Status Updates From Strangers Among Us: Tales o...

Note/Warning: "Washing Lady's Hair" has sexual assault.

"The Intersection" by Lorina Stephens
Well that was mildly distressing.
.
Just backmatter left. Review to come.

"Marion's War" by Hayden Trenholm
Interesting, but also very confusing. Part of me wishes it was longer, but the confusion is part of an effect, so...

"The Age of Miracles" by Robert Runté
Starts mildly amusing, and rapidly devolves. Not a good depiction of mental illness, but does raise interesting questions about the Internet of Things.

"What You See (When the Lights are Out)" by Gemma Files
Creepy as heck, but actually pretty good.

"Songbun" by Derwin Mak
A North Korean Cosmonaut must overcome his anxiety.

"Wrath of Gaia" by Mahtab Narsimhan
Skimmed this one after the first couple pages. Ecofic w/ very odd depiction of Alz. Not for me.

"Frog Song" by Erica Holt
A hybrid creature tries to save her home. Meanwhile, her friend has other problems. Unfulfilling.

"Troubles" by Sherry Peters
During the Irish troubles (perhaps round 2), a girl discovers that the voices she hears have a very real basis. Not bad, but I didn't find it compelling.

"Tribes" by A.M. Dellamonica
In highschool, each club has it's patron spirit... And they're out for blood. Average, and stretching the boundaries of the theme a little.

"Carnivores" by Rich Larson
Eh... This one doesn't land for me. Also: <spoiler>cannibalism</spoiler>

"The Dog and the Sleepwalker" by James Alan Gardner
Another fun short, with a sucker-punch of an ending.

"I Count the Lights" by Edward Willett
Death of a diplomat on an alien planet and the resulting investigation. Definitely one of the better stories in this volume, flawed only because it's about a 'normal' person's perspective change.

"Living in Oz" by Bev Geddes
A ghost ponders grief with her psychologist... But is she really dead? Interesting premise, but woodenly executed.

"The Weeds and the Wilderness" by Tyler Keevil
Paranoid, plant-loving agoraphobe strikes back against the totalitarianism of lawns. Starts odd and ends on a darkly triumphalist note.

"Washing Lady's Hair" by Ursula Pflug
Some kind of cynical-hippie futurefic? Not really clear on this one.

"How Objects Behave on the Edge of a Black Hole" by A.C. Wise
I don't know enough about Schizoaffective disorder to judge the portrayal, but this one's an interesting exploration of siblings, broken families, and mortality.

"What Harm" by Amanda Sun
Fable-style telling that warns against underestimating the capabilities of a neurodivergent individual. Didn't quite work for me bc I felt we were too far outside the protagonist's PoV

"Dallas's Booth" by Suzanne Church
Plays into some old stereotypes RE: disability, but then comes close to subverting them all at the very end? Not sure what I think of it.

"The Culling" by Kelley Armstrong
Less about mental illness than an extreme examination of a society that enforces 'normal' with lethal force. Mildly interesting