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cathepsut's review
3.0
Review for Clearly Lettered in a Mostly Steady Hand
BY FRAN WILDE
This strange first sentence sets the tone of the story. Very odd. My take on this was a guy taking a tour in some sort of museum/ward/institution peopled by freaks, aka circus freaks/sideshows or maybe supernatural beings like mermaids. Someone not considered “normal“ in appearance.
Each room the visitor is taken through is increasingly weirder and more horrible. Considering the ending this could be read as a revenge story.
I went back to Uncanny to check if I had downloaded the entire story or if I was missing a page or two. This felt a bit like an unedited first draft. More likely, I just didn‘t get it.
Nice idea to see a sentient robot caught up in fanfiction and a fandom. But the writing felt very disjointed. I liked the story, the writing wasn‘t really for me.
Of the Hugo Awards 2018 Short Story Nominees I liked this the least.
Turns out it is a very personal piece for the author, see here: https://franwilde.wordpress.com/2018/03/31/a-complete-shock-honor/
Story can be found here:
https://uncannymagazine.com/article/clearly-lettered-mostly-steady-hand/
Hugo Awards 2018 Short Story Nominee (I liked it the least).
BY FRAN WILDE
There is a ticket booth on my tongue.
This strange first sentence sets the tone of the story. Very odd. My take on this was a guy taking a tour in some sort of museum/ward/institution peopled by freaks, aka circus freaks/sideshows or maybe supernatural beings like mermaids. Someone not considered “normal“ in appearance.
Each room the visitor is taken through is increasingly weirder and more horrible. Considering the ending this could be read as a revenge story.
I went back to Uncanny to check if I had downloaded the entire story or if I was missing a page or two. This felt a bit like an unedited first draft. More likely, I just didn‘t get it.
Nice idea to see a sentient robot caught up in fanfiction and a fandom. But the writing felt very disjointed. I liked the story, the writing wasn‘t really for me.
Of the Hugo Awards 2018 Short Story Nominees I liked this the least.
Turns out it is a very personal piece for the author, see here: https://franwilde.wordpress.com/2018/03/31/a-complete-shock-honor/
Story can be found here:
https://uncannymagazine.com/article/clearly-lettered-mostly-steady-hand/
Hugo Awards 2018 Short Story Nominee (I liked it the least).
heirloomroses's review
5.0
Awesome short story. I particularly liked when Computertron remembered his creator. Subtle feels.
karwolfkill's review
4.0
This is a really cute story. The characterization work here is spectacular.
mangrii's review
4.0
Computron es un robot inteligente construido en 1954 que reside en un museo. Cada semana, se involucra en un programa donde le realizan cuatro preguntas sencillas. En una de estas sesiones, una chica le insta a ver un anime sobre un humano y un robot que viajan por diferentes dimensiones. Computron se engancha a la serie, descubre el mundo del fandom, y escribe su primer fanfic. Nominada tanto al premio Nébula como Hugo, Vina escriba una historia de estructura peculiar (combina registros, búsquedas de internet, chats,…) bastante divertida y reflexiva. La autora consigue pintar todo un homenaje hacia el anime mecha, el mundo del fandom en general, y a las historias de ciencia ficción a mediados del siglo XX. Un relato encantador, donde, aunque creo que falta potencia de resolución, su desarrollo sobre la interacción social y la inteligencia emocional de una IA es de lo más interesante.
Disponible en la [b:SuperSonic #12|43294086|SuperSonic #12|Cristina Jurado|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1545309865s/43294086.jpg|67183418] con traducción de [a:Alexander Páez|13849628|Alexander Páez|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1472648630p2/13849628.jpg]
Disponible en la [b:SuperSonic #12|43294086|SuperSonic #12|Cristina Jurado|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1545309865s/43294086.jpg|67183418] con traducción de [a:Alexander Páez|13849628|Alexander Páez|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1472648630p2/13849628.jpg]
ghostmuppet's review
1.0
Part of my Hugo 2018 reading.
Not sure what was trying to be done here. Was not a fan at all. Probably well written, but it just confused me.
Not sure what was trying to be done here. Was not a fan at all. Probably well written, but it just confused me.
jadealmeida's review
4.0
Je m'attendais à une fin un peu plus dramatique (notamment à cause de ses prises de conscience ). La fin m'a même paru être un peu "rushée". Mais reste une histoire VRAIMENT originale. Je ne serais pas mécontente qu'elle gagne
expendablemudge's review
3.0
***FINALIST FOR THE 2018 EUGIE AWARD***
No to my personal taste because second-person narratives need to be burned in the cleansing fire of the sun's core.
Plus I've already read [b:The Screwtape Letters|17383917|The Screwtape Letters|C.S. Lewis|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1507310167s/17383917.jpg|2920952].
Points for handling the second person better than most, plus the sheer verve of the storytelling.
No to my personal taste because second-person narratives need to be burned in the cleansing fire of the sun's core.
Plus I've already read [b:The Screwtape Letters|17383917|The Screwtape Letters|C.S. Lewis|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1507310167s/17383917.jpg|2920952].
Points for handling the second person better than most, plus the sheer verve of the storytelling.
mikewhiteman's review
3.0
Henosis - NK Jemisin ****
Clearly Lettered In A Mostly Steady Hand - Fran Wilde ****
Though She Be But Little - CSE Cooney ***
Down And Out In R'lyeh - Catherynne M Valente **
Fandom For Robots - Vina Jie-Min Prasad **
At Cooney's - Delia Sherman ***
Ghost Town - Malinda Lo ***
Clearly Lettered In A Mostly Steady Hand - Fran Wilde ****
Though She Be But Little - CSE Cooney ***
Down And Out In R'lyeh - Catherynne M Valente **
Fandom For Robots - Vina Jie-Min Prasad **
At Cooney's - Delia Sherman ***
Ghost Town - Malinda Lo ***
alexanderp's review
3.0
Nothing too much to this story other than an AI-driven robot that discovers fanfiction and begins to take part of the online subculture. Amusing and cleverly written.
Merged review:
An unsettling tour of a museum that becomes only more grotesque by the minute. It's a story certainly, but I'm unsure what the actual "plot" is and how isn't just more of a narrative description.
Merged review:
An unsettling tour of a museum that becomes only more grotesque by the minute. It's a story certainly, but I'm unsure what the actual "plot" is and how isn't just more of a narrative description.