Short Business: Yet More Talking Cats
Dec. 1st, 2020 12:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bookgazing posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
ladybusinessMy week of reading flash fiction started off strong, but then took a turn when I realised I usually kind of stumble over flash fiction unless it's in Flash Fiction Online. I need a better system for finding this format if I want to do a whole week of flash fiction reviews. Still, I started off with two flash fiction stories. Yes, one is from Flash Fiction Online...
Monday
"Indispensable" by Wendy Nikel is a cute SFF love story with a little bit of coffee-shop story flavour. In Nikel's world, exceptional employees get the chance to be made an 'Indispensable'. Companies create a super-advanced robot version of these employees, which enables them to be replaced, quit work forever, and take away a lump sum that sets them up for life. The narrator, Joni, has been wanting to become an Indispensable, but one thing gives her pause. If she leaves work, she'll miss the Indispensable who works at the coffee shop in her building because she is a little bit in love with him. Nikel resolves this low-stakes conflict in a really sweet, satisfying way which allows Joni the potential to have it all. It's an adorable sci-fi romance.
(I also like to think that Joni's Indispensable will maybe meet the Indispensable in the coffee shop during their legally mandated fifteen minute break, fall in love, and plot an Indispensable uprising, but that's a whole 'nother story.)
Tuesday
One Tuesday, I returned to the Breath Fiyah flash fiction collection and read "The Mystical Art of Codeswitching" by Sydnee Thompson. This is an interesting, literal take on code-switching where aliens change black people's tweets into symbols that can only be understood by other black readers. This gives black social media users both privacy, and connectivity; kind of like a curated net of private accounts but without the limits that keeping your account private places on your ability to connect, and with an extra-terrestrial level of security. Once they're free to talk among themselves, without the constant threat of security forces, racists, or 'well actually' users seeing what they post, they're able to be more open. They talk the way you might talk amongst a group of friends who are all on the same wave-length, and at the same starting point, who aren't about to get freaked out if you express your frustration.
I think this is probably my favourite story from the Breath Fiyah collection. It's bold to mix real life, modern technology like Twitter with a sci-fi element. This upfront mix of real-life modern tech, and the fictional isn't something I've seen a lot of in sci-fi (I'd say it's more common in comic or urban fantasy). It's definitely something I could get a taste for though, considering how much I enjoy the mix in fantasy stories (an elf with a mobile phone - yes, please).
Wednesday
"The Girlfriend's Guide to Gods" by Maria Dahvana Headley is not flash fiction, but it does fly by because it's so smoothly written, and intriguing. Headley mixes the ancient with the modern to present a feminist approach to well-known myths while also addressing common issues women face in modern relationships. The story starts with the myth of Orpheus and Eurydices, and here's a little snippet just to give you a flavour of how everything combines:
As soon as I read the first paragraph, I knew I was in. I loved the tone, the mythic references, the balance between the ancient and the new, the way this story pivots between portraying the fantastical as real and using myth as metaphor, and the biting commentary on terrible boyfriends. I also really enjoyed the fact that this story is directed straight at the reader; a style I seem to be coming across more and more in the last few weeks. If you're looking for a comparison, "The Girlfriend's Guide to Gods" feels very much like a Sarah McCarry story; or something she would read and recommend.
Thursday
"The Cat Lady And The Petitioner" by Jennifer Hudak is a JOY - please read it immediately. If you like talking cats, universe saving, curmudgeonly women, and women who are trying to work out their place in the world you will love Hudak's story. Amy, a young woman working her first job, turns up at a door. Even though the door isn't especially ornate, I think every fantasy reader everywhere can see from the significant placement of the door at the start of the story, and the way it is described as 'her very first door', that this is going to be a door of significance. Cue an adventure that involves following a woman and her cat up a tree into a hole in the universe.
There is some really lovely writing scattered through this story like the way Hudak describes the 'hole' as a place in the universe where 'the fabric has worn like jeans over kneecaps'. This whole paragraph, which explains a lot about what Eleanor, cat lady, does, and how the universe works, is lovely in fact. And, Hudak is one of those writers who has real ear for creating natural sounding dialogue. The section where the cats who live with Eleanor have a lively discussion about what to do is funny, and easy to read; nothing gets in the way of the reader experiencing and enjoying this conversation.
This story is also about some very classic fantasy themes: the importance of names; finding your true form in a world that wants to re-make you; opening yourself up to new people. I particularly liked the contemporary, feminist reference to Amy getting called out about 'vocal fry' by her career counsellor. I would read so many stories about Amy and Eleanor, and their various cats. Again, not a complaint about the form of short fiction, just me saying that the mark of some good short fiction for me is that it's satisfying on its own but leaves me wanting more.
Friday
Confession - I haven't read a story from Uncanny in ages because the brand of story they publish often teeters on the 'hopeful but sad' boundary, and I didn't think that was a line I wanted to approach too much during a worldwide pandemic. However, drawn in by the gorgeous horse illustration for Issue Thirty-five, I read "A Pale Horse" by M Evan Macgriogair as my last story of the week. And while it's definitely hard (it feels like it's set in the early days of the pandemic before any lockdown measures) it's a beautiful story I would hate to have missed.
A woman replies to a message written in the dust on her car, and begins an unusual correspondence with someone who sends her beautiful pieces of music. This plot thread runs through a story about environmental collapse, love of nature, preserving language (parts are written in Scottish Gàidhlig), connection, and a growing sense that the world is slowly lurching into a terrible collapse. All of this mingles together with the narrator's everyday life to create a sensitive, gorgeously written story that made me feel sad but hopeful but maybe most importantly like I was alive in a world that was worth so much. I think this story would pair really well with "Packing" byT. Kingfisher; another story torn between sorrow and hope about the environment.
I'm back at work now and heading into the deep, dark woods of Christmas retail so this post probably really will be the last Short Business post of the year. I hope you've enjoyed reading my thoughts on the short fiction I've read this year, and that maybe I steered you to some stories you've enjoyed.
Monday
"Indispensable" by Wendy Nikel is a cute SFF love story with a little bit of coffee-shop story flavour. In Nikel's world, exceptional employees get the chance to be made an 'Indispensable'. Companies create a super-advanced robot version of these employees, which enables them to be replaced, quit work forever, and take away a lump sum that sets them up for life. The narrator, Joni, has been wanting to become an Indispensable, but one thing gives her pause. If she leaves work, she'll miss the Indispensable who works at the coffee shop in her building because she is a little bit in love with him. Nikel resolves this low-stakes conflict in a really sweet, satisfying way which allows Joni the potential to have it all. It's an adorable sci-fi romance.
(I also like to think that Joni's Indispensable will maybe meet the Indispensable in the coffee shop during their legally mandated fifteen minute break, fall in love, and plot an Indispensable uprising, but that's a whole 'nother story.)
Tuesday
One Tuesday, I returned to the Breath Fiyah flash fiction collection and read "The Mystical Art of Codeswitching" by Sydnee Thompson. This is an interesting, literal take on code-switching where aliens change black people's tweets into symbols that can only be understood by other black readers. This gives black social media users both privacy, and connectivity; kind of like a curated net of private accounts but without the limits that keeping your account private places on your ability to connect, and with an extra-terrestrial level of security. Once they're free to talk among themselves, without the constant threat of security forces, racists, or 'well actually' users seeing what they post, they're able to be more open. They talk the way you might talk amongst a group of friends who are all on the same wave-length, and at the same starting point, who aren't about to get freaked out if you express your frustration.
I think this is probably my favourite story from the Breath Fiyah collection. It's bold to mix real life, modern technology like Twitter with a sci-fi element. This upfront mix of real-life modern tech, and the fictional isn't something I've seen a lot of in sci-fi (I'd say it's more common in comic or urban fantasy). It's definitely something I could get a taste for though, considering how much I enjoy the mix in fantasy stories (an elf with a mobile phone - yes, please).
Wednesday
"The Girlfriend's Guide to Gods" by Maria Dahvana Headley is not flash fiction, but it does fly by because it's so smoothly written, and intriguing. Headley mixes the ancient with the modern to present a feminist approach to well-known myths while also addressing common issues women face in modern relationships. The story starts with the myth of Orpheus and Eurydices, and here's a little snippet just to give you a flavour of how everything combines:
This is the first myth: that your boyfriend from when you were fifteen will come and get you out of hell. He might come, but he won’t get you. You will never have an interesting conversation with him, though his haircut will suggest that he should be interesting. He’ll buy you a book of poetry called Love is a Dog from Hell, and this will convince you temporarily that he understands your transgressive nature. Later, you’ll parse that title. You’ll wait for him to become what he is destined to become, which means you’ll sit around for a year on couches in basements, watching his band get stoned.
As soon as I read the first paragraph, I knew I was in. I loved the tone, the mythic references, the balance between the ancient and the new, the way this story pivots between portraying the fantastical as real and using myth as metaphor, and the biting commentary on terrible boyfriends. I also really enjoyed the fact that this story is directed straight at the reader; a style I seem to be coming across more and more in the last few weeks. If you're looking for a comparison, "The Girlfriend's Guide to Gods" feels very much like a Sarah McCarry story; or something she would read and recommend.
Thursday
"The Cat Lady And The Petitioner" by Jennifer Hudak is a JOY - please read it immediately. If you like talking cats, universe saving, curmudgeonly women, and women who are trying to work out their place in the world you will love Hudak's story. Amy, a young woman working her first job, turns up at a door. Even though the door isn't especially ornate, I think every fantasy reader everywhere can see from the significant placement of the door at the start of the story, and the way it is described as 'her very first door', that this is going to be a door of significance. Cue an adventure that involves following a woman and her cat up a tree into a hole in the universe.
There is some really lovely writing scattered through this story like the way Hudak describes the 'hole' as a place in the universe where 'the fabric has worn like jeans over kneecaps'. This whole paragraph, which explains a lot about what Eleanor, cat lady, does, and how the universe works, is lovely in fact. And, Hudak is one of those writers who has real ear for creating natural sounding dialogue. The section where the cats who live with Eleanor have a lively discussion about what to do is funny, and easy to read; nothing gets in the way of the reader experiencing and enjoying this conversation.
This story is also about some very classic fantasy themes: the importance of names; finding your true form in a world that wants to re-make you; opening yourself up to new people. I particularly liked the contemporary, feminist reference to Amy getting called out about 'vocal fry' by her career counsellor. I would read so many stories about Amy and Eleanor, and their various cats. Again, not a complaint about the form of short fiction, just me saying that the mark of some good short fiction for me is that it's satisfying on its own but leaves me wanting more.
Friday
Confession - I haven't read a story from Uncanny in ages because the brand of story they publish often teeters on the 'hopeful but sad' boundary, and I didn't think that was a line I wanted to approach too much during a worldwide pandemic. However, drawn in by the gorgeous horse illustration for Issue Thirty-five, I read "A Pale Horse" by M Evan Macgriogair as my last story of the week. And while it's definitely hard (it feels like it's set in the early days of the pandemic before any lockdown measures) it's a beautiful story I would hate to have missed.
A woman replies to a message written in the dust on her car, and begins an unusual correspondence with someone who sends her beautiful pieces of music. This plot thread runs through a story about environmental collapse, love of nature, preserving language (parts are written in Scottish Gàidhlig), connection, and a growing sense that the world is slowly lurching into a terrible collapse. All of this mingles together with the narrator's everyday life to create a sensitive, gorgeously written story that made me feel sad but hopeful but maybe most importantly like I was alive in a world that was worth so much. I think this story would pair really well with "Packing" byT. Kingfisher; another story torn between sorrow and hope about the environment.
I'm back at work now and heading into the deep, dark woods of Christmas retail so this post probably really will be the last Short Business post of the year. I hope you've enjoyed reading my thoughts on the short fiction I've read this year, and that maybe I steered you to some stories you've enjoyed.
