Sorry please thank you by charles yu used11/22/2023 At the Mouth of the River of Bees is one of the most anticipated debut science fiction short story collections in recent years.”īefore and Afterlives by Christopher Barzak “These stories feature cats, bees, wolves, dogs, and even that most capricious of animals, humans, and have been reprinted in The Year’s Best Fantasy & Horror, Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year, and The Secret History of Fantasy. Be not afraid.””Īt the Mouth of the River of Bees by Kij Johnson And it is the throbbing, glistening heart of Kiini’s body of work. It is the core of many African-based philosophies. This understanding is the foundation of my 2004 pronouncement on the burgeoning sexuality implicit in sf’s Afro-diasporization. Salaam’s stories are so permeated with sensuality that in her introduction to Ancient, Ancient, Nisi Shawl, author of the award-winning Filter House, writes, “Sexuality-cum-sensuality is the experiential link between mind and matter, the vivid and eternal refutation of the alleged dichotomy between them. She wields them to weave fierce, gorgeous stories that stroke your sensibilities, challenge your preconceptions, and leave you breathless with their beauty.” Indeed, Ms. “Acclaimed author and critic Nalo Hopkinson writes, “Salaam treats words like the seductive weapons they are. What happens after the bird flu pandemic? Are our computers smarter than we are? What does the global economy mean for two young girls in China? Are we really who we say we are? And how will we survive the coming zombie apocalypse?”Īncient, Ancient: Short Fiction by Kiini Ibura Salaam McHugh explores the catastrophes, small and large, of twenty-first century life-and what follows after. Following up on her first collection, Story Prize finalist Maureen F. It requires less commitment than reading a novel, and I love discovering authors through their short stories before they’ve written their first novel. And short stories are great places to discover new authors. I love my epic series like any other SFF fan, but sometimes I crave bite-size pieces. And hey, I like that feeling of being completely immersed in a new world for 20 minutes, and then being finished. They encapsulate the emotional impact of a single moment much like a poem does, but unlike poetry, they still give richness and depth to character and setting. I read SFF short stories for many reasons. Valente, China Miéville, and Neil Gaiman, among others. Still other SFF authors readily switch back and forth between long and short works - Catherynne M. Others prefer writing short stories - like Kelly Link and Carmen Maria Machado. Some get their own start in shorter works and later turn to novels - like Ken Liu, Yoon Ha Lee, and Theodora Goss. However, many fantastic SFF writers write short stories, for many reasons. Nowadays, short stories take the back burner to novels and epic series for most SFF fans. SFF short story collections were hugely popular with the public, and its thanks in part to these short story writers and magazines that we have epic SFF franchises like Star Wars and Star Trek. Wells wrote some of the earliest SFF fiction, the popularity of SFF as a genre started with short stories. Both the Pulp and Golden Age eras of science fiction and fantasy (from about 1920-1960) were steeped in short stories, with publications like Amazing Stories and Astounding Science Fiction publishing the first works by SFF giants like Edgar Rice Burroughs, Isaac Asimov, and Ray Bradbury, among many others. While classic authors like Mary Shelley, Jules Verne, and H.G. You can also follow her kidlit bookstagram account or on Twitter All posts by Margaret Kingsbury You can read more about her bookish and parenting shenanigans in Book Riot’s twice-weekly The Kids Are All Right newsletter. She particularly loves children’s books, fantasy, science fiction, horror, graphic novels, and any books with disabled characters. She’s currently a freelance writer and editor, and in addition to Book Riot, her pieces have appeared in School Library Journal, BuzzFeed News, The Lily, Parents,, and more. Margaret has an MA in English with a concentration in writing and has worked as a bookseller and adjunct English professor. Margaret Kingsbury grew up in a house so crammed with books she couldn’t open a closet door without a book stack tumbling, and she’s brought that same decorative energy to her adult life.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply.AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |