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lep42's review
5.0
Probably the best of the Destroy series that I've read so far.
Notes on favorite stories, authors to check out, etc.
Original Short Fiction
"A Good Home" by [a:Karin Lowachee|107732|Karin Lowachee|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1282963779p2/107732.jpg]
"Salto Mortal" by Nick T. Chan
"Digital Medicine" by Brian K. Hudson
Already reading [a:Terence Taylor|1241978|Terence Taylor|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]
"Fifty Shades of Grays" by [a:Stephen Barnes|719382|Stephen Barnes|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]
"Omoshango" by [a:Dayo Ntwari|14184402|Dayo Ntwari|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1473013987p2/14184402.jpg]
"Firebird by Isha[a:Isha Karki|15296804|Isha Karki|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]
"As Long As It Takes To Make The World" by Gabriela Santiago (https://twitter.com/lifeonearth89) (http://writing-relatedactivities.tumblr.com/)
Original Flash Fiction
"Other Metamorphoses" by [a:Fábio Fernandes|7728887|Fábio Fernandes|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1419947101p2/7728887.jpg]([a:Kafka, Franz|7215381|Kafka, Franz|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]) inspired)
"Morning Cravings" by [a:Nin Harris|14430784|Nin Harris|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1457945004p2/14430784.jpg] (http://www.mythopoetica.com/)
"Binaries" by [a:S.B. Divya|14879139|S.B. Divya|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] (http://www.eff-words.com/)(https://twitter.com/divyastweets?lang=en)
"Chocolate Milkshake Number 314" by [a:Caroline M. Yoachim|4412920|Caroline M. Yoachim|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1454339768p2/4412920.jpg]
"Four and Twenty Blackbirds" by [a:JY Yang|16095595|JY Yang|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] (http://www.misshallelujah.net/)(https://twitter.com/halleluyang?lang=en)(TBC)
"A Handful of Dal" by [a:Naru Dames Sundar|14202796|Naru Dames Sundar|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] (https://twitter.com/naru_sundar?lang=en)(http://www.shardofstar.info/)
Reprint Fiction
"The Evening and the Morning and the Night" by the brilliant [a:Octavia Butler|15573621|Octavia Butler|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]
"Deli" by [a:Vandana Singh|377417|Vandana Singh|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1443376807p2/377417.jpg] (http://vandana-writes.com/)
"Empire Star" by the brilliant [a:Samuel Delany|7710050|Samuel Delany|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1466434492p2/7710050.jpg]
Mixed feelings about excerpt of [b:Infomocracy|26114433|Infomocracy (The Centenal Cycle, #1)|Malka Ann Older|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1444883445s/26114433.jpg|46061300] but the premise is just so me.
Author Spotlights
[b:The Chalice Project|6779039|The Chalice Project (Island Fiction)|Lisa Allen-Agostini|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1348953860s/6779039.jpg|6980179] (YA)
[b:The Ballad of Billy Badass and the Rose of Turkestan|836421|The Ballad of Billy Badass and the Rose of Turkestan|William Sanders|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1348257547s/836421.jpg|822032] (recommended by [a:Brian K. Hudson|7737220|Brian K. Hudson|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]
Terence Taylor review column (http://www.fantasticstoriesoftheimagination.com/read-me-reviews-of-not-necessarily-new-books/)
Terrence Taylor work on documentary film about history of black speculative fiction (http://invisibleuniversedoc.com/)
Nonfiction
"Because Some of Us Survived" by Samantha L. Taylor (TBC)
-http://www.upworthy.com/the-interviewer-asks-him-about-despair-his-smile-says-even-more-than-his-words
-https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/wont-you-celebrate-me
"Doing [b:Dhalgren|85867|Dhalgren|Samuel R. Delany|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1320531180s/85867.jpg|873021]" by [a:Terence Taylor|1241978|Terence Taylor|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]
"Interview with [a:Daniel H. Wilson|33773|Daniel H. Wilson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1298332667p2/33773.jpg]"
-[b:Robopocalypse|9634967|Robopocalypse (Robopocalypse, #1)|Daniel H. Wilson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327885891s/9634967.jpg|14247828]
[b:The Star-Touched Queen|25203675|The Star-Touched Queen (The Star-Touched Queen, #1)|Roshani Chokshi|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1446058438s/25203675.jpg|44916095] (from book reviews)
Personal Essays
[a:Alyssa Wong|8178928|Alyssa Wong|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1469819886p2/8178928.jpg] @crashwong
[a:Alliette de Bodard|5751656|Alliette de Bodard|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]
[a:Malon Edwards|1213827|Malon Edwards|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1417054599p2/1213827.jpg]
[a:Yash Kesanakurthy|15296807|Yash Kesanakurthy|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] (http://bookriot.com/author/yash-kesanakurthy/)
[a:Khaalidah Muhammad-Ali|4702758|Khaalidah Muhammad-Ali|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1336476603p2/4702758.jpg] (http://www.khaalidah.com/) (https://twitter.com/khaalidah)
[a:Jeremy Szal|8296791|Jeremy Szal|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1483078639p2/8296791.jpg]Jeremy Szal (https://jeremyszal.com/)(https://twitter.com/JeremySzal?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor)
[a:An Owomoyela|4356849|An Owomoyela|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] (TBC)
"Blue-Shifted Futures" by Vajra Chandrasekera (http://vajra.mhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/edit/30823428#e/)
-Talks about Soviet Union science fiction books ([b:Colleagues|9775855|Colleagues|Vasily Aksyonov|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|14764895]/Eternal Wind)
Currently reading [b:Signal to Noise|22609306|Signal to Noise|Silvia Moreno-Garcia|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1411422208s/22609306.jpg|26580567]
"Unlearning Erasure" by [a:Julia Rios|3378114|Julia Rios|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1360095719p2/3378114.jpg] (TBC) (http://www.juliarios.com/) (Boston??)
"Assimilation: The Borg Must Like It When You Don't Fight Back." by [a:S.L. Huang|8057745|S.L. Huang|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]
[b:Zero Sum Game|21811107|Zero Sum Game|S.L. Huang|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1396337861s/21811107.jpg|40783281]
Already a bit familiar with [a:Ken Liu|2917920|Ken Liu|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1400610835p2/2917920.jpg]
Suyi Davis Okungbow (http://suyidavies.com/)
[a:Indra Das|5023942|Indra Das|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/m_50x66-82093808bca726cb3249a493fbd3bd0f.png] (http://indradas.com/)
"Intergalatic Collard Greens" by [a:Troy L. Wiggins|7796399|Troy L. Wiggins|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1428854517p2/7796399.jpg] (https://afrofantasy.net/)(https://twitter.com/TroyLWiggins)
"We Were Always Here" by [a:Mark Oshiro|5183642|Mark Oshiro|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1361575297p2/5183642.jpg] (already have links)
"The People Men Don't See" by [a:Nisi Shawl|806782|Nisi Shawl|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1411718332p2/806782.jpg]
"The New Frontier is the Old Frontier" by [a:Tamara Brooks|6848179|Tamara Brooks|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]
"An Army of Claudia Kishis" by [a:Sarah Kuhn|612167|Sarah Kuhn|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1449618010p2/612167.jpg] (Babysitters club!)(http://www.heroinecomplex.com/)(https://twitter.com/sarahkuhn?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor)
Misc. Collections, Notes, Etc.
[b:We See a Different Frontier: A Postcolonial Speculative Fiction Anthology|18096579|We See a Different Frontier A Postcolonial Speculative Fiction Anthology|Fábio Fernandes|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1375286608s/18096579.jpg|25411557]
[b:States of Terror: Volume 3|31184169|States of Terror Volume 3 (States of Terror)|Matt E. Lewis|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1469052344s/31184169.jpg|51826090]
[b:Griots: Sisters of the Spear|19303948|Griots Sisters of the Spear|Milton J. Davis|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1386560963s/19303948.jpg|27353381]
Notes on favorite stories, authors to check out, etc.
Original Short Fiction
"A Good Home" by [a:Karin Lowachee|107732|Karin Lowachee|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1282963779p2/107732.jpg]
"Salto Mortal" by Nick T. Chan
"Digital Medicine" by Brian K. Hudson
Already reading [a:Terence Taylor|1241978|Terence Taylor|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]
"Fifty Shades of Grays" by [a:Stephen Barnes|719382|Stephen Barnes|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]
"Omoshango" by [a:Dayo Ntwari|14184402|Dayo Ntwari|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1473013987p2/14184402.jpg]
"Firebird by Isha[a:Isha Karki|15296804|Isha Karki|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]
"As Long As It Takes To Make The World" by Gabriela Santiago (https://twitter.com/lifeonearth89) (http://writing-relatedactivities.tumblr.com/)
Original Flash Fiction
"Other Metamorphoses" by [a:Fábio Fernandes|7728887|Fábio Fernandes|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1419947101p2/7728887.jpg]([a:Kafka, Franz|7215381|Kafka, Franz|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]) inspired)
"Morning Cravings" by [a:Nin Harris|14430784|Nin Harris|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1457945004p2/14430784.jpg] (http://www.mythopoetica.com/)
"Binaries" by [a:S.B. Divya|14879139|S.B. Divya|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] (http://www.eff-words.com/)(https://twitter.com/divyastweets?lang=en)
"Chocolate Milkshake Number 314" by [a:Caroline M. Yoachim|4412920|Caroline M. Yoachim|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1454339768p2/4412920.jpg]
"Four and Twenty Blackbirds" by [a:JY Yang|16095595|JY Yang|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] (http://www.misshallelujah.net/)(https://twitter.com/halleluyang?lang=en)(TBC)
"A Handful of Dal" by [a:Naru Dames Sundar|14202796|Naru Dames Sundar|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] (https://twitter.com/naru_sundar?lang=en)(http://www.shardofstar.info/)
Reprint Fiction
"The Evening and the Morning and the Night" by the brilliant [a:Octavia Butler|15573621|Octavia Butler|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]
"Deli" by [a:Vandana Singh|377417|Vandana Singh|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1443376807p2/377417.jpg] (http://vandana-writes.com/)
"Empire Star" by the brilliant [a:Samuel Delany|7710050|Samuel Delany|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1466434492p2/7710050.jpg]
Mixed feelings about excerpt of [b:Infomocracy|26114433|Infomocracy (The Centenal Cycle, #1)|Malka Ann Older|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1444883445s/26114433.jpg|46061300] but the premise is just so me.
Author Spotlights
[b:The Chalice Project|6779039|The Chalice Project (Island Fiction)|Lisa Allen-Agostini|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1348953860s/6779039.jpg|6980179] (YA)
[b:The Ballad of Billy Badass and the Rose of Turkestan|836421|The Ballad of Billy Badass and the Rose of Turkestan|William Sanders|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1348257547s/836421.jpg|822032] (recommended by [a:Brian K. Hudson|7737220|Brian K. Hudson|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]
Terence Taylor review column (http://www.fantasticstoriesoftheimagination.com/read-me-reviews-of-not-necessarily-new-books/)
Terrence Taylor work on documentary film about history of black speculative fiction (http://invisibleuniversedoc.com/)
Nonfiction
"Because Some of Us Survived" by Samantha L. Taylor (TBC)
-http://www.upworthy.com/the-interviewer-asks-him-about-despair-his-smile-says-even-more-than-his-words
-https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/wont-you-celebrate-me
"Doing [b:Dhalgren|85867|Dhalgren|Samuel R. Delany|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1320531180s/85867.jpg|873021]" by [a:Terence Taylor|1241978|Terence Taylor|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]
"Interview with [a:Daniel H. Wilson|33773|Daniel H. Wilson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1298332667p2/33773.jpg]"
-[b:Robopocalypse|9634967|Robopocalypse (Robopocalypse, #1)|Daniel H. Wilson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327885891s/9634967.jpg|14247828]
[b:The Star-Touched Queen|25203675|The Star-Touched Queen (The Star-Touched Queen, #1)|Roshani Chokshi|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1446058438s/25203675.jpg|44916095] (from book reviews)
Personal Essays
[a:Alyssa Wong|8178928|Alyssa Wong|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1469819886p2/8178928.jpg] @crashwong
[a:Alliette de Bodard|5751656|Alliette de Bodard|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]
[a:Malon Edwards|1213827|Malon Edwards|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1417054599p2/1213827.jpg]
[a:Yash Kesanakurthy|15296807|Yash Kesanakurthy|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] (http://bookriot.com/author/yash-kesanakurthy/)
[a:Khaalidah Muhammad-Ali|4702758|Khaalidah Muhammad-Ali|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1336476603p2/4702758.jpg] (http://www.khaalidah.com/) (https://twitter.com/khaalidah)
[a:Jeremy Szal|8296791|Jeremy Szal|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1483078639p2/8296791.jpg]Jeremy Szal (https://jeremyszal.com/)(https://twitter.com/JeremySzal?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor)
[a:An Owomoyela|4356849|An Owomoyela|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] (TBC)
"Blue-Shifted Futures" by Vajra Chandrasekera (http://vajra.mhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/edit/30823428#e/)
-Talks about Soviet Union science fiction books ([b:Colleagues|9775855|Colleagues|Vasily Aksyonov|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|14764895]/Eternal Wind)
Currently reading [b:Signal to Noise|22609306|Signal to Noise|Silvia Moreno-Garcia|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1411422208s/22609306.jpg|26580567]
"Unlearning Erasure" by [a:Julia Rios|3378114|Julia Rios|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1360095719p2/3378114.jpg] (TBC) (http://www.juliarios.com/) (Boston??)
