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scottishben's review
3.0
A solid first issue although not one which leaves me with a clear impression of exactly what Uncanny Magazine is or why it exists. For the non-fiction it was all entertaining enough other than a dull roundtable only of interest to people interested in running conventions however it all felt either just as unneccisary as that except for the Tansy article which felt far to undercooked to be worth reading (hadn't read or thought enough about the issue to say anything very interesting). Still I was entertained and would read the rest of the non-fiction in any future issue of Uncanny I buy. The best article was one about some good free SF films which you can see online but this very short article was really more of a blog article and would work better read as such where you can click and save on links for anything interesting.
As for the poetry - I just dont get why SF poetry is published in SF magazines. I like poetry and I like SF and I sometimes like SF in my poetry but I have yet to read any poetry published in SF sources that I have felt was any good. And when you see how little people get paid for SF poetry I can see why. It is a labour of love but it is just like if someone spend ages renovating a model train set - its love for which i am at best mildly curious and a love I dont share. None of the poetry in this collection left a lasting impression on me.
As for the fiction there was nothing bad here but nothing that I loved. The tone was all lightish and the each story was very readable. The Beamer was a pleasant surprise and was very good, Time travel done in a fresh and fun way and the Liu felt a little like Tongtongs summer which he translated for Upgraded but was efficiently told and well written.
As for the poetry - I just dont get why SF poetry is published in SF magazines. I like poetry and I like SF and I sometimes like SF in my poetry but I have yet to read any poetry published in SF sources that I have felt was any good. And when you see how little people get paid for SF poetry I can see why. It is a labour of love but it is just like if someone spend ages renovating a model train set - its love for which i am at best mildly curious and a love I dont share. None of the poetry in this collection left a lasting impression on me.
As for the fiction there was nothing bad here but nothing that I loved. The tone was all lightish and the each story was very readable. The Beamer was a pleasant surprise and was very good, Time travel done in a fresh and fun way and the Liu felt a little like Tongtongs summer which he translated for Upgraded but was efficiently told and well written.
djotaku's review
4.0
Yet another demonstration of authors who are doing great things with the short story format. I'll definitely be buying other issues. As usual for magazines and anthologies, a collection of my status updates.
"The Uncanny Valley" - An intro and the the mission statement of the magazine.
"If You Were .... White" - About Jungleland and a premise not unlike Roger Rabbit (the movie, not the book) where all the animal actors in movies were sentient.
"Presence" - Sad tale about caring for a parent in hospice care via a robot
"Late Nights at the Cape and Cane" - A perfect use of the short story form to tell the story of some super villains at a super villain bar.
"Celia and the Conservation of Entropy" - A precocious high school girl goes back in time to visit her grandfather. The story is fun as written, especially Celia's mindset. But it all comes together in the final page (as is often the case with mysterious short stories)
"Migration" - About a world in which birds carry souls.
"The Boy Who Grew Up" - A teenager meets Peter Pan (who's now also a teenager) and gains some perspective on his situation. It was sad, but perhaps a bit hopeful at the end.
"Her Fingers like Whips, Her Eyes Like Razors" - what I find annoying about many stories of the fey is that they seem cryptic to a fault. You never quite know WTF is happening and that's annoying. It's not a trope I enjoy. That said, the story overall was good and was successful in conveying the emotions it wanted to.
"Mars..Attacks!" - This article, like other similar ones, made me both happy and sad at once. And, considering it was written 3 years ago, almost sunk me into depression. It's about how geek women are constantly attacked, especially online. (Something I just learned about in the past 2-3 years) It's also about hope with all the female geek cultures. But to see where we are in 2017....ooh boy.
"Worldcon Roundtable" - a roundtable panel conducted via email about Worldcon. Made me more interested in trying to attend a WorldCon. There's a lot of drama around it and that was even present in the roundtable. But fan comes from fanatic, so I'm not surprised people are extremely passionate about it. The important thing is everyone remaining respectful and polite.
"Does Sex...Soft?" - Shout out to God's War,which I read last year! I have a hard time understanding the mindset of the people she's criticizing. Sex, love, & romance are a part of the human condition.While I understand if a story ignores it because it takes away from the narrative (books don't mention every character's bathroom use), don't think any story is poorer for including.
I skipped over the shorts article.
"Kissing Song" - a poem
"The New Ways" - a poem
"The Whalemaid, Singing" - a poem
"Interview: Headley" - So much of the tiger story is based in reality, it blows my mind. Also great to see her thought process.
"Interview: Beth Meacham" - Neat talk about how she worked with Jay
"Interview: Christopher Barzak" - A discussion about his short story in the magazine as well as his career.
"The Uncanny Valley" - An intro and the the mission statement of the magazine.
"If You Were .... White" - About Jungleland and a premise not unlike Roger Rabbit (the movie, not the book) where all the animal actors in movies were sentient.
"Presence" - Sad tale about caring for a parent in hospice care via a robot
"Late Nights at the Cape and Cane" - A perfect use of the short story form to tell the story of some super villains at a super villain bar.
"Celia and the Conservation of Entropy" - A precocious high school girl goes back in time to visit her grandfather. The story is fun as written, especially Celia's mindset. But it all comes together in the final page (as is often the case with mysterious short stories)
"Migration" - About a world in which birds carry souls.
"The Boy Who Grew Up" - A teenager meets Peter Pan (who's now also a teenager) and gains some perspective on his situation. It was sad, but perhaps a bit hopeful at the end.
"Her Fingers like Whips, Her Eyes Like Razors" - what I find annoying about many stories of the fey is that they seem cryptic to a fault. You never quite know WTF is happening and that's annoying. It's not a trope I enjoy. That said, the story overall was good and was successful in conveying the emotions it wanted to.
"Mars..Attacks!" - This article, like other similar ones, made me both happy and sad at once. And, considering it was written 3 years ago, almost sunk me into depression. It's about how geek women are constantly attacked, especially online. (Something I just learned about in the past 2-3 years) It's also about hope with all the female geek cultures. But to see where we are in 2017....ooh boy.
"Worldcon Roundtable" - a roundtable panel conducted via email about Worldcon. Made me more interested in trying to attend a WorldCon. There's a lot of drama around it and that was even present in the roundtable. But fan comes from fanatic, so I'm not surprised people are extremely passionate about it. The important thing is everyone remaining respectful and polite.
"Does Sex...Soft?" - Shout out to God's War,which I read last year! I have a hard time understanding the mindset of the people she's criticizing. Sex, love, & romance are a part of the human condition.While I understand if a story ignores it because it takes away from the narrative (books don't mention every character's bathroom use), don't think any story is poorer for including.
I skipped over the shorts article.
"Kissing Song" - a poem
"The New Ways" - a poem
"The Whalemaid, Singing" - a poem
"Interview: Headley" - So much of the tiger story is based in reality, it blows my mind. Also great to see her thought process.
"Interview: Beth Meacham" - Neat talk about how she worked with Jay
"Interview: Christopher Barzak" - A discussion about his short story in the magazine as well as his career.
booksthatburn's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
macthekat's review
4.0
my review of the fiction: http://www.mackat.dk/book/2014/12/uncanny-issue-1/
Merged review:
Once again I find it interesting that the first issue of this magazine have so many themes of death and endings. This story is about a woman who do not want to be reborn, she is tried of the endless cycle of life – now that I write that it sound very Budish, but that is not the vibe I got from the story. She is dying in the story and searching for a phoenix to carry her soul. It is a beautifully written story but it didn't really touch me. But I don't think I have the right experiences to connect to the story.
Merged review:
Once again I find it interesting that the first issue of this magazine have so many themes of death and endings. This story is about a woman who do not want to be reborn, she is tried of the endless cycle of life – now that I write that it sound very Budish, but that is not the vibe I got from the story. She is dying in the story and searching for a phoenix to carry her soul. It is a beautifully written story but it didn't really touch me. But I don't think I have the right experiences to connect to the story.
crunden's review
4.0
In every life I can remember, which is not all of them, not any more, I have longed to fly.
Migration by Kat Howard was absolutely beautiful. A tale of birds and eternity. Read here.
Migration by Kat Howard was absolutely beautiful. A tale of birds and eternity. Read here.
libbystephenson's review
3.0
Short Stories
Presence - Ken Liu: 2.5
If You Were a Tiger, I'd Have to Wear White - Maria Dahvana Headley: 3.5
Her Fingers Like Whips, Her Eyes Like Razors - Jay Lake: dnf
Late Nights at the Cape and Cane - Max Gladstone: 3.5
Migration - Kat Howard: dnf
Celia and the Conservation of Entropy - Amelia Beamer: 4
The Boy Who Grew Up - Christopher Barzak: 4
Poetry
The New Ways - Amal El-Mohtar: 3
Kissing song - Neil Gaiman: 3.5
The Whalemaid, Singing - Sonya Taaffe: 3
Non-Fiction
Does Sex Make Science Fiction "Soft?" - Tansy Rayner Roberts: 4
Presence - Ken Liu: 2.5
If You Were a Tiger, I'd Have to Wear White - Maria Dahvana Headley: 3.5
Her Fingers Like Whips, Her Eyes Like Razors - Jay Lake: dnf
Late Nights at the Cape and Cane - Max Gladstone: 3.5
Migration - Kat Howard: dnf
Celia and the Conservation of Entropy - Amelia Beamer: 4
The Boy Who Grew Up - Christopher Barzak: 4
Poetry
The New Ways - Amal El-Mohtar: 3
Kissing song - Neil Gaiman: 3.5
The Whalemaid, Singing - Sonya Taaffe: 3
Non-Fiction
Does Sex Make Science Fiction "Soft?" - Tansy Rayner Roberts: 4
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