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rystonlentil43's review
5.0
A dream come true! The short stories, nonfiction, and poems were all great. I tend not to prefer short stories but these renewed my interest in the form, well-written and engaging without feeling like they were shorter than they should have been. I enthusiastically recommend this and I wish I could have a print copy of it.
jukaschar's review
5.0
Everyone who has the slightest interest in disability should read the Uncanny issues that feature disabled writers.
At first I was a bit sad that a big part of this is dedicated to non-fic, autobiographical essays. But, aside from a few essays that I couldn't really understand because I have no knowledge of the movies or series that the author refers to, these essays are the most important part of the magazine for me now, after completing it, because they have given me so much insight and installed a feeling of companionship for me that I hadn't gotten before.
I have now, inspired by this book, decided to no longer just bear with it, but seek a diagnosis and help for what I believe is fibromyalgia. Fortunately, my doctor is a specialist and she's been my therapist for a long time, so I trust her.
So, thank you!, to all the authors featured in this issue! And everyone else interested: just read it.
At first I was a bit sad that a big part of this is dedicated to non-fic, autobiographical essays. But, aside from a few essays that I couldn't really understand because I have no knowledge of the movies or series that the author refers to, these essays are the most important part of the magazine for me now, after completing it, because they have given me so much insight and installed a feeling of companionship for me that I hadn't gotten before.
I have now, inspired by this book, decided to no longer just bear with it, but seek a diagnosis and help for what I believe is fibromyalgia. Fortunately, my doctor is a specialist and she's been my therapist for a long time, so I trust her.
So, thank you!, to all the authors featured in this issue! And everyone else interested: just read it.
rebecita's review
5.0
This collection made me want to read more short-form scifi because these stories were GREAT. They bring SO much creativity to visions of the future and meaningful representation of differently abled bodies, chronic illness, neurodiversity, etc. It includes fiction, personal essays, media critiques, and poetry. The main through line is that given the literally unlimited sandbox of SFF, it feels pretty fucking terrible to be a disabled reader and not see yourself imagined in these expansive futures. Or see convenient medical "cures" for disability that border on eugenics. Many stories and essays centered on the idea that science fictional spaces themselves could be more adaptive rather than erasing disabled identities, just as our real world should. Ramps in space!
lizhenry's review
5.0
A great collection, a great read! I especially loved P.H. Lee's A House By the Sea, The Things I Miss the Most by Nisi Shawl, and By Degrees and Dilatory Time by S.L. Huang.
smc15's review
challenging
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
detailsandtales's review
5.0
The fiction in here was a mixed bag. Some stories really spoke to me and captured my attention; others didn't. But the nonfiction... wow. Some of it spoke to me in personal ways about representation, and invisible disability and whether or not someone is disabled to begin with. Other pieces caught me by surprise and got me thinking about kinds of representation I hadn't considered before. As a writer, I found this invaluable, and as a reader, it has left me looking more actively for disabled representation in the fiction I read. This is such an important read, and definitely not just for the stories.
Favorite stories:
- The Frequency of Compassion by A. Merc Rustad
- Disconnect by Fran Wilde
- This Will Not Happen to You by Marissa Lingen.
Favorite nonfiction pieces:
- Design a Spaceship by Andi C. Buchanan
- And the Dragon was in the Skin by A. J. Hackwith
- My Genre Makes a Monster of Me by teri.zin
- The Future is (Not) Disabled by Marieke Nijkamp
Favorite stories:
- The Frequency of Compassion by A. Merc Rustad
- Disconnect by Fran Wilde
- This Will Not Happen to You by Marissa Lingen.
Favorite nonfiction pieces:
- Design a Spaceship by Andi C. Buchanan
- And the Dragon was in the Skin by A. J. Hackwith
- My Genre Makes a Monster of Me by teri.zin
- The Future is (Not) Disabled by Marieke Nijkamp
8bitlapras's review
4.0
Fiction
The House on the Moon by William Alexander: 2.75/5
Birthday Girl by Rachel Swirsky: 3/5
An Open Letter to the Family by Jennifer Brozek: 1.5/5
Heavy Lifting by A. T. Greenblatt: 2.75/5
The Frequency of Compassion by A. Merc Rustad: 5/5
The Stars Above by Katharine Duckett: 3/5
The Things I Miss the Most by Nisi Shawl: 2.75/5
Abigail Dreams of Weather by Stu West: 3.5/5
A House by the Sea by P. H. Lee: 4.75/5
Disconnect by Fran Wilde: 3/5
This Will Not Happen to You by Marissa Lingen: 3.5/5
By Degrees and Dilatory Time by S.L. Huang: 4.5/5
Listen by Karin Tidbeck: 2/5
Non-fiction
Design a Spaceship by Andi C. Buchanan: 4.5/5
The Linguistics of Disability, or, Empathy > Sympathy by Fran Wilde: 4.5/5
The Body to Come: Afrofuturist Posthumanism and Disability by Zaynab Shahar: 4.5/5
The Expendable Disabled Heroes of Marvel’s Infinity War by John Wiswell: 5/5
And the Dragon Was in the Skin by A. J. Hackwith: 5/5
Miles Vorkosigan and ‘Excellent Life Choices’: (Neuro)Divergence and Decision-Making in Bujold’s Vorkosigan Saga by Ira Gladkova: 4.5/5
Give Me Heroism or Give Me Death by Gemma Noon: 4.5/5
My Genre Makes a Monster of Me by teri.zin: 4.5/5
The Future Is (Not) Disabled by Marieke Nijkamp: 5/5
Poetry
I refuse to rate poetry because my autistic ass just can't understand most of it, but I did really enjoy All the Stars Above the Sea by Sarah Gailey and You Wanted Me to Fly by Julia Watts Belser.
Personal Essays
I also refuse to rate the majority of the personal essays included, as I felt that after a while they became a bit long-winded and started blending together and saying much of the same things, but a few that spoke to me personally were The Stories We Find Ourselves In by A. T. Greenblatt,
The Horror and the Reality: Mental Illness Through the Lens of Horror by V. Medina, We Are Not Your Backstories by K. C. Alexander, The Only Thing Faster Than Tonight: Mr. Darkness by Elise Matthesen, A Dream to Shape My World by Eli Wilkinson, and Everything Is True: A Non-Neurotypical Experience with Fiction by Ada Hoffmann.
Average rating: 3.81/5, rounded up to a 4/5.
Overall, I did enjoy this anthology and thought it was a great representation of many different types of disability voices in sci-fi settings. I vastly preferred the non-fiction sections over the fiction sections, though, and that did disappoint me quite a bit.
The House on the Moon by William Alexander: 2.75/5
Birthday Girl by Rachel Swirsky: 3/5
An Open Letter to the Family by Jennifer Brozek: 1.5/5
Heavy Lifting by A. T. Greenblatt: 2.75/5
The Frequency of Compassion by A. Merc Rustad: 5/5
The Stars Above by Katharine Duckett: 3/5
The Things I Miss the Most by Nisi Shawl: 2.75/5
Abigail Dreams of Weather by Stu West: 3.5/5
A House by the Sea by P. H. Lee: 4.75/5
Disconnect by Fran Wilde: 3/5
This Will Not Happen to You by Marissa Lingen: 3.5/5
By Degrees and Dilatory Time by S.L. Huang: 4.5/5
Listen by Karin Tidbeck: 2/5
Non-fiction
Design a Spaceship by Andi C. Buchanan: 4.5/5
The Linguistics of Disability, or, Empathy > Sympathy by Fran Wilde: 4.5/5
The Body to Come: Afrofuturist Posthumanism and Disability by Zaynab Shahar: 4.5/5
The Expendable Disabled Heroes of Marvel’s Infinity War by John Wiswell: 5/5
And the Dragon Was in the Skin by A. J. Hackwith: 5/5
Miles Vorkosigan and ‘Excellent Life Choices’: (Neuro)Divergence and Decision-Making in Bujold’s Vorkosigan Saga by Ira Gladkova: 4.5/5
Give Me Heroism or Give Me Death by Gemma Noon: 4.5/5
My Genre Makes a Monster of Me by teri.zin: 4.5/5
The Future Is (Not) Disabled by Marieke Nijkamp: 5/5
Poetry
I refuse to rate poetry because my autistic ass just can't understand most of it, but I did really enjoy All the Stars Above the Sea by Sarah Gailey and You Wanted Me to Fly by Julia Watts Belser.
Personal Essays
I also refuse to rate the majority of the personal essays included, as I felt that after a while they became a bit long-winded and started blending together and saying much of the same things, but a few that spoke to me personally were The Stories We Find Ourselves In by A. T. Greenblatt,
The Horror and the Reality: Mental Illness Through the Lens of Horror by V. Medina, We Are Not Your Backstories by K. C. Alexander, The Only Thing Faster Than Tonight: Mr. Darkness by Elise Matthesen, A Dream to Shape My World by Eli Wilkinson, and Everything Is True: A Non-Neurotypical Experience with Fiction by Ada Hoffmann.
Average rating: 3.81/5, rounded up to a 4/5.
Overall, I did enjoy this anthology and thought it was a great representation of many different types of disability voices in sci-fi settings. I vastly preferred the non-fiction sections over the fiction sections, though, and that did disappoint me quite a bit.