"Assimilation: The Borg Must Like It When You Don't Fight Back." by [a:S.L. Huang|8057745|S.L. Huang|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]
[b:Zero Sum Game|21811107|Zero Sum Game|S.L. Huang|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1396337861s/21811107.jpg|40783281]
Already a bit familiar with [a:Ken Liu|2917920|Ken Liu|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1400610835p2/2917920.jpg]
Suyi Davis Okungbow (http://suyidavies.com/)
[a:Indra Das|5023942|Indra Das|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/m_50x66-82093808bca726cb3249a493fbd3bd0f.png] (http://indradas.com/)
"Intergalatic Collard Greens" by [a:Troy L. Wiggins|7796399|Troy L. Wiggins|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1428854517p2/7796399.jpg] (https://afrofantasy.net/)(https://twitter.com/TroyLWiggins)
"We Were Always Here" by [a:Mark Oshiro|5183642|Mark Oshiro|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1361575297p2/5183642.jpg] (already have links)
"The People Men Don't See" by [a:Nisi Shawl|806782|Nisi Shawl|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1411718332p2/806782.jpg]
"The New Frontier is the Old Frontier" by [a:Tamara Brooks|6848179|Tamara Brooks|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]
"An Army of Claudia Kishis" by [a:Sarah Kuhn|612167|Sarah Kuhn|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1449618010p2/612167.jpg] (Babysitters club!)(http://www.heroinecomplex.com/)(https://twitter.com/sarahkuhn?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor)
Misc. Collections, Notes, Etc.
[b:We See a Different Frontier: A Postcolonial Speculative Fiction Anthology|18096579|We See a Different Frontier A Postcolonial Speculative Fiction Anthology|Fábio Fernandes|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1375286608s/18096579.jpg|25411557]
[b:States of Terror: Volume 3|31184169|States of Terror Volume 3 (States of Terror)|Matt E. Lewis|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1469052344s/31184169.jpg|51826090]
[b:Griots: Sisters of the Spear|19303948|Griots Sisters of the Spear|Milton J. Davis|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1386560963s/19303948.jpg|27353381]
apostrophen's review
5.0
I'll be posting short reviews of the stories in this collection as part of my ongoing Sunday Shorts series on my blog (click that link and they'll all pop up as they show up on the blog.
"Empire Star" by Samuel R. Delaney probably hit the highest point for me, a novella-length that was just sheer perfection, but there were so many freaking excellent stories in this.
"Empire Star" by Samuel R. Delaney probably hit the highest point for me, a novella-length that was just sheer perfection, but there were so many freaking excellent stories in this.
guerrichache's review
5.0
Another great anthology by Lightspeed Magazine! I first read Women Destroy Science Fiction! a while ago and was very impressed, so I put this on my wishlist and got it for Christmas.
I quite enjoyed the whole collection, though since this anthology includes 26 separate pieces of fiction, I figure it would be tedious or superficial to review all of them. Instead, I'll highlight a few of my favourites; as for the rest, I can say confidently that none of the stories were bad, and they're all worth reading.
But my favourites of the bunch?
