What do you think?
Rate this book
Uncanny Magazine #9
Uncanny Magazine Issue 9: March/April 2016
The March/April 2016 issue of Uncanny Magazine.
Featuring new fiction by Rachel Swirsky, Shveta Thakrar, Max Gladstone, Kelly Sandoval, and Simon Guerrier, classic fiction by Daryl Gregory, essays by Jim C. Hines, Kyell Gold, Javier Grillo-Marxuach, and Mark Oshiro, poetry by C.S.E. Cooney, Jennifer Crow, and Brandon O'Brien, interviews with Rachel Swirsky and Simon Guerrier by Deborah Stanish, a cover by Katy Shuttleworth, and an editoral by Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas.
Featuring new fiction by Rachel Swirsky, Shveta Thakrar, Max Gladstone, Kelly Sandoval, and Simon Guerrier, classic fiction by Daryl Gregory, essays by Jim C. Hines, Kyell Gold, Javier Grillo-Marxuach, and Mark Oshiro, poetry by C.S.E. Cooney, Jennifer Crow, and Brandon O'Brien, interviews with Rachel Swirsky and Simon Guerrier by Deborah Stanish, a cover by Katy Shuttleworth, and an editoral by Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas.
147 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 1, 2016
59 people want to read
About the author
Lynne M. Thomas
105 books223 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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
Read
March 8, 2017*** "The Shadow Collector" by Shveta Thakrar
Well, that was weird.
A royal gardener in a nursery that grows sentient, talking (although sometimes nonsensical and annoying) "flower-fairies" is obsessed with stealing the shadows of the patrons who come to him for memorial nosegays. Meanwhile, the Queen is worried about the imminent threat of military invasion. The gardener is just worried about his flower girls, and his shadows. But one day, an alluring and oddly glowing woman arrives in the garden; a woman with no shadow. This is the catalyst for Stuff Happening. But it still doesn't make any sense.
Well, that was weird.
A royal gardener in a nursery that grows sentient, talking (although sometimes nonsensical and annoying) "flower-fairies" is obsessed with stealing the shadows of the patrons who come to him for memorial nosegays. Meanwhile, the Queen is worried about the imminent threat of military invasion. The gardener is just worried about his flower girls, and his shadows. But one day, an alluring and oddly glowing woman arrives in the garden; a woman with no shadow. This is the catalyst for Stuff Happening. But it still doesn't make any sense.
March 13, 2016
Another strong issue. While I would rate most of the stories 3.5 stars, "Love Is Never Still" hit me hard by the end, and the non-fiction pieces were just fantastic this time.
Stories
"Love Is Never Still" by Rachel Swirsky - 4*
"Just Another Future Song" (reprint) - Daryl Gregory - 3*
"The Shadow Collector" by Shveta Thakrar - 3.5*
"The Wolf and the Tower Unwoven" by Kelly Sandoval - 3.5*
"The Artificial Bees" by Simon Guerrier - 3.5*
"Big Thrull and the Askin' Man" by Max Gladstone - 2*
Rachel Swirsky's "Love Is Never Still" was my favorite: it unfolded to reveal a very interesting message about the many facets of love. At first I thought I wouldn't enjoy it much because it seemed like a straight retelling of the Aphrodite/Ares/Hephaestus triangle and Pygmalion/Galatea. First impressions were really wrong though - Swirsky gave her own endings to these stories. I also strongly recommend reading the interview with Swirsky in this issue, which elevated my appreciation of the story even more.
Non-Fiction
"Men of Their Times" by Jim C. Hines - 5*
I seriously love what I've read of Hines' fan writing so far
"Furry Fandom" by Kyell Gold - 4*
Mostly interesting to me because I already know Kyell Gold's name and a little about furry fandom from Ursula Vernon's Digger and KUEC podcast
"The Transmigration of George R. R. Martin" by Javier Grillo–Marxuach - 3.5*
A worthwhile read if you're a GRRM fan, or follow the ongoing saga of the Game of Thrones TV series/book series creation. I'm not very interested or invested in this, but it was a thoughtful essay.
"Closing the Gap: The Blurring of Fan and Professional" by Mark Oshiro - 4*
This definitely got me thinking about my Booktube experience now that I'm a content creator talking about other people's work!
Stories
"Love Is Never Still" by Rachel Swirsky - 4*
"Just Another Future Song" (reprint) - Daryl Gregory - 3*
"The Shadow Collector" by Shveta Thakrar - 3.5*
"The Wolf and the Tower Unwoven" by Kelly Sandoval - 3.5*
"The Artificial Bees" by Simon Guerrier - 3.5*
"Big Thrull and the Askin' Man" by Max Gladstone - 2*
Rachel Swirsky's "Love Is Never Still" was my favorite: it unfolded to reveal a very interesting message about the many facets of love. At first I thought I wouldn't enjoy it much because it seemed like a straight retelling of the Aphrodite/Ares/Hephaestus triangle and Pygmalion/Galatea. First impressions were really wrong though - Swirsky gave her own endings to these stories. I also strongly recommend reading the interview with Swirsky in this issue, which elevated my appreciation of the story even more.
Non-Fiction
"Men of Their Times" by Jim C. Hines - 5*
I seriously love what I've read of Hines' fan writing so far
"Furry Fandom" by Kyell Gold - 4*
Mostly interesting to me because I already know Kyell Gold's name and a little about furry fandom from Ursula Vernon's Digger and KUEC podcast
"The Transmigration of George R. R. Martin" by Javier Grillo–Marxuach - 3.5*
A worthwhile read if you're a GRRM fan, or follow the ongoing saga of the Game of Thrones TV series/book series creation. I'm not very interested or invested in this, but it was a thoughtful essay.
"Closing the Gap: The Blurring of Fan and Professional" by Mark Oshiro - 4*
This definitely got me thinking about my Booktube experience now that I'm a content creator talking about other people's work!
May 17, 2016
Good issue. An overall theme would be metamorphosis, and while usually a short story will be my stand out piece, this time around I enjoyed an essay by Hines and an interview with Swirsky the most. However, the short stories were still solid, I think I liked "The Shadow Collector" the best.
Fiction
“Love Is Never Still” by Rachel Swirsky: A retelling of Pygmalion from Ovid's Metamorphoses combined with the love triangle between Ares, Hephaestus, and Aphrodite. I love retellings that add depth to the characters, and this didn't really do that, though it was still a great conceit. 3.5/5
“The Shadow Collector” by Shveta Thakrar: The queen's gardener grows flowers with little girls inside, and gives them to people who have recently lost someone. But he also has an obsession with stealing people's shadows. Charming short story. 4/5
“Big Thrull and the Askin’ Man” by Max Gladstone: A folktale about how a small, human man came to not so smart Thrull and tried to trick him. Enjoyed it. 4/5
“The Wolf and the Tower Unwoven” by Kelly Sandoval: A wolf-turned-human arrives on a woman's doorstep, and she knows he's come from the Tower Unwoven, and will try and teach him how to be human. 4/5
“The Artificial Bees” by Simon Guerrier: A robot takes a survey of a garden with 1 man and many artificial bees. 3/5
Reprint
“Just Another Future Song” by Daryl Gregory: David Bowie in some sort of alternate world old person's home where he can't remember anything. Weird. 2.5/5
Nonfiction
“Men of Their Times” by Jim C. Hines: An examination of racism among classic sf writers, and in particular the idea of 'historical context' being used as an excuse. Very good essay. 5/5
“Furry Fandom” by Kyell Gold: Exactly what the title says it's about. Interesting community I knew little about. 4/5
