Short Business: Revisiting Authors
Feb. 1st, 2021 11:50 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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ladybusinessI only managed to read and write about four stories again this week, but oh well. I think I have fully learned that living through a pandemic without losing it means having to just let my brain do what it wants when it wants. And sometimes what it wants to do is watch three series of Superstore in a row.
However, I fully expect to read more stories next week because Maria Haskins just posted a round up with the unofficial theme of 'companion animals', and I plan to inhale all the stories I haven't read already. So, I hope you check out the four stories I was able to highlight, and then come back ready for more next week.
Monday
I've been working my way through Maria Haskin's last set of short fiction recommendations lately, and I started the week with "The Last Bookseller of Saint Paul" by Jordan Hirsch. This story takes place in a world where an event called 'The Fallout' has changed the world, and the people in it, forever. In the middle of this catastrophe, Allibel is trying to keep her bookshop going; providing people with books they request by sending them via the river. However, when the river dries up Allibel must find new ways of getting the books where they are needed.
I don't find myself with a lot to say about this story, but I do think it's a soothing, hopeful SFF short that anyone who likes books will enjoy. I especially liked the choice that Hirsch made to have Allibel search for a book to send a client, and find it among many names from current SFF:
It felt like a personal indication of how much SFF means to the author, and I liked the meta way a trip into the SFF section fitted into a story set in a science fiction universe. I like stories about books, and bookshops, and their continued importance in the bleakest of worlds. And that concentration on dedication to books, and bookshops, was what I liked most about "The Last Bookseller of Saint Paul".
Tuesday
"Tru Luv" by Sarah Pinsker was so fantastic I know I'm going to struggle to write coherently about it. First a confession - I've long been unsure about trying Pinsker's work because I often feel like her stories are going to be too bleak for me. But, "Tru Luv" sounded like it was maybe going to be lighter, and the concept was so appealing that I dived right in. Great decision on my part because it turned out that not only did I enjoy the science fiction concept, but the way Pinkser wrote this story was also very much my kind of writing vibe. So, perhaps I have the wrong impression of the rest of her work? Or perhaps she just writes really varied fiction?
Anyway, "Tru Luv" features an implant which, unsurprisingly, matches people with their true love. The story presents a complex, flexible picture of that process. The technology is positioned as a capitalist venture, complete with (less successful) competitors. And the marketing, the way the pricing works, and the mechanics behind getting people to match is clearly up front in the story. There's also a human element to Tru Luv; people can decide whether the person the technology indicates is their true love is someone to follow up with. The technology also clearly creates its own special set of social problems which feel firmly anchored in some of our current, more lifestyle based concerns about technology. There's less of a focus on problems with data collection here. Instead, the story is more interested in how using technology to solve what are generally emotionally based decisions can eliminate some of life's unpredictability. There's definitely, by the end of the story, a very balanced take on how new technology help in different ways.
I would say though that while the technology is the spine of the story, the real star is Molly, the bartender who works at Meetspace; the bar holding a Tru Luv event. I enjoyed following Molly around through her attempt to set up the bar quickly for the Tru Luv party, her thoughts about working in the bar, the technology, and her interest in photography. There's also a real prominence given to the description of her daily round of running a dive bar, and the everyday texture of someone just doing their job. I absolutely loved that. I also enjoyed her relaxed interactions with some of the regulars, and the way they chatted about Tru Luv between themselves; creating a personal space in the middle of the workplace. I think Molly just felt like a really, um, real, grounded character, and I responded strongly to that while reading this story.
Wednesday
When A.C. Wise tweeted about this story, I completely missed the author's name. Then I got to the end and was like 'of course this story was by Marissa Lingen' because apparently I am just magically drawn towards every story she publishes now. "The Billionaire Shapeshifters' Ex-Wives Club" is a super cute, funny piece of flash fiction about a group of ex-wives sitting around explaining the problems with their shapeshifter ex-husbands. I liked the variety of animals chosen, the funny descriptions of the problems with each husband, and the chatty vibe of the group. My particularly favourite little bit was the part where the group's conversation goes off on a tangent about why one of their friends isn't there. I thought it both broke up the experience of the group, and showcased a natural sounding, thoughtful, supportive side to the relationship between the women who were present and the one who wasn't. Lingen is so great at inserting little details like that into all her fiction. Anyway, yes, extremely enjoyable.
Thursday
After I read "Texts From The Ghost War" last week, I had a little look at Alex Yuschik's Twitter profile, and discovered they had another recent story out which looked cool. So, this week I tried "Many-Hearted Dog and Heron Who Stepped Past Time". OMG everyone, this story is so wonderful. SO WONDERFUL. I just want you all to read it, and fall in love with it!. So, if you do happen to read and enjoy it please let me know because it will make me so happy.
The basic premise is time travelling ninjas, which sounds pretty cool for a start, but when you get into the story's specifics it's even better than that because a.) the ninjas are in love and b.) the time travel is of the non-linear, personally revealing variety which is my very favourite kind of time travel. The story takes Heron on a journey through Dog's past, and through their feelings about their time with Dog. Meanwhile, in the 'not past' Dog battles assassins while he waits for Heron to return. This is one of those time travel stories where the reader has to jump in, and accept they won't have a handle on everything for a while because a huge part of the joy of the story is that understanding comes slowly as Heron visits different timelines. And because things slot into place in such a satisfying way I don't want to spoil too much of what actually happens. Just know that it is delicious, and quite epic, and I was so happy with the way the whole story ended.
However, I fully expect to read more stories next week because Maria Haskins just posted a round up with the unofficial theme of 'companion animals', and I plan to inhale all the stories I haven't read already. So, I hope you check out the four stories I was able to highlight, and then come back ready for more next week.
Monday
I've been working my way through Maria Haskin's last set of short fiction recommendations lately, and I started the week with "The Last Bookseller of Saint Paul" by Jordan Hirsch. This story takes place in a world where an event called 'The Fallout' has changed the world, and the people in it, forever. In the middle of this catastrophe, Allibel is trying to keep her bookshop going; providing people with books they request by sending them via the river. However, when the river dries up Allibel must find new ways of getting the books where they are needed.
I don't find myself with a lot to say about this story, but I do think it's a soothing, hopeful SFF short that anyone who likes books will enjoy. I especially liked the choice that Hirsch made to have Allibel search for a book to send a client, and find it among many names from current SFF:
'Tracing her way through the well-worn labyrinth of stacks, up the creaking staircase and skirting the mysteries and thrillers, Allibel found the SFF section. She thumbed the cracked paperback spines, loved and well worn. Ogawa, Okorafor, Older—there it was. Onyebuchi'
It felt like a personal indication of how much SFF means to the author, and I liked the meta way a trip into the SFF section fitted into a story set in a science fiction universe. I like stories about books, and bookshops, and their continued importance in the bleakest of worlds. And that concentration on dedication to books, and bookshops, was what I liked most about "The Last Bookseller of Saint Paul".
Tuesday
"Tru Luv" by Sarah Pinsker was so fantastic I know I'm going to struggle to write coherently about it. First a confession - I've long been unsure about trying Pinsker's work because I often feel like her stories are going to be too bleak for me. But, "Tru Luv" sounded like it was maybe going to be lighter, and the concept was so appealing that I dived right in. Great decision on my part because it turned out that not only did I enjoy the science fiction concept, but the way Pinkser wrote this story was also very much my kind of writing vibe. So, perhaps I have the wrong impression of the rest of her work? Or perhaps she just writes really varied fiction?
Anyway, "Tru Luv" features an implant which, unsurprisingly, matches people with their true love. The story presents a complex, flexible picture of that process. The technology is positioned as a capitalist venture, complete with (less successful) competitors. And the marketing, the way the pricing works, and the mechanics behind getting people to match is clearly up front in the story. There's also a human element to Tru Luv; people can decide whether the person the technology indicates is their true love is someone to follow up with. The technology also clearly creates its own special set of social problems which feel firmly anchored in some of our current, more lifestyle based concerns about technology. There's less of a focus on problems with data collection here. Instead, the story is more interested in how using technology to solve what are generally emotionally based decisions can eliminate some of life's unpredictability. There's definitely, by the end of the story, a very balanced take on how new technology help in different ways.
I would say though that while the technology is the spine of the story, the real star is Molly, the bartender who works at Meetspace; the bar holding a Tru Luv event. I enjoyed following Molly around through her attempt to set up the bar quickly for the Tru Luv party, her thoughts about working in the bar, the technology, and her interest in photography. There's also a real prominence given to the description of her daily round of running a dive bar, and the everyday texture of someone just doing their job. I absolutely loved that. I also enjoyed her relaxed interactions with some of the regulars, and the way they chatted about Tru Luv between themselves; creating a personal space in the middle of the workplace. I think Molly just felt like a really, um, real, grounded character, and I responded strongly to that while reading this story.
Wednesday
When A.C. Wise tweeted about this story, I completely missed the author's name. Then I got to the end and was like 'of course this story was by Marissa Lingen' because apparently I am just magically drawn towards every story she publishes now. "The Billionaire Shapeshifters' Ex-Wives Club" is a super cute, funny piece of flash fiction about a group of ex-wives sitting around explaining the problems with their shapeshifter ex-husbands. I liked the variety of animals chosen, the funny descriptions of the problems with each husband, and the chatty vibe of the group. My particularly favourite little bit was the part where the group's conversation goes off on a tangent about why one of their friends isn't there. I thought it both broke up the experience of the group, and showcased a natural sounding, thoughtful, supportive side to the relationship between the women who were present and the one who wasn't. Lingen is so great at inserting little details like that into all her fiction. Anyway, yes, extremely enjoyable.
Thursday
After I read "Texts From The Ghost War" last week, I had a little look at Alex Yuschik's Twitter profile, and discovered they had another recent story out which looked cool. So, this week I tried "Many-Hearted Dog and Heron Who Stepped Past Time". OMG everyone, this story is so wonderful. SO WONDERFUL. I just want you all to read it, and fall in love with it!. So, if you do happen to read and enjoy it please let me know because it will make me so happy.
The basic premise is time travelling ninjas, which sounds pretty cool for a start, but when you get into the story's specifics it's even better than that because a.) the ninjas are in love and b.) the time travel is of the non-linear, personally revealing variety which is my very favourite kind of time travel. The story takes Heron on a journey through Dog's past, and through their feelings about their time with Dog. Meanwhile, in the 'not past' Dog battles assassins while he waits for Heron to return. This is one of those time travel stories where the reader has to jump in, and accept they won't have a handle on everything for a while because a huge part of the joy of the story is that understanding comes slowly as Heron visits different timelines. And because things slot into place in such a satisfying way I don't want to spoil too much of what actually happens. Just know that it is delicious, and quite epic, and I was so happy with the way the whole story ended.
