"How Long 'til Black Future Month?" by N.K. Jemisin (BR)

[Meredith]

Hello, welcome to the buddy read of N. K. Jemisin's short story collection "How Long 'til Black Future Month?"

Other than general comments, please use spoiler tags and indicate the particular story you are talking about.

[Meredith]

I wanted to share this fun short story by Jemisin that's not in the collection.

https://www.tor.com/2014/06/30/playin...

[Lexi]

Meredith wrote: "I wanted to share this fun short story by Jemisin that's not in the collection.

https://www.tor.com/2014/06/30/playin..."
I've already read How Long 'til Black Future Month? when it came out but thank you for the short story, I had not read that one before and it was a lot of fun.

[Rachel]

Meredith wrote: "I wanted to share this fun short story by Jemisin that's not in the collection.

https://www.tor.com/2014/06/30/playin..."

Thanks for this! Just read right through it - great way to start the year!

[Kaa]

Meredith wrote: "I wanted to share this fun short story by Jemisin that's not in the collection.

https://www.tor.com/2014/06/30/playin..."

Yes, thanks for sharing! I really enjoyed that.

I read How Long 'til back when it came out, so I'm looking forward to talking about the stories with everyone. I don't think there was a single story in the collection that I didn't like.

[Anna]

I just looked at the list of stories and was surprised to find out I've read at least four of these before. I guess I tend to read anything by Jemisin I can get my hands on.

[Wen]

I was a bit shocked at the introduction, all these real-life situations… And I like those the most.
*Cloud Dragon Skies
*The Storyteller's Replacement
*Cuisine Des Mémoires

[Trike]

Cool, I bought this just before Christmas, because I needed another short story collection to add to my pile of 30+ I haven’t read yet.

[Ariana]

Looking forward to the buddy read! Trying to finish Catseye first, then dive in.

[Rachel]

How I loved that Intro!! Really perfect thing to start this new year.

Bolder, angrier,more joyful. YES!!

[Travis]

Rachel wrote: "How I loved that Intro!! Really perfect thing to start this new year.

Bolder, angrier,more joyful. YES!!"

Absolutely. I loved the intro, including the snipe at bland Boston cuisine, which is 100% accurate!

[Sarah, The Unsettled]

My copy is in transit to the library, should be able to pick it up soon. Looking forward to it. I’m hoping that short stories will help me bust out of this slump I’m in so I can move on to Gardens of the Moon. Usually January is one of my busier months for reading so this year is not off to a great start so far.

[Melanie, the neutral party]

I skipped the introduction. I generally don't read them. Should I be going back to it?

[Rachel]

Yes it’s really good - one of the best Ive read. It should maybe be my new mantra for 2019....

[Rachel]

The ones who stay and fight - had to google the Le Guin story to know what Jemisin was responding to. (view spoiler)[Very powerful, but not really a story more of a manifesto. Goes super well with that intro!! Loved it for the fire that we need more of. (hide spoiler)]

Skimmed The City Born great as I had read it before. I think I liked it more the second time and slowed down to enjoy the end.

[Meredith]

The ones who stay and fight (view spoiler)[ I was thinking this seemed rather bland for Jemisin and then the story showed its teeth. (hide spoiler)] - adding, the structure makes a bit more sense to me after looking into the Le Guin story it was based on.

The City Born Great, I've read this before as well. It was nominated for a Hugo for Short Story. I've been thinking about it a lot since this quick re-read. (view spoiler)[I like the combination of 'typical' fantasy trope of the chosen one layered over a modern city with all its issues for the MC. (hide spoiler)]

Red Dirt Witch, I'm still chewing on this one and interested to hear what others think.

L'Alchimista, was just plain fun.

[MadProfessah]

I bought it for $4.99 on kindle recently but won’t start it for awhile.

[Gabi]

After reading "The ones who stay and fight", I read Le Guin's "The ones who walk away from Omelas" (it's part of her Story Collection The Wind's Twelve Quarters, if sb is interested), since Jemisin stated in the introduction that this story was her response to it. (view spoiler)[ I found it very interesting to see the different approaches as to how to obtain the ideal society - and the mutual consensus that it can't be had without somebody suffering/ being punished (hide spoiler)]


"The city born great" I already have read in another short story collection, (view spoiler)[but it still didn't move me in any way. This is one of the stories I walk away from with a shoulder shrug. (hide spoiler)]

[Dawn]

I hv been reading SF\Fantasy For most of my life. I am actually amazed and stunned by Jamisons talent and genius. I have read the broken earth trilogy and was blown away by her writing skills and the beauty of the story. This collection of short stories shows off her talent even more.I haven’t finished the book but I particularly love the stories the Effluent Engine, the Bridesmaids and the Narcomancer. The Narcomancer brought tears to my eyes because of its beauty and the soul of the story.

[Rachel]

Hasn’t been one I didn’t like yet.

Even ones where the ‘metaphor’ was maybe too obvious still moved me. Every new POV is so.. REAL.

[Gabi]

"Red Dirt Witch" (view spoiler)[ I loved how she integrated the real life social evolution with fairy tales. This had an American Gods vibe for me. Yet I must admit that I was taken aback by the slapping of children (and I know, like other stuff, it's a child of it's time) (hide spoiler)]

"L'Achimista" was wonderfully lighthearded. I loved

(view spoiler)[ "... And her breast were still in the vicinity of her chest,..."

or

"He could be a crazy murderer. He could be a politician." (hide spoiler)]

"The Effluent Engine", (view spoiler)[ this one was cute! And once again I got reminded that I should inform myself about the history of Haiti, where I have next to no knowledge of. (hide spoiler)]

[Ariana]

The Ones Who Stay and Fight - I happened to have a short story collect of UKL out from the library that has The Ones Who Leave Omelas, so I read that first. (view spoiler)[Well, read half of it and then got too stressed out by the child abuse. I had to look up how it ends. I just can't read about that, even when it's clearly a thought experiment. UKL made it feel too real. (hide spoiler)]
So after that, I quite liked the Jemisin one. I have a hard time finishings short story collections, though, since once you finish one, there's no urgency (in the form of plot) to pick up the next one.

[Anna]

I had to read "The Ones Who Stay and Fight" today, because everyone keeps talking about Omelas, and having read it, and knowing the name of Jemisin's story, I had to know how she handled it. I think it's definitely a good idea to read Omelas first, since Jemisin kind of spoils it here. But it really is a brilliant response!

[Wen]

Anna wrote: "I had to read "The Ones Who Stay and Fight" today, because everyone keeps talking about Omelas, and having read it, and knowing the name of Jemisin's story, I had to know how she handled it. I thin..."

Re: The Ones Who Stay and Fight, I feel (view spoiler)[it’s like a Disney land at the beginning and ends up a spine-chilling amusement. (hide spoiler)]

[Ariana]

I found The City Born Great and Red Dirt Witch both to be incredibly moving. I'm having a hard time describing what exactly it is about them that had such an impact on me.
I think perhaps because they both wade through a lot of terrible stuff about America, but then they show how something really amazing can grow out of all that s***, something that is also uniquely American.

[Melanie, the neutral party]

I am about one halfway through. My favorites thus far are as follows:
“L’Alchimista” (view spoiler)[I genuinely enjoyed the foodie magic system. (hide spoiler)]
“Trojan Girl” (view spoiler)[I have a like of AI worlds in stories. They just fascinate me. (hide spoiler)]
and “Valedictorian” (view spoiler)[The ending just kind of hits you. “When they can accept you, then we’ll know they’re ready to accept us.” Sometimes humans just suck. (hide spoiler)]

I’m not in love with EVERY story, but I like them all. I definitely appreciate their eclectivness. Each new story is a whole new place. It could be sci-fi; it could be fantasy. The voices are all different, the narrators vary in sex, race, and orientation. This collection definitely highlights Jemisin’s range.

[Melanie, the neutral party]

Re: “The One Who Stay and fight”- not my favorite story, but I understand why it was chosen as the opener. Sets the tone/ theme of the collection. I have not read it’s antecedent, but it’s kind of like a Taylor Swift song. I know it connects with something real, but I prefer to just judge the work in its own bubble.

Re “Red Dirt Witch” (view spoiler)[It had a happier ending than I was expecting. It started off quite dark and transitioned into something hopeful. It also served as a brief history review. (hide spoiler)]

Re “Effluent Engine” (view spoiler)[The science in this one was interesting. It left me wondering how valid it was. (hide spoiler)]

[Kaa]

I've read The City Born Great several times and really love it. (view spoiler)[The first time I went to New York City, as a teenager who had spent very little time in big cities, I felt compelled to try to draw the city in human form afterward. I think Jemisin does a far better job than I did of capturing the real spirit of the city, but understanding the city through artistic anthropomorphism really speaks to me. (hide spoiler)]

@Melanie: Yes, I definitely agree on the amazing range of the story topics and settings. The Trojan Girl and Valedictorian were, as a pair, probably my favorite part of the collection. (view spoiler)[I love the fantastic combination of AIs/cool tech and social commentary. (hide spoiler)]

[Wen]

Kaa wrote: "I've read The City Born Great several times and really love it. [spoilers removed]

@Melanie: Yes, I definitely agree on the amazing range of the story topics and settings. The Trojan Girl and Vale..."

Re "Valedictorian "
(view spoiler)[I found that it’s a bit similar to Octavia Butler? (hide spoiler)]

[Meredith]

There's a Star Trek: Voyager episode that has a similar theme to "The Ones Who Stay and fight." "Random Thoughts" season 4 episode 10: (view spoiler)[ Angry and violent thoughts are outlawed and they are 'removed' from people's minds through an unpleasant procedure. So, although the society is pleasant in many respects, does one really want to live there if you are punished for certain thoughts, even if you don't act on them? Similarly, Le Guin's society and Jemisin's both have a negative aspect to maintain their generally idyllic features. Would you want to live in either one? (hide spoiler)]

[Kaa]

Wen wrote: "Re "Valedictorian " [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[I honestly haven't read much Butler, although I'm planning on reading more this year. What kind of similarities did you see? (hide spoiler)]

[Wen]

Kaa wrote: "Wen wrote: "Re "Valedictorian " [spoilers removed]"

[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[Like co-living with aliens, without ability/influence, family elements… (hide spoiler)]

[Kaa]

Wen wrote: "Re "Valedictorian " [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[Oh, I was reading them as being the AI/human integrated people from the previous story, although I do think that could be analogous to living with aliens. But them being similar makes me excited to read more Butler! (hide spoiler)]

[Wen]

Kaa wrote: "Wen wrote: "Re "Valedictorian " [spoilers removed]"

[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[I think you might like it:) It’s not as a happy life together forever that kind of story but close? or maybe not(smile). (hide spoiler)]

[MadProfessah]

I’m on vacation in Mexico City right now but I have my kindle with me which has a copy of this on it!

[Gabi]

I'm really enjoying the diversity of the stories. I cannot connect to every one, but there are some damn fine highlights so far.
I was especially impressed with "Cloud Dragon Skies", "Valedictorian", "The Evaluators", "The Elevator Dancer" and "Stone Hunger". 6 more stories to go for me.

[Rachel]

Some of these are edging into SF horror even - I thought the Evaluators was chilling as was the one before it

[Dawn F]

Does anyone know of a table of content of the stories in the collection or can someone who has the ebook type them up? I'm listening to the audio so I'm not able to see what the stories are called, and can't find a title list anywhere...

[Anna]

Dawn, go to Amazon and click on the cover (look inside) to see the sample. It has the TOC.

[Dawn F]

I’m not seeing any “look” inside. There’s only the cover image :-/

[Anna]

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07... and just click on the cover

[Dawn F]

Thanks >____< No idea why it doesn’t look like that when I look up the book.

[Anna]

Different edition most likely :)

[Gabi]

Rachel wrote: "Some of these are edging into SF horror even - I thought the Evaluators was chilling as was the one before it"

Yup, I guess that's why I like them so much. I'm more of a SF person.

[Kaa]

Rachel wrote: "Some of these are edging into SF horror even - I thought the Evaluators was chilling as was the one before it"

Yes! (spoilers for several stories up to the Evaluators) (view spoiler)[The repeated theme of pregnancy/motherhood + alien infiltration/invasion horror was very interesting in Storyteller's Replacement - Brides of Heaven - Evaluators. Especially since motherhood was such a significant theme in the Broken Earth trilogy as well. (hide spoiler)]

[Dawn]

I just finished this book and-NK Jemison deserves all the accolades that she has gotten. I’ve read and loved her novels, butI Short stories are completely different animal. As someone who loves to read and has tried to write, I believe that short stories take the most amount of talent to write. Not only do you have to hook the reader quickly and spin very satisfying plot in a short period of time, you have to develop depth to your characters in a very short period of time. And Ms. Jemison has shown herself to be one of the best writers in the genre today having obviously mastered the novel and the short story.

All of the short stories are wonderful. I loved many of them liked all of them. My favorite short stories were The City Born Great which she won an award for, The Effluent Engine, The Brides of Heaven and Sinners, Saints, Dragons and Haints in the City Beneath the Still Waters Which is the last story in the collection.

Her love for New York City shines bright and strong in this collection as well as her enjoyment of New Orleans.

[MadProfessah]

Ehhh I was not a fan of “The City Born Great”—it just didn’t make any sense to me but the fact the protagonist is gay is cool.

[Wen]

"On the Banks of the River Lex" (view spoiler)[Somehow the cutest part for me is "the kitten had left in a huff." Aww... (hide spoiler)]

[Rachel]

@ Wen - I really liked this one - I’ll have to get to my laptop to see what you said/reply

[Wen]

Rachel wrote: "@ Wen - I really liked this one - I’ll have to get to my laptop to see what you said/reply"

Aw, I am afraid I might disappoint you…>_<