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nataliya_x's review
2.0
“She hopes to find a portal to a world with a warm patriarchal figure who will encourage her to spend long days in a library without any housework duties.”It’s a very short story presented as four vignettes showing Penny at different ages (13, 16, 20, 30), overlooked and unfairly judged for being a woman. She is hoping to find a portal away from the world that is not fair to her. At the end of each vignette there is a portal math(-ish) problem to ponder. How the last one gets solved is where the question is.
“Using only paper and pencil, estimate the equivalency of one pair of leggings to nylons and one lip balm to lipsticks, if l = lipsticks and n = nylons, and then calculate the nearest portal's location and extrapolate why Penny was unable to find it.”
Maybe it’s the extreme brevity of this flash fiction story that makes it impossible to convey much more than just a pointed message as there is no room for worldbuilding or characterization. It’s simplistic because it has no room to be anything else other than a creative moral lesson. A few more pages would have done it justice and added some flesh onto the bare bones.
2.5 stars.
Read it here: https://dailysciencefiction.com/fantasy/other-worlds-fantasy/aimee-picchi/advanced-word-problems-in-portal-math
————
A similar-ish concept, but done better: Probably Still the Chosen One by Kelly Barnhill: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3358769473
——————
My Hugo and Nebula Awards Reading Project 2021: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3701332299
villyidol's review
2.0
This is more flash fiction than a short story.
Penny is confined to a life of disappointments, mainly because she’s a woman. In four paragraph’s the author shows us how she is searching for a portal to another world. At the end of each paragraph there’s also a fantasy math problem for the reader to solve.
Okay, so the author got a little creative with how she presents her story. And then there’s the message about gender inequality. In terms of plot, character development and worldbuilding you shouldn’t expect much. There’s no room for it.
Whether you like message fiction or not, well, you know yourself better than I do. I’m not a fan, when there isn’t much else. But I thought this story had a nice little twist at the end.
Overall, this equals 2.5 stars.
Can be read for free here: https://dailysciencefiction.com/fantasy/other-worlds-fantasy/aimee-picchi/advanced-word-problems-in-portal-math
2020 Nebula finalist for Best Short Story.
Best Novel
• [b:Piranesi|50202953|Piranesi|Susanna Clarke|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1609095173l/50202953._SY75_.jpg|73586702] by Susanna Clarke (Bloomsbury)
• [b:The City We Became|42074525|The City We Became (Great Cities #1)|N.K. Jemisin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1585327950l/42074525._SY75_.jpg|54760675] by N.K. Jemisin (Orbit)
• [b:Mexican Gothic|53152636|Mexican Gothic|Silvia Moreno-Garcia|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1607462569l/53152636._SY75_.jpg|73647361] by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Del Rey)
• [b:The Midnight Bargain|49151031|The Midnight Bargain|C.L. Polk|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1587158919l/49151031._SY75_.jpg|74297088] by C.L. Polk (Erewhon)
• [b:Black Sun|50892360|Black Sun (Between Earth and Sky, #1)|Rebecca Roanhorse|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1601212809l/50892360._SY75_.jpg|61321587] by Rebecca Roanhorse (Saga)
• Network Effect by Martha Wells (Tordotcom Publishing)
Best Novella
• [b:Tower of Mud and Straw|55236234|Tower of Mud and Straw|Yaroslav Barsukov|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1599295493l/55236234._SX50_.jpg|86121622] by Yaroslav Barsukov (Metaphorosis)
• [b:Finna|44081573|Finna (LitenVerse #1)|Nino Cipri|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1563304090l/44081573._SY75_.jpg|68548236] by Nino Cipri (Tordotcom Publishing)
• Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark (Tordotcom Publishing)
• [b:Ife-Iyoku, Tale of Imadeyunuagbon|57370124|Ife-Iyoku, Tale of Imadeyunuagbon|Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|89792116] by Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki (Dominion: An Anthology of Speculative Fiction from Africa and the African Diaspora, Aurelia Leo)
• [b:The Four Profound Weaves|51600161|The Four Profound Weaves|R.B. Lemberg|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1575992755l/51600161._SY75_.jpg|73397963] by R.B. Lemberg (Tachyon)
• [b:Riot Baby|43719523|Riot Baby|Tochi Onyebuchi|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1556633991l/43719523._SY75_.jpg|68038597] by Tochi Onyebuchi (Tordotcom Publishing)
Best Novelette
• [b:Stepsister|56671617|Stepsister|Leah Cypess|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|88573911] by Leah Cypess (F&SF 5-6/20)
• [b:The Pill|53052208|Big Girl|Meg Elison|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1575492744l/53052208._SX50_SY75_.jpg|73371095] by Meg Elison (Big Girl, PM Press)
• Burn or the Episodic Life of Sam Wells as a Super by A.T. Greenblatt (Uncanny 5-6/20)
• Two Truths and a Lie by Sarah Pinsker (Tor.com 6/17/20)
• Where You Linger by Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam (Uncanny 1-2/20)
• Shadow Prisons by Caroline M. Yoachim (serialized in the Dystopia Triptych series as The Shadow Prison Experiment, Shadow Prisons of the Mind and The Shadow Prisoner’s Dilemma, Broad Reach Publishing + Adamant Press)
Best Short Story
• Badass Moms in the Zombie Apocalypse by Rae Carson (Uncanny 1-2/20)
• Advanced Word Problems in Portal Math by Aimee Picchi (Daily Science Fiction 1/3/20)
• A Guide For Working Breeds by Vina Jie-Min Prasad (Made to Order: Robots and Revolution, Solaris)
• The Eight-Thousanders by Jason Sanford (Asimov’s 9-10/20) (Asimov’s 9-10/20)
• My Country Is a Ghost by Eugenia Triantafyllou (Uncanny 1-2/20)
• Open House on Haunted Hill by John Wiswell (Diabolical Plots 6/15/20)
The Andre Norton Nebula Award for Middle Grade and Young Adult Fiction
• [b:Raybearer|50158128|Raybearer (Raybearer, #1)|Jordan Ifueko|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1567330635l/50158128._SX50_SY75_.jpg|70180082] by Jordan Ifueko (Amulet)
• [b:Elatsoe|49089632|Elatsoe|Darcie Little Badger|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1581002562l/49089632._SX50_.jpg|71388826] by Darcie Little Badger (Levine Querido)
• [b:A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking|54369251|A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking|T. Kingfisher|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1593743861l/54369251._SX50_.jpg|84842875] by T. Kingfisher (Argyll)
• [b:A Game of Fox and Squirrels|44280976|A Game of Fox & Squirrels|Jenn Reese|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1567292584l/44280976._SY75_.jpg|68794492] by Jenn Reese (Holt)
• [b:Star Daughter|52781202|Star Daughter|Shveta Thakrar|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1596350537l/52781202._SY75_.jpg|66825697] by Shveta Thakrar (HarperTeen)
Penny is confined to a life of disappointments, mainly because she’s a woman. In four paragraph’s the author shows us how she is searching for a portal to another world. At the end of each paragraph there’s also a fantasy math problem for the reader to solve.
Okay, so the author got a little creative with how she presents her story. And then there’s the message about gender inequality. In terms of plot, character development and worldbuilding you shouldn’t expect much. There’s no room for it.
Whether you like message fiction or not, well, you know yourself better than I do. I’m not a fan, when there isn’t much else. But I thought this story had a nice little twist at the end.
Overall, this equals 2.5 stars.
Can be read for free here: https://dailysciencefiction.com/fantasy/other-worlds-fantasy/aimee-picchi/advanced-word-problems-in-portal-math
2020 Nebula finalist for Best Short Story.
_________________
2020 Nebula Award Finalists
Best Novel
• [b:Piranesi|50202953|Piranesi|Susanna Clarke|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1609095173l/50202953._SY75_.jpg|73586702] by Susanna Clarke (Bloomsbury)
• [b:The City We Became|42074525|The City We Became (Great Cities #1)|N.K. Jemisin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1585327950l/42074525._SY75_.jpg|54760675] by N.K. Jemisin (Orbit)
• [b:Mexican Gothic|53152636|Mexican Gothic|Silvia Moreno-Garcia|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1607462569l/53152636._SY75_.jpg|73647361] by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Del Rey)
• [b:The Midnight Bargain|49151031|The Midnight Bargain|C.L. Polk|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1587158919l/49151031._SY75_.jpg|74297088] by C.L. Polk (Erewhon)
• [b:Black Sun|50892360|Black Sun (Between Earth and Sky, #1)|Rebecca Roanhorse|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1601212809l/50892360._SY75_.jpg|61321587] by Rebecca Roanhorse (Saga)
• Network Effect by Martha Wells (Tordotcom Publishing)
Best Novella
• [b:Tower of Mud and Straw|55236234|Tower of Mud and Straw|Yaroslav Barsukov|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1599295493l/55236234._SX50_.jpg|86121622] by Yaroslav Barsukov (Metaphorosis)
• [b:Finna|44081573|Finna (LitenVerse #1)|Nino Cipri|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1563304090l/44081573._SY75_.jpg|68548236] by Nino Cipri (Tordotcom Publishing)
• Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark (Tordotcom Publishing)
• [b:Ife-Iyoku, Tale of Imadeyunuagbon|57370124|Ife-Iyoku, Tale of Imadeyunuagbon|Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|89792116] by Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki (Dominion: An Anthology of Speculative Fiction from Africa and the African Diaspora, Aurelia Leo)
• [b:The Four Profound Weaves|51600161|The Four Profound Weaves|R.B. Lemberg|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1575992755l/51600161._SY75_.jpg|73397963] by R.B. Lemberg (Tachyon)
• [b:Riot Baby|43719523|Riot Baby|Tochi Onyebuchi|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1556633991l/43719523._SY75_.jpg|68038597] by Tochi Onyebuchi (Tordotcom Publishing)
Best Novelette
• [b:Stepsister|56671617|Stepsister|Leah Cypess|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|88573911] by Leah Cypess (F&SF 5-6/20)
• [b:The Pill|53052208|Big Girl|Meg Elison|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1575492744l/53052208._SX50_SY75_.jpg|73371095] by Meg Elison (Big Girl, PM Press)
• Burn or the Episodic Life of Sam Wells as a Super by A.T. Greenblatt (Uncanny 5-6/20)
• Two Truths and a Lie by Sarah Pinsker (Tor.com 6/17/20)
• Where You Linger by Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam (Uncanny 1-2/20)
• Shadow Prisons by Caroline M. Yoachim (serialized in the Dystopia Triptych series as The Shadow Prison Experiment, Shadow Prisons of the Mind and The Shadow Prisoner’s Dilemma, Broad Reach Publishing + Adamant Press)
Best Short Story
• Badass Moms in the Zombie Apocalypse by Rae Carson (Uncanny 1-2/20)
• Advanced Word Problems in Portal Math by Aimee Picchi (Daily Science Fiction 1/3/20)
• A Guide For Working Breeds by Vina Jie-Min Prasad (Made to Order: Robots and Revolution, Solaris)
• The Eight-Thousanders by Jason Sanford (Asimov’s 9-10/20) (Asimov’s 9-10/20)
• My Country Is a Ghost by Eugenia Triantafyllou (Uncanny 1-2/20)
• Open House on Haunted Hill by John Wiswell (Diabolical Plots 6/15/20)
The Andre Norton Nebula Award for Middle Grade and Young Adult Fiction
• [b:Raybearer|50158128|Raybearer (Raybearer, #1)|Jordan Ifueko|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1567330635l/50158128._SX50_SY75_.jpg|70180082] by Jordan Ifueko (Amulet)
• [b:Elatsoe|49089632|Elatsoe|Darcie Little Badger|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1581002562l/49089632._SX50_.jpg|71388826] by Darcie Little Badger (Levine Querido)
• [b:A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking|54369251|A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking|T. Kingfisher|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1593743861l/54369251._SX50_.jpg|84842875] by T. Kingfisher (Argyll)
• [b:A Game of Fox and Squirrels|44280976|A Game of Fox & Squirrels|Jenn Reese|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1567292584l/44280976._SY75_.jpg|68794492] by Jenn Reese (Holt)
• [b:Star Daughter|52781202|Star Daughter|Shveta Thakrar|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1596350537l/52781202._SY75_.jpg|66825697] by Shveta Thakrar (HarperTeen)
woahno's review
3.0
I love the idea here. It's great and harkens to a much more rich world than is presented. I think more could have been done with it. I also think it lacks subtlety. Good but not great.
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