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Beneath Ceaseless Skies Issue #225 by Caroline M. Yoachim, A.T. Greenblatt, Scott H. Andrews
cathepsut's review
4.0
Review for Carnival Nine by Caroline M. Yoachim
I’ve heard it said that every hundred days passes faster than the previous hundred. In childhood, the days stretch out seemingly forever, and we spend our time and turns freely on any whim that catches our fancy. But at the end of our lives, each day becomes an increasingly greater fraction of the time we have remaining, and the moments grow ever more precious.
Bittersweet story. First I was sad that Matts got so few turns. But really it’s not about how many turns you have, but what you make of them, isn’t it? And Zee made hers count, even if in the end she didn’t live the life that she had envisioned.
http://www.beneath-ceaseless-skies.com/stories/carnival-nine/
(Finalist for the 2018 Hugo Awards, Best Short Story)
(Finalist for the 2017 Nebula Awards, Short Story)
I’ve heard it said that every hundred days passes faster than the previous hundred. In childhood, the days stretch out seemingly forever, and we spend our time and turns freely on any whim that catches our fancy. But at the end of our lives, each day becomes an increasingly greater fraction of the time we have remaining, and the moments grow ever more precious.
Bittersweet story. First I was sad that Matts got so few turns. But really it’s not about how many turns you have, but what you make of them, isn’t it? And Zee made hers count, even if in the end she didn’t live the life that she had envisioned.
http://www.beneath-ceaseless-skies.com/stories/carnival-nine/
(Finalist for the 2018 Hugo Awards, Best Short Story)
(Finalist for the 2017 Nebula Awards, Short Story)
foomple's review
3.0
Carnival Nine by Caroline M. Yoachim is lyrical and softly, sweetly sad. CW or a hook, depending on how you look at it: this is a story that is going to speak much more powerfully to those who have been parents (or close to the parents) of a child whose life does not match what was envisioned for them (whether through disability or neurodiversity/divergence) and all the worries and considerations that go along with that.
elusivity's review
5.0
Mechanical windup people, living in a house where train tracks goes through the closet city and other such locale. Beautiful metaphor for human life.
ghostmuppet's review
3.0
This has been nominated for a 2018 Hugo. It is freely available to read/listen from http://www.beneath-ceaseless-skies.com/stories/carnival-nine/.
A short story about wind-up people. They have a number of turns based on their spring, and the more they have, the more they can do. Zee has a lot, and can do a lot, but they do run out. The maker then winds them back up.
This is a life journey, from child, to adult, to old age.
Interesting take, but for me was little lacking. Maybe if this was expanded upon it would have more enjoyable.
A short story about wind-up people. They have a number of turns based on their spring, and the more they have, the more they can do. Zee has a lot, and can do a lot, but they do run out. The maker then winds them back up.
This is a life journey, from child, to adult, to old age.
Interesting take, but for me was little lacking. Maybe if this was expanded upon it would have more enjoyable.
carol26388's review
4.0
"Carnival Nine" by Caroline M. Yoachim
Hugo, Nebula and Locus nominee
A windup creature portions life by the turns. Ultimately, one of those reflections on life that's done in a unique way.
http://www.beneath-ceaseless-skies.com/stories/carnival-nine/
Hugo, Nebula and Locus nominee
A windup creature portions life by the turns. Ultimately, one of those reflections on life that's done in a unique way.
http://www.beneath-ceaseless-skies.com/stories/carnival-nine/
spacenoirdetective's review
4.0
Carnival Nine by Caroline Yoachim is essentially much less easy to understand than most of the stories on that list. A society of living wind up toys mourns its limitations. The characters all get a certain amount of winds per day as an unseen "maker" decides how much energy they will have each day before they "wind down" and their species lives maybe only 2.5 years (1000 days) at most. I pictured this entire story in animated form, with stop motion animated characters. I think the entire concept is eerie, sad, and even though I’m freaked out by the idea of toys coming to life, somehow the author creates an entire universe and society that revolves around this idea and it totally works. There was a Twilight Zone episode called “5 Characters in Search of an Exit” and this story reminded me of that episode. It’s more about the representation of human life as people wind down, an excellent metaphor for the burdens of disease and genetic limitations as well as emotionally incapable adults who give up when things get tough, but it’s also a brief existential nightmare in the same vein that Serling alluded to. Who is the maker? Where are they really? And yet the unanswered questions don’t matter in the scope of the terrible emotional toll the main character undergoes. It’s definitely deserving of a Hugo nomination. I’ve never read anything like it.
mikewhiteman's review
5.0
Carnival Nine - Caroline M Yoachim ****
Explores the relationships, permissions and sacrifices at the heart of family life in a world of wind-up doll-people, who live for around 1000 days but only get so many "turns" each day. Over her life, a woman sees her family wind down and raises a child who only receives a tiny number of turns and so must spend as little energy as possible.
A Place to Grow - AT Greenblatt *****
Loved this. A young girl lives with her uncles, who create worlds in for people trapped in the void after their world was destroyed. They keep creating new ones, improving their design and getting closer to their original but to do so they have to break down the current one for parts. There is a real magical feeling to the story and I loved the creation of the bottle-worlds and the movement from one to another.
Explores the relationships, permissions and sacrifices at the heart of family life in a world of wind-up doll-people, who live for around 1000 days but only get so many "turns" each day. Over her life, a woman sees her family wind down and raises a child who only receives a tiny number of turns and so must spend as little energy as possible.
A Place to Grow - AT Greenblatt *****
Loved this. A young girl lives with her uncles, who create worlds in for people trapped in the void after their world was destroyed. They keep creating new ones, improving their design and getting closer to their original but to do so they have to break down the current one for parts. There is a real magical feeling to the story and I loved the creation of the bottle-worlds and the movement from one to another.
dearbhla's review
5.0
This is a wonderful story.
I actually don't want to say anything at all about it, because I think not knowing any details is best. So that's all I'm going to say. Just read it, you won't be disappointed.
alexanderp's review
5.0
An excellent fable-like story with awesome symbolism and theme with tight prose.