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Capricious: The Gender Diverse Pronouns Issue
“It was odd, being friends with one of the fae. Pronoun sets were the least of it, of course; Jeb even had human friends who rotated theirs, though not with the seasons, not as spring bloomed into summer mellowed into autumn crept slowly into winter’s sleep. This thing, the plants Jeb grew having odd properties and growing too fast, that had never happened before ey met Nederene. No one else seemed able to find the garden, either.”
– Rem Wigmore, Grow Green
These ten stories (all of which use gender diverse pronouns) are stories of love, fear, transformation, and the journeys we must sometimes take. Stories of those whose gender changes, whose gender is undecided, whose gender does not exist, or whose gender is pivotal to their self. Stories set in our own world, in far-away galaxies, or in worlds of fairy tale and myth, and stories which introduce us to ghosts, merfolk, dragons, and aliens, to strangers, to communities, and to ourselves.
– Rem Wigmore, Grow Green
These ten stories (all of which use gender diverse pronouns) are stories of love, fear, transformation, and the journeys we must sometimes take. Stories of those whose gender changes, whose gender is undecided, whose gender does not exist, or whose gender is pivotal to their self. Stories set in our own world, in far-away galaxies, or in worlds of fairy tale and myth, and stories which introduce us to ghosts, merfolk, dragons, and aliens, to strangers, to communities, and to ourselves.
244 pages, Paperback
First published January 18, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
January 29, 2018
I see a lot of people looking for nonbinary rep in SFF, and I sincerely hope that this anthology gets sufficiently signal boosted that a significant number of them see that it exists. Because it's quality. Several of the stories are good enough and satisfying enough that I'd say they're worth the cover price all by themselves. And a good portion of them are "cozies", i.e. my favorite kind of SFF, where the focus is on character interaction rather than battle scenes or escaping from aliens.
I am absolutely committed to clear and coherent worldbuilding that immediately makes me invested as a reader, and this anthology is super good about fitting through that gate. Several of them actually used the worldbuilding itself as the medium to discuss gender or other related issues, such as one of my favorites, "Sandals Full of Rainwater" by AE Prevost. The main character left their homeland and came to a new city to find work, and is having a hard time remembering when to use which pronouns with the residents there because they come from a society without gender. Their difficulty managing this alien function of their second language reminds me of an English speaker's struggling to learn how gendering works in a gendered language like Spanish or German or Hebrew.
It's quickly revealed, however, that the setup is far more complicated than my initially assumed "what if someone from a society without gender came to my society?" In fact, the rainy city to which they've moved has a complex, shifting system of genders that involves both parties in an interaction. It's a wonderfully creative exploration of what gender is and what it could also be, woven into a sympathetic tale of migrant workers from different lands coming together to form a family. (Plus, it has succulents!)
Like many of the stories in the issue, it's written on a very intimate scale, with most of the interactions taking place between two or three people who are often related. Another story like this is Bogi Takács's "Volatile Patterns", in which a couple, both nonbinary, travel to another planet to solve a mystery involving labor unrest in the local textile industry.
The twist explanation for the riots actually shocked me as I read, and it's going to be hard to discuss the story without spoiling it. But I can say that it was inspired by the author's reaction to real-life cultural appropriation, and that we are of the same ethnic background, and that I felt everything the story was saying so deeply even before I got to the author interview that discussed the initial inspiration. It's a clever little mystery but one with the depth of an important message.
I also really enjoyed the teen ghost story "Glitter and Leaf Litter" by Rae White, although I do have to triggerwarn for a trans suicide in the past. However, the story, which has three nonbinary leads and one supporting cis character, is all about making up for the past and giving the character a happy ending anyway. In some ways, this story follows in the footsteps of other classic "teens explore a haunted house" YA lit, but this time the teens are nonbinary and in a queerplatonic relationship, the setting is Australia, and the focus is total trans and nonbinary affirmation.
Also, I have to give this story because one of the teenagers calls out the cis character for arguing with pronouns...and she's a ghost. Yes, someone calls out a ghost. I live for this shit :P
Another one of the anthology's finest is "Walking the Wall of Papered Peaces" by Penny Stirling. It's a gut-wrenching romance/magical realism about an asexual woman and the nonbinary, allosexual fiancx she's decided she can't marry until she finds her peace, in this case represented by a literal tangible object hidden far off in isolation. It has a happy ending--sorry if that's a spoiler--as well as gorgeous and in some cases surreal prose. This is a story that focuses on ace identity and respecting an ace partner, and I'm definitely not the most qualified person to comment on it but it seemed very good to me, in an aching kind of way (I mean you are right there for a lot of the two characters' emotional pain before everything is resolved, and it jumps off the page and feels very real. It was very very beautiful but I'm not sure I could bear to reread it.)
The anthology abounds with other creative explorations of gender in magical or speculative settings. For example, "Incubus" by Hazel Gold is set on a spaceship and stars a tech who seems to need some reminding not to impose a specific gender on the ship's personality even though they, too, are nonbinary. Maybe the theme of this is that even those of us inside a group need a little help in the right direction sometimes.
And "Grow Green by Ren Wigmore is a fragment of magical realism, a conversation between a fae and a human, as the human gardens. It had really neat worldbuilding including the fae's pronouns changing in accordance with the season (the human is also nonbinary.) It left some threads unwoven in the human's life and I know it's just preference but I would have liked to see them resolved. But this is the way Wigmore wanted it.
"Phaser" is a great spiel against the idea that only fixed identities deserve respect, but there are bits I found personally distressing - warning for homophobic mom at the beginning, and it may give you pause if you have trouble with stories that depict past you and present you and future you being able to converse. (This is probably such a specific personal issue that I don't expect anyone to need this second warning, but, hey, nobody is paying me to write these reviews so you get what you get.)
And of course, as I'm sure some of you are hoping it would, the anthology includes some stories where nonbinary characters just plain old adventure, the way binary and overwhelmingly binary cis characters have been allowed to do in mainstream lit for ages. For example, there's a variation on The Little Mermaid called "Island, Ocean" by Lauren Mitchell that's haunting in a way that only a lighthouse setting can bestow.
Also in this category is "The Thing With Feathers", which starts with tragedy; the transmasc nonbinary lead has lost the woman ze was going to marry, to a dragon sacrifice. But the straightforward hero's journey of going after the dragon turns into something else, something more spiritual and the-earth-is-all-connected-y. This typical sort of "hero's saga" almost seems reminiscent of oral tradition legends, it's just that this time it happens to star a trans person. Please bear in mind trigger warnings for this one related to the dead fianceé.
I can't leave out the batshit narrative style of the first story, "Ad Astra Per Aspera" by Nino Cipri, in which the protagonist's gender has gone missing "in Kansas." That reeled me in right away, with constant asides to the fourth wall, lots of meta, and deep truth amidst all the smirks. Well done, and a good way to start the issue.
I'm so glad a collection like this exists. One of the values of an anthology, especially when answering an underrepresented group's needs, is that there are several chances to make readers happy. I hope you find a few of yours among them, and maybe some new authors to check out more of their works as well!
I am absolutely committed to clear and coherent worldbuilding that immediately makes me invested as a reader, and this anthology is super good about fitting through that gate. Several of them actually used the worldbuilding itself as the medium to discuss gender or other related issues, such as one of my favorites, "Sandals Full of Rainwater" by AE Prevost. The main character left their homeland and came to a new city to find work, and is having a hard time remembering when to use which pronouns with the residents there because they come from a society without gender. Their difficulty managing this alien function of their second language reminds me of an English speaker's struggling to learn how gendering works in a gendered language like Spanish or German or Hebrew.
It's quickly revealed, however, that the setup is far more complicated than my initially assumed "what if someone from a society without gender came to my society?" In fact, the rainy city to which they've moved has a complex, shifting system of genders that involves both parties in an interaction. It's a wonderfully creative exploration of what gender is and what it could also be, woven into a sympathetic tale of migrant workers from different lands coming together to form a family. (Plus, it has succulents!)
Like many of the stories in the issue, it's written on a very intimate scale, with most of the interactions taking place between two or three people who are often related. Another story like this is Bogi Takács's "Volatile Patterns", in which a couple, both nonbinary, travel to another planet to solve a mystery involving labor unrest in the local textile industry.
The twist explanation for the riots actually shocked me as I read, and it's going to be hard to discuss the story without spoiling it. But I can say that it was inspired by the author's reaction to real-life cultural appropriation, and that we are of the same ethnic background, and that I felt everything the story was saying so deeply even before I got to the author interview that discussed the initial inspiration. It's a clever little mystery but one with the depth of an important message.
I also really enjoyed the teen ghost story "Glitter and Leaf Litter" by Rae White, although I do have to triggerwarn for a trans suicide in the past. However, the story, which has three nonbinary leads and one supporting cis character, is all about making up for the past and giving the character a happy ending anyway. In some ways, this story follows in the footsteps of other classic "teens explore a haunted house" YA lit, but this time the teens are nonbinary and in a queerplatonic relationship, the setting is Australia, and the focus is total trans and nonbinary affirmation.
Also, I have to give this story because one of the teenagers calls out the cis character for arguing with pronouns...and she's a ghost. Yes, someone calls out a ghost. I live for this shit :P
Another one of the anthology's finest is "Walking the Wall of Papered Peaces" by Penny Stirling. It's a gut-wrenching romance/magical realism about an asexual woman and the nonbinary, allosexual fiancx she's decided she can't marry until she finds her peace, in this case represented by a literal tangible object hidden far off in isolation. It has a happy ending--sorry if that's a spoiler--as well as gorgeous and in some cases surreal prose. This is a story that focuses on ace identity and respecting an ace partner, and I'm definitely not the most qualified person to comment on it but it seemed very good to me, in an aching kind of way (I mean you are right there for a lot of the two characters' emotional pain before everything is resolved, and it jumps off the page and feels very real. It was very very beautiful but I'm not sure I could bear to reread it.)
The anthology abounds with other creative explorations of gender in magical or speculative settings. For example, "Incubus" by Hazel Gold is set on a spaceship and stars a tech who seems to need some reminding not to impose a specific gender on the ship's personality even though they, too, are nonbinary. Maybe the theme of this is that even those of us inside a group need a little help in the right direction sometimes.
And "Grow Green by Ren Wigmore is a fragment of magical realism, a conversation between a fae and a human, as the human gardens. It had really neat worldbuilding including the fae's pronouns changing in accordance with the season (the human is also nonbinary.) It left some threads unwoven in the human's life and I know it's just preference but I would have liked to see them resolved. But this is the way Wigmore wanted it.
"Phaser" is a great spiel against the idea that only fixed identities deserve respect, but there are bits I found personally distressing - warning for homophobic mom at the beginning, and it may give you pause if you have trouble with stories that depict past you and present you and future you being able to converse. (This is probably such a specific personal issue that I don't expect anyone to need this second warning, but, hey, nobody is paying me to write these reviews so you get what you get.)
And of course, as I'm sure some of you are hoping it would, the anthology includes some stories where nonbinary characters just plain old adventure, the way binary and overwhelmingly binary cis characters have been allowed to do in mainstream lit for ages. For example, there's a variation on The Little Mermaid called "Island, Ocean" by Lauren Mitchell that's haunting in a way that only a lighthouse setting can bestow.
Also in this category is "The Thing With Feathers", which starts with tragedy; the transmasc nonbinary lead has lost the woman ze was going to marry, to a dragon sacrifice. But the straightforward hero's journey of going after the dragon turns into something else, something more spiritual and the-earth-is-all-connected-y. This typical sort of "hero's saga" almost seems reminiscent of oral tradition legends, it's just that this time it happens to star a trans person. Please bear in mind trigger warnings for this one related to the dead fianceé.
I can't leave out the batshit narrative style of the first story, "Ad Astra Per Aspera" by Nino Cipri, in which the protagonist's gender has gone missing "in Kansas." That reeled me in right away, with constant asides to the fourth wall, lots of meta, and deep truth amidst all the smirks. Well done, and a good way to start the issue.
I'm so glad a collection like this exists. One of the values of an anthology, especially when answering an underrepresented group's needs, is that there are several chances to make readers happy. I hope you find a few of yours among them, and maybe some new authors to check out more of their works as well!
Read
May 6, 2018No review for two reasons: 1. I have a story in this book 2. All these stories are eligible for reprinting in Transcendent, so it's somewhat of a conflict of interest... or a spoiler, if you will!
But I enjoyed the book and recommend it :)
Source of the book: Print contributor copy
But I enjoyed the book and recommend it :)
Source of the book: Print contributor copy
February 5, 2018
Here's my totally unbiased (actually biased) review of every story, as live-blogged to my twitter:
The Editorial by A.C. Buchanan
15 pronouns/10 genders
Ad Astra Per Aspera by Nino Cipri
15 lost genders/10 hard-hitting parenthetical asides
Volatile Patterns by Bogi Takács
15 space adventures/10 exploding culturally appropriative garment factories
Island, Ocean by Lauren E. Mitchell
15 beautiful lighthouse floors/10 merfolk beards
Sandals Full of Rainwater by A.E. Prevost
15 meaningful succulents/10 grammatical gender cases
(then there's some other story after that that I'll skip for reviewing but some nice people have said nice things which is nice of them)
Grow Green by Rem Wigmore
15 magic flowers/10 faery pronouns
Walking the Wall of Papered Peaces by Penny Stirling
15 origami peaces/10 engagements
Incubus by Hazel Gold
15 sassy ships/10 uteri
The Thing with Feathers by SL Byrne
15 dragon eggs/10 sentient mountains
Glitter and Leaf Litter by Rae White
15 glitter wrists/10 haunted mansions
The Editorial by A.C. Buchanan
15 pronouns/10 genders
Ad Astra Per Aspera by Nino Cipri
15 lost genders/10 hard-hitting parenthetical asides
Volatile Patterns by Bogi Takács
15 space adventures/10 exploding culturally appropriative garment factories
Island, Ocean by Lauren E. Mitchell
15 beautiful lighthouse floors/10 merfolk beards
Sandals Full of Rainwater by A.E. Prevost
15 meaningful succulents/10 grammatical gender cases
(then there's some other story after that that I'll skip for reviewing but some nice people have said nice things which is nice of them)
Grow Green by Rem Wigmore
15 magic flowers/10 faery pronouns
Walking the Wall of Papered Peaces by Penny Stirling
15 origami peaces/10 engagements
Incubus by Hazel Gold
15 sassy ships/10 uteri
The Thing with Feathers by SL Byrne
15 dragon eggs/10 sentient mountains
Glitter and Leaf Litter by Rae White
15 glitter wrists/10 haunted mansions
February 9, 2023
Just read a couple of stories and loved the complexity of gender expression.
November 7, 2021
This book is so good! In addition to the enjoyment of reading stories with diverse pronouns, I also really appreciated the themes that the various stories explored.
Many of the stories explored serious themes with a hopeful or positive message, and also focused on characters’ relationships and development - a combination of my favorite things to read.
Many of the stories explored serious themes with a hopeful or positive message, and also focused on characters’ relationships and development - a combination of my favorite things to read.
February 10, 2021
Sparked joy
Many of the stories sparked joy as I read. Loved they different ways pronouns were used. The stories were vary different from each other. Only a couple I didn’t fully enjoy.
Many of the stories sparked joy as I read. Loved they different ways pronouns were used. The stories were vary different from each other. Only a couple I didn’t fully enjoy.
Read
June 23, 2018Also for a TCG article. Especially enjoyed "Volatile Patterns."
September 13, 2018
Some stories appealed to me more than others, but each had something new to offer. My challenge to anyone reading this: hand the first story ("Ad Astra Per Aspera" by Nino Cipri) to someone who hasn't thought much about gender. (I did. It was well received and started an interesting discussion.)
June 11, 2020
Putting on this particular reading list because there are some queer protagonists in these stories who identify as female. It is an anthology of wonderfully well-written nonbinary, genderqueer and transgender stories, however, about protagonists who live in worlds of shifting gender, multiple pronouns and orientations, as much as it is about characters who deal with the Fae and dragons and sentient spaceships. My favorite story in the book was "Sandals Full of Rainwater" by A.E. Prevost about a group of climate refugees from different cultures who find themselves in a new city and form a chosen family, but I enjoyed them all in different ways. As a cisgendered reader, I can certainly see how these stories would be like coming home to fantasy fiction that gets who you are. Highly recommended!
June 12, 2020
I was a little disappointed when I first picked this up, because I had thought it was going to be a collection of essays about gender diverse pronouns (which is something I've been searching for desperately and can't seem to find.) That being said, there was probably a lot more entertainment value in a collection of short stories. Reading through them made my week more enjoyable and there was still plenty to learn.
There were a couple selections that were a little more "tell" than "show" but overall I did really enjoy the individual stories. "Sandals Full of Rainwater" was one that spoke to me especially, as an amateur linguist.
If you're looking for something to read for Pride Month, this would be among my picks for sure. I actually picked it up in Story Bundles Pride2020 Bundle.
There were a couple selections that were a little more "tell" than "show" but overall I did really enjoy the individual stories. "Sandals Full of Rainwater" was one that spoke to me especially, as an amateur linguist.
If you're looking for something to read for Pride Month, this would be among my picks for sure. I actually picked it up in Story Bundles Pride2020 Bundle.
June 18, 2018
I loved this collection so much and have been eking out the stories, i'm rather sad to find them all over and shall have to read them all again. they are wonderful, delicious morsels
September 12, 2018
Amazing collection of stories.
Ad Astra per Aspera by Nino Cipri - 4/5 stars.
Volatile Patterns by Bogi Takács - 4/5 stars.
Island, Ocean by Lauren E. Mitchell - 4/5 stars.
Sandals Full of Rainwater by A. E. Provost - 5/5 stars.
Phaser by Cameron Van Sant - 4/5 stars.
Grow Green by Rem Wigmore - 5/5 stars.
Walking the Wall of Papered Peaces by Penny Stirling - 5/5 stars.
Incubus by Hazel Gold - 5/5 stars.
The Thing With Feathers by SL Byrne - 5/5 stars.
Glitter and Leaf Litter by Rae White - 4/5 stars.
Ad Astra per Aspera by Nino Cipri - 4/5 stars.
Volatile Patterns by Bogi Takács - 4/5 stars.
Island, Ocean by Lauren E. Mitchell - 4/5 stars.
Sandals Full of Rainwater by A. E. Provost - 5/5 stars.
Phaser by Cameron Van Sant - 4/5 stars.
Grow Green by Rem Wigmore - 5/5 stars.
Walking the Wall of Papered Peaces by Penny Stirling - 5/5 stars.
Incubus by Hazel Gold - 5/5 stars.
The Thing With Feathers by SL Byrne - 5/5 stars.
Glitter and Leaf Litter by Rae White - 4/5 stars.
October 12, 2020
This is a short story anthology in which all stories feature a major character who uses gender neutral pronouns, including singular they but also several different others like ze/hir, per/pers, e/eir etc. Some of the stories have pronouns/gender as a topic (like “Sandals full of Rainwater” by AE Prevost where a person from a culture that doesn’t have gender moves to a culture that has three genders and pronouns that change depending on both the speaker’s and the other person’s gender, or “Ad Astra Per Aspera" by Nino Cipri, in which the protagonist is pretty sure their gender “left me for someone else”.) while others are typical SFF short stories which just happen to have a nonbinary protagonist.
A few of the stories are really fantastic, but all of them are worth reading.
A few of the stories are really fantastic, but all of them are worth reading.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews