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The City in the Middle of the Night
If You Take My Meaning
As an ex-smuggler and two-time reluctant revolutionary, Alyssa is used to staring into the razor-sharp jaws of death. But now she's embarking on the most terrifying adventure of her life—journeying into the darkness to become a new type of being, one who can help humanity to survive. And deep at the heart of the city in the middle of the night, the price of transformation could be higher, and more terrible, than Alyssa ever expected.
34 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 11, 2020
About the author
Charlie Jane Anders
165 books4,080 followersMy latest book is Victories Greater Than Death. Coming in August: Never Say You Can't Survive: How to Get Through Hard Times By Making Up Stories.
Previously: All the Birds in the Sky, The City in the Middle of the Night, and a short story collection, Six Months, Three Days, Five Others.
Coming soon: An adult novel, and a short story collection called Even Greater Mistakes.
I used to write for a site called io9.com, and now I write for various places here and there.
I won the Emperor Norton Award, for “extraordinary invention and creativity unhindered by the constraints of paltry reason.” I've also won a Hugo Award, a Nebula Award, a William H. Crawford Award, a Theodore Sturgeon Award, a Locus Award and a Lambda Literary Award.
My stories, essays and journalism have appeared in Wired Magazine, the Boston Review, Conjunctions, Tin House, Slate, MIT Technology Review, the New York Times, the Washington Post, the San Francisco Chronicle, Tor.com, Lightspeed Magazine, McSweeney’s, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine, ZYZZYVA, Strange Horizons, Apex Magazine, Uncanny Magazine, 3 AM Magazine, Flurb.net, Monkey Bicycle, Pindeldyboz, Instant City, Broken Pencil, and in tons and tons of anthologies.
I organize Writers With Drinks, which is a monthly reading series here in San Francisco that mashes up a ton of different genres. I co-host a Hugo Award-winning podcast, Our Opinions Are Correct, with Annalee Newitz.
Back in 2007, Annalee and I put out a book of first-person stories by female geeks called She’s Such a Geek: Women Write About Science, Technology and Other Nerdy Stuff. There was a lot of resistance to doing this book, because nobody believed there was a market for writing about female geeks. Also, Annalee and I put out a print magazine called other, which was about pop culture, politics and general weirdness, aimed at people who don’t fit into other categories. To raise money for other magazine, we put on events like a Ballerina Pie Fight – which is just what it sounds like – and a sexy show in a hair salon where people took off their clothes while getting their hair cut.
I used to live in a Buddhist nunnery, when I was a teenager. I love to do karaoke. I eat way too much spicy food. I hug trees and pat stone lions for luck. I talk to myself way too much when I’m working on a story.
Previously: All the Birds in the Sky, The City in the Middle of the Night, and a short story collection, Six Months, Three Days, Five Others.
Coming soon: An adult novel, and a short story collection called Even Greater Mistakes.
I used to write for a site called io9.com, and now I write for various places here and there.
I won the Emperor Norton Award, for “extraordinary invention and creativity unhindered by the constraints of paltry reason.” I've also won a Hugo Award, a Nebula Award, a William H. Crawford Award, a Theodore Sturgeon Award, a Locus Award and a Lambda Literary Award.
My stories, essays and journalism have appeared in Wired Magazine, the Boston Review, Conjunctions, Tin House, Slate, MIT Technology Review, the New York Times, the Washington Post, the San Francisco Chronicle, Tor.com, Lightspeed Magazine, McSweeney’s, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine, ZYZZYVA, Strange Horizons, Apex Magazine, Uncanny Magazine, 3 AM Magazine, Flurb.net, Monkey Bicycle, Pindeldyboz, Instant City, Broken Pencil, and in tons and tons of anthologies.
I organize Writers With Drinks, which is a monthly reading series here in San Francisco that mashes up a ton of different genres. I co-host a Hugo Award-winning podcast, Our Opinions Are Correct, with Annalee Newitz.
Back in 2007, Annalee and I put out a book of first-person stories by female geeks called She’s Such a Geek: Women Write About Science, Technology and Other Nerdy Stuff. There was a lot of resistance to doing this book, because nobody believed there was a market for writing about female geeks. Also, Annalee and I put out a print magazine called other, which was about pop culture, politics and general weirdness, aimed at people who don’t fit into other categories. To raise money for other magazine, we put on events like a Ballerina Pie Fight – which is just what it sounds like – and a sexy show in a hair salon where people took off their clothes while getting their hair cut.
I used to live in a Buddhist nunnery, when I was a teenager. I love to do karaoke. I eat way too much spicy food. I hug trees and pat stone lions for luck. I talk to myself way too much when I’m working on a story.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
February 19, 2021
The epilogue that never was. Even if I don't remember much from the novel, let alone Alyssa, this story captivated me from the start. There is something about Charlie Jane's prose and choice of words that just gets me, you know. If you enjoyed The City in the Middle of the Night, this is a gem that you should not miss.
April 25, 2020
This novelette isn't going to make any sense without having read The City in the Middle of the Night, but since I recently did, this was the epilogue I wanted the book to have even though I knew it wouldn't fit, and it was perfect. The integration with the Gelet is in progress! People mess up and try to reach for the way to right certain wrongs, which also includes more mistakes! More direct digs at Xiosphanti culture and more subtly at America's worst points! (That line about Xiosphanti believing in repression way more than was healthy or realistic... yes.) So many things are said about culture, understanding, and the importance of community vs the corruption and relative irrelevance of the people in power. And finally we also get some insight into Alyssa's thoughts, as one of my main disappointments had been that by the end of the book I still felt like I didn't understand her at all.
Meanwhile I'm wondering whether what this novelette said about love and is meant to be interpreted as polyamory, a really strong friendship, or neither because who needs to categorize things in structures that are so singularly unhelpful once one has gone through integration? Anyway, I love that for them and love that they have their priorities in order. (What's this kind of arrangement for, if not to sleep in a pile like cats? I approve.)
Meanwhile I'm wondering whether what this novelette said about love and is meant to be interpreted as polyamory, a really strong friendship, or neither because who needs to categorize things in structures that are so singularly unhelpful once one has gone through integration? Anyway, I love that for them and love that they have their priorities in order. (What's this kind of arrangement for, if not to sleep in a pile like cats? I approve.)
February 16, 2020
A short in the same universe as The City in the Middle of the Night - I felt like I was missing a lot having not finished the book, but having started it, I had just enough info to know a whole bunch was missing. I'll reread this after finishing the novel, I think.
August 21, 2020
I'm not entirely sure what to make of this one. It's a genuinely well-written story, and I truly enjoyed it, but it feels more like the opening chapter to a longer piece. Maybe that's intentional, I don't know, but I was definitely left with a desire to learn more about the world and the characters portrayed within, and the ending certainly leaves you thinking there is more to be told. A tentative 4 out of 5 stars.
July 17, 2021
An outtake(?) from "The City in the Middle of the Night." I didn't much like that novel, so (unsurprisingly) I didn't care for this story, which made little or no sense. Not for me!
Story link: https://www.tor.com/2020/02/11/if-you...
Story link: https://www.tor.com/2020/02/11/if-you...
February 25, 2020
A lovely addendum / epilogue to The City in the Middle of the Night. I'm not sure it would make sense if you haven't read the novel, but if you have, go here https://www.tor.com/2020/02/11/if-you... and treat yourself.
August 26, 2020
I wasn’t a fan of the novel so not sure why I read this. Maybe wanting to give it more time, figure out why it didn’t connect. This is fine but more of the same so nothing illuminating for me but if you liked the novel than read this coda with a thought to the future.
August 13, 2024
It was good to have some resolution to The City in the Middle of the Night in this epilogue.
February 22, 2020
If You Take My Meaning is a short story written by Charlie Jane Anders, and is set following the events of The City in the Middle of the Night. So if you’ve found yourself wondering what happened next, this is a short story worth diving into.
This short story can be found on Tor’s website (for the moment – I don’t know how long it’ll be up). You can also order it, if ebooks are more your thing.
Alyssa was a smuggler, once upon a time. Then she had the misfortune of backing the wrong person during a time of conflict. Now? Now she’s just trying to make a new path in life, and hopefully, she’ll find a way to be at peace with her past along the way.
You see, Alyssa is about to undergo a dramatic transformation. Readers of The City in the Middle of the Night know exactly what sort of transformation she’s about to willingly put herself through. But it’ll all be worth it.
If You Take My Meaning was a brilliant read, albeit a short one. I honestly would have happily read a hundred more pages (or more) of Alyssa’s story. But then again, I’ve always been desperate to see more of this world that Charlie Jane Anders has created.
As with most short stories that I fell in love with, I’m struggling with what to say. Not because I don’t have anything to say – but because I don’t want to gush about it too much, and ruin the whole thing.
I will say that I absolutely adored seeing through Alyssa’s perspective. Seeing the aliens, the world, the experience, and how she interpreted it all. It was also fascinating to see how the plot has progressed, and how far they still need to go. How much change still needs to be enacted.
My only regret with If You Take My Meaning is that it’s over. I devoured it in a heartbeat, and now I find myself wanting more. But that’s the sign of an immersive world – and the price. So I’ll take it.
Check out more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
This short story can be found on Tor’s website (for the moment – I don’t know how long it’ll be up). You can also order it, if ebooks are more your thing.
Alyssa was a smuggler, once upon a time. Then she had the misfortune of backing the wrong person during a time of conflict. Now? Now she’s just trying to make a new path in life, and hopefully, she’ll find a way to be at peace with her past along the way.
You see, Alyssa is about to undergo a dramatic transformation. Readers of The City in the Middle of the Night know exactly what sort of transformation she’s about to willingly put herself through. But it’ll all be worth it.
If You Take My Meaning was a brilliant read, albeit a short one. I honestly would have happily read a hundred more pages (or more) of Alyssa’s story. But then again, I’ve always been desperate to see more of this world that Charlie Jane Anders has created.
As with most short stories that I fell in love with, I’m struggling with what to say. Not because I don’t have anything to say – but because I don’t want to gush about it too much, and ruin the whole thing.
I will say that I absolutely adored seeing through Alyssa’s perspective. Seeing the aliens, the world, the experience, and how she interpreted it all. It was also fascinating to see how the plot has progressed, and how far they still need to go. How much change still needs to be enacted.
My only regret with If You Take My Meaning is that it’s over. I devoured it in a heartbeat, and now I find myself wanting more. But that’s the sign of an immersive world – and the price. So I’ll take it.
Check out more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
September 2, 2021
This was the ending that I needed from The City in the Middle of the Night, which I rated 4 stars only because the ending didn't feel like it ended. Granted, I would love a 3rd book to really round out the series. Alas, I think Anders did an amazing job of world building and I suspect these books will sit with me for awhile.
Read
November 6, 2020Turns out this is a sequel to Anders' second novel, which I didn't read because it sounded like a massive downer and thus not at all the thing I like most in her writing. I think I recall reading that this was a deliberate decision on her part, a way to stretch her writing muscles, an urge I can commend without necessarily wishing to go along for the ride. Nor does this make me reconsider my decision: the writing is good, and the set-up recalls Octavia Butler's Xenogenesis with the power dynamic switched, but all this talk about, and reification of, the dilemmas of political organising, and the challenges of radical honesty, and how to atone for the sins of the past...they're all important themes, and I would never want to hobble any artist who feels like they need a change of scene, but purely for myself, I miss when she'd write sweet, whimsical stories about the end of the world.
November 1, 2020
A blastedly good write-up exploring the concept of ascendence and trans-humanity, post-humanity with smarts and grit. Also enriched with touches of queer culture and made much more interesting than your usual sci-fi by having a complex female main character (I know I should stop being grateful for female characters and just take it as a normal fact - because it should be normal - but the world is what it is and therefore it's a delight when I stumble upon a well-written one). I loved it and I look forward to reading more from the author.
March 3, 2020
This novelette is on my list of the Best Short SFF of February 2020: https://1000yearplan.com/2020/03/01/t...
December 27, 2020
This did not resonate for me as a stand-alone work, and I wish it had been more clearly labeled as a sequel.
March 25, 2020
So much to think about and absorb in 34 pages! This is my first book by Charlie Jane Anders, but will not be my last. This is an author who had no trouble writing science fiction - alien worlds, alien culture and history, tentacles, darkness and fear out of which emerged hope and again...in 34 pages. Where have I been all my life that I missed her stories until now? Thanks to Anthony Rapp for posting one of her books on Twitter and introducing me to her works.
October 1, 2021
This gave me a little bit more but still not quite enough to make me feel satisfied with the ending of The City in the Middle of the Night. There is so much more to explore, but Charlie Jane Anders says she has "no plans for a book sequel," I do hope she changes her mind!
April 13, 2020
I read this short story over a few days which is not an ideal way to read a short story but, sadly, I just did not get it. Had I read it in one sitting my view may have been different. A shame as this author has written some excellent novels.
July 14, 2020
Another interesting idea, but I felt as though something was missing here.
July 3, 2023
This is a novelette epilogue to The City in the Middle of the Night and is probably unintelligible if you haven't read that first.
I saw some reviewers saying that this was the epilogue the book needed and really felt like it brought more closure to the book. I disagree. It was refreshing to have a different POV character after inhabiting the heads of two particularly angsty ones for most of TCitMotN but I feel almost everything that happens was predictable from the end of the book since this takes place only a few days later. The most interesting part is character development for a secondary character.
The part I found the funniest in a meta sense is the narrator of the novelette thinks about how one of the lingering plot threads from the novel remains unresolved () and then basically thinks "oh well"
I saw some reviewers saying that this was the epilogue the book needed and really felt like it brought more closure to the book. I disagree. It was refreshing to have a different POV character after inhabiting the heads of two particularly angsty ones for most of TCitMotN but I feel almost everything that happens was predictable from the end of the book since this takes place only a few days later. The most interesting part is character development for a secondary character.
The part I found the funniest in a meta sense is the narrator of the novelette thinks about how one of the lingering plot threads from the novel remains unresolved () and then basically thinks "oh well"
April 24, 2026
Not bad.
This short story is a continuation of the events in the novel The City in the Middle of the Night, which I just read. I would’ve given that book an extra star, at least, if this had been added to the end of that book. It wasn’t. It was published as a separate short story that I had to pay extra to get access to. I remain deeply annoyed about that.
This isn’t the perfect way to conclude the story in the novel, but it is an improvement on the ridiculously abrupt way that the book ended.
In my opinion, there’s a whole lot more that could be explored in this world, but the author appears to have lost interest in it as she moves on to other projects. That’s a damn shame.
I would have been interested to see a full resolution of the tensions in the novel, but I guess I’ll settle for this.
This short story is a continuation of the events in the novel The City in the Middle of the Night, which I just read. I would’ve given that book an extra star, at least, if this had been added to the end of that book. It wasn’t. It was published as a separate short story that I had to pay extra to get access to. I remain deeply annoyed about that.
This isn’t the perfect way to conclude the story in the novel, but it is an improvement on the ridiculously abrupt way that the book ended.
In my opinion, there’s a whole lot more that could be explored in this world, but the author appears to have lost interest in it as she moves on to other projects. That’s a damn shame.
I would have been interested to see a full resolution of the tensions in the novel, but I guess I’ll settle for this.
January 28, 2022
I read this story and only after I was finished did I realize that it was in fact a sequel to The City In the Middle of the Night. That helped some. Sophie has gone further down her road of transformation, taking on a sensory organ from the night-dwelling Gelet. Her revolutionary friend Alyssa is considering the same path. Alyssa is a hard soul and we get to see more of her here. The focus is more completely on the Gelet, and as it goes on we see more of their relationship with humanity. There are also indications that the series is open for continuation, so you'll want to read this if you want to be ready for more about the Gelet.
October 28, 2020
Read this immediately after finishing The City In The Middle of the Night. A satisfying vignette for those wondering what Alyssa and Jeremy's transformations were like. I appreciate the author adding that the Gelet were anxious about the hybrids potentially replacing them, as it's something I was wondering about at the end of the book. I like Jeremy's evolution from stubborn, narrowly focused resistance leader to the go-between for the two cultures. I would love to read more stories set in this world and timeline, though I'm also happy with what we got.
November 15, 2020
Why would someone want to undergo a process which turns them into a hybrid of their own race and an alien one? What would the experience of transformation be like, and how would it feel afterward? These are the questions asked and answered by this short story.
The vignette stands alone, but it's also clear that it's part of an already-developed world. If you like it, you may, like me, want to seek out the larger book: The City in the Middle of the Night. I haven't read it yet, but I expect it to be good.
The vignette stands alone, but it's also clear that it's part of an already-developed world. If you like it, you may, like me, want to seek out the larger book: The City in the Middle of the Night. I haven't read it yet, but I expect it to be good.
March 9, 2021
So Much in a Short story
Charlie Jane Anders proves that the problems that plague society and culture and humanity are timeless and boundless. Politics, activism, relationship dynamics, loss of hope, pain, oppression, employment, environmentalism, racism, homophobia, and more are present wherever you are, whoever you are, whenever you are. She even introduces engineered evolution. Having won most science fiction awards she is an expert at creating a detailed world as the backdrop in which 'people' live in a short story of only 33 pages.
Charlie Jane Anders proves that the problems that plague society and culture and humanity are timeless and boundless. Politics, activism, relationship dynamics, loss of hope, pain, oppression, employment, environmentalism, racism, homophobia, and more are present wherever you are, whoever you are, whenever you are. She even introduces engineered evolution. Having won most science fiction awards she is an expert at creating a detailed world as the backdrop in which 'people' live in a short story of only 33 pages.
December 18, 2020
A good follow-up to TCITMOTN, honestly this probably would’ve been better suited as a sort of epilogue at the end of the novel proper. Regardless, it is emotionally heavy and offers a closer look at some characters that we’ve only seen from the outside before, and again sets up a future I hope to see more of. At least having read this, there’s some sense of closure from the abrupt end of the book (another reason I think it probably should’ve been an epilogue).
August 5, 2020
This short story is set after the events of Charlie Jane Ander’s novel “The City in the Middle of the Night” and it features the main characters of the novel. It is a semi-hopeful tale that addresses what suddenly having alien senses might be like for a person. It sets forth a possible course of action for the future.
February 14, 2020
A story exploring alien communication and socio-political revolution. Very interesting worldbuilding a la Octavia Butler's Xenogenesis, but we only see a slim slice of it. This does not feel like a full story on its own.
February 29, 2020
The City in the Middle of the Night was one of my favorite SF reads in 2019, so this was a very welcome return to and reminder of that world. Absolutely read the novel first as significant bits will be spoiled by reading this short work.
March 9, 2020
From reading the reviews, I see that it is part of a universe, but it does not seem to stand well on its own. Interesting premise, but there is too much that needs to be built on or feels unfinished. I think I do want to read the book it is paired with, though after reading this!
April 19, 2020
I haven't read City In The Middle Of The Night and this still worked very well for me. Sparked my desire to pick up that book, actually---I don't like post-apocalyptic settings as a rule, but post-apocalyptic activism and hope sounds perfect.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews