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sleeping_while_awake's review
3.0
"Dust" 3 stars
Set on an asteroid in what appears to be a mining community, the main character lives one day as a female, and the next a male, always switching. She/he has no understanding of why this is happening. Unlike the typical trope in which a gender switching character becomes highly feminized or masculine, both genders represented the same character very consistently. I would like to read more about this character and the setting.
"Scarey Rose in Deep History" 1 star
The characters can see back in time with a device, although it only lets them see visual, with no audio. They look back to the Civil War to understand more of their family history. I wasn't so interested in the subject matter.
"Jupiter Wrestlerama" 3 stars
A noir-like story on a space station with wrestlers. It focuses on the theme of enclosure, whether that be space or social status. I liked how the characters weren't the traditional ones found in sci-fi.
"The Puzzle" 2 stars
I found the protagonist to be bland. It was more of a literature story rather than sci-fi/fantasy, although it had the theme of first contact.
"Water Off a Black Dog's Back" 3 stars
The fake noses of the father were the best part in this story! He had them attached to his glasses, and they were made of all different sorts of materials, one for every mood. This is a magical realism/horror story, but it is underdeveloped. Carroll meets the family of Rachel, his girlfriend, and finds her parents to be very odd.
"The Herd" 3 stars
Cowherders get caught in a storm and end up in a mysterious town. There is a parallel between the traditional herd of cows, and that of humans. I would have liked some more backstory. I am not so much into Westerns.
"The Biography of a Bouncing Boy Terror" 3 stars
The imagery was really great. A young boy buys magical red boots, instead of food for his poor, hungry family. It is a very short story, and is like a fairytale. The voice and writing style are different, but I liked the creativity, and it added to the story positively and made the world more believable.
"The Quality of Descent" 3 stars
I connected with the writing of the story. I wasn't so interested in the characters, but I found it to be engaging. Main character meets a girl with wings, and he wonders if they are real. She performs at a magic show. Theme of real vs. fake.
"Jesus and the Eightfold Path" 4 stars
A really interesting take on the life of Jesus. I thought it could get corny, but it never ended up that way. The three wise men are actually the three Chinese characters from Journey to the West, Monkey, Pig, and Sandy. They believe Jesus to be the Tripitaka, follow him throughout his life, and teach him the Eightfold Path as well as some kung fu! The three also get into a lot of bar brawls as well. There is a scene when Jesus is a boy, and he and Cleopatra have a kung fu battle with local thugs. I found the story to be highly entertaining while remaining thoughtful. I am not religious, but I think the author wove in the normal story of Jesus well with his own take. Oh yeah, and John the Baptist is a water demon in this take.
Set on an asteroid in what appears to be a mining community, the main character lives one day as a female, and the next a male, always switching. She/he has no understanding of why this is happening. Unlike the typical trope in which a gender switching character becomes highly feminized or masculine, both genders represented the same character very consistently. I would like to read more about this character and the setting.
"Scarey Rose in Deep History" 1 star
The characters can see back in time with a device, although it only lets them see visual, with no audio. They look back to the Civil War to understand more of their family history. I wasn't so interested in the subject matter.
"Jupiter Wrestlerama" 3 stars
A noir-like story on a space station with wrestlers. It focuses on the theme of enclosure, whether that be space or social status. I liked how the characters weren't the traditional ones found in sci-fi.
"The Puzzle" 2 stars
I found the protagonist to be bland. It was more of a literature story rather than sci-fi/fantasy, although it had the theme of first contact.
"Water Off a Black Dog's Back" 3 stars
The fake noses of the father were the best part in this story! He had them attached to his glasses, and they were made of all different sorts of materials, one for every mood. This is a magical realism/horror story, but it is underdeveloped. Carroll meets the family of Rachel, his girlfriend, and finds her parents to be very odd.
"The Herd" 3 stars
Cowherders get caught in a storm and end up in a mysterious town. There is a parallel between the traditional herd of cows, and that of humans. I would have liked some more backstory. I am not so much into Westerns.
"The Biography of a Bouncing Boy Terror" 3 stars
The imagery was really great. A young boy buys magical red boots, instead of food for his poor, hungry family. It is a very short story, and is like a fairytale. The voice and writing style are different, but I liked the creativity, and it added to the story positively and made the world more believable.
"The Quality of Descent" 3 stars
I connected with the writing of the story. I wasn't so interested in the characters, but I found it to be engaging. Main character meets a girl with wings, and he wonders if they are real. She performs at a magic show. Theme of real vs. fake.
"Jesus and the Eightfold Path" 4 stars
A really interesting take on the life of Jesus. I thought it could get corny, but it never ended up that way. The three wise men are actually the three Chinese characters from Journey to the West, Monkey, Pig, and Sandy. They believe Jesus to be the Tripitaka, follow him throughout his life, and teach him the Eightfold Path as well as some kung fu! The three also get into a lot of bar brawls as well. There is a scene when Jesus is a boy, and he and Cleopatra have a kung fu battle with local thugs. I found the story to be highly entertaining while remaining thoughtful. I am not religious, but I think the author wove in the normal story of Jesus well with his own take. Oh yeah, and John the Baptist is a water demon in this take.
thuja's review
3.0
Not as strong a collection of stories as some other issues, but still some very interesting ones. I enjoyed "Dust" and "The Biography of a Bouncing Boy Terror!" the most. I couldn't make it through the novella, it just didn't catch my interest and dragged.
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