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nickystrickland's review
4.0
The stories were each unique. Wonderful collection and a quick read. In order of preference (not book order).
After Hours
Seven Days in Paris
Wish Me Luck
Zadie, Scythe of the West
After Hours
Seven Days in Paris
Wish Me Luck
Zadie, Scythe of the West
raven_morgan's review
5.0
Asymmetry by Thoraiya Dyer is the eighth book in Twelfth Planet Press’s Twelve Planets series.
Thoraiya Dyer is an author whose short fiction I’ve loved in the past, and I very much looked forward to reading her volume of the Twelve Planets (and as an aside, I very much anticipate reading her debut novel, Crossroads of Canopy, which is in my review queue right now). This collection includes four unrelated short stories, all of which fall under the general speculative fiction umbrella, but are otherwise varied. There is, however, a thread that winds through all of the stories, in that all contain an asymmetry, an imbalance of power.
The collection opens with After Hours, which on the surface is the experience of a female veterinarian new at her job in a rural town. The speculative threads move beneath the surface of the events of the story, with much of the focus on Jess, the vet, who is working against a culture that treats her, as a woman, as very much not worth training, especially when it comes to work with the RAAF and their patrol dogs. This is a deeply powerful story, with much sympathy both for Jess and her co-workers, even as those who disparage her. I read this one, and immediately went back to the beginning and read it over again.
Zadie, Scythe of the West, takes a turn into a pure fantasy world. Dyer has inverted the gender roles in this world, with women acting as warriors, and men homekeepers (with much of their self worth being tied up in this role). There is a wonderful twist to this inversion, where the female warriors are only allowed to kill as many people as children they have birthed. I loved this concept, and adored this story and was utterly fascinated by this world. I’d love to see more of this world, and would pay good money for a novel (or ten) set in it.
Another deeply fascinating world is presented in Wish Me Luck, where luck itself works as a currency. I was quite frankly in awe of this story, and how Dyer managed to bring so many deeply interesting ideas and images into a short work, where many authors have struggled to present half as many in longer works. This was my favourite in the collection, and another world I’d love to see more works set in.
The final story in the collection is Seven Days in Paris. I feel that this is a story that it is best to come into with as little foreknowledge as possible. This is an incredibly powerful story, wrenching and deeply emotional. This one will linger long after you’ve read the final word.
Thus far, the collections published as part of the Twelve Planets have been truly outstanding, and Asymmetry rises easily to that high standard. If you’ve not read anything by Dyer before, this is a great place to start. Dyer stands with Australia’s best writers of short fiction, and Asymmetry presents her talent wonderfully.
Thoraiya Dyer is an author whose short fiction I’ve loved in the past, and I very much looked forward to reading her volume of the Twelve Planets (and as an aside, I very much anticipate reading her debut novel, Crossroads of Canopy, which is in my review queue right now). This collection includes four unrelated short stories, all of which fall under the general speculative fiction umbrella, but are otherwise varied. There is, however, a thread that winds through all of the stories, in that all contain an asymmetry, an imbalance of power.
The collection opens with After Hours, which on the surface is the experience of a female veterinarian new at her job in a rural town. The speculative threads move beneath the surface of the events of the story, with much of the focus on Jess, the vet, who is working against a culture that treats her, as a woman, as very much not worth training, especially when it comes to work with the RAAF and their patrol dogs. This is a deeply powerful story, with much sympathy both for Jess and her co-workers, even as those who disparage her. I read this one, and immediately went back to the beginning and read it over again.
Zadie, Scythe of the West, takes a turn into a pure fantasy world. Dyer has inverted the gender roles in this world, with women acting as warriors, and men homekeepers (with much of their self worth being tied up in this role). There is a wonderful twist to this inversion, where the female warriors are only allowed to kill as many people as children they have birthed. I loved this concept, and adored this story and was utterly fascinated by this world. I’d love to see more of this world, and would pay good money for a novel (or ten) set in it.
Another deeply fascinating world is presented in Wish Me Luck, where luck itself works as a currency. I was quite frankly in awe of this story, and how Dyer managed to bring so many deeply interesting ideas and images into a short work, where many authors have struggled to present half as many in longer works. This was my favourite in the collection, and another world I’d love to see more works set in.
The final story in the collection is Seven Days in Paris. I feel that this is a story that it is best to come into with as little foreknowledge as possible. This is an incredibly powerful story, wrenching and deeply emotional. This one will linger long after you’ve read the final word.
