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Uncanny Magazine #61
Uncanny Magazine Issue 61: November/December 2024
The November/December 2024 issue of Hugo Award-winning Uncanny Magazine.
Featuring new fiction by Adrian Tchaikovsky, William Alexander, Sonya Taaffe, Lauren Beukes, Marissa Lingen, Naomi Day, and Angel Leal. Essays by Vivian Shaw, Tania Chen, Tansy Rayner Roberts, and Alex Jennings, poetry by Brandon O'Brien, Sneha Mohidekar, Abu Bakr Sadiq, and Katherine James, interviews with William Alexander and Marissa Lingen by Caroline M. Yoachim, a cover by Julie Dillon, and an editorial by Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas.
Uncanny Magazine is a bimonthly science fiction and fantasy magazine first published in November 2014. Edited by 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023 Hugo award winners for best semiprozine, and 2018 Hugo award winners for Best Editor, Short Form, Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas, Betsy Aoki, and Monte Lin, each issue of Uncanny includes new stories, poetry, articles, and interviews.
Featuring new fiction by Adrian Tchaikovsky, William Alexander, Sonya Taaffe, Lauren Beukes, Marissa Lingen, Naomi Day, and Angel Leal. Essays by Vivian Shaw, Tania Chen, Tansy Rayner Roberts, and Alex Jennings, poetry by Brandon O'Brien, Sneha Mohidekar, Abu Bakr Sadiq, and Katherine James, interviews with William Alexander and Marissa Lingen by Caroline M. Yoachim, a cover by Julie Dillon, and an editorial by Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas.
Uncanny Magazine is a bimonthly science fiction and fantasy magazine first published in November 2014. Edited by 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023 Hugo award winners for best semiprozine, and 2018 Hugo award winners for Best Editor, Short Form, Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas, Betsy Aoki, and Monte Lin, each issue of Uncanny includes new stories, poetry, articles, and interviews.
- GenresFantasy
163 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 5, 2024
4 people are currently reading
8 people want to read
About the author
Lynne M. Thomas
105 books224 followersIn my day job, I am the Head of the Rare Book & Manuscript Library and Juanita J. and Robert E. Simpson Rare Book and Manuscript Professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, one of the largest public university rare book collections in the country. I used to manage pop culture special collections that include the papers of over 70 SF/F authors at Northern Illinois University. I also teach a Special Collections course as an adjunct in the iSchool at Illinois, and used to do so at SJSU.
I'm an eleven-time Hugo Award winner, the Co-Editor-in-Chief and Publisher of Uncanny Magazine with my husband Michael Damian Thomas. The former Editor-in-Chief of Apex Magazine (2011-2013), I co-edited the Hugo Award-winning Chicks Dig Time Lords, Whedonistas, and Chicks Dig Comics. I moderated the Hugo-Award winning SF Squeecast and contribute to the Verity! Podcast. You can learn more about my shenanigans at lynnemthomas.com.
I'm an eleven-time Hugo Award winner, the Co-Editor-in-Chief and Publisher of Uncanny Magazine with my husband Michael Damian Thomas. The former Editor-in-Chief of Apex Magazine (2011-2013), I co-edited the Hugo Award-winning Chicks Dig Time Lords, Whedonistas, and Chicks Dig Comics. I moderated the Hugo-Award winning SF Squeecast and contribute to the Verity! Podcast. You can learn more about my shenanigans at lynnemthomas.com.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
March 14, 2025
Read “The Golden Tooth: A Solo Show by Orion Cabrera”
Punchy!
Punchy!
December 27, 2024
Solid issue overall, but no real standout stories for me except for “The Golden Tooth: A Solo Show by Orion Cabrera” by William Alexander, which is written as a script and is very inventive (and powerful in its subject matter). I liked most of the other stories, too, but that one stuck with me afterward.
December 10, 2024
I backed this on Kickstarter, so I received the issue as part of the campaign.
First time subscriber. There were one or two stories where I didn't catch the SFF aspect, but overall I enjoyed reading all of the stories. Woodmask by Adrian Tchaikovsky, The Golden Tooth: A Solo Show by Orion Cabrera by William Alexander, and On The Water Its Crystal Teeth by Marissa Lingen were my favorites from this issue.
First time subscriber. There were one or two stories where I didn't catch the SFF aspect, but overall I enjoyed reading all of the stories. Woodmask by Adrian Tchaikovsky, The Golden Tooth: A Solo Show by Orion Cabrera by William Alexander, and On The Water Its Crystal Teeth by Marissa Lingen were my favorites from this issue.
November 18, 2024
I’m using this space for “Woodmask” by Adrian Tchaikovsky. This short story is apparently a part of The Tyrant Philosophers series. I have yet to read any of the novels in the series so I cannot comment on any tie-ins or where this story might fall in the chronology.
This story follows Leskia, a beggar girl in the city of Ilmar who lives in the worst part of the city next to a creepy wood known as the Grove. In this forest lives the mysterious Indwellers. They wear masks that are described to be rather eerie. As we see in the first few pages: “Oblong masks of bark or wood, painted in jagged patterns that had nothing of faces to them.” The mysterious nature of the Indwellers, their dress and how they appear and disappear help to create an unsettling vibe to the tale. I’m curious to see how someone familiar with the series experiences this story because a lot of the tension for this story comes from the unknown aspects of how the citizens of Ilmar and the Indwellers interact. And well, I could see this being not that interesting if it is already a dynamic explored in the series. But for me, not knowing what was going on between these two peoples, and learning about the city and the uprising, well, I found it all to be rather gripping. I have had The City of Last Chances on my TBR for a while now. Perhaps it is time to bump it up.
This story follows Leskia, a beggar girl in the city of Ilmar who lives in the worst part of the city next to a creepy wood known as the Grove. In this forest lives the mysterious Indwellers. They wear masks that are described to be rather eerie. As we see in the first few pages: “Oblong masks of bark or wood, painted in jagged patterns that had nothing of faces to them.” The mysterious nature of the Indwellers, their dress and how they appear and disappear help to create an unsettling vibe to the tale. I’m curious to see how someone familiar with the series experiences this story because a lot of the tension for this story comes from the unknown aspects of how the citizens of Ilmar and the Indwellers interact. And well, I could see this being not that interesting if it is already a dynamic explored in the series. But for me, not knowing what was going on between these two peoples, and learning about the city and the uprising, well, I found it all to be rather gripping. I have had The City of Last Chances on my TBR for a while now. Perhaps it is time to bump it up.
January 5, 2025
This review is for The Geckomancer’s Lament by Lauren Beukes (Goodreads keeps merging it with the magazine where it first appeared), that I read in January 2025.
I have never read anything by this author, so I did not know what to expect. It was quite remarkable. On the surface it is a funny romp of a story, with a lot of funny moments, but with a lot of depth at the same time, with a reflection on colonialism and other-ness. I strongly recommend listening to the interview with the author available on the podcast version of the magazine.
This is the story of TrkTkTskTkTrkTs, a gecko necromancer that is traveling with Oberon, Nokwazi, and Disebo (all magical creatures) to get back for different reasons to the Conquistas.... I will not say more to avoid spoilers!
This review is for Woodmask by Adrian Tchaikovsky (goodreads keeps merging it with the magazine where it first appeared), that I read in December 2024.
This is the story of Leskia, one among the poorest of the poor in the occupied city of Ilmar. Her life is tough, her mum is dead and her dad has a gambling addiction. She barely survives begging, and the few coins she sometimes manage to get are soon in the pockets of the thugs, the poor that prey on other poor to survive. One day, desperate, she set foot into the Grove, that was always there even before Ilmar was built. The Grove, where everyone is afraid to go...
I have never read anything by this author, so I did not know what to expect. It was quite remarkable. On the surface it is a funny romp of a story, with a lot of funny moments, but with a lot of depth at the same time, with a reflection on colonialism and other-ness. I strongly recommend listening to the interview with the author available on the podcast version of the magazine.
This is the story of TrkTkTskTkTrkTs, a gecko necromancer that is traveling with Oberon, Nokwazi, and Disebo (all magical creatures) to get back for different reasons to the Conquistas.... I will not say more to avoid spoilers!
This review is for Woodmask by Adrian Tchaikovsky (goodreads keeps merging it with the magazine where it first appeared), that I read in December 2024.
This is the story of Leskia, one among the poorest of the poor in the occupied city of Ilmar. Her life is tough, her mum is dead and her dad has a gambling addiction. She barely survives begging, and the few coins she sometimes manage to get are soon in the pockets of the thugs, the poor that prey on other poor to survive. One day, desperate, she set foot into the Grove, that was always there even before Ilmar was built. The Grove, where everyone is afraid to go...
January 4, 2025
This issue is weak and I don't enjoy most of these stories
The Golden Tooth: A Solo Show by Orion Cabrera by William Alexander ❌
A Book Is a Map, a Bed Is a Country by Angel Leal ❌
Woodmask by Adrian Tchaikovsky
The atmosphere is quite creepy but the lack of dialog makes this story a bit tedious. 3 ⭐
Twice Every Day Returning by Sonya Taaffe ❌
On the Water Its Crystal Teeth by Marissa Lingen
I don't enjoy the whole story but I like the part where the MC "accept" the adopted child even tho she never imagined him being flawed. 2.5 ⭐
Ancestor Heart by Naomi Day
The opening is great: putting scorching heart from grandfather to the newborn, so that the tradition lives on. But the tradition in question is ... Giving me too many questions. 2 ⭐
The Geckomancer’s Lament by Lauren Beukes ❌
The Golden Tooth: A Solo Show by Orion Cabrera by William Alexander ❌
A Book Is a Map, a Bed Is a Country by Angel Leal ❌
Woodmask by Adrian Tchaikovsky
The atmosphere is quite creepy but the lack of dialog makes this story a bit tedious. 3 ⭐
Twice Every Day Returning by Sonya Taaffe ❌
On the Water Its Crystal Teeth by Marissa Lingen
I don't enjoy the whole story but I like the part where the MC "accept" the adopted child even tho she never imagined him being flawed. 2.5 ⭐
Ancestor Heart by Naomi Day
The opening is great: putting scorching heart from grandfather to the newborn, so that the tradition lives on. But the tradition in question is ... Giving me too many questions. 2 ⭐
The Geckomancer’s Lament by Lauren Beukes ❌
February 21, 2025
Lots of good stories in this one.
"Woodmask" by Adrian Tchaikovsky was my favorite. A dark fairytale/fantasy--so well done. Reminded me a lot of The Butcher of the Forest by Premee Mohamed.
"Twice Every Day Returning" by Sonya Taaffe, "A Book Is a Map, a Bed Is a Country" by Angel Leal, and "On the Water Its Crystal Teeth" by Marissa Lingen were quite good, as well.
"Woodmask" by Adrian Tchaikovsky was my favorite. A dark fairytale/fantasy--so well done. Reminded me a lot of The Butcher of the Forest by Premee Mohamed.
"Twice Every Day Returning" by Sonya Taaffe, "A Book Is a Map, a Bed Is a Country" by Angel Leal, and "On the Water Its Crystal Teeth" by Marissa Lingen were quite good, as well.
December 1, 2024
Just read the story "Woodmask" by Adrian Tchaikovsky. Super creepy and fantastical and great.
December 29, 2024
Highly recommended
April 19, 2025
I liked “On the Water It’s Crystal Teeth” by Marissa Lingen
Read
November 17, 2025Nothing remarquable in this issue for me
April 7, 2025
I decided, for one of the last short story collections, I'd go back to the Uncanny Magazine well. Adrian Tchaikovsky is the star of this one. He wrote "Children of Time" which I didn't finish (I guess it's about a generational ship going to a planet where we evolved spider-people but they don't know it yet?). Anyway.
Here's the thing I've learned. A lot of people complain about the lack of diversity in the bestseller lists--they're all white straight people writing white straight women books. But if you're not straight, not white, not American, short stories are alive and well for you. Plenty of diverse cultures, ethnicities, and sexual preferences in there. The problem is they don't appeal to me at all, a white straight male. These stories are all rooted in a culture and mythology I know nothing about and can't connect to.
Here's the thing I've learned. A lot of people complain about the lack of diversity in the bestseller lists--they're all white straight people writing white straight women books. But if you're not straight, not white, not American, short stories are alive and well for you. Plenty of diverse cultures, ethnicities, and sexual preferences in there. The problem is they don't appeal to me at all, a white straight male. These stories are all rooted in a culture and mythology I know nothing about and can't connect to.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews