A couple of good stories worth reading, and many I bounced off hard. Thomas Ha is the standout, I’ll be looking for more of his writing.
The Life and Times of the Extraterrestrial Potoo, K. J. Khan ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Touching story of friendship across species in the midst of colonial exploitation. While the prose is uncomplicated, the characters and their relationship are vivid.
Cliff’s Girl, Fiona Moore ⭐⭐
Everybody is building and hacking robots while living in cosy post-climate-collapse pastoral communities. I just couldn’t suspend my disbelief.
Focus, Carlos Hernandez ⭐⭐⭐
Twitchers with clairvoyant tech that lets them be one with the birds, are haunted by their dead friend.
The Animator and the Glazer, Ju Chu, translated by S. Qiouyi Lu ⭐⭐
Generative AI has ended white-collar work. Only those who glaze their style can hope to protect it. A fable-esque tale of a long con gone bad.
Our Revels Now Are Ended, Thomas Ha ⭐⭐⭐⭐
A virtual interrogation doesn’t go well when the tables are turned and the reality of the interrogator is questioned.
This is an Emergency Broadcast, R.S.A. Garcia ⭐
Constructed from fragmentary sentences from a mass media stream of consciousness. Social commentary rather than narrative and plot. DNF
Nesting Behavior of Imported Species Troglodytes aedon on Planet Americearth, R.L. Meza ⭐⭐
Told from the perspective of an avian xenomorph trying to oust human explorers from its forest. More an exercise in alien perspective than a story.
Non-fiction
Donut Brains and Skin Dreams: Aliens on Earth, Gunnar de Winter
Art and Arcade Games: A Conversation with Tran Nguyen, Arley Sorg
Horror And Absurdity: A Conversation with Meg Elison, Arley Sorg
Editor’s Desk: July Is for Survivors, Neil Clarke
