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Cute Mutants
Awakenings: A Cute Mutants Anthology
The Cute Mutants Universe keeps getting bigger! AWAKENINGS brings fourteen incredible authors together to tell their stories of mutation.
Featuring all-new original stories from: Shelly Page, Elle Tesch, Andy Perez, Hsinju Chen, Shannon Ives, Melody Robinette, Astra Daye, Yves Donlon, E.M. Anderson, Hester Steel, Monica Gribouski, Charlotte Hayward, Amanda M. Pierce, and Emma Jun.
Something has changed. People around the world are being awakened and developing strange new powers.
In Texas, a girl gains the ability to know when someone will die. In Taiwan, a man discovers he’s become a radio antenna. The residents of Oak House are hiding a whole host of secrets, and in Dorset, even the countryside is mutating. And if you go down to the woods today, you’re in for a big surprise.
Meanwhile, on the secretive island of Mutopia, someone’s watching.
Featuring all-new original stories from: Shelly Page, Elle Tesch, Andy Perez, Hsinju Chen, Shannon Ives, Melody Robinette, Astra Daye, Yves Donlon, E.M. Anderson, Hester Steel, Monica Gribouski, Charlotte Hayward, Amanda M. Pierce, and Emma Jun.
Something has changed. People around the world are being awakened and developing strange new powers.
In Texas, a girl gains the ability to know when someone will die. In Taiwan, a man discovers he’s become a radio antenna. The residents of Oak House are hiding a whole host of secrets, and in Dorset, even the countryside is mutating. And if you go down to the woods today, you’re in for a big surprise.
Meanwhile, on the secretive island of Mutopia, someone’s watching.
427 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 1, 2022
2 people are currently reading
188 people want to read
About the author
S.J. Whitby
18 books138 followersSJ Whitby lives in New Zealand with their partner, as well as various children and animals. They are predictably obsessed with X-Men and spend too much of their free time writing.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
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February 2, 2022HI YES I WROTE 33 PAGES OF THIS BOOK!
“Island Burnt by History” is set in Taiwan
~ meet the cast ~
📡 Wei-Jen Hsu 許維仁: 23yo transguy
💻 Yu-Ning Kang 康玉寧: 23yo lesbian
🎶 Mario Adeyemi: 26yo & aro
💪🏽 Chih-Yuan Hsieh 謝芷媛: 21yo sapphic & fat
who are mutants? what are their powers? read the story to find out 😉
“Island Burnt by History” is set in Taiwan
~ meet the cast ~
📡 Wei-Jen Hsu 許維仁: 23yo transguy
💻 Yu-Ning Kang 康玉寧: 23yo lesbian
🎶 Mario Adeyemi: 26yo & aro
💪🏽 Chih-Yuan Hsieh 謝芷媛: 21yo sapphic & fat
who are mutants? what are their powers? read the story to find out 😉
October 11, 2023
How can I not give the mutants 5 stars!?! This was such a lovely anthology. Also there was a sapphic ADHD character and I hope we see her again!
I have some rep and CWs to add. I didn't do them for all the stories though bc I got tired :( but I will hopefully reread one day and add in the ones I missed!
Notes:
Rose by Shelley Page
—fat gay Black woman MC, BIPOC nonbinary side character
- CWs: panic attack, sexism, catcalling, misogyny, blood, violence
A forest hath no fury by Elle Tesch
-unspecified Canadian narrator
-CWs: grief, death of parent, deforestation, ableist language (minor)
A guide to running away by Andy Perez
-Latina cis female MC, white cis male side character, Latina lesbian cis female side character.
-CWs: fire/fire injury, sexual harassment.
Island Burnt by History by Hsinju Chen (friend!!)
-Taiwanese trans heterosexual male MC, Taiwanese sapphic female side characters, Aromantic Black German cis male side character.
From author: Note that the story involves scenes of forced captivity, violence, alcohol consumption (recreational), and mentions of mistreatment against indigenous peoples, Taiwan martial law era, force feeding, kidnapping, a fatal train accident, and animal murder.
When the woods whisper back by Shannon Ives
-CWs: death, death of parent, grief
I have some rep and CWs to add. I didn't do them for all the stories though bc I got tired :( but I will hopefully reread one day and add in the ones I missed!
Notes:
Rose by Shelley Page
—fat gay Black woman MC, BIPOC nonbinary side character
- CWs: panic attack, sexism, catcalling, misogyny, blood, violence
A forest hath no fury by Elle Tesch
-unspecified Canadian narrator
-CWs: grief, death of parent, deforestation, ableist language (minor)
A guide to running away by Andy Perez
-Latina cis female MC, white cis male side character, Latina lesbian cis female side character.
-CWs: fire/fire injury, sexual harassment.
Island Burnt by History by Hsinju Chen (friend!!)
-Taiwanese trans heterosexual male MC, Taiwanese sapphic female side characters, Aromantic Black German cis male side character.
From author: Note that the story involves scenes of forced captivity, violence, alcohol consumption (recreational), and mentions of mistreatment against indigenous peoples, Taiwan martial law era, force feeding, kidnapping, a fatal train accident, and animal murder.
When the woods whisper back by Shannon Ives
-CWs: death, death of parent, grief
March 17, 2022
I really liked the way the interludes with Farsight's point of view gave a certain logic to each story. There was a certain pattern to the stories, several with powers revolving around nature or trees, which was nice.
A thing that I can't understand is why one story had trigger warnings while others which clearly could have needed them didn't. I'm guessing it was left to the authors wishes, but for the first few stories following the one with tw, I was a bit taken aback at the difficult themes touched upon.
Still, another great and original entry in S.J. Whitby's cute mutants universe !
A thing that I can't understand is why one story had trigger warnings while others which clearly could have needed them didn't. I'm guessing it was left to the authors wishes, but for the first few stories following the one with tw, I was a bit taken aback at the difficult themes touched upon.
Still, another great and original entry in S.J. Whitby's cute mutants universe !
July 25, 2022
Purchased this anthology in support of one of the authors in it. I'm unfamiliar with the 'Cute Mutants' series.
'Awakenings: A Cute Mutants Anthology' is a collective of short stories written in the 'Cute Mutants' universe. Each story is opened with, and followed by, an excerpt from the series author SJ Whitby's character Farlight. As an entire anthology, the stories start off very loosely connected to the happenings of 'Cute Mutants' and introduces the reader to more of it as the anthology progresses. The basic arrangement of this collection. The other commonality was the shear number of plant empaths/plant people, which might explain the cover. It's different to have that many in that super power skill class, my only comment of it.
The overarching glue of the anthology is from SJ Whitby's pieces, and their character Farsight. And Dylan. Farsight I compare to Professor X from X-men in that they can reach out and see the happenings of the mutants a world away, though that is the extent of their ability. Dylan is mostly there to prod them in the side and honestly, I was hoping they would eventually be punted out of the tower. Some editors choose to use this narrative method as a means to create cohesion between the short stories, but I started skipping through them because Dylan annoyed me. Although part of me thinks that may be the point of that character.
As for the actual stories, will go through these one by one, without spoilers:
Rose by Shelly Page: It was a decent opening in that it covered the 'Cute Mutants' aspects of the mutations proliferating and people freaking out about if they had it, or if someone they knew had it. Included a backwater, hick conflict that was a tad tired. It was okay, just didn't blow me away.
A Forest Hath No Fury by Elle Tesch: One that was very disconnected from the universe, but didn't lack in narrative. The stories I preferred in the anthology tended to share the qualities this one had. The prose was lovely, there was a proper sense of place. Great connection not only with the character but her wards, along with a gradual build of characterization, skill, and conflict. Feels like it lives in more of a lit writing style, but was good work.
A Guide To Running Away by Andy Perez: It's a love story, of fire and ice. A little on the cliche side, but it's adorable and a reader wants that in something that is hopelessly romantic. Cute, and put a smile to my face in the end.
Island Burnt By History by Hsinju Chen: I could tell that this author studied in the area of their characters' powers, and I was right. This is why hard sci-fi writers are a treat to read because they know how to make a story out of something that could generally come across as boring and blaise, and make a whole narrative out of it. They wielded their intellect with confidence, and guided the reader in how these powers worked and the means in which they could help others. Also, the one individual without powers was a perfect adorkable side character. Really liked this one.
When The Woods Whisper Back by Shannon Ives: The horror story in the group. Appropriately creepy, and breaks up the vibe of the other stories. If you reflect back on this story after reading the last three, it's especially grim.
Time Of Death by Melody Robinette: Anyone remember the Nickelback 'Savin' Me' music video? That is this story. Main character has this power, and basically tries to prevent a few deaths that might happen. It was rushed, the romantic interlude was sporatic and also rushed. It could have done with a longer duration and more build up. So when bad things do happen, I wasn't invested in these characters.
The Battle Song Of Gravity by Astra Daye: Short, and I don't remember anything about it. Probably the most prose/lit in the group, but if you're reading 'Cute Mutants' I'm guessing it might be a bit of a different tone from the mainline.
When The Forest Calls Us Home by Yves Donlon: Also suffered from being rushed, not enough build up, and not enough time spent with the characters to elicit sympathy at the bad things that happen. It is the first story in the collection that has a character that is portrayed as evil with their powers, however, and the consequences of misplacing affections. But still, could do with more word count and development.
Something Witchy This Way Comes by E.M. Anderson: I loved this one! It has the vibes of a modern fairytale, but also references 'Cute Mutants' little. It could be transposed into a modern Grimm tale retelling and work very well. The author knows how to write a very convincing middle-grade character and play to their naive nature, while also accurately reflecting how the adults around them receive their innocent slights. Incredible characterizations, real, raw, perfect, endearing. Kudos to how they wrote their villain even. The uncle is abusive, but the author recognized that they have some vague notion of humanity when he steps in front of his niece to guard her. Yes, still a jerk, but these characters were actual people. This is a writer who'd I'd like to see more of.
Welcome To The Weirdlands by Hester Steel: This was the one story I skipped through. Too much prose, not enough sense of character and place. It bounced between present and past so frequently that it gave me whiplash. This is however the story that introduces a good chunk of the 'Cute Mutant' lore that most of the ones after it also follow. So if you're not familiar with this universe, you need this story, but I found myself skipping it regardless and hoping that the other ones would handle that instead.
Moth, Flash, Flame by Monica Gribouski: Thankfully, this story was clear and concise in communicating the lore of the 'Cute Mutant' universe. And it also covers the Goddess versus Michael segment of the lore. Just like Hsinju Chen, I could also tell this author was studying in the area of expertise most often referred to in their work, and also knew how to wield their knowledge while creating a concise narrative. Plot twist was clever, and the Moth is maybe one of the most unexpected powers of the group.
Vibe Check by Charlotte Hayward: Empaths. And used in a way that was sweet and endearing towards the end, though the miscommunication trope in the middle made me want to grab the main character and shake some sense into them. Mutant old folks' home with adorable people and aww! The ending is like a good hug. Unexpected, but it's appreciated.
California Dreaming by Amanda M. Pierce: This is your action story. Very good action story. Clever, bombastic, but the characters are all flat stereotypes. Vegan eco chick was full-on "I'm a vegan. Save the whales. RAWR!!!" The pyromaniac villain listened to death metal and wasn't redeemable. And while the action was great, and most of the powers were some of the most creative I've ever seen, the characterizations fell flat. Little dimension, and of them, their attributes were told but never shown. I'm told at least half a dozen times the eco vegan is a super eco vegan, but never once do they actually pick up a snail from the sidewalk, or slap up posters on school grounds telling people that chickens are raised in battery cages. Characterization was lacking, but the action segment towards the end is the pay off.
Gary by Emma Jun: This is delightful in how long the author goes before revealing how exactly the mutation in their main character works. Girl is possessed by an alien... and anything else is spoilers. But basically the plot is more or less the contention between the two, and quite a lot of self-talk. If you like banter and dialogue, and a very, very nuanced sci-fi theory turned into a plot point, this works great. But I suspect for those looking for a 'Cute Mutant' vibe, this might be literally the most out there in the collection. Although I like clever science fiction, so this makes it to my top 3.
'Awakenings: A Cute Mutants Anthology' is a collective of short stories written in the 'Cute Mutants' universe. Each story is opened with, and followed by, an excerpt from the series author SJ Whitby's character Farlight. As an entire anthology, the stories start off very loosely connected to the happenings of 'Cute Mutants' and introduces the reader to more of it as the anthology progresses. The basic arrangement of this collection. The other commonality was the shear number of plant empaths/plant people, which might explain the cover. It's different to have that many in that super power skill class, my only comment of it.
The overarching glue of the anthology is from SJ Whitby's pieces, and their character Farsight. And Dylan. Farsight I compare to Professor X from X-men in that they can reach out and see the happenings of the mutants a world away, though that is the extent of their ability. Dylan is mostly there to prod them in the side and honestly, I was hoping they would eventually be punted out of the tower. Some editors choose to use this narrative method as a means to create cohesion between the short stories, but I started skipping through them because Dylan annoyed me. Although part of me thinks that may be the point of that character.
As for the actual stories, will go through these one by one, without spoilers:
Rose by Shelly Page: It was a decent opening in that it covered the 'Cute Mutants' aspects of the mutations proliferating and people freaking out about if they had it, or if someone they knew had it. Included a backwater, hick conflict that was a tad tired. It was okay, just didn't blow me away.
A Forest Hath No Fury by Elle Tesch: One that was very disconnected from the universe, but didn't lack in narrative. The stories I preferred in the anthology tended to share the qualities this one had. The prose was lovely, there was a proper sense of place. Great connection not only with the character but her wards, along with a gradual build of characterization, skill, and conflict. Feels like it lives in more of a lit writing style, but was good work.
A Guide To Running Away by Andy Perez: It's a love story, of fire and ice. A little on the cliche side, but it's adorable and a reader wants that in something that is hopelessly romantic. Cute, and put a smile to my face in the end.
Island Burnt By History by Hsinju Chen: I could tell that this author studied in the area of their characters' powers, and I was right. This is why hard sci-fi writers are a treat to read because they know how to make a story out of something that could generally come across as boring and blaise, and make a whole narrative out of it. They wielded their intellect with confidence, and guided the reader in how these powers worked and the means in which they could help others. Also, the one individual without powers was a perfect adorkable side character. Really liked this one.
When The Woods Whisper Back by Shannon Ives: The horror story in the group. Appropriately creepy, and breaks up the vibe of the other stories. If you reflect back on this story after reading the last three, it's especially grim.
Time Of Death by Melody Robinette: Anyone remember the Nickelback 'Savin' Me' music video? That is this story. Main character has this power, and basically tries to prevent a few deaths that might happen. It was rushed, the romantic interlude was sporatic and also rushed. It could have done with a longer duration and more build up. So when bad things do happen, I wasn't invested in these characters.
The Battle Song Of Gravity by Astra Daye: Short, and I don't remember anything about it. Probably the most prose/lit in the group, but if you're reading 'Cute Mutants' I'm guessing it might be a bit of a different tone from the mainline.
When The Forest Calls Us Home by Yves Donlon: Also suffered from being rushed, not enough build up, and not enough time spent with the characters to elicit sympathy at the bad things that happen. It is the first story in the collection that has a character that is portrayed as evil with their powers, however, and the consequences of misplacing affections. But still, could do with more word count and development.
Something Witchy This Way Comes by E.M. Anderson: I loved this one! It has the vibes of a modern fairytale, but also references 'Cute Mutants' little. It could be transposed into a modern Grimm tale retelling and work very well. The author knows how to write a very convincing middle-grade character and play to their naive nature, while also accurately reflecting how the adults around them receive their innocent slights. Incredible characterizations, real, raw, perfect, endearing. Kudos to how they wrote their villain even. The uncle is abusive, but the author recognized that they have some vague notion of humanity when he steps in front of his niece to guard her. Yes, still a jerk, but these characters were actual people. This is a writer who'd I'd like to see more of.
Welcome To The Weirdlands by Hester Steel: This was the one story I skipped through. Too much prose, not enough sense of character and place. It bounced between present and past so frequently that it gave me whiplash. This is however the story that introduces a good chunk of the 'Cute Mutant' lore that most of the ones after it also follow. So if you're not familiar with this universe, you need this story, but I found myself skipping it regardless and hoping that the other ones would handle that instead.
Moth, Flash, Flame by Monica Gribouski: Thankfully, this story was clear and concise in communicating the lore of the 'Cute Mutant' universe. And it also covers the Goddess versus Michael segment of the lore. Just like Hsinju Chen, I could also tell this author was studying in the area of expertise most often referred to in their work, and also knew how to wield their knowledge while creating a concise narrative. Plot twist was clever, and the Moth is maybe one of the most unexpected powers of the group.
Vibe Check by Charlotte Hayward: Empaths. And used in a way that was sweet and endearing towards the end, though the miscommunication trope in the middle made me want to grab the main character and shake some sense into them. Mutant old folks' home with adorable people and aww! The ending is like a good hug. Unexpected, but it's appreciated.
California Dreaming by Amanda M. Pierce: This is your action story. Very good action story. Clever, bombastic, but the characters are all flat stereotypes. Vegan eco chick was full-on "I'm a vegan. Save the whales. RAWR!!!" The pyromaniac villain listened to death metal and wasn't redeemable. And while the action was great, and most of the powers were some of the most creative I've ever seen, the characterizations fell flat. Little dimension, and of them, their attributes were told but never shown. I'm told at least half a dozen times the eco vegan is a super eco vegan, but never once do they actually pick up a snail from the sidewalk, or slap up posters on school grounds telling people that chickens are raised in battery cages. Characterization was lacking, but the action segment towards the end is the pay off.
Gary by Emma Jun: This is delightful in how long the author goes before revealing how exactly the mutation in their main character works. Girl is possessed by an alien... and anything else is spoilers. But basically the plot is more or less the contention between the two, and quite a lot of self-talk. If you like banter and dialogue, and a very, very nuanced sci-fi theory turned into a plot point, this works great. But I suspect for those looking for a 'Cute Mutant' vibe, this might be literally the most out there in the collection. Although I like clever science fiction, so this makes it to my top 3.
March 11, 2022
Awakenings, the first anthology set in the Cute Mutants universe.
Fourteen different stories by fourteen different authors and while I have a few personal favorites, I did enjoy all of them. More people suddenly became mutants and in this book we see how they all deal with their new powers.
A must read if you love the Cute Mutants books
Fourteen different stories by fourteen different authors and while I have a few personal favorites, I did enjoy all of them. More people suddenly became mutants and in this book we see how they all deal with their new powers.
A must read if you love the Cute Mutants books
December 28, 2022
I didn't realize when I started reading the Cute Mutant series how much I would end up really enjoying the world that S.J. Whitby has created. Amazing! Awakenings: A Cute Mutants Anthology is written by different people, each offering a mutant's backstory, which ranged from leaving me engaged, thrilled, and wanting to know more such as "When the Woods Whisper Back" and "Something Witchy this Way Comes" to truly disappointed and virtually skimming the pages in hopes it was over with already, such as "Island Burnt by History" and "Welcome to the Weirdlands." Honestly, all the stories that were longer than the rest were difficult to connect to and felt like the authors took much too long to get their point across, filling pages with unnecessary information that doesn't really relate to the story or make the characters more relatable. Overall, I would recommend, but it's not great compared to the other books.
July 27, 2023
An excellent companion piece to the Cute Mutants universe.
I'll admit at first I was unsure about this book- an anthology with other people trying their hand at the world that S.J has created in the CM books. But after giving the book a chance (by way of a belated bday present from a friend) I thoroughly enjoyed it, especially how S.J managed to add the connective tissue that holds the anthology together by way of the stories being witnessed by the mutant Farsight, who has little interstitials in between each one to comment, interact with the other Cute Mutants, and set up the following stories.
All that said, not every story is a winner- but I enjoyed the majority of them, and honestly wouldn't mind seeing some of the characters show up in future Cute Mutant stories.
I'll admit at first I was unsure about this book- an anthology with other people trying their hand at the world that S.J has created in the CM books. But after giving the book a chance (by way of a belated bday present from a friend) I thoroughly enjoyed it, especially how S.J managed to add the connective tissue that holds the anthology together by way of the stories being witnessed by the mutant Farsight, who has little interstitials in between each one to comment, interact with the other Cute Mutants, and set up the following stories.
All that said, not every story is a winner- but I enjoyed the majority of them, and honestly wouldn't mind seeing some of the characters show up in future Cute Mutant stories.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews