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ladybusinessThis week's stories are about magicians, haunted houses, the weirdest summer job, the politics of robots, and magical girls who grew into magical women. Dive in!
Monday
I may not be reading War and Peace during lock down (come on) but I am catching up on short fic I've been meaning to get to for ages. I meant to read "How The Trick Is Done" by A. C. Wise when it was first published, and now it's a whole year later. Never mind, because there's no expiration date on short fiction unlike, say, that loaf of bread you (I) forgot to freeze. And anyway, now is actually the perfect time to read Wise's story because it's been named as a Nebula Award finalist!
"How The Trick Is Done" has a lot of elements guaranteed to hook me. This story is about a magician performing the bullet trick with the help of real magic. The key to the trick? He dies every time. The hookiest of hooks, my friends.
I am a big fan of stories about stage magic. I even watched Now You See Me all the way through in my weakest, early lock down, days. And, I think everyone who has seen that film (the film where Jessie Eisenberg's character makes a joke about Isla Fisher's weight, and yet did not die at any point in the film) will tell you this means I'm committed to this story type. I particularly can't get enough of stories that rework the bullet trick. No matter how many times I've already seen them reworked, put the bullet trick, or the underwater cage trick, in your story and I am there. And Wise's story particularly grabbed my attention because it's clear from the beginning that "How The Trick Is Done" is about the time the bullet trick went wrong. Call me macabre, but it's hard to look away from a fictional bullet trick gone wrong; it's something about the level of hubris baked into the concept of the trick. Yes, I'm aware I'm showing my grisly side.
It also quickly becomes apparent that the trick, in fact, has never really 'worked' for anyone involved, and that the Magician is shady as fuck. I will absolutely fall over my own feet to get to stories about slightly shady magicians, and the people who surround them. Throw in the fact that I was actually getting vibes of one of my new favourite novels about shady magicians, The Night Circus, while reading "How The Trick Is Done", and I was very into the way "How The Trick Was Done" was playing out as a reading experience.
While Wise's story is very, very different in substance, and writing style, from Erin Morgenstern's novel, the tone of "How The Trick Was Done" projects the same kind of quiet, creeping menace that laces through The Night Circus. This story made me feel like I was reading something both unsettling and familiar at the same time. And that produced the sensation of never being quite sure what was around the corner, but feeling like I was always in relatively safe hands. I felt the thrill of being maneuvered by a professional who would tip me right up to the edge, but would probably pull me back at the last minute. Probably. And I think that lulling, alluring tone reflects the pull and power of the Magician's personality which weaves itself around the three main characters.
Wise's choice to concentrate on characters who have been shunted off into the wings was also a huge draw. Wise focuses on Meg, a ghost and the Magician's assistant, Angie, who starts the story as 'the Magician's girlfriend' but who is literally the key to his whole, magical success. The story also, to a lesser extent, follows Rory, the stage manager in love with the Magician. I love stories that shift the focus and move characters who have been sidelined by their protagonists, and perhaps even by traditional story frameworks, to centre stage; especially when that brings female characters into the limelight. And it was fantastic to see Wise's characters come together as a team in almost a 'behind the scenes' version of a 'we're putting a crew together' creation story. I really enjoyed seeing these three support each other, and watching their own stories open up on the page; particularly Angie's story. She's one of those striking characters who captures you immediately by being so observant, and engaged with the world even as her own world is narrowing under exhaustion and pressure.
Personally, I'm not sure about the ending of this story. However, that's because it plays in an area I don't generally enjoy, and I'm not sure the punishment fits the crime because, well, I will rarely be sure this kind of punishment fits a crime. I think most reader's reactions to the end will be different to mine. And I do understand the idea that sometimes there is only one, final way to stop a manipulator. I'm just not sure that idea is what's alluded to by the ending. It's very much going to be a 'your mileage may vary' issue, and I will say Wise's choice of ending didn't really colour the rest of the story for me. I still enjoyed it just fine, and would probably reread it. If you're reading for the Nebulas, or just love stories where stage magic meets real magic this is a great pick.
Tuesday
I really liked "Charlie Tries To Interview Her Nanny" by Michael Robertson which is a mundane, vignette piece about a world where humans have robot servants and often don't treat them well. Charlie is trying to interview 'Nanny', the robot who takes care of her, for a school project about someone she admires. It starts off with the charming problems caused by asking a pre-programmed robot servant what it likes to do, but quickly gets into deeper issues like how a robot servant asserts personhood, and why Charlie is interviewing a robot instead of a person for this project.
"Charlie Tries To Interview Her Nanny" is a quick piece, designed to give readers a snapshot of the issues the writer wants to get into. I was impressed by how fast Robertson could draw readers into the two main struggles at the heart of his story, and how much of an impression this very short piece made on me. A really strong addition to stories about the politics of having robots work for humans.
Wednesday
"The Haunting of 13 Olúwo Street" by Suyi Davies Okungbowa is another award nominee, as it has just been nominated in the Nommo Awards Short Story category. I always say I am not that into haunted house stories, but I think it's more that I am super picky about haunted house stories. I don't want horror, and gore, as much as I want emotion, and I really like when the house is an actual personified character. You get both of those things in "The Haunting of 13 Olúwo Street" so I had a great time reading it.
I can't remember who I saw recommending this story as 'a haunted house just wants to be loved' but it's a pretty close description. The house wants a permanent tenant, and it keeps itself in nice shape in the hope that someone will stay but they never do. But, I think more than a permanent tenant, the house wants the right tenant who understands the house, and the ghost who haunts it. And someone who brings their own positive, caring psychic vibrations into the house. It's a really interesting piece with great sympathy for ghosts, and what they've been through that has made them transform into haunting horrors. I think, at its centre, this is really a story about genuinely caring about tragedy rather than treating tragedy as a story, a horror, a sensation; about seeing something for what it is rather than forcing a shape on it that fulfills your own expectations.
Thursday
A long time ago I read "To Whatever" by Shaenon K. Garrity which was written in letters to a supernatural roommate. Garrity's story "Cast Member Rules At Old Tech Town" also plays with form. This time Garrity has written a story in the form of an employee guidebook, uploaded as a stream, for entities taking summer jobs at 'Old Tech Town', aka San Francisco. The handbook makes it clear from the beginning that humans are no longer in control of San Francisco, and quite likely have lost control of the entire USA if not the whole world. The new dominant entities are bodiless, constantly connected, and perhaps made from data, electricity, or code (my scientific knowledge really isn't up to working out exactly what kind of beings they are).
The form of this story is really interesting. It's technically a list story, but it's intercut with 'live' reminders to revise sections, and updates about breaches or problems. I can't say I was always clear about what those interruptions signified, but I liked the way they reinforced the idea that these entities are constantly connected, and receiving information over the top of information. The story makes a strong stab at depicting this idea stylistically, rather than just telling the reader that's how information works in this world (although it does that as well, just so you understand). Towards the end of the story, when everything is going off the rails, this decision to marry the stream of the guidebook with live updates allows the story to take off in a freer direction which makes a nice counterpoint to the previous, more linear, structure of the list/guidebook device. The story also handles the tone shift from a more fun story to a serious story of danger and escape really well.
"Cast Member Rules At Old Tech Town" is slyly funny, and there's lots to enjoy here like Garrity's explanation of why summer jobs can be good for beings that already 'experience immediate and total immersion in data streams from the moment of generation'. And I'm guessing her jabs about how, after asking sensitive questions about what sound like violent incidents in San Francisco's colonisation, 'Old Tech Town finds that guests are almost always relieved to change the subject' are a critique of how real 'historical' theme parks treat parts of American history. We don't really have an equivalent of historical recreation parks in the UK (the closest I can think of is The Black Country Museum, or a more touristy castle experience like Warwick) so I'm not sure I'm getting all the nuance of the set up, but I think that a critique of historical edutainment is the general gist.
Friday
Speaking of catching up, I finally read the first part of Isabel Yap's Hurricane Heels series about magical girls who have grown up and are still fighting monsters. I was inspired to read this now because I've just started watching She-Ra! (I know, I'm so behind on everything) and was in the mood for more magical girl stories.
This first instalment of Hurricane Heels, set as the team tries to throw a typical, trashy hen do without incident, is just what I was looking for. I think the full novella tells the story from the different perspectives of all five women on the team. This first part focuses on Alex whose narrative has the job of introducing all the team members, taking the reader through their backstory, as well as the history between different team members, and explaining how their magic works. Alex also talks about the weariness of finding yourself growing up with this constant battle that never seems likely to end, and the strain of no one else in your life, besides your teammates, being able to see what you're going through. It's a strong opener that gives the reader all the information they need to understand what's going on, and gives a real flavour of the women's bond, and relationships.
The whole story was serialised on The Booksmugglers website way back in 2016, and I look forward to hopefully catching up on all the women's stories.
Ideas for supporting these short fiction authors at this time
You can order books by A. C. Wise (Catfish Lullaby) and Suyi Davies Okungbowa (David Mogo, Godhunter) anywhere online that's still shipping. On a personal note, if you're buying physical books, please support book shops by ordering through their sites, as long as you're sure these shops are able to work safely at this time. Alternatively, Hive and Bookshop.org are set up to pass a portion of profits along to indie book shops.
You can buy e-books of novels by Michael Robertson (The Alpha Plague and more)
You can pre-order A. C Wise's upcoming novel, Wendy, Darling, and Isabel Yap's short story collection, Ever.
A. C. Wise has a Ko-fi account.
You can find out more about Shaenon K. Garrity at her website.
Finally, a great way to support short fiction authors in general is to support the places that publish them. Consider picking up a subscription to a short fiction magazine, or buying an individual issue.
Feel free to use the comments to recommend short stories you'd like to see written about here.
Monday
I may not be reading War and Peace during lock down (come on) but I am catching up on short fic I've been meaning to get to for ages. I meant to read "How The Trick Is Done" by A. C. Wise when it was first published, and now it's a whole year later. Never mind, because there's no expiration date on short fiction unlike, say, that loaf of bread you (I) forgot to freeze. And anyway, now is actually the perfect time to read Wise's story because it's been named as a Nebula Award finalist!
"How The Trick Is Done" has a lot of elements guaranteed to hook me. This story is about a magician performing the bullet trick with the help of real magic. The key to the trick? He dies every time. The hookiest of hooks, my friends.
I am a big fan of stories about stage magic. I even watched Now You See Me all the way through in my weakest, early lock down, days. And, I think everyone who has seen that film (the film where Jessie Eisenberg's character makes a joke about Isla Fisher's weight, and yet did not die at any point in the film) will tell you this means I'm committed to this story type. I particularly can't get enough of stories that rework the bullet trick. No matter how many times I've already seen them reworked, put the bullet trick, or the underwater cage trick, in your story and I am there. And Wise's story particularly grabbed my attention because it's clear from the beginning that "How The Trick Is Done" is about the time the bullet trick went wrong. Call me macabre, but it's hard to look away from a fictional bullet trick gone wrong; it's something about the level of hubris baked into the concept of the trick. Yes, I'm aware I'm showing my grisly side.
It also quickly becomes apparent that the trick, in fact, has never really 'worked' for anyone involved, and that the Magician is shady as fuck. I will absolutely fall over my own feet to get to stories about slightly shady magicians, and the people who surround them. Throw in the fact that I was actually getting vibes of one of my new favourite novels about shady magicians, The Night Circus, while reading "How The Trick Is Done", and I was very into the way "How The Trick Was Done" was playing out as a reading experience.
While Wise's story is very, very different in substance, and writing style, from Erin Morgenstern's novel, the tone of "How The Trick Was Done" projects the same kind of quiet, creeping menace that laces through The Night Circus. This story made me feel like I was reading something both unsettling and familiar at the same time. And that produced the sensation of never being quite sure what was around the corner, but feeling like I was always in relatively safe hands. I felt the thrill of being maneuvered by a professional who would tip me right up to the edge, but would probably pull me back at the last minute. Probably. And I think that lulling, alluring tone reflects the pull and power of the Magician's personality which weaves itself around the three main characters.
Wise's choice to concentrate on characters who have been shunted off into the wings was also a huge draw. Wise focuses on Meg, a ghost and the Magician's assistant, Angie, who starts the story as 'the Magician's girlfriend' but who is literally the key to his whole, magical success. The story also, to a lesser extent, follows Rory, the stage manager in love with the Magician. I love stories that shift the focus and move characters who have been sidelined by their protagonists, and perhaps even by traditional story frameworks, to centre stage; especially when that brings female characters into the limelight. And it was fantastic to see Wise's characters come together as a team in almost a 'behind the scenes' version of a 'we're putting a crew together' creation story. I really enjoyed seeing these three support each other, and watching their own stories open up on the page; particularly Angie's story. She's one of those striking characters who captures you immediately by being so observant, and engaged with the world even as her own world is narrowing under exhaustion and pressure.
Personally, I'm not sure about the ending of this story. However, that's because it plays in an area I don't generally enjoy, and I'm not sure the punishment fits the crime because, well, I will rarely be sure this kind of punishment fits a crime. I think most reader's reactions to the end will be different to mine. And I do understand the idea that sometimes there is only one, final way to stop a manipulator. I'm just not sure that idea is what's alluded to by the ending. It's very much going to be a 'your mileage may vary' issue, and I will say Wise's choice of ending didn't really colour the rest of the story for me. I still enjoyed it just fine, and would probably reread it. If you're reading for the Nebulas, or just love stories where stage magic meets real magic this is a great pick.
Tuesday
I really liked "Charlie Tries To Interview Her Nanny" by Michael Robertson which is a mundane, vignette piece about a world where humans have robot servants and often don't treat them well. Charlie is trying to interview 'Nanny', the robot who takes care of her, for a school project about someone she admires. It starts off with the charming problems caused by asking a pre-programmed robot servant what it likes to do, but quickly gets into deeper issues like how a robot servant asserts personhood, and why Charlie is interviewing a robot instead of a person for this project.
"Charlie Tries To Interview Her Nanny" is a quick piece, designed to give readers a snapshot of the issues the writer wants to get into. I was impressed by how fast Robertson could draw readers into the two main struggles at the heart of his story, and how much of an impression this very short piece made on me. A really strong addition to stories about the politics of having robots work for humans.
Wednesday
"The Haunting of 13 Olúwo Street" by Suyi Davies Okungbowa is another award nominee, as it has just been nominated in the Nommo Awards Short Story category. I always say I am not that into haunted house stories, but I think it's more that I am super picky about haunted house stories. I don't want horror, and gore, as much as I want emotion, and I really like when the house is an actual personified character. You get both of those things in "The Haunting of 13 Olúwo Street" so I had a great time reading it.
I can't remember who I saw recommending this story as 'a haunted house just wants to be loved' but it's a pretty close description. The house wants a permanent tenant, and it keeps itself in nice shape in the hope that someone will stay but they never do. But, I think more than a permanent tenant, the house wants the right tenant who understands the house, and the ghost who haunts it. And someone who brings their own positive, caring psychic vibrations into the house. It's a really interesting piece with great sympathy for ghosts, and what they've been through that has made them transform into haunting horrors. I think, at its centre, this is really a story about genuinely caring about tragedy rather than treating tragedy as a story, a horror, a sensation; about seeing something for what it is rather than forcing a shape on it that fulfills your own expectations.
Thursday
A long time ago I read "To Whatever" by Shaenon K. Garrity which was written in letters to a supernatural roommate. Garrity's story "Cast Member Rules At Old Tech Town" also plays with form. This time Garrity has written a story in the form of an employee guidebook, uploaded as a stream, for entities taking summer jobs at 'Old Tech Town', aka San Francisco. The handbook makes it clear from the beginning that humans are no longer in control of San Francisco, and quite likely have lost control of the entire USA if not the whole world. The new dominant entities are bodiless, constantly connected, and perhaps made from data, electricity, or code (my scientific knowledge really isn't up to working out exactly what kind of beings they are).
The form of this story is really interesting. It's technically a list story, but it's intercut with 'live' reminders to revise sections, and updates about breaches or problems. I can't say I was always clear about what those interruptions signified, but I liked the way they reinforced the idea that these entities are constantly connected, and receiving information over the top of information. The story makes a strong stab at depicting this idea stylistically, rather than just telling the reader that's how information works in this world (although it does that as well, just so you understand). Towards the end of the story, when everything is going off the rails, this decision to marry the stream of the guidebook with live updates allows the story to take off in a freer direction which makes a nice counterpoint to the previous, more linear, structure of the list/guidebook device. The story also handles the tone shift from a more fun story to a serious story of danger and escape really well.
"Cast Member Rules At Old Tech Town" is slyly funny, and there's lots to enjoy here like Garrity's explanation of why summer jobs can be good for beings that already 'experience immediate and total immersion in data streams from the moment of generation'. And I'm guessing her jabs about how, after asking sensitive questions about what sound like violent incidents in San Francisco's colonisation, 'Old Tech Town finds that guests are almost always relieved to change the subject' are a critique of how real 'historical' theme parks treat parts of American history. We don't really have an equivalent of historical recreation parks in the UK (the closest I can think of is The Black Country Museum, or a more touristy castle experience like Warwick) so I'm not sure I'm getting all the nuance of the set up, but I think that a critique of historical edutainment is the general gist.
Friday
Speaking of catching up, I finally read the first part of Isabel Yap's Hurricane Heels series about magical girls who have grown up and are still fighting monsters. I was inspired to read this now because I've just started watching She-Ra! (I know, I'm so behind on everything) and was in the mood for more magical girl stories.
This first instalment of Hurricane Heels, set as the team tries to throw a typical, trashy hen do without incident, is just what I was looking for. I think the full novella tells the story from the different perspectives of all five women on the team. This first part focuses on Alex whose narrative has the job of introducing all the team members, taking the reader through their backstory, as well as the history between different team members, and explaining how their magic works. Alex also talks about the weariness of finding yourself growing up with this constant battle that never seems likely to end, and the strain of no one else in your life, besides your teammates, being able to see what you're going through. It's a strong opener that gives the reader all the information they need to understand what's going on, and gives a real flavour of the women's bond, and relationships.
The whole story was serialised on The Booksmugglers website way back in 2016, and I look forward to hopefully catching up on all the women's stories.
Ideas for supporting these short fiction authors at this time
You can order books by A. C. Wise (Catfish Lullaby) and Suyi Davies Okungbowa (David Mogo, Godhunter) anywhere online that's still shipping. On a personal note, if you're buying physical books, please support book shops by ordering through their sites, as long as you're sure these shops are able to work safely at this time. Alternatively, Hive and Bookshop.org are set up to pass a portion of profits along to indie book shops.
You can buy e-books of novels by Michael Robertson (The Alpha Plague and more)
You can pre-order A. C Wise's upcoming novel, Wendy, Darling, and Isabel Yap's short story collection, Ever.
A. C. Wise has a Ko-fi account.
You can find out more about Shaenon K. Garrity at her website.
Finally, a great way to support short fiction authors in general is to support the places that publish them. Consider picking up a subscription to a short fiction magazine, or buying an individual issue.
Feel free to use the comments to recommend short stories you'd like to see written about here.
