"Alien Virus Love Disaster" by Abbey Mei Otis (BR)

[Silvana]

Come and join Sarah and I for this 2019 Philip K. Dick Award nominee.

Gary K. Wolfe reviewed this for Locus, and he said:
"At their best, the stories in Alien Virus Love Disaster can generate the same sort of excitement of first coming across writers as diverse as Kelly Link, M. Rickert, or Margo Lanagan: a striking new voice, both strangely familiar and yet disorienting, that takes us somewhere we haven’t been."
https://locusmag.com/2018/09/gary-k-w...

Starts June 30. But, since it is a short story collection so I think we could take this a liiiiiiitle bit slow and pace it out a bit.

[Gabi]

Yeah, I'll join. This is the book where my partner came to me with a perplexed look on his face after seeing my purchase in the emails and asked me what strange stuff I'm reading. LOL!

[Joelle.P.S]

I read & liked the 1st story yesterday! But now I'll wait for the scheduled date instead of getting further ahead. :-D

[Rachel]

I think I saw this at the library recently - gotta see if I can pick it up

[Silvana]

Joelle wrote: "I read & liked the 1st story yesterday! But now I'll wait for the scheduled date instead of getting further ahead. :-D"

It is okay to start early too! I too liked the first story.

Gabi wrote: "Yeah, I'll join. This is the book where my partner came to me with a perplexed look on his face after seeing my purchase in the emails and asked me what strange stuff I'm reading. LOL!"

Great story haha
Definitely one of the strangest titles I read this year too.

[Silvana]

Rachel wrote: "I think I saw this at the library recently - gotta see if I can pick it up"

*crossing my fingers*

[Gabi]

Is anybody else reading this in the kindle version? Is there a table of contents and I'm just too clumsy to find it?

[Silvana]

In my old Kindle paperwhite I could see the content based on stories.

[Gabi]

Thanks, Silvana, don't know which strange edition I got ???

[Silvana]

Gabi wrote: "Thanks, Silvana, don't know which strange edition I got ???"

Is it any from these?
https://www.goodreads.com/work/editio...

Mine is the Kindle edition - black cover.

[Joelle.P.S]

Wow, I hadn't previously enlarged the thumbnail-size cover photo: that's a very interesting illustration on that black cover!

(Funny thing about ebooks: I often forget what the cover looks like -- or what colors it is [I usually read on a colorless Kindle Paperwhite].)

[Silvana]

Huh.... I also just noticed it.
I only paid attention to covers when I don't have them. Sometimes the kindle books I bought just have the titles, no cover illustrations.

[Silvana]

Starting today, sorry a bit late.

[Rachel]

Supposed to be on its way to my library so might be able to get it tomorrow!

[Sarah, The Unsettled]

I’ll be starting tonight also! Just wanted to check in.

[Melanie, the neutral party]

I’m in for this one too.

[Gabi]

I started the stories and find them good, but very depressing. I'm looking forward to all of your impressions.

And somehow I'm still marvelling about the dedication of the titular story.

[Sarah, The Unsettled]

Well I’ve only read the first story. It was definitely different- but I agree, kind of depressing. I am looking forward to some of the other stories though, feels pretty unique (at least from everything else I’ve been reading lately).

[Gabi]

It is unique, indeed. I'm torn between admiration and devastation.

I need help! If anybody gets to "If you lived here, you'd be evicted by now" I'd be thankful for an explanation. I didn't get it ... ^^'

[Melanie, the neutral party]

I read the first story then stopped. It was kind of intense. I’m going to try to listen to one story a day. I can see the book’s title being hinted at in just the first story.

[Joelle.P.S]

Wow, 4th story "Teacher" is . . . confusing?

[Silvana]

OK. The first story: (view spoiler)[did he just rape her??? I am not sure I understand the ending as well. Where did she go? (hide spoiler)]

The second story is just so evocative and beautiful. But then, I love anything lunar related.

I can see why you guys said these are sad. I am trying to remember other books with similar feeling...

[Silvana]

Joelle wrote: "Wow, 4th story "Teacher" is . . . confusing?"

Yes.... As soon as she (view spoiler)[said she was preggo I got confused. Is it some kind of metaphor? (hide spoiler)]

Melanie wrote: "I read the first story then stopped. It was kind of intense. I’m going to try to listen to one story a day. I can see the book’s title being hinted at in just the first story."

So intense indeed. Second story is less.

[Silvana]

Blood, Blood is truly fascinating. I love weird aliens.

One thing I noticed, so far the main POV is always (view spoiler)[ female. (hide spoiler)]

[Gabi]

Don't let me lie, but I think all POVs (view spoiler)[ are female. (hide spoiler)]

Silvana, first story (view spoiler)[ I didn't read as rape. And I took the ending as being completely open as to where she'd go now. (hide spoiler)]

[Silvana]

Gabi wrote: "
Silvana, first story [spoilers removed]"

Noted about the ending. I guess they were just relocated.

On the first story,

That scene (view spoiler)[was creepy and out of nowhere, I did not notice any consent, an ambiguous one at best. (hide spoiler)] The rest of you, thoughts on this? Am I being too sensitive?

[Sarah, The Unsettled]

Silvana wrote: "Gabi wrote: "
Silvana, first story [spoilers removed]"

Noted about the ending. I guess they were just relocated.

On the first story,

That scene [spoilers removed] The rest of you, thoughts on..."

I didn’t read it as (view spoiler)[rape either. I got the sense she was a consenting partner. (hide spoiler)]

I’m up to three stories and can’t decide how I feel about them. I’m not sure what the point is for some of them and they are really depressing. It would be nice if some of them had a little hope. This might end up being a DNF.

[Rachel]

Read the first story last night - wish we found out more. I think I know what she was going for overall though with it. Guess I’ll need to wait until I find time st the laptop

[Rachel]

Silvana wrote: "Gabi wrote: "
Silvana, first story [spoilers removed]"

Noted about the ending. I guess they were just relocated.

On the first story,

That scene [spoilers removed] The rest of you, thoughts on..."

About the consent : (view spoiler)[ I think it was meant to be slightly ambiguous consent? Like he said please, and it said she puled or he pushed. But I think the key was that:if you are under he influence of ...whatever weird alien spore babies inside you can you really consent? I mean those people consented to basically nothing in their whole lives. Which pretty obviously is a race.class thing for us here in 'Merica. (hide spoiler)]

[Melanie, the neutral party]

Silvana wrote: "he rest of you, thoughts on this? Am I being too sensitive?

I'm kind of with you on this one. In fact, after 3 stories in need to DFN this book. It's just a little too disturbing.

[Silvana]

Melanie wrote: "Silvana wrote: "he rest of you, thoughts on this? Am I being too sensitive?

I'm kind of with you on this one. In fact, after 3 stories in need to DFN this book. It's just a little too disturbing."

Sarah wrote: "Silvana wrote: "Gabi wrote: "
Silvana, first story [spoilers removed]"

Noted about the ending. I guess they were just relocated.

On the first story,

That scene [spoilers removed] The rest of y..."

I totally get it if you decide to DNF this, no worries :)

I read up to Sweetheart'', the 8th story.

I too want some hope. The conversations are interesting, this particular quote for instance:

"We just never had an answer until the aliens came."
"It's a new thing to do. That doesn't mean it's an answer. That doesn't mean we've the got the problem right."

yet with some stories I did not really connect/comprehend e.g. Teacher, Sex Dungeons for Sad People, Sweetheart. For some reason, the ones I liked all have (view spoiler)[aliens, or mentions of aliens, or aliens in other definitions e.g migrants. I mentioned Blood, Blood already, so I want to say I enjoyed Not an Alien Story. It reminded me a bit of Borne (which I loved) at first. The conversation there is hilarious though I won't exactly say it's a happy story. Sweetheart has aliens and the shortest story of the bunch. I feel it could use some more pages since I did not get it in my first read. (hide spoiler)]

Well, four stories to go!

[Silvana]

Rachel wrote: "Silvana wrote:
That scene [spoilers removed] The rest of y..."

Thanks Rachel. The stories so far - not just that one - do have some class tensions behind them, as well as broken communities and the likes.

[Sarah, The Unsettled]

I don’t even understand what the Teacher story has to do with Aliens. This book is twisted and I think not really in a good away.

[Joelle.P.S]

I commented above that I enjoyed the 1st story, but I wish now that I could remember why. (Note to self: put a comment behind a spoiler tag to remind oneself what one thought: LOL.)

The 2nd story was intriguing, though I felt a bit disconnected, because I was trying to read it on a couple of very busy days, so it got chopped up into tiny excerpts -- I think would have benefited from a tighter (1- or 2-sitting) reading schedule.

Unfortunately, pretty much every story since those 2 has mostly just confused me. (I'm now a little over 50% through the book.)

[Silvana]

I just finished. I think I liked around 7 and the rest were just confusing. Most I liked, aside from containing aliens, are also the shorter ones. Reading this has been an interesting, disorienting experience if I must say, several times out of my comfort zone.

[Gabi]

Silvana, did you by any chance get a feeling for the second to last story (the one with the houses?) This one left me with a big questionmark and I hope somebody from the BR has an idea what it was about.

[Silvana]

Gabi wrote: "Silvana, did you by any chance get a feeling for the second to last story (the one with the houses?) This one left me with a big questionmark and I hope somebody from the BR has an idea what it was..."

All I got was (view spoiler)[they were killing their mom because they did not want the house to be converted into a trading post (and their eviction) due to some unexplained regulation. (hide spoiler)]

[Gabi]

Silvana wrote: "All I got was (view spoiler) ..."

I had the feeling (view spoiler)[ that somebody who cared for the members of the household had to be sacrificed to back their claim to the house. And in the second part they needed a sacrifice as well to not get evicted, but couldn't use the mother, cause the children were too young, and then … well from then on I lost it. The girl was a substitute? But in which way? … (hide spoiler)]

[Silvana]

(view spoiler)[the POV changed from the first to the adjustor whose house was going to be evicted instead since he could not fulfill his quota. Maybe the mysterious regulation only asked for a sacrifice of the caregiver of the house? Hence the mother - the adjustor's wife - could not be used. But then the POV moved a while to the girl - Jessyup - reminiscing about her catfishing days with her brother or something. The adjustor was hesitating, Jessyup persuaded him, and I am not sure what happened at the end.

What confused me was actually that she sounded and looked like she did it - with the scars and all - before as she was the one telling him to do it properly and so on. So she won't be actually dead? I have no idea. And what kind of sacrifice anyway? She mentioned matricide and parturition when she showed him the tools. (hide spoiler)]

[Sarah, The Unsettled]

I finished. I sort of regret finishing. It was just way too dark and bizarre for me.

The Teacher story (view spoiler)[I got the sense she was raped by the principal. He seemed like he was threatening her job and says some ominous things while shutting the door. (hide spoiler)]

She has some interesting ideas here but none of the stories had a light at the end of the tunnel. I'm okay with dark but something needs to shine through in the end.

[Silvana]

Sorry for the experience, folks :(

For me, it is another example of a novel with a very interesting title and deceptive sample. I believe the sample I read was Moonkids and that one happened to be one of my faves of the bunch. Overall, nevertheless, I did not regret reading it, as it surely flexed my comfort zone. But then I agree it could use some more lighthearted moments or even sweeter endings.

[Sarah, The Unsettled]

Silvana wrote: "Sorry for the experience, folks :(

For me, it is another example of a novel with a very interesting title and deceptive sample. I believe the sample I read was Moonkids and that one happened to be..."

You have nothing to be sorry for! I would have read it either way and I could have DNF'd anytime I was just hoping there was going to be something uplifting about the final few stories. I always try to push through to an ending in case it fixes some of my issues.

Unfortunately that strategy hasn't been working for me this year. lol

[Sarah, The Unsettled]

I also thought Moonkids was one of the better stories.

[Gabi]

Silvana wrote: "Sorry for the experience, folks :(..."

No! I'm damn glad I read them. I rarely (if ever) have read stories that had such a deep impact on me. I found her execution genius; wouldn't recommend it to anybody (not with a clear conscience), but I will definitely come back to those stories.

[Rachel]

I haven’t finished - through 4 of the 12 but I think they is no light at the end b/c in real life there is no light at the end right now for the poor or the marginalized
She is taking every day experience for a huge swath of the world and just making it .. SF?

[Silvana]

Phew, that's a relief! Thanks, Gabi and Sarah. I too will be looking forward to more Otis in the future.

BTW, I have not read many collections by a single author. Except now I am reading two back to back. I like the experience, not having to commit to the whole novel or novella.

Hmm.. there should be a thread somewhere when people give more recommendations on similar books.

[Sarah, The Unsettled]

Rachel wrote: "I haven’t finished - through 4 of the 12 but I think they is no light at the end b/c in real life there is no light at the end right now for the poor or the marginalized
She is taking every day ex..."

And that's fine- but it's not what I want to read! lol

[Silvana]

Rachel wrote: "I haven’t finished - through 4 of the 12 but I think they is no light at the end b/c in real life there is no light at the end right now for the poor or the marginalized
She is taking every day ex..."

Indeed, it is like a ground-level approach, with all the dirts and grits and hardships.

Anywho, I picked a very good palate cleanser afterward.

[Ariana]

I was planning on dropping in on this buddy read a little late, but... I might pass?
This sounds a little more intense than I'm up for.

[Rachel]

Did I mention I’m taking breaks. Y reading a wizard of Earthsea at the same time? I think it’s a help.