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A review by afreen7
Uncanny Magazine Issue 40: May/June 2021 by Chimedum Ohaegbu, Elsa Sjunneson, Michael Damian Thomas, Lynne M. Thomas
4.0
Fiction
Unseelie Brothers, Ltd. by Fran Wilde - 4/5
This was really interesting to read and you get absorbed in the magical and a bit sinister world of high society dressmaking.
Thirteen of the Secrets in My Purse by Rachel Swirsky - 3.5/5
This was intriguing but I felt it could also fit in the poetry category
Proof by Induction by José Pablo Iriarte - 4/5
A more emotional look at a very rational scientific topic. Can we store our personalities, the idea of our 'self' in the form of GBs? And does that include the feelings and heart of a human as well if the reading is only taken from brain waves? A lot of people think the brain is separate from the heart but the heart is just a muscle. I would say if we ever tried to save an essence of ourselves it wouldn't just include the rational part of our brains. this story also shows how dumb we STEM people are when it comes to expressing and understanding feelings along with complicated familial relationships.
How the Girls Came Home by Eugenia Triantafyllou - 4/5
A story about girls owning their bodies and their choices.
River, Clap Your Hands by Sheree Renée Thomas - 3.5/5
this was interesting to read but a little chaotic writing-wise but I think it's my reading preference problem.
The Hungry Ones by Emma Törzs - 3/5
I get the point of the story but it was a little generic and tropey
Heart Shine by Shveta Thakrar - 3.5/5
Beautiful descriptive writing but I can't help but feel this has been done before, only this time it has south asian rep. Also, who cant relate to magic in things like fireflies and mundane but spectacular things.
Poetry
I really liked Mona Lisa’s Abecedarian to Leonardo da Vinci by Abu Bakr Sadiq
Essays
A Love Letter to Libraries by E. Lily Yu - 4/5
Do yourself a favor if you're a young person and grow up in a library if it's at all possible for you. You'll be grateful for it when you're an adult.
Babylon 5 and Antifascism by Andrew Liptak- 4/5
Very interesting take on fiction; be it sci-fi or fantasy and its real life mirroring and effect as well as propagandist writing.
The Protagonist Problem by Ada Palmer and Jo Walton - 3.5/5
this essay was the one that made me really think stuff. It's something I think about whenever I consume any media but put into words really got me wondering. It shows harmful the idea of the protagonist, the chosen one, can be. I have grown up prominently reading and watching such media. It both doesn't apply to real life as well as most other characters in the story. The essay is about how people would view themselves as the all-powerful protagonist, where they are right and everyone else is wrong, or as nonprotagonists, where they have no control or influence over the world or their own lives. It's a valid point to make about how teams and groups can have more power in real life than a single destined mascot. But I also don't believe it's so black and white. Protagonists are given more leeway than side characters when breaking rules is because they shoulder more responsibility, more risk. Yes, this can go both ways. A reckless protagonist dangers everyone whereas a calculated one might as well save the day. It's a tricky situation.
An example of a more nuanced way to do this would be say the avengers. Some view Captain America as the leader, some Iron man. But when written well they can keep each other in check. Of course, it becomes exponentially more complicated in real-life situations but there are definitely gray areas.
Also, I don't think survivalists view themselves as protagonists. In fact, I think it's the opposite they're being selfish and letting the world go to hell whereas a true protagonist would risk their lives to fix it even if it was selfish.
I think 'Attack on Titan' might be an example of how protagonists can be the savior as well the bane of existence and where teams can both need the protagonist as well as want them dead.
More Than Meets the Eye: Transformers as Trans Fantasy by C. J. Linton - 4/5
This was really well written. Taking media and making it your own if it helps you relate to your experiences whilst also recognizing the problematics parts of it.
Imagining Futures: Imagination, Ltd. by Elsa Sjunneson - 5/5
is about the gatekeeping of disability by nondisabled writers, editors etc
"...imagining the truth of someone else’s body—and that can cause harm."
Unseelie Brothers, Ltd. by Fran Wilde - 4/5
This was really interesting to read and you get absorbed in the magical and a bit sinister world of high society dressmaking.
Thirteen of the Secrets in My Purse by Rachel Swirsky - 3.5/5
This was intriguing but I felt it could also fit in the poetry category
Proof by Induction by José Pablo Iriarte - 4/5
A more emotional look at a very rational scientific topic. Can we store our personalities, the idea of our 'self' in the form of GBs? And does that include the feelings and heart of a human as well if the reading is only taken from brain waves? A lot of people think the brain is separate from the heart but the heart is just a muscle. I would say if we ever tried to save an essence of ourselves it wouldn't just include the rational part of our brains. this story also shows how dumb we STEM people are when it comes to expressing and understanding feelings along with complicated familial relationships.
How the Girls Came Home by Eugenia Triantafyllou - 4/5
A story about girls owning their bodies and their choices.
River, Clap Your Hands by Sheree Renée Thomas - 3.5/5
this was interesting to read but a little chaotic writing-wise but I think it's my reading preference problem.
The Hungry Ones by Emma Törzs - 3/5
I get the point of the story but it was a little generic and tropey
Heart Shine by Shveta Thakrar - 3.5/5
Beautiful descriptive writing but I can't help but feel this has been done before, only this time it has south asian rep. Also, who cant relate to magic in things like fireflies and mundane but spectacular things.
Poetry
I really liked Mona Lisa’s Abecedarian to Leonardo da Vinci by Abu Bakr Sadiq
Essays
A Love Letter to Libraries by E. Lily Yu - 4/5
Do yourself a favor if you're a young person and grow up in a library if it's at all possible for you. You'll be grateful for it when you're an adult.
Babylon 5 and Antifascism by Andrew Liptak- 4/5
Very interesting take on fiction; be it sci-fi or fantasy and its real life mirroring and effect as well as propagandist writing.
The Protagonist Problem by Ada Palmer and Jo Walton - 3.5/5
this essay was the one that made me really think stuff. It's something I think about whenever I consume any media but put into words really got me wondering. It shows harmful the idea of the protagonist, the chosen one, can be. I have grown up prominently reading and watching such media. It both doesn't apply to real life as well as most other characters in the story. The essay is about how people would view themselves as the all-powerful protagonist, where they are right and everyone else is wrong, or as nonprotagonists, where they have no control or influence over the world or their own lives. It's a valid point to make about how teams and groups can have more power in real life than a single destined mascot. But I also don't believe it's so black and white. Protagonists are given more leeway than side characters when breaking rules is because they shoulder more responsibility, more risk. Yes, this can go both ways. A reckless protagonist dangers everyone whereas a calculated one might as well save the day. It's a tricky situation.
An example of a more nuanced way to do this would be say the avengers. Some view Captain America as the leader, some Iron man. But when written well they can keep each other in check. Of course, it becomes exponentially more complicated in real-life situations but there are definitely gray areas.
Also, I don't think survivalists view themselves as protagonists. In fact, I think it's the opposite they're being selfish and letting the world go to hell whereas a true protagonist would risk their lives to fix it even if it was selfish.
I think 'Attack on Titan' might be an example of how protagonists can be the savior as well the bane of existence and where teams can both need the protagonist as well as want them dead.
More Than Meets the Eye: Transformers as Trans Fantasy by C. J. Linton - 4/5
This was really well written. Taking media and making it your own if it helps you relate to your experiences whilst also recognizing the problematics parts of it.
Imagining Futures: Imagination, Ltd. by Elsa Sjunneson - 5/5
is about the gatekeeping of disability by nondisabled writers, editors etc
"...imagining the truth of someone else’s body—and that can cause harm."