Scan barcode
A review by cathepsut
Uncanny Magazine Issue 18: September/October 2017 by N.K. Jemisin, Jo Walton, Cecilia Tan, Brandon O'Brien, Delia Sherman, Gwynne Garfinkle, Julia Rios, Sam J. Miller, Malinda Lo, Lynne M. Thomas, Sabrina Vourvoulias, Sarah Kuhn, Ali Trotta, Fran Wilde, C.S.E. Cooney, Vina Jie-Min Prasad, Catherynne M. Valente, Michael Damian Thomas, Sophie Aldred, Jean Rice
3.0
Review for Clearly Lettered in a Mostly Steady Hand
BY FRAN WILDE
This strange first sentence sets the tone of the story. Very odd. My take on this was a guy taking a tour in some sort of museum/ward/institution peopled by freaks, aka circus freaks/sideshows or maybe supernatural beings like mermaids. Someone not considered “normal“ in appearance.
Each room the visitor is taken through is increasingly weirder and more horrible. Considering the ending this could be read as a revenge story.
I went back to Uncanny to check if I had downloaded the entire story or if I was missing a page or two. This felt a bit like an unedited first draft. More likely, I just didn‘t get it.
Nice idea to see a sentient robot caught up in fanfiction and a fandom. But the writing felt very disjointed. I liked the story, the writing wasn‘t really for me.
Of the Hugo Awards 2018 Short Story Nominees I liked this the least.
Turns out it is a very personal piece for the author, see here: https://franwilde.wordpress.com/2018/03/31/a-complete-shock-honor/
Story can be found here:
https://uncannymagazine.com/article/clearly-lettered-mostly-steady-hand/
Hugo Awards 2018 Short Story Nominee (I liked it the least).
BY FRAN WILDE
There is a ticket booth on my tongue.
This strange first sentence sets the tone of the story. Very odd. My take on this was a guy taking a tour in some sort of museum/ward/institution peopled by freaks, aka circus freaks/sideshows or maybe supernatural beings like mermaids. Someone not considered “normal“ in appearance.
Each room the visitor is taken through is increasingly weirder and more horrible. Considering the ending this could be read as a revenge story.
I went back to Uncanny to check if I had downloaded the entire story or if I was missing a page or two. This felt a bit like an unedited first draft. More likely, I just didn‘t get it.
Nice idea to see a sentient robot caught up in fanfiction and a fandom. But the writing felt very disjointed. I liked the story, the writing wasn‘t really for me.
Of the Hugo Awards 2018 Short Story Nominees I liked this the least.
Turns out it is a very personal piece for the author, see here: https://franwilde.wordpress.com/2018/03/31/a-complete-shock-honor/
Story can be found here:
https://uncannymagazine.com/article/clearly-lettered-mostly-steady-hand/
Hugo Awards 2018 Short Story Nominee (I liked it the least).