Thus far, the collections published as part of the Twelve Planets have been truly outstanding, and Asymmetry rises easily to that high standard. If you’ve not read anything by Dyer before, this is a great place to start. Dyer stands with Australia’s best writers of short fiction, and Asymmetry presents her talent wonderfully.
thiefofcamorr's review
5.0
Asymmetry is the eighth book in the Twelve Planets series, released by Twelfth Planet Press, which showcase the talent of female Australian authors. There is now to be a thirteenth in the series, but that's a review for another time. The brief given to authors was to write 4 short stories of up to 40,000 words in total. The stories could be separate, discrete narratives or linked through character, setting or theme.
This collection contains four short stories that deal with identity, the rules that we obey because that's how we've been raised to be or aren't conditioned to question, whether the ends justify the means and all over, the asymmetry in life that we both strive to achieve or that will happen regardless.
After Hours
Jess is a vet, a little new and very serious about someday being a specialist surgeon, and working with a man with 37 years of experience called Bradley, who is quick and excellent at surgery. They have a military contract that they bend over backwards for, looking after the bomb squad dogs with very dedicated care and concern.
It's through this that a dog is brought in late one night - Jess lives above the vet clinic itself so she can be on call after hours, so she receives the dog who's acting strangely. Very strangely, considering she saw the dog only yesterday and it was perfectly behaved thanks to his handler Nadia, a somewhat eerie woman who lost a brother to a bomb, once. Then the next night, there's another dog, brought in by Nadia herself. And through this, Jess decides that maybe she'll stay on in this vet clinic after all.
Zadie, Scythe of the West
In this world, women are the warriors and men bring great shame upon them if they aren't perfect housekeepers. Women are the warriors for they also bring life into the world, and hence, equal everything out in perfect balance. They have seven children, so they can then take seven lives. Zadie is determined to take the life of a King as there is a prophecy that on his death, there shall be peace for many years.
She first tries to get there without having the children, and hence commits the sin of not being allowed to be a warrior just yet. However, once she's had children she then realises how wealthy each life really is, once she has held children and fed them from her own body.
The goddess in this world is harsh yet suitable, and I'd love to see more set in this world some day.
Wish Me Luck
According to Alex, Thoraiya is currently working on turning this piece into a longer piece of work - yay! Here we have a world where luck is a currency. You can transfer it between different people with a simple blessing, freely given... or there are tiny slower ways to earn it using animals but this is barely worth it. This is a planet other than Earth, where our main character is from, a man who is utterly hopeless, selfish and full of empty promises.
Lady Adelaide is marvellous, and I can't wait to see more of her. Set on a water planet, we see mostly the dregs of society where travel between other planets is possible but relies on having enough luck to pay for such a thing - or, at least, that's what they've been led to believe.
Seven Days in Paris
It's hard to decide which of the four is my favourite, but I think it's this one - futuristic sci-fi thriller where a criminal is of no use to the police to figure out where a bomb is before it goes off, so they make a copy of her which is easier to control so they can try to unearth information from her that way instead. Mawra is the original, and the character we follow is known only as Mawra B, and is treated with little to no regard - certainly barely as a 'real' human - as she pieces together what exactly is going on and who she is.
What I loved about this one was the questions it raised, and how realistic it all was, as well as being utterly possible. The collection as a whole benefits from Dyer's medical background as she's able to tie little facts and word choices throughout, giving it a reliable depth of 'yup, this could happen'.
This collection contains four short stories that deal with identity, the rules that we obey because that's how we've been raised to be or aren't conditioned to question, whether the ends justify the means and all over, the asymmetry in life that we both strive to achieve or that will happen regardless.
After Hours
Jess is a vet, a little new and very serious about someday being a specialist surgeon, and working with a man with 37 years of experience called Bradley, who is quick and excellent at surgery. They have a military contract that they bend over backwards for, looking after the bomb squad dogs with very dedicated care and concern.
It's through this that a dog is brought in late one night - Jess lives above the vet clinic itself so she can be on call after hours, so she receives the dog who's acting strangely. Very strangely, considering she saw the dog only yesterday and it was perfectly behaved thanks to his handler Nadia, a somewhat eerie woman who lost a brother to a bomb, once. Then the next night, there's another dog, brought in by Nadia herself. And through this, Jess decides that maybe she'll stay on in this vet clinic after all.
Zadie, Scythe of the West
In this world, women are the warriors and men bring great shame upon them if they aren't perfect housekeepers. Women are the warriors for they also bring life into the world, and hence, equal everything out in perfect balance. They have seven children, so they can then take seven lives. Zadie is determined to take the life of a King as there is a prophecy that on his death, there shall be peace for many years.
She first tries to get there without having the children, and hence commits the sin of not being allowed to be a warrior just yet. However, once she's had children she then realises how wealthy each life really is, once she has held children and fed them from her own body.
The goddess in this world is harsh yet suitable, and I'd love to see more set in this world some day.
Wish Me Luck
According to Alex, Thoraiya is currently working on turning this piece into a longer piece of work - yay! Here we have a world where luck is a currency. You can transfer it between different people with a simple blessing, freely given... or there are tiny slower ways to earn it using animals but this is barely worth it. This is a planet other than Earth, where our main character is from, a man who is utterly hopeless, selfish and full of empty promises.
Lady Adelaide is marvellous, and I can't wait to see more of her. Set on a water planet, we see mostly the dregs of society where travel between other planets is possible but relies on having enough luck to pay for such a thing - or, at least, that's what they've been led to believe.
Seven Days in Paris
It's hard to decide which of the four is my favourite, but I think it's this one - futuristic sci-fi thriller where a criminal is of no use to the police to figure out where a bomb is before it goes off, so they make a copy of her which is easier to control so they can try to unearth information from her that way instead. Mawra is the original, and the character we follow is known only as Mawra B, and is treated with little to no regard - certainly barely as a 'real' human - as she pieces together what exactly is going on and who she is.
What I loved about this one was the questions it raised, and how realistic it all was, as well as being utterly possible. The collection as a whole benefits from Dyer's medical background as she's able to tie little facts and word choices throughout, giving it a reliable depth of 'yup, this could happen'.
rivqa's review
4.0
Unsurprisingly, a great collection from a great writer. I loved the werewolves particularly.
mayakittenreads's review
4.0
A number of fascinating concepts that just make me want more, but that also work really well just as they are
tsana's review
5.0
Asymmetry by Thoraiya Dyer is the latest in Twelfth Planet Press's Twelve Planets series of collections. You can read my reviews of the other collections at this link.
Asymmetry does not contain linked stories like some of the other Twelve Planets — in fact they're all very diverse. They fall in different places on the science fiction to fantasy spectrum, but one thing they have in common is sheer innovativeness. These are the first stories I've read of Dyer's and I was very impressed. I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for more of her work in the future.
"After Hours" is a story about a vet, some army dogs and a werewolf. I think it was my favourite in the collection. It's told from two different first person perspectives which have very distinct personalities. Although the formatting kindly lets us know which narrator is speaking, I think it would have been clear even without the typographic distinction. A mark of the strong writing. Also, I appreciated how Dyer's veterinary experience clearly came out in this story.
"Zadie, Scythe of the West" is a gender-flip story set in a fantasy world. To put it simplistically, it's a world where women are warriors and men are housekeepers but the worldbuilding is more complex than that. There are very clear ideological reasons for why the women go to war and also for the rules constraining their abilities to do so. I suspect it's the sort of story others might compare with Ursula Le Guin or Joanna Russ but I don't feel well-versed enough in those authors' works to do so.
"Wish Me Luck" is a science fiction story set in another solar system in a time when interstellar travel exists (but is rare and expensive). The science element is fairly esoteric (in the quantum mechanical sense) and, were it a longer piece, one might call it space opera. In a way, it's a story about a man who just wants to get home. There's more to it, of course.
"Seven Days in Paris" is hard to explain properly without spoilers. It's the sort of story where almost every aspect becomes apparently only gradually. I'll say it's about a disposable clone created somewhat illegally and ostensibly for the greater good. It's told from the clone's perspective, interesting because the clone does not (at first) have any idea what's going on.
~
Overall the stories deal with themes of identity and belonging in different ways, a trend I noticed only now as I was writing the mini-reviews above. I like how the more I think about them, the more I'm finding things to think about in them. There is nothing simple here. An excellent collection.
Asymmetry is a quick read, with all four stories of the short variety rather than longer novelettes or novellas. It's also a highly enjoyable read which I recommend to anyone interested in modern Australian speculative fiction. Reading and thinking about Dyer's stories made me want to be able to write like that. Dyer is definitely a writer I will be keeping an eye on.
5 / 5 stars
You can read more of my reviews on my blog.
Asymmetry does not contain linked stories like some of the other Twelve Planets — in fact they're all very diverse. They fall in different places on the science fiction to fantasy spectrum, but one thing they have in common is sheer innovativeness. These are the first stories I've read of Dyer's and I was very impressed. I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for more of her work in the future.
"After Hours" is a story about a vet, some army dogs and a werewolf. I think it was my favourite in the collection. It's told from two different first person perspectives which have very distinct personalities. Although the formatting kindly lets us know which narrator is speaking, I think it would have been clear even without the typographic distinction. A mark of the strong writing. Also, I appreciated how Dyer's veterinary experience clearly came out in this story.
"Zadie, Scythe of the West" is a gender-flip story set in a fantasy world. To put it simplistically, it's a world where women are warriors and men are housekeepers but the worldbuilding is more complex than that. There are very clear ideological reasons for why the women go to war and also for the rules constraining their abilities to do so. I suspect it's the sort of story others might compare with Ursula Le Guin or Joanna Russ but I don't feel well-versed enough in those authors' works to do so.
"Wish Me Luck" is a science fiction story set in another solar system in a time when interstellar travel exists (but is rare and expensive). The science element is fairly esoteric (in the quantum mechanical sense) and, were it a longer piece, one might call it space opera. In a way, it's a story about a man who just wants to get home. There's more to it, of course.
"Seven Days in Paris" is hard to explain properly without spoilers. It's the sort of story where almost every aspect becomes apparently only gradually. I'll say it's about a disposable clone created somewhat illegally and ostensibly for the greater good. It's told from the clone's perspective, interesting because the clone does not (at first) have any idea what's going on.
~
Overall the stories deal with themes of identity and belonging in different ways, a trend I noticed only now as I was writing the mini-reviews above. I like how the more I think about them, the more I'm finding things to think about in them. There is nothing simple here. An excellent collection.
Asymmetry is a quick read, with all four stories of the short variety rather than longer novelettes or novellas. It's also a highly enjoyable read which I recommend to anyone interested in modern Australian speculative fiction. Reading and thinking about Dyer's stories made me want to be able to write like that. Dyer is definitely a writer I will be keeping an eye on.
5 / 5 stars
You can read more of my reviews on my blog.
daveversace's review
5.0
By now it should be obvious to anyone who reads my reviews that I have complete faith in the Twelve Planets Series from Twelfth Planet Press. This volume - Asymmetry - presents four new stories from Thoraiya Dyer, whose short story 'The Wisdom of Ants' (first published by Clarkesworld Magazine) was the winner for Best Short Story at the 2013 Ditmar Awards for Australian science fiction and fantasy. I wouldn't be surprised to see any of the stories in this collection in the running next year.
Asymmetry is excellent. If there's a unifying theme, I'm not up to the job of identifying it, though Nancy Kress takes a good stab at it in her introduction. Then again, I'm quite content with no theme at all, if the stories are this good. I'm going to do my best not to spoil any of them.
'After Hours' is the story of a veterinarian assigned to treat security dogs on a military airbase. She struggles to cope with the military mindset of her patients' handlers, only to discover that their belligerent, obstructive attitudes have an uncanny explanation. 'Zadie, Scythe of the West' is a military fantasy about a character trying to escape the rigid expectations of her family, society and religion - and the costs of taking shortcuts. In 'Wish Me Luck', a man begs and borrows luck from sympathetic passers-by so that he can be reunited with his lost love. (It may not sound like hard science fiction, but it is). Finally, in 'Seven Days in Paris' a woman is subjected to what seems like a pointless and grotesque social experiment, but her impatient handlers have a desperate purpose.
'After Hours' is probably my favourite story ever of its kind, though I won't say what kind that is (even if the back cover blurb does kind of give it away). However all four stories are excellent (and the sample chapters from Dyer's novella 'The Company Articles of Edward Teach' are an intriguing bonus).
Like the rest of the Twelve Planets books, Asymmetry does a fantastic job of showcasing the talents of a remarkable Australian speculative fiction writer. I am comfortable adding Thoraiya Dyer's name to my list of must-read authors on the basis of this collection.
Asymmetry is excellent. If there's a unifying theme, I'm not up to the job of identifying it, though Nancy Kress takes a good stab at it in her introduction. Then again, I'm quite content with no theme at all, if the stories are this good. I'm going to do my best not to spoil any of them.
'After Hours' is the story of a veterinarian assigned to treat security dogs on a military airbase. She struggles to cope with the military mindset of her patients' handlers, only to discover that their belligerent, obstructive attitudes have an uncanny explanation. 'Zadie, Scythe of the West' is a military fantasy about a character trying to escape the rigid expectations of her family, society and religion - and the costs of taking shortcuts. In 'Wish Me Luck', a man begs and borrows luck from sympathetic passers-by so that he can be reunited with his lost love. (It may not sound like hard science fiction, but it is). Finally, in 'Seven Days in Paris' a woman is subjected to what seems like a pointless and grotesque social experiment, but her impatient handlers have a desperate purpose.
'After Hours' is probably my favourite story ever of its kind, though I won't say what kind that is (even if the back cover blurb does kind of give it away). However all four stories are excellent (and the sample chapters from Dyer's novella 'The Company Articles of Edward Teach' are an intriguing bonus).
Like the rest of the Twelve Planets books, Asymmetry does a fantastic job of showcasing the talents of a remarkable Australian speculative fiction writer. I am comfortable adding Thoraiya Dyer's name to my list of must-read authors on the basis of this collection.
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