Eschewed Obfuscation

Some of these have been sitting in my bookmarks for a while, so I'll try to mention the new stuff first.

* Wyrding Studios is having an end-of-year clearance sale! I have my eye on Skylit Revisited #6, a gorgeous choker-style necklace; but I don't really need to spend $50 on a necklace when I hardly wear the jewelry I already own, so someone else go buy it and remove the temptation.

* Two great stories from Strange Horizons: Meredith Schwartz's How to Hold Your Breath, which packs quite a lot into under 700 words; and a lovely modern fairy-tale from Elizabeth Bear, Love Among the Talus (Mongolian-inspired worldbuilding is a bonus).

* The NYT publishes an interesting college admissions Q&A with reps from Yale University, Pomona College, Lawrence University, and the University of Texas - Austin. It's a representative mix and a good portion of the responses are enlightening; the other portion is amusing in its dodge-the-intent tactics.

* I haven't read Cherryh, but apparently her novels feature an unusual common theme--the rape of men.

* If you haven't seen it already: Every Fanfic Ever Written.

* vagabond_sal summarizes, with a brief anecdote, the Avatar casting issue. shati does the same with a smiley face. And here's how you can help. --I did say some of these links were old.

* *bounce* Also also, people other than my recipient like my Yuletide story! I am so happy inside, because I do like it myself (which is rare). No link, of course, although I welcome guesses. I limit myself to offering only fandoms whose canon I own, which is a decidedly short but secretive list. (And I'm so curious about my own mystery author, because the prose and the characters are just. Perfect.)

Fantasy & Science Fiction July '08
by Gordon Van Gelder (ed.)
160 pages (paperback)
Genre: Fiction/Fantasy/Science Fiction

This review should attest to exactly how far behind I am on reading--I was sent this copy of the magazine for free, as part of a blogger giveaway, in early May. And I'm reviewing the July issue in late August. Ah, well.

My verdict: highly disappointing, considering that F&SF is basically the tippy-top of the speculative short fiction market. Anthologies are hit-or-miss for me, but this issue of F&SF contained one story that I loved and one that I enjoyed out of 7 stories. The magazine leads off with "Fulbrim's Finding" by Matthew Hughes, a long and extremely boring SF story about a "discriminator," aka private investigator, who searches for a missing "seeker of substance" and in the process discovers the truth of reality. It doesn't live up to such weighty intentions, being presented with stiff, distracting prose and an unsympathetic, unethical protagonist. The world-building is unoriginal and too techy, leaving the reader bewildered like Fulbrim's poor wife Caddice. Ending parallels theme; both are thoroughly unsatisfying.

Thankfully, the next story lifted my spirits. "Reader's Guide" by Lisa Goldstein operates on a truly original conceit and goes on to support itself as a light (though not wholly humorous), enlightening tale. It is impossible to describe without spoilers, so I won't try, but Goldstein's contribution is the sole reason this will remain on my bookshelf. However, Michael Blumlein's novella "The Roberts" should not be discounted. It uses the extra length successfully. The world-building isn't standout but the characters are interesting, major and minor both--I especially liked Stanovič's accent. Plot builds evenly to a strong conclusion and a new understanding of the (apt) title.

After which, I had to endure four stories of varying ennui. Paul DiFilippo's "Plumage from Pegasus" begins with an intriguing concept but has no meaning or substance. I seriously can't tell if it's fiction or nonfiction. This is not a good thing. "Enfant Terrible" by Scott Dalrymple follows; weird (in the imitation-punk fashion) is the best descriptor, and the second-person narration feels like an unnecessary gimmick. I skimmed Albert E. Cowdrey's "Poison Victory" one-sentence-per-page at one point--a new low of boredom, I believe--and on top of that, the story is semi-incomprehensible due to random German phrases. "The Dinosaur Train," by James L. Cambias, ends the issue on a slightly stronger note, but only in comparison. I found the plotline suspenseful but the ending lackluster and predictable. Some characters approach caricature and others are realistic--too realistic, as I wasn't invested in their fates.

I will probably still buy another copy of F&SF in the future, when yhlee's story comes out (the elemental-music one, I believe?), but that will be in spite of rather than because of this complimentary copy. My regrets.

The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror: Ninth Annual Collection
by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling (eds.)
534 pages (trade paperback)
Genre: Fiction/Fantasy/Horror

I've only read one story from this anthology--Ellen Kushner's "The Hunt of the Unicorn." In some ways it was disappointing because I'd expected a Riverside book; while the setting is reminiscent of the city, there are no overt references and it really is a standalone. The ending also had no punch for me although it might be better understood upon rereading. Kushner's weakest work to date for me; but it's old too (1995), so I'll cut her some slack.

Obviously not a review of the collection, or even a review for anyone other than myself.

Strange Horizons has a lovely new short story up, "In Lieu of a Thank You" by Gwynne Garfinkle. Butterflies wings and feminism, oh my! Also, an equally lovely sestina (which is horrendously hard to write, I know from experience) by Elizabeth Barrette, "Dancing with Stones."

Go forth and taste the loveliness!

Via yhlee: I wholeheartedly second her rec of "In Ashes" by Helen Keeble. Elementalism done right, indeed. I love the foreshadowing especially, and the clear motivations of every single character. On top of that, the ending is fabulous.

"The House Beyond Your Sky" by Benjamin Rosenbaum is a disorienting and quietly powerful story about faith, universes, and what it means to be God.

2007 Hugo Nominee "Kin" by Bruce McAllister is a gentle story, yet riveting from the first line, and also a musing on alien cultures.

"In Stone" by Helen Keeble is a tale of deep love and the sacrifices made for the good of a people.

Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine 30th Anniversary Anthology
by Sheila Williams (ed.)
349 pages (trade paperback)
Genre: Fiction/SF

I'm going to just record my personal reader-thoughts on each of the stories, since short stories are very much a matter of taste anyway and this is outside my usual genre. Hopefully you know me well enough to be able to judge disparities. Recommended stories are marked with a *.


Overall, I liked 6 stories, half-liked 2 stories ("The Happy Man" and "The Children of Time"), either hated or was indifferent toward the other 7. Not bad stats, although the organization is skewed with most of the good stories toward the beginning. My favorites were Octavia Butler's "Street Sounds" for emotional impact and Kelly Link's "Flying Lessons" for creativity.

Reading this anthology has taught me what my limits are regarding hard SF; there was more than one story that I appreciated on a technical level but just couldn't become engaged enough to care. (I also confirmed that Kim Stanley Robinson's writing and I do not get along.) Although I wouldn't ever subscribe to Asimov's, it was worth reading for my first glimpse of Butler and Link, plus testing the waters of hardcore SF.

If anyone has also read this anthology or any of the individual stories, I'd very much like to know your thoughts.

I've had the PDF file on my desktop for ages, but finally got around to reading it this morning.

And I really liked it. I love the setting--Cambodia and just Asia in general doesn't get written about enough--and I loved the characters. The only quibble I have is with the whole untrue story thing, because it felt unnecessary. It was unique, but what's the point of it?

Still, a great story.