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Amplitudes: Stories of Queer and Trans Futurity
Revolutionary and visionary, these twenty-two speculative stories edited by Lambda, Nebula and Hugo finalist Lee Mandelo explore the vast potentialities of our queer and trans futures.
USA Today Bestseller!
From self-styled knights fighting in dystopian city streets to conservationists finding love in the Appalachian forests; from social media posts about domestic “bliss” in a lottery-based, state-housing skyscraper to herding feral cats off of one’s scientific equipment; from street drugs that create doppelgangers to dance-club cruising at the edge of the galaxy— Stories of Queer and Trans Futurity interrogates the farthest borders of the sci-fi landscape to imagine how queer life will look centuries in the future—or ten years from now.
Filled with brutal honesty, raw emotions, sexual escapades, and delightful whimsy, Amplitudes speaks to the longstanding tradition of queer fiction as protest. This essential collection serves as an evolving map of our celebrations, anxieties, wishes, pitfalls, and—most of all—our rallying cry that we're here, we're queer—and the future is ours!
Featuring stories by Esther Alter • Bendi Barrett • Ta-wei Chi, trans. Ariel Chu • Colin Dean • Maya Deane • Dominique Dickey • Katharine Duckett • Meg Elison • Paul Evanby • Aysha U. Farah • Sarah Gailey • Ash Huang • Margaret Killjoy • Wen-yi Lee • Ewen Ma • Jamie McGhee • Sam J. Miller • Aiki Mira, trans. CD Covington • Sunny Moraine • Nat X. Ray • Neon Yang • Ramez Yoakeim
USA Today Bestseller!
From self-styled knights fighting in dystopian city streets to conservationists finding love in the Appalachian forests; from social media posts about domestic “bliss” in a lottery-based, state-housing skyscraper to herding feral cats off of one’s scientific equipment; from street drugs that create doppelgangers to dance-club cruising at the edge of the galaxy— Stories of Queer and Trans Futurity interrogates the farthest borders of the sci-fi landscape to imagine how queer life will look centuries in the future—or ten years from now.
Filled with brutal honesty, raw emotions, sexual escapades, and delightful whimsy, Amplitudes speaks to the longstanding tradition of queer fiction as protest. This essential collection serves as an evolving map of our celebrations, anxieties, wishes, pitfalls, and—most of all—our rallying cry that we're here, we're queer—and the future is ours!
Featuring stories by Esther Alter • Bendi Barrett • Ta-wei Chi, trans. Ariel Chu • Colin Dean • Maya Deane • Dominique Dickey • Katharine Duckett • Meg Elison • Paul Evanby • Aysha U. Farah • Sarah Gailey • Ash Huang • Margaret Killjoy • Wen-yi Lee • Ewen Ma • Jamie McGhee • Sam J. Miller • Aiki Mira, trans. CD Covington • Sunny Moraine • Nat X. Ray • Neon Yang • Ramez Yoakeim
359 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 27, 2025
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4975 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 147 reviews
May 20, 2025
I have kind of reconciled myself to probably not being a short story collection girlie. I struggle with always wanting the stories I connect with to be *more* and find myself feeling ultimately a little unsatisfied when it finishes suddenly.
I am however, a Lee Mandelo fan girl through and through and was fascinated to see what stories he would curate when given the opportunity to select the ones that resonated with him. Mandelo states that "my editorial aim with Amplitudes was to approach queerness and-or transness expansively: as lived politics, experiences, identities, and cultures; as resistance against oppressive systems of power; as sources of self-making and intense connection with others across time and space; as gateways to pleasure, sex, desire, and intimacy".
Mandelo also sets out with the intention that this collection of stories be committed to the goal "that Amplitudes gather stories from writers whose approaches varied in genre, content, and style— but also whose perspectives differed across many intersectional experiences of gender, sexuality, race and-or ethnicity, ability and nationality."
In that sense, I think that this short story collection very much achieves what it set out to do. This is a delightful and esoteric collection of sci fi, dystopian and futuristic stories of queerness and the trans experience.
Some of the highlights for me included:
"The Orgasm Doula" by Colin Dean, which was a sweet little romance about a sex therapist/sex worker who specialises in helping people who have difficulties with orgasming and her new client.
"MoonWife" by Sarah Gailey, a futuristic cyberpunk story where spirit mediums contact the dead through their digital footprint.
and
"Forever Wont End Like This" by Dominique Dickey, the experience of an actor who finds themselves playing a fan favourite trans character on a trashy fantasy TV show. (Maybe this is my own personal tv trauma showing, but this gave me some Castiel from Supernatural vibes)
This was a collection of 22 stories, which I personally found to be perhaps a few too many, I definitely thought the front half of this collection was stronger than the second half. I think, in an ideal world, I would have preferred fewer stories that were slightly longer. But there are some fascinating ideas, worlds and characters contained in these pages.
Given the current political climate in the world I think it's vitally important to support and uplift queer and trans stories and voices, and give them the space they deserve. I think that there is a lot of value in this collection for the right audience.
Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC and provide my thoughts.
I am however, a Lee Mandelo fan girl through and through and was fascinated to see what stories he would curate when given the opportunity to select the ones that resonated with him. Mandelo states that "my editorial aim with Amplitudes was to approach queerness and-or transness expansively: as lived politics, experiences, identities, and cultures; as resistance against oppressive systems of power; as sources of self-making and intense connection with others across time and space; as gateways to pleasure, sex, desire, and intimacy".
Mandelo also sets out with the intention that this collection of stories be committed to the goal "that Amplitudes gather stories from writers whose approaches varied in genre, content, and style— but also whose perspectives differed across many intersectional experiences of gender, sexuality, race and-or ethnicity, ability and nationality."
In that sense, I think that this short story collection very much achieves what it set out to do. This is a delightful and esoteric collection of sci fi, dystopian and futuristic stories of queerness and the trans experience.
Some of the highlights for me included:
"The Orgasm Doula" by Colin Dean, which was a sweet little romance about a sex therapist/sex worker who specialises in helping people who have difficulties with orgasming and her new client.
"MoonWife" by Sarah Gailey, a futuristic cyberpunk story where spirit mediums contact the dead through their digital footprint.
and
"Forever Wont End Like This" by Dominique Dickey, the experience of an actor who finds themselves playing a fan favourite trans character on a trashy fantasy TV show. (Maybe this is my own personal tv trauma showing, but this gave me some Castiel from Supernatural vibes)
This was a collection of 22 stories, which I personally found to be perhaps a few too many, I definitely thought the front half of this collection was stronger than the second half. I think, in an ideal world, I would have preferred fewer stories that were slightly longer. But there are some fascinating ideas, worlds and characters contained in these pages.
Given the current political climate in the world I think it's vitally important to support and uplift queer and trans stories and voices, and give them the space they deserve. I think that there is a lot of value in this collection for the right audience.
Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC and provide my thoughts.
July 4, 2025
Maybe it's just me being here with the wrong perception of the word, but when something is formulated as *insert category* futurities, I expect stories that are at least a little hopeful or aspirational? If it's going to be pretty bleak I'd expect to see words like speculative, sci-fi, dystopian... Long story short this collection wasn't what I expected. I really wanted to love it because a lot of the people involved sound like they're really amazing peeps but there were only a handful of stories that I really liked and for the most part I felt like the stories were rushed or that they needed more space.
My favorite stories were:
Trans World Takeover by Nat X Ray, great delivery and the kids are alright kind of vibes that I will eat up every single time.
The Orgasm Doula by C. Dean. Once upon a time some people believed that humans only had a certain number of heartbeats to go through in their lifetime here it's orgasms, the premise is goofy but think about it. The story centers on someone who doesn't believe it's true and who's job is to help people finding their way back to orgasms after they've hit their number meeting a unique client. It was cute, I didn't particularly like the ending tho.
MoonWife by Sarah Gailey. The characters were great, the grief felt real, I cried and loved the ending.
There Used to be Peace by M. Killjoy. A bit too timely for comfort.
My favorite stories were:
Trans World Takeover by Nat X Ray, great delivery and the kids are alright kind of vibes that I will eat up every single time.
The Orgasm Doula by C. Dean. Once upon a time some people believed that humans only had a certain number of heartbeats to go through in their lifetime here it's orgasms, the premise is goofy but think about it. The story centers on someone who doesn't believe it's true and who's job is to help people finding their way back to orgasms after they've hit their number meeting a unique client. It was cute, I didn't particularly like the ending tho.
MoonWife by Sarah Gailey. The characters were great, the grief felt real, I cried and loved the ending.
There Used to be Peace by M. Killjoy. A bit too timely for comfort.
May 22, 2025
Before I get into my review, I’d like you to take a look at the two covers for this book. The first (on the left) is the one that accompanied the advance review copy. The second (on the right) is the one that seems destined to accompany the final published book.
https://sallybend.wordpress.com/wp-co...
https://sallybend.wordpress.com/wp-co...
Can you see what’s missing? Joy and Survival. In a book described as revolutionary and visionary, one that promises to explore the vast potentialities of our queer and trans futures, one that celebrates itself as moving and hopeful, that omission of joy and survival is significant. Had I gone into it without that expectation, been prepared to stoke my anger and my sorrow in light of current affairs, I may have appreciated Amplitudes more on an intellectual level… but when I went into it fixated on joy and hope, the emotional letdown was hard to overcome.
Of the 22 stories chosen by Lee Mandelo, there are only 7 that stood out for me, and they are all lacking in joy and hope.
The Orgasm Doula by Colin Dean does have a romantic twist that gives it a sliver of hope, but it’s about a world where the number of orgasms allotted to you may (or may not) be limited, and the final twist slams the door on what could have been hope. Well-written and interesting, yes, but it suggested this was not going to be the collection I was hoping for.
