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Artificial Hearts: A Lesbian YA Short Story Collection
ARTIFICIAL HEARTS is a bewitching collection of young adult short stories, ranging from science fiction to fantasy, all featuring a lesbian heroine. This collection is part of Project Unicorn, a fiction project that seeks to address the near nonexistence of lesbian main characters in young adult fiction by giving them their own stories.
This collection contains:
- Nickel Pony (Magic Realism)
As a little girl, Helena thought the nickel pony outside of the dollar store gave her good luck: then it went away, and took her good luck with it. Now, when her world is slowly crumbling again, a girl in an arcade brings back unexpected magic.
- The Ember Heart (Fantasy)
At the Festival of Stars, Alethia carries a heart in a lantern, moving with the others in an ancient ritual of love.
- Flotsam (Science Fiction)
Chris, and her little brother Raz, live in the Broken Streets down by the dock–where the dead bodies of Chematech’s imperfect clones are flushed out. Every day, Chris and Raz pick over the bodies for parts they can sell…until Chris finds a body unlike the others. A girl who’s alive.
- Anchor Me (Fantasy [Steampunk])
Isadora has the extreme fortune of inheriting her grandfather’s airship containing an automaton navigation system named Rosie, who happens to be much more to Isadora than a Steampunk GPS.
- Violina (Science Fiction)
Built to be a living work of art, Violina is the most beautiful Musiton--a musical instrument automaton--to have ever been created. But when a deadly virus begins to wipe out humankind, she can no longer find the golddust that powers her, and is in danger of extinction, too.
- For I am Fearless (Horror)
An orphan girl wakes to find she is no longer herself but a stitched-together monster. As she remembers the events that brought her to this moment, she fans a flame of courage within her new heart.
- Perfect (Science Fiction)
Bonnie has everything a modern girl could ask for: a nice house, friends, and genetically engineered perfection. But then she meets Sylvia, and she begins to realize that perfect is only ever an illusion. Love, though, is always real.
- Lullaby (Science Fiction)
Buried far beneath the earth, a mechanical girl struggles to hold onto the memories of her years in the sun–and of the young woman she loved more than words, Milla.
- Mary A through Z (Science Fiction)
Mary Q has grown up on a scientific compound surrounded by twenty-five girls who look exactly like her. They may share her face, but Mary Q isn't certain that they all share her secret longing to escape and experience the strangeness of the world.
- The Whole Beautiful World (Fantasy)
Selby has never been given a gift in her life. She's either stolen what she wanted or worked for it, because that's how life is: hard and stingy. But everything she believes is reshaped, sculpted into something softer, more beautiful, when she meets the old witch man and his Dream come true.
This collection contains:
- Nickel Pony (Magic Realism)
As a little girl, Helena thought the nickel pony outside of the dollar store gave her good luck: then it went away, and took her good luck with it. Now, when her world is slowly crumbling again, a girl in an arcade brings back unexpected magic.
- The Ember Heart (Fantasy)
At the Festival of Stars, Alethia carries a heart in a lantern, moving with the others in an ancient ritual of love.
- Flotsam (Science Fiction)
Chris, and her little brother Raz, live in the Broken Streets down by the dock–where the dead bodies of Chematech’s imperfect clones are flushed out. Every day, Chris and Raz pick over the bodies for parts they can sell…until Chris finds a body unlike the others. A girl who’s alive.
- Anchor Me (Fantasy [Steampunk])
Isadora has the extreme fortune of inheriting her grandfather’s airship containing an automaton navigation system named Rosie, who happens to be much more to Isadora than a Steampunk GPS.
- Violina (Science Fiction)
Built to be a living work of art, Violina is the most beautiful Musiton--a musical instrument automaton--to have ever been created. But when a deadly virus begins to wipe out humankind, she can no longer find the golddust that powers her, and is in danger of extinction, too.
- For I am Fearless (Horror)
An orphan girl wakes to find she is no longer herself but a stitched-together monster. As she remembers the events that brought her to this moment, she fans a flame of courage within her new heart.
- Perfect (Science Fiction)
Bonnie has everything a modern girl could ask for: a nice house, friends, and genetically engineered perfection. But then she meets Sylvia, and she begins to realize that perfect is only ever an illusion. Love, though, is always real.
- Lullaby (Science Fiction)
Buried far beneath the earth, a mechanical girl struggles to hold onto the memories of her years in the sun–and of the young woman she loved more than words, Milla.
- Mary A through Z (Science Fiction)
Mary Q has grown up on a scientific compound surrounded by twenty-five girls who look exactly like her. They may share her face, but Mary Q isn't certain that they all share her secret longing to escape and experience the strangeness of the world.
- The Whole Beautiful World (Fantasy)
Selby has never been given a gift in her life. She's either stolen what she wanted or worked for it, because that's how life is: hard and stingy. But everything she believes is reshaped, sculpted into something softer, more beautiful, when she meets the old witch man and his Dream come true.
53 pages, Unknown Binding
First published January 20, 2013
1 person is currently reading
198 people want to read
About the author
Sarah Diemer
27 books798 followersI write about heroic, magical girls who love girls. YA author of Golden Crown Award-winning THE DARK WIFE (the lesbian, YA retelling of the Persephone myth) and TWIXT and co-author, with my amazing wife, author Jennifer Diemer, of Project Unicorn: A Lesbian YA Extravaganza.
http://www.MuseRising.com
http://www.MuseRising.com
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 25, 2013
Possibly my favourite Project Unicorn collection so far, just because I love the idea of artificial intelligences, artificial life, and feel a kinship with that sort of character. I'm not sure I can pick a favourite story -- maybe the clone girls, or the last story...
As usual, anyway, it's well worth following the Diemers if you're interested in what they're doing with this project.
As usual, anyway, it's well worth following the Diemers if you're interested in what they're doing with this project.
October 27, 2013
The 10 short stories in Artificial Hearts are overflowing with imagination and cover a range of genres - fantasy, magic realism, sci-fi, horror, dystopia, steampunk. The theme is created girls, from clones to automatons, Frankenstein-type monsters to clay sculptures come to life, and so on.
Each tale is unique and engaging, but perhaps most importantly, they all feature girls who love girls.
The collection is part of Project Unicorn, a year-long YA event in which wives Sarah and Jennifer Diemer release 2 stories per week that feature lesbian main characters. The stories are FREE on their website and are later collected and published for sale.
http://muserising.com/?page_id=1188
I'm thoroughly impressed by how prolific the Diemers have been and also by their simple and admirable goal of putting more lesbian teen stories out there for the girls who want and need to see themselves reflected in what they read.
Soooo, overall I loved Hearts. Sarah's stories suck you in from the first line, trapping you in their beautiful and poetic web. She has serious talent. Jennifer's stories feel more developed and complex than Sarah's and are just as entrancing.
On the downside, some of the tales are cut off too soon, even if every world we glimpse is fascinating. Also, several endings are a little too happy and inspirational and...downright treacly. It's a minor complaint though compared to how lovely and imaginative the collection is as a whole. It's well worth the time and money, so I say, take the plunge.
Each tale is unique and engaging, but perhaps most importantly, they all feature girls who love girls.
The collection is part of Project Unicorn, a year-long YA event in which wives Sarah and Jennifer Diemer release 2 stories per week that feature lesbian main characters. The stories are FREE on their website and are later collected and published for sale.
http://muserising.com/?page_id=1188
I'm thoroughly impressed by how prolific the Diemers have been and also by their simple and admirable goal of putting more lesbian teen stories out there for the girls who want and need to see themselves reflected in what they read.
Soooo, overall I loved Hearts. Sarah's stories suck you in from the first line, trapping you in their beautiful and poetic web. She has serious talent. Jennifer's stories feel more developed and complex than Sarah's and are just as entrancing.
On the downside, some of the tales are cut off too soon, even if every world we glimpse is fascinating. Also, several endings are a little too happy and inspirational and...downright treacly. It's a minor complaint though compared to how lovely and imaginative the collection is as a whole. It's well worth the time and money, so I say, take the plunge.
January 28, 2013
I am head over heels in love with this newest release from Sarah and Jenn. I had read 70% of the stories, like always on blog that releases them twice a week free, but I'm always racing for the editions released for all the new stories. I was so in love with these stories. Girls made as instruments, clones who have different heart and souls, Girls who are ships, creations. All the stories of freedom and love and longing and hope and fighting back, and standing up, of wanting more and reaching for the stars.
I cannot ever say enough about these amazing stories and the work they are doing building a stunning new mythos of brave, beautiful multifaceted women for young gay women to grow up with. My hat is off to you all over again.
I cannot ever say enough about these amazing stories and the work they are doing building a stunning new mythos of brave, beautiful multifaceted women for young gay women to grow up with. My hat is off to you all over again.
April 17, 2013
This collection blew me away! Not only do we see the usual strong and inspiring females from Jennifer and Sarah Diemer's work, but we have a collection of fascinating steampunk and science fiction worlds. Exploring worlds past and future, we are given an insight into humanity.
There is a world where those who aren't perfect (gene def) are second class citizens, one where A group of cloned 'Mary's' live in a lab, watched over by scientists. There are girls who love automatons, and are loved back. Girls made of clay by magical outcast old men, and creatures stitched together from parts of dead children, who still have the power to feel.
If you want to read a creative collection of steampunk and science fiction stories, that grabs to start to finish and never lets go, this is for you!
There is a world where those who aren't perfect (gene def) are second class citizens, one where A group of cloned 'Mary's' live in a lab, watched over by scientists. There are girls who love automatons, and are loved back. Girls made of clay by magical outcast old men, and creatures stitched together from parts of dead children, who still have the power to feel.
If you want to read a creative collection of steampunk and science fiction stories, that grabs to start to finish and never lets go, this is for you!
May 4, 2013
Another great anthology from Project Unicorn. I love these collections so much; I get tired of seeing the same girl/boy pairings in nearly ever single YA book, and whenever I get too frustrated, I pick up one of these collections. It's refreshing, and many of these stories are the closest I've ever found to the stories in my head.
Some of the stories are not what I'd consider fully-formed short stories...they're more like sneak-peaks of awesome worlds and characters, and they show the potential for greatness both Jennifer and Sarah Diemer have as authors.
Some of the stories are not what I'd consider fully-formed short stories...they're more like sneak-peaks of awesome worlds and characters, and they show the potential for greatness both Jennifer and Sarah Diemer have as authors.
February 20, 2014
This is definitely the strongest Project Unicorn collection yet!
March 6, 2017
I am so glad I found this book! Such beautifully crafted little stories that touched my heart and left me wanting more. I'll admit that as of late, despite being of the generation its aimed toward, I've grown quite dissatisfied with most YA novels that I feel lack emotional depth and good quality characters. Perhaps it is because most of these books consisted of straight couples is why my passion was not ignited. Artificial hearts has more than made up for this. I would recommend it to anyone!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews