Uncanny Magazine Issue 13: November/December 2016

Uncanny Magazine #13

by Lynne M. Thomas (Editor), Michael Damian Thomas (Editor), Neil Gaiman (Contributor)

The November/December 2016 issue of the Hugo Award winning Uncanny Magazine.

Featuring new fiction by Paul Cornell, Brooke Bolander, Jennifer Marie Brissett, Alex Bledsoe, Kat Howard, and Nalo Hopkinson, reprinted fiction by Amal El-Mohtar, essays by Alyssa Wong, Monica Valentinelli, Navah Wolfe, Tansy Rayner Roberts, Keidra Chaney, and Hao Jingfang (translated by Ken Liu), poetry by Neil Gaiman, Theodora Goss, and Sofia Samatar, interviews with Jennifer Marie Brissett and Alex Bledsoe by Julia Rios, a cover by Julie Dillon, and an editoral by Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas.

Genres: Fantasy, Short Stories, Science Fiction, Fiction, Urban Fantasy, Poetry, Horror

134 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 18, 2016

About the author

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

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

Reviews

[Elena May · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another one of the Hugo finalist short stories, and now I wonder, why haven’t I been reading more short stories until now?

”Our talons can crush galaxies. Our songs give black holes nightmares. The edges of our feathers fracture moonlight into silver spiderwebs and universes into parallels.”

A triumphant, feel-good tale of “victims,” who refused to be victimized and fight back.

[✘✘ Sarah ✘✘ (former Nefarious Breeder of Murderous Crustaceans) · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Our Talons Can Crush Galaxies” by Brooke Bolander:

Oh wow.

How much punch can you pack into a 3-page story? A lot, if you're Brooke Bolander. A whole bloody shrimping lot.

Oh wow.

Murder, rape, ass-kicking rrrrrevenge. Homicidal chauvinistic pigs beware, for sometimes the hunter gets spoiler spoiler spoiler captured by the mythological game.

Oh wow.

This is short. This is FREE. This is here.

[Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an extremely satisfying short story of revenge on a cosmological and a very very tiny scale (us). :)

If only all such tales of murder and rape could ever be so delightfully wrapped up, right? Spread those wings, my goddess, spread those wings. :)

http://uncannymagazine.com/article/ta...

Nom for Hugo '17

Read it! It's quick and delicious!

[Trish · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review for the short story Our Talons Can Crush Galaxies.

This is a short story by an author I don't know much about. I did read her contribution to this year's International Women's Day and liked it a lot. Besides, this is nominated for a HUGO so I had to read it.

The story is deeply imaginative, part scifi and part mythological (much like the other short story of hers that I've read). It's about some righteous wrath but also about what being a victim can mean, how victims are presented in society (nameless but in explicit detail which can be seen as degrading). I really can't say any more about the plot since that would spoiler too much. Suffice it to say that my little bloodthirsty self enjoyed the implications and the sass of the protagonist and that this really is a cool story and manages to unfold several realities and universes on only 1 page (not a small feat).

For anyone interested, the story can be found *here* .

[Jokoloyo · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very short story. I quote a part that i like:

Our talons can crush galaxies. Our songs give black holes nightmares. The edges of our feathers fracture moonlight into silver spiderwebs and universes into parallels. Did we take him apart? C’mon. Don’t ask stupid questions.

[Jen · Rating 2 out of 5]

AAAAARRRRGGGHHHH!!! WHY GOODREADS LIBRARIANS WHY?!?!? FOR THE LOVE OF ALL
THAT IS GOOD, when you merge reviews PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE at LEAST add the title of the story to the review so the poor reviewer, when coming across the review TWO YEARS LATER WITHOUT NOTIFICATION FROM THE GRL, they KNOW what story the review is for!!!!

You are either clueless about what the people who use GR actually WANT or you are evil and laugh your @sses off as the users flail their arms like Kermit the Frog and cry because of things like this.

Review for who knows what story below. Above this added August 2019. Below April 2017.


I don't know why, but I didn't like this story. Maybe because it's pure fantasy. Serial rapists and murderers don't get dealt with like this in real life and that made me sad. Two, I'm making no friends with this review, stars. Sorry guys. Not my fav.

[MrsJoseph *grouchy* · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars rounded down to 4 stars

Honestly, this is pretty freaking fantastic! The only thing I didn't care for was the brevity. I really wanted more. I wanted more of the narrator and her sisters. Are there any more stories about these ladies? Cause they seem to be my type(s) of chick.

The best part for me? The antagonist was never given a name. Hell, yeah! Fuck your fridging.

[carol. · Rating 5 out of 5]

No, of course this review isn't for the whole magazine. Eyeroll. It's for two works that I read all by themselves, available for free on the internet.

'Seasons of Glass and Iron' by Amal El-Mohtar

http://uncannymagazine.com/article/se...

Two classic fairytales, reinterpreted in a lovely way.

'Our Talons Can Crush Galaxies' by Brooke Bolander

http://uncannymagazine.com/article/ta...

Revenge fantasy, modern interpretation. Narrative structure seems a little weak, but I sure did love the rage of the story.

[Michelle Morrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. A super short story about revenge both macro and micro. Nominated for the Hugo, you can read it here: http://uncannymagazine.com/article/ta...

If the other nominees are this good, they will totally make up for the mayhem from the Hugo awards drama of recent memory!

[Netanella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love, love, love the revenge fantasy of badass author Brooke Bolander, who has caught me by the throat with the incredible vision of her writings and has not let go for three years.

Our talons can crush galaxies. Our songs give black holes nightmares. The edges of our feathers fracture moonlight into silver spiderwebs and universes into parallels.

5 stars for Bolander's short story. I will come back and read more, as the spirit moves me. :_)

[Althea Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

A revenge fantasy that makes Ms. 45 look like a wuss.
It's super-short (3 pages, maybe?) but is an empowering read.

You know how the Bible says that you should be kind to strangers, because they just might be an angel taken human form?
Well, in this case, you should definitely not be a misogynist serial killer, because you really never know who you might be messing with.

Bad-ass.

Merged review:

**** Our Talons Can Crush Galaxies - Brooke Bolander
A revenge fantasy that makes Ms. 45 look like a wuss.
It's super-short (3 pages, maybe?) but is an empowering read.
You know how the Bible says that you should be kind to strangers, because they just might be an angel taken human form?
Well, in this case, you should definitely not be a misogynist serial killer, because you really never know who you might be messing with.
Bad-ass.

*** Seasons of Glass and Iron - Amal El-Mohtar
The message overtakes the story a bit, in this allegorical piece. We're introduced to two fairytale tropes. One woman is cursed to have to wear out seven pairs of magical iron shoes. The other sits at the top of a glass mountain, while uncouth suitors attempt to scale the summit. Friendship and female empowerment will free them both from the unfair demands of men.

[Peter Tillman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review and rating solely for "Our Talons Can Crush Galaxies" by Brooke Bolander. Excellent story, 4+ stars. Hugo nominee for best short story, 2017. Recommended read. Short and sweet. Don't miss!

The review to read is Bradley's, https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Also see her "And You Shall Know Her by the Trail of Dead", Hugo + Nebula nominee in 2016:
http://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fic...

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Our Talons Can Crush Galaxies” by Brooke Bollander:
Three pages of revenge and profanity and a Hugo nomination. Nice, too short.

Appreciated this story more during my re-read, I think. Yes, profanity, but also fabulous use of words. And applause for taking revenge for all those unnamed victims.

http://uncannymagazine.com/article/ta...

[Alexander Páez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me ha dejado muy roto, pero a la vez me ha alucinado. Lo he leído dos veces del tirón. Y seguramente caerá una relectura.

Durísimo relato. Leedlo cuanto antes, no debe tener más de 2000 palabras y es brutal.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story was all over my feed this afternoon and since it's only a 3 page freebie I couldn't resist (you can find it here if you're curious- http://uncannymagazine.com/article/ta...)

It's a great example of how to get revenge!

[Jassmine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Our Talons Can Crush Galaxies by Brooke Bolander (5⭐)

Heroes get names; killers get names; victims get close–ups of their opened ribcages mid–autopsy, the bloodied stumps where their wings once attached, baffled coroners making baffled phone calls to even more baffled curators at local museums. They get dissected, they get discussed, but they don’t get names or stories the audience remembers.

Brooke Bolander is fucking brilliant! Really, like... I'm not sure how they managed to write a story (or a flash piece? who cares really?) on violence on women that feels so emotionally graphic while being the opposite of how graphically these things are discussed in our world (you know... in front of court for example...). You know... this is really short, so... I'm shutting up, just go read this one!
https://www.uncannymagazine.com/artic...

Seasons of Glass and Iron by Amal El–Mohtar (4,5⭐)

She recalls shoes her brothers have worn: a pair of seven–league boots, tooled in soft leather; winged sandals; satin slippers that turned one invisible. How strange, she thinks, that her brothers had shoes that lightened their steps and tightened the world, made it small and easy to explore, discover.
Perhaps, she thinks, it isn’t strange at all: why shouldn’t shoes help their wearers travel? Perhaps, she thinks, what’s strange is the shoes women are made to wear: shoes of glass; shoes of paper; shoes of iron heated red–hot; shoes to dance to death in.
How strange, she thinks, and walks.

What amazing introduction to Amal El-Mohtar's work! I absolutely loved this feminist sapphic retelling of some common fairy-tale motives. There were so many gems in this one... the story is very simple and not there really are no surprises, but... I liked it a lot. I'm definitely sold on to El-Mohtar's work - off to read more!
https://www.uncannymagazine.com/artic...

Rose Child by Theodora Goss (3,5 ⭐)
I read Red as Blood and White as Bone just yesterday, so when I saw this issue included also a poem by her, I decided to go for it as well. It was nice, nothing really that special, but... strangely powerful in its mixture of ordinary and extraordinary. A little sad, a little dark, but at the same time... a little enchanting...
https://www.uncannymagazine.com/artic...

The Green Knight’s Wife by Kat Howard (3⭐)
I read The Green Knight's Tale some time ago and... if you read it, you know that it's one of the deliciously queerish mediaeval romances. It clearly is problematic, but still... so when I saw this, I just had to read it... sadly, this was something else than expected, because instead of focusing of the deliciously queer part, this focuses on the problematic part. Which is fine, you know... just not what I expected...
https://www.uncannymagazine.com/artic...

The Long Run by Neil Gaiman (2⭐)
A really short poem... well, first I have to say that it doesn't really read as a good poem. Second... even the meaning... isn't that deep? Idk... I don't want to trash it, it's fine, but... you know, I don't really have anything nice to say about it...
https://www.uncannymagazine.com/artic...

[Simply Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Their talons can crush 3 page short stories as well.

This was definitely a compelling way to tell this story. Well done. I'm impressed.

[Athena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very short, very strong, very vengeful. If I was still working I'd probably read this about once a week. Good stuff.

Free at: Our Talons Can Crush Galaxies

[Alia · Rating 5 out of 5]

- Our talons can crush galaxies - ⭐ 25.6 badass stars (I can just fangirl here. Hard!)
- Don’t You Worry, You Aliens by Paul Cornell ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (I am starting to take a fancy of people that are alone in some apocalyptical/pandemic setting)
- Kamanti’s Child by Jennifer Marie Brissett ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (A bittersweet, powerful story. I would love to read more about it!)
- White Hart, Black Knight by Alex Bledsoe ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Good story, a little tired, but good message, although I was not pleased with the ending the privilege of the powerful, I guess. Just hoping to conscience does it´s thing. How comfortable.)
- The Green Knight’s Wife by Kat Howard ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Very interesting story, I wasn't familiar with the old tale, until after reading.)
- Can’t Beat ‘Em by Nalo Hopkinson ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (My very deep thoughts about it were: huh?! Extra star for the butch plumber!)
- Seasons of Glass and Iron by Amal El–Mohtar ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Sneaky, terrible and lovely)
- They Love Me Not: How Fictional Villains Saved My Life by Alyssa Wong ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Essay)
- We Have Always Been Here, Motherfucker by Monica Valentinelli ⭐⭐⭐ (Essay)
- Living, Working, and Fangirling with a Chronic Illness by Keidra Chaney ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Essay)
- A Trump Christmas Carol by Roz Kaveney, Laurie Penny, John Scalzi, and Jo Walton (Not my jam, DNF)

[Philip · Rating 4 out of 5]

4ish stars

For being like 3 pages or whatever it is, this story packs a punch and is pretty awesome.

[Mangrii · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brutal. Tres páginas que son como un puñetazo en las entrañas. Lo he leído dos veces para captarlo bien todo , y todavía me parece más potente. 100% recomendable.

[Teleseparatist · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading it was like drinking something spicy and very high in alcohol content. Something that makes you go "WOO-HOO" after you've drunk it.

A great use of first person. I think there have been a couple of stories written in a similar vein to this one (reacting to the preponderance of victimised women as source of stories), some of them quite recently, but it didn't feel repetitive or surplus at all. It felt joyous and ANGRY, and that can be its own brand of fun.

[Alina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review for Seasons of Glass and Iron by Amal El–Mohtar
3.5★

An interesting mix of fairy tales and feminism, packed in a beautiful narration.

You can read the short story HERE.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this is my favorite issue of Uncanny Magazine as a whole. All the pieces have strong social justice themes or center around voices that rarely have a chance to speak in fiction. That's what makes this magazine so special.

I had to read "A Trump Christmas Carol" and "I Want to Write a History of Inequality" on Uncanny's website, as they were not in the issue (I think they were special additions after publication).

On a minor note, my kindle edition was a little frustrating as I could never return to the table of contents. I did like that it tracked my progress on each story. I previously subscribed via kickstarter, and this time subscribed via Amazon. Not sure if that's why there's a difference, but I do wish I could return to the TOC.

FICTION

"Don’t You Worry, You Aliens" by Paul Cornell: A post-apocalyptic story about an elderly librarian. 3.5/5

"Our Talons Can Crush Galaxies" by Brooke Bolander: An excellent flash fiction piece about rapists like Brock Turner. Oh, I want those talons to get to crushing. Also has a great line about stories and whose stories are told. I thought about including it, but you should really just read the story (it's a super fast read): http://uncannymagazine.com/article/ta... 5/5

"Seasons of Glass and Iron" by Amal El–Mohtar: Tabitha must wear out 7 iron shoes to break her husband's curse. Amira must stand at the top of glass mountain with golden apples to offer to the suitors who try to claim her hand in marriage, and wind up broken at the bottom of the mountain. But when Tabitha climbs the glass mountain in her iron shoes, she and Amira find company in their trials, and maybe something more. LOVE THIS! I had the chance to hear Amal read HALF of this last March at a conference, and I was so upset when she didn't finish the rest! 5/5

"Kamanti’s Child" by Jennifer Marie Brissett: 2 groups are at war, and when a pregnant woman escapes her destroyed village, she finds an unlikely ally in a 'hooman' child, her enemy. Really interesting story, I'm looking forward to the interview so I can have a better understanding of the context, though you don't need the context to appreciate the story. 4.5/5

"The Green Knight’s Wife" by Kat Howard: A modern reinterpretation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. 4/5

"White Hart, Black Knight" by Alex Bledsoe: When a mercenary and adviser to the Queen is asked to follow her egotistical nephew on his first quest to make sure he's okay, things quickly go awry. Not everyone is meant for war. Good message. 4/5

"Can’t Beat ‘Em" by Nalo Hopkinson: Sink clogs may not just come from leftover food and hair--it may be a creature. Plumbers need many skills. 4/5

A Trump Christmas Carol by Roz Kaveney, Laurie Penny, John Scalzi, and Jo Walton: A retelling of A Christmas Carol with Trump as Scrooge. 4/5

POETRY

Rose Child by Theodora Goss: Lovely. 5/5

The Long Run by Neil Gaiman: 3/5

Blue Flowers: Fragments by Sofia Samatar: Goes well with Rose Child. 4/5

ESSAYS
All of these are 4/5. Great issues and points.

A Saga of Ink and Tea: Welcome to the Woods by Navah Wolfe

They Love Me Not: How Fictional Villains Saved My Life by Alyssa Wong

We Have Always Been Here, Motherfucker by Monica Valentinelli

Living, Working, and Fangirling with a Chronic Illness by Keidra Chaney

I Want to Write A History of Inequality by Hao Jingfang, translated by Ken Liu

How the Avengers Killed the Justice League by Tansy Rayner Roberts

INTERVIEWS

Interview: Jennifer Marie Brissett by Julia Rios: Didn't clear up some of the context I was curious about, but did add depth to the story. I didn't see the Beloved connection until she discussed it. 4/5

Interview: Alex Bledsoe by Julia Rios: 3/5

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much good short fiction this year. This really hit me. Loved it.

[Scott Murray · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful short piece I read on Uncanny's website. The language was amazing, the anger felt so real I could feel it in my bones. I would read an entire book set in this universe!

[Rachel (Kalanadi) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn't very interested or impressed by most of the stories or essays in this issue. Partially my mood, partially not relevant to my interests.

Favorite stories were "Seasons of Glass and Iron" by Amal El-Mohtar (really, I need to read the whole Starlit Wood anthology if the stories are all like this!) and "Don't You Worry, You Aliens" by Paul Cornell (which I honestly didn't think was very SFF, but I liked the main character).

Also, happily, I really enjoyed one of the poems: "Rose Child" by Theodora Goss.

[Patrick Hurley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of goodies in here. I liked Gaiman's poem titled "The Long Run," but Theodora Goss's poem “Rose Child” was haunting and made me want to take up gardening. Kat Howard's story "The Green Knight’s Wife” is (pardon the pun) cutting, and awesome, but that's not surprising because it's Kat Howard and she's awesome. It sort of parallels the story that precedes it, Alex Bledsoe's “White Hart, Black Knight,” which was also entertaining. Brooke Bolander's “Our Talons Can Crush Galaxies” was angry, fun, and compact--very tight writing. Paul Cornell's “Don’t You Worry, You Aliens” is melancholy and stays with you. Really, an issue chockfull of solid work.

[Silvana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wait, what? Only 3 pages? But the Force is strong with this one, I tell ya. Even better than half the novels I read this year.

Not sure I understand the whole thing but maybe that's the point. Was she a...harpy? Strong start with even stronger ending. Might even be a good urban fantasy series. Hell hath no fury like a (blank) murdered.

[Trish · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting take on what I guess is a family of phoenixes