Shoreline of Infinity, Issue 11, Spring 2018: All Women Special Edition

Shoreline of Infinity Science Fiction Magazine #11

by Pippa Goldschmidt (Guest Editor), Caroline Grebbell (Guest Editor), Aliette de Bodard (Contributor)

All women special edition.

Stories:
Aliette de Bodard – A Slow Unfurling of Truth
Emily Bowles – Write ME
Karen Heuler – Heading for the Border
Lith Amenti – Sacrifice For A Broken Sky
Anna Ibbotson – Do No Harm
Katy Lennon – #NoBadVibes
Sim Bajwa – HR Confidential
Jen Downes – Pearls That Were His Eyes

Articles
SJ McGeachy on Frankenstein: The Nuts and Bolts
of Genre Mash-Up

Jonatha Kottler – Confessions of a Science Fiction
She-nerd

Interview: Lisanne Norman

and

Ruth EJ Booth regular column – Noise and Sparks: Beyond the Mountains

SF poetry by: Katherine McMahon, Catherine Edmunds, Paige Smith, Katie Fanthorpe

Guest Editors: Pippa Goldschmidt, Caroline Grebbell
Guest Art Director: Monica Burns

183 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 8, 2018

Reviews

[Jack Deighton · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Pull up a Log, Guest Editors Pippa Goldschmidt, Caroline Grebell and Monica Burns note that some potential contributors to this special issue did not want to be cordoned off in such a way, bemoaning the general lack of submissions to SF markets by women writers, but rejoice in the many good submissions received - too many for this one edition, and lament the passing of Ursula Le Guin to whom they dedicate the issue. Unusually we start with a poem, Speculative Fiction by Katherine McMahon. Later on the non-fiction has S J McGeachy’s “Frankenstein: the Nuts and Bolts of Genre Mash-up” wherein the essayist feels Mary Shelley’s greatest achievement wasn’t so much the invention of a new genre but in ignoring the constraints of a previous one where in effect women didn’t matter. “Confessions of a Science Fiction She-nerd” by Jonatha Kottler tells us how the author got into SF, there is an interview with Lisanne Normann conducted by Caroline Grebell, “Noise and Sparks: Beyond the Mountains” by Ruth E J Booth finds the author disappointed in the Wonder Woman film’s failure to resonate with her personally while recognising it did with others, and arguing for more diverse stories on the mainstream. Reviews has only books by female authors all reviewed by women. Marija Smits finds Helen Segdwick’s The Growing Season slightly flawed, Eris Young looks at Lidia Yulnavitch’s Book of Joan, Shelly Bryant’s collection Launch Pad lacks dynamism made up for by ambition according to Georgina Murray, Samantha Dolan appreciates N K Jemisin’s The Fifth Season and Lucy Powell calls The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers a tour de force. To that last I can only say, “What?” Multiverse has six poems by three poets, Catherine Edmunds, Paige Smith and Katie Fanthorpe.
As to the fiction:
A Slow Unfurling of Truth by Aliette de Bodard is a human tale of betrayal, filial duty and redemption wound round a memory encoding device in a colonially exploited setting.
In Write ME by Emily Bowles women’s bodies are being adapted to service the preservation of language in order to maintain male privilege and power.
Heading for the Border by Karen Heuler is set in a post-apocalyptic world invaded by aliens who bombed a nuclear reactor. Two women scratch a living selling cosmetics from the back of a truck to help improve the survivors’ morale.
Lith Amenti’s Sacrifice for a Broken Sky has a father about to sacrifice his daughter to placate what appears to be a black hole tearing at the fabric of the world. It isn’t, quite, and the story’s resolution doesn’t fit with its beginning.
In Do No Harm by Anna Ibbotson the reward for coming in the top two in an online virtual reality cancer eradicating game is to treat patients in the real world. The top guy is very casual about the process.
#No Bad Vibes by Katy Lemon is narrated via alien edited audio transcripts of and commentary on posts by an internet influencer. The aliens are using her to promote their message. Misunderstandings are mutual.
Sim Bajwa’s HR Confidential is a set of recorded exchanges between an employee and Human Resources along with their accompanying memos. The employee’s complaints relate to an overbearing line manager and the company’s subsequent efforts to improve productivity.
In Pearls That Were His Eyes by Jen Downes, a soldier conscripted due to bankruptcy is injured in an attack but the ocean into which he falls, apparently to his death, is riddled with downed military medical bots.

[Nat ☽ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed it, it has some really great stories in it. :-)