Things Uncanny
Reviews of Uncanny Magazine (and Analog)
Review: Analog Science Fiction & Fact November/December 2023
There’s something very bittersweet here: The last Analog piece of regular contributor Rajnar Vajra, who sadly passed earlier this year.
The work, “Flying Carpet” makes the loss feel even more like a tragedy. It’s a police procedural, which of course might seem like copaganda, but instead of being about beat cops it’s about…the IT guy. And his wives. Plural.
Yes, this novella has, drumroll, a badass battle throuple. For that alone…anyone who wants some nicely positive representation of polyfidelity should read this.
As for the rest of the issue. Michael Capobianco’s “Hyppolyta Flyby” was quite entertaining. So was Gregory Benford’s “The Far Dark.” The theme appears to have been first contact. I also enjoyed Michele Laframboise’s very blue collar “Living On The Trap” and the equally blue collar “The Eiffel Tower Of Trappist-1D” by Jeff Reynolds. I doubt it’s a coincidence both of these stories are set in the Trappist system.
One novella, three novelettes, 13 short stories, 2 flash pieces, one article and 2 poems. The article was about an attempt to simulate Dune and see how feasible it is which didn’t interest me that much, as I kinda hated Dune, but seems well done.
R.I.P. Rajnar Vajra. We miss you already.
Review: Uncanny 51
Doing a full issue review this time because I’m not trying to make notes on a small laptop on my mother-in-law’s couch. It’s not ideal. (Not my mother-in-law’s fault).
8 stories, 3 articles, 4 poems. Plus Meg Elison’s last column as non-fiction editor. I wonder who they will replace her with.
The stories here include “A Soul in the World” by Charlie Jane Anders, which appears to be her notes for Victories Greater Than Death. It’s really primarily aimed at fans of the series and doesn’t stand well alone.
“Blank Space” by Delilah S. Dawson stands out, but I can’t talk much about it. It’s the kind of horror story thatg you just can’t discuss without spoilers. Read it.
This issue leaned strongly towards the fantasy and horror, but Kristiana Willsey’s “To Put Your Heart Into a White Deer” is pretty good dystopian climate fiction. I prefer solarpunk and hopepunk these days, but I enjoyed that one.
“In Time, A Weed May Break Stone” was also very interesting. There were no bad stories in this issue. The poems were solid too.
Non-fiction works discuss using BookTok, non-patriarchal fantasy worldbuilding, parenting and politics and Harley Quinn.
A solid issue, but I didn’t see anything in this one quite nomination-worthy.
Review: Uncanny 52
9 stories, 4 articles (one illustrated), 5 poems
I’d already read some of these stories. Of those I hadn’t. by far my favorite was de Bodard’s “The Mausoleum’s Children.” This is the kind of story I aspire to write myself…science fiction as beautiful as fantasy, terrible dystopia and complex characters. Going home when home is a terrible place. I also liked the exploration of fate versus free will in “The Infinite Endings of Elsie Chen” by Kylie Lee Baker.
“Desole” by Ewen Ma explores why people might choose to stay in dystopias. The story uses technology to make sense of…another instance of home being a terrible place. I detect a theme here!
The three text articles were all about the implications of “AI” art. Anyone who knows me knows I have a strong dislike of using algorithms to make art, especially ones trained on the work of people I know without compensation. The articles give a bit of a more nuanced approach, but still agree that the way these systems are currently trained is wrong.
Review: Uncanny 53
8 stories, 4 articles, 4 poems
A smaller number of stories because one of them, “Anything With a Void at the Center” is pretty long. It’s also pretty adult. As in…Lee Mandelo sets a story in a 24 hour porn theater. It’s not about porn, but porn is in there, and sex is in there, and different definitions of sex. It’s a very interesting novelette and is probably my second favorite story here.
My favorite is Daniel H. Wilson’s delightful exploration of restorative justice and empathic Ais in “SuperMAX.” Which doesn’t end how I expected. (As a side note, I also love “Tante Merle and the Farmhand 4200” but had already read it.
A reprint by C.L. Polk, “The Music of the Siphorophenes” hit everything I needed. I apparently read it before, but the upside of having forgotten it was getting to experience it again. I adore first contact and interspecies friendship in my science fiction, just saying.
I think this might be the best issue. Everything in it was so good!
Review: Uncanny 54
8 stories, 4 articles, 4 poems
Two of the articles were about things close to my heart – Doctor Who and Blake’s 7. British SF for the win.
I think my favorite story was “Six Versions of My Brother Found Under the Bridge” by the wonderful Eugenia Triantafyllou. It’s an almost conventional ghost story. “Can You Hear Me Now?” was good too, surprisingly as I usually don’t do well with Valente…love her as a person, but struggle with her voice. “The Coffin Maker” by AnaMaria Curtis was also interesting.
Another good issue, but not, I think, as good as 53. I didn’t pull out anything quite award worthy from this one, although I wouldn’t be too upset to see Six Versions nominated.
Review: Uncanny 55
8 stories, 4 articles, 4 poems
This issue opens with Kritzer’s “The Year Without Sunshine” which I can best describe as cozy hopepunk. All that happens in it is a group of people in a Minneapolis suburb surviving the aftermath of…it’s honestly unclear. Kritzer never tells us whether the ash in the air is from a volcano or an asteroid, because it doesn’t matter. It’s just about survival and holding together. It’s by far the best of this issue. I did also like Jeffrey Ford’s “The Pandemonium Waltz.”
Another Doctor Who article definitely kept me happy, but the other articles were on things I didn’t care that much about. A solid issue, but it felt a bit lacking compared to the others. That rounds out the year of Uncanny. A few stories got their own reviews because I had them pointed out to me specially.
It remains one of the best outlets for speculative fiction today, especially if your tastes lean towards the weird and/or literary. And you have to respect any outlet willing to run something like “Anything With a Void in the Center.”