Wednesday, October 13, 2021

X-Files: The Truth Is Out There

A black and white photograph backlit of a man in a full open mouth scream at the sky the caption reads Trapped by madness and guilt that is justice
Dead Ringer by Kelley Armstrong ★★★★★ 

Oh that takes me back!  My favorite episodes were the one-off monster tales, the pit stops of strange.  Kelley Armstrong, urban fantasy fae mistress, has given us a treat!

Red as Blood and White as Bone by Theodora Goss ★★★★★

“Fairy tales are another kind of Bible, for those who know how to read them.” 

A Dead Jinn in Cairo by P. Djèlí Clark ★★★★★

My first thought upon finishing this story in 2016 was: This must be made into a book immediately!  Since then the Dead Djinn Universe has expanded and I need to catch up, lol!

The Night Cyclist by Stephen Graham Jones ★★★★☆

Blue and Red painting of a vampire on a bicycle

“He surely needed even more blood to rebuild himself, but he needed worse to ride.

I understood. With every part of myself, I understood.” 


For some, cycling is a life long passion.


For some, it can last even longer.

Deceased Estate: The Brackenford Cycle 1.5 ★★★★☆

“Hands up all those in favor of running away while Trev bravely sacrifices himself to distract the monster?” said Oscar. 

I have read this twice and it’s still a fun time with Trev, Oscar, and Agatha!

Into the Gray by Margaret Killjoy ★★★★☆

"We’re not the same," she told me. "It’s not possible for us to lead the same life." 


Beautiful trans thief falls madly in love with a mermaid, a hungry mermaid. With a love Laria understands is obsession, they lead evil men to die in the Waking Waters. 

The Willows by Algernon Blackwood ★★★☆☆

One day, not so long ago, two stoners went camping and smoked one bowl too many.  They forgot that in the wilderness what seems idyllic during the day...

...will look differently at night.

Emergency Skin by N.K. Jemisin

“Six billion people working toward a goal together is much more effective than a few dozen scrabbling for themselves.” 

Tuesday, October 12, 2021

The Future is Female! 25 Classic Science Stories by Women

Miracle of the Lily (1928) by Clare Winger Harris ★★★★★

“Man is not happy, unless he has some enemy to overcome, some difficulty to surmount.” 


Amazing first story!  Just as humans took over for the dinosaurs so the insects are fighting to take over from man in this near future drama.  


Told from multiple generations of the same family it is more about what drives us, physically and spiritually, as people.  It is not enough to merely exist.


This was layered, entertaining, and insightful.  Loved it!


Read it for yourself: 

https://ebooks.genesismachina.ca/harris-the-miracle-of-the-lily/


The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2018

A Victorian woman with a wind up key coming out of her back the caption says My life has been different from the adventures I imaged as a child but I made the most of the turns I was given and that's all any of us can do
Carnival Nine by Caroline M. Yoachim ★★★★★ 

In this mountain of mediocre I was completely unprepared for a tearjerker.  


From the first lines I saw this as a Tim Burton movie, animated like A Nightmare Before Christmas. It’s a story about family, and using the time you have to be with the ones you love.


And now I’m crying harder and I have to go call my mom for no reason.  


Read it for yourself: http://www.beneath-ceaseless-skies.com/stories/carnival-nine/