Uncanny Magazine, Issue 36, September / October 2020

Uncanny Magazine #36

by Lynne M. Thomas (Editor), Michael Damian Thomas (Editor), Chimedum Ohaegbu (Editor)

The September/October 2020 issue of Hugo Award-winning Uncanny Magazine.

Featuring new fiction by T. Kingfisher, Samantha Mills, Kenneth Schneyer, Lavie Tidhar, Marie Brennan, and James Yu. Reprint fiction by P. Djèlí Clark. Essays by Del Sandeen, Marissa Lingen, Nibedita Sen, and Christopher Mark Rose, poetry by Terese Mason Pierre, Beth Cato, Rita Chen, and Lora Gray, interviews with Kenneth Schneyer and Lavie Tidhar by Caroline M. Yoachim, a cover by Christopher Jones, and editorials by Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas, and Elsa Sjunneson.

Genres: Science Fiction, Short Stories, Fantasy, Fiction, Anthologies, Retellings

205 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 2020

About the author

In my day job, I am the Head of the Rare Book & Manuscript Library and Juanita J. and Robert E. Simpson Rare Book and Manuscript Professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, one of the largest public university rare book collections in the country. I used to manage pop culture special collections that include the papers of over 70 SF/F authors at Northern Illinois University. I also teach a Special Collections course as an adjunct in the iSchool at Illinois, and used to do so at SJSU.

I'm an eleven-time Hugo Award winner, the Co-Editor-in-Chief and Publisher of Uncanny Magazine with my husband Michael Damian Thomas. The former Editor-in-Chief of Apex Magazine (2011-2013), I co-edited the Hugo Award-winning Chicks Dig Time Lords, Whedonistas, and Chicks Dig Comics. I moderated the Hugo-Award winning SF Squeecast and contribute to the Verity! Podcast. You can learn more about my shenanigans at lynnemthomas.com.

Reviews

[carol. · Rating 3 out of 5]

'Metal Like Blood in the Dark,' by T. Kingfisher

A ridiculous title for a clever AI story. Starts off slow as the A.I.s learn, but then took a very different track from where I expected.

Three and a half wings.

https://uncannymagazine.com/article/m...

[Nataliya · Rating 3 out of 5]

The review is for Hugo Award-nominated winning short story “Metal Like Blood in the Dark” by T. Kingfisher.
———

Kingfisher seems to specialize in the short stories that sound like folk tales, and this foray into science fiction fits that pattern. It is more of a fantasy told through the SF lens, but ultimately it is still a gentle folk tale, just the one with nanites and robots.

It’s quiet and has a bittersweet tinge to it. An AI coming of age. It’s a bit simple and maybe too understated but still clever, although I wanted just a bit more.

“Lying was something like error, which she understood. It was always possible to be in error, and to learn that one was in error, and correct oneself. Lying was to be deliberately in error, and to express that error to others. Error without correction. Error entered into by choice.”

3.5 stars.

(My favorite robot/AI short story still remains The Secret Life of Bots by Suzanne Palmer.)

———————
Read it free here: https://uncannymagazine.com/article/m...

———————

My Hugo and Nebula Awards Reading Project 2021: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Dennis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Review only for Metal Like Blood in the Dark by T. Kingfisher.

A retelling of Hansel and Gretel, but with AIs and Robots and an alien insect race.

Honestly, if the author hadn’t told me, I wouldn’t have noticed that this is supposed to be a new interpretation of the Grimm fairy tale. I’m not quite sure if this is about limited resources or about learning the usefulness of a lie. The latter provided the occasional funny and/or cute moment. But otherwise I felt pretty meh about this.

And that’s all I got for you today.

1.5 stars

Can be read for free here: https://uncannymagazine.com/article/m...
It’s also part of the Uncanny Magazine Podcast #36A. The story starts at 7:33 and is roughly 46 minutes long. Good narration by Erika Ensign.

2021 Hugo finalist winner for Best Short Story. Huh.

________________
2021 Hugo Award Finalists

Best Novel
• Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse
• The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin
• Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
• Network Effect by Martha Wells
• Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
• The Relentless Moon by Mary Robinette Kowal

Best Novella
• Come Tumbling Down by Seanan McGuire
• The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo
• Finna by Nino Cipri
• Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark
• Riot Baby by Tochi Onyebuchi
• Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey

Best Novelette
• Burn or the Episodic Life of Sam Wells as a Super by A.T. Greenblatt (Uncanny Magazine Issue 34: May/June 2020)
• I Sexually Identify as an Attack Helicopter by Isabel Fall (Clarkesworld, January 2020)
• The Inaccessibility of Heaven by Aliette de Bodard (Uncanny Magazine Issue 35: July/August 2020)
• Monster by Naomi Kritzer (Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 160)
• The Pill by Meg Elison (from Big Girl)
• Two Truths and a Lie by Sarah Pinsker (Tor.com)

Best Short Story
• Badass Moms in the Zombie Apocalypse by Rae Carson (Uncanny Magazine Issue 32: January/February 2020)
• A Guide For Working Breeds by Vina Jie-Min Prasad (Made to Order: Robots and Revolution, Solaris)
• Little Free Library by Naomi Kritzer (Tor. com)
• The Mermaid Astronaut by Yoon Ha Lee (Beneath Ceaseless Skies, February 2020)
• Metal Like Blood in the Dark by T. Kingfisher (Uncanny Magazine, September/October 2020)
• Open House on Haunted Hill by John Wiswell (Diabolical Plots 6/15/20)

Best Series
• The Daevabad Trilogy by S.A. Chakraborty
• The Interdependency by John Scalzi
• The Lady Astronaut Universe by Mary Robinette Kowal
• The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells
• October Daye by Seanan McGuire
• The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang

Best Graphic Story or Comic
• Die, Vol. 2: Split the Party, written by Kieron Gillen and Stephanie Hans, letters by Clayton Cowles
• Ghost-Spider, Vol. 1: Dog Days Are Over, written by Seanan McGuire, art by Takeshi Miyazawa and Rosi Kämpe
• Invisible Kingdom, Vol. 2: Edge of Everything, written by G. Willow Wilson, art by Christian Ward
• Monstress, Vol. 5: Warchild, written by Marjorie Liu, art by Sana Takeda
• Once & Future, Vol. 1: The King is Undead, written by Kieron Gillen, iIllustrated by Dan Mora, colored by Tamra Bonvillain, lettered by Ed Dukeshire
• Parable of the Sower: A Graphic Novel Adaptation, written by Octavia Butler, adapted by Damian Duffy, illustrated by John Jennings

[Mitticus · Rating 3 out of 5]

-"Metal Like Blood in the Dark" by T. Kingfisher - 3.5 stars sci-fi.
An isolated inventor built two machines on a planet: Brother and Sister. Nanite AIs that later are released to eat and grow. Sister is the main character and her awakening to moral dilemmas.

Or a coming of age of Gretel to save Hansel ;)

https://uncannymagazine.com/article/m...

-"Juvenilia" by Lavie Tidhar - 2 stars. Fantasy.
Meh. going for a gothic tale furbling on metatale. After ww1, a woman took a job as caretaker at Wildfell Hall>; an isolated place and strange rules.

-"Anchorage" by Samantha Mills - 3.5 stars
Space opera scifi short story about a ship, it crew, and Geneve , with a background of internal battles and losing Earth, and an encounter with an Anchorage, a sort of space eremite. Had some twist in it.

-"The City of the Tree" by Marie Brennan -4 stars. Fantasy.
wow, another unknown author. I really like the style of the story, about clans of people of the trees, and invaders, traditions, and bringing help, and choices. Reminds me a bit to Martha Wells in Raksura.

Simkitsi gave him a pitying look. “The rituals were meant to placate the archon, to keep him asleep. They won’t do any good now that he is gone.”
“Do we know that?” Aptachi challenged her. “We only know that he woke after the rituals stopped. Maybe their purpose was to strengthen the tree, and he woke because it began to weaken.”

https://uncannymagazine.com/article/t...

-"In The Space of Twelve Minutes" by James Yu - 2.8 stars Scifi
chinese astronauts are hindered by personal problems, so they gave them artificial androids avatars to the spouses. Mmm, a bit awkward idea, and a lot predictable.

[Peter Tillman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review is solely for "Metal Like Blood in the Dark" by T. Kingfisher: https://uncannymagazine.com/article/m...
Her first venture into SF that I've come across, and a good one. Two sentient robots attempt to help their maker, but are hijacked by an enemy. Nicely done, if a bit simplistic. 3.5 stars, rounded up.

A runner-up in Uncanny's annual reader's poll for 2020, which is where I saw it:
https://uncannymagazine.com/uncanny-m...

[✘✘ Sarah ✘✘ (former Nefarious Breeder of Murderous Crustaceans) · Rating 4 out of 5]

📚 Metal Like Blood in the Dark by T. Kingfisher: 4 stars

I'm not a huge fan of Space Thingies or AI Thingies, but I decided to read this one because T. Kingfisher tends to write Slightly Very Good Stories (SVGS™). (This is me being full of fish once again and pretending that Paladin's Strength never happened, just so you know.) A bloody shrimping good decision this proved to be, too *joyously pats herself on the exoskeleton*.

“Lying. Lying was something like error, which she understood. It was always possible to be in error, and to learn that one was in error, and correct oneself. Lying was to be deliberately in error, and to express that error to others. Error without correction. Error entered into by choice.”

This is a clever little tale about two sentient beings/robots/whatever—two of the most engaging characters I've read about in a loooong time. Which is slightly very ironic considering they're not even human—and the eternal conflict between good and bad. This could have made for a simplistic, been-there-read-that type of story, but T. Kingfisher wrote it, so it didn't. HA. And YAY.



➽ Read it here.

Approx. reading time: 33 minutes.



📚 Juvenilia by Lavie Tidhar: 4 stars

I just love the way Tidhar tips his virtual hat to famous authors in some of his shorts: Roger Zelazny and Lewis Caroll in The Portal Keeper, or the Brontës in this story. There's just something special about the way he does it. I absolutely love Tidhar's Judge Dee series (it's entertaining as fish and funny as shrimp), but there is something truly magical about his stand-alone shorts. (Because yes, stand-alone shorts are a thing.) Which is why you should read them and stuff 😬.



➽ Read it here.

Approx. reading time: 19 minutes.



📚 The Mouser of Peter the Great by P. Djèlí Clark: 3 stars

RTC and stuff.

➽ Read it here.

Approx. reading time: 30 minutes.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Metal Like Blood in the Dark” by T. Kingfisher, 🚀🚀🚀🚀

An old mean creates two sentient machines, Brother and Sister. They are guileless and joyful. Events drive them into space and Sister learns something. Nice!

Can be read for free here: https://www.uncannymagazine.com/artic...

[Fiona Knight · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review is for:

Juvenilia, by Lavie Tidhar
Go into the world. Live your life. The world isn’t nice and living isn’t easy, but it is all we have. And if it grows harsh and the lights dim, there is still Gondal, or places like it. They are in your mind and in your heart, and when you need them, they will be there for you.”

and

Metal Like Blood in the Dark, by T. Kingfisher
Lying. Lying was something like error, which she understood. It was always possible to be in error, and to learn that one was in error, and correct oneself. Lying was to be deliberately in error, and to express that error to others. Error without correction. Error entered into by choice.

Didn't have to split the stars, because both were absolutely excellent. Uncanny really does a good job of collecting some truly great short stories.

[Silvana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating for two stories only:

T. Kingfisher's Metal Like Blood in the Dark
Smart adaptations of Icarus and The Wild Swans tales. Some rather mushy but lovely sentences like: "He had never programmed ferocity into them, but love had a way of waking other things that never felt the touch of code."

Lavie Tidhar's Juvenilia
So, this story is a period piece, an in-depth exploration of the worlds created by the Brontë siblings in their juvenilia. I loved the Gothic feeling since the start, even though it's oh so tropey - a young woman arriving in a spooky old house. The mystery as well as the sense of foreboding were equally immersive. However, as with some stories, it needs a more solid landing. To me, it was just okay. Having read his other works, I want to know what the author could do with it as a novella.

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice. Good concept, well-developed.
Sentient robotics in space.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since reading Rabbit Test, I've been meaning to hunt up more of Samantha Mills' fiction. I tremendously enjoyed her story in this issue, Anchorage (a few overwrought similes notwithstanding)--along with Kingfisher's Metal Like Blood in the Dark.

[Beth Cato]

Not a review. Includes my poem “My Cat, He.”

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review of “Metal Like Blood in the Dark” by T. Kingfisher.

I liked this one. Sad, depending on how Father is and how Sister had to grow, but sweet in how she protected Brother. 4 solid stars.

[Rebecca Crunden]

the coast splits the sky from the sea,
his laugh mixing and becoming one
with the green wash, the orange clouds,
the symphony of this warm nature
wrought with a violent history

'Fin' by Terese Mason Pierre was very well written! Beautiful, honestly. Read here.

[Mikhail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Metal Like Blood in the Dark, by T. Kingfisher.

Sci-fi fairy tale!

[Martha andrade · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5 Metal like blood in the dark ea la historia de 2 AI que tratan de entender el concepto de la mentira y la pérdida de la inocencia, bastante entretenido y lindo.

[Julianne Dunn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't believe I've never explored this magazine. Such amazing fiction and non-fiction pieces all collected into one place. "In the space of 12 minutes" was my favorite although I was into each one. I devoured this collection.

[Lis Carey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A man living alone on a planet (not Earth) largely stripped of its resources builds himself two robots as companions--Brother and Sister. He encourages them to experiment and redesign themselves as they please, and they enjoy doing so. Brother and Sister are as devoted to him, to Father, as he is to them.

But Father is growing old, and even nanites can't repair everything. Eventually, he has to summon help from outside his abandoned solar system. He's not willing to trust strangers with his two powerful robots, though, and tells them to hide themselves until he's departed with those who come for him. He hopes to return, but can't promise.

Having kept them confined to the planet until now, he frees them to explore the system once he's gone.

In the system's asteroid belt, they find a wealth of resources, at least by their standards. Unfortunately, they also find, or rather are found by, another, in some ways more powerful, robotic AI. This one, which calls itself Third Drone, is not friendly.

Brother and Sister need to find a way to survive and escape Third Drone--and at first, they don't even have the concept of lying.

We see Brother and Sister both cooperating, and pursuing their different strategies. Sister, in particular, learns some startling and disturbing lessons.

The robots, and in particular Sister, are interesting and engaging characters, well worth getting to know.

Recommended.

This story is available free to read on the Uncanny Magazine website, and I'm reviewing it voluntarily.

[Felicia]

Favorites:
Anchorage (Samantha Mills)
Laws of Impermanence (Kenneth Schneyer)
Juvenilia (Lavie Tidhar)
In The Space of Twelve Minutes (James Yu)

Favorite essays:
The Roots of Hope: Toward an Optimistic Near-Future SF in a Pandemic (Marissa Lingen)
Finding Myself in Speculative Fiction Again After Leaving Other Worlds Behind (Del Sandeen)
Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Excellence (Nibedita Sen)

A cool editorial:
Imagining Place: Worldbuilding As (Elsa Sjunneson)

[Kandice · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really only read METAL LIKE BLOOD IN THE DARK by T. Kingfisher.

That was a very clever and satisfying tale. I didn't realize until I was finished that T. Kingfisher also wrote A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking, which could not be more different than this! Talk about a diverse talent.

This story is about two AI beings created by a "father" to be all things good. In the process of the story, one of them is forced to do something... not quite right and chooses to protect their sibling from that. In essence, doing the "bad" thing results in a "good" thing and by protecting the sibling, their good is simply further evidenced. Confused? It's not a confusing story but it IS sweet in an unlikely format.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spring 2020 (April);

I'll admit it: this story totally wormed its way under my skin, into my chest, and then wrap little metal fingers around my heart and peered over the edge of it the whole time. I have so many feelings about the beginnings surrounded by wasteland, but a family together; then torn apart, forced into menial labor to keep your sibling alive; the discovery of what un-truth (& its opposite) is and all the pathways of knowledge opens up to you.

Plus, right. That it's all robots. I'm in love. Forver.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this issue because I had read "Metal Like Blood in the Dark" by T. Kingfisher and wanted to own the story. This is a 5-star story, in my opinion, but I liked the other stories too. Honorable mention to "Anchorage" by Samantha Mills and "The Mouser of Peter the Great" by P. Djèlí Clark.

"The City of the Tree" by Marie Brennan was interesting, and I liked the world-building. I wouldn't mind seeing it developed into a full novel! The ending was a little strange in that it's almost a set-up for the situation in "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" by Ursula K. LeGuin. One person is sacrificed for the happiness of all, and must remain apart from others to maintain the status quo.

I kept expecting more of a twist that never came in "The Space of Twelve Minutes" by James Yu. I thought the basic premise of an android equipped with an AI that mimics the personality of a loved one is almost doomed to tragedy, a la that one episode of Black Mirror. It seemed especially tricky in this story, since the loved one is still alive, but elsewhere. For better or worse, the story did not go the direction I expected, and I ended up feeling there was some lost potential. Maybe this story would also benefit from being fleshed out more in a full novel.

I thought the ideas in "Laws of Impermanence" by Kenneth Schneyer were interesting, but the story didn't go that hard on the full implications of the premise. There's an interview later in the issue with the author where he states his awareness of this point, but felt it was better to limit the wider repercussions in order to better streamline the story into the short form. That is probably true, but it kept me from fully appreciating the story. I liked the examples with the letter, would have liked to see more of that. The plot, such as exists, could have been richer. As it stands, there's almost no tension or climax. I'd rather see more relevance attributed to the letter and its circumstances and less on the will.

"Juvenilia" by Lavie Tidhar was a little confusing for me. I thought the writing was good, but I feel like I missed the point of the story. I might have appreciated it more if I was familiar with the juvenilia of the Brontë sisters. This story did succeed in making me interested in learning more about them! I also really liked the interview with the author later in the issue. I'd be interested to read more by him.

I started out not really liking "Anchorage" by Samantha Mills all that much, but by the end, I was really into it. I think the first part of the story suffers by being a little too opaque. I understand the author wants to have a twist at the end, and the twist is good, but certain events and relationships are not as clearly defined as I would prefer. There are a few flash-backs where the line between present and past is sometimes hard to see (which I don't think was the author's intent.) All that to say, this one was good, and again, I'd like to see a full novel developed from this idea.

"The Mouser of Peter the Great" by P. Djèlí Clark had a really cool concept and setting. I liked the main character, Ibrahim, a lot. This one does feel like a snippet from a larger story (that I wouldn't mind seeing expanded). It takes a little while to get started, I think the first half could be streamlined a bit. That said, This was my second favorite after Kingfisher's story.

"Metal Like Blood in the Dark" was the first story I'd ever read by T. Kingfisher. I was very impressed! Her prose is excellent, and it's a very unique take on "Hansel and Gretel". I can see the echoes of the original story, but each milestone event is altered in a really clever way that fits the new setting well.

I don't read a lot of poetry, but the poems here were fine. I liked Rita Chen's "The Body in Revolt" and "As if My Flesh was Summer Soil" by Lora Gray for the beauty of the language, though I didn't understand the topics. "My Cat, He" by Beth Cato was both easy to understand and beautifully written.

I read all the essays too. It's interesting to read this in 2022, two years after publishing, because the essays feel very much dated to 2020. Not that the issues then no longer exist now, but that the news cycle and online commentary has moved on so thoroughly.

[B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The t kingfisher is so good, I'm blown away. Everything of hers I'd tried before was very mid or downright awful. 5 stars.

The samantha mills was really good too. 4,25 stars.

Kenneth schneyer's story is the best of the collection, I'm declaring before I finished the collection. 5 stars.

The lavie tidhar is alright, 3,5 stars. It held my attention, though the ending was underwhelming.

The city of the tree by marie brennan was a dnf. I read 2 pages and then quit.

The james yu story is pretty good. 3,5 stars.

The p djeli clark was awesome. His short fiction never misses. 5 stars.

My cat, he is a great poem. 5 stars. CW disordered eating.

Presumably (some of) the other stories and poems could also have used CWs but I wasn't paying attention.

The next poems are filled with disgusting imagery.

[bee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fiction
Metal Like Blood in the Dark by T. Kingfisher: 4/5
Anchorage by Samatha Mills: 3.5/5
Laws of Impermanence by Kenneth Schneyer: 2/5
Juvenilia by Lavie Tidhar: 3/5
The City of the Tree by Marie Brennan: 2.5/5
In The Space of Twelve Minutes by James Yu: 4/5
The Mouser of Peter the Great by P. Djèlí Clark: 4.25/5

Non-fiction
Finding Myself in Speculative Fiction Again After Leaving Other Worlds Behind by Del Sandeen: 3.5/5
The Roots of Hope: Toward an Optimistic Near-Future SF in a Pandemic by Marissa Lingen: 3/5
Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Excellence by Nibedita Sen: 5/5
Sticks and String by Christopher Mark Rose: 2.5/5

Average rating: 3.39/5, rounded to 3.25/5

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

'Metal Like Blood in the Dark' isn't a favourite compared to other stories I've read by T. Kingfisher, but I did enjoy it and there's no doubt she's an author who can take to fantasy, sci-fi or horror with ease. I ended up liking 'Juvenilia' by Lavie Tidhar and 'The Mouser of Peter the Great' by P. Djèlí Clark a lot, though! I didn't expect to come across Anne Brontë in an issue of Uncanny, but it was lovely to see her, and Clark once again proves that's a wonderful historical fantasy writer.

[Nicole (bookwyrm) · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's hard to rate magazines, but as with most story collections, some pieces I really liked, some were okay, and some were not suited to my tastes. I did feel that all of them were good quality stories, even the ones I wasn't as fond of. As I could have predicted, the T. Kingfisher and P. Djèlí Clark stories were my favorites of the lot.

[Miranda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once again a lovely collection. In stories my favorites were “Metal like Blood in the Dark” and “Anchorage” “Laws of Impermanence” was a better idea than story but the highlight has to be Nibedita Sen’s masterful essay “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Excellence” which everyone should read.

[Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Metal Like Blood in the Dark
BY T. KINGFISHER

A Hansel and Gretel retailing with robots. I believe this one a Hugo award for short stories, it’s eerie and unique and will certainly be one that I remember, even though it’s very short.

[egelantier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Metal Like Blood in the Dark, by T. Kingfisher

[Sandra]

4/5 for Metal Like Blood in the Dark BY T. KINGFISHER, hoping to hunt down the rest someday