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Sunspot Jungle, Vol. 1
In celebration of Rosarium's fifth anniversary, publisher Bill Campbell has collected a two-volume collection of over 100 science fiction, fantasy, and horror short stories from around the world. Like space and the future, Sunspot Jungle has no boundaries and celebrates the wide varieties and possibilities that this genre represents with some of the most notable names in the field.
Bill Campbell is the author of Sunshine Patriots, My Booty Novel,Pop Politics, Puns, "Poohbutt" from a Liberal Stay-at-Home Dad and Koontown Killing Kaper. Along with Edward Austin Hall, he co-edited the groundbreaking anthology, Tales from Afrofuturism and Beyond. Campbell lives in Washington, DC, where he spends his time with his family, helps produce audiobooks for the blind, and helms Rosarium Publishing.
Bill Campbell is the author of Sunshine Patriots, My Booty Novel,Pop Politics, Puns, "Poohbutt" from a Liberal Stay-at-Home Dad and Koontown Killing Kaper. Along with Edward Austin Hall, he co-edited the groundbreaking anthology, Tales from Afrofuturism and Beyond. Campbell lives in Washington, DC, where he spends his time with his family, helps produce audiobooks for the blind, and helms Rosarium Publishing.
516 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
August 26, 2020
A solid collection. Personal favorites (in no particular order) were Water, Born of Frost, Coffin Maker's Daughter, I Make People Do Bad Things, Medusa, Arrangement of Their Parts, Girl I Love You, Castaway, How to Piss Off A Failed Supersolider, and Super Duper Fly. If you're interested in what these stories are about and why I liked them, I get into that in this video: https://youtu.be/RiF1m--SaB8
April 2, 2019
Sunspot Jungle is a large collection of stories with a fantastical bent to them, although the genres are not cut-and-dried. Like any multiple-author anthology, it’s unlikely the editor’s tastes will exactly match up with the reader’s, so you’ll probably find some stories better (or more to your taste) than others. That’s just the nature of the thing. It’s particularly the case here, I think, because there’s just such a wide array of genres and mixed genres and styles. There are a lot of stories in here, so I’m just going to comment on some that left a particularly strong impression on me.
N.K. Jemisin’s Walking Awake is a fascinating story about symbiotic beings that now “grow” human bodies to transfer themselves into, from the point of view of a woman, Sadie, who is caretaker at one of the facilities where bodies are grown. It’s a powerful story about freedom. Kamez Naam’s Water is a story in which people have ad-supported implants, and experience real-time manipulation of their desires. It somehow manages to make market manipulation gripping. Angela Slatter’s The Coffin-Maker’s Daughter introduces us to Hepsibah, who makes coffins designed to keep souls at bay. Blood Drive, by Jeffrey Ford, depicts a world in which students get guns for their junior year Christmas presents, and depicts an all-too-believable accidental massacre. K. Tempest Bradford’s The Copper Scarab is a bit of a steampunk Egyptian story about a woman who’s trying to unite her peoples. Geoff Ryman’s Those Shadows Laugh explores a society of parthenogenetic females, and manages to nicely explore some issues of marriage and ownership. There’s even an excellent Lovecraftian tale called A Model Apartment by Bryan Thao Worra, which explores some Hmong folklore. Charlie Jane Anders’s The Day It All Ended examines a remarkably entertaining and original look at how life as we know it might change.
Jennifer Marie Brissett’s The Executioner is stunning. The method by which executions for death row prisoners are carried out is very bizarre, but the situation that arises is so poignant. I also really liked Nadia Bulkin’s Girl, I Love You, set in a future where people can direct psychic energy to harm each other. It’s a fascinating look at the results of bullying and parental protection of one’s children. Karin Lowachee’s A Good Home introduces us to a world in which we’ve used androids for warfare–but the androids have become emotionally traumatized. One man decides to adopt one of these androids, and finds not everyone is as open to the idea as he is. Another favorite story is John Chu’s How To Piss Off a Failed Super Soldier. It gives us a great look at the life of a super soldier whose symbiotic implants don’t always do the right thing for him, and how this affects his relationships. Super Duper Fly by Maurice Broaddus explores the various stereotypes of black people in literature, and how one might break free of them.
Some of the stories are too surreal for me. I know there are people who like this kind of story, but they just feel unsatisfying to me. Kuzhali Manickavel’s Six Things We Found During the Autopsy is one of these. Same with Irenosen Okojie’s Please Feed Motion, which is a bizarre story about a prisoner and some statues. I take notes while I read, and Clifton Gachagua’s No Kissing the Dolls Unless Jimi Hendrix is Playing is definitely not the only story that caused me to write simply, “huh?!” Many of the stories are also very poetic. I admit it, I’m a bit of a lug, and my mind doesn’t always wrap itself well around poetry and allusions and non-explicit imagery, so these stories didn’t work as well for me. If it’s something that works for you, then awesome.
One of the things I love most about this book is the very wide array of cultures, races, and sexualities represented. Be aware the book does contain explicit sex, rape, and torture, although not a lot of them. Overall I’m quite glad I read this.
Original review posted on my blog: http://www.errantdreams.com/2019/04/r...
N.K. Jemisin’s Walking Awake is a fascinating story about symbiotic beings that now “grow” human bodies to transfer themselves into, from the point of view of a woman, Sadie, who is caretaker at one of the facilities where bodies are grown. It’s a powerful story about freedom. Kamez Naam’s Water is a story in which people have ad-supported implants, and experience real-time manipulation of their desires. It somehow manages to make market manipulation gripping. Angela Slatter’s The Coffin-Maker’s Daughter introduces us to Hepsibah, who makes coffins designed to keep souls at bay. Blood Drive, by Jeffrey Ford, depicts a world in which students get guns for their junior year Christmas presents, and depicts an all-too-believable accidental massacre. K. Tempest Bradford’s The Copper Scarab is a bit of a steampunk Egyptian story about a woman who’s trying to unite her peoples. Geoff Ryman’s Those Shadows Laugh explores a society of parthenogenetic females, and manages to nicely explore some issues of marriage and ownership. There’s even an excellent Lovecraftian tale called A Model Apartment by Bryan Thao Worra, which explores some Hmong folklore. Charlie Jane Anders’s The Day It All Ended examines a remarkably entertaining and original look at how life as we know it might change.
Jennifer Marie Brissett’s The Executioner is stunning. The method by which executions for death row prisoners are carried out is very bizarre, but the situation that arises is so poignant. I also really liked Nadia Bulkin’s Girl, I Love You, set in a future where people can direct psychic energy to harm each other. It’s a fascinating look at the results of bullying and parental protection of one’s children. Karin Lowachee’s A Good Home introduces us to a world in which we’ve used androids for warfare–but the androids have become emotionally traumatized. One man decides to adopt one of these androids, and finds not everyone is as open to the idea as he is. Another favorite story is John Chu’s How To Piss Off a Failed Super Soldier. It gives us a great look at the life of a super soldier whose symbiotic implants don’t always do the right thing for him, and how this affects his relationships. Super Duper Fly by Maurice Broaddus explores the various stereotypes of black people in literature, and how one might break free of them.
Some of the stories are too surreal for me. I know there are people who like this kind of story, but they just feel unsatisfying to me. Kuzhali Manickavel’s Six Things We Found During the Autopsy is one of these. Same with Irenosen Okojie’s Please Feed Motion, which is a bizarre story about a prisoner and some statues. I take notes while I read, and Clifton Gachagua’s No Kissing the Dolls Unless Jimi Hendrix is Playing is definitely not the only story that caused me to write simply, “huh?!” Many of the stories are also very poetic. I admit it, I’m a bit of a lug, and my mind doesn’t always wrap itself well around poetry and allusions and non-explicit imagery, so these stories didn’t work as well for me. If it’s something that works for you, then awesome.
One of the things I love most about this book is the very wide array of cultures, races, and sexualities represented. Be aware the book does contain explicit sex, rape, and torture, although not a lot of them. Overall I’m quite glad I read this.
Original review posted on my blog: http://www.errantdreams.com/2019/04/r...
February 16, 2022
DNF at about 40%. I never felt the need to pick this up, and I actively looked for other things to read besides this. The stories never hit for me and reading felt like a chore.
September 28, 2019
This is a pretty huge collection, and the range of stories is impressive as well. There's no real theme to the collection, but it's a set of well-told tales. The opening is as strong as you would expect from someone with the reputation of N. K. Jemisin, being a dystopia where the alien Masters control the earth, and the very bodies of its people. The tone of the stories varies up and down, but seems to get darker towards the end of the collection. That particular beat isn't to my taste, but there's enough else here to enjoy, and no story really outstays its welcome (the only story that I mostly skipped was Clifton Gachagua's No Kissing the Dolls Unless Jimi Hendrix is Playing as I just found it impenetrable).
Some highlights for me include Sarah Pinsker's A Song Transmuted about the power of music; Real Boys by Clara Kumagai, telling the story of one of the boys turned into donkeys in Pinocchio (that scene in the Disney film terrified me as a kid); Madeleine by Amal El-Mohtar, about a woman who may or may not be going mad; How to Piss Off a Failed Super Soldier by John Chu, about a super-powered person who needs help to learn how to live. I perhaps shouldn't have read Hal Duncan's A Pinch of Salt -- tale of sex and blasphemy -- while I was eating, but then knowing what I do about Duncan, that was my own fault.
So a strong collection, with a lot of variety, and contributions from all over the world. It's nice to see an editor willing to pull contributions from beyond the usual anglophone sphere.
Some highlights for me include Sarah Pinsker's A Song Transmuted about the power of music; Real Boys by Clara Kumagai, telling the story of one of the boys turned into donkeys in Pinocchio (that scene in the Disney film terrified me as a kid); Madeleine by Amal El-Mohtar, about a woman who may or may not be going mad; How to Piss Off a Failed Super Soldier by John Chu, about a super-powered person who needs help to learn how to live. I perhaps shouldn't have read Hal Duncan's A Pinch of Salt -- tale of sex and blasphemy -- while I was eating, but then knowing what I do about Duncan, that was my own fault.
So a strong collection, with a lot of variety, and contributions from all over the world. It's nice to see an editor willing to pull contributions from beyond the usual anglophone sphere.
September 2, 2022
It is hard to rate a collection of shorty stories, but I would give the overall collection a 3.5. 60% of the stories were very interesting, well written, had unique perspectives. 20% were wholly average, nothing groundbreaking or fascinating. And 20% were just plan bad, confusing, or just unreadable.
Unfortunately, one of the flaws of the book was it was sold to me as a great way to read works from a diverse and global authorship. So I went into this thinking i would read many different stories about different cultures and communities, learn interesting perspectives I am not typically exposed too. And while the book did deliver on the diverse range of authors the stories fell short of diverse themes and cultures. I guess this is just a criticism of short stories there just isn't enough time to really feel connected to the world or characters and thus I don't feel walking away from the story that I was any more exposed to new concepts and cultures as I had hoped
But there were a few exceptional short stories that kept me gripped and I wished were whole novels themselves. they will stick with me and that's more than what you can hope for from a short story
Unfortunately, one of the flaws of the book was it was sold to me as a great way to read works from a diverse and global authorship. So I went into this thinking i would read many different stories about different cultures and communities, learn interesting perspectives I am not typically exposed too. And while the book did deliver on the diverse range of authors the stories fell short of diverse themes and cultures. I guess this is just a criticism of short stories there just isn't enough time to really feel connected to the world or characters and thus I don't feel walking away from the story that I was any more exposed to new concepts and cultures as I had hoped
But there were a few exceptional short stories that kept me gripped and I wished were whole novels themselves. they will stick with me and that's more than what you can hope for from a short story
February 5, 2022
I have a love/hate relationship with short story collections and especially anthologies. They require a strong focus and stamina to hit the reset button every time and get used to new characters, worlds, ideas, and writing styles, yet I keep coming back due to the vastly rewarding same reason.
Given the unknown Kickstarter nature of its publishing, Sunspot's consistently strong and well-written stories shocked me. The red-hot NK Jemisin kicks off the collection with a story that might be an all-time great, and the hits keep coming. There is some serious talent gathered here from around the world, and the inclusions are not just nice, we'll-include-its-for-its-unique-perspective variety. These are startlingly clever and original stories with strong voices. Even noted authors like Jeffrey Ford, Victor LaValle, Silvia Morena Garcia, and Charlie Jane Anders show off their boundless imaginations. The only fault is the last third of the collection. It could have ended a hundred pages earlier and been a classic.
Given the unknown Kickstarter nature of its publishing, Sunspot's consistently strong and well-written stories shocked me. The red-hot NK Jemisin kicks off the collection with a story that might be an all-time great, and the hits keep coming. There is some serious talent gathered here from around the world, and the inclusions are not just nice, we'll-include-its-for-its-unique-perspective variety. These are startlingly clever and original stories with strong voices. Even noted authors like Jeffrey Ford, Victor LaValle, Silvia Morena Garcia, and Charlie Jane Anders show off their boundless imaginations. The only fault is the last third of the collection. It could have ended a hundred pages earlier and been a classic.
February 21, 2019
A huge collection of fiction by minority voices from around the world. Some reprints by well known authors, but mostly new voices. Uneven in quality and tone, but exciting to see so many perspectives on the world delivered through an SF&F lens. Stories range from the quietly stunning sympathy of Jennifer Marie Brissett's "The Executioner" to the fierce revolutionary anger of Tessa Kum's "Acception".
September 13, 2020
General Thoughts and Rating: Per usual rating an entire short story anthology is incredibly difficult. This is such a diverse collection of stories and because of this there is no way for one person to connect and love every entry but there is something for everyone in here and reading this collection exposed me to so many new authors. I also really enjoyed all the ways my brain got to think about things. There were some 5 star stories, there were some 2 star stories but on average I think the majority of the stories were in the 3-4 star range for me and for that reason I will give it 3.5/5
Recommendation: If you are looking to discover new authors and be exposed to new and fascinating ideas in sci-fi and speculative fiction you need to pick this collection up.
Recommendation: If you are looking to discover new authors and be exposed to new and fascinating ideas in sci-fi and speculative fiction you need to pick this collection up.
June 13, 2024
Some great stories in here, some from familiar writers but most new to me....I read both volumes at random over last five years and sometimes lost interest but more often went down a rabbithole and found myself picking up one of the books again months later. Glad it took me so long as going back and skimming digital versions now has led me to find more recently published books and stories available.
November 7, 2021
Really strong, widely varied collection of fantasy/sci-fi stories. As per usual with a collection this large, not all were to my specific taste, but the perk of finding so many new authors to dive into made it a hugely successful collection for me.
January 12, 2019
Short stories - love them !
March 22, 2019
There were so many good stories in this collection, and I was introduced to some great new-to-me authors. The to-read list continues to grow!
June 21, 2019
One of the best modern short story anthologies I've ever read.
September 11, 2021
This anthology has reintroduced me to the incredible world of short fiction and opened my eyes to an incredible range of voices/writers I hadn't discovered before. Big 5 stars from me!
February 1, 2021
This is a fantastic anthology. It’s one of the best anthologies I’ve read in a long time and I read a lot of them. It’s a huge collection of around 40 stories by diverse authors like Malka Older, N.K. Jemisin, Saladin Ahmed, Victor LaValle, Franseco Verso, Maurice Braddus, John Chu, Rose Lemberg, and Charlie Jane Anders. And that's just a few from the list. The stories are just as diverse including everything from a satire about gun control by Jeffory Ford, to ghost stories, to surrealist pieces, to magical realism. There’s something for everyone. Take some time to support Rosarium Publishing and check this one out
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews