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A review by afreen7
Uncanny Magazine Issue 39: March/April 2021 by Chimedum Ohaegbu, Elsa Sjunneson, Michael Damian Thomas, Lynne M. Thomas
4.0
Fiction
The Sin of America by Catherynne M. Valente - 4/5
I was left completely puzzled by this one. Maybe it's cause I'm, not American myself? Every time I got close to getting a grasp on the story it just fizzled away but the writing is classic Valente awesomeness
The Perils of a Hologram Heart by Dominica Phetteplace - 4/5
This was so so interesting to read with topics like Immortality, the future, death, identity, self image etc being explored. Whats it like for someone who has never known oldage, sickness and death and whats it like for someone whos never known immortality but now has the option of it. I guess the grass is always greener on the other side if youre a human
Colors of the Immortal Palette by Caroline M. Yoachim - 4.5/5
“If I don’t carve out space for myself, they will steal whatever inspiration they like from my culture and my art and erase me from the conversation entirely.”
Story of women in artistic circles being seen as only models instead of being appreciated for their art which are just as good if not better than their male counterparts. Loved the storywriting in this one; it was like watching the timelapse of a painting.
Eighteen Days of Barbareek by Rati Mehrotra - 4/5
Ive read a little bit of the Mahabharatha before but this was new and interesting pov. Something in the veins of Madeline Miller but with Hindu Mythology.
They Shall Salt the Earth with Seeds of Glass by Alaya Dawn Johnson 3/5
Classic dystopian but with focus on women's bodies regarding pregnancy, abortion but I just didnt get the point of this story. Its was a bit all over the place.
The Book of the Kraken by Carrie Vaughn - 3.5/5
Smh these colonizers just wont stop
Where Oaken Hearts Do Gather by Sarah Pinsker - 3/5
Honestly the one word I can use to describe this story is 'Unsatisfying'. The plot is okay but just as it gets interesting it ends in a cliffhanger and im like why did i have to spend precious time reading about some random british ballad that makes no sense and just when someones about to make sense it ends. ugh
Poetry
Some great works. My faves were lagahoo culture (Part II) by Brandon O’Brien and Of Monsters I Loved by Ali Trotta
Essays
Seduced by the Ruler’s Gaze: An Indian Perspective on Seth Dickinson’s Masquerade by Sid Jain - 4/5
I think everyone who has grown up in post colonial countries can relate to this to some extant. Damn them colonizers!
Deadly Frocks and Other Tales of Murder Clothes by Tansy Rayner Roberts - 4.5/5
deadly green ball gowns. Murderous victorian era ladies or innocent victims of fashion or ignorant elites who have the blood of poor labourers on their hands.
Please Be Kind to the Singularity by Jay Edidin - 5/5
full rating because this opened by eyes to so many things. Also this essay is so good I could quote the entire thing but i'll leave with this.
'Nobody who describes you as “robotic” means that you are strong and innovative and resilient. They aren’t acknowledging the alienness of your sentience or commenting on its specific qualities; they’re questioning its existence.'
Protector of Small Steps by Marieke Nijkamp 3.5/5
Im sure this is gonna be helpful to read for the right kind of people but thats just not me.
Interviews
Loved Caroline M. Yoachim's interview especially this quote:
Representation, being able to see yourself in fiction, is hugely important, but it often feels like a no-win situation—if you try to do something ambitious from a marginalized perspective, the story is too complicated; if you put your spin on something familiar, it’s dismissed as derivative.
The Sin of America by Catherynne M. Valente - 4/5
I was left completely puzzled by this one. Maybe it's cause I'm, not American myself? Every time I got close to getting a grasp on the story it just fizzled away but the writing is classic Valente awesomeness
The Perils of a Hologram Heart by Dominica Phetteplace - 4/5
This was so so interesting to read with topics like Immortality, the future, death, identity, self image etc being explored. Whats it like for someone who has never known oldage, sickness and death and whats it like for someone whos never known immortality but now has the option of it. I guess the grass is always greener on the other side if youre a human
Colors of the Immortal Palette by Caroline M. Yoachim - 4.5/5
“If I don’t carve out space for myself, they will steal whatever inspiration they like from my culture and my art and erase me from the conversation entirely.”
Story of women in artistic circles being seen as only models instead of being appreciated for their art which are just as good if not better than their male counterparts. Loved the storywriting in this one; it was like watching the timelapse of a painting.
Eighteen Days of Barbareek by Rati Mehrotra - 4/5
Ive read a little bit of the Mahabharatha before but this was new and interesting pov. Something in the veins of Madeline Miller but with Hindu Mythology.
They Shall Salt the Earth with Seeds of Glass by Alaya Dawn Johnson 3/5
Classic dystopian but with focus on women's bodies regarding pregnancy, abortion but I just didnt get the point of this story. Its was a bit all over the place.
The Book of the Kraken by Carrie Vaughn - 3.5/5
Smh these colonizers just wont stop
Where Oaken Hearts Do Gather by Sarah Pinsker - 3/5
Honestly the one word I can use to describe this story is 'Unsatisfying'. The plot is okay but just as it gets interesting it ends in a cliffhanger and im like why did i have to spend precious time reading about some random british ballad that makes no sense and just when someones about to make sense it ends. ugh
Poetry
Some great works. My faves were lagahoo culture (Part II) by Brandon O’Brien and Of Monsters I Loved by Ali Trotta
Essays
Seduced by the Ruler’s Gaze: An Indian Perspective on Seth Dickinson’s Masquerade by Sid Jain - 4/5
I think everyone who has grown up in post colonial countries can relate to this to some extant. Damn them colonizers!
Deadly Frocks and Other Tales of Murder Clothes by Tansy Rayner Roberts - 4.5/5
deadly green ball gowns. Murderous victorian era ladies or innocent victims of fashion or ignorant elites who have the blood of poor labourers on their hands.
Please Be Kind to the Singularity by Jay Edidin - 5/5
full rating because this opened by eyes to so many things. Also this essay is so good I could quote the entire thing but i'll leave with this.
'Nobody who describes you as “robotic” means that you are strong and innovative and resilient. They aren’t acknowledging the alienness of your sentience or commenting on its specific qualities; they’re questioning its existence.'
Protector of Small Steps by Marieke Nijkamp 3.5/5
Im sure this is gonna be helpful to read for the right kind of people but thats just not me.
Interviews
Loved Caroline M. Yoachim's interview especially this quote:
Representation, being able to see yourself in fiction, is hugely important, but it often feels like a no-win situation—if you try to do something ambitious from a marginalized perspective, the story is too complicated; if you put your spin on something familiar, it’s dismissed as derivative.