Clays Beneath the Skies

Stories of the Jokka

by M.C.A. Hogarth

The false diviner whose prophecies turn out to be true… the storyteller who risks everything to explore the taboo of cross-sex love… the traders who dare to explore the furthest reaches of the map and the runaway who learns to heal. Clays Beneath the Skies collects seven stories of the Jokka of Ke Bakil, an alien species with two chances at puberty to change sexes: female, neuter or male… a species crushed between the harshness of their world and the imperatives of biology. Whether it’s creating a new religion or choosing to accept the hand of a strange male in a dance, each Jokkad makes sense of its world in its own way. Seven voices. Seven choices. A completely alien world. Come explore. Includes the Strange Horizon’s Reader’s Choice story “Unspeakable,” the Tiptree Reading List story “Freedom, Spiced and Drunk," "New Stories, " "A Trifold Spiral Knot," "Money for Sorrow, Made Joy, "His Neuter Face" and "Fire in the Void." Backmatter includes a chronology and glossary. With special foreword by Hugo Award-winning editor Susan Marie Groppi.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Short Stories, Science Fiction

186 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 5, 2011

About the author

Daughter of two Cuban political exiles, M.C.A. Hogarth was born a foreigner in the American melting pot and has had a fascination for the gaps in cultures and the bridges that span them ever since. She has been many things—-web database architect, product manager, technical writer and massage therapist—-but is currently a full-time parent, artist, writer and anthropologist to aliens, both human and otherwise.

Her fiction has variously been recommended for a Nebula, a finalist for the Spectrum, placed on the secondary Tiptree reading list and chosen for two best-of anthologies; her art has appeared in RPGs, magazines and on book covers.

Reviews

[Alexia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing short stories

Hogarth's tales about the Jokka are always amazing, and this collection was no exception. I can even say I enjoyed these short stories even more than the full-length novels.

A very interesting look into various eras of Jokka "civilizations", and with so many well-written characters! I would love to read an entire book for each of these short stories, that's how good they were.

[Karen A. Wyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

These stories make a good introduction to or reminder of the world of the Jokka, their three sexes and the terrible dilemma that defines and threatens their existence. I found the final story, or at least its conclusion, confusing -- and will give it another try now that I've finished reading the associated novels.

[Elizabeth McCoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

For the physical book edition:

This is a collection of short stories (obviously) -- most are not direct sequels to each other, but instead display the spread of how Jokka react to their harsh world. My favorite is "His Neuter Face," but I think the most striking is the first, "Freedom, Spiced and Drunk." (And "Fire in the Void" makes me giggle!)

The book itself is also beautiful, trade-paperback sized, with interior grayscale illustrations for each story, and lovely layouts of the titles and dropcaps. I've read most of these in ebook form already (my eyes like it when I can control the font-size!), and am still pleased to have them in a physical copy as well. (Indeed, I'd been meaning to read "New Stories" on my e-reader for a while now, but hadn't quite been in a Jokka mood; getting the book let me get in the mood quite quickly!)

If you have not read Jokka stories before... I find that while their reactions can be very human, they can also be very alien, which is what intrigues me most about them. Their biology, which gives them two chances to become one of three sexes (male, female, neuter) *and* which threatens the breeding sexes with madness and mind-death under stress, shapes their thoughts and actions. Their world is harsh; their stories are often poignant. And yet... They snatch moments of joy as well. For anyone who wants to see through alien eyes, and have a lovely book in the hands... I'd say this one's worth a look.

[Karky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick (in language and flow) and pleasant read. It's an introduction to this fictional species and culture, formed around the expectations of gender but centered around individual stories. Interesting and rich in world-building, but surprisingly not so much in gripping, emotional scenes.