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Uncanny Magazine #49
Uncanny Magazine Issue 49: November/December 2022
The November/December 2022 issue of Hugo Award-winning Uncanny Magazine.
Featuring new fiction by Samantha Mills, Vivian Shaw, Matthew Olivas, Nina Kiriki Hoffman, Iori Kusano, Anya Ow, and Emily Y. Teng. Reprint fiction by Catherynne M. Valente. Essays by Izzy Wasserstein, Jennifer Marie Brissett, Alex Jennings, and Karen Heuler, poetry by Eshqin Ahmad, Ewen Ma, May Chong, Taiwo Hassan, and Ai Jiang, interviews with Vivian Shaw and Iori Kusano by Caroline M. Yoachim, a cover by Maxine Vee, and editorials by Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas, and Meg Elison.
In The Issue
FICTION
Rabbit Test by Samantha Mills
Transference by Vivian Shaw
To Walk the River of Stars by Emily Y. Teng
The Other Side of Mictlān by Matthew Olivas
A Fall Counts Anywhere by Catherynne M. Valente
can i offer you a nice egg in this trying time by Iori Kusano
Earth Dragon, Turning by Anya Ow
Travelers’ Unrest by Nina Kiriki Hoffman
POETRY
A Dead, Divine Thing by Eshqin Ahmad
Crossing by Ewen Ma
Sang Kancil at the Protest by May Chong
I Am a Little Hotel by Ai Jiang
A Testament of Bloom by Taiwo Hassan
EDITORIALS
The Uncanny Valley by Lynne M. Thomas & Michael Damian Thomas
The Horny Body Problem by Meg Elison
ESSAYS
The Necessity of Trans Joy by Izzy Wasserstein
Thank You, Patreon Supporters! by Lynne M. Thomas & Michael Damian Thomas
For Your Re-Consideration by Jennifer Marie Brissett
Across the Afterverse: A Conversation with Afropunk SF/F Author Alex Smith by Alex Jennings
What Do the Dying Know? by Karen Heuler
INTERVIEWS
Interview: Vivian Shaw by Caroline M. Yoachim
Interview: Iori Kusano by Caroline M. Yoachim
Featuring new fiction by Samantha Mills, Vivian Shaw, Matthew Olivas, Nina Kiriki Hoffman, Iori Kusano, Anya Ow, and Emily Y. Teng. Reprint fiction by Catherynne M. Valente. Essays by Izzy Wasserstein, Jennifer Marie Brissett, Alex Jennings, and Karen Heuler, poetry by Eshqin Ahmad, Ewen Ma, May Chong, Taiwo Hassan, and Ai Jiang, interviews with Vivian Shaw and Iori Kusano by Caroline M. Yoachim, a cover by Maxine Vee, and editorials by Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas, and Meg Elison.
In The Issue
FICTION
Rabbit Test by Samantha Mills
Transference by Vivian Shaw
To Walk the River of Stars by Emily Y. Teng
The Other Side of Mictlān by Matthew Olivas
A Fall Counts Anywhere by Catherynne M. Valente
can i offer you a nice egg in this trying time by Iori Kusano
Earth Dragon, Turning by Anya Ow
Travelers’ Unrest by Nina Kiriki Hoffman
POETRY
A Dead, Divine Thing by Eshqin Ahmad
Crossing by Ewen Ma
Sang Kancil at the Protest by May Chong
I Am a Little Hotel by Ai Jiang
A Testament of Bloom by Taiwo Hassan
EDITORIALS
The Uncanny Valley by Lynne M. Thomas & Michael Damian Thomas
The Horny Body Problem by Meg Elison
ESSAYS
The Necessity of Trans Joy by Izzy Wasserstein
Thank You, Patreon Supporters! by Lynne M. Thomas & Michael Damian Thomas
For Your Re-Consideration by Jennifer Marie Brissett
Across the Afterverse: A Conversation with Afropunk SF/F Author Alex Smith by Alex Jennings
What Do the Dying Know? by Karen Heuler
INTERVIEWS
Interview: Vivian Shaw by Caroline M. Yoachim
Interview: Iori Kusano by Caroline M. Yoachim
174 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 1, 2022
About the author
Lynne M. Thomas
100 books218 followersIn my day job, I am the Head of the Rare Book & Manuscript Library and Juanita J. and Robert E. Simpson Rare Book and Manuscript Professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, one of the largest public university rare book collections in the country. I used to manage pop culture special collections that include the papers of over 70 SF/F authors at Northern Illinois University. I also teach a Special Collections course as an adjunct in the iSchool at Illinois, and used to do so at SJSU.
I'm an eleven-time Hugo Award winner, the Co-Editor-in-Chief and Publisher of Uncanny Magazine with my husband Michael Damian Thomas. The former Editor-in-Chief of Apex Magazine (2011-2013), I co-edited the Hugo Award-winning Chicks Dig Time Lords, Whedonistas, and Chicks Dig Comics. I moderated the Hugo-Award winning SF Squeecast and contribute to the Verity! Podcast. You can learn more about my shenanigans at lynnemthomas.com.
I'm an eleven-time Hugo Award winner, the Co-Editor-in-Chief and Publisher of Uncanny Magazine with my husband Michael Damian Thomas. The former Editor-in-Chief of Apex Magazine (2011-2013), I co-edited the Hugo Award-winning Chicks Dig Time Lords, Whedonistas, and Chicks Dig Comics. I moderated the Hugo-Award winning SF Squeecast and contribute to the Verity! Podcast. You can learn more about my shenanigans at lynnemthomas.com.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
August 5, 2023
I read 4 out of the 8 short stories in this issue, which meets my personal 50% rule for rating an anthology/magazine. And I've decided that Uncanny as a general style doesn't work for me.
I don't typically like overt political themes in fiction, and unfortunately, 3 /4 of the stories I got through are focused on politics and social commentary. Rabbit Test, being the award-winning one, is easily my favorite of the bunch. I learned a lot about real-world abortion history from it (rabbit test, Madame Restell, Ammi Rogers, etc.), which I appreciated, and I absolutely support the message behind the story. But for a piece with such a strong theme, I'd prefer to be able to feel and believe in its message, which wasn't quite the case here, so I didn't fall in love with it despite the creative style and solid plot.
The writing is also quite plain across all the stories, and the overall style of the issue reminds me a lot of Apex (which I also don't like). A bit on the sad side, since so many award winners are coming out of Uncanny in recent years.
Individual ratings for stories that I finished:
Rabbit Test: 3.5 stars
Transference: 3.5 stars
To Walk the River of Stars: 3 stars
Travelers’ Unrest: 2 stars
I don't typically like overt political themes in fiction, and unfortunately, 3 /4 of the stories I got through are focused on politics and social commentary. Rabbit Test, being the award-winning one, is easily my favorite of the bunch. I learned a lot about real-world abortion history from it (rabbit test, Madame Restell, Ammi Rogers, etc.), which I appreciated, and I absolutely support the message behind the story. But for a piece with such a strong theme, I'd prefer to be able to feel and believe in its message, which wasn't quite the case here, so I didn't fall in love with it despite the creative style and solid plot.
The writing is also quite plain across all the stories, and the overall style of the issue reminds me a lot of Apex (which I also don't like). A bit on the sad side, since so many award winners are coming out of Uncanny in recent years.
Individual ratings for stories that I finished:
Rabbit Test: 3.5 stars
Transference: 3.5 stars
To Walk the River of Stars: 3 stars
Travelers’ Unrest: 2 stars
November 27, 2022
Review is for Transference, by Vivian Shaw.
Purple neon in the corner of the window, in the rain.
Will it work? I asked.
It’ll cost you.
I don’t care, I said. Anything. I’ll—fuck, I’ll sell my car, I’ll take out loans, I’ll do anything, pay anything, just make it go away.
It’ll cost more than money.
I wasn’t surprised, to be honest, but at that point I would have agreed to pretty much any terms they offered: I’ll pay.
I only know Vivian Shaw through her Greta Helsing series, writing much more cosy than this, lacking the sharp edges and the Lovecraft-inspired dread. I really enjoyed this new style from her - and it's always so interesting when an artist shows off their versatility.
Another great one from Uncanny, which can be found here: https://www.uncannymagazine.com/artic...
Purple neon in the corner of the window, in the rain.
Will it work? I asked.
It’ll cost you.
I don’t care, I said. Anything. I’ll—fuck, I’ll sell my car, I’ll take out loans, I’ll do anything, pay anything, just make it go away.
It’ll cost more than money.
I wasn’t surprised, to be honest, but at that point I would have agreed to pretty much any terms they offered: I’ll pay.
I only know Vivian Shaw through her Greta Helsing series, writing much more cosy than this, lacking the sharp edges and the Lovecraft-inspired dread. I really enjoyed this new style from her - and it's always so interesting when an artist shows off their versatility.
Another great one from Uncanny, which can be found here: https://www.uncannymagazine.com/artic...
July 6, 2023
Review only, at this time, for Rabbit Test by Samantha Mills, winner of the 2023 Locus and Nebula awards for short story (and it was in the finalist list in that posteda few days ago and then deleted list for the Hugo nominations, though that was not "definite"...)
I thought this was an "intervention" piece of art - I am not sure is a defined expression in English (is it?) But think The Grapes of Wrath or protest songs. It is very politically motivated and with an objective of making the reader support something (though, if the reader did not already support it, would they have read it or finish it?) and act on it. And while these political intervention pieces often do not age well, some are a lot better art than others. And this was pretty good (much better than other 2022 political motivated sf/f stories I could point if asked), and ambitious but it pulls off the ambition.
It mixes scenes set in the future and historic data narration to talk about current abortion restrictions, particularly in the USA right now (one complaint I have about this story is their future scenes, one hundred years in the future or more, feel so totally right now or 2010s...). And it was fantastically done, the mix of facts, the history of abortion throughout the ages presented clearly and compellingly without being dry, with some personal narratives sprinkled through (another of my complaints about this story, the main characters were a bit token like...) Intervention pieces can age not well and the final lines of this are absolutely time dependent and only time will tell how it will age. I thought the last lines were, for lack of a better word, cheesy. Really really cheesy. But after a few minutes, I thought: I can respect that, it is acknowledging clearly that it is a political protest story meaning to provoke its readers to political action.
So, as a political protest piece, it is 5 stars, very good. As a piece of timeless character development literature or a piece of speculative fiction (and these two categories do not have to totally overlap for me, I am reading and enjoying Revelation Space a lot right now), it is less compelling, and that is how I rate it, because that is why I read it.
It was very well done, really amazing the scope of historical references and how she can put it all in one narrative. I thought I was burnt out on political activism under the guise of short form speculative fiction, but apparently I am not (and the cheesy-ness of the last line, while it is cheesy, also makes me respect it more weirdly!). BUT it was not the best speculative short fiction of 2022, nope, neither as "Literature with a capital L and ambitions" nor as speculative exploration of a future, hence the 4 stars. I think I will be moved for a lot longer by some other 2022 stories I read even if I will also remember the abortion historical facts I learnt from here for a long time. I will read more fiction by Samantha Mills.
I thought this was an "intervention" piece of art - I am not sure is a defined expression in English (is it?) But think The Grapes of Wrath or protest songs. It is very politically motivated and with an objective of making the reader support something (though, if the reader did not already support it, would they have read it or finish it?) and act on it. And while these political intervention pieces often do not age well, some are a lot better art than others. And this was pretty good (much better than other 2022 political motivated sf/f stories I could point if asked), and ambitious but it pulls off the ambition.
It mixes scenes set in the future and historic data narration to talk about current abortion restrictions, particularly in the USA right now (one complaint I have about this story is their future scenes, one hundred years in the future or more, feel so totally right now or 2010s...). And it was fantastically done, the mix of facts, the history of abortion throughout the ages presented clearly and compellingly without being dry, with some personal narratives sprinkled through (another of my complaints about this story, the main characters were a bit token like...) Intervention pieces can age not well and the final lines of this are absolutely time dependent and only time will tell how it will age. I thought the last lines were, for lack of a better word, cheesy. Really really cheesy. But after a few minutes, I thought: I can respect that, it is acknowledging clearly that it is a political protest story meaning to provoke its readers to political action.
So, as a political protest piece, it is 5 stars, very good. As a piece of timeless character development literature or a piece of speculative fiction (and these two categories do not have to totally overlap for me, I am reading and enjoying Revelation Space a lot right now), it is less compelling, and that is how I rate it, because that is why I read it.
It was very well done, really amazing the scope of historical references and how she can put it all in one narrative. I thought I was burnt out on political activism under the guise of short form speculative fiction, but apparently I am not (and the cheesy-ness of the last line, while it is cheesy, also makes me respect it more weirdly!). BUT it was not the best speculative short fiction of 2022, nope, neither as "Literature with a capital L and ambitions" nor as speculative exploration of a future, hence the 4 stars. I think I will be moved for a lot longer by some other 2022 stories I read even if I will also remember the abortion historical facts I learnt from here for a long time. I will read more fiction by Samantha Mills.
May 12, 2023
Rabbit Test
by Samantha Mill
This is one of those stories that I feel like are so important to be read. It's story about reproductive justice and especially abortion and it's very much a product of our time - that the need to write stories as this one is even here! It's a dystopian story, mapping out the history of how the society got to the place where the main story-line takes place and it's just so fucking powerful. It shows us how abortion doesn't really mean we don't care about our children, it could be just about giving them the best chance into their lives. Grace's story is very much in the center, but the whole piece is shattered into a mosaic of other stories, lending us plethora of povs, lending us a certain amount of intersectionality.
I cried so hard reading this, there are several scenes that could be triggering for people so please be careful, especially regarding the topics of . It's a chilling story, but for me it really captures the ambiguity of issues surrounding reproductive justice SO WELL. Can't recommend this enough...
Read for free here: https://www.uncannymagazine.com/artic...
Rabbit Test reding list by the author: https://samtasticbooks.com/2022/11/01...
It isn’t Olivia that Grace is ashamed of, even though that is what everyone expected of her. (She loves her daughter, despite it all.) Rather, she’s ashamed of how long it took her to get out of that house. A decade of minimum wage shift work and listening to her mother’s remonstrations about her character and the burdens of babysitting and social embarrassment...
This is one of those stories that I feel like are so important to be read. It's story about reproductive justice and especially abortion and it's very much a product of our time - that the need to write stories as this one is even here! It's a dystopian story, mapping out the history of how the society got to the place where the main story-line takes place and it's just so fucking powerful. It shows us how abortion doesn't really mean we don't care about our children, it could be just about giving them the best chance into their lives. Grace's story is very much in the center, but the whole piece is shattered into a mosaic of other stories, lending us plethora of povs, lending us a certain amount of intersectionality.
I cried so hard reading this, there are several scenes that could be triggering for people so please be careful, especially regarding the topics of . It's a chilling story, but for me it really captures the ambiguity of issues surrounding reproductive justice SO WELL. Can't recommend this enough...
Read for free here: https://www.uncannymagazine.com/artic...
Rabbit Test reding list by the author: https://samtasticbooks.com/2022/11/01...
May 13, 2023
Rabbit Test by Samantha Mill
July 10, 2023
I have, so far, read Rabbit Test, To Walk The River of Stars, and Transference from this issue.
Review for Rabbit Test by Samantha Mills, winner of the 2023 Locus and Nebula Short Story Award.
Samantha Mills presents a bleak future (and past and present) outlining the history of abortion and reproductive rights. Rabbit Test is great at informing the reader of the long line of changes in legislation as well as the fickle-ness of those laws. I've been reading short fiction released in the past year and a lot of it has to do with the horrifying changes happening all over the world, but mainly in America when it comes to the different civil rights of oppressed people. It's sad that so much of our fiction has to be about that but it is also hopeful that maybe this can spread some awareness among the bigots of our age.
Mills' writing was great at making me tear up near the end because it all felt so unfair and unfixable. Women have been fighting for bodily autonomy forever and it seems like we will have to keep fighting for it evermore because no one can predict when laws and amendments get overturned. Reading this really made me consider deleting my period tracking app. The future Mills presents might be horrifying and dystopian but it isn't unimaginable, rather it's something that is true for many parts of the world.
To read more about the author's research process, check out her blog post, where she talks in detail about the history of pregnancy tests and abortion laws.
Short Story July - 3/31
Review for To Walk the River of Stars by Emily Y. Teng - 3 stars
Very very short story for today because I've had a couple of very busy days at work. This was nicely written and seemed to carry some kind of deeper meaning but I couldn't really find an interview with the author where she explained more about it.
Short Story Month - 6/31
Review for Transference by Vivian Shaw - 5 stars
Transference is about the lingering effects of a disturbing piece of art. I loved Vivian Shaw's writing, it set the mood for this story so so perfectly. Transference felt like an episode or statement from The Magnus Archives. I'm trying to think which entity it would align to (probably The Eye or The Desolation). While I was listening to TMA I couldn't help but wish Jonny would add eldritch paintings related to the entities. Much like the Litener books or the magic artefacts. This short story is exactly what I would have wanted from a TMA painting statement. I want to read more short horror fantasy pieces like this because yes this this is my niche genre! To all TMA fans, please please give this a read/listen, I swear it's worth it.
Shaw talks more about her writing process here and her love for horror. She also mentions the painting that inspired this story (go check it out! It really is disturbing!). It isn't much of a surprise that she's an M. R. James fan. No wonder her story reminded me of Magnus! I'll probably go hunting for her long and short works. She's also married to Arkady Martine which is wow, because they are both such talented people.
Short Story Month - 7/31
Review for Rabbit Test by Samantha Mills, winner of the 2023 Locus and Nebula Short Story Award.
It is 2022 and it isn’t over.
It is 2022 and it is never over.
Samantha Mills presents a bleak future (and past and present) outlining the history of abortion and reproductive rights. Rabbit Test is great at informing the reader of the long line of changes in legislation as well as the fickle-ness of those laws. I've been reading short fiction released in the past year and a lot of it has to do with the horrifying changes happening all over the world, but mainly in America when it comes to the different civil rights of oppressed people. It's sad that so much of our fiction has to be about that but it is also hopeful that maybe this can spread some awareness among the bigots of our age.
Mills' writing was great at making me tear up near the end because it all felt so unfair and unfixable. Women have been fighting for bodily autonomy forever and it seems like we will have to keep fighting for it evermore because no one can predict when laws and amendments get overturned. Reading this really made me consider deleting my period tracking app. The future Mills presents might be horrifying and dystopian but it isn't unimaginable, rather it's something that is true for many parts of the world.
To read more about the author's research process, check out her blog post, where she talks in detail about the history of pregnancy tests and abortion laws.
Short Story July - 3/31
Review for To Walk the River of Stars by Emily Y. Teng - 3 stars
Very very short story for today because I've had a couple of very busy days at work. This was nicely written and seemed to carry some kind of deeper meaning but I couldn't really find an interview with the author where she explained more about it.
Short Story Month - 6/31
Review for Transference by Vivian Shaw - 5 stars
Transference is about the lingering effects of a disturbing piece of art. I loved Vivian Shaw's writing, it set the mood for this story so so perfectly. Transference felt like an episode or statement from The Magnus Archives. I'm trying to think which entity it would align to (probably The Eye or The Desolation). While I was listening to TMA I couldn't help but wish Jonny would add eldritch paintings related to the entities. Much like the Litener books or the magic artefacts. This short story is exactly what I would have wanted from a TMA painting statement. I want to read more short horror fantasy pieces like this because yes this this is my niche genre! To all TMA fans, please please give this a read/listen, I swear it's worth it.
Shaw talks more about her writing process here and her love for horror. She also mentions the painting that inspired this story (go check it out! It really is disturbing!). It isn't much of a surprise that she's an M. R. James fan. No wonder her story reminded me of Magnus! I'll probably go hunting for her long and short works. She's also married to Arkady Martine which is wow, because they are both such talented people.
Short Story Month - 7/31
August 8, 2023
Rabbit Test by Samantha Mills is a great short story about women's bodily autonomy. Nominated for Nebula for Short Story 2022 and available to read for free in Uncanny Magazine...
https://www.uncannymagazine.com/artic...
https://www.uncannymagazine.com/artic...
July 16, 2023
A problem we can't solve
I am reviewing only the story Rabbit Test, by Samantha Mills. I have marked this review a spoiler because I can't say why the story is so great without divulging the final lines
The title "Rabbit Test" refers to an early pregnancy test in which a woman's urine was injected into a young female rabbit. The rabbit would be sacced a few days later and its ovaries examined. If they were enlarged and yellow, that indicated the presence in the urine of the hormone hCG, indicating that the urine donor was pregnant. I mention this example in particular because it demonstrates the most striking feature of Mills' story: It leaps around in time, from 1021 (I think that's the earliest date, though I may have missed one) to 2119, showing the form of the struggle through the centuries. There are literally dozens of these historical (and future historical) vignettes.
Now, usually I like my history in the form of nonfiction, of thick, careful, scholarly works that carefully present the evidence that that historical event actually happened. What justifies historical fiction? It is, in this case, making it personal. As I read "Rabbit Test", I felt, over and over, the sting of personal injustice.
Speaking of nonfiction and the sting of personal injustice, "Rabbit Test" reminded me of this (highly relevant) paragraph from Gail Collins' America's Women
Blog review.
I am reviewing only the story Rabbit Test, by Samantha Mills. I have marked this review a spoiler because I can't say why the story is so great without divulging the final lines
It is 2022 and it isn’t over."It" is the fight over a woman's right to make her own decisions about her own body.
It is 2022 and it is never over.
The title "Rabbit Test" refers to an early pregnancy test in which a woman's urine was injected into a young female rabbit. The rabbit would be sacced a few days later and its ovaries examined. If they were enlarged and yellow, that indicated the presence in the urine of the hormone hCG, indicating that the urine donor was pregnant. I mention this example in particular because it demonstrates the most striking feature of Mills' story: It leaps around in time, from 1021 (I think that's the earliest date, though I may have missed one) to 2119, showing the form of the struggle through the centuries. There are literally dozens of these historical (and future historical) vignettes.
Now, usually I like my history in the form of nonfiction, of thick, careful, scholarly works that carefully present the evidence that that historical event actually happened. What justifies historical fiction? It is, in this case, making it personal. As I read "Rabbit Test", I felt, over and over, the sting of personal injustice.
Speaking of nonfiction and the sting of personal injustice, "Rabbit Test" reminded me of this (highly relevant) paragraph from Gail Collins' America's Women
About a fifth of the pregnant women in New England died giving birth, and the figures were much higher in the South. Cotton Mather, ever one to look on the bright side, advised pregnant women that “PREPARATION FOR DEATH is that most Reasonable and Seasonable thing, to which you must now apply yourself.” Wealthy women had special sets of childbed linens, which they put on their beds after delivery was completed. If tragedy occurred, the linens became the woman’s shroud. In an era in which masculine bravery was celebrated, it was the women who actually dared to stare down death on a regular basis.Now, there is a small paradox in the success (multiple awards!) of "Rabbit Test". Mills writes, "It is 2022 and it isn’t over. It is 2022 and it is never over." But the impact of this story on me, a citizen of the USA, is very topical. In 1973 our Supreme Court ruled that the US Constitution implies a right to abortion. That decision stood (with some adulteration) until last year. In those fifty years, many people thought "it" was over, at least here in the USA. It wasn't. Almost exactly one year ago (24-Jun-2022, to be exact) the Supreme Court overturned that 1973 decision.
It is 2023 and it isn’t over.
It is 2023 and it is never over.
Blog review.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 29, 2024
Rabbit Test: Rabbit Test is a piece of writing that will stay with me. A story about the past, present, and future of women's rights using real historical moments.
April 2, 2023
Rating only for Samantha Mill's Rabbit Test, the best short story I read so far this year. Women, we have always fought for the freedom of our body.
April 5, 2024
Rabbit Test - Samantha Mills (Hugo Award Winner)
https://www.uncannymagazine.com/artic...
https://www.uncannymagazine.com/artic...
March 9, 2023
Uncanny Magazine does a great job of presenting lots of different POVs and stories, and this issue is no different. There's something for just about everyone here, and while I didn't love all of the stories in the issue, that means (IMO) that more people will be able to find something they like here. Even the stories I didn't like as much felt very well crafted to me, which shows the quality that Uncanny has been putting out.
My thoughts on the individual stories (fiction only; I didn't make notes on the nonfiction or poetry):
“Rabbit Test” by Samantha Mills ~ This is an important topic (pregnancy & agency & privacy & choice) but the way it was handled was too depressing for me. It felt like too real a possibility. Not the kind of fiction I tend to seek out for pleasure.
“Transference” by Vivian Shaw ~ Creepy. There are some paintings that I won't be looking closely at, now that I've read this story...
“The Other Side of Mictlān” by Matthew Olivas ~ Neat look at the afterlife with a Mexican-American perspective. This is not "Coco," though there are enough shared parts that I was able to envision a setting for this story. I liked this one a lot.
“Travelers’ Unrest” by Nina Kiriki Hoffman ~ Fun look at what tourists owe to the people who live in the places they travel. I've traveled with some people like the character in this story who gets the lesson... though fortunately none of my real-world experiences were with people quite as bad as the character here.
“can i offer you a nice egg in this trying time” by Iori Kusano ~ A different take on portal fantasy and what happens to the travelers when they return home. Darker than many portal fantasy stories, but a good read.
“Earth Dragon, Turning” by Anya Ow ~ Really interesting look at grief and love (without really showing much of either) as seen from a third party. I like the setting, and I'd be curious to read more in this world where the earth dragon that causes quakes according to Chinese folklore is a real beast.
“To Walk the River of Stars” by Emily Y. Teng ~ Another well-told second person POV story. (I've been seeing more good second person POV pieces lately, and it makes me happy.) This one was a neat look at reclamation of history and culture, and while the story is hopeful, it makes me sad for the indigenous cultures that we have already lost.
“A Fall Counts Anywhere” by Catherynne M. Valente ~ So far I have not had any luck with Valente's stories. This one was no different; I'm sure some readers will love it, but I bounced off it hard before I could even tell you what it was about. The storytelling format was not to my personal liking.
My thoughts on the individual stories (fiction only; I didn't make notes on the nonfiction or poetry):
“Rabbit Test” by Samantha Mills ~ This is an important topic (pregnancy & agency & privacy & choice) but the way it was handled was too depressing for me. It felt like too real a possibility. Not the kind of fiction I tend to seek out for pleasure.
“Transference” by Vivian Shaw ~ Creepy. There are some paintings that I won't be looking closely at, now that I've read this story...
“The Other Side of Mictlān” by Matthew Olivas ~ Neat look at the afterlife with a Mexican-American perspective. This is not "Coco," though there are enough shared parts that I was able to envision a setting for this story. I liked this one a lot.
“Travelers’ Unrest” by Nina Kiriki Hoffman ~ Fun look at what tourists owe to the people who live in the places they travel. I've traveled with some people like the character in this story who gets the lesson... though fortunately none of my real-world experiences were with people quite as bad as the character here.
“can i offer you a nice egg in this trying time” by Iori Kusano ~ A different take on portal fantasy and what happens to the travelers when they return home. Darker than many portal fantasy stories, but a good read.
“Earth Dragon, Turning” by Anya Ow ~ Really interesting look at grief and love (without really showing much of either) as seen from a third party. I like the setting, and I'd be curious to read more in this world where the earth dragon that causes quakes according to Chinese folklore is a real beast.
“To Walk the River of Stars” by Emily Y. Teng ~ Another well-told second person POV story. (I've been seeing more good second person POV pieces lately, and it makes me happy.) This one was a neat look at reclamation of history and culture, and while the story is hopeful, it makes me sad for the indigenous cultures that we have already lost.
“A Fall Counts Anywhere” by Catherynne M. Valente ~ So far I have not had any luck with Valente's stories. This one was no different; I'm sure some readers will love it, but I bounced off it hard before I could even tell you what it was about. The storytelling format was not to my personal liking.
June 14, 2023
Rabbit Test by Samantha Mills
June 28, 2023
Rabbit Test by Samantha Mills is one of the best short stories of 2022. Unfortunately, the other stories were just OK
Read
December 28, 2022Read via Uncanny Magazine web site the short story “A Fall Counts Anywhere” by Catherine M. Valente
https://www.uncannymagazine.com/artic...
https://www.uncannymagazine.com/artic...
February 14, 2023
can i offer you a nice egg in this trying time by Iori Kusano
https://www.uncannymagazine.com/artic...
https://www.uncannymagazine.com/artic...
August 29, 2023
Rabbit Test by Samantha Mills
To Walk the River of Stars by Emily Y. Teng
can i offer you a nice egg in this trying time by Iori Kusano
To Walk the River of Stars by Emily Y. Teng
can i offer you a nice egg in this trying time by Iori Kusano
February 14, 2023
“Rabbit Test” by Samantha Mills: Starts incredibly strong, but ends with a whimper. That’s been a recurring theme in Uncanny lately. 3/5
“Transference” by Vivian Shaw: Oh, this is amazing, I loved it so so much. Evocative, compelling, scary in a creepy way, everything all at once. Also it’s unfair that the author is this talented and is married to Arkady Martine, because that’s so much talent in one marriage. 5/5
“The Other Side of Mictlān” by Matthew Olivas: I enjoyed this tale: I liked the different perspectives. 3/5
“Travelers’ Unrest” by Nina Kiriki Hoffman: Mostly about social media but not in a way I found compelling. 2/5
“can i offer you a nice egg in this trying time” by Iori Kusano: Great title, really intriguing story. Lovely to see something dealing with the fallout from a portal story. 4/5
“Earth Dragon, Turning” by Anya Ow: A well-written story, I felt very sorry for the main character because her parents seemed awful. 3/5
“To Walk the River of Stars” by Emily Y. Teng: Short, sweet, insubstantial 3/5
“A Fall Counts Anywhere” by Catherynne M. Valente: I liked this one, it was neat in the same way as Space Operq. It reminded me a lot of a Paul and Storm song in many ways. 4/5
“Transference” by Vivian Shaw: Oh, this is amazing, I loved it so so much. Evocative, compelling, scary in a creepy way, everything all at once. Also it’s unfair that the author is this talented and is married to Arkady Martine, because that’s so much talent in one marriage. 5/5
“The Other Side of Mictlān” by Matthew Olivas: I enjoyed this tale: I liked the different perspectives. 3/5
“Travelers’ Unrest” by Nina Kiriki Hoffman: Mostly about social media but not in a way I found compelling. 2/5
“can i offer you a nice egg in this trying time” by Iori Kusano: Great title, really intriguing story. Lovely to see something dealing with the fallout from a portal story. 4/5
“Earth Dragon, Turning” by Anya Ow: A well-written story, I felt very sorry for the main character because her parents seemed awful. 3/5
“To Walk the River of Stars” by Emily Y. Teng: Short, sweet, insubstantial 3/5
“A Fall Counts Anywhere” by Catherynne M. Valente: I liked this one, it was neat in the same way as Space Operq. It reminded me a lot of a Paul and Storm song in many ways. 4/5
Read
July 13, 2023I read A Fall Counts Anywhere by Catherynne Valente. Interesting
Second time ~ Rabbit Test mmmmmmm Hugo finalist 2023
Second time ~ Rabbit Test mmmmmmm Hugo finalist 2023
November 7, 2022
Here are my favorite stories from this issue of Uncanny:
- Rabbit Test by Samantha Mills
Over the course of four generations, Grace and the women in her family fight a tug of war over their bodily autonomy. Intercalated within the story is a primer of the history of the same struggle women have always fought. Spoiler alert: the rabbit always dies.
- Transference by Vivian Shaw
The image of a viewed painting—a bandaged creature crawling from a burning city—is seared into an unfortunate’s dreams and memory. Will tattooing that image transfer the horror from their mind to their skin? Pairs well with the short film Mimi-nashi Hōichi.
You can find information on the Zdzislaw Beksinski and his painting here:
https://cultural-discourse.com/on-zdz...-
- To Walk the River of Stars by Emily Y. Teng
A rite of passage can define a peoples. Prose or poetry? Just the right amount of both.
- A Fall Counts Anywhere by Catherynne M. Valente
—cue Sirius by The Alan Parsons Project—
A BLAST FROM THE PAST!
Future vs. past.
SF vs. fantasy.
AI vs. fey...
A BATTLE ROYALE FOR THE AGES!
CULTURAL REFERENCES FOR EVERYONE!
NO KAYFABE HERE!
- can i offer you a nice egg in this trying time by Iori Kusano
Runny eggs, repeated run ins with the chef, and mourning for long lost times; Waffle House psychotherapy is cheaper than the alternative, but no less painful.
- Earth Dragon, Turning by Anya Ow
Gotta stop that dragon from turning. Gunpowder or appeasement? An allegory for human relations.
- Travelers’ Unrest by Nina Kiriki Hoffman
Ugly Tourists—the bane of tour guides all over the galaxy. We could all use that red button to deal with those snarky social media trolls.
- Rabbit Test by Samantha Mills
Over the course of four generations, Grace and the women in her family fight a tug of war over their bodily autonomy. Intercalated within the story is a primer of the history of the same struggle women have always fought. Spoiler alert: the rabbit always dies.
- Transference by Vivian Shaw
The image of a viewed painting—a bandaged creature crawling from a burning city—is seared into an unfortunate’s dreams and memory. Will tattooing that image transfer the horror from their mind to their skin? Pairs well with the short film Mimi-nashi Hōichi.
You can find information on the Zdzislaw Beksinski and his painting here:
https://cultural-discourse.com/on-zdz...-
- To Walk the River of Stars by Emily Y. Teng
A rite of passage can define a peoples. Prose or poetry? Just the right amount of both.
- A Fall Counts Anywhere by Catherynne M. Valente
—cue Sirius by The Alan Parsons Project—
A BLAST FROM THE PAST!
Future vs. past.
SF vs. fantasy.
AI vs. fey...
A BATTLE ROYALE FOR THE AGES!
CULTURAL REFERENCES FOR EVERYONE!
NO KAYFABE HERE!
- can i offer you a nice egg in this trying time by Iori Kusano
Runny eggs, repeated run ins with the chef, and mourning for long lost times; Waffle House psychotherapy is cheaper than the alternative, but no less painful.
- Earth Dragon, Turning by Anya Ow
Gotta stop that dragon from turning. Gunpowder or appeasement? An allegory for human relations.
- Travelers’ Unrest by Nina Kiriki Hoffman
Ugly Tourists—the bane of tour guides all over the galaxy. We could all use that red button to deal with those snarky social media trolls.
December 16, 2022
4.2/5
MORE FICTION
Rabbit Test by Samantha Mills - 5/5 (okay this was so powerful and so well written)
Transference by Vivian Shaw - 5/5(this got under my skin!! This would totally be me but even in real life minus the tattooing)
To Walk the River of Stars by Emily Y. Teng - 4/5
The Other Side of Mictlān by Matthew Olivas - 4/5
A Fall Counts Anywhere by Catherynne M. Valente - 4/5 (mecha vs magic! such an interesting story and concept. I just wish it was a tad bit easier to read.)
can I offer you a nice egg in this trying time by Iori Kusano -4/5
Earth Dragon, Turning by Anya Ow- 4.5/5
Travelers’ Unrest by Nina Kiriki Hoffman - 5/5 (what an interesting world)
POETRY
My faves from this issue were A Dead, Divine Thing by Eshqin Ahmad and I Am a Little Hotel by Ai Jiang
EDITORIALS
The Horny Body Problem by Meg Elison - 3/5
I get the main point this essay is trying to make but ["But we’re all still horny, aren’t we?] not really not all of us but you do you.
ESSAYS
The Necessity of Trans Joy by Izzy Wasserstein - 5/5
"Our suffering is real and worth writing about, but it is not, and must not be, the only story we tell."
For Your Re-Consideration by Jennifer Marie Brissett - 4/5
ooh more of this, please. I m always looking for unique underrated movie recs and though I haven't heard of the movies listed here I'm definitely interested in checking them out.
Across the Afterverse: A Conversation with Afropunk SF/F Author Alex Smith by Alex Jennings - 3/5
What Do the Dying Know? by Karen Heuler - 4.5/5
MORE FICTION
Rabbit Test by Samantha Mills - 5/5 (okay this was so powerful and so well written)
Transference by Vivian Shaw - 5/5(this got under my skin!! This would totally be me but even in real life minus the tattooing)
To Walk the River of Stars by Emily Y. Teng - 4/5
The Other Side of Mictlān by Matthew Olivas - 4/5
A Fall Counts Anywhere by Catherynne M. Valente - 4/5 (mecha vs magic! such an interesting story and concept. I just wish it was a tad bit easier to read.)
can I offer you a nice egg in this trying time by Iori Kusano -4/5
Earth Dragon, Turning by Anya Ow- 4.5/5
Travelers’ Unrest by Nina Kiriki Hoffman - 5/5 (what an interesting world)
POETRY
My faves from this issue were A Dead, Divine Thing by Eshqin Ahmad and I Am a Little Hotel by Ai Jiang
EDITORIALS
The Horny Body Problem by Meg Elison - 3/5
I get the main point this essay is trying to make but ["But we’re all still horny, aren’t we?] not really not all of us but you do you.
ESSAYS
The Necessity of Trans Joy by Izzy Wasserstein - 5/5
"Our suffering is real and worth writing about, but it is not, and must not be, the only story we tell."
For Your Re-Consideration by Jennifer Marie Brissett - 4/5
ooh more of this, please. I m always looking for unique underrated movie recs and though I haven't heard of the movies listed here I'm definitely interested in checking them out.
Across the Afterverse: A Conversation with Afropunk SF/F Author Alex Smith by Alex Jennings - 3/5
What Do the Dying Know? by Karen Heuler - 4.5/5
September 10, 2023
This review is for "Rabbit Test" by Samantha Mills.
Every year I read all the finalists of the most prestigious science fiction awards (at least in the English speaking world): the Hugo awards. This story is a finalist in the Short Story category. I do not remember reading anything by this author before, I really missed out. She is an incredibly talented artist. I cannot wait to read more of her work!
The story follows Grace, a teen in 2091 whose menstrual cycle is late and her implanted med chip will be running a rabbit test aka a pregnancy test soon. Her parents will know and her life will be over. The narrative bounces back and forth from Grace trying to find a way to terminate her pregnancy where this is very illegal, and historical narratives talking about pregnancy testing, birth control, abortion and abortifacients, and the laws involved from the eyes of pregnant people throughout history.
This story is clearly written in a world facing the end of Roe, it's the most 2022 of stories and one of the most timeless of stories. A new era, a new "our grandmother's fought for this", rinse repeat.
Despite its short length, the story is extremely powerful and effective. Also you can tell that the author did tons of research on the subject.
This is currently my #1 choice for the Hugo award this year, and I strongly recommend it to everyone.
Every year I read all the finalists of the most prestigious science fiction awards (at least in the English speaking world): the Hugo awards. This story is a finalist in the Short Story category. I do not remember reading anything by this author before, I really missed out. She is an incredibly talented artist. I cannot wait to read more of her work!
The story follows Grace, a teen in 2091 whose menstrual cycle is late and her implanted med chip will be running a rabbit test aka a pregnancy test soon. Her parents will know and her life will be over. The narrative bounces back and forth from Grace trying to find a way to terminate her pregnancy where this is very illegal, and historical narratives talking about pregnancy testing, birth control, abortion and abortifacients, and the laws involved from the eyes of pregnant people throughout history.
This story is clearly written in a world facing the end of Roe, it's the most 2022 of stories and one of the most timeless of stories. A new era, a new "our grandmother's fought for this", rinse repeat.
Despite its short length, the story is extremely powerful and effective. Also you can tell that the author did tons of research on the subject.
This is currently my #1 choice for the Hugo award this year, and I strongly recommend it to everyone.
July 3, 2023
Summer 2023 (July);
Hugo Short Story Nomination
Nebula Short Story Winner
"The Rabbit Test"
Oh, oh, oh. I did not expect to close out this story nearly in tears from those last two lines. This deep dive both into the past (and the future) of abortion, female body control, and the underlying truth that people will always be fighting back, no matter how subtly or loudly was incredibly moving. The relationships of women—mothers and daughters by several generations, and best friends—are so important to this message.
As is the message that it should not matter what the reason is for wanting or not wanting an abortion, that it should always remain in the hands of the woman who is deciding her future, her fate, and her fight for her rights therein. Definite 5 stars here. I'd give it more were it possible.
Hugo Short Story Nomination
Nebula Short Story Winner
"The Rabbit Test"
Oh, oh, oh. I did not expect to close out this story nearly in tears from those last two lines. This deep dive both into the past (and the future) of abortion, female body control, and the underlying truth that people will always be fighting back, no matter how subtly or loudly was incredibly moving. The relationships of women—mothers and daughters by several generations, and best friends—are so important to this message.
As is the message that it should not matter what the reason is for wanting or not wanting an abortion, that it should always remain in the hands of the woman who is deciding her future, her fate, and her fight for her rights therein. Definite 5 stars here. I'd give it more were it possible.
August 18, 2023
"Rabbit Test" by Samantha Mills: I think the storytelling trend of "jumping back and forth in time" is getting to be way overdone these days (case in point: the recent Beanie Baby movie... why?), but here it works well to tell a story about issues of pregnancy and abortion throughout, well, most of human history and into the 22nd century. The result is as historically and philosophically interesting as it is emotionally visceral. Why do we keep fighting these battles when lots of people throughout history and (if opinion polls are accurate) even most Americans today have been in favor of bodily autonomy? I hope that the US in 2023 is just in a bad spot where a relatively small minority exploited political vulnerabilities, but "Rabbit Test" makes me fear that these battles may never be over.
August 13, 2023
Review for “Rabbit Test” by Samantha Mills
2023 Hugos Best Short Story Nominee
I’m in pain after reading that. In a good way? So powerful, and such an interesting structure in the way it weaved Grace’s story with real world abortion history (much of which I didn’t know about!). Where it is less successful is in its speculative elements, which is very very light. And part of that is what makes the story so powerful, frankly, because this is a story that has occurred so many times in so many ways over the years. It’s also near future and it presents a speculation of how our society will change which is integral to the story and so I really should shut up because I’m being so incredibly nit-picky.
It’s a great piece of work.
2023 Hugos Best Short Story Nominee
I’m in pain after reading that. In a good way? So powerful, and such an interesting structure in the way it weaved Grace’s story with real world abortion history (much of which I didn’t know about!). Where it is less successful is in its speculative elements, which is very very light. And part of that is what makes the story so powerful, frankly, because this is a story that has occurred so many times in so many ways over the years. It’s also near future and it presents a speculation of how our society will change which is integral to the story and so I really should shut up because I’m being so incredibly nit-picky.
It’s a great piece of work.
November 14, 2022
This is the first issue I've read of Uncanny that I didn't have to seek out individually (as, after often seeing stories from it given awards and nominations and buying a few individual issues, I backed it on Kickstarter). And I'm really glad I did! I love the quality of the stories here, most of which also line up very well with my personal tastes. I enjoy getting a bit of poetry and look forward to reading the interviews with some of the issue's contributors. The only sadness I feel is that I now have to wait until January for the next issue! (But given how good their issues are, I will be happy to wait!)
August 29, 2023
“Rabbit Test”, by Samantha Mills, 23 pages
2023 Hugo Award finalist - Best Short Story
2023 Nebula Award winner - Best Short Story
This is part story, part historical essay (told nonlinearly), all rage at the misogyny displayed over centuries past and into the future towards women seeking to control their own bodies, specifically in regards to pregnancy. It's a bleak picture that I hope will help in the current fight for reproductive rights, but am fearful that it won't make a difference in the tide of ignorant conservatism rolling through our world.
I did not read any of the other contents of this issue of Uncanny Magazine.
2023 Hugo Award finalist - Best Short Story
2023 Nebula Award winner - Best Short Story
This is part story, part historical essay (told nonlinearly), all rage at the misogyny displayed over centuries past and into the future towards women seeking to control their own bodies, specifically in regards to pregnancy. It's a bleak picture that I hope will help in the current fight for reproductive rights, but am fearful that it won't make a difference in the tide of ignorant conservatism rolling through our world.
I did not read any of the other contents of this issue of Uncanny Magazine.
August 1, 2023
Story: Rabbit Test
Read for the 2023 Hugos
I really don't want to get political here. This is a story built around a concept that shouldn't be political but is. And it is VERY polarizing. I hate that people have to write stories like this, but I love that people are doing it.
As for this one specifically, I get what it's trying to say. Sadly, I don't think it adds anything new to the conversation. A successful story should point out something new or give a new perspective. I'm not sure this one pulled that off.
Read for the 2023 Hugos
I really don't want to get political here. This is a story built around a concept that shouldn't be political but is. And it is VERY polarizing. I hate that people have to write stories like this, but I love that people are doing it.
As for this one specifically, I get what it's trying to say. Sadly, I don't think it adds anything new to the conversation. A successful story should point out something new or give a new perspective. I'm not sure this one pulled that off.
Shelved as 'only-read-parts'
April 13, 2024So far only read:
~ Rabbit Test by Samantha Mills - 3*
It's an agenda piece, an important one that I agree needs to be discussed, supported, fixed but it's not what I personally want to read in a short story. ymmv
It's a look at woman's struggles over time and into the future to have a right to make our own choices with our body.
~ Travelers' Unrest by Nina Kiriki Hoffman - 2*
“Words and pictures can be weapons. Your words aren’t welcome here.” A slice of futuristic life when someone faces a small consequence for his perceived "freedom of speech".
~ Rabbit Test by Samantha Mills - 3*
It's an agenda piece, an important one that I agree needs to be discussed, supported, fixed but it's not what I personally want to read in a short story. ymmv
It's a look at woman's struggles over time and into the future to have a right to make our own choices with our body.
~ Travelers' Unrest by Nina Kiriki Hoffman - 2*
“Words and pictures can be weapons. Your words aren’t welcome here.” A slice of futuristic life when someone faces a small consequence for his perceived "freedom of speech".
July 14, 2024
Rabbit Test by Samantha Mills is by far the standout story in this collection. Winner of the Locus and Nebula awards, this story is set in a Handmaid's Tale-esque future where women's cycles are tracked and reported via an app. The author includes factual historical information regarding pregnancy and abortion throughout the story. While this format wouldn't necessarily work in a full length novel, it is impactful in a short story. A truly moving and thought provoking tale that will stay with the reader.
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