book is in the tradition of the Parable of the Sower. I can’t compare them, though…Parable is still on my to be read pile! (I know. I know). I was particularly intrigued by the hydrophage. Not sure I believe it’s possible, but…
Condé is saying a simple thing with this book: Any climate solution that does not include those who have spent long generations on the land, who know and love it, will fail.
At the same time I definitely call this book both hopepunk and solarpunk. It’s hopeful and resilient and tells us that even if things get bad, we are not all going to die. Thank you for that, Condé.
Short fiction:
“Life in the Demon’s Gizzard” by Betty Rocksteady (Ghoulish Times). This is one of those “caught in a haunted time loop” horror stories. Creepy and enjoyable. Recommended primarily to people old enough to remember VHS…
“Excerpts from the Journal of a Teenage Telepath” by John Walers (Silent Interviews and Other Tales of the Telepathic Guild). I’m honestly not finding many of these telepath stories much. This one is a bit lacking in depth and the arc is flat. However, other people would probably enjoy the entire collection.
“The Boy Who Ran from His Faerie Heart” by David Anaxagoras (Lightspeed Magazine). Fairies are gay, right? This short is about falling in love and coming out and learning who you are. It is very, very, very gay. It is so gay it casts rainbow shadows across the page. Recommended for, you guessed it. I loved it. Link: https://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fiction/the-boy-who-ran-from-his-faerie-heart/
“Of Dreams, Wires and Nightmares” by Plangdi Neple (Translunar Travelers Lounge). Facing the final decline of a loved one is hard. If you were offered a treatment that would let them be awake and coherent for a while at the price of shortening their life, would you use it? Neple goes there in this interesting story which head hops, but in the best way. Link: https://translunartravelerslounge.com/2023/08/15/of-dreams-wires-and-nightmares-by-plangdi-neple/
“Up In the Hills, She Dreams of Her Daughter Deep In the Ground” by Karlo Yeager Rodríguez (Strange Horizons). This is a really disturbing story that deals with reproductive issues, in this case forced sterilization. Rodríguez handles it well for somebody who…you know…doesn’t have a uterus as far as I know. It’s not “Rabbit Test,” but it’s a good story. However, if you have fertility issues… Link: http://strangehorizons.com/fiction/up-in-the-hills-she-dreams-of-her-daughter-deep-in-the-ground/
“Isabel in Red Lake” by Jelena Dunato (Artifice & Craft). I don’t want to be a woman if I can’t… This story addresses the sometimes difficult question: Am I trans or do I just don’t like how women are treated? It leaves it open ended, because there really is no way to answer this question. Also very well written. I enjoyed it.