Salto Mortal (by Nick T. Chan)
A great, affecting story about a woman struggling with being a refugee and having an abusive husband against the backdrop of an alien invasion of Mexico. The sci-fi elements took some time to unravel, but they did in perfect timing with the protagonist's own story, building up a compelling story of human bravery and subverting the typical alien invasion tropes along the way.
Digital Medicine (by Brian K. Hudson)
A Cherokee girl on probation for computer hacking spends some time with an old grandma in her community. It's a warm and fun story of friendship, 90s computer and internet culture, and Cherokee tradition blended together in a way that makes you feel like your sitting in the warm, dusty living room with them laughing along with the story.
A Handful of Dal (by Naru Dames Sundar)
A flash fiction story about a generation ship told through recipes passed down from generation to generation, the recipes changing to reflect the socioeconomic struggles of the generation ship's inhabitants and annotated by each successive generation with references to the world around them, the world that was, and the world that may yet come. The framing was clever and effective, and the story that unfolded was affecting and poignant despite the very short length.
The Evening and the Morning and the Night (by Octavia E. Butler)
A story about a strange disease that slowly causes hyperviolence, and the afflicted who are still healthy trying to learn how to cope or how to stop it. There are some background elements that feel contrived, but the story overall portrays a fascinating situation that I can't put my finger on - neither hope nor despair, not optimism or pessimism, but nonetheless a quiet certainty that things are fundamentally changing. It's a very interesting feeling, well worth the read.
Delhi (by Vandana Singh)
A downtrodden man living in Delhi perceives rifts in space-time, and through them glimpses the people and places of Delhi's past and its future, even communicating with them sometime. As he wanders the city trying to find a purpose for himself, trying to reconcile his visions with his place in the world, the author paints a vivid, textured, layered picture of the city itself that feels incredibly alive - appropriately enough, given the nature of the story.
I quite enjoyed the whole collection, though since this anthology includes 26 separate pieces of fiction, I figure it would be tedious or superficial to review all of them. Instead, I'll highlight a few of my favourites; as for the rest, I can say confidently that none of the stories were bad, and they're all worth reading.
But my favourites of the bunch?
Salto Mortal (by Nick T. Chan)
A great, affecting story about a woman struggling with being a refugee and having an abusive husband against the backdrop of an alien invasion of Mexico. The sci-fi elements took some time to unravel, but they did in perfect timing with the protagonist's own story, building up a compelling story of human bravery and subverting the typical alien invasion tropes along the way.
Digital Medicine (by Brian K. Hudson)
A Cherokee girl on probation for computer hacking spends some time with an old grandma in her community. It's a warm and fun story of friendship, 90s computer and internet culture, and Cherokee tradition blended together in a way that makes you feel like your sitting in the warm, dusty living room with them laughing along with the story.
A Handful of Dal (by Naru Dames Sundar)
A flash fiction story about a generation ship told through recipes passed down from generation to generation, the recipes changing to reflect the socioeconomic struggles of the generation ship's inhabitants and annotated by each successive generation with references to the world around them, the world that was, and the world that may yet come. The framing was clever and effective, and the story that unfolded was affecting and poignant despite the very short length.
The Evening and the Morning and the Night (by Octavia E. Butler)
A story about a strange disease that slowly causes hyperviolence, and the afflicted who are still healthy trying to learn how to cope or how to stop it. There are some background elements that feel contrived, but the story overall portrays a fascinating situation that I can't put my finger on - neither hope nor despair, not optimism or pessimism, but nonetheless a quiet certainty that things are fundamentally changing. It's a very interesting feeling, well worth the read.
Delhi (by Vandana Singh)
A downtrodden man living in Delhi perceives rifts in space-time, and through them glimpses the people and places of Delhi's past and its future, even communicating with them sometime. As he wanders the city trying to find a purpose for himself, trying to reconcile his visions with his place in the world, the author paints a vivid, textured, layered picture of the city itself that feels incredibly alive - appropriately enough, given the nature of the story.
jetamors's review
5.0
I loved everything in this! I think my favorite stories were "As Long As It Takes To Make The World" by Gabriela Santiago and "A Handful of Dal" by Naru Dames Sundar.
noemi's review
4.0
I listened to all of the free podcasts at Lightspeed's website. This was so good that I'm buying the issue to read the rest.
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