Uncanny Magazine, Issue 54, September/October 2023

Uncanny Magazine #54

by Lynne M. Thomas (Editor), Catherynne M. Valente, Sarah Monette

The September/October 2023 issue of Hugo Award-winning Uncanny Magazine .

Featuring new fiction by Catherynne M. Valente, Grace P. Fong, Kristina Ten, Sarah Monette, Eugenia Triantafyllou, Jeannette Ng, AnaMaria Curtis, and Jenn Reese. Essays by Una McCormack, Christopher J. Garcia, Marissa Lingen, and Riley Silverman, poetry by Ali Trotta, Tiffany Morris, Ai Jiang, and Emily Jiang, interviews with Sarah Monette and Eugenia Triantafyllou by Caroline M. Yoachim, a cover by Grace P. Fong, and an editorial by Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas.

Uncanny Magazine is a bimonthly science fiction and fantasy magazine first published in November 2014. Edited by 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, & 2022 Hugo award winners for best semiprozine, and 2018 Hugo award winners for Best Editor, Short Form, Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas, and Monte Lin, each issue of Uncanny includes new stories, poetry, articles, and interviews.

Genres: Fantasy, Short Stories, Science Fiction

259 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 5, 2023

About the author

In my day job, I am the Head of the Rare Book & Manuscript Library and Juanita J. and Robert E. Simpson Rare Book and Manuscript Professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, one of the largest public university rare book collections in the country. I used to manage pop culture special collections that include the papers of over 70 SF/F authors at Northern Illinois University. I also teach a Special Collections course as an adjunct in the iSchool at Illinois, and used to do so at SJSU.

I'm an eleven-time Hugo Award winner, the Co-Editor-in-Chief and Publisher of Uncanny Magazine with my husband Michael Damian Thomas. The former Editor-in-Chief of Apex Magazine (2011-2013), I co-edited the Hugo Award-winning Chicks Dig Time Lords, Whedonistas, and Chicks Dig Comics. I moderated the Hugo-Award winning SF Squeecast and contribute to the Verity! Podcast. You can learn more about my shenanigans at lynnemthomas.com.

Reviews

[Trish · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review is for Catherynne M. Valente's short story Can You Hear Me Now? only.

This is the story of Honey. Or Emma. Or Margaret (never Maggie). Or Elizabeth. Or a host of other names for a woman that is a mother, a lover, a wife, ... whatever the respective ad needs her to be. She's not an actress. She's the ad. And for 30 seconds (or less), she becomes what she is supposed to show us, the consumers. Which also means she's self-aware, whether by accident or design. So it's time she gave us a reality check if you will.

My (book-)god(s), she's done it again! This woman, I'm telling you, is either magic or a goddess herself.

The writing is poetical, whimsical, and deeply meaningful with A LOT packed between the lines. There is sarcasm and irony, there are metaphors aplenty, there is despair and sooo much RAGE! She's basically raging against the dying of the light. Her views as portrayed in this are insightful and brutal and simply gorgeous Iit's like the beautiful prose is a disguise to get close enough to the reader to deliver the punch).

I'm utterly stunned by the cruel, unapologetic, beautiful honesty of this!

You can (and definitely should) read the story for free here: https://www.uncannymagazine.com/artic...

[Tim Callicutt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can You Hear Me Now? by Catherynne M. Valente - A woman finds herself trapped as a sentient character in a never-ending list of pre-scripted advertisements. I was wary at the beginning of this one. It was a cool enough experiment, but I rarely like a short story that lacks a plot. However, it won me over by the end. Even without a firm narrative, at least in any traditional sense, there is a sense of characterization and well-developed themes throughout, particularly examining the ways new media scripts women, and reinforces stereotypes in the process. Leave it to Valente to make something so wholly weird, but so vital at the same time. Highly recommended.

We Do Not Eat Much Fish by Grace P. Fong - After the death of her husband, a cursed woman (witch?) finds herself saddled with a (literally) bloodthirsty child on a secluded island. A thoughtful, if dark, exploration of the “curse of Eve” and the ways men desire and abuse women’s bodies. Thought the role of the baby was particularly interesting. Turns towards empowerment by the end. As thoughtful as it was, though, the main character never felt quite there for me - more a whisper of a character. This is probably purposeful as she literally finds her voice at one point in the story. Strong theme development, though, does not necessarily equal a pleasurable reading experience. Don’t get me wrong, the writing is strong enough, and I believe this story will have fans, but this wasn’t the one for me.

The Curing by Kristina Ten - A group of kids who belong various non-white cultures create a new hobby during study hall - making glue cast molds of their hands. Things get interesting when they realize their molds are coming to life. I’m probably biased towards this one because I’m a teacher. An excellent (and very weird) exploration of identity for students of color in a majority-white school. The concept of spirit children made out of glue is rife with meaning, exploring the ways in which these students often act as an invisible presence in the school, or the way that meeting the expectations of excellence placed upon them causes the real kids to fade away as well. The response of the PTA (especially the response of the parents) tracked, as unfortunate as that may be. Recommended

The Kingdom of Darkness by Sarah Monette (Katherine Addison) - In colonial America, John Cooper somewhat begrudgingly gets wrapped up in the search for a witch after several months of girls in fits and wild accusations. With nearly fifty people in jail, and a handful hanged (including John Cooper’s wife), a second-class Witchfinder General arrives unannounced, with his demoniack, Isaiah, in tow. However, when he ends up murdered, a first class Witchfinder General arrives. What an interesting spin on the Salem Witch Trials. It explored the dynamics of hysteria well, despite witchcraft being a reality in this story. The characters were well-drawn, and John Cooper’s abolitionist feelings were particularly well-realized, with no easy conclusion being reached. The mystery was tight and engaging, even if there is one very apparent loose end. If you want a spooky read, but not outright horror, this would be a good choice. Highly recommended. Favorite of the issue.

Six Versions of My Brother Found Under the Bridge by Eugenia Triantafyllou - Olga seemingly joins her friends on a thrill-seeking whim when she visits the local “portal to hell” and then stumbles across a clone of her dead younger brother. As the story unfolds, we discover that this is not Olga’s first trip to the bridge and it will not be her last. I love the opening tone here. I’m a sucker for anything that would work well around a campfire, and the debt this story owes to many an urban legend is apparent at the beginning. As it steps away from that frame, though, I lost some interest, but am not certain why. While it wasn’t a particularly long story, especially coming after the behemoth preceding it, it felt like it was spinning its wheels for much of the middle. Although a fantastic beginning and strong enough end still made it enjoyable enough. Recommended.

The Girl With a City Inside Her by Jeanette Ng - the summary is in the name. Beautifully wrought, just not my thing. This work as a whole would better be understood as a prose poem versus a short story.

The Coffin Maker by AnaMaria Curtis - Stephani is part of a crew seeking a possible solution to the degradation of their own planet. The mission has been rife with problems as an unknown disease quickly reduces the crew to a shadow of what they once were. Stephani is living proof of the cluster the mission has become - relatively green, she nonetheless finds herself the lead suit maintainer for the crew as the so-called last man standing. Great human drama here. Nothing crazy creative - just well done all around. I think this is probably the most thoughtful title in this issue. Highly Recommended.

Four Words Written on My Skin by Jenn Reese - something about a fae stealing the narrator’s wife and he’s trying to find her. That’s what I’ve got. A short story that was as quickly forgotten as read. To drive the point home, I am writing this review less than forty-eight hours after reading it and remember almost nothing.

As usual, keep in mind there there are a variety of essays and poems in the issue, but I tend to base my reviews solely on the fiction.

[Kerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read "The Kingdom of Darkness" by Sarah Monette as a potential Hugo nomination.

[Βιβή Κανάρη · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorites, six versions of my brother and kingdom of darkness. Great issue.

[Heni · Rating 3 out of 5]

Can You Hear Me Now? BY CATHERYNNE M. VALENTE
I love Valente's story, but sometimes the writing is too complicated I don't even grasp the plot. Too deep I can't dig in. At one point it has 110-words-long sentence. I think it's about an angry AI who cannot go beyond its programming but it's sentient inside. (?) 3 ⭐

The Kingdom of Darkness BY SARAH MONETTE
Salem's Witch hunting AU. Interesting take on this, and the idea of demoniack as a slave is so good. This is long but it's a great ride with a marvelous story telling. 5 ⭐

We Do Not Eat Much Fish by Grace P. Fong
I feel so bad with Ylva. Her powerful curse, she will draw blood from everything she touches, makes her lonely. Love the closure, tho. Use the curse for your gift, girl! 5 ⭐

The Curing by Kristina Ten
Shedding our bodies layer by layer to find our core self. It has deeper message than the casual dried-glue, and I love how the story is sad, angry and hopeful at the same time. 5 ⭐

The Coffin Maker by AnaMaria Curtis
Why bother to disguise Earth as something else when you're literally exploring the universe? 2 ⭐

Four Words Written on My Skin by Jenn Reese
So, the wife is leaving because she's been abused, but then forgive the abuser? Nice story, not a nice message . 1 ⭐

Six Versions of My Brother Found Under the Bridge by Eugenia Triantafyllou
I'm so angry at the parents. They lose a child, and sort of abandon another. Like, move fuking on! And then, the Devil is taking advantage of the situation. Clever trick, albeit cruel. 4 ⭐

The Girl with a City Inside of Her by Jeannette Ng
Not a fan. The scale is too big yet too small. Confusing. 1 ⭐

[Howard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally published at myreadinglife.com.

When I finally picked up the September/October issue of Uncanny Magazine, I was excited. I had been looking forward to reading since early September. Right away I was rewarded with a spectacular story.

Advertising has become so much a part of our culture. In "Can You Hear Me Now?", Catherynne M. Valente uses that fact to amazing effect. Imagine if a woman in the ads you see was suddenly a real person, aware that they played different roles in each commercial? How would she deal with that? This masterpiece explores that idea while touching on all the real troubles and desires that consumerism covers up. (My rating: 5/5)

I was initially intrigued by the indigenous setting of "We Do Not Eat Much Fish" by Grace P. Fong. A woman called a witch by her father and husband, encounters a fisherman and brings him home to her son with dire results. The story is a bit gruesome for me and doesn't explore as much as I wanted about the context of a woman taken to strange home by her husband. (My rating: 3/5)

Remember being a kid and peeling Elmer's glue off your hand in sheets? In Kristina Ten's "The Curing", the outcast immigrant kids go a bit further. They cover their whole bodies and peel them off, and the glue copies come "alive"! Now, just one wouldn't do, right? These kids make multiple copies and absorb all the memories that their copies make. It is a great story with lots of metaphor, subtle, and not too much in your face. (My rating: 5/5)

The longest story in the issue is "The Kingdom of Darkness" by Sarah Monette. In an alternative past, a man protects a demoniac after his witch finder is murdered. I am sorry to say that I could not finish this story. I found myself forcing myself to read it. I didn't care what was going on. And it seemed a bit all over the place. (My rating: 1/5)

I found "The Girl with a City Inside of Her" by Jeannette Ng to be a little confusing. A girl with a city inside her sits on a stool in the sideshow of a carnival talking to the visitors about her city. The author seems to switch back and forth between the girl literally having a city inside her to it being simply a metaphor. I didn't really care for it. (My rating: 2/5)

On a doomed mission to look for a replacement planet, a reluctant outfitter does her best to keep the surveyors alive after a deadly pandemic at home. This is "The Coffin Maker" by AnaMaria Curtis, and she really creates a palpable atmosphere. I could feel what was going on in this story. The desperation, the frustration. (My rating: 4/5)

"Four Words Written on My Skin" by Jenn Reese is a kind of a romance with a trope I don't care much for. A woman follows her wife into the woods where the Fae have stolen her in an attempt to get her back. Their relationship was rocky but once her wife is taken, the main character realizes how important she is to her. That said, it is a good story well-written. (My rating: 3/5)

My excitement at the start of the issue had pretty much petered out by the end. The issue comes to a disappointing average rating of 3.25 out of five. Issue 55 is likely to be the last in my subscription.

[Amy Mills · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review is only for The Coffin Maker by Anamaria Curtis*, as read by Wil Wheaton on It's Story Time. If I happen across more from this issue, I'll add those reviews here, as well.

Somewhat bleak, but well-crafted. A crew is looking for a new planet, because their own planet is nearly destroyed. We join them on their last attempt before heading home. "Last" because they are down to their last three redshirts to send down to planets. We get some background on how earlier attempts have gone (short version: not well), and how this has affected the POV character.

The story walks a fine line between a bleak reality and the preservation of hope, and is surprisingly enjoyable despite the grim details. Recommended.

*I would happily put this review on the story it goes with, and only that story, if the GoodReads folks hadn't slammed that door down in their "not a book" obsessionry.

[Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

New Valente story! Link

I admit I'm a huge fan. I love the flowery, complicated, POETICAL language, the bittersweet longing, the deep sarcasm, the juxtapositions and the utter fearlessness of the PoV.

Consumerism, advertisement. Never thought I'd see such a deep, everyman(woman) poetical deep-dive into 30 second, massively repeated slices of WANT, NEED, FEAR, LONELINESS, GREED. But here we are, flitting from brief character actor to character actor, from insurance adjuster to pregnancy applicator to industrial floor cleaner.

I LOVE this short story. It's so angry and bittersweet and crazy.

And this is why I love Valente so much. Pure poetry.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid Uncanny issue.

Favorite story: The Curing by Kristina Ten (novelette) - outcast middle-schoolers clone themselves using Elmer's glue

I also really enjoyed:
Can You Hear Me Now? by Catherynne M. Valente
We Do Not Eat Much Fish by Grace P. Fong
The Kingdom of Darkness by Sarah Monette
Four Words Written on My Skin by Jenn Reese
Six Versions of My Brother Found Under the Bridge by Eugenia Triantafyllou

[Kathryn Atreides · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read The Coffin Maker by AnaMaria Curtis

I didn't expect this story based on the title, yet it works so well. The guilt the MC feels is palpable and so real to being put in a position of having to do something you know will end in the death of another human. A hopelessness I have some experience with.

I would have liked to see more internal raging from the MC for having been put in the position of shouldering that guilt and not being listened to.

[Meredith Katz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating is for The Kingdom of Darkness, a stunningly good murder-and-witchcraft investigation story. I'll adjust and add when I read the others!

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review for Four Words Written on My Skin by Jenn Reese

https://www.uncannymagazine.com/artic...

[Cynthia Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highly recommended.

[Thia Reads A Lot]

This issue didn't have anything particularly interesting to me.

[Steph ✨ Steve ✨ etc. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Kingdom of Darkness - Sarah Monette

[Jonathan]

I read "Six Versions of My Brother Found Under the Bridge". Nothing about the story particularly interested me.

[Zoe]

Nebula 2024 finalist:
“Six Versions of My Brother Found Under the Bridge”, Eugenia Triantafyllou (liked)