MoonWife by Sarah Gailey is another well-written, interesting story by an author I’ve enjoyed before, dealing with digital seances, identity theft, death, and grieving… and well, still no joy.
There Used to Be Peace by Margaret Killjoy is where it became impossible to deny the thematic direction of the collection, with a story of a civil war between knights and fascists that felt underwhelming, like too small a slice of the narrative.
Fettle & Sunder by Ramez Yoakeim takes that theme one step further, one step darker, doubling down on the themes of fascism and violence that only space station billionaires can escape. Yeah, hits way too close to home.
They Whom We Remember by Sunny Moraine presents a future I would describe as joyous and hopeful, one where gender is completely fluid, able to be altered and expressed on a whim, but the author turns it into something cynical and tragic by exploring it through the eyes of one person with a desire to permanently fix themselves to a single gender.
When The Devil Comes From Babylon by Mars Deane is another of those stories that I would have loved in a dystopian collection… a weird, almost magical (post) apocalyptic story of belief and transformation… but it suffers under the bludgeoning weight of religious cult-like intolerance that demands suicide over transition.
pocket futures in the present past by Katharine Duckett is a weird, trippy story about time, parallel times, time travel, and paradoxes, one that was fun to read and follow the back-and-forth of cause-and-effect, but it’s almost afraid to commit to making a positive impact.
Thinking of the stories again, reflecting on how they impacted me, that same anger and sorrow I was looking to escape when I picked this collection up washes over me anew. I’ve really had quite enough of stories about trans people suffering, being the targets of hatred and violence, and having to fight just to survive.
Perhaps I’m just on a different wavelength, but if you’ll forgive me mixing metaphors, Amplitudes left me feeling drained when I was hoping for a joyous shock to the system.
https://sallybend.wordpress.com/2025/...
https://sallybend.wordpress.com/wp-co...
https://sallybend.wordpress.com/wp-co...
Can you see what’s missing? Joy and Survival. In a book described as revolutionary and visionary, one that promises to explore the vast potentialities of our queer and trans futures, one that celebrates itself as moving and hopeful, that omission of joy and survival is significant. Had I gone into it without that expectation, been prepared to stoke my anger and my sorrow in light of current affairs, I may have appreciated Amplitudes more on an intellectual level… but when I went into it fixated on joy and hope, the emotional letdown was hard to overcome.
Of the 22 stories chosen by Lee Mandelo, there are only 7 that stood out for me, and they are all lacking in joy and hope.
The Orgasm Doula by Colin Dean does have a romantic twist that gives it a sliver of hope, but it’s about a world where the number of orgasms allotted to you may (or may not) be limited, and the final twist slams the door on what could have been hope. Well-written and interesting, yes, but it suggested this was not going to be the collection I was hoping for.
MoonWife by Sarah Gailey is another well-written, interesting story by an author I’ve enjoyed before, dealing with digital seances, identity theft, death, and grieving… and well, still no joy.
There Used to Be Peace by Margaret Killjoy is where it became impossible to deny the thematic direction of the collection, with a story of a civil war between knights and fascists that felt underwhelming, like too small a slice of the narrative.
Fettle & Sunder by Ramez Yoakeim takes that theme one step further, one step darker, doubling down on the themes of fascism and violence that only space station billionaires can escape. Yeah, hits way too close to home.
They Whom We Remember by Sunny Moraine presents a future I would describe as joyous and hopeful, one where gender is completely fluid, able to be altered and expressed on a whim, but the author turns it into something cynical and tragic by exploring it through the eyes of one person with a desire to permanently fix themselves to a single gender.
When The Devil Comes From Babylon by Mars Deane is another of those stories that I would have loved in a dystopian collection… a weird, almost magical (post) apocalyptic story of belief and transformation… but it suffers under the bludgeoning weight of religious cult-like intolerance that demands suicide over transition.
pocket futures in the present past by Katharine Duckett is a weird, trippy story about time, parallel times, time travel, and paradoxes, one that was fun to read and follow the back-and-forth of cause-and-effect, but it’s almost afraid to commit to making a positive impact.
Thinking of the stories again, reflecting on how they impacted me, that same anger and sorrow I was looking to escape when I picked this collection up washes over me anew. I’ve really had quite enough of stories about trans people suffering, being the targets of hatred and violence, and having to fight just to survive.
Perhaps I’m just on a different wavelength, but if you’ll forgive me mixing metaphors, Amplitudes left me feeling drained when I was hoping for a joyous shock to the system.
https://sallybend.wordpress.com/2025/...
April 29, 2025
What a wonderfully delightful collection! There is an unabashed optimism in exploring a queer futurity, even when some of those futures take place in dystopian settings, or under oppressive regimes, or in other less than ideal environments. I think the strength of this collection, for me, is that the stories share a kernel of hope, of possibility, which is a powerful and compelling response to the state of the world. The stories are diverse, not just in terms of characters and identities but in terms of genres and settings, from cyberpunk criminals to interstellar lovers to repressive high school classrooms, from cities living under the ocean to life-affirming dance parties in outer space. Regardless of the setting, dystopia or not, there is a spirit of resistance and solidarity, a sense of personhood and community that is inspiring and just fun to read.
The collection is curated really well, in terms of having a diverse set of stories that complement each other and are well-paced throughout the anthology. Obviously, similar ideas and underlying themes can be found throughout numerous stories, but it never once felt like simply reading the same story again and again with a new coat of paint; every story brought something new to the table. I personally enjoyed the front half a little more than the back half, but I think that is more to my reading preferences than to the individual stories or the way the anthology is mapped out. I think the size is just about perfect, too. There are enough stories to make it feel like a substantial collection but not so many that it feels like reading through it takes forever, with a good balance of story lengths, too. While there were not many stories that really blew me away there weren’t any that I would rate below three stars, and the overwhelming majority would be resounding four stars. That is to say not only were they well written but they had characters I felt invested in, rich world-building (especially considering the economy of words the format allows), and stories that gave me something to think about.
These stories are not content with how things are and instead are filled with an insistence on joy and potential, a celebration of strength, resiliency, courage, exploration, and passion. The collection is eclectic in tones but has a strong thematic resonance across stories, and it was not just uplifting but mobilizing to read.
I want to thank the editor & authors, the publisher Erewhon Books, and NetGalley, who provided a complimentary eARC for review. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The collection is curated really well, in terms of having a diverse set of stories that complement each other and are well-paced throughout the anthology. Obviously, similar ideas and underlying themes can be found throughout numerous stories, but it never once felt like simply reading the same story again and again with a new coat of paint; every story brought something new to the table. I personally enjoyed the front half a little more than the back half, but I think that is more to my reading preferences than to the individual stories or the way the anthology is mapped out. I think the size is just about perfect, too. There are enough stories to make it feel like a substantial collection but not so many that it feels like reading through it takes forever, with a good balance of story lengths, too. While there were not many stories that really blew me away there weren’t any that I would rate below three stars, and the overwhelming majority would be resounding four stars. That is to say not only were they well written but they had characters I felt invested in, rich world-building (especially considering the economy of words the format allows), and stories that gave me something to think about.
These stories are not content with how things are and instead are filled with an insistence on joy and potential, a celebration of strength, resiliency, courage, exploration, and passion. The collection is eclectic in tones but has a strong thematic resonance across stories, and it was not just uplifting but mobilizing to read.
I want to thank the editor & authors, the publisher Erewhon Books, and NetGalley, who provided a complimentary eARC for review. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
June 3, 2025
This book is completely unreadable. I made it through about 3 pages of each story before skipping to try and find one that was readable. I love the concept but it reads like terribly written fan fiction in all the worst ways. I almost immediately gave up when a character starts talking about "polyamorous ovary syndrome" that was just down right rude, even if it was intended in some way to relate to the maturity of the story's subject. Please please please anyone else who made the mistake of looking at this book because of the challenge list, don't waste your time.
December 5, 2025
2.5 stars!
This was my pick from the Goodreads LGBTQ+ reading challenge; Happy Pride Month to all who celebrate!! Here, Lee Mandelo gathered twenty-two dystopian, science fiction short stories about the future of queerness and transness. The premise really drew me in, as well as its availability on Kindle Unlimited...
Normally, I LOVE collections of short stories, especially all connected to one topic. However, most of the short stories here fell flat to me. When every single one describes a different world, all sorts of genders, and unique scientific laws/societal standards, it's really easy to get lost. Everything felt jumbled and confusing at times. On that note, I do think that some of the stories needed to be edited and revised more -- in a way that still maintained the authors' voices but would feel more approachable to the readers. The magnitude and diversity of the topics at hand deserved full-blown novels, for they felt underserved when shoved into short stories.
I also struggled to find the meaning behind every single story. A lot of themes of queerness and transness are not applicable to my life, but I hoped to connect with more of the plots and characters than I actually did. Moreover, I was not getting the "joy, hope, and survival" vibes advertised in the author's note. The "future" of queerness can be so much more than described in these pages. I did like the stories that switched the societal standards of what was "normal" there, such as seeing heterosexual relationships as absurd. Those were interesting! My other favorite stories were The Orgasm Doula, The Shabbos Bride, and When the Devil Comes from Babylon.
No, I would not recommend this book. I would check out other books representing LGBTQ+ listed in the challenge! <3
Favorite Quotes:
"Stories, I think, help people survive while carrying all our pleasure, and joy, and rage, and grief, and love along with us. Envisioning other and better potentialities, speculating on how our alternate futures might arrive while seeing other peoples' differing imaginaries alongside our own, might help us get closer to the horizon.
And, hopefully, we will get there."
"Hashem had not made me right. In the great kabbalistic lattice of souls that holds the whole world together, man to woman, woman to man, I was a shard. We are told to thank Hashem for our bodies, for they are perfect as they are. Yet to me, my body was loathsome: chest hair, back hair, balls and ball hair, ass hair, obligated to fulfill six hundred and thirteen commandments. I knew with utmost certainty that when Hashem dredged up my clay from the earth and made me a man He left me half-baked."
"They want death to be a person they can confront, a statue they can pull down, a building with front doors they can chain themselves to. They want it to be something they can point to: Look at that thing, it hurt me, it's hurting us."
"'You got love in you. Don't let yourself turn into the kind of person who lets it rot until it's just an excuse to wring the happiness out of someone else's soul."'
This was my pick from the Goodreads LGBTQ+ reading challenge; Happy Pride Month to all who celebrate!! Here, Lee Mandelo gathered twenty-two dystopian, science fiction short stories about the future of queerness and transness. The premise really drew me in, as well as its availability on Kindle Unlimited...
Normally, I LOVE collections of short stories, especially all connected to one topic. However, most of the short stories here fell flat to me. When every single one describes a different world, all sorts of genders, and unique scientific laws/societal standards, it's really easy to get lost. Everything felt jumbled and confusing at times. On that note, I do think that some of the stories needed to be edited and revised more -- in a way that still maintained the authors' voices but would feel more approachable to the readers. The magnitude and diversity of the topics at hand deserved full-blown novels, for they felt underserved when shoved into short stories.
I also struggled to find the meaning behind every single story. A lot of themes of queerness and transness are not applicable to my life, but I hoped to connect with more of the plots and characters than I actually did. Moreover, I was not getting the "joy, hope, and survival" vibes advertised in the author's note. The "future" of queerness can be so much more than described in these pages. I did like the stories that switched the societal standards of what was "normal" there, such as seeing heterosexual relationships as absurd. Those were interesting! My other favorite stories were The Orgasm Doula, The Shabbos Bride, and When the Devil Comes from Babylon.
No, I would not recommend this book. I would check out other books representing LGBTQ+ listed in the challenge! <3
Favorite Quotes:
"Stories, I think, help people survive while carrying all our pleasure, and joy, and rage, and grief, and love along with us. Envisioning other and better potentialities, speculating on how our alternate futures might arrive while seeing other peoples' differing imaginaries alongside our own, might help us get closer to the horizon.
And, hopefully, we will get there."
"Hashem had not made me right. In the great kabbalistic lattice of souls that holds the whole world together, man to woman, woman to man, I was a shard. We are told to thank Hashem for our bodies, for they are perfect as they are. Yet to me, my body was loathsome: chest hair, back hair, balls and ball hair, ass hair, obligated to fulfill six hundred and thirteen commandments. I knew with utmost certainty that when Hashem dredged up my clay from the earth and made me a man He left me half-baked."
"They want death to be a person they can confront, a statue they can pull down, a building with front doors they can chain themselves to. They want it to be something they can point to: Look at that thing, it hurt me, it's hurting us."
"'You got love in you. Don't let yourself turn into the kind of person who lets it rot until it's just an excuse to wring the happiness out of someone else's soul."'
June 5, 2025
I felt like I was reading really bad fanfic with each story that had been put into google translate multiple times.
One star for pride month but that’s being generous.
One star for pride month but that’s being generous.
June 3, 2025
i have a queer dystopian story i love in this, called "they will give us a home" <3
June 23, 2025
I went into this with low expectations and yet somehow STILL ended up disappointed. It’s frustrating how often queer lit ends up meaning incoherent tumblrcore posturing instead of interesting LGBTQ perspectives. Like, if you want to LARP a revolution go play disco elysium like the rest of the chronically online discord mods 😩
Anyway happy pride from a tired lesbian!
Anyway happy pride from a tired lesbian!
May 20, 2025
A queer short story collection that truly has something for everyone. These stories are wildly different, ranging from more serious and activist to humoristic and light-hearted, and of course at times romantic ;) . Even though I expected them to lean heavy on the science-fiction genre, there are some other genres added to the mix, such as fantasy and magical realism (while all the stories still maintain their overlapping theme of being futuristic). I do have to admit that I thought that some stories were a bit too abstract, due to which I was left confused and without a proper appreciation for these stories, but that was only the case for like 2 of the 22. Overall, this was an anthology that I greatly enjoyed!
My favourites include; "Forever Won't End Like This", " There Used to Be Peace", "A Step Into Emptiness" and "Pocket Futures in the Present Past".
P.S did anyone else think that the ending of "The Orgasm Doula" was a bit anticlimactic?
(I received an ARC from NetGalley)
My favourites include; "Forever Won't End Like This", " There Used to Be Peace", "A Step Into Emptiness" and "Pocket Futures in the Present Past".
P.S did anyone else think that the ending of "The Orgasm Doula" was a bit anticlimactic?
(I received an ARC from NetGalley)
Want to read
May 30, 2025Will be meeting Lee again when he comes to Louisville to present this book. Can't wait to see him again!
June 6, 2025
Amplitudes is an anthology bringing together a diverse range of speculative stories centreing queer & trans life. I was happy to pick it up, as almost all of the authors were new to me (I had previously read Sarah Gailey, Margaret Killjoy, Ta-wei Chi, and Neon Yang). I read the collection in its entirety with the exception of the contribution by Ta-wei Chi because this one is an excerpt and I would prefer to wait to read the entire text.
There are some solid stories in this collection, and it’s well edited in the sense of being cohesive without being overly repetitive in terms of themes. The stories vary widely in terms of style, length, and substance. I did find it quite an uneven collection – some stories I really enjoyed, others I thought were good, and a few really really didn’t work for me. Stories I particularly enjoyed here include “MoonWife” by Sarah Gailey, “Forever Won’t End Like This” by Dominique Dickey, “They Will Give Us a Home” by Wen-yi Lee, and “The Garden of Collective Memory” by Neon Yang.
The note on the cover describing ‘22 tales about joy and survival’ feels like a bit of a stretch. A lot of the stories here are not joyful at all. I feel like I can’t really judge the stories based on the cover but at the same time, I feel this is worth mentioning as folks really needing something light-hearted, cozy, or utopian might pick this up and find it’s really not what they’d been hoping for at all.
Thank you to Kensington Publishing, Erewhon Books, & NetGalley for providing an ARC for me to review.
Content warnings: animal cruelty, animal death, death, religious bigotry, gun violence, war, domestic violence, murder, grief, addiction, substance abuse
There are some solid stories in this collection, and it’s well edited in the sense of being cohesive without being overly repetitive in terms of themes. The stories vary widely in terms of style, length, and substance. I did find it quite an uneven collection – some stories I really enjoyed, others I thought were good, and a few really really didn’t work for me. Stories I particularly enjoyed here include “MoonWife” by Sarah Gailey, “Forever Won’t End Like This” by Dominique Dickey, “They Will Give Us a Home” by Wen-yi Lee, and “The Garden of Collective Memory” by Neon Yang.
The note on the cover describing ‘22 tales about joy and survival’ feels like a bit of a stretch. A lot of the stories here are not joyful at all. I feel like I can’t really judge the stories based on the cover but at the same time, I feel this is worth mentioning as folks really needing something light-hearted, cozy, or utopian might pick this up and find it’s really not what they’d been hoping for at all.
Thank you to Kensington Publishing, Erewhon Books, & NetGalley for providing an ARC for me to review.
Content warnings: animal cruelty, animal death, death, religious bigotry, gun violence, war, domestic violence, murder, grief, addiction, substance abuse
November 15, 2025
this was good! i was wanting to read an anthology for a while, and i thought this would be a cool one. it was! i loved the theme about imagining queer and trans futures and how different the stories were from each other.
some of my favorites:
and many more! i loved the variety in this collection. also, i SCREAMED when i saw the author mention yoongi and the D-Day album in the acknowledgments.
some of my favorites:
and many more! i loved the variety in this collection. also, i SCREAMED when i saw the author mention yoongi and the D-Day album in the acknowledgments.
June 9, 2025
This book was interesting. I read it as part of Goodreads community challenge. This book is a collection of short stories/essays that take place in both the present as well as some imagined futuristic times. I laughed at a few, but others were too weird. It wasn’t my favorite, but definitely exposed me to new ideas and authors.
July 7, 2025
Disclaimer: I received an e-ARC from netgalley.
This anthology promises stories of queer and trans futurity and those it certainly delivers. Whether that future lies only a few years ahead or in a world with intergalactic space travel far in the future varies, which I enjoyed.
The ARC cover of the book also promised tales about joy and survival and that is something I am glad they changed in the meantime, because that is not what you will get if you read this collection. I personally enjoyed this book, I like dystopic futures, I like weird queer stories and I enjoy stories that take the horrors of governmental repression and show how joy can be found even in those settings. And there is some joy in most stories for sure, but many of them are more focused on survival and so that’s just something to be aware of before going into this anthology. If you are looking for fluffy, cute, queer futures that will allow you to dream of a world where everything is good and perfect, there are some that come close (The Shabbos Bride and The They Whom We Remember), but they are not the main focus of this anthology and you will probably be disappointed.
Instead there is a lot more resistance against governmental or familial repression (The Republic of Ecstatic Consent, Trans World Takeover, There Use to Be Peace, Fettle & Sunder, When the Devil Comes From Babylon), stories exploring grief in various forms about ones own death, about the death of fictional characters, about the death of others and loss of connection (Forever Won’t End Like This, Where the World Goes Sharp and Quiet, Circular Universe, A Step into Emptiness), and queer people finding identity and connection, but often not in painless ways (The They Whom We Remember, A Few Degrees, Copper Boys, The Garden of Collective Memory). In terms of genres there is also a variety of stories here. Some stories present dystopic worlds, some are set in post-apocalyptic futures, some are sci-fi on spaceships or space stations, some are urban fantasy, some are cyberpunk, some just explore a possible future on earth without necessarily including genre staples.
If you are looking for stories with intriguing gender explorations (what if, in a world where gender is totally fluid thanks to technological invention, you wanted to lock yourself down to experience what it feels like for people before?) and queer community (the good, the bad and the kinda weird) as well as a lot of weird and strange sex scenes (from genitalia-transforming fingering to shapeshifters reveling in their multitudes of configurations to robot sex for hacking) then you will certainly find something to enjoy here.
While some of the stories are too short and many could have benefited from additional space for more world building, I enjoyed the character explorations that were presented here, and I was nearly always able to find something to enjoy in each story, whether it was a glimpse into queer identities of the future, a moment of connection, or just some really intriguing scientific inventions. All in all, I really enjoyed this anthology and I feel that my current busy schedule, which forced me to read this slowly and story by story added to my enjoyment.
Finally, I wish this anthology had included trigger warnings. For an anthology that often deals with grief and quite a few forms of violence and oppression (including fascism, murder and sexual assault) trigger warnings could have helped readers better prepare for what they are getting into. I’ve added the ones that stuck out to me in my review for each short story beneath.
Do not go into this anthology expecting to read about a happy sorrow-less future. But do pick it up if you enjoy sci-fi that deals with today’s horrors, resistance and queer survival despite the odds and stories bending gender, sexuality, time and narrative.
Now you can find short thoughts and opinions on each short story in here, as well as trigger warnings.
The Republic of Ecstatic Consent by Sam J. Miller: In a world where squatting has become legal, we follow the members of The Republic of Ecstatic Consent, first on their trip to a doctor, then their activist lives. An interesting look in a cyber-futuristic world through the lens of community building. (trans & queer cast)
Trans World Takeover by Nat X Ray: A group of trans teens decide to fight back against transphobic laws and bans on transition by trans-ing a couple of guys. When the plan to trans their teacher fails, the student body steps up to do their part. Infect Your Friends and Loved ones for teenagers, meets the wild abandon of creating your own future, while having a weird situationship of Idlewild. Very fun. (trans man, trans woman, other trans side characters)
TW: transphobia
*FAV* The Orgasm Doula by Colin Dean: In this world orgasms have (supposedly?) become a limited resource. The main character works with people to try to help them regain this ability and finds love along the way. Weird and fun. (trans woman LI, sapphic relationship)
*FAV* The Shabbos Bride by Esther Alter: The main character of this story feels left out by the gendered conventions allowed in her shul until one night on Shabbos she receives a visit. Jewish trans lesbian mythology in with some sexy body modification, what more can you possibly want? Short and sweet. (trans lesbian)
*FAV* MoonWife by Sarah Gailey: A technological medium is approached by a recently bereaved man to help him meet his dead loved one again. Really interesting character moments, great world building, fascinating use of technology and the way old accounts can become ghosts. I really, really enjoyed this one and its exploration of queer love and grief. (trans man)
TW: death, grief, possession
Forever Won’t End Like This by Dominique Dickey: This story combines the thoughts of an actor at a convention with the story of his character in the show, examining fandom reactions, the importance of representation and how it may feel for an actor of a marginalized community to become such an important representative point, while having no real input on the story being told. (trans man)
TW: death, murder, (attempted) suicide
*FAV* They Will Give Us a Home by Wen-yi Lee: In a world split into upper and lower classes (quite literally, the higher up you live, the richer you are), this story follows a lavender marriage couple as they are caught between intense hatred of each other and the need to present a loving front to hold onto their home as an influencer couple. Tense and messy and really fun to read. (lesbian, gay)
TW: cheating, drowning, pressure to become pregnant
There Used to Be Peace by Margaret Killjoy: A description of a post-revolution America at war, that began after a right-wing coup was stopped by a group of antifascist knights and people joined their movement to fight for a better future. Heartbreaking, touching and beautiful, filled with a burning desire for justice and love for others.
TW: death, gun violence, suicide, war, violence (lesbian)
Fettle & Sunder by Ramez Yoakeim: Millionaires have fled earth, and militias are roaming the streets of America to root out anybody who doesn’t fit with their ideals. The main character dreams of joining a space station, his husband wants to stay on Earth. Then one day their door is marked and they need to make a decision. Tense and intriguing, this story will leave you worrying for those two until the end. (gay)
TW: animal death, gun violence, hatecrime, murder, slavery
Six Days by Bendi Barrett: In a post-apocalyptic world the task of rebuilding forces a man to travel from his camp, leaving his lovers behind. As they wait for him, the main character muses on their relationship and the way the world has changed. Interesting and sweet. (polyamory, two men, no-gender-mentioned for MC)
TW: past death, grief
*FAV* The They Whom We Remember by Sunny Moraine: In this story people have abandoned binary gender categories and gained the ability to transform their bodies at will as well as a few other abilities. The main character chooses to get locked into a specific embodiment, intrigued to see how it feels. A very intriguing character study. (genderfluid)
TW: gender dysphoria
When the Devil Comes From Babylon by Maya Deane: A young trans girl, raised in the belief that being transgender is evil, meets the Devil. A tough look into a religious cult in a world that otherwise seems to be a queer utopia. Well written, but certainly a story where I would like more of! (trans woman)
TW: gender dysphoria, transmisogyny, transphobia (internalized), suicide
*FAV* Copper Boys by Jamie McGhee: A lumberjane working to clear out a forest hit by blight after natural disasters have wreaked havoc on earth finds herself struggling to accept her newfound attraction to her butch coworker (she’s normally into femmes!), but maybe a night at the campfire shared together can help her sort out those feelings. Fun story, I love a good butchxbutch story. (lesbian)
A Few Degrees by Ash Huang: A couple of scientists (literally two scientists, who are a couple) are tasked with maintaining a station, waiting to receive a signal from a space mission. Now during winter the only things that keep them busy are their own thoughts and the cats that have taken up residence in the satellite dish. Examines the main character’s emotions, especially the ways she feels that she has failed. I liked it and the end was very sweet. (lesbian)
*FAV* Where the World Goes Sharp and Quiet by Ewen Ma: A young man has to try and figure out how to live again after meeting an accidental death and a resurrection with some unwelcome side effects that force him to isolate from his friends. Slow, heartbreaking, beautiful and very, very sad, I really liked this short story. (trans man)
TW: death, domestic abuse, gender dysphoria, grief, murder
*FAV* Circular Universe by Ta-wei Chi: Set in a world where climate change has forced humans to move under the sea, this story follows an influential trans scientist after his public star has faded and all that’s left of his fame are (often transphobic) memes online. While recovering from grief and injury, he finds community with trans women and builds a way to capture dreams. Very interesting story, weaving grief and scientific invention together in a heart wrenching narrative. (trans man)
TW: death, grief, transphobia
Blueprint for the Destruction of Solitude by Paul Evanby: A spy in a cybernetic world where contact can be established through close physical contact, finds themself in a club carrying dangerous secrets. I enjoyed the combination of mycelium and cyborg technology a lot, but I wish there had been a trigger warning for sexual assault before this story. I really liked the combination of violence, betrayal and sexuality presented here and I think I need a lot more cyberpunk that dives deep into the horror of it! (main character is not gendered, first person perspective so there are no pronouns in the story itself)
TW: sexual assault, murder
*FAV* The Garden of Collective Memory by Neon Yang: Set in a world where memories can be recorded and sold, some mundane things such as the smell of shisha’s have become valuable. One woman finds herself unsure if she should sell her memory as discussed with her wife or donate it to a small library that makes memories available to the public. And then there’s also an old flame from her university years… Bittersweet, but intriguing with very fun worldbuilding in a very short amount of time. I really enjoyed the writing on this one! (lesbian)
TW: cheating
*FAV* Sugar, Shadows by Aysha U. Farah: A nonbinary detective tasked with finding a runaway kid finds themself in a lot more trouble than they expected when their young charge suddenly goes into deadly withdrawal and the main character has to make a deal to save his life. Really interesting look at magical drugs and potential side effects and an intriguing examination of agency and the horror of not knowing where your double is. (nonbinary)
TW: implied child prostitution (as a threat), death, drugs, implied sexual violence, withdrawal
*FAV* A Step into Emptiness by Aiki Mira: A meeting in a small run-down space motel between two neurodivergent, queer people, who find connection and comfort in each other. This story follows their relationship from its beginning to its end, bittersweet and filled with love it describes a wonderful connection. (polyamorous, trans)
TW: grief
pocket futures in the present past by Katharine Duckett: An archive of future finds is shaken up when instead of their usual notes from one of their agents in the future, they receive instructions on how to unfuck the future. This story plays with queer time and crip time and other forms of making history and making futures, while wrapping it up in resistance to those who oppose such “temporal perversity”. I loved that crip technologies were mentioned here as something that people often consider futuristic, but that already exists through disabled invention. I really enjoyed this story, especially the way it was able to incorporate a lot of worldbuilding as it was one of the longer stories in this anthology. (queer cast)
TW: queerphobia
Bang Bang by Meg Elison: A short story following a one-sided conversation about going to a queer club in space, threading the thin line between melancholy and loss for queer love and rights and the need to party. Short, but really intriguing and I’d like to know more about the world. All in all, I liked it though! (transmasc, queer but not specified)
TW: mentions of violent assaults on queer communities
This anthology promises stories of queer and trans futurity and those it certainly delivers. Whether that future lies only a few years ahead or in a world with intergalactic space travel far in the future varies, which I enjoyed.
The ARC cover of the book also promised tales about joy and survival and that is something I am glad they changed in the meantime, because that is not what you will get if you read this collection. I personally enjoyed this book, I like dystopic futures, I like weird queer stories and I enjoy stories that take the horrors of governmental repression and show how joy can be found even in those settings. And there is some joy in most stories for sure, but many of them are more focused on survival and so that’s just something to be aware of before going into this anthology. If you are looking for fluffy, cute, queer futures that will allow you to dream of a world where everything is good and perfect, there are some that come close (The Shabbos Bride and The They Whom We Remember), but they are not the main focus of this anthology and you will probably be disappointed.
Instead there is a lot more resistance against governmental or familial repression (The Republic of Ecstatic Consent, Trans World Takeover, There Use to Be Peace, Fettle & Sunder, When the Devil Comes From Babylon), stories exploring grief in various forms about ones own death, about the death of fictional characters, about the death of others and loss of connection (Forever Won’t End Like This, Where the World Goes Sharp and Quiet, Circular Universe, A Step into Emptiness), and queer people finding identity and connection, but often not in painless ways (The They Whom We Remember, A Few Degrees, Copper Boys, The Garden of Collective Memory). In terms of genres there is also a variety of stories here. Some stories present dystopic worlds, some are set in post-apocalyptic futures, some are sci-fi on spaceships or space stations, some are urban fantasy, some are cyberpunk, some just explore a possible future on earth without necessarily including genre staples.
If you are looking for stories with intriguing gender explorations (what if, in a world where gender is totally fluid thanks to technological invention, you wanted to lock yourself down to experience what it feels like for people before?) and queer community (the good, the bad and the kinda weird) as well as a lot of weird and strange sex scenes (from genitalia-transforming fingering to shapeshifters reveling in their multitudes of configurations to robot sex for hacking) then you will certainly find something to enjoy here.
While some of the stories are too short and many could have benefited from additional space for more world building, I enjoyed the character explorations that were presented here, and I was nearly always able to find something to enjoy in each story, whether it was a glimpse into queer identities of the future, a moment of connection, or just some really intriguing scientific inventions. All in all, I really enjoyed this anthology and I feel that my current busy schedule, which forced me to read this slowly and story by story added to my enjoyment.
Finally, I wish this anthology had included trigger warnings. For an anthology that often deals with grief and quite a few forms of violence and oppression (including fascism, murder and sexual assault) trigger warnings could have helped readers better prepare for what they are getting into. I’ve added the ones that stuck out to me in my review for each short story beneath.
Do not go into this anthology expecting to read about a happy sorrow-less future. But do pick it up if you enjoy sci-fi that deals with today’s horrors, resistance and queer survival despite the odds and stories bending gender, sexuality, time and narrative.
Now you can find short thoughts and opinions on each short story in here, as well as trigger warnings.
The Republic of Ecstatic Consent by Sam J. Miller: In a world where squatting has become legal, we follow the members of The Republic of Ecstatic Consent, first on their trip to a doctor, then their activist lives. An interesting look in a cyber-futuristic world through the lens of community building. (trans & queer cast)
Trans World Takeover by Nat X Ray: A group of trans teens decide to fight back against transphobic laws and bans on transition by trans-ing a couple of guys. When the plan to trans their teacher fails, the student body steps up to do their part. Infect Your Friends and Loved ones for teenagers, meets the wild abandon of creating your own future, while having a weird situationship of Idlewild. Very fun. (trans man, trans woman, other trans side characters)
TW: transphobia
*FAV* The Orgasm Doula by Colin Dean: In this world orgasms have (supposedly?) become a limited resource. The main character works with people to try to help them regain this ability and finds love along the way. Weird and fun. (trans woman LI, sapphic relationship)
*FAV* The Shabbos Bride by Esther Alter: The main character of this story feels left out by the gendered conventions allowed in her shul until one night on Shabbos she receives a visit. Jewish trans lesbian mythology in with some sexy body modification, what more can you possibly want? Short and sweet. (trans lesbian)
*FAV* MoonWife by Sarah Gailey: A technological medium is approached by a recently bereaved man to help him meet his dead loved one again. Really interesting character moments, great world building, fascinating use of technology and the way old accounts can become ghosts. I really, really enjoyed this one and its exploration of queer love and grief. (trans man)
TW: death, grief, possession
Forever Won’t End Like This by Dominique Dickey: This story combines the thoughts of an actor at a convention with the story of his character in the show, examining fandom reactions, the importance of representation and how it may feel for an actor of a marginalized community to become such an important representative point, while having no real input on the story being told. (trans man)
TW: death, murder, (attempted) suicide
*FAV* They Will Give Us a Home by Wen-yi Lee: In a world split into upper and lower classes (quite literally, the higher up you live, the richer you are), this story follows a lavender marriage couple as they are caught between intense hatred of each other and the need to present a loving front to hold onto their home as an influencer couple. Tense and messy and really fun to read. (lesbian, gay)
TW: cheating, drowning, pressure to become pregnant
There Used to Be Peace by Margaret Killjoy: A description of a post-revolution America at war, that began after a right-wing coup was stopped by a group of antifascist knights and people joined their movement to fight for a better future. Heartbreaking, touching and beautiful, filled with a burning desire for justice and love for others.
TW: death, gun violence, suicide, war, violence (lesbian)
Fettle & Sunder by Ramez Yoakeim: Millionaires have fled earth, and militias are roaming the streets of America to root out anybody who doesn’t fit with their ideals. The main character dreams of joining a space station, his husband wants to stay on Earth. Then one day their door is marked and they need to make a decision. Tense and intriguing, this story will leave you worrying for those two until the end. (gay)
TW: animal death, gun violence, hatecrime, murder, slavery
Six Days by Bendi Barrett: In a post-apocalyptic world the task of rebuilding forces a man to travel from his camp, leaving his lovers behind. As they wait for him, the main character muses on their relationship and the way the world has changed. Interesting and sweet. (polyamory, two men, no-gender-mentioned for MC)
TW: past death, grief
*FAV* The They Whom We Remember by Sunny Moraine: In this story people have abandoned binary gender categories and gained the ability to transform their bodies at will as well as a few other abilities. The main character chooses to get locked into a specific embodiment, intrigued to see how it feels. A very intriguing character study. (genderfluid)
TW: gender dysphoria
When the Devil Comes From Babylon by Maya Deane: A young trans girl, raised in the belief that being transgender is evil, meets the Devil. A tough look into a religious cult in a world that otherwise seems to be a queer utopia. Well written, but certainly a story where I would like more of! (trans woman)
TW: gender dysphoria, transmisogyny, transphobia (internalized), suicide
*FAV* Copper Boys by Jamie McGhee: A lumberjane working to clear out a forest hit by blight after natural disasters have wreaked havoc on earth finds herself struggling to accept her newfound attraction to her butch coworker (she’s normally into femmes!), but maybe a night at the campfire shared together can help her sort out those feelings. Fun story, I love a good butchxbutch story. (lesbian)
A Few Degrees by Ash Huang: A couple of scientists (literally two scientists, who are a couple) are tasked with maintaining a station, waiting to receive a signal from a space mission. Now during winter the only things that keep them busy are their own thoughts and the cats that have taken up residence in the satellite dish. Examines the main character’s emotions, especially the ways she feels that she has failed. I liked it and the end was very sweet. (lesbian)
*FAV* Where the World Goes Sharp and Quiet by Ewen Ma: A young man has to try and figure out how to live again after meeting an accidental death and a resurrection with some unwelcome side effects that force him to isolate from his friends. Slow, heartbreaking, beautiful and very, very sad, I really liked this short story. (trans man)
TW: death, domestic abuse, gender dysphoria, grief, murder
*FAV* Circular Universe by Ta-wei Chi: Set in a world where climate change has forced humans to move under the sea, this story follows an influential trans scientist after his public star has faded and all that’s left of his fame are (often transphobic) memes online. While recovering from grief and injury, he finds community with trans women and builds a way to capture dreams. Very interesting story, weaving grief and scientific invention together in a heart wrenching narrative. (trans man)
TW: death, grief, transphobia
Blueprint for the Destruction of Solitude by Paul Evanby: A spy in a cybernetic world where contact can be established through close physical contact, finds themself in a club carrying dangerous secrets. I enjoyed the combination of mycelium and cyborg technology a lot, but I wish there had been a trigger warning for sexual assault before this story. I really liked the combination of violence, betrayal and sexuality presented here and I think I need a lot more cyberpunk that dives deep into the horror of it! (main character is not gendered, first person perspective so there are no pronouns in the story itself)
TW: sexual assault, murder
*FAV* The Garden of Collective Memory by Neon Yang: Set in a world where memories can be recorded and sold, some mundane things such as the smell of shisha’s have become valuable. One woman finds herself unsure if she should sell her memory as discussed with her wife or donate it to a small library that makes memories available to the public. And then there’s also an old flame from her university years… Bittersweet, but intriguing with very fun worldbuilding in a very short amount of time. I really enjoyed the writing on this one! (lesbian)
TW: cheating
*FAV* Sugar, Shadows by Aysha U. Farah: A nonbinary detective tasked with finding a runaway kid finds themself in a lot more trouble than they expected when their young charge suddenly goes into deadly withdrawal and the main character has to make a deal to save his life. Really interesting look at magical drugs and potential side effects and an intriguing examination of agency and the horror of not knowing where your double is. (nonbinary)
TW: implied child prostitution (as a threat), death, drugs, implied sexual violence, withdrawal
*FAV* A Step into Emptiness by Aiki Mira: A meeting in a small run-down space motel between two neurodivergent, queer people, who find connection and comfort in each other. This story follows their relationship from its beginning to its end, bittersweet and filled with love it describes a wonderful connection. (polyamorous, trans)
TW: grief
pocket futures in the present past by Katharine Duckett: An archive of future finds is shaken up when instead of their usual notes from one of their agents in the future, they receive instructions on how to unfuck the future. This story plays with queer time and crip time and other forms of making history and making futures, while wrapping it up in resistance to those who oppose such “temporal perversity”. I loved that crip technologies were mentioned here as something that people often consider futuristic, but that already exists through disabled invention. I really enjoyed this story, especially the way it was able to incorporate a lot of worldbuilding as it was one of the longer stories in this anthology. (queer cast)
TW: queerphobia
Bang Bang by Meg Elison: A short story following a one-sided conversation about going to a queer club in space, threading the thin line between melancholy and loss for queer love and rights and the need to party. Short, but really intriguing and I’d like to know more about the world. All in all, I liked it though! (transmasc, queer but not specified)
TW: mentions of violent assaults on queer communities
February 13, 2025
It's so hard to summarize all my feelings and reactions to Amplitudes. When everything feels insurmountable and in a time of utter chaos, reading this was so joyful, even if the subjects weren't necessarily so. Each story takes a unique look at what our futures might be in a year, ten years, or even further. Though the entries are all short, all 22 take the readers on a ride and I can't wait for this to be out so I can make all my friends read it.
Some standout stories include Moonwife by Sarah Gailey, Forever Won't End Like this by Dominique Dickey, They Will Give Us a Home by Wen-yi Lee, Margaret Killjoy's There Used to Be Peace, and pocket futures in the present past by Katherine Duckett. Really though, every story is solid and I now have 20 some authors I need to read more works from!
(I received an ARC from the publisher.)
Some standout stories include Moonwife by Sarah Gailey, Forever Won't End Like this by Dominique Dickey, They Will Give Us a Home by Wen-yi Lee, Margaret Killjoy's There Used to Be Peace, and pocket futures in the present past by Katherine Duckett. Really though, every story is solid and I now have 20 some authors I need to read more works from!
(I received an ARC from the publisher.)
January 22, 2025
What a treat to read an ARC of this anthology to provide a blurb:
The stories in Amplitudes all crackle with electricity. It was such a joy to get lost in these wildly different worlds—some frightening, all alive with wild hope—from Wen-Yi Lee’s wickedly beautiful “They Will Give Us a Home,” to the taut portrait of desire in Bendi Barrett’s lush “Six Days,” to the spiraling possibilities in Katharine Duckett's sharp-voiced “pocket futures in the present past.” Editor Lee Mandelo has crafted a setlist that sings out with a bold sense of queer rebellion, and he’s inviting us all to a raucous dance party.
The stories in Amplitudes all crackle with electricity. It was such a joy to get lost in these wildly different worlds—some frightening, all alive with wild hope—from Wen-Yi Lee’s wickedly beautiful “They Will Give Us a Home,” to the taut portrait of desire in Bendi Barrett’s lush “Six Days,” to the spiraling possibilities in Katharine Duckett's sharp-voiced “pocket futures in the present past.” Editor Lee Mandelo has crafted a setlist that sings out with a bold sense of queer rebellion, and he’s inviting us all to a raucous dance party.
August 26, 2025
What an absolute delight this collection is (and a great choice of high note to leave us on!)
I'm a fan of Lee Mandelo's writing, so I pre-ordered this anthology the moment he started talking about it and I have zero regrets. Fully 9 of the 22 stories have gone straight onto my Hugos longlist for next year.
I look forward to coming back to these tales again and again.
I'm a fan of Lee Mandelo's writing, so I pre-ordered this anthology the moment he started talking about it and I have zero regrets. Fully 9 of the 22 stories have gone straight onto my Hugos longlist for next year.
I look forward to coming back to these tales again and again.
April 5, 2025
the stand outs for me
- maya deane now forever and always
- wen-yi li i want THAT to be a book
- ramez yoakeim
- jamie mcghee
- maya deane now forever and always
- wen-yi li i want THAT to be a book
- ramez yoakeim
- jamie mcghee
June 23, 2025
I'm glad it's over. That should tell you enough.
I graciously wanted to rate this book 2 stars, because while most of the stories are bad, there are some that have redeeming qualities. However, this morning, I kid you not, I woke up in a sweat at 5 am. A nightmare caused by this book. No, not a nightmare about one of the dystopian futures from one of the stories' contents. No. A nightmare that I would have to read more terribly dreadful stories like this. A nightmare filled with anthologies of poorly written short stories that I would have to read. So, yeah, it's that bad.
The introduction to this anthology promised joy and optimism. If you look up the meaning of 'Amplitudes', the title, the third definition listed in the Merriam-Webster dictionary reads:
It can also mean magnitude or the greatest height of a graph.
That, given the introduction, is what I associated with it. You know, stories of characters living full lives, loud and proud, living large, on a high in our future timeline, all that.
And while maybe this is what this anthology was initially supposed to be it is absolutely not what it became. Quite a few of these stories are set in dystopian futures. Dystopian futures where characters don't live loud and proud at all, but have to hide their queerness and if they don't, they are being persecuted for it.
I guess I could forgive that this anthology turned out to be something different from what it was intended to be, if the stories were at least well written and executed. But, alas...
Some stories are hard to even understand, because, well, a short story is just not really a great medium for setting up a highly complex futuristic sci-fi world. Exemplary here is the fact that one of the 'short stories' is actually an excerpt from a sequel to a previous sci-fi novel.
Quite a few read like badly written teenage fanfiction. At several points I was seriously tempted to look up the age of the author or check if the story was in fact already posted in some fanfiction corner on the internet. One story is so bad it reads like a parody of a 'crackfic' - '[a] work of fan fiction that is absurd, surprising or ridiculous, often intentionally'.
Quite a few of them are also unnecessarily horny and rather forcedly so (again, teenage fanfiction comes to mind). 'Orgies in zero g' is a phrase that comes up in at least 2(!) entirely separate stories by two entirely different authors.
Twice, I read someone else short passages from particularly bad stories. Twice, that person's reaction was to laugh. The kind of shocked, confused, 'I-can't-figure-out-if-you're-serious' laugh. Then they stared at me for a minute straight as if trying to figure out if they actually heard what they just heard or if they hallucinated the whole thing.
But anyway, I did say some stories had, at the very least, redeeming qualities. So let's talk about those. There were a few that had interesting premises, premises that might lend themselves to good sci-fi/dystopian/futuristic novels even.
The Garden of Collective Memory is set in a future in which people's memories can be stored with all they entail - smells, sensations - and then accessed and experienced by others.
pocket futures in the present past has pasts, presents, and futures colliding in a world where time portals pop up and spit out artifacts from another point in time.
They Will Give Us A Home is set in a city of skyscrapers, where your societal worth is determined by your floor number and vice versa and lower levels are also threatened by climate change and rising sea levels.
The writing itself in some stories wasn't as bad as in others, but even there, the stories often suffered from cliché or unsatisfactory endings or a plot that just seemed pointless overall.
At the end of my copy, there's a bunch of 'discussion questions'. One of them reads:
Well, somewhere in the middle, I marked a passage that I already knew then would be more or less what I would come away with when finishing this book.
I graciously wanted to rate this book 2 stars, because while most of the stories are bad, there are some that have redeeming qualities. However, this morning, I kid you not, I woke up in a sweat at 5 am. A nightmare caused by this book. No, not a nightmare about one of the dystopian futures from one of the stories' contents. No. A nightmare that I would have to read more terribly dreadful stories like this. A nightmare filled with anthologies of poorly written short stories that I would have to read. So, yeah, it's that bad.
The introduction to this anthology promised joy and optimism. If you look up the meaning of 'Amplitudes', the title, the third definition listed in the Merriam-Webster dictionary reads:
the quality or state of being ample : fullness, abundance
It can also mean magnitude or the greatest height of a graph.
That, given the introduction, is what I associated with it. You know, stories of characters living full lives, loud and proud, living large, on a high in our future timeline, all that.
And while maybe this is what this anthology was initially supposed to be it is absolutely not what it became. Quite a few of these stories are set in dystopian futures. Dystopian futures where characters don't live loud and proud at all, but have to hide their queerness and if they don't, they are being persecuted for it.
I guess I could forgive that this anthology turned out to be something different from what it was intended to be, if the stories were at least well written and executed. But, alas...
Some stories are hard to even understand, because, well, a short story is just not really a great medium for setting up a highly complex futuristic sci-fi world. Exemplary here is the fact that one of the 'short stories' is actually an excerpt from a sequel to a previous sci-fi novel.
Quite a few read like badly written teenage fanfiction. At several points I was seriously tempted to look up the age of the author or check if the story was in fact already posted in some fanfiction corner on the internet. One story is so bad it reads like a parody of a 'crackfic' - '[a] work of fan fiction that is absurd, surprising or ridiculous, often intentionally'.
Quite a few of them are also unnecessarily horny and rather forcedly so (again, teenage fanfiction comes to mind). 'Orgies in zero g' is a phrase that comes up in at least 2(!) entirely separate stories by two entirely different authors.
Twice, I read someone else short passages from particularly bad stories. Twice, that person's reaction was to laugh. The kind of shocked, confused, 'I-can't-figure-out-if-you're-serious' laugh. Then they stared at me for a minute straight as if trying to figure out if they actually heard what they just heard or if they hallucinated the whole thing.
But anyway, I did say some stories had, at the very least, redeeming qualities. So let's talk about those. There were a few that had interesting premises, premises that might lend themselves to good sci-fi/dystopian/futuristic novels even.
The Garden of Collective Memory is set in a future in which people's memories can be stored with all they entail - smells, sensations - and then accessed and experienced by others.
pocket futures in the present past has pasts, presents, and futures colliding in a world where time portals pop up and spit out artifacts from another point in time.
They Will Give Us A Home is set in a city of skyscrapers, where your societal worth is determined by your floor number and vice versa and lower levels are also threatened by climate change and rising sea levels.
The writing itself in some stories wasn't as bad as in others, but even there, the stories often suffered from cliché or unsatisfactory endings or a plot that just seemed pointless overall.
At the end of my copy, there's a bunch of 'discussion questions'. One of them reads:
Were there any stories that made you consider a political or social concept in a new light? How would you say a certain story helped expand your perspective, and were there any other reoccurring themes that stood out to you across several stories?
Well, somewhere in the middle, I marked a passage that I already knew then would be more or less what I would come away with when finishing this book.
The story’s nothing to write home about: contemporary diaspora woes, culture clash, the indignities of microaggression, and Avon can’t really say he finds any of it particularly illuminating or memorable in one way or another.
February 12, 2025
(ARC from netgalley) —crying, visionary is a good way to describe this short story collection, which we need now more than ever
June 12, 2025
This was an okay anthology. Like most I’ve read, the stories were sort of hit or miss. Some were a bit too “smart” for me to understand but I definitely think they were beautifully written.
Some of my favorites:
MoonWife- Honestly, this is one of the most creative stories I’ve read in a long time. 12/10
Forever Won’t End Like This: LOVE the take on gender identity mixed with magic. Lol It was just good. 9/10
They Will Give Us a Home: I liked this one mostly for the world building! A city that expands up, not out? Oh yeah. Intriguing. Plus, feminine rage for the win. 10/10
There Used to be Peace: Man, the Elegian Knights. Such amazing protagonists. Fighting, quite literally, for freedom. 11/10
Sugar, Shadows: I enjoyed all the stories where the story prevailed over the LGBTQIA of it all. This was a DARK story. And I loved it! 12/10
Pocket futures in the present past: I won’t pretend I understood all of it. But the gist was there. The vibes. It’s all about not falling in love with the future and instead staying present in your present. lol. If that makes sense. 10/10
Some of my favorites:
MoonWife- Honestly, this is one of the most creative stories I’ve read in a long time. 12/10
Forever Won’t End Like This: LOVE the take on gender identity mixed with magic. Lol It was just good. 9/10
They Will Give Us a Home: I liked this one mostly for the world building! A city that expands up, not out? Oh yeah. Intriguing. Plus, feminine rage for the win. 10/10
There Used to be Peace: Man, the Elegian Knights. Such amazing protagonists. Fighting, quite literally, for freedom. 11/10
Sugar, Shadows: I enjoyed all the stories where the story prevailed over the LGBTQIA of it all. This was a DARK story. And I loved it! 12/10
Pocket futures in the present past: I won’t pretend I understood all of it. But the gist was there. The vibes. It’s all about not falling in love with the future and instead staying present in your present. lol. If that makes sense. 10/10
August 4, 2025
It pains me to rate this so low given that collections such as these are always important and more so now, but these stories are mostly dire. This is queer and trans futurity that envisions no joy and offers little to support its rallying cry that “the future is ours!” Those looking for escape and respite in joyful queer resistance - look elsewhere.
April 20, 2025
Biased, because I've got a story in this one, but I love this collection!
June 30, 2025
A nice mix of short stories, some really good, some not resonating as much with me. Still liked it, but realise more and more I'm not a short story kind of person.
August 7, 2025
Such a different collection of short stories!! Started this for pride month and finally finished it. Tbh glad I read it but took a while to get through - I enjoyed some but not all of the stories (especially with them being from different authors).
August 11, 2025
DNFing because the stories are ultimately not my style (I much prefer weird/horror collections), but giving 3 stars because the low average rating is outrageous. I don’t think it’s any better or worse than many other SF collections I’ve read.
January 28, 2025
What a ride! 22 special stories that bring us a kaleidoscope of new ideas and creativity. Many feelings were awakened, such as hope, belonging and power.
A fun time with these imaginative possibilities of another world.
Arc from NetGalley
A fun time with these imaginative possibilities of another world.
Arc from NetGalley
June 29, 2025
I wanted so badly to love this but the quality is extremely variable. There are some good stories but the writing overall is quite poor and too many of the stories are generic and samey.
Many of the stories are kind of plot-less, just people sitting around having sex while discussing how shit it is that they live in an oppressive dystopian near-future America. I completely understand that most people in English-speaking Internet are American, and perhaps Americans feel uncomfortable setting stories outside their own country. But the wonder of sci-fi is that you have the whole of time and space to play with, so it's a shame there's not more diversity in setting. It's also disappointingly non-sci-fi generally. A handful of the stories use the format to explore sci-fi concepts through a queer lens in a fascinating way, but a lot are purely relationship stories (or plot-free vignettes of people fucking) just with the odd vague reference to militias or credits or something thrown in to establish that these aren't just random people fucking in 2025, it's random people fucking in the nebulous near future. A lot of them are indistinguishable from each other and lack unique voice. There's a lot of Wattpad/Tumblr style writing here. Most of them are sexually graphic which I have no problem with, but it's too often just porn for the sake of it. And for an anthology that claims to be about hope most of them are dystopian.
The Republic of Ecstatic Consent: This sort of has the same issues I described above in that it's just a bunch of people being horny in a vaguely near-future America, but it's sweet and wholesome, albeit without much plot.
Trans World Takeover: In a near-future America where being trans is illegal, a high schooler starts selling illegal hormones, leading to almost every single kid in school transitioning. Audacious concept, rooted in a sensitive portrayal of the damage this inflicts to the protagonist's friendship. The writing style is pretty teenage, but at least it has an actual beginning, middle and end.
The Orgasm Doula : Sex therapist helps people orgasm. Sweet. Very porny. Not much substance. Not futuristic. But a sweet love story.
The Shabbos Bride: Here for the Jewish representation! A Jewish AMAB person doesn't fit in, but is magically given a female body, and is accepted as a woman by her fellow Jewish women. In a time when antisemitism is at an all-time high it's important to remind people that Judaism is a very accepting and queer-friendly religion, and that Judaism explicitly acknowledges and accepts trans identities.
The Moon Wife: Liked this. A psychic helps a customer make contact with their dead loved one, accessed via the dead person's online activity, and receives reassurance their loved one always knew they were trans and accepts them. The concept of memory and identity lasting after death via online activity is really pertinent and there's a lot of work being done in the field of Death Studies around this right now. The idea of a bereaved person transitioning, then worrying if their dead loved one would still recognise them, is beautifully done.
Forever Won't End Like This: This has a really good concept (a black queer actor starring in a Game of Thrones knock-off appears at a Comic Con knowing how much his character means to fans, but cries because he's having to hide the fact he just shot a scene where his character is pointlessly killed off) but the structure is awful. If the story had focused on the actor and his relationship to his fans, it could have been amazing. But nearly the whole story is just excruciatingly detailed plot summaries for various episodes of this generic and derivative TV show. We barely spend any time with the actor, and zero time with the fans. Go to Wikipedia and read a bunch of episode summaries for a TV show you've never watched, that's exactly what reading this short story is like. I care about the actor and his fans, and how actors manage to reconcile their own emotional needs with the intensity of online fandoms; I don't care what happened in season 2, episode 3 of a crappy TV show that doesn't even exist. I got the sense reading this that the author is big in fantasy TV fandom and dreams about being showrunner of their own fantasy TV show, so is using this short story to burble on about the fantasy series they'd create if they were only given a shot at being a showrunner. In which case they should have dispensed with the framing device of an actor at Comic Con and just told the story of the girl pig farmer who kills witches.
They Will Give Us A Home: One of the best stories in the anthology. A gay man and a lesbian enter a beard relationship in a Black Mirror-esque world where you're forced to broadcast your life on social media, and social capital dictates what floor you're allowed to live on (a high floor with access to natural light, or a low floor in darkness and threat of flooding), but crack under the pressure to appear perfect(ly heterosexual). Not massively original but well-written and manages to be both character-driven and sci-fi concept based.
There Used to be Peace: War story about a queer couple trying to build a relationship while fighting in a civil war in near-future dystopian America. I couldn't really connect with this.
Fettle and Sunder: A gay male couple debate fleeing a dystopian near-future America ruled by a homophobic militia, but decide to stay and fight. If I'd read this out of context of the anthology I think I'd like it a lot more, because the theme of abandoning pets is such a potent symbol of the sacrifices we have to make for freedom. But SO many of the stories are just people sitting inside their homes chatting about how best to cope with living in Dystopian Near-Future USA Where Being Queer Is Illegal. Of course I understand where the desire to tell these stories come from, I watch the news! But in a sci-fi/futurist anthology celebrating queer joy, it's a shame so few stories were willing to think outside the box.
Six Days: I struggled to understand what this extremely short story is about. A person in a near-future dystopia is sad because their sexual BDSM partner who's really good at sex has gone away for a few days but then they have sex with new people and aren't sad anymore.
The They Whom We Remember: The concept of a world where people can change their physical sex at will is interesting, so it's disappointing that this is mainly plotless porn.
When The Devil Comes From Babylon: Okay it's another near-future American dystopia, but well-written, and the idea of a religious suicide cult that is so obsessed with sin they issue everyone a cyanide pill should they feel tempted is rich and poignant.
Copper Boys: Yet another plot-less "queer people trying to find love in near-future dystopian USA" vignette, but the Appalachian setting and theme of reforestation makes it stand out at least a tiny bit.
A Few Degrees: A queer couple drink tea and watch cats in a near-future (non-dystopian?) USA. Zero plot.
Where The World Goes Sharp and Quiet: Intriguing: what if your loved one died, but continued to stick around? The ambition of this piece perhaps needed more world building than a short story can facilitate, but the detail of the spike-storm is both original and properly sci-fi.
Circular Universe: This is an extract from the sequel to a different book. No idea what was going on. Liked that it was one of the few non-American stories though.
Blueprint for the Destruction of Solitude: Cyberpunk porn. OMG why do so many of these stories have graphic descriptions of blowjobs? For a queer/trans collection it sure is penis-focused.
The Garden of Collective Memory: One of the strongest pieces in the collection, this beautiful and concept-driven piece is set in a world where you can buy and sell memories.
Sugar, Shadows: Noir-style story of a private detective trying to find a wealthy family's junkie teenage son. The noir style makes it stand out. The idea of the US military engineering a drug that creates a collective consciousness - that accidentally lets other beings escape from the Noosphere into our world - is really intriguing. I'd have liked more exploration of this concept.
A Step Into Emptiness: Really interesting story set on the moon, about neurodivergence, medicalisation of difference, and bodies. I love this sentence: "In my polycule, when a member dies, it's normal to take on their body parts or sell them."
Pocket Futures in the Present Past: This is my joint favourite, along with 'They Will Give Us A Home." Holes in time are discovered, and flotsam from the future starts falling through the holes. The protagonist (in 2029) figures out that a person from 2198 is trying to communicate, falls in love with them, time travels to the future to be with them, but has to return to the present to fight fascists intent on freezing time. There is so much great detail here. The idea that artefacts from the future are at the end of the day just stuff, just random junk, is quietly powerful. Scent-poetry is gorgeous and inventive. The little time-travelling armadillo thing is delightful. And a genuinely original approach to time travel.
Big Bang: What if someone took the lyrics to the 1989 song 'Love Shack' and re-wrote them so the Love Shack was in outer space something something orgies something something using the word boi in every other sentence.
Many of the stories are kind of plot-less, just people sitting around having sex while discussing how shit it is that they live in an oppressive dystopian near-future America. I completely understand that most people in English-speaking Internet are American, and perhaps Americans feel uncomfortable setting stories outside their own country. But the wonder of sci-fi is that you have the whole of time and space to play with, so it's a shame there's not more diversity in setting. It's also disappointingly non-sci-fi generally. A handful of the stories use the format to explore sci-fi concepts through a queer lens in a fascinating way, but a lot are purely relationship stories (or plot-free vignettes of people fucking) just with the odd vague reference to militias or credits or something thrown in to establish that these aren't just random people fucking in 2025, it's random people fucking in the nebulous near future. A lot of them are indistinguishable from each other and lack unique voice. There's a lot of Wattpad/Tumblr style writing here. Most of them are sexually graphic which I have no problem with, but it's too often just porn for the sake of it. And for an anthology that claims to be about hope most of them are dystopian.
The Republic of Ecstatic Consent: This sort of has the same issues I described above in that it's just a bunch of people being horny in a vaguely near-future America, but it's sweet and wholesome, albeit without much plot.
Trans World Takeover: In a near-future America where being trans is illegal, a high schooler starts selling illegal hormones, leading to almost every single kid in school transitioning. Audacious concept, rooted in a sensitive portrayal of the damage this inflicts to the protagonist's friendship. The writing style is pretty teenage, but at least it has an actual beginning, middle and end.
The Orgasm Doula : Sex therapist helps people orgasm. Sweet. Very porny. Not much substance. Not futuristic. But a sweet love story.
The Shabbos Bride: Here for the Jewish representation! A Jewish AMAB person doesn't fit in, but is magically given a female body, and is accepted as a woman by her fellow Jewish women. In a time when antisemitism is at an all-time high it's important to remind people that Judaism is a very accepting and queer-friendly religion, and that Judaism explicitly acknowledges and accepts trans identities.
The Moon Wife: Liked this. A psychic helps a customer make contact with their dead loved one, accessed via the dead person's online activity, and receives reassurance their loved one always knew they were trans and accepts them. The concept of memory and identity lasting after death via online activity is really pertinent and there's a lot of work being done in the field of Death Studies around this right now. The idea of a bereaved person transitioning, then worrying if their dead loved one would still recognise them, is beautifully done.
Forever Won't End Like This: This has a really good concept (a black queer actor starring in a Game of Thrones knock-off appears at a Comic Con knowing how much his character means to fans, but cries because he's having to hide the fact he just shot a scene where his character is pointlessly killed off) but the structure is awful. If the story had focused on the actor and his relationship to his fans, it could have been amazing. But nearly the whole story is just excruciatingly detailed plot summaries for various episodes of this generic and derivative TV show. We barely spend any time with the actor, and zero time with the fans. Go to Wikipedia and read a bunch of episode summaries for a TV show you've never watched, that's exactly what reading this short story is like. I care about the actor and his fans, and how actors manage to reconcile their own emotional needs with the intensity of online fandoms; I don't care what happened in season 2, episode 3 of a crappy TV show that doesn't even exist. I got the sense reading this that the author is big in fantasy TV fandom and dreams about being showrunner of their own fantasy TV show, so is using this short story to burble on about the fantasy series they'd create if they were only given a shot at being a showrunner. In which case they should have dispensed with the framing device of an actor at Comic Con and just told the story of the girl pig farmer who kills witches.
They Will Give Us A Home: One of the best stories in the anthology. A gay man and a lesbian enter a beard relationship in a Black Mirror-esque world where you're forced to broadcast your life on social media, and social capital dictates what floor you're allowed to live on (a high floor with access to natural light, or a low floor in darkness and threat of flooding), but crack under the pressure to appear perfect(ly heterosexual). Not massively original but well-written and manages to be both character-driven and sci-fi concept based.
There Used to be Peace: War story about a queer couple trying to build a relationship while fighting in a civil war in near-future dystopian America. I couldn't really connect with this.
Fettle and Sunder: A gay male couple debate fleeing a dystopian near-future America ruled by a homophobic militia, but decide to stay and fight. If I'd read this out of context of the anthology I think I'd like it a lot more, because the theme of abandoning pets is such a potent symbol of the sacrifices we have to make for freedom. But SO many of the stories are just people sitting inside their homes chatting about how best to cope with living in Dystopian Near-Future USA Where Being Queer Is Illegal. Of course I understand where the desire to tell these stories come from, I watch the news! But in a sci-fi/futurist anthology celebrating queer joy, it's a shame so few stories were willing to think outside the box.
Six Days: I struggled to understand what this extremely short story is about. A person in a near-future dystopia is sad because their sexual BDSM partner who's really good at sex has gone away for a few days but then they have sex with new people and aren't sad anymore.
The They Whom We Remember: The concept of a world where people can change their physical sex at will is interesting, so it's disappointing that this is mainly plotless porn.
When The Devil Comes From Babylon: Okay it's another near-future American dystopia, but well-written, and the idea of a religious suicide cult that is so obsessed with sin they issue everyone a cyanide pill should they feel tempted is rich and poignant.
Copper Boys: Yet another plot-less "queer people trying to find love in near-future dystopian USA" vignette, but the Appalachian setting and theme of reforestation makes it stand out at least a tiny bit.
A Few Degrees: A queer couple drink tea and watch cats in a near-future (non-dystopian?) USA. Zero plot.
Where The World Goes Sharp and Quiet: Intriguing: what if your loved one died, but continued to stick around? The ambition of this piece perhaps needed more world building than a short story can facilitate, but the detail of the spike-storm is both original and properly sci-fi.
Circular Universe: This is an extract from the sequel to a different book. No idea what was going on. Liked that it was one of the few non-American stories though.
Blueprint for the Destruction of Solitude: Cyberpunk porn. OMG why do so many of these stories have graphic descriptions of blowjobs? For a queer/trans collection it sure is penis-focused.
The Garden of Collective Memory: One of the strongest pieces in the collection, this beautiful and concept-driven piece is set in a world where you can buy and sell memories.
Sugar, Shadows: Noir-style story of a private detective trying to find a wealthy family's junkie teenage son. The noir style makes it stand out. The idea of the US military engineering a drug that creates a collective consciousness - that accidentally lets other beings escape from the Noosphere into our world - is really intriguing. I'd have liked more exploration of this concept.
A Step Into Emptiness: Really interesting story set on the moon, about neurodivergence, medicalisation of difference, and bodies. I love this sentence: "In my polycule, when a member dies, it's normal to take on their body parts or sell them."
Pocket Futures in the Present Past: This is my joint favourite, along with 'They Will Give Us A Home." Holes in time are discovered, and flotsam from the future starts falling through the holes. The protagonist (in 2029) figures out that a person from 2198 is trying to communicate, falls in love with them, time travels to the future to be with them, but has to return to the present to fight fascists intent on freezing time. There is so much great detail here. The idea that artefacts from the future are at the end of the day just stuff, just random junk, is quietly powerful. Scent-poetry is gorgeous and inventive. The little time-travelling armadillo thing is delightful. And a genuinely original approach to time travel.
Big Bang: What if someone took the lyrics to the 1989 song 'Love Shack' and re-wrote them so the Love Shack was in outer space something something orgies something something using the word boi in every other sentence.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 17, 2025
Read for the Goodreads challenge---the only book in their curated collection available on Kindle Unlimited. Sorry twice: first, I'm NOT paying for a book I have no idea if I'll enjoy, and second, simply not my cuppa. Imaginative, but really not especially enchanting, enlightening, or interesting, for the most part. A couple slightly better than just weird and offbeat, but that's the best I can say for it overall. Most of the stories, I didn't even particularly feel any queer vibe, and as one reviewer mentioned, the future aspect was a lot of bleak, not so much on the hope or joy.
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