2043... a Merman I Should Turn to Be

Black Stars #3

by Nisi Shawl

African-descended USians are finally obtaining reparations—underwater. Plunge into the action of a visionary future by the award-winning author of Everfair, with narration by LeVar Burton (Star Trek: The Next Generation).

Five miles off the South Carolina coast, Darden and Catherina are getting their promised forty acres, all of it undersea. Like every Black “mer,” they’ve been experimentally modified to adapt to their new subaquatic home—and have met with extreme resistance from white supremacists. Darden has an inspired plan for resolution. For both those on land and the webbed bottom-dwellers below, Darden is hoping to change the wave of the future.

Nisi Shawl’s 2043 . . . (A Merman I Should Turn to Be) is part of Black Stars, a multi-dimensional collection of speculative fiction from Black authors. Each story is a world much like our own.

Genres: Short Stories, Science Fiction, Fiction, Audiobook, Fantasy, Speculative Fiction, Dystopia

31 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 31, 2021

About the author

Nisi Shawl is a founder of the diversity-in-speculative-fiction nonprofit the Carl Brandon Society and serves on the Board of Directors of the Clarion West Writers’ Workshop. Their story collection Filter House was a winner of the 2009 Tiptree/Otherwise Award, and their debut novel, Everfair, was a 2016 Nebula finalist. Shawl edited Bloodchildren: Stories by the Octavia E. Butler Scholars (2013). They coedited Strange Matings: Science Fiction, Feminism, African American Voices, and Octavia E. Butler (2013).

Reviews

[Alecia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Black people getting genetically modified to claim their 40 acres under the sea. Cool idea but the plot was confusing. At the end I wasn't entirely sure what had happened and I didn't care enough to reread. From my understanding, the two main characters just got their mods and are moving in when they get attacked by white supremacists. They get saved by a merman only to get attacked again when they reach the undersea village. Except it turns out the second attack was staged by a radical group of merpeople who believe that Black people need to retreat to the absolute bottom of the sea where no one can reach them.

It irks me that even in speculative fiction, I'm destined to read about Black trauma. In this world, WE ARE LITERALLY BEING TURNED INTO MERPEOPLE. But instead of reading about what this new society would look like and what new problems we'd manage to come up with, instead we're just dealing with the same tired sh*t except underwater this time. How can we build a better future for ourselves when we can't even imagine freedom, even under the most fantastical circumstances?

[Sachi Sabella · Rating 1 out of 5]

It was a good idea, but not well executed.
Confusing and boring.

[LaTrice McNeil-Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

This really made no sense and was all over the place. Even LeVar Burton couldn't save this one 🤷🏾‍♀️.

[Alan (on December semi-hiatus) Teder · Rating 2 out of 5]

Confusing Jimi's Vision
Review of the Amazon Original Kindle eBook (August 2021)

so my love Catherina and me
decide to take our last walk
through the noise to the sea
not to die but to be re-born
away from a life so battered and torn....
forever... - Jimi Hendrix (excerpt from the song 1983... A Merman I Should Turn to Be (1968))

2043... , the story, was an expansion on Jimi Hendrix's sci-fi song which imagined a future apocalyptic situation where the characters Catherina and the songwriter escape to a life underwater after being transformed by a "machine." The story version packed in rather too much confusing techno bafflegab and a complicated storyline that was hard to follow.

It still had some lovely nods to its inspiration, including having a Catherina character and a nanotechnology version of Hendrix's "machine."

Trivia and Links
2043... A Merman I Should Turn to Be is the 3rd of the 6 short stories making up the speculative / fantasy / science fiction series Black Stars, released simultaneously on August 31, 2021 as an eBook by Amazon Originals and as an audiobook by Audible Originals.

Recording engineer Eddie Kramer reminisces about recording 1983... A Merman I Should Turn to Be with Jimi Hendrix in a short Behind the Scenes video.

[Gerhard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredible world building and social commentary. You do have to read between the lines to get all the nuances, but that's what great SF does.

[Bethany (Beautifully Bookish Bethany) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really interesting premise and ideas, but this needed to be longer and a bit more clear about what's actually happening. You have to read between the lines a lot and it jumps between narrative styles including mixed media, which is a lot for such a brief story. That said, it makes me interested in reading something else by Nisi Shawl.

Set in the relatively near future, Black people and other people of color are being offered reparations....under the sea. To claim their 40 acres, they must undergo extreme body modifications that will allow them to survive for lengths of time underwater. The story follows a man who is part of a performance group moving to an ocean community. But even getting there is dangerous as it is patrolled by white supremacist groups convinced that they are a threat.

There are hints at exploring the idea of "selling out" as a Black person more concerned with your own economic success than with your community, but it's not really fleshed out in a way that is easy to understand. There are also a lot of questions left unanswered about how exactly these communities function, especially since our main character still has to go up for air every 20 minutes or so. I liked it, but I needed more.

[Obsidian · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a weird and fascinating short story. I really did like it. I just think the ending kind of came out of nowhere and I got confused a bit here and there. I did like the premise of Black people getting their 40 acres via the ocean and being genetically turned into merpeople (I guess?). Though that does not stop racism from still being a thing with a bunch of white supremacy organizations doing their best to hunt and stop them.

"2043...(A Merman I Should Turn to Be) follows African-descended USians who are getting reparations via the ocean. The story follows Darden and Catherina who are focused on how being modified into "mer" will lead to bigger opportunities for them and their krewe.

I didn't really get a good sense of Catherina. Most of the story is focused on Darden. I do agree with some readers who said this story felt like you got dropped off in the middle of it.

The setting of this story is of course set in 2043 and the main action happens off the coast of South Carolina.

[♥Milica♥ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh this was very much not for me, the worst story so far in the collection.

[Brittany Boggess · Rating 2 out of 5]

The storyline was all over the place. I hope the rest of the series gets better.

[Norrie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have no idea what I just read. Seems it was all over the place & confusing...

[Netanella · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the concept of this story more than the execution. It reminded me a lot of Rivers Solomon's The Deep, which I just read a month or two ago. African Americans return to the sea and become mermen, this time voluntarily, as part of the United States' long overdue program for reparations for slavery. There were elements in the story that were fraught with tension, which I loved, but I didn't understand the whole music concert thing, which was happening at the same time. I believe I would enjoy an expanded version of this story, particularly if it continued to delve into the ideas of race relations and not simply escape.

[Stacie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Um... this wasn't for me.

[Jo · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book but couldn't really follow what was happening. I kept hoping it would make sense in the end but it didn't. I know that this is a short story but there needs to be some exposition for the reader in order to truly understand things. It was poorly organized and, by the end, they kept throwing names out like I was supposed to recognize these characters.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's a real interesting premise behind this short story but it never quite makes the most of it. Set in a future where the advent of nanite technology and reparations from the US Government, in the form of forty acres of land under the sea, has led to the establishment of the underwater City of Bahari it follows the journey of Darden and Catherina as they descend into the depths for the first time.

The city of Bahari, possibly one among many?, is intriguing as are its inhabitants and their way of life. Transformed physically into Mer by the nanites, cut off from land, and seemingly still harassed semi-legally by white supremacists who lead patrols and raids on the City and surrounding waters. It would have been great to have seen more of the day to day life of those living in Bahari, the odd Prastic technology, or the differences between the Mer and Benthos (those modded for even greater depth) but a lot of the focus is on Darden and his worries and jealously over Catherina. Things then just sort of oddly peter out without much thrust to the ending which is unfortunate for such a good initial setup.

[Chrissie Whitley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Like many others here — loved the idea and zoomed out concept: Reparations are finally coming and Black Americans can claim 40-acres . . . underwater, experimentally modifying claimants into merpeople — just didn't love the execution.

Inspired from the Jimi Hendrix song 1983… (A Merman I Should Turn to Be) , the story was unnecessarily meandering and confusing. Would love to see this more fleshed out and refined.

Audiobook, as narrated by LeVar Burton: I mean, master at work. It is always a pleasure to listen to Burton read and perform a story. No exception here.

[Bellatrix M. · Rating 1 out of 5]

》I couldn't finish it... 🥺 And it happens very few times. 😕 Now I learned that books where the action happens in the future is so not for me. And not because of this book particularly, but because I'm not a technology girl and all this futuristic vibe is making me uncomfortable. 🙈
》I read 57% and just hoped and hoped again and hoped some more that everything will make sense any time soon but it was just more and more confusing. 🥴
》Characters appear from nowhere and they are supposed to be someone important but they are not presented as such. 👤 Every time I read a new sentence, I took time to process and tried to make the connection with what happened before and my brain just collapsed. 🤕 I didn't understand anything, without exaggeration. 😶 I read the blurb thinking it would help me see things from another perspective but it was hopeless. 😩
》I liked some phrases because they were overloaded with emotion and I couldn't ignore that. 💗 And I also liked the idea of an underwater life for humans. 🌊 But I guess this is it... 🤷‍♀️
》I felt from the very begging a lot of potential but that was it, just potential. 💔 I don't want to discourage anyone, but I had to be honest. Any opinion is 100% subjective so give it a chance if you think you might like it. 🙏

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Body modifications allow Darden, Catherina and others to live underwater. White supremacists find fault with that and are on their tail. I liked the idea, but agree with others that this was confusing. Too much between the lines, too many hints at things that due to the length weren‘t explored.

The title is based on a Jimi Hendrix song, "1983... (A Merman I Should Turn to Be)".

“Hurrah i awake from yesterday
Alive but the war is here to stay
So my love catherina and me
Decide to take our last walk
Through the noise to the sea
Not to die but to be re-born
Away from a life so battered and torn...
Forever...“

I wish there had been more rebirth in the story. I wasn‘t quite sure at the end who had done what.

Made me think of Starfish.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining futuristic listening 🌐🎉

This kindle ebook novella is from my Kindle Unlimited account book 3 of 6

An interesting story about people living under the sea.

I would recommend this series and various authors of family and friends relationships adventure novels 👒🤔 2025 😚😉

[Ezekiel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great Premise

Great premise but the execution was not my cup of tea. Found it a bit tough to follow, but maybe it was me.

[Misse Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

Incredible concept. Execution falls flat.

2043 is the opening story in the Black Stars collection.

We travel to a time when reparations are finally being given to African descendants. There is just one condition, all of the reparations are to take place underwater.

Following the story of Darden and Catherina, we are given glimpses of a modified world that is met by resistance with none other than white supremacists.

I wish the author would have fleshed out more of the concept because otherwise this installment in the collection falls rather flat and is confusing at best.

[Tori (InToriLex) · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very interesting premise that never quite gets off the ground. African American's being able to be modified and given 40 acres is a great concept. However most of the story focused on the opposition these new mermaids faced. It's not farfetched to imagine that racist would still try to harm racial minorities under the sea, however I thought that was focused on too much. And the ending was confusing and disheartening

[Cassandra Marie Darling · Rating 1 out of 5]

Of the series so far, by far the worst. No flow, the writing was just off for me. Felt outside of a comfortably zone of writing and I just couldn't get into it. Jumped about a lot and just didn't make sense.

[Ladybugcain · Rating 2 out of 5]

Different.. Slightly Lost. Wanted to love it. Hmmm wished there was more. Need more details of the back story and the storyline seemed somewhat off/hard to follow.

[Mika TheReadingRoom444 · Rating 5 out of 5]

They chose the sea

This story such a creative way to show case that even though we have our own autonomy, we are still hounded Because of our magic!

[S.A Reidman · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's always a damned Judas. Even on the ocean floor. - Usually it's a person, sometimes it's hackable underwater tech. This was almost a tragedy. Let people jusy live geez. Its 2043 FFS and nazis still nazi-ing. SMDH.

This was not the merfolk story I was hoping for. But I dove into this and the water was nice I ended up floating in the words like a happy seal on a boat - not an orca in sight.

Plot/Storyline/Themes:
Race to obsidoan Atlantis underwater before American White Supremacists Nazis hunt and kill you. There, kinda summed it up just right.

Two Sentences, A Scene or less - Characters:
Alan D Stott is a grade-A ass. And White Supremacists ve white supremacing their bull all the way to the depths of the ocean floor. FFS just let people live already.

Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Scene:
Race to Bahari against the clock and supremacists.

Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Quotes:
🖤 “Keep his love beside him and his fear wouldn’t matter. He’d be brave for her sake. Brave enough for both of them” (Darden choosing Merlife for the wrong reasons)

Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Concepts :
■ nannie machines
■Underwater BodMod packages
■ I wanted to fill out the questionnaire 🤣
■Dive Propulsion Vehicles
■Pretzels🎵🎶
■Bahari
■CLITIA

StoryGraph Challenge: 1800 Books by 2025
Challenge Prompt: 150 Short Stories by 2025

[Akona · Rating 3 out of 5]

This sci-fi short story starts out interesting enough. The year is 2043, black Americans have been finally given reparations; under the sea as merpeople 🧜🏿‍♀️🧜🏿. Unfortunately, from there it became confusing for me as it attempts to juggle between world building, battling the villains (white supremacists) and dissecting the relationships on the “krew”. All this in 31 pages.
It felt like it started in the middle and ended in the middle. So I’m not sure what to make of it. Cool concept though.

[Debora Santo · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would guess that this is a commentary on slavery traumas shown through genetically modified black merpeople, but I could not follow or understand the plot.

[ReadLoveListen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very confusing story

This was a very confusing story. It was fast paced and had interesting moments. I didn’t like the abrupt ending. I think this needed to be a full length novel instead of a novella. There was too much going on and not enough time to flesh out all the elements. This would’ve been 2 stars but the narration by Levar Burton saved this from being a DNF.

[Luciano Bernaroli · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting story.
I didn't understand everything because of the language barrier but I appreciated the use of human genetic engineering and body modification issues.
The parts about transhuman or posthuman are very well done.
Also, in a short space, there are different styles of writing that I appreciate.

[Christine · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was the only one of the Black Stars group that I really didn't like. I'm not sure why, but I just didn't.