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Tin Star #0.5
Useless Wings
In this prequel to Tin Star, we meet Heckleck, the Hort alien who befriends Tula Bane on the space station Yertina Feray in her fight for survival. In his modest beginnings, Heckleck is raised to understand that breeding and propagating his own kind is the sole reason for living. When he is called upon to settle on a new planet, he meets the daughter of a politician, Goglu, with whom he falls helplessly in love, and is determined to win over. But nothing is easy in love and space exploration, and when his plans become thwarted, he must find a new way of life.
At the publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management software (DRM) applied.
At the publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management software (DRM) applied.
32 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 28, 2015
187 people want to read
About the author
Cecil Castellucci
221 books722 followersCecil Castellucci is an author of young adult novels and comic books. Titles include Boy Proof, The Year of the Beasts (illustrated by Nate Powell), First Day on Earth, Rose Sees Red, Beige, The Queen of Cool The Plain Janes and Janes in Love (illustrated by Jim Rugg), Tin Star Stone in the Sky, Odd Duck (illustrated by Sara Varon) and Star Wars: Moving Target: A Princess Leia Adventure.
Her short stories have been published in various places including Black Clock, The Rattling Wall, Tor.com, Strange Horizons, Apex Magazine and can be found in such anthologies such as After, Teeth, Truth & Dare, The Eternal Kiss, Sideshow and Interfictions 2 and the anthology, which she co-edited, Geektastic.
She is the recipient of the California Book Award Gold Medal for her picture book Grandma's Gloves, illustrated by Julia Denos, the Shuster Award for Best Canadian Comic Book Writer for The Plain Janes and the Sunburst Award for Tin Star. The Year of the Beasts was a finalist for the PEN USA literary award and Odd Duck was Eisner nominated.
She splits her time between the heart and the head and lives north and south of everything. Her hands are small. And she likes you very much.
Her short stories have been published in various places including Black Clock, The Rattling Wall, Tor.com, Strange Horizons, Apex Magazine and can be found in such anthologies such as After, Teeth, Truth & Dare, The Eternal Kiss, Sideshow and Interfictions 2 and the anthology, which she co-edited, Geektastic.
She is the recipient of the California Book Award Gold Medal for her picture book Grandma's Gloves, illustrated by Julia Denos, the Shuster Award for Best Canadian Comic Book Writer for The Plain Janes and the Sunburst Award for Tin Star. The Year of the Beasts was a finalist for the PEN USA literary award and Odd Duck was Eisner nominated.
She splits her time between the heart and the head and lives north and south of everything. Her hands are small. And she likes you very much.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
February 27, 2015
My brothers and sisters are identical to me; we come from the same brood. After chores they always push past me with their heavy bodies. As I dream, they get to the table first. They feed and fill themselves and when I finally tear myself away from the night stars and make my way inside, I always find that there is little left for me eat. As a result, I’ve grown up small for my kind.
A cute little story that's a fast read... I hadn't heard of Tin Star or the author before this but the summary of this made me curious. .
I liked the glimpses into the Hort way of life.. their rituals (rubbing wings for comfort, mating, etc.) and connected to Heckleck. Parts of his personality reminded me of myself:
I try to ignore my brothers and sisters as I do my work under the hot twin suns. They call me names. They call me dreamer. They call me innocent. They call me ridiculous.
Wish there had been more background info on the Horts and their society, some things were mentioned briefly but not touched on in great detail. Also didn't 'feel' the love Heckleck felt for Goglu, it just felt flat to me. A few statements and Heckleck is in love with her.
I wanted to kick his brother for what he did but things worked out for our MC in the end it seems. The prequel ends on a good note that I imagine sets up the first book.
Maybe all this is expanded on in Tin Star? It's definitely got my curiosity piqued for the book.
Worth a read, if you have a few minutes :)
Side note: the cover picture is gorgeous
Read the story here: http://www.tor.com/stories/2015/01/us...
Between 2.5 and 3 stars
A cute little story that's a fast read... I hadn't heard of Tin Star or the author before this but the summary of this made me curious. .
I liked the glimpses into the Hort way of life.. their rituals (rubbing wings for comfort, mating, etc.) and connected to Heckleck. Parts of his personality reminded me of myself:
I try to ignore my brothers and sisters as I do my work under the hot twin suns. They call me names. They call me dreamer. They call me innocent. They call me ridiculous.
Wish there had been more background info on the Horts and their society, some things were mentioned briefly but not touched on in great detail. Also didn't 'feel' the love Heckleck felt for Goglu, it just felt flat to me. A few statements and Heckleck is in love with her.
I wanted to kick his brother for what he did but things worked out for our MC in the end it seems. The prequel ends on a good note that I imagine sets up the first book.
Maybe all this is expanded on in Tin Star? It's definitely got my curiosity piqued for the book.
Worth a read, if you have a few minutes :)
Side note: the cover picture is gorgeous
Read the story here: http://www.tor.com/stories/2015/01/us...
Between 2.5 and 3 stars
April 16, 2015
This was very interesting, and left me wanting more.
February 11, 2015
Compact, competent prequel for a series I haven’t read. The protagonist is a finely drawn alien creature whom we are drawn into both his species and individuals angst. Lots of growth and development in just a few pages, and even a little sympathy.
If these short prequels are supposed to “set the hook” for the following book or series (in this case, Castellucci'sTin Star). most fall short. Most seem like after-the-fact add-ons to please the fandom, rather than really whet an unfamiliar reader with the greater work.
Superb cover illustration by Dominick Saponaro. I’m a sucker for good cover art.
A good read.
If these short prequels are supposed to “set the hook” for the following book or series (in this case, Castellucci'sTin Star). most fall short. Most seem like after-the-fact add-ons to please the fandom, rather than really whet an unfamiliar reader with the greater work.
Superb cover illustration by Dominick Saponaro. I’m a sucker for good cover art.
A good read.
April 21, 2015
The author did a really good job introducing an alien culture, and a character I could connect with in a very short story. Well developed, and different. It left me wanting to know more, and how things are going to play out from here.
December 14, 2022
Intriguing glimpse and sneak peek into Tin Star... but it made me feel very angsty-sad... Sign that it grabbed my attention, but something yet didn't quite light that fire in me... Interesting concept though, I may still have to read the books...
December 20, 2018
When Tula Bane, a Human, was left for dead on the Yertina Fertay station, she met Heckleck. He is the one, more than any other, who allowed her to survive and thrive. Here is a short story about what sent him into space and taught him the skills he would teach Tula.
January 17, 2020
Really enjoyed this short story in the Tin Star universe. Still hoping for more in that series.
September 5, 2015
"The Sound of Useless Wings" by Cecil Castellucci (3308 words)
Another funner story despite some rather sad business, this one follows an alien who finds himself an outcast among his people. Smaller and more open to the unknown, to space and all its mysteries, he is excited when he is chosen to move to a new world, and that hope emboldens him to hope for more, to perhaps hope that he can succeed as a member of his people, to get a mate and sire broods. Fortunately or unfortunately, he is taught that it's not to be, and is betrayed by a brother so that he has no choice but to flee. But in that flight he gains what he had always hoped for. It's a strange story, but one that shows how what we want is something we're not always aware of. And while the main character thinks that his life is over when he loses the dream of having a family, instead he finds that he just needed to look elsewhere, just needed to find himself among the stars that he yearned to see. It's a sweet story, a nice way to finish off the month.
Another funner story despite some rather sad business, this one follows an alien who finds himself an outcast among his people. Smaller and more open to the unknown, to space and all its mysteries, he is excited when he is chosen to move to a new world, and that hope emboldens him to hope for more, to perhaps hope that he can succeed as a member of his people, to get a mate and sire broods. Fortunately or unfortunately, he is taught that it's not to be, and is betrayed by a brother so that he has no choice but to flee. But in that flight he gains what he had always hoped for. It's a strange story, but one that shows how what we want is something we're not always aware of. And while the main character thinks that his life is over when he loses the dream of having a family, instead he finds that he just needed to look elsewhere, just needed to find himself among the stars that he yearned to see. It's a sweet story, a nice way to finish off the month.
May 16, 2015
I am usually wary of prequels and short stories set in the world of a bigger book series, because they often fail to deliver. This is a surprising exception. I have not red the Tin Star series, but after reading this novelette I might.
This is the story of Heckleck, a Hort alien, raised to understand that breeding and propagating his own kind is the sole reason for living. When he is called upon to settle on a new planet, he meets the daughter of a politician, Goglu, with whom he falls helplessly in love, and is determined to win over. But nothing is easy in love and space exploration.
This is the story of Heckleck, a Hort alien, raised to understand that breeding and propagating his own kind is the sole reason for living. When he is called upon to settle on a new planet, he meets the daughter of a politician, Goglu, with whom he falls helplessly in love, and is determined to win over. But nothing is easy in love and space exploration.
April 13, 2016
This was a sad short story about an insect alien who was betrayed by his brother and lost his love. He started by moving forward though by travelling the space. The description of his insect parts was a bit creepy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 23, 2015
great little perspective story, and a fun lead in to the universe of the series.
side note:
i'm saddened by the fact that this wonderful cover is followed in the series with the photoshop underwhelm that seems to be a major trend currently.
side note:
i'm saddened by the fact that this wonderful cover is followed in the series with the photoshop underwhelm that seems to be a major trend currently.
July 13, 2015
It's a little bit too stereotypically sad, but it's still nice to read.
May 22, 2016
Will be interested to see how this relates to the books, once I eventually read them.
May 31, 2017
Actual rating 3.5 stars
I enjoyed getting to know more about Heckleck before he befriended Tula in Tin Star, particularly how he got involved with trading. However, I felt this story was too short for all it tried to encompass.
I enjoyed getting to know more about Heckleck before he befriended Tula in Tin Star, particularly how he got involved with trading. However, I felt this story was too short for all it tried to encompass.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews