Lena’s Comments (group member since Nov 17, 2014)

Lena’s comments from the Spells, Space & Screams: Collections & Anthologies in Fantasy, Science Fiction, & Horror group.

Pellargonia: A Letter to the Journal of Imagined Anthropology by Theodora Goss ★★★☆☆
Teenagers with a world-building hobby see their dreams get out of hand. It’s creative but nonsensical.

The Odyssey Problem by Chris Willrich ★★★★☆
Like a fascinating, and comic, episode of Star Trek this story shows how different levels of advanced societies see the universe and judge each other.

White Water, Blue Ocean by Linda Raquel Nieves Pérez ★★★☆☆
When none of the women can lie it takes family drama to the next level.

The CRISPR Cookbook by MKRNYILGLD DNF
I didn’t make it past Pregnancy Officer. The horror was too much.

Three Mothers Mountain by Nathan Ballingrud ★★½☆☆
I like this author but this offer wrong felt a dud. Two brothers go to witches for help and you never find out if it’s granted or if the boys sacrifice made any difference.

Rabbit Test by Samantha Mills DNF
I couldn’t finish this. It wasn’t a bad story but it’s just so upsetting because it’s real. The real horror of life in the US, and too many other places, for women.

There Are No Monsters on Rancho Buenavista by Isabelle Cañas ★★★½☆
A man obsessed with a mysterious woman finds out her secret, he dies screaming it out to the world.

Murder by Pixel: Crime and Responsibility in the Digital Darkness by S. L. Huang ★★★☆☆
Exploring the legal liability and ethical responsibility of A.I. chatbots. No answers, just a long frustrating series of questions.

I paid just over five, including shipping.

This seems to be the era of cartoon action movies:
https://youtu.be/896HkSUH6fs?si=isxVc...
https://youtu.be/hjh5MuDvmZc?si=bDrGl...

I ordered a used paperback, fingers crossed.

Men, Women and Chainsaws by Stephen Graham Jones ★★★☆☆
That was an over-the-top revenge story, and I like revenge stories. Mostly what annoyed me was fantasy of “real parents” as if the people who raised you were less for not being biologically related. Parents are the people who show up every day and care.

Termination Stories for the Cyberpunk Dystopia Protagonist by Isabel J. Kim ★½☆☆☆
I don’t know what this A.I. mess was trying to achieve but entertaining me was not high on the list. This was not a cool sexy story.

However you take your fantasy—comic, dark, heroic, or supernatural—your taste will be tantalized by this outstanding collection that brings together in one generous volume originators of this ever-popular genre like George MacDonald and Lord Dunsay; great writers from the golden age of fantasy like Robert E. Howard, creator of Conan the Barbarian, and J. R. R. Tolkein, who captivated readers worldwide with The Lord of the Rings; and such contemporary masters of the craft as Terry Pratchett, Michael Moorcock, David Eddings, David Gemmell, Tanith Lee, and Ursula K. LeGuin.

Offering a wide and varied selection of fantasy tales, Mike Ashley's newest anthology promises adventures, journeys, passages, and quests sure to delight readers of every type of fantasy fiction—from the ardent fans of J. R. R. Tolkein to the exuberant followers of Harry Potter.

Hard pass.

The Six Deaths of the Saint by Alix E. Harrow ★★★½☆
Live. Die. Repeat.
Girl. Devil. Saint.
This story was long, rough, and sad. It would be amazing to relive your life with a little help from your own experiences. But only if you were in control, and our poor MC never was. The ending was not worth the investment.

Tideline by Elizabeth Bear ★★★½☆
A dying war robot helps an orphan in the beach as she makes memorial necklaces for her lost platoon.

Fffft. That was a long walk of disappointing stories. It wasn’t until the one from Asimov’s that it broke three stars.

Readings in the Slantwise Sciences by Sophia Samatar ★★½☆☆
A dashingly pretty blend of incomprehensible science fiction and fairy fantasy that spoke to little other than insect loss and a touch of trendy anti-colonialism.

Air to Shape Lungs by Shingai Njeri Kagunda ★★½☆☆
This could have been good with a solid backstory of who left, why, for how long, how did they change… etc. What was given was more like poetry.

Beginnings by Kristina Ten ★½☆☆☆
The barest hint of confectionery fantasy sprinkled over angry agenda.

Sparrows by Susan Palwick ★★★☆☆
It’s the end of the world and a Shakespeare student elects to finish her paper on King Lear. It felt like the center of a hurricane, a thoughtful moment in the madness.

It’s a sound policy. I do want to continue with the backstory whenever it is I stop being mad about the petty things I was mad about.

I just finished the intro with the troubling news. In December I had tried getting into Clarkesworld again and they were saying something to that effect. But I got bogged down listening to a fantasy written by neuroscientist that was practically a novella. I prefer short stories to be short. Now I need to consider subscribing to something. Hmmm.

I never went past book two because of book two. I did go all the way back to the beginning: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I’m still recovering.

I still have to finish my reread of the first book. I got annoyed at teen Paul who, now that I’m older, was a much less interesting character than his father.

I enjoyed the first one with the late great Bill Paxton. Some of the special effects have shown their age but the movie showcased the latest science, an unexpectedly great supporting cast, and the kind of love story I’d never seen. Are there any other movies that start with divorce papers and a new fiancé, lol?

I don’t get the impression from the new film that the science, or toys, have come far. I think the film will be dependent on people looking for some CGI and Glenn Powell eye candy. The Powell angle is not helped by how cringy the chemistry seems between him and that weak Bridgerton looking Helen Hunt replacement.

Oh dear, a warning. Crossing my fingers. And I just checked, it’s 3AM in Christchurch! Insomnia?