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Seven Wonders of a Once and Future World and Other Stories
This debut collection from Nebula-nominated author Caroline M. Yoachim showcases a wide-ranging selection of dark and beautiful stories, fiction that explores human nature against vividly imagined speculative backdrops. Here you'll find time travel, alien invasions, Japanese mermaids, and more—stories of struggle, heartbreak, and hope. The book features twenty-five of Yoachim's most popular published pieces, and two brand new stories exclusive to the collection.
298 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 16, 2016
15 people are currently reading
282 people want to read
About the author
Caroline M. Yoachim
103 books94 followersCaroline M. Yoachim is a writer and photographer living in Seattle, WA. She is a graduate of the Clarion West Writers' Workshop, and her fiction has appeared in Asimov's Science Fiction, Fantasy Magazine, and Beneath Ceaseless Skies. For more about Caroline, check out her website at: http://www.carolineyoachim.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
November 22, 2016
4.5/5.0
October 10, 2016
When scanning shelves for new books of interest, especially if one is (as I am) prone to scanning them alphabetically, it's important not to neglect the latter half of the alphabet. That's where you'll find Caroline M. Yoachim's collection Seven Wonders of a Once and Future World, after all—and this one's a keeper.
Speculative fiction often excels at shorter lengths, where impact and imagery are key. Yoachim's surrealistic scenarios and pellucid, poignant prose are exemplary. Many of her stories, in fact, are "flash fiction"—what we used to call short-short stories, way back in the Cenozoic Era (heh)—and even Yoachim's longer works, like "Five Stages of Grief after the Alien Invasion" and the title story, tend to be what she calls "flashmash," knitting together several brief, discrete stories around different aspects of a common theme. This is, by the way, a good thing, a structure I've played around with myself, back when I was reading and, occasionally, posting on the Usenet newsgroup talk.bizarre.
But I digress... something Yoachim almost never does, and when she does seem to wander it's always to good purpose. Some of the tales that particularly stood out for me (though really they're all good, in different—sometimes radically different—ways):
* "The Philosophy of Ships," which ace anthologist Rich Horton included in his year's-best anthology for 2013. A ski trip to old Earth goes wrong for a couple of posthumans. This one awakened echoes of Iain M. Banks for me, which again is rather a good thing.
* "Everyone's a Clown," a short, sharp shock to the senses, in which the clowns aren't even the scariest part.
* "Harmonies of Time," which answers the determinism of Ted Chiang's "Story of Your Life" with a more open-ended view.
* "On the Pages of a Sketchbook Universe"—you just have to read this one, to watch its brilliant conceit unfold (heh).
* "Press Play to Watch It Die," which invites comparison with Ursula K. LeGuin's early work—not at all what I expected from the title.
Sure, there were some few infelicities... I would've used "sneaked" instead of "snuck" in a couple of places, for example—but on the whole Yoachim's writing is smooth, polished and utterly clear, demanding from the reader not so much mental effort but rather mental agility.
In short—I'll be looking for more from Yoachim, and recommend that you do the same.
Speculative fiction often excels at shorter lengths, where impact and imagery are key. Yoachim's surrealistic scenarios and pellucid, poignant prose are exemplary. Many of her stories, in fact, are "flash fiction"—what we used to call short-short stories, way back in the Cenozoic Era (heh)—and even Yoachim's longer works, like "Five Stages of Grief after the Alien Invasion" and the title story, tend to be what she calls "flashmash," knitting together several brief, discrete stories around different aspects of a common theme. This is, by the way, a good thing, a structure I've played around with myself, back when I was reading and, occasionally, posting on the Usenet newsgroup talk.bizarre.
But I digress... something Yoachim almost never does, and when she does seem to wander it's always to good purpose. Some of the tales that particularly stood out for me (though really they're all good, in different—sometimes radically different—ways):
* "The Philosophy of Ships," which ace anthologist Rich Horton included in his year's-best anthology for 2013. A ski trip to old Earth goes wrong for a couple of posthumans. This one awakened echoes of Iain M. Banks for me, which again is rather a good thing.
* "Everyone's a Clown," a short, sharp shock to the senses, in which the clowns aren't even the scariest part.
* "Harmonies of Time," which answers the determinism of Ted Chiang's "Story of Your Life" with a more open-ended view.
* "On the Pages of a Sketchbook Universe"—you just have to read this one, to watch its brilliant conceit unfold (heh).
* "Press Play to Watch It Die," which invites comparison with Ursula K. LeGuin's early work—not at all what I expected from the title.
Sure, there were some few infelicities... I would've used "sneaked" instead of "snuck" in a couple of places, for example—but on the whole Yoachim's writing is smooth, polished and utterly clear, demanding from the reader not so much mental effort but rather mental agility.
In short—I'll be looking for more from Yoachim, and recommend that you do the same.
September 8, 2025
I'm ninety-five percent sure I enjoyed this book.
In between reading novels that weigh more than a wheelbarrow full of bowling balls that cause carpal tunnel (looking at you Hamilton and Stephenson) I enjoy short stories. And this book, Seven Wonders of a Once and Future World, is brimming with interesting ones, of varying lengths.
I haven't heard of Caroline Yoachim before attending a writer's panel/discussion about Alternate Cognitions last month. Well needless to say, the one hour give and take between the authors, scientists and audience got me interested in some of her works. So later on that day I purchased a copy of this novel on the dealer floor.
First. The cover. Very unique. 👍
Dos. The layout and contents. Very eye-appealing. Broken into parts. Stories of our world, flash worlds, fantasy worlds and of course alien ones. ✅
Three. The author notes provided a snippet about each tale. Very nice. 🆒
Quatro: The stories. The majority held my interest. Quite a potluck pick in here. ✅
For me, their shortness was a huge plus. Perfectly sized to read one or two before shutting down for the night.
A few for you to check out, there are 25 of them in here.
"Five Stages of Grief After the Alien Invasion": This one was broken down into denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance. An alien invasion of a different kind.
"Temporary Friends": People live longer and are taught about death through temporary friends. This one made me think.
"Please Approve the Dissertation Research of Angtor": Schadenfreude indeed. I appreciated the sick humor of this one. Angtor wants his research paper accepted or face the consequences of the alien overlord. Unique short-story premise and the way it was formatted increased its fun.
"Ninety-Five Percent Safe": A wormhole that is not 100 % safe. Would you travel through it. I would. Even if there's a 5% chance I'd die a fabulous disaster of a death.
"The Little Mermaid of Innsmouth": Interesting take on the mermaid wanting to be human. This one stuck with me.
Overall Seven Wonders of a Once and Future World by Caroline Yoachim was one of the best short story collections I have read.
Four stars. Now I want more.
In between reading novels that weigh more than a wheelbarrow full of bowling balls that cause carpal tunnel (looking at you Hamilton and Stephenson) I enjoy short stories. And this book, Seven Wonders of a Once and Future World, is brimming with interesting ones, of varying lengths.
I haven't heard of Caroline Yoachim before attending a writer's panel/discussion about Alternate Cognitions last month. Well needless to say, the one hour give and take between the authors, scientists and audience got me interested in some of her works. So later on that day I purchased a copy of this novel on the dealer floor.
First. The cover. Very unique. 👍
Dos. The layout and contents. Very eye-appealing. Broken into parts. Stories of our world, flash worlds, fantasy worlds and of course alien ones. ✅
Three. The author notes provided a snippet about each tale. Very nice. 🆒
Quatro: The stories. The majority held my interest. Quite a potluck pick in here. ✅
For me, their shortness was a huge plus. Perfectly sized to read one or two before shutting down for the night.
A few for you to check out, there are 25 of them in here.
"Five Stages of Grief After the Alien Invasion": This one was broken down into denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance. An alien invasion of a different kind.
"Temporary Friends": People live longer and are taught about death through temporary friends. This one made me think.
"Please Approve the Dissertation Research of Angtor": Schadenfreude indeed. I appreciated the sick humor of this one. Angtor wants his research paper accepted or face the consequences of the alien overlord. Unique short-story premise and the way it was formatted increased its fun.
"Ninety-Five Percent Safe": A wormhole that is not 100 % safe. Would you travel through it. I would. Even if there's a 5% chance I'd die a fabulous disaster of a death.
"The Little Mermaid of Innsmouth": Interesting take on the mermaid wanting to be human. This one stuck with me.
Overall Seven Wonders of a Once and Future World by Caroline Yoachim was one of the best short story collections I have read.
Four stars. Now I want more.
May 15, 2016
Caroline M. Yoachim is an incredibly prolific, lauded short story writer, but I had only read three of the stories in her collection! Seven Wonders of a Once and Future World and Other Stories is a great way to get a sense of her range and talent because one thing is clear: that Caroline M. Yoachim can write a fucking short story.
(Tina Connolly's lovely introduction primes the reader for what they are about to experience, pointing out Yoachim's strengths and recurring themes. Honestly, her introduction is a better review of the book than this will be.)
I dig the organization of the collection into subsections, with stories set in "Our World," "Fantasy Worlds," and "Alien Worlds," tying into the "World" theme invoked in the title. And then a couple interludes of "Flash Fiction Worlds."
Let me address the flash fiction first, as I have a SOMEWHAT CONTROVERSIAL OPINION. Yoachim is well regarded as an excellent flash writer, but her style of flash doesn't hit as much for me. I generally want more narrative satisfaction in my flash, and many of the pieces here feel more geared toward evoking strong emotion from a scene or situation. Which is not to say that doesn't work for me sometimes. "A Million Oysters for Chiyoko" effectively portrays a mother's grief and "Pieces of My Body" is carried so well by the disembodiment idea that the emotional capper feels perfectly satisfying. My favorite flash pieces, though, were the very funny UFO selections, "Carla at the Off-Planet Tax Return Helpline" and "Please Approve the Dissertation Research of Angtor," which are as entertaining as their titles promise.
Perhaps I will address the sections in increasing order of my liking them. So, Fantasy Worlds! A couple favorites in here, including "The Little Mermaid of Innsmouth," which mashes up Anderson and Lovecraft brilliantly and directly addresses the racism in the source material, and "The Carnival Was Eaten, All Except the Clown," a sweet (no pun intended) story of a sugar-magic clown full of whimsy and charm. I wanted to like "On the Pages of a Sketchbook Universe" more than I did because the premise is awesome—Yoachim fully imagines 2D characters living on a page with the power to draw more of themselves—but I got lost in the admirably ambitious work.
Alien Worlds has some winners too, one of them short and one of them long. "Mother Ship" is about a ship...that's a mother, a tender tale of a generation ship preserving the next generation. And "Seven Wonders of a Once and Future World" is an epic story across time and space, a transhumanist glimpse into the far future that manages to remain rooted in one character's journey. I liked most of the stories in this section, though "Ninety-Five Percent Safe" felt uncharacteristically bleak, despite the hopeful spin at the end. That's the thing with Yoachim's stories; they tend to make you feel good, even if you're not sure what's going on.
The standout stories, however, are in Our World. "Betty and the Squelchy Saurus" is a very cute tale of little girls vs. monsters told from both sides, but that's not what I refer to. Because holy goddamn shit, "Five Stages of Grief After the Alien Invasion" is something else. It's one of Yoachim's popular "flashmash" stories, constructed as individual flash pieces that come together to tell a greater story (like "Seven Wonders"), and as the title suggests, each one revolves around a stage of grief. In such a short space, Yoachim gets in so much worldbuilding about the alien invasion and so much emotion surrounding the characters that I didn't want the story to end. "Rock, Paper, Scissors, Love, Death" is a mindbending time travel romance that, like every story here, is so intricately constructed. Yoachim cares so much for the details, and this one had me flipping back and forth to see how well she'd set everything up.
As with any collection of stories, I loved a few, liked some others, and didn't care for others. But regardless of whether a story was to my taste or not, I did love seeing the common themes that crept up in the work, like motherhood, carnivals, identity (specifically as it relates to Theseus' paradox), children, and...well, you'll see what I mean when you read. Caroline M. Yoachim writes stories that burrow inside you, expanding your mind and touching your heart (and occasionally your funny bone). This collection takes you to a breadth of worlds you'll want to return to again and again.
(Tina Connolly's lovely introduction primes the reader for what they are about to experience, pointing out Yoachim's strengths and recurring themes. Honestly, her introduction is a better review of the book than this will be.)
I dig the organization of the collection into subsections, with stories set in "Our World," "Fantasy Worlds," and "Alien Worlds," tying into the "World" theme invoked in the title. And then a couple interludes of "Flash Fiction Worlds."
Let me address the flash fiction first, as I have a SOMEWHAT CONTROVERSIAL OPINION. Yoachim is well regarded as an excellent flash writer, but her style of flash doesn't hit as much for me. I generally want more narrative satisfaction in my flash, and many of the pieces here feel more geared toward evoking strong emotion from a scene or situation. Which is not to say that doesn't work for me sometimes. "A Million Oysters for Chiyoko" effectively portrays a mother's grief and "Pieces of My Body" is carried so well by the disembodiment idea that the emotional capper feels perfectly satisfying. My favorite flash pieces, though, were the very funny UFO selections, "Carla at the Off-Planet Tax Return Helpline" and "Please Approve the Dissertation Research of Angtor," which are as entertaining as their titles promise.
Perhaps I will address the sections in increasing order of my liking them. So, Fantasy Worlds! A couple favorites in here, including "The Little Mermaid of Innsmouth," which mashes up Anderson and Lovecraft brilliantly and directly addresses the racism in the source material, and "The Carnival Was Eaten, All Except the Clown," a sweet (no pun intended) story of a sugar-magic clown full of whimsy and charm. I wanted to like "On the Pages of a Sketchbook Universe" more than I did because the premise is awesome—Yoachim fully imagines 2D characters living on a page with the power to draw more of themselves—but I got lost in the admirably ambitious work.
Alien Worlds has some winners too, one of them short and one of them long. "Mother Ship" is about a ship...that's a mother, a tender tale of a generation ship preserving the next generation. And "Seven Wonders of a Once and Future World" is an epic story across time and space, a transhumanist glimpse into the far future that manages to remain rooted in one character's journey. I liked most of the stories in this section, though "Ninety-Five Percent Safe" felt uncharacteristically bleak, despite the hopeful spin at the end. That's the thing with Yoachim's stories; they tend to make you feel good, even if you're not sure what's going on.
The standout stories, however, are in Our World. "Betty and the Squelchy Saurus" is a very cute tale of little girls vs. monsters told from both sides, but that's not what I refer to. Because holy goddamn shit, "Five Stages of Grief After the Alien Invasion" is something else. It's one of Yoachim's popular "flashmash" stories, constructed as individual flash pieces that come together to tell a greater story (like "Seven Wonders"), and as the title suggests, each one revolves around a stage of grief. In such a short space, Yoachim gets in so much worldbuilding about the alien invasion and so much emotion surrounding the characters that I didn't want the story to end. "Rock, Paper, Scissors, Love, Death" is a mindbending time travel romance that, like every story here, is so intricately constructed. Yoachim cares so much for the details, and this one had me flipping back and forth to see how well she'd set everything up.
As with any collection of stories, I loved a few, liked some others, and didn't care for others. But regardless of whether a story was to my taste or not, I did love seeing the common themes that crept up in the work, like motherhood, carnivals, identity (specifically as it relates to Theseus' paradox), children, and...well, you'll see what I mean when you read. Caroline M. Yoachim writes stories that burrow inside you, expanding your mind and touching your heart (and occasionally your funny bone). This collection takes you to a breadth of worlds you'll want to return to again and again.
March 22, 2017
The largest range of speculative fiction short stories I have yet to read, from monsters under the bed to the singularity.
November 12, 2020
#LeoAutorasOct, 2020, 5/5 (sí, estamos en noviembre, qué quieres que te diga, life happens)
Es una lástima que no sea una autora más conocida por estas tierras. Tiene poco o nada que envidiar a Ken Liu, por ejemplo. En español tenemos unos pocos relatos suyos gracias a Mariano Villarreal, Marcheto y Cristina Jurado (la tríada española de la cifi—con Odo como el que dejó la banda antes de que fuera famosa), pero debería publicarla una editorial con alcance generalista.
El sentido de la maravilla (ya lo dice el título) de esta recopilación es apabullante: se adentra en los confines del espacio y el tiempo (la historia que da título al libro) con un transhumanismo y un poshumanismo propios de Love, Death & Robots, te monta una historia de amor con vidas cruzadas en el tiempo digna de Elia Barceló o de Doctor Who, te habla de naves sentientes madres a lo Andrómeda o Aliette de Boddard, le da una vuelta antirracista a los mitos de Lovecraft, te emociona con un minimalismo mágico-circense digno de Neil Gaiman, va a la guerra con las hadas y abre tu esencia a los misterios del universo, te emociona con una historia de pérdida familiar con sabor oriental que podría ser terror corporal (lo de parir y cachitos de carne se ve que es su rollo, claramente) pero recuerda más a los lagrimones que nos hace verter Ken Liu y, por qué no, te hace reír con pequeñas viñetas a lo Futurama o Rick & Morty narradas como conversaciones telefónicas o por email. En fin, que hay de todo un poco y yo solo estoy tocando la superficie; por haber, hay hasta una historia de fantasmas/peluches gótica-infantil a lo Patrick Rothfuss. Para soñar, tú.
Es una lástima que no sea una autora más conocida por estas tierras. Tiene poco o nada que envidiar a Ken Liu, por ejemplo. En español tenemos unos pocos relatos suyos gracias a Mariano Villarreal, Marcheto y Cristina Jurado (la tríada española de la cifi—con Odo como el que dejó la banda antes de que fuera famosa), pero debería publicarla una editorial con alcance generalista.
El sentido de la maravilla (ya lo dice el título) de esta recopilación es apabullante: se adentra en los confines del espacio y el tiempo (la historia que da título al libro) con un transhumanismo y un poshumanismo propios de Love, Death & Robots, te monta una historia de amor con vidas cruzadas en el tiempo digna de Elia Barceló o de Doctor Who, te habla de naves sentientes madres a lo Andrómeda o Aliette de Boddard, le da una vuelta antirracista a los mitos de Lovecraft, te emociona con un minimalismo mágico-circense digno de Neil Gaiman, va a la guerra con las hadas y abre tu esencia a los misterios del universo, te emociona con una historia de pérdida familiar con sabor oriental que podría ser terror corporal (lo de parir y cachitos de carne se ve que es su rollo, claramente) pero recuerda más a los lagrimones que nos hace verter Ken Liu y, por qué no, te hace reír con pequeñas viñetas a lo Futurama o Rick & Morty narradas como conversaciones telefónicas o por email. En fin, que hay de todo un poco y yo solo estoy tocando la superficie; por haber, hay hasta una historia de fantasmas/peluches gótica-infantil a lo Patrick Rothfuss. Para soñar, tú.
January 4, 2019
If you haven’t read Carnival Nine (Beneath Ceaseless Skies) you really should. I think it was by far the best SFF story of 2018. I went into this book with only having read that story of Yoachim’s. had no idea how well she navigated SciFi in addition to secondary-world fantasy.
The title story—it’s worth the wait at the end of the book—is incredible. It’s very short, and her words manage to hold enormous ideas together.
Five Stages of Grief After the Alien Invasion is brilliant and sad. I needed to take a few breaths after reading it. Reading this book crashes your emotions together—on the one hand, you’re reading a good book and you want to keep going, on the other hand you come face-to-face with a lot of profound endings and need some recovery time. I usually double-fist with a novel when reading a good short story collection. I should’ve done that this time.
Philosophy of Ships, Mother Ship, and Four Seasons in the Forest of Your Mind demonstrate what happens when the author applies her imagination to biology. Whether it’s near or far future, there’s an eternity of creative opportunity in the human mind. Its vastness can be intimidating. Yoachim doesn’t shy away from it.
On the Pages of a Sketchbook Universe is a fucking awesome story. I’ll probably read that story hundreds of times before I die and it’ll be the first thing I show the singularity I’ll be dissolved into and they’ll see it all at once because by then I’ll have it memorized word-for-word.
There are two ‘interludes’ between themes in the book that have a cluster of flash fiction stories. My two favorites are A Million Oysters for Chiyoko and Paperclips and Memories and Things that Won’t be Missed. If you want an author that can be the literature-equivalent of those two or three sad songs you listen to when you want to cry but need just a little push to get the tears out, Caroline M. Yoachim is exactly what you’re looking for.
Buy the book.
The title story—it’s worth the wait at the end of the book—is incredible. It’s very short, and her words manage to hold enormous ideas together.
Five Stages of Grief After the Alien Invasion is brilliant and sad. I needed to take a few breaths after reading it. Reading this book crashes your emotions together—on the one hand, you’re reading a good book and you want to keep going, on the other hand you come face-to-face with a lot of profound endings and need some recovery time. I usually double-fist with a novel when reading a good short story collection. I should’ve done that this time.
Philosophy of Ships, Mother Ship, and Four Seasons in the Forest of Your Mind demonstrate what happens when the author applies her imagination to biology. Whether it’s near or far future, there’s an eternity of creative opportunity in the human mind. Its vastness can be intimidating. Yoachim doesn’t shy away from it.
On the Pages of a Sketchbook Universe is a fucking awesome story. I’ll probably read that story hundreds of times before I die and it’ll be the first thing I show the singularity I’ll be dissolved into and they’ll see it all at once because by then I’ll have it memorized word-for-word.
There are two ‘interludes’ between themes in the book that have a cluster of flash fiction stories. My two favorites are A Million Oysters for Chiyoko and Paperclips and Memories and Things that Won’t be Missed. If you want an author that can be the literature-equivalent of those two or three sad songs you listen to when you want to cry but need just a little push to get the tears out, Caroline M. Yoachim is exactly what you’re looking for.
Buy the book.
December 15, 2018
Actual rating: 6 or 7 stars. This one was seriously amazing. There’s so much to like in this book, from the very diverse worlds each story created, to the sweet, funny and sometimes tragic characters, there wasn’t a single story that wasn’t worth reading. I said a few weeks ago that Roger Zelazny’s The Doors of His Face, the Lamps of His Mouth was the best collection of short stories I’d read; but now I stand corrected.
A shotout to some of the stories that I especially loved:
Temporary Friends: The premise was absolutely fascinating, as was the family portrayed.
A Million Oysters for Chiyoko: Shouldn’t have read it on a bus, people looked at me funny when I got teary-eyed.
On the Pages of a Sketchbook Universe: This was so beautifully described, I could just picture the heir as they drew their adventure along.
The Carnival was Eaten, All Except the Clown: The set-up was great, but the Clown herself was an amazingly strong character and the ending was one of the best.
Grass Girl: The friendship was probably the best part of this one.
One Last Night at the Carnival, Before the Stars Go Out: The metaphor for the universe was so beautiful, and, like many of the others, I liked to hopeful note in which it ended.
And Seven Wonders of a Once and Future World was a perfect story to bring the collection to a close, with that sensation of it being something that will go on, in some form, after closing the book.
(On a last note, could we petition Pixar or Studio Ghibli to animate some of these? Because that would be gorgeous.)
A shotout to some of the stories that I especially loved:
Temporary Friends: The premise was absolutely fascinating, as was the family portrayed.
A Million Oysters for Chiyoko: Shouldn’t have read it on a bus, people looked at me funny when I got teary-eyed.
On the Pages of a Sketchbook Universe: This was so beautifully described, I could just picture the heir as they drew their adventure along.
The Carnival was Eaten, All Except the Clown: The set-up was great, but the Clown herself was an amazingly strong character and the ending was one of the best.
Grass Girl: The friendship was probably the best part of this one.
One Last Night at the Carnival, Before the Stars Go Out: The metaphor for the universe was so beautiful, and, like many of the others, I liked to hopeful note in which it ended.
And Seven Wonders of a Once and Future World was a perfect story to bring the collection to a close, with that sensation of it being something that will go on, in some form, after closing the book.
(On a last note, could we petition Pixar or Studio Ghibli to animate some of these? Because that would be gorgeous.)
October 24, 2016
I just read some finely-crafted shorts by Michael Swanwick.
These are just as essential, but quite different.
Yoachim's work feels, well, unbounded, as if any idea that swims by can be grabbed and made into a logically-reasoned story. And her reach appears to be limitless, especially in the last story. Enough to make Olaf Stapledon tremble in his grave. Although I just couldn't get into her Sketchbook Universe.
Very good stuff, recommended.
These are just as essential, but quite different.
Yoachim's work feels, well, unbounded, as if any idea that swims by can be grabbed and made into a logically-reasoned story. And her reach appears to be limitless, especially in the last story. Enough to make Olaf Stapledon tremble in his grave. Although I just couldn't get into her Sketchbook Universe.
Very good stuff, recommended.
September 22, 2025
I learned about Caroline M. Yoachim's writing through Lighspeed magazine, where she has had several short stories published and featured on the podcast. Her story We will teach you how to read | We will teach you how to read is a unique experience on headphones. It made me interested in her work, so I bought her short story collection. It has a mix of good and bad stories. As I read it, I annotated little notes and a grade for each story. I will share them here, as way of my review.
- Five stages of grief after the alien invasion
5. Did not work for me, but could, for others. I like the aliens =)
-Rock, paper, scissors, love, death
5,8. Tries too hard. Half-clever puzzlebox though.
- The philosophy of ships
7. Slow start. Grest middle. OK ending. I loved the biopunk body-art.
- Temporary friends
8. Heartwarming. A great 1-topic sci-fi with real humanity.
FLASH FICTION WORLDS
- A million oysters for Chiyoko
6. Poor prose. Good story.
- Carla at the off-planet tax return helpline
7,1. Fun!
- Pieces of my body
6. A fun flash, decent application. Original, but short for good reason.
- Everyone's a clown
?. I think it is deep... but I can't grasp the message.
FANTASY WORLDS
- The little mermaid of Innsmouth
5. A fun romp, seeing Lovecraftian horror from the side of the horrors. But far too on-the-nose to be considered as literature.
- On the pages of a sketchbook universe
N/A. Did not finish. Too on-the-nose.
FLASH FICTION WORLDS
- Paperclips and memories and things that won't be missed
8,5. Powerfull. Moving. Beautifull. Sadness (sic).
- Please approve the dissertation research of Angtor
5,9. heh.
- Grass girl
6. Nice and simple.
- One last night at the carnival, before the stars go out
0. I think the first sentencd is dumb.
- Honeybee
7. Eco collapse hope.
- Elizabeth's pirate army
7. HeH
ALIEN WORLDS
This! Is where Yoachim shines.
- Mother ship
7,8. Confusing stsrt, but worthwhile ending.
Scribbled next to first paragraph: what is going on?
- Four seasons in the forest of your mind
10. Now that is a story! Grade A biopunk.
- Press play to watch it die
10. Beautiful. I cried. The Prime Directive mentality to decolonization.
- Ninety-five percent safe
9,5. Some perfect 70'sish sci-fi but with female protagonist (good).
- Seven wonders of a once and future world
6,9. it's nice.
- Five stages of grief after the alien invasion
5. Did not work for me, but could, for others. I like the aliens =)
-Rock, paper, scissors, love, death
5,8. Tries too hard. Half-clever puzzlebox though.
- The philosophy of ships
7. Slow start. Grest middle. OK ending. I loved the biopunk body-art.
- Temporary friends
8. Heartwarming. A great 1-topic sci-fi with real humanity.
FLASH FICTION WORLDS
- A million oysters for Chiyoko
6. Poor prose. Good story.
- Carla at the off-planet tax return helpline
7,1. Fun!
- Pieces of my body
6. A fun flash, decent application. Original, but short for good reason.
- Everyone's a clown
?. I think it is deep... but I can't grasp the message.
FANTASY WORLDS
- The little mermaid of Innsmouth
5. A fun romp, seeing Lovecraftian horror from the side of the horrors. But far too on-the-nose to be considered as literature.
- On the pages of a sketchbook universe
N/A. Did not finish. Too on-the-nose.
FLASH FICTION WORLDS
- Paperclips and memories and things that won't be missed
8,5. Powerfull. Moving. Beautifull. Sadness (sic).
- Please approve the dissertation research of Angtor
5,9. heh.
- Grass girl
6. Nice and simple.
- One last night at the carnival, before the stars go out
0. I think the first sentencd is dumb.
- Honeybee
7. Eco collapse hope.
- Elizabeth's pirate army
7. HeH
ALIEN WORLDS
This! Is where Yoachim shines.
- Mother ship
7,8. Confusing stsrt, but worthwhile ending.
Scribbled next to first paragraph: what is going on?
- Four seasons in the forest of your mind
10. Now that is a story! Grade A biopunk.
- Press play to watch it die
10. Beautiful. I cried. The Prime Directive mentality to decolonization.
- Ninety-five percent safe
9,5. Some perfect 70'sish sci-fi but with female protagonist (good).
- Seven wonders of a once and future world
6,9. it's nice.
December 18, 2018
Wonderful short speculative fiction collection, ranging from flash fiction to short stories, funny to poignant, and fantasy to science fiction. While I had definite favorites in the batch, they were all strong stories that left me feeling something or pondering something after I had otherwise moved on from them.
Highlights for me included "Rock, Paper, Scissors, Love, Death," an absolute brain-bender of a time travel story; "Carla at the Off-Planet Tax Return Helpline," a funny flash piece that reminded me of the droll bureaucratic tone of Max Gladstone; "The Little Mermaid of Innsmouth," which weds The Little Mermaid with an interrogation of Lovecraft's racism; "On the Pages of a Sketchbook Universe," which contains some of the most original creation mythology I've read in a while; and "Honeybee," a poignant story that feels all too timely with the threats facing honeybees currently.
I loved the tonal variety of the pieces; while they spanned a variety of emotional beats, there were still enough recurring motifs to hold everything together. I think one of the most compelling motifs were centered around family (particularly motherhood, which you don't always see in spec fic, what with its parade of orphans and quests), loss, and transformation. Yoachim has been on my list of short fic authors to watch since I added her "Carnival Nine" to my Hugo ballot earlier this year, and I'll happily add her to my buy list when she compiles another collection of stories.
Highlights for me included "Rock, Paper, Scissors, Love, Death," an absolute brain-bender of a time travel story; "Carla at the Off-Planet Tax Return Helpline," a funny flash piece that reminded me of the droll bureaucratic tone of Max Gladstone; "The Little Mermaid of Innsmouth," which weds The Little Mermaid with an interrogation of Lovecraft's racism; "On the Pages of a Sketchbook Universe," which contains some of the most original creation mythology I've read in a while; and "Honeybee," a poignant story that feels all too timely with the threats facing honeybees currently.
I loved the tonal variety of the pieces; while they spanned a variety of emotional beats, there were still enough recurring motifs to hold everything together. I think one of the most compelling motifs were centered around family (particularly motherhood, which you don't always see in spec fic, what with its parade of orphans and quests), loss, and transformation. Yoachim has been on my list of short fic authors to watch since I added her "Carnival Nine" to my Hugo ballot earlier this year, and I'll happily add her to my buy list when she compiles another collection of stories.
January 4, 2025
A brilliant little collections of sci fi short stories and flash fiction. Thoughtful and literary-leaning. There's only one story I didn't finish (Four Seasons in the Forest of Your Mind. It was good but too intellectual for my mood.) The whole book took me awhile to finish; I started it in early December and finished in early January. Each story prompted a lot of thought and consideration, even the ones that hooked me so hard I rushed through them.
Stone Wall Truth was a lush, sensory experience, and an incredible story about the different ways sharing our deepest secrets can go. The protagonist's moral dilemma is so interesting as it unfolds.
The Little Mermaid of Innsmouth absolutely floored me. What an incredible story about identity and longing, and having a relationship with your heritage and culture and body even though they're different.
Press Play to Watch it Die moved me. A story about giving up what is safe and comfortable to pursue what calls to you in your nature.
Most of these stories have non human protagonists, including a fair amount of personified or anthropomorphized objects. There's a lot of birthing and mothering, so endeavor accordingly. Even as an antinatalist it didn't bother me. There's something very biological about the approach, very grounded in animal feelings.
One of my 2024 favorites and a nice start to 2025.
Stone Wall Truth was a lush, sensory experience, and an incredible story about the different ways sharing our deepest secrets can go. The protagonist's moral dilemma is so interesting as it unfolds.
The Little Mermaid of Innsmouth absolutely floored me. What an incredible story about identity and longing, and having a relationship with your heritage and culture and body even though they're different.
Press Play to Watch it Die moved me. A story about giving up what is safe and comfortable to pursue what calls to you in your nature.
Most of these stories have non human protagonists, including a fair amount of personified or anthropomorphized objects. There's a lot of birthing and mothering, so endeavor accordingly. Even as an antinatalist it didn't bother me. There's something very biological about the approach, very grounded in animal feelings.
One of my 2024 favorites and a nice start to 2025.
May 4, 2019
These are absolutely original speculative worlds. Many are based on a single phrase or common expression, turned into an unexpected story; some reference other imaginary worlds as diverse as The Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy, Narnia, Hans Christian Andersen, and Lovecraft (the racism of the latter is dealt with head-on). All are extremely visual. Some of my favorites include: children in an orphanage negotiating a treaty with the monsters under their beds and in their closets; a question of what would happen if we all could design our own bodies (and out of what material); a feudal world in a sketchbook that literally paints itself into existence along a time loop; frightening parasitic brain cells that live in alien organisms (including humans) and serve the "Omnitude"; and a couple of comical tales with hilarious twist endings. Fascinating stories, all -- but the reader is advised that along with beautiful and whimsical images, there are many grotesque and horrifying scenes that (because of the author's superb visual descriptions) are difficult to get out of one's mind.
--Steven E. Scribner, author of the "Tond" series https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
--Steven E. Scribner, author of the "Tond" series https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
August 11, 2018
A very solid collection of short stories and flash fiction, ranging all across the broad spectrum of SFF. There's a great deal of tonal range too, from the silly to the somber, and Yoachim is a deft hand at playing with structure.
Particular favorites are "The Little Mermaid of Innsmouth" and "Carla at the Off-Planet Tax Return Helpline."
Particular favorites are "The Little Mermaid of Innsmouth" and "Carla at the Off-Planet Tax Return Helpline."
December 5, 2019
To be fair, I am only halfway through. At this point, though, the stories have been outstanding enough that I expect more of the same, and even if they weren't as good, this rating is deserved, perhaps for On the Pages of a Sketchbook Universe alone. Yoachim's is head and shoulders above the majority of short story collections I have read. She is a master of the form.
December 12, 2022
Great stories. Great concepts. I also liked the structure of the collection.
Everyone's a Clown made me cry.
Betty and the Squelchy Saurus was really cute.
Read a story this author had in a Nebula collection, which made me get the short story collection she had out.
Everyone's a Clown made me cry.
Betty and the Squelchy Saurus was really cute.
Read a story this author had in a Nebula collection, which made me get the short story collection she had out.
February 24, 2019
Astonishing, unnerving stories.
July 5, 2019
Prime SF for the Wretched.
April 12, 2022
I have read only the title story. A vast and wonderful story.
September 23, 2023
Creative nuggets rather than cohesive plots, like each story started as a writer's flash challenge.
March 27, 2025
Rock Paper Scissors Love Death - It’s Storytime podcast. I love Wil, I hate time travel. Sorry!
May 11, 2025
Brilliant collection of short stories, one of the best I've read. I'm quite new to Caroline Yoachim but I'm a big fan!
November 22, 2025
Vera, Vera Niice... More review later
December 5, 2025
Rock, Paper, Scissors, Love, Death
March 10, 2017
A collection of flash and short stories that are mostly serious and somewhat dark in tone, there are a couple of comic ones though. I enjoyed The Little Mermaid of Innsmouth, feminist and funny Lovecraft? Howie is spinning as we speak. From what I can tell, the author hasn't written any longer pieces, but this was a fun read once collection.
December 6, 2017
writers of color challenge #31
These stories are amazing!
The book is organized as follows:
- stories of our world
- "flash fiction" worlds (stories that are just a coupla pages)
- stories of fantasy worlds
- more flash fiction
- stories of alien worlds
But the real gems are not the worlds (tho they are neat) but the characters and the stories. Some made me really sad, some made me laugh out loud, they were all so different and creative and whoa. I loved them all.
My favorite story is a Flash, called "Carla at the Off-Planet Tax Return Helpline" HILARIOUS
Disclaimer: Caroline is a friend of mine from grad school but our friendship does not bias my love for this book. I have not talked with her in ages and I am sad about this but I promise she does not have a tentacle to my throat forcing me to write a positive review. Nope.
These stories are amazing!
The book is organized as follows:
- stories of our world
- "flash fiction" worlds (stories that are just a coupla pages)
- stories of fantasy worlds
- more flash fiction
- stories of alien worlds
But the real gems are not the worlds (tho they are neat) but the characters and the stories. Some made me really sad, some made me laugh out loud, they were all so different and creative and whoa. I loved them all.
My favorite story is a Flash, called "Carla at the Off-Planet Tax Return Helpline" HILARIOUS
Disclaimer: Caroline is a friend of mine from grad school but our friendship does not bias my love for this book. I have not talked with her in ages and I am sad about this but I promise she does not have a tentacle to my throat forcing me to write a positive review. Nope.
February 18, 2017
A beautiful collection of fantasy and science fiction short stories.
September 10, 2017
There is little doubt that Caroline M Yoachim is among the best flash fiction writers. This collection has a quite a few stories that show why - her ability to create characters one can identify with even in the strangest of settings. What makes her stories work is her ability to slowly feed information to the reader, even in stories that run just a 1000 words.
But there are an equal number that don't work at all. Her wish to make longer stories by stacking flash stories together work beautifully in some, and turns out to be a hindrance in others. Many a time her stories leave you yearning for a deeper exploration of the world she is creating - hope she pens a novel soon.
The best works are those that make the reader want to write as well. One of the stories (Do Not Count the Withered Ones) made me write a poem as well: http://garbhmein.blogspot.com/2017/09...
But there are an equal number that don't work at all. Her wish to make longer stories by stacking flash stories together work beautifully in some, and turns out to be a hindrance in others. Many a time her stories leave you yearning for a deeper exploration of the world she is creating - hope she pens a novel soon.
The best works are those that make the reader want to write as well. One of the stories (Do Not Count the Withered Ones) made me write a poem as well: http://garbhmein.blogspot.com/2017/09...
November 1, 2016
These tend to the short fiction end, and I really like that for the most part. A few felt flat, too short, but most were just a hint of something- and we great. Several I read to my kids and they enjoyed them (and not only do they get to share great short stories, but are introduced to quality flash fiction).
January 22, 2024
Short stories more emotionally powerful and gripping than most novels. When was the last time a 5 page story made you tear up and/or contemplate your place in the universe? Yoachim has not only an incredible imagination with some unique ideas, but a way of conveying feeling and setting better than many others. Surely an author to keep an eye on.
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