Far Out

by Paula Guran (Editor)

An Anthology of Recent Queer Science Fiction and Fantasy from Award-Winning Editor Paula Guran

Speculative fiction imagines drastically diverse ways of being and worlds that are other than the one with which we are familiar. Queerness is a natural fit for such fiction, so one would expect it to be customarily included. That has not always been the case, but LGBTQ+ representation in science fiction and fantasy—in both short and long form—is now relatively common. Even so, most of the queer science fiction and fantasy anthologies published in the last thirty-five years have been narrowly specifically gay male or lesbian (or, more recently, transgender) themes, or all science fiction or all fantasy, or adhering to a specific theme or subgenre.
 
Far Recent Queer Science Fiction and Fantasy , on the other hand, features both science fiction and fantasy short fiction from the last decade and includes characters, perspectives, and stories that span the rainbow. With stories from incredible authors ranging from Seanan McGuire to Charlie Jane Anders to Sam J. Miller, it’s an essential read for anyone interested in queer science fiction and fantasy.

Contents

Over the Rainbow and into the Far Out by Paula Guran

Destroyed by the Waters by Rachel Swirsky

The Sea Troll’s Daughter by Caitlín R. Kiernan

And If the Body Were Not the Soul by A. C. Wise

Imago by Tristan Alice Nieto

Paranormal Romance by Christopher Barzak

Three Points Masculine by An Owomoyela

Das Steingeschöpf by G. V. Anderson

The Deepwater Bride by Tamsyn Muir

The Shape of My Name by Nino Cipri

Otherwise by Nisi Shawl

The Night Train by Lavie Tidhar

Ours Is the Prettiest by Nalo Hopkinson

Don’t Press Charges and I Won’t Sue by Charlie Jane Anders

Driving Jenny Home by Seanan McGuire

I’m Alive, I Love You, I’ll See You in Reno by Vylar Kaftan

In the Eyes of Jack Saul by Richard Bowes

Secondhand Bodies by Neon Yang

Seasons of Glass and Iron by Amal El-Mohtar

Né łe! by Darcie Little Badger

The Duke of Riverside by Ellen Kushner

Cat Pictures Please by Naomi Kritzer

The Lily and the Horn by Catherynne M. Valente

Calved by Sam J. Miller

The River’s Children by Shweta Narayan

Genres: Fantasy, Short Stories, Science Fiction, Queer, Anthologies, LGBT, Fiction

432 pages, Paperback

First published December 12, 2016

About the author

Paula Guran is senior editor for Prime Books. She edited the Juno fantasy imprint from its small press inception through its incarnation as an imprint of Pocket Books. She is also senior editor of Prime's soon-to-launch digital imprint Masque Books. Guran edits the annual Year's Best Dark Fantasy and Horror series as well as a growing number of other anthologies. In an earlier life she produced weekly email newsletter DarkEcho (winning two Stokers, an IHG award, and a World Fantasy Award nomination), edited Horror Garage (earning another IHG and a second World Fantasy nomination), and has contributed reviews, interviews, and articles to numerous professional publications.

Reviews

[Kim Lockhart · Rating 5 out of 5]

These stories are incredible. They are not only mind-blowing, but also so refreshingly inclusive of queer, trans, and non-binary folks. I found the first 3/4 of the anthology to be near perfect and at times extraordinary. The last 1/4 wasn't as strong, but I'm not deducting anything for that, because the majority of the selections were absolutely superlative. The list of contributors is impressive in itself.

I hope SFF readers don't miss this opportunity to read some of the best writing of this year.

[Carol McCarthy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every story, worth the read.

[Natalya · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a collection it was entertaining with some fitting the theme of queer speculative fiction better than others. There were a lot of now currently popular and well known authors that pop up and it was interesting getting a taste of authors I had heard of or had on my to-read but had not dived into yet. I liked the mix of styles and types of speculative fiction from historical, to straight sci-fi to fairytale inspired and you could definitely tell who was familiar with short story writing vs those whose works were more asides in larger narratives and not really complete of themselves. That would be my biggest criticism of the anthology as a whole, where some of the pieces selected didn't really work for me as short stories and either lost my interest or confused me in their setup. Overall though I did enjoy it and the collections offered.

For individual reviews:

Destroyed By the Waters-Rachel Swirsky
I thought this was a weak start. I was intrigued by the speculative future it offered but didn't find the short story itself very compelling and found it okay at most.
The Sea Troll's Daughter-Caitlin R Kiernan
The world and story for this piece was wonderfully imagined and very vivid. I enjoyed the almost old Norse/medieval, Beowulf-esque tale of the story itself and as a setting it felt well-established and complete. The writing also worked really well for this type of tale.
And if the Body Were Not the Soul-AC Wise
I found myself losing interest near the end and skimmed the rest. The overall short story didn't really capture me and I honestly found it a bit boring. Despite taking place in a world well after first contact I was mostly reminded of Arrival when reading it. I also felt as a story concerning touch-aversion and asexuality it fell a little flat. I did appreciate the the distinctly non-humanoid aliens though.
Imago-Tristan Alice Neto
Very fun! By far the most cinematic of the pieces and among my favorites of the anthology. I loved the very cyberpunk atmosphere of the zombie/extreme medical dystopia of the premise and the story itself is both lovely in what it wants to say and dark. There is something very modern Gothic ghost story novel in the whole thing and the butterfly fact framing and the vivid imagery carry the story spectacularly.
Paranormal Romance-Christopher Barzak
Among the more average. The story was cute and I enjoyed the urban magic vibe of it but the narrator was not to my taste and it didn't have much to say overall.
Three Points Masculine-An Owomoyela
I don't enjoy hard military sci-fi, but the discussion of the sometimes contradictory and layered expression of the trans experience worked well. The characters conflicting attitudes of and expressions of masculinity as set in a very masculine military story genre and the narrators experience as a transmasculine individual intersect in interesting ways. It was otherwise fine however as again I just couldn't engage with the plot or setting of the story itself.
Das Steingeschopf-GV Anderson
Another favorite of the collection! I absolutely loved the concept and the speculative historical fiction aspect of it. The time period of pre-WW2 is also a great choice for the story that the author wants to tell. The narrator voice is strong and compelling and the small bit of the world we see already feels rich and full. It strikes me as a setting perfect for an animated version of this short story and I would deeply enjoy a collection of vignettes set in this universe.
The Deepwater Bride-Tamsyn Muir
Delightful! A favorite in the anthology and makes me so excited to read Muir's full novel. By far the most fun and easiest to read with a great narrator voice. Humorous and witty with a really fun take on eldritch mythos that had me smiling. I loved the multiple layers of satire in both the teenage narrator's very self-serious take on everything going on and the parodying of the type of writing that eldritch stories and Lovecraft were written in. Just super fun all around!
The Shape of My Name-Nino Cipri
Well crafted! I was really struck by the way the non-linear storytelling echoed the concept so well. The story had a lot of rich things to say about family relationships, motherhood, acceptance of your trueself and an individual's relationship with queerness and family. The narrator's circular journey to forgiveness of their mother and understanding of themselves and the repeated use of "mama" with the full circle of traveling really made for a haunting tale. Saddening but poignant.
Otherwise-Nisi Shawl
An unfortunately mostly forgetful piece, not only did I not find it personally appealing but its attempt at a polyam relationship felt shoehorned in and underdeveloped at the end.
The Night Train-Lavie Tidhar
Among the more atmospheric pieces with a setting that felt very Hong Kong/Asian cinema inspired. The biopunk aspect of it reminded me of anime more than anything and while I found it overall intriguing the story itself and its narration were disjointed and hard to parse.
Ours Is the Prettiest-Nalo Hopkinson
Didn't really work as a short story. While the setting is vivid and colorful it often felt like there was too much going on for the format so the short story itself felt very rushed. It was both full of too much and underdeveloped in both characters and place. For a work as a short story there were far too many flashbacks to get a sense of what was going on and who our characters were. I enjoyed the writing itself and what was seen but it definitely felt like a cut scene from a larger series.
Don't Press Charges and I Won't Sue-Charlie Jane Anderson
Disquieting in both how realistic it is and the speculative body transfer tech of the short story. I enjoyed it and what it had to say about "normal" "average" people who aren't really transphobic and are just "following orders" or "doing their job." The juxtaposing of the victim and the manager and the childhood connection really drive home the harm of the whole thing. I do love that it ends on an ultimately hopeful note despite the consequences of what was done.
Driving Jenny Home-Seanan McGuire
I think the author was trying to go for a like a 80s teen horror movie vibe in the premise but it ultimately fell flat. The story itself was mostly forgetful and a bit boring and I could do without.
I'm Alive, I Love You, I'll See You in Reno-Vylar Kaftan
A perfectly crafted short story. It was well-done, with a full and simple tale to it. I enjoyed and thought the writing was skillful but ultimately don't have much else to say.
In the Eyes of Jack Saul-Richard Bowes
This piece appealed to the lit nerd in me deeply! I was absolutely delighted by the remix of Dorian Gray with a figure from early homosexual erotica. If you know what the book the narrator alludes to is about it's a really fun easter egg! Otherwise it was an easy read and an entertaning narrator voice with the lit connections as the real draw of the story.
Secondhand Bodies-Neon Yang
I did not enjoy this one at all. I couldn't quite tell if the POV was meant to be discomforting and unlikable as it was or it was accidental. The premise wasn't terrible the way the story worked with it gave the whole thing a very weird feel that didn't work at all. Whatever it had to say about dysmorphia, ableism and identity didn't even carry through fully.
Seasons of Glass and Iron-Amal El-Mohtar
Lovely! Another favorite with its lyrical quality to the writing and the fairytale deconstruction. The short story working as the aftermath/midpoint of fairy and folk tales works really well and I loved the two main characters and the stories they came from.
Ne'le!Cute but bland. While I enjoyed and could see what it wanted to express and say about indigenous identity I just didn't care for it much. The romance was at most okay and felt more like a Lifetime movie lesbian romance and not in a fun way. I was unfortunately also just reminded of both the movie Passenger and Gundam Wing at once in the story's setting and concept.
The Duke of Riverside-Ellen Kushner
Another story that felt like cut scenes from a larger narrative where you could really tell it was part of some other series. It felt like you already needed to be a fan to appreciate what this short story revealed, filled in about a world and characters. The setting itself is very classic fantasy, with a Sherwood esque feel to it (and who did this style much better!). Not boring but I could take it or leave it.
Cat Pictures Please-Naomi Kritzer
Not much to say, beyond fun with AI. I really enjoyed the narrator and thought the concept was clever. Worked excellently as short story.
The Lily and the Horn-Catherynne M Valente>
Gorgeous! I really loved this one and will count it among my favorites from the anthology. Its rich imagery and full feeling setting with the thick description and clear voice work so well. I thought it was written rather strikingly in weaving concept, character and setting with well crafted and rich prose. I love the kind of alternate take on middle ages like fiefdoms and the wives who run lord's houses.
Calved-Sam J Mille
Definitely among the more sad and ironic pieces. I was intrigued by the world painted in the story but enjoyed how contained and interesting the father and son tale is in itself. The story had a lot to offer on fatherhood, guilt and blame, isolation and unreliable views of ourselves. It's sad and bittersweet and well done.
The River's Children-Shweta Narayan
A strong ending to the anthology for me as I really loved this piece. The sweet mythical feel to the narration is brilliant and I really love how well it works as a sort of creation myth/old god story for trans identity and gender fluidity in the tale of the river children. Really captures the myth feeling well.

[jasminks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yet another truly excellent anthology! ✨✨✨ Will list favourites etc. in a bit! Meanwhile, PUT THIS ON YOUR TBR ASAP if it isn’t already!!

***

Okay, here's a list of what I thought.

Absolute favourites:
- And If the Body Were Not the Soul by A. C. Wise - Loved many of the ideas and concepts in this one. Thought of Arrival a lot.
- Das Steingeschöpf by G. V. Anderson - Sad sad sad but beautiful.
- The Shape of My Name by Nino Cipri - Time travel. Sad and bittersweet and frustrating, but I really liked this story.
- Otherwise by Nisi Shawl - The BEST ending!!! <3
- Seasons of Glass and Iron by Amal El-Mohtar - Fairytale-y.
- Né łe! by Darcie Little Badger - Puppies in space! <3 Also liked the worldbuilding, the romance etc. (what little there was of each in the few pages).

Also liked a lot:
- Destroyed by the Waters by Rachel Swirsky - Sad and tender. A good opening story to the collection.
- Imago by Tristan Alice Nieto - Kinda gross and also sad, but a very interesting premise.
- The Deepwater Bride by Tamsyn Muir

Liked ok/varyingly:
- The Sea Troll’s Daughter by Caitlín R. Kiernan
- Paranormal Romance by Christopher Barzak
- Three Points Masculine by An Owomoyela
- Ours Is the Prettiest by Nalo Hopkinson
- Driving Jenny Home by Seanan McGuire - Pretty gloomy, though.
- I’m Alive, I Love You, I’ll See You in Reno by Vylar Kaftan
- The Duke of Riverside by Ellen Kushner
- Cat Pictures Please by Naomi Kritzer
- The Lily and the Horn by Catherynne M. Valente - Great writing as you can expect from Valente, but I'm not sure I understood a thing xD
- Calved by Sam J. Miller - The saddest thing ever.
- The River’s Children by Shweta Narayan

Ok to meh/not so much my thing:
- The Night Train by Lavie Tidhar
- Don’t Press Charges and I Won’t Sue by Charlie Jane Anders
- In the Eyes of Jack Saul by Richard Bowes
- Secondhand Bodies by Neon Yang

[Bee · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Destroyed by the Waters" by Rachel Swirsky- 5 stars (Truly heartbreaking depiction of grief)
"The Sea Troll’s Daughter" by Caitlín R. Kiernan- 3.5 stars
“And If the Body Were Not the Soul” by A. C. Wise- 4.5 stars
“Imago” by Tristan Alice Nieto- 5 stars
“Paranormal Romance” by Christopher Barzak- 3 stars
“Three Points Masculine” by An Owomoyela- 3 stars
“Das Steingeschopf “ by G. V. Anderson- 3.5 stars
“The Deepwater Bride” by Tamsyn Muir- 5 stars (My favorite author slays again)
“The Shape of My Name” by Nino Cipri- 5 stars
“Otherwise” by Nisi Shawl- 3.5 stars
“The Night Train” by Lavie Tidhar- 4 stars
“Ours Is the Prettiest” by Nalo Hopkinson- 3 stars
“Don’t Press Charges and I Won’t Sue” by Charlie Jane Anders- 4.5 stars (truly horrifying to me)
“Driving Jenny Home” by Seanan McGuire- 5 stars
“I’m Alive, I Love You, I’ll See You in Reno” by Vylar Kaftan- 3 stars
“In the Eyes of Jack Saul” by Richard Bowes- 2 stars
“Secondhand Bodies” by Neon Yang- 3.5 stars
“Seasons of Glass and Iron” by Amal El-Mohtar- 4 stars
“Né le!” by Darcie Little Badger- 4.5 stars
“The Duke of Riverside” by Ellen Kushner- 3 stars
“Cat Pictures Please” by Naomi Kritzer- 5 stars (I love nonhuman protagonists)
“The Lily and the Horn” by Catherynne M. Valente- 5 stars (fascinating world building and relationship dynamic)
“Calved” by Sam J. Miller- 4.5
“The River’s Children” by Shweta Narayan- 3.5

[Kaoru · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid collection of queer science fiction/fantasy short stories that range from great to "What the heck was that?". There's a wide range of topics and genres, meaning there's something for everyone in here. (Though there were a bit too many non-linear stories present. Not that I mind that technique, it's just a bit exhausting to adjust your brain to yet another scenario when stories in that style follow back to back.)

Highlights are (among others) "Secondhand Bodies", "Imago", "Das Steingeschöpf", "Driving Jenny Home" and "Calved".

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very good collection of science fiction stories about queer people (mostly humans). I think I'd read about half the stories previously. Many of the stories are by stellar authors; in the middle of the book there are consecutive stories by Nino Cipri, Nisi Shawl, Lavie Tidhar, Nalo Hopkinson, Charlie Jane Anders, and Seanan McGuire, all favorites of mine, and not my only favorites represented in the book. There's mix of science fiction and fantasy, but heavier on the science fiction, which I like better.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Destroyed by the Waters: 3.5
The Sea Troll's Daughter: 3
And If the Body Were Not the Soul: 4
Imago: 5
Paranormal Romance: 3
Das Steingeshopf: 4
The Deepwater Bride: 3.5
The Shape of my Name: 3
Otherwise: 2
Driving Jenny Home: 1
I'm Alive, I Love You, I'll See you in Reno: ????
In the Eyes of Jack Saul: 2.5
Secondhand Bodies: 3.5
Né łe!: 3.5
The Duke of Riverside: 4
Cat Pictures Please: 5
Calved: 2.5
The River's Children: 5

[Katherine Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such an impressive collection. I thoroughly enjoyed most of these, which is not typically the case when I read anthologies. I found some new authors to follow and really connected with a lot of these in a surprising way!

[Taylor (Virginia Woolf’s Actual Wife)]

Two of these made me cry so, thnx kaitlyn for the find

[Marcia Stanard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed 90% of this book. A couple of stories didn't do it for me--but that's pretty amazing odds when you're looking at a subject as broad as recent, Queer, Sci-fi and fantasy. These stories ranged from shapeshifter fiction to speculative fantasy and magical realism fairy tales. The definition of queer is broad and inclusive, and I was captivated by most of the stories. Pick this up and find some new favorite authors!

[Jacques · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aquí encontré de las historias más imaginativas que he leído en mi vida.

Esto es una antología, así que, como siempre, hay unos mejores que otros. En este caso es un poco extremo porque tiene picos altísimos (como "Imago" que se volvió uno de mis cuentos favoritos de todos los tiempos) y valles abismales, tanto así que me salté uno que otro cuento que me pareció malísimo. En general, y creo que mi lista de favs lo representa, los cuentos que abordan principalmente el tema del género me gustaron más que los que tratan principalmente la diversidad sexual. Probablemente porque los segundos caen más fácilmente en clichés.

Me encantó la diversidad de autorxs. No nos quedamos con solo personas lgbt blancas del norte. Tenemos personas de los pueblos originarios, del caribe, Asia y afrodescendientes. Tenemos también personas bastante reconocidas como Nalo Hopkinson, Neon Yang o Tamsyn Muir, recientemente reconocidas como Amal El-Mohtar, pero también autorxs primerizxs como la ya mencionada Tristan Alice Nieto. Subjetivamente hablando, lo que más me dolió es que los cuentos son larguiiiiiiisimos, muchos de ellos alargados innecesariamente (como suele pasar con cuentos escritos por novelistas).

Favs:
- And if the Body Were not the Soul (A.C. Wise)
- Imago (Tristan Alice Nieto)
- The shape of my name (Nino Cipri)
- Don't Press Charges and I Won't Sue (Charlie Jane Anders)
- Driving Jenny Home (Seanan McGuire)
- Calveo (Sam J. Miller)

Leanlo y no tengan miedo de saltarse los cuentos no tan buenos:
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[Martha · Rating 3 out of 5]

World Fantasy Award winner 2017

Speculative fiction imagines drastically diverse ways of being and worlds that are other than the one with which we are familiar. Queerness is a natural fit for such fiction, so one would expect it to be customarily included. That has not always been the case, but LGBTQ+ representation in science fiction and fantasy—in both short and long form—is now relatively common. Even so, most of the queer science fiction and fantasy anthologies published in the last thirty-five years have been narrowly focused: specifically gay male or lesbian (or, more recently, transgender) themes, or all science fiction or all fantasy, or adhering to a specific theme or subgenre.

Far Out: Recent Queer Science Fiction and Fantasy, on the other hand, features both science fiction and fantasy short fiction from the last decade and includes characters, perspectives, and stories that span the rainbow. With stories from incredible authors ranging from Seanan McGuire to Charlie Jane Anders to Sam J. Miller, it’s an essential read for anyone interested in queer science fiction and fantasy.

Contents

Introduction: Over the Rainbow and into the Far Out by Paula Guran

Destroyed by the Waters by Rachel Swirsky **

The Sea Troll’s Daughter by Caitlín R. Kiernan

And If the Body Were Not the Soul by A. C. Wise **

Imago by Tristan Alice Nieto

Paranormal Romance by Christopher Barzak

Three Points Masculine by An Owomoyela

Das Steingeschöpf by G. V. Anderson **

The Deepwater Bride by Tamsyn Muir

The Shape of My Name by Nino Cipri

Otherwise by Nisi Shawl

The Night Train by Lavie Tidhar

Ours Is the Prettiest by Nalo Hopkinson

Don’t Press Charges and I Won’t Sue by Charlie Jane Anders

Driving Jenny Home by Seanan McGuire ***

I’m Alive, I Love You, I’ll See You in Reno by Vylar Kaftan

In the Eyes of Jack Saul by Richard Bowes **

Secondhand Bodies by Neon Yang

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

Né łe! by Darcie Little Badger **

The Duke of Riverside by Ellen Kushner ***

Cat Pictures Please by Naomi Kritzer - adorable story - I love this AI!!!

The Lily and the Horn by Catherynne M. Valente **

Calved by Sam J. Miller

The River’s Children by Shweta Narayan - interesting

Not one I'm keeping. As you can see, I enjoyed a few of these quite a bit, just not enough to continue taking up space on my shelves when there's so much really *good* stuff out there.

[Christina · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting variety of short stories. As always with such collections, not everything worked for me.

Destroyed by the Waters - 3 stars (liked the idea, but found it slightly too short to get fully invested)
The Sea Troll's Daughter - 4 stars (nice variation on a myth)
And If the Body Were Not the Soul - 4 stars (beautiful writing)
Imago - 4.5 stars (I love the themes of closure/revenge and death)
Paranormal Romance - 3 stars (cute, but not that deep)
Three Points Masculine - 2 stars (nice discussion of trans identities, but the military aspect wasn't for me)
Das Steingeschöpf - 3.5 stars (I liked it, liked the theme of what an artist is giving to the art they make)
The Deepwater Bride - 2 stars (predictable, didn't vibe with the writing style)
The Shape of my name - 4 stars (beautiful time travel story)
Otherwise - 3.5 stars (post-apocalyptic survival story, liked it)
The Night Train - 2 stars (too sex-heavy for my taste, okay story)
Ours is the prettiest - 4 stars (a strange sort of fae story, witchy vibes)
Don't Press Charges and I Won't Sue - 5 stars (hard to read, but powerful)
Driving Jenny Home - 5 stars (heartbreaking exploration of grief)
I'm Alive, I love You, I'll See You in Reno - 2 stars (Didn't connect with me, forgettable)
In the Eyes of Jack Saul - 3 stars (variation on Dorian Grey, a bit too surface level for me)
Secondhand Bodies - 3 stars (story about a terrible person, still enjoyable)
Seasons of Glass and Iron - 4 stars (nice fairy tale)
Né le! - 3 stars (lots of dogs, cute)
The Duke of Riverside - 3 stars (fine, story about dukes and knights)
Cat Pictures Please - 3 stars (cute story about a benevolent AI)
The Lily and the Horn - 2 stars (poisoners in love, I was bored)
Calved - 4 stars (tragic father-son-story)
The River's Children - 3 stars (short legend, wish it had been longer/more fleshed-out)

[Connor Girvan · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 / 5 stars

To be honest, I'm not the biggest fan of sci-fi/fantasy writing but I thought this anthology would be a nice way to ease into the genre because if I didn't like one story there would be another shortly after.

At the beginning, I really liked the concept of some of the stories (like major cities being flooded and tourist sites for diving etc) but I wasn't overly vibing with the style. The more I read the book however, the more I got into the right frame of mind and by the end of it I really enjoyed the collection. My favourite stories tended to be ones which were rooted in a more relatable society just with an additional technology that say prolonged death - basically any that were black mirror-esque - or ones which featured death as a prominent theme (like the story about driving the girl home from prom every day). There were some typos/omissions I noticed in the writing that meant the sentence didn't make sense (and I don't usually pick up on those majorly tbh) but other than that there were no complaints.

My favourite stories were: 'Imago' by Tristan Alice Nieto, 'And If The Body Were Not The Soul' by A.C. Wise, 'Das Steingeschöpf' by G.V. Anderson, and 'Calved' by Sam J. Miller (surprisingly, the first three are from the beginning of the book when I was still getting into the stories - but these four are the ones I remember enjoying the most. Particularly, Imago and Calved.)

[Grace Carlisle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this up at my local library on a whim, and I’m so glad that I did. This anthology combined so many diverse voices, and each and every one of these stories was a pleasure to read. Several stories stuck with me:
“The Deepwater Bride” by Tamsin Muir: I loved the eldritch horror. The portents and happenings gave the story quite a spooky, creepy (in a good way) atmosphere.
“The Shape of My Name” by Nino Cipri: Stories about generational family drama will always be a draw for me, and I thought this one handled the complicated relationship between the protagonist and his mother in a very compelling way.
“The Night Train” By Lavie Tidhar: The sense of place really stood out to me. I’m not an expert in sci-fi subgenres, but I would call this one bio-cyberpunk.
“Ours is the Prettiest” by Nalo Hopkinson: another story where the setting and worldbuilding really stood out for me. This one took place in what I envisioned as a magical New Orleans.
“Seasons of Glass and Iron” by Amal El-Mohtar: I loved the fairy tale motifs, and how well they were woven into the lives and struggles of the characters.
“The Lily and the Horn,” by Catherynne M. Valente: The worldbuilding and imagery in this story was lush and gorgeous, and Valente does some interesting things with the idea that poison is a “woman’s weapon.”
All in all, reading this anthology helped me discover so many great authors whose other work I can’t wait to read!

[Robert Hudder · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a whole bit to write about here that I decided to scrap. It was quibbling about whether the queer representations were necessary to the stories. It was in response to the forward by the editor. I get that there is a focus on queer anthologies but I guess I have always seen Spec Fic as being queer at its core. Star Trek, which can be argued isn't quite sci fi, has always had the captain pulling on his boots and interspecies relationships can be read in a multitude of ways.

It just hasn't always been explicit. In some ways, this move to having queer humans or non human characters as queer doesn't quite sit well with me.

The trouble is that I haven't spent enough time to fully extrude these thoughts into something finer. It would make a good blog post or a series of blog posts but I'm not there yet. So, I'll leave with the thought that there seems to be something off and I can't put my finger on it.

Now, in terms of the collection of stories. They are great. There are some that really shine. There are no duds but sometimes it felt as if the queerness was an add on that wasn't necessary. I guess, sometimes, I think certain stories would have been better told as stories where the character happened to be gay instead of a gay character.

Anyone enjoying scifi should read this. There is a good range. Good job picking out these stories by the editor.

[Patty · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of fantasy and sci-fi short stories that focus on LGBT themes and characters. All anthologies are a mix of good and bad, but this one was weighted much higher to the good side than usual. A wonderful range of queer content as well (a surprisingly high number of trans stories!), and none where the queer character was just a minor note.

My favorites:
"The Deepwater Bride" by Tamsyn Muir. Cthulhu with teenage lesbians. Hilarious and gory and told through an absolutely compelling voice. I want this to be a whole novel, please.

“Cat Pictures Please” by Naomi Kritzer. An AI achieves sentience and decides to make things better for humans. It doesn't work out. Cute and funny.

"Three Points Masculine" by An Owomoyela. Gender boundaries in a military dystopia. Sad and thoughtful, though it could have used a bit more worldbuilding. This reminded me, in a very good way, of Isabel Fall's "I Sexually Identify as an Attack Helicopter".

"In the Eyes of Jack Saul" by Richard Bowes. A retelling of The Portrait of Dorian Gray from the POV of a molly prostitute. A different perspective on a classic, with another incredibly strong voice.

[Daryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really great collection of stories! Loved the absolute variety in setting and character I got. Overall was stronger in the first 2/3, though.

My top 6 stories:

1. “The Deepwater Bride” by Tamsyn Muir (5 stars, Tamsyn Muir has perfected sci fi humor I’m sorry. Like all the modern references blending so seamlessly into sci fi concepts never ceases to amaze me. Also lesbians.)

2. “Driving Jenny Home” by Seanan McGuire (5 stars, so beautifully written and tragic. Loved the way this was set up structurally.)

3. “Three Points Masculine” by An Owomoyela (5 stars, a brutal and visceral read that really captivated me. Overall a very creative way to comment on the bs of gender binary structures.)

4. “Don’t Press Charges and I Won’t Sue” by Charlie Jane Anders (5 stars, also an intense and scary read, but very well written with an interesting balance of PoV between oppressed and oppressor.)

5. “Das Steingeschöpf” by G.V. Anderson (5 stars, great concept of the living statue, and had very engrossing description.)

6. “Imago” by Tristan Alice Nieto (4 stars, got a bit confusing but was very vivid in description and the plot overall kept me very entertained.)

[hazel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really worthwhile collection of LGBTQ stories with a lot more diversity than some other anthologies. I really enjoyed Imago, The Deepwater Bride, and Seasons of Glass and Iron. The first part of the anthology was, typically, the strongest, although I wouldn’t consider any of the stories included to be poor, out of place or boring. Not only did this feel like an actual well thought out exploration of LGBTQ+ experiences, but the actual science fiction plots and themes in these stories felt strong as well, adding to the stories.
The narratives range from finding love, reconnecting with family or past lovers, looking back on the past in general (especially growing up), and belonging to a community. The introductory message was also interesting to read, as it highlighted queer fiction throughout history and how far queer fiction has come. For such an anthology aiming to encompass some broad topics, I think it’s very successful.

[Emmaby Barton Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

ended up being quite disappointed by this one unfortunately. there were some stories i enjoyed, but didn't love this as much as i expected i would. initially i thought this was bc a lot of these stories are different from what i usually read (even though i read a lot of spec fic), but on reflection, many of the stories i enjoyed are also very different from the normal spec fic i read? idk - i guess it's just me though bc this book is rated highly!

stories i enjoyed:
- destroyed by the waters - rachel swirsky
- imago - tristan alice nieto
- the shape of my name - nino cipri
- don't press charges and i won't sue - charlie jane anders
- i'm alive, i love you, i'll see you in reno - vylar kaftan
- seasons of glass and iron - amal el-mohtar
- ne le - darcie little badger (i'd read this one before)
- cat pictures please - naomi kritzer
- calved - sam j. miller

(also slay tamsyn muir for mentioning taylor swift haha v unexpected)

[Alex M · Rating 3 out of 5]

Real rating more like 3.5
This was a good, varied bunch of stories that ranged from dark and heavy to light and fluffy. As a queer person it was really wonderful to *know* that I was going to see representation in every single story, even if it wasn't the main focus. It's hard to describe how amazing it feels to just securely know that you're going to see yourself/your community in what you're reading. The only reason I didn't give it a higher rating is because a lot of the stories didn't personally resonate very deeply with me, but I still appreciated the variety among them all. My favorite was "Calved" by Sam Miller - that one really got me. It was much more about interpersonal relationships than about sci-fi. (I enjoy Sam Miller's writing anyhow.) I'd certainly recommend this for any queer SFF nerds out there <3

[Samrat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely a mixed bag, but an excellent collection overall. Some standouts for me were Imago (adored the story imagery and conceit, felt the facing felt choppier by then), The Shape of My Name (more for the conceit than anything else, though I did like everything else), and Ours is the Prettiest (for the narration and relationships),

The very best, for me, were Don't Press Charges and I Won't Sue (the conceit, the imagery, the writing, everything), Seasons of Glass and Iron (love the fairy tale theming, love El-Mohtar's writing), and the Lily and the Horn (which I probably would have assumed was El-Mohtar's if I'd had to guess between the two).

[Abigail Pankau · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent collection of short stories who all have LGBT characters in them. Some of the stories are focused on the queer aspect, while others are about other things and happen to have queer characters. There is quite a variety of stories, including: near-future sci-fi, folktales retold, some historical fantasy, a story with drowned gods, a time travel story, a ghost story, far-future sci-fi, and assorted fantasy. Almost all were very excellent or really good, with only a couple that weren’t to my taste. Rounding up to 5 stars.

[Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I reallllly enjoyed this anthology!!! My two of my favorites were "Cat Pictures Please" and "Calved". I think they saved the best for the last. There were a lot of great stories in this, not anything I didn't much like. Others I enjoyed were "Otherwise", "Ours is Prettiest", "Driving Jenny Home" and the end story "The River's Children". There was one story I couldn't figure out why it was queer . . . ? Unless you consider age gap relationships queer? Maybe they are? Great, maybe I'm even queerer than I thought! X^D

[Leo Rodriguez · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed The Sea Troll's Daughter and Paranormal Romance--they were untangled fun.
Most of the other stories I started and did not finish, for one reason or another. I think my overarching complaint would be that I was bored, either by the writing itself or the plot.

I'm probably unfairly also judging this against a different anthology that I read recently and loved, Love After the End. That one resonated with me, as a package, while this one did not.

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best anthologies I’ve ever read, with an incredibly strong story selection. I liked all but one of the stories, and marked 11/24 as ones that I really enjoyed and want to check out the authors other work. Excellent diversity in genre and themes and in terms of character diversity as well, which was much appreciated. It’s a pretty big book but I finished in just over a week because it was so engaging.

[Evelyn Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Initial Thoughts:

An collection of absolutely incredible fantasy and sci-fi, I have definitely found new authors through this that I will be keeping an eye out for, as well as a new favourite anthology.

[Lyra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Only rating 4 stars because some of the stories weren't as compelling as others, but this collection also contains several glorious gems – namely, "Ours Is the Prettiest," "Seasons of Glass and Iron," and "The Lily and the Horn," which all made me swoon!!

[Jillian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fine. Longer than it needed to be - some of these stories really don't add much to the collection. By the last 1/4 of the book, it started to feel a bit lecture-y about the different social issues. Maybe 2 volumes would have been a better approach, or sticking with either fantasy or sci-fi.