This will prevent Toby from sending you messages, friend request or from viewing your profile. They will not be notified. Comments on discussion boards from them will be hidden by default.
Toby said:
"
In A Wide Sky, Hidden, William Ledbetter. Another trans/post-humanism science fiction piece. Kid wants to be an explorer when he grows up, robots took his job. Galaxy's a big place, so he gets the job anyway. His sister's an artist; is a natural deatIn A Wide Sky, Hidden, William Ledbetter. Another trans/post-humanism science fiction piece. Kid wants to be an explorer when he grows up, robots took his job. Galaxy's a big place, so he gets the job anyway. His sister's an artist; is a natural death in a transhuman universe the ultimate performance art? 3/5.
The Masochist's Assistant, Auston Habershaw. 3/5.
The Bride In Sea-Green Velvet, Robin Furth. A weird little fantasy set in an indeterminate age of the "real world". Sir Henry has a birthday coming up. They say the gifts you make yourself mean the most, but this story begs to differ. 4/5.
There Was A Crooked Man, He Flipped A Crooked House, David Erik Nelson. Cover novella. A haunted house tale, maybe with aliens, set in contemporary Detroit. Weird fiction vibes and a compelling narrative. Uses the setting and characters to drive the story quite well. Among the best fiction I've read in this journal. 5/5.
A Dog's Story, Gardner Dozois. Short story. A dog vigilante hires a hit man. Like The Secret Life of Pets meets Barry. A little bit of pathos but doesn't dwell on it. 2/5.
I Am Not I, G. V. Anderson. Novelet. The introduction alludes to China Mieville and I get a Perdido Streetesque Weird Urban vibe from this tale of arthropodic and horrific humanoids who trade in the biological detritus of humans. We get several uses of "mouthparts" which is rare and good. 4/5....more
"
Toby said:
"
"Ring Wave," Jolly, Tom. Cover story (novelette). Planet-killer asteroid takes out Earth. Plucky would-be survivors surf the impact's "ring wave" into orbit and try to survive. Is there a name for this genre of Space Disaster, like The Martian or Apo"Ring Wave," Jolly, Tom. Cover story (novelette). Planet-killer asteroid takes out Earth. Plucky would-be survivors surf the impact's "ring wave" into orbit and try to survive. Is there a name for this genre of Space Disaster, like The Martian or Apollo 13? Desperate straits, high stakes. Tight story. 4/5.
"Love in the Time of Immuno-Sharing," Dudak, Andy (short story). This one sits weird with me. Not because it's gross and posits a post-"repro-sex" world in which people swap antibodies by ritually rubbing their open sores together (think of the grossest mix between "chicken pox party" and "orgy"), but because I'm not really sure what the takeaway is supposed to be. 2/5.
"A Message from Our Sponsor," Sharrah, J. T. (short story). An infuriating study of ubiquitous advertising extended to its logical conclusion, but then an innovative misstep lets the sheeple get their revenge. Bonus points for "rent-a-freud." 3/5....more
"