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tani's review
4.0
I was immediately drawn to read this story when I saw a human ansible mentioned in the summary. Anything that mixes my two favorite genres into one is worth a shot in my book, and boy, did this story deliver! Yang creates a dazzling mixture of genres that has the grandeur of epic fantasy with the wonder of science fiction. If the story had only given me that, I would have been quite a happy girl. But Yang also delivers on romance, with a lovely relationship between two women, and social upheaval. That they manage to do so convincingly in such a short span was nothing less than amazing. Yang is definitely an author that I will want to follow!
bethtabler's review
3.0
Waiting on a Bright Moon is a short story written by author J.Y Yang, and they are known for their Tensorate series.
This isn't a bad story at all. It is about Xin, an ansible. In this story, an Ansible is a person who is using song and music magic can connect vast distances. It is a role forced upon some woman who a talent for music magic. There are some intrigue and romances. Honestly, though, the issue I had with the story is that in this short story format, the worldbuilding and story did not have a chance to develop a clear picture in my mind. I was often confused and detached from the story, and had to go back and read multiple passages so that I understood what was going on.
I do commend the author on their use of language, though. They have a way of describing moments in a lush prose-like style that I appreciate. The lyrical style of it flowed from line to line.
Even now, the role of an Ansible is vague to me. I think with an extended format into novelette size; this would be a much more intriguing story. As it is, it was only midgrade for me.
This isn't a bad story at all. It is about Xin, an ansible. In this story, an Ansible is a person who is using song and music magic can connect vast distances. It is a role forced upon some woman who a talent for music magic. There are some intrigue and romances. Honestly, though, the issue I had with the story is that in this short story format, the worldbuilding and story did not have a chance to develop a clear picture in my mind. I was often confused and detached from the story, and had to go back and read multiple passages so that I understood what was going on.
I do commend the author on their use of language, though. They have a way of describing moments in a lush prose-like style that I appreciate. The lyrical style of it flowed from line to line.
Even now, the role of an Ansible is vague to me. I think with an extended format into novelette size; this would be a much more intriguing story. As it is, it was only midgrade for me.
owl83's review
2.0
Main Character: ⭐⭐⭐
Supporting Characters: ⭐⭐⭐
Plot: ⭐⭐
Beginning: ⭐
Middle: ⭐⭐⭐
End: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
My opinion: ⭐⭐⭐
Supporting Characters: ⭐⭐⭐
Plot: ⭐⭐
Beginning: ⭐
Middle: ⭐⭐⭐
End: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
My opinion: ⭐⭐⭐
emily_mh's review
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
The issue with this novella is that it tries to achieve too much for a work of short fiction. We start out following a servant of an empire, and finish with the final battle in the rebellion against that empire, all within 44-odd pages. If Yang had confined the scope to a portion of that story, or written a full-length novel, it would have worked a lot better. As such, everything (plot, character, theme) felt rushed, despite being really interesting.
I’ve already pretty much covered what went wrong with the plot: there was too much of it. In terms of characters, I think the retrospective introspection highlighting the MC’s past was effective in giving explanation for her current actions. But I wish we had gotten a better feel for her overall. The LI was, unfortunately, a shadow of a character. Consequently, the romance felt hollow. I actually thought this might have been intentional, as the MC seems to get passionate about her lovers really quickly, then quickly moves on.
I love the theme Yang chose to explore here, which was empires and expendability; how people are expendable to empires, how they’re treated as resources instead of human beings. Again, I just wish it had had more room within the narrative.
The world-building was the one aspect that really stood out to me. There were so many cool elements, like shapeshifting magic, light as a tangible force, and singing to open portals across space. I also really liked the use of the 2nd person.
I did enjoy my time with this novella despite my qualms. It was a quick, fast-paced read that kept me hooked. Again, I just wish it had been longer or had had a narrower scope.
Rep: sapphic Chinese (?) MC, lesbian (word not used) Chinese LI
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Violence, and Torture
Moderate: Gun violence, Gore, and Body horror
Minor: Addiction, Blood, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Homophobia, Grief, and Vomit
Major: capital punishment Moderate: forced separation from a loved one Minor: gamblingpetitpoucetreveur's review
4.0
It's a short story, but so much happens! We're given a lot of informations on this fantasy world, but it's not confusing or overwhelming, it's progressive and efficient. The story is narrated at the second person, using "you", which I thought was orignal and really efficient for the story. There is not much I can tell without spoiling, but I do recommend this novella to you, it's really worth the read ^^ I now have to read more of this author for I'm intrigued by their writing and the world they managed to invent.
lindadreams's review
4.0
Rating 4.5/5
Waiting on a Bright Moon is a really short story written in an exquisite way. In a few pages the author manages to build a world without infodumping, and that's no small feat.
Warning for a brutal death scene.
Waiting on a Bright Moon is a really short story written in an exquisite way. In a few pages the author manages to build a world without infodumping, and that's no small feat.
Warning for a brutal death scene.
bookishgoblin's review
4.0
Read this three days ago and I can’t stop thinking about it, a beautiful short story for any lover of speculative fiction