“The Transmigration of George R. R. Martin” by Javier Grillo–Marxuach: Comparing Martin to some of PKD's philosophy. Interesting. 4/5
“Closing the Gap: The Blurring of Fan and Professional” by Mark Oshiro: 3/5
Poetry
“Fox Girl Cycle 1” by C. S. E. Cooney: 3.5/5
“The Book of Forgetting” by Jennifer Crow: 3/5
“god–date” by Brandon O’Brien: 4/5
Interviews
Rachel Swirsky interviewed by Deborah Stanish: Great interview. Exactly what I want from author interviews. 4.5/5
Simon Guerrier interviewed by Deborah Stanish: 3/5
Fiction
“Love Is Never Still” by Rachel Swirsky: A retelling of Pygmalion from Ovid's Metamorphoses combined with the love triangle between Ares, Hephaestus, and Aphrodite. I love retellings that add depth to the characters, and this didn't really do that, though it was still a great conceit. 3.5/5
“The Shadow Collector” by Shveta Thakrar: The queen's gardener grows flowers with little girls inside, and gives them to people who have recently lost someone. But he also has an obsession with stealing people's shadows. Charming short story. 4/5
“Big Thrull and the Askin’ Man” by Max Gladstone: A folktale about how a small, human man came to not so smart Thrull and tried to trick him. Enjoyed it. 4/5
“The Wolf and the Tower Unwoven” by Kelly Sandoval: A wolf-turned-human arrives on a woman's doorstep, and she knows he's come from the Tower Unwoven, and will try and teach him how to be human. 4/5
“The Artificial Bees” by Simon Guerrier: A robot takes a survey of a garden with 1 man and many artificial bees. 3/5
Reprint
“Just Another Future Song” by Daryl Gregory: David Bowie in some sort of alternate world old person's home where he can't remember anything. Weird. 2.5/5
Nonfiction
“Men of Their Times” by Jim C. Hines: An examination of racism among classic sf writers, and in particular the idea of 'historical context' being used as an excuse. Very good essay. 5/5
“Furry Fandom” by Kyell Gold: Exactly what the title says it's about. Interesting community I knew little about. 4/5
“The Transmigration of George R. R. Martin” by Javier Grillo–Marxuach: Comparing Martin to some of PKD's philosophy. Interesting. 4/5
“Closing the Gap: The Blurring of Fan and Professional” by Mark Oshiro: 3/5
Poetry
“Fox Girl Cycle 1” by C. S. E. Cooney: 3.5/5
“The Book of Forgetting” by Jennifer Crow: 3/5
“god–date” by Brandon O’Brien: 4/5
Interviews
Rachel Swirsky interviewed by Deborah Stanish: Great interview. Exactly what I want from author interviews. 4.5/5
Simon Guerrier interviewed by Deborah Stanish: 3/5
Read
September 20, 2021OH MY GOSH 'FOXGIRL CYCLE SONG: 1' IS SO GOOD.
This poem is by C. S. E. Cooney and I'm SHOOK. What a fantastic poem! Read it for yourself here.
'The Book of Forgetting' by Jennifer Crow was also great!
I loved the emotion in this one. Read it for yourself here.
Trap her in thorn, and she’ll slip her skin
Drown her in water, she’ll learn to swim
Burn her, she’ll turn into smoke and wind
Think you can catch her?
Well, think again
This poem is by C. S. E. Cooney and I'm SHOOK. What a fantastic poem! Read it for yourself here.
'The Book of Forgetting' by Jennifer Crow was also great!
You taught me heaven is not a place, but
the magic circle drawn around two souls
I loved the emotion in this one. Read it for yourself here.
March 9, 2017
"Love Is Never Still" by Rachel Swirsky - An utterly gorgeous reimagining and intertwining of Greek myths about the love affairs of Galatea and Aphrodite told from a multitude of perspectives. I absolutely adored it!
"The Shadow Collector" by Shveta Thakrar - Very mythical and dream-like, and as such, I'm not quite sure what to make of it. But I liked it, especially the lotus girl's weird pronouncements.
"The Wolf and the Tower Unwoven" by Kelly Sandoval - An enchanting and bittersweet tale of a lonely witch and a wolf pup transformed into a boy.
"The Artificial Bees" by Simon Guerrier - A brief look at what makes something real.
"Big Thrull and the Askin’ Man" by Max Gladstone - A tall tale folktale of some troll-like people dealing with a too clever human written in an oral storytelling fashion. This was a great choice for the podcast.
"The Shadow Collector" by Shveta Thakrar - Very mythical and dream-like, and as such, I'm not quite sure what to make of it. But I liked it, especially the lotus girl's weird pronouncements.
"The Wolf and the Tower Unwoven" by Kelly Sandoval - An enchanting and bittersweet tale of a lonely witch and a wolf pup transformed into a boy.
"The Artificial Bees" by Simon Guerrier - A brief look at what makes something real.
"Big Thrull and the Askin’ Man" by Max Gladstone - A tall tale folktale of some troll-like people dealing with a too clever human written in an oral storytelling fashion. This was a great choice for the podcast.
July 19, 2018
*****Love is Never Still by Rachel Swirsky
****Just Another Future Song by Daryl Gregory
****The Shadow Collector by Shveta Thakrar
****The Wolf and the Tower Unwoven by Kelly Sandoval
****The Artificial Bees by Simon Guerrier
****Big Thrull and the Askin' Man by Max Gladstone
****Just Another Future Song by Daryl Gregory
****The Shadow Collector by Shveta Thakrar
****The Wolf and the Tower Unwoven by Kelly Sandoval
****The Artificial Bees by Simon Guerrier
****Big Thrull and the Askin' Man by Max Gladstone
March 4, 2017
Perfect for me
Enjoyable, worked for me
"The Shadow Collector" by Shveta Thakrar - Rajesh looks after his garden, growing flower-girls and gathering shadows. [audio and read]
"Big Thrull and the Askin' Man" by Max Gladstone - A fun folk tale of underestimating those that live by a code. [listened to audio]
"The Wolf and The Tower Unwoven" by Kelly Sandoval - A wolf finds a woman in a forest who knows how he can find his way home.
** "The Artificial Bees" by Simon Guerrier - A gorgeous, short piece set in a far future.
Fine, but didn't speak to me
"Love is Never Still" by Rachel Swirsky - Aphrodite grants a wish for a sculpture to come to life amidst grappling with her own relationship problems.
"Just Another Future Song" by Daryl Gregory - I could not make head or tail of this one.
Not my cup of tea
Enjoyable, worked for me
"The Shadow Collector" by Shveta Thakrar - Rajesh looks after his garden, growing flower-girls and gathering shadows. [audio and read]
"Big Thrull and the Askin' Man" by Max Gladstone - A fun folk tale of underestimating those that live by a code. [listened to audio]
"The Wolf and The Tower Unwoven" by Kelly Sandoval - A wolf finds a woman in a forest who knows how he can find his way home.
** "The Artificial Bees" by Simon Guerrier - A gorgeous, short piece set in a far future.
Fine, but didn't speak to me
"Love is Never Still" by Rachel Swirsky - Aphrodite grants a wish for a sculpture to come to life amidst grappling with her own relationship problems.
"Just Another Future Song" by Daryl Gregory - I could not make head or tail of this one.
Not my cup of tea
March 31, 2016
The Wolf and the Tower Unwoven - Kelly Sandoval
Love is Never Still - Rachel Swirsky
The Artificial Bees - Simon Guerrier
Love is Never Still - Rachel Swirsky
The Artificial Bees - Simon Guerrier
April 6, 2016
Some good stuff in here. My two favorites were probably "Big Thrull and the Askin' Man" by Max Gladstone (nice voicing in that story) and "The Wolf and the Tower Unwoven" by Kelly Sandoval.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews