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Consolation Songs: Optimistic Speculative Fiction For A Time of Pandemic
“For a while, we just slept and ate and told stories..." A radio broadcast unites a scattered people; lockdown throws human and fey reluctantly together; a miner floats alone in the asteroid belt; a living ship rides out a storm. In difficult times, stories sustain us. These twelve tales of selkies, hockey players, retired systems engineers, monsters, copyeditors and changelings are connected by a thread of optimism, and of that we, too, will ride out this storm. This anthology features contributions by Aliette de Bodard, Stephanie Burgis, Iona Datt Sharma, Jeannelle M. Ferreira, Rebecca Fraimow, Marissa Lingen, Freya Marske, Lizbeth Myles, Katie Rathfelder, Tansy Rayner Roberts, Adrian Tchaikovsky and Llinos Cathryn Thomas. All proceeds will be donated to the COVID-19 appeal being run by the UCLH Charity, the charity supporting the University College London Hospitals NHS Trust.
204 pages, Paperback
First published June 30, 2020
21 people are currently reading
496 people want to read
About the author
Iona Datt Sharma
12 books175 followersI'm Iona, I write science fiction and fantasy and contemporary romance. My last romance, Blood Sweat Glitter, came out on 1 December 2024 and a new collection of SFF short stories, You Are Here, comes out on 1 January 2025.
My surname is "Datt Sharma", two words, but books listed on Goodreads under "Iona Sharma" are also me.
My surname is "Datt Sharma", two words, but books listed on Goodreads under "Iona Sharma" are also me.
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October 29, 2020What a lovely idea: a collection of sff stories with hope. Hope of survival, of things getting better, of people finding one another, of putting things right on a small or big scale.
Very high quality, with only a couple of stories that didn't land for me, and the Adrian Tchaikovsky made me cry in much the same way as the last shot of Grave of the Fireflies does. I really needed this.
Very high quality, with only a couple of stories that didn't land for me, and the Adrian Tchaikovsky made me cry in much the same way as the last shot of Grave of the Fireflies does. I really needed this.
Currently reading
July 13, 2020Hooray! I'm so happy to be part of this fabulous anthology of optimistic f/sf stories (raising money for a fantastic cause). My short story, "Love, Your Flatmate," is a frothy, light-hearted fantasy rom-com about a harried young London editor, Emmeline Heatherton, and a haughty fey composer, Maximiliana Morgana, who are stuck together in a small flat during the lockdown to their mutual horror ... only to discover that they have far more in common than they'd realized! ;)
And the other authors in the line-up are AMAZING, including so many of my favorites! I am diving into my copy today with so much happiness.
***
And! Following my usual anthology strategy, I'm going to just update this review every time I read another story I want to talk about. In this case, I'm going to stick to just a few of my favorites for time's sake - but I loved Llinos Cathryn Thomas's story "Storm Story" SO much. As the opening story to this anthology, it delivered 100% on the promise of the book. It's a life-and-death fantasy situation told in the most gentle and matter-of-fact way possible, and it's utterly immersive and SO lovely, warm, and hopeful by the end!
Katie Rathfelder's "Seaview on Mars" is the story of an elderly couple going with their children to look at a retirement home in the colony that they helped to found many decades ago, and at the end of the story, I let out an audible "Ohhhh" of bittersweet pleasure because the story was so beautiful, kind, and moving. Again, I loved it.
At the end of a really bad day, I read Rebecca Fraimow's "This is New Gehesran Calling," and it was beautiful and funny, kind and hopeful, it created a whole breathing world I'd love to spend more time in, and it made me feel so much better as I read it. It was JUST what I needed tonight.
And I'm sure I'll be back with more story notes as I read more of the book! :) (So far, every story in it has made me really happy to be in this company! There hasn't been a single one I didn't like.)
And the other authors in the line-up are AMAZING, including so many of my favorites! I am diving into my copy today with so much happiness.
***
And! Following my usual anthology strategy, I'm going to just update this review every time I read another story I want to talk about. In this case, I'm going to stick to just a few of my favorites for time's sake - but I loved Llinos Cathryn Thomas's story "Storm Story" SO much. As the opening story to this anthology, it delivered 100% on the promise of the book. It's a life-and-death fantasy situation told in the most gentle and matter-of-fact way possible, and it's utterly immersive and SO lovely, warm, and hopeful by the end!
Katie Rathfelder's "Seaview on Mars" is the story of an elderly couple going with their children to look at a retirement home in the colony that they helped to found many decades ago, and at the end of the story, I let out an audible "Ohhhh" of bittersweet pleasure because the story was so beautiful, kind, and moving. Again, I loved it.
At the end of a really bad day, I read Rebecca Fraimow's "This is New Gehesran Calling," and it was beautiful and funny, kind and hopeful, it created a whole breathing world I'd love to spend more time in, and it made me feel so much better as I read it. It was JUST what I needed tonight.
And I'm sure I'll be back with more story notes as I read more of the book! :) (So far, every story in it has made me really happy to be in this company! There hasn't been a single one I didn't like.)
Read
July 14, 2020Storm Story, by Llinos Cathryn Thomas:
Absolutely joyous, story of making it through a horrific storm, prototypical optimistic SF.
Girls who Read Austen, by Tansy Rayner Roberts:
I love everything Tansy Rayner Roberts writes, and this school story (of a saga of horrible roommates) is no different— it's funny and ends delightfully upbeat.
Upside the Head, by Marissa Lingen:
The story itself is only slightly optimistic, but the PREMISE (of an ability to regrow the amygdala after head trauma) is so exciting I caught myself doing the opposite of catastrophizing, just spiralling through positive futures, after I read it.
Bethany, Bethany, by Lizbeth Myles:
Changelings, what makes sisterhood, and loyalty.
CW: for child death at the beginning.
Seaview on Mars, by Katie Rathfelder:
Gentle, quiet story about moving into a retirement community, and about what makes a life well-lived.
A Hundred and Seventy Storms, by Aliette de Bodard:
Oof. Definitely kicking off a stretch of stories that are less optimistic in the "cheery tale" way and more optimistic in the "I refuse to go down and give up and you can't make me" way. A mind-ship survives a harrowing.
Low Energy Economy, by Adrian Tchaikovsky:
Claustrophobic little story about someone who's given up his whole life in the hope that it'll make things better for others, and who is semi-convinced that it was for nothing, for him at least, and the ending hits like a RELIEF, let me tell you.
Four, by Freya Marske:
A pair of friends inherit a house on a fractured street in a broken world.
St Anselm-by-the-Riverside, by Iona Datt Sharma:
Okay so people waking up from a coma is a cliche of hope, but that doesn't mean it isn't really freaking effective. Also this is a super cute romance and I ship it (and part of me is sulky that we got the Global Warming bad future instead of this one, where everything Chilled and people skate everywhere?)
This Is New Gehesran Calling, by Rebecca Fraimow:
WELL NOW I HAVE ALL THESE FEELINGS ABOUT A RADIO SHOW I AM PART OF THE FANDOM FOR AND AHHH. Delightful, joyful story about isolation, diaspora, and no-budget radio stations.
Of A Female Stranger, by Jeannelle M. Ferreira:
It's a selkie story!
Love, Your Flatmate, by Stephanie Burgis:
It's epistolatory, it's a tiny enemies-to-lovers romance, it's SO CUTE— I loved it.
Overall the anthology was a great buy and great to read (i'm really tempted to have another anthology on the go on my phone so I can read it in small downtime moments), and I had an excellent time. I think my favourites stories were Storm Story, This Is New Gehesran Calling, and Love, Your Flatmate, they were pure joy.
Absolutely joyous, story of making it through a horrific storm, prototypical optimistic SF.
Girls who Read Austen, by Tansy Rayner Roberts:
I love everything Tansy Rayner Roberts writes, and this school story (of a saga of horrible roommates) is no different— it's funny and ends delightfully upbeat.
Upside the Head, by Marissa Lingen:
The story itself is only slightly optimistic, but the PREMISE (of an ability to regrow the amygdala after head trauma) is so exciting I caught myself doing the opposite of catastrophizing, just spiralling through positive futures, after I read it.
Bethany, Bethany, by Lizbeth Myles:
Changelings, what makes sisterhood, and loyalty.
CW: for child death at the beginning.
Seaview on Mars, by Katie Rathfelder:
Gentle, quiet story about moving into a retirement community, and about what makes a life well-lived.
A Hundred and Seventy Storms, by Aliette de Bodard:
Oof. Definitely kicking off a stretch of stories that are less optimistic in the "cheery tale" way and more optimistic in the "I refuse to go down and give up and you can't make me" way. A mind-ship survives a harrowing.
Low Energy Economy, by Adrian Tchaikovsky:
Claustrophobic little story about someone who's given up his whole life in the hope that it'll make things better for others, and who is semi-convinced that it was for nothing, for him at least, and the ending hits like a RELIEF, let me tell you.
Four, by Freya Marske:
A pair of friends inherit a house on a fractured street in a broken world.
St Anselm-by-the-Riverside, by Iona Datt Sharma:
Okay so people waking up from a coma is a cliche of hope, but that doesn't mean it isn't really freaking effective. Also this is a super cute romance and I ship it (and part of me is sulky that we got the Global Warming bad future instead of this one, where everything Chilled and people skate everywhere?)
This Is New Gehesran Calling, by Rebecca Fraimow:
WELL NOW I HAVE ALL THESE FEELINGS ABOUT A RADIO SHOW I AM PART OF THE FANDOM FOR AND AHHH. Delightful, joyful story about isolation, diaspora, and no-budget radio stations.
Of A Female Stranger, by Jeannelle M. Ferreira:
It's a selkie story!
Love, Your Flatmate, by Stephanie Burgis:
It's epistolatory, it's a tiny enemies-to-lovers romance, it's SO CUTE— I loved it.
Overall the anthology was a great buy and great to read (i'm really tempted to have another anthology on the go on my phone so I can read it in small downtime moments), and I had an excellent time. I think my favourites stories were Storm Story, This Is New Gehesran Calling, and Love, Your Flatmate, they were pure joy.
August 19, 2020
Overall I'd say this was an okay collection, although there weren't any stories that I really loved. I thought several of the stories were good or interesting but didn't find any of them to be great.
August 13, 2020
I wrote mini-impressions for each story as I read it, so if you go to those you can see my specific reactions to each story, but overall the collection is excellent; I highly recommend it. There's not a bad story in it; even the ones that didn't grab my fancy are well-written, and looking around at other reviews I'd say that all the stories get love from *someone*, which is a good sign.
My personal favorite was “This Is New Gehesran Calling,” but I enjoyed most of the others immensely too.
My personal favorite was “This Is New Gehesran Calling,” but I enjoyed most of the others immensely too.
July 24, 2020
this was a balm to my extremely tired and wounded soul
August 5, 2020
Consolation Songs is billed as an anthology of optimistic speculative fiction for a time of pandemic. It's being sold in aid of the University College London Hospitals charity and features stories from two of my favourite comfort-reading authors (Tansy Rayner Roberts and Stephanie Burgis), two of my favourite podcasters (Lizbeth Myles of Verity!* and Freya Marske of Be The Serpent) and several other authors whose work I've read and enjoyed (Aliette de Bodard, Adrian Tchaikovsky and Iona Datt Sharma, who also edited the anthology), and given that optimistic fiction is definitely what I want to read right now I preordered it and started it fairly soon after it arrived on my kindle last week.
The twelve stories in the anthology range in settings from the past to the far future; many of them feature queer characters and relationships, which was an added delight. Normally I find that anthologies have one or two stories I'm less keen on, but I really enjoyed all of these. I was going to mention a few particular favourites, but realised that was going to end up being pretty much every story in the anthology, so I'll just say that it's a lovely book, and if you are looking for cheerful reading material I definitely recommend it.
*which Tansy Rayner Roberts is also one of the hosts of
The twelve stories in the anthology range in settings from the past to the far future; many of them feature queer characters and relationships, which was an added delight. Normally I find that anthologies have one or two stories I'm less keen on, but I really enjoyed all of these. I was going to mention a few particular favourites, but realised that was going to end up being pretty much every story in the anthology, so I'll just say that it's a lovely book, and if you are looking for cheerful reading material I definitely recommend it.
*which Tansy Rayner Roberts is also one of the hosts of
June 30, 2020
These are really really good! I ended up tearing up (in a good way) a bunch while reading them.
July 24, 2022
This anthology of hopeful tales for Corona times is a wonderful, lovely thing - and has the added advantage of raising money for the COVID-19 appeal being run by the UCLH Charity, the charity supporting the University College London Hospitals NHS Trust.
I was particularly moved to tears (happy ones!) or laughter, or both, by the stories by Stephanie Burgis (Love Your Flatmate), Iona Datt Sharma (St Anselm-by-the-Riverside), Adrian Tchaikovsky (Low Energy Economy), Llinos Cathryn Thomas (Storm Story) and Rebecca Fraimow (This Is New Gehesran Calling).
I was particularly moved to tears (happy ones!) or laughter, or both, by the stories by Stephanie Burgis (Love Your Flatmate), Iona Datt Sharma (St Anselm-by-the-Riverside), Adrian Tchaikovsky (Low Energy Economy), Llinos Cathryn Thomas (Storm Story) and Rebecca Fraimow (This Is New Gehesran Calling).
January 7, 2021
This was less fluffy that I was expecting, more bittersweet, and I appreciated it for that. The stand-outs for me were the restrained prose of "Four" and the delicately balanced mosaic of "This Is New Gehesran Calling," but I also very much enjoyed "Storm Story," "Upside the Head," "Bethany, Bethany," "Seaview on Mars," "A Hundred and Seventy Storms," "Low Energy Economy, and "St Anselm-by-the-Riverside." So, everything, basically, and even the ones not listed above weren't bad stories, just not to my personal taste.
July 7, 2020
This was super; I actually really liked every single story in this anthology, which I think is a first.
Particular standouts were Iona Datt Sharma's St-Anselm-By-The-Riverside (they're always great, and I love getting an older protagonist, esp with a sweet beginning-romance and a nifty take on both alternate universes and climate change); Katie Rathfelder's Seaview on Mars which was super charming and a great piece that said as much through implication and inference as it did explicitly; there is SO MUCH that you can understand as having led up to the point this story is set; Rebecca Fraimow's This Is New Gehresan Calling hit me right in the feelings and Freya Marske's Four was also excellent (with a Māori protagonist!) - it had such a strong sense of place and character, and I'm looking forward to tracking down more of their stuff.
Particular standouts were Iona Datt Sharma's St-Anselm-By-The-Riverside (they're always great, and I love getting an older protagonist, esp with a sweet beginning-romance and a nifty take on both alternate universes and climate change); Katie Rathfelder's Seaview on Mars which was super charming and a great piece that said as much through implication and inference as it did explicitly; there is SO MUCH that you can understand as having led up to the point this story is set; Rebecca Fraimow's This Is New Gehresan Calling hit me right in the feelings and Freya Marske's Four was also excellent (with a Māori protagonist!) - it had such a strong sense of place and character, and I'm looking forward to tracking down more of their stuff.
November 6, 2020
This collection of short stories was a joy! It was also the perfect antidote to the darkness we're all walking through this year. Some of my favorites are listed below:
Storm Story, by Llinos Cathryn Thomas: an uplifting story about people on a ship, voyaging to a new land that they hope to one day see, with magic lighting the ship and stories to carry the voyagers through the storms.
Seaview on Mars, by Katie Rathfelder: a wonderful story about an older couple moving into a retirement home, on Mars, after helping to build a society there.
This is New Gehesran Calling, by Rebecca Fraimov: a story about an underground pirate radio for refugees in a strange land, this was particularly relevant to my interests.
Storm Story, by Llinos Cathryn Thomas: an uplifting story about people on a ship, voyaging to a new land that they hope to one day see, with magic lighting the ship and stories to carry the voyagers through the storms.
Seaview on Mars, by Katie Rathfelder: a wonderful story about an older couple moving into a retirement home, on Mars, after helping to build a society there.
This is New Gehesran Calling, by Rebecca Fraimov: a story about an underground pirate radio for refugees in a strange land, this was particularly relevant to my interests.
August 5, 2020
I bought this as a baby shower gift for my co-worker, along with a baby thing from list, because when I was having baby showers, it was lovely to get all the baby stuff, but no one gave Me anything. And I was thinking comforting spec fic stories are just the thing one wants to read with a new born. I read the book first, of course, to make sure it really was suitable, but very very carefully and then let it sit after wrapping to kill any germs. I did, however, run into a problem-I liked the stories very very much (a nice mix of funny, moving, and comforting), and wanted to keep the book for myself! It is basically perfect pandemic reading, whether or not you have new born.
December 7, 2023
So it only took me three years to get around to it!
"This Is New Gehesran Calling" made me cry from paragraph three and straight through to the end, which made me sob.
"This Is New Gehesran Calling" made me cry from paragraph three and straight through to the end, which made me sob.
July 3, 2020
PURE JOY
October 9, 2020
I only listened to "Low Energy Economy" by Adrian Tchaikovsky through the LeVar Burton Reads podcast. In this speculative fiction short story, an asteroid miner on a solo space mission ruminates on his life as he mines for materials that Earth needs. He left his home hundreds of years ago, as he is put into hyper-sleep between landings, but he made the choice to take this job for his starving family would be fed for possible generations so long as his mining missions are successful. He is lonely and dying, with no way home, when upon his next awakening he is unexpectedly given the gift of seeing how his life's work has benefitted his homeworld. A sweet tale about not giving up, even when you wonder if you are making a difference.
July 13, 2020
Storm Story by Llinos Cathryn Thomas
Quote: For a while, we just slept or ate or told stories when it wasn't too loud. The only way to know time was passing was by how hungry we got.
First-person tale with a nameless narrator, who seems very young. Dark times, with a hint of a light at the end of the erm… storm on a water-logged world.
Girls Who Read Austen by Tansy Rayner Roberts
Quote: All Scylla wanted from a college roommate was someone who wasn't too messy or too tidy. Maybe, if she was really lucky, she might get someone she could hang out with.
Scylla’s an absolute monster. But she’s a monster who reads books.
Upside the Head by Marissa Lingen
Quote: The sweetest patient we have and the most law-abiding cop I've ever met got into a fight in the patients' lounge today.
Hmmm… I didn’t really understand the point of this story.
Bethany, Bethany by Lizbeth Myles
Quote: There was a strangeness about Beth, but it was a strangeness that only Emily noticed.
Nice little story about two sisters, one of whom is adopted.
Seaview on Mars by Katie Rathfelder
Quote: Lulu lives in a world where restaurants are a possibility; a world where food is relatively plentiful and people might go somewhere to eat, just because they can.
Having lived on Mars and raised two children to adulthood, Miyu and her wife are ready to retire. I loved this heartwarming story so much. I’m really hoping Rathfelder develops a longer story in this world.
A Hundred and Seventy Storms by Aliette de Bodard
I adore de Bodard’s writing — her elaborate world-building, her intricate characters. But I’m not sure that lends itself easily to short stories. There’s too much I didn’t understand. It left me needing more, which is different than wanting more.
Low Energy Economy by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Quote: But then all of our experiences are, when you get down to it, just in our head. That's how experience works.
Tobler is a contract claim-staker. He’s been crammed into a tiny shop for hundreds of years. Doing this work is a one-way trip — but at least the company will look after his family. Sort of a cyberpunk tale — sort of a micro space opera. I really enjoyed this one.
Four by Freya Marske
Quote: 'Then what?' Felicity demands.
Molly shrugs, aware of the smallness of her offerings. 'Donate money. Donate your time. Organise. March.'
Molly and Tahlia move into a house Molly inherited from her grandmother. I’m not really sure what I just read, but it was an enjoyable ride.
St Anselm-by-the-Riverside by Iona Datt Sharma
Quote: For all Audrey was content with where life had taken her, there was a small voice in the back of her head that wondered if … she'd just turned out unlovable.
Audrey is a nurse in a hospital that isn’t Guy’s. She’s happy with her life — but then she meets new people. I thought I knew what was going on in this story, but it threw me for a loop. A lovely story.
This Is New Gehesran Calling by Rebecca Fraimow
Quote: This is New Gehesran calling, so don't change the channel, because we're bringing you the freshest tunes, hottest issues, furious debates.
This story was tough — too much background, way too many characters, and not enough details. I like the writing; I was fascinated by the world in which it exists. What I saw of the many characters, I liked. It was just too much in too few pages.
Of a Female Stranger by Jeannelle M. Ferreira
Quote: What'll you have me say, that I fished you up, I dragged you, I stole you from Lady Death? Met is more polite, is it not?
Theo reinvented herself after she was the lone survivor of a deadly shipwreck. And then she meets an enigmatic stranger.
Love, Your Flatmate by Stephanie Burgis
Quote: I understand that you didn't actually believe there would be a lockdown when you agreed to let your friend's daughter stay at my flat for just a week.
Emmeline is frustrated by her inhuman houseguest — and rightfully so. Maxi is equally frustrated by Emmeline. Can they find common ground?
Quote: For a while, we just slept or ate or told stories when it wasn't too loud. The only way to know time was passing was by how hungry we got.
First-person tale with a nameless narrator, who seems very young. Dark times, with a hint of a light at the end of the erm… storm on a water-logged world.
Girls Who Read Austen by Tansy Rayner Roberts
Quote: All Scylla wanted from a college roommate was someone who wasn't too messy or too tidy. Maybe, if she was really lucky, she might get someone she could hang out with.
Scylla’s an absolute monster. But she’s a monster who reads books.
Upside the Head by Marissa Lingen
Quote: The sweetest patient we have and the most law-abiding cop I've ever met got into a fight in the patients' lounge today.
Hmmm… I didn’t really understand the point of this story.
Bethany, Bethany by Lizbeth Myles
Quote: There was a strangeness about Beth, but it was a strangeness that only Emily noticed.
Nice little story about two sisters, one of whom is adopted.
Seaview on Mars by Katie Rathfelder
Quote: Lulu lives in a world where restaurants are a possibility; a world where food is relatively plentiful and people might go somewhere to eat, just because they can.
Having lived on Mars and raised two children to adulthood, Miyu and her wife are ready to retire. I loved this heartwarming story so much. I’m really hoping Rathfelder develops a longer story in this world.
A Hundred and Seventy Storms by Aliette de Bodard
I adore de Bodard’s writing — her elaborate world-building, her intricate characters. But I’m not sure that lends itself easily to short stories. There’s too much I didn’t understand. It left me needing more, which is different than wanting more.
Low Energy Economy by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Quote: But then all of our experiences are, when you get down to it, just in our head. That's how experience works.
Tobler is a contract claim-staker. He’s been crammed into a tiny shop for hundreds of years. Doing this work is a one-way trip — but at least the company will look after his family. Sort of a cyberpunk tale — sort of a micro space opera. I really enjoyed this one.
Four by Freya Marske
Quote: 'Then what?' Felicity demands.
Molly shrugs, aware of the smallness of her offerings. 'Donate money. Donate your time. Organise. March.'
Molly and Tahlia move into a house Molly inherited from her grandmother. I’m not really sure what I just read, but it was an enjoyable ride.
St Anselm-by-the-Riverside by Iona Datt Sharma
Quote: For all Audrey was content with where life had taken her, there was a small voice in the back of her head that wondered if … she'd just turned out unlovable.
Audrey is a nurse in a hospital that isn’t Guy’s. She’s happy with her life — but then she meets new people. I thought I knew what was going on in this story, but it threw me for a loop. A lovely story.
This Is New Gehesran Calling by Rebecca Fraimow
Quote: This is New Gehesran calling, so don't change the channel, because we're bringing you the freshest tunes, hottest issues, furious debates.
This story was tough — too much background, way too many characters, and not enough details. I like the writing; I was fascinated by the world in which it exists. What I saw of the many characters, I liked. It was just too much in too few pages.
Of a Female Stranger by Jeannelle M. Ferreira
Quote: What'll you have me say, that I fished you up, I dragged you, I stole you from Lady Death? Met is more polite, is it not?
Theo reinvented herself after she was the lone survivor of a deadly shipwreck. And then she meets an enigmatic stranger.
Love, Your Flatmate by Stephanie Burgis
Quote: I understand that you didn't actually believe there would be a lockdown when you agreed to let your friend's daughter stay at my flat for just a week.
Emmeline is frustrated by her inhuman houseguest — and rightfully so. Maxi is equally frustrated by Emmeline. Can they find common ground?
February 28, 2022
3+ stars with an extra as a cherry on top. sweetbitter, munchable, nice. a lovely blend
"four," its focus on etymology and word roots (and language in general, right down to kerning), and its "ten dollars for the fatalism jar" convinced me that I really do need to pick up a physical copy of a marvellous light.
"st anselm-by-the-riverside" has older ladies falling in like :) there are a number of f/fs of various ages in this, actually, and only one story, as far as I can tell, was authored by a man. neat!
+ I will be tracking down all of the rebecca fraimow I can get my hands on after "this is new gehesran calling."
there were a couple (three, to be exact) I didn't care for as much as the rest, but three out of ten is better odds than most short story collections, so I'll gladly take it!
"four," its focus on etymology and word roots (and language in general, right down to kerning), and its "ten dollars for the fatalism jar" convinced me that I really do need to pick up a physical copy of a marvellous light.
"st anselm-by-the-riverside" has older ladies falling in like :) there are a number of f/fs of various ages in this, actually, and only one story, as far as I can tell, was authored by a man. neat!
+ I will be tracking down all of the rebecca fraimow I can get my hands on after "this is new gehesran calling."
there were a couple (three, to be exact) I didn't care for as much as the rest, but three out of ten is better odds than most short story collections, so I'll gladly take it!
September 23, 2020
I was very eager to read this collection of short stories that were written with the express purpose of leaving the reader feeling like maybe we were going to survive this particular historical moment - through fantastical and speculative tales that have nothing to do with our current global catastrophe, of course. Really something I could use right now and when I read it. Some of the stories were decidedly not comforting, and left me feeling a little unsettled and wrong-footed, not the emotions I was hoping for. But others were so very sweet and bite-sized that was able to drag my wandering attention span along just enough to finish one a night and feel accomplished and maybe just a little bit hopeful.
September 23, 2020
I think this is one of the first short story collections I've ever read where I enjoyed every single story.
Standouts: This Is New Gehesran Calling (Rebecca Fraimow) was so comforting and fun and bittersweet - it was definitely my favorite of the stories in this book.
Four (Freya Marske), St Anselm-by-the-Riverside (Iona Datt Sharma) and Of a Female Stranger (Jeannelle M. Ferreira) all left me desperate for more. I really do hope at least one is expanded into a longer work - and preferably all three. I love everything Aliette de Bodard writes, and A Hundred and Seventy Storms was no exception.
I bought this book on a whim and it was well worth it.
Standouts: This Is New Gehesran Calling (Rebecca Fraimow) was so comforting and fun and bittersweet - it was definitely my favorite of the stories in this book.
Four (Freya Marske), St Anselm-by-the-Riverside (Iona Datt Sharma) and Of a Female Stranger (Jeannelle M. Ferreira) all left me desperate for more. I really do hope at least one is expanded into a longer work - and preferably all three. I love everything Aliette de Bodard writes, and A Hundred and Seventy Storms was no exception.
I bought this book on a whim and it was well worth it.
October 9, 2020
Just what I needed now. One of the reasons I picked it up was the contribution from Aliette de Bodard—I'll read anything she writes. But all the stories were well-written and with one of them, I stopped in the middle and went back to check the author, because they could actually write (that was Iona Datt Sharma).
The stories have differing degrees and even definitions of optimism. A couple are making the best of a bad lot or a silver lining in storm cloud that is still destructive, but most are pleasant in a satisfying way.
Knowing that all proceeds are donated to charity is icing on the cake, but this is a very good cake that can stand on its own.
The stories have differing degrees and even definitions of optimism. A couple are making the best of a bad lot or a silver lining in storm cloud that is still destructive, but most are pleasant in a satisfying way.
Knowing that all proceeds are donated to charity is icing on the cake, but this is a very good cake that can stand on its own.
February 9, 2021
Fantastic, imaginative and evenly high quality even though the stories were by all different authors of all different invented worlds. Although they are meant to be upbeat, and all end on a note that could be promising some kind of joy, these are not happy dappy. Most have an air of slight melancholy and thoughtfulness, reminding me of those days at the start of the pandemic when I suppose these were written.
Nearly every story is focused on a heroine or heroines, some are queer, most have some sort of magic or perhaps a spaceship, all are reflecting in some way on community, friends, family. And as I said at the start, all are exquisitely written.
Nearly every story is focused on a heroine or heroines, some are queer, most have some sort of magic or perhaps a spaceship, all are reflecting in some way on community, friends, family. And as I said at the start, all are exquisitely written.
November 18, 2023
If you’re looking for hopeful speculative fiction, I can’t recommend this anthology highly enough. These are stories of small hopes and small victories. The world is never saved. But individuals are supported and helped to weather the storms, both literal and figurative. It’s exactly what many of us need right now, when a larger hope seems out of reach.
This anthology assures its readers, “We will help each other. We will survive this. In the face of incalculable loss and perhaps inevitable doom, we will support one another. This ship will weather at least one more storm. And perhaps — perhaps there is land on the horizon.”
This anthology assures its readers, “We will help each other. We will survive this. In the face of incalculable loss and perhaps inevitable doom, we will support one another. This ship will weather at least one more storm. And perhaps — perhaps there is land on the horizon.”
October 22, 2024
4 stars. Indie-published as a fundraiser early in the pandemic, with all proceeds benefiting a COVID charity. Some great stories, and strikingly hopeful considering the context. Most of the stories have at least a little bit of coziness. I enjoyed just about every story, but if I had to pick favorites, I'd highlight "St Anselm-by-the-Riverside" by editor Iona Datt Sharma, "Low Energy Economy" by Adrian Tschaikovksy, "Storm Story" by Llinos Cathryn Thomas, "This Is New Gehesran Calling" by Rebecca Fraimow, and "Seaview on Mars" by Katie Rathfelder. I really enjoyed this anthology and it made me like and admire Iona Datt Sharma even more than I already did.
August 10, 2020
Absolutely did what it said on the tin: stories that ended optimistically even if the primary thread was somewhat less so. Particular favorites: Tansy Rayner Roberts' college/Greek mythology AU; Liz Myles' fairy tale; Aliette de Bodard's latest entry in her Xuya universe of living AI ships and their caretakers.
August 19, 2020
Out of the twelves stories in this anthology, my favourites were "Low Energy Economy" by Adrian Tchaikovsky, "Four" by Freya Marske, and "St Anselm-by-the-Riverside" by Iona Datt Sharma.
"Love, Your Flatmate" by Stephanie Burgis was fun and I was amused by "Girls Who Read Austen" by Tansy Rayner Roberts which is really a vignette rather than a story but, well, I just like Austen.
"Love, Your Flatmate" by Stephanie Burgis was fun and I was amused by "Girls Who Read Austen" by Tansy Rayner Roberts which is really a vignette rather than a story but, well, I just like Austen.
July 19, 2020
Enjoyable anthology. I found some stories more hopeful than others, but I suppose a matter of perspective. I was already familiar with a number of the authors included, although I'd only read one of the stories previously, and I look forward to checking out the work of those new to me.
August 21, 2020
I loved nearly every story in this collection and can see myself reaching for it again when I need something comforting.
Particular favourites were:
- Seaview on Mars by Katie Rathfelder
- Four by Freya Markse
- This is New Gehesran Caliing by Rebecca Fraimow
Particular favourites were:
- Seaview on Mars by Katie Rathfelder
- Four by Freya Markse
- This is New Gehesran Caliing by Rebecca Fraimow
July 3, 2020
3.5 stars, rounding up to 4. I enjoyed the stories in the latter half of the anthology the most.
July 19, 2020
A bit of a mixed bag in terms of quality, but there are some very good reads in here & it's for a good cause, so give it a whirl!
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