"A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one." – George R. R. Martin
A female programmer who can create golems uses them to thwart the very software she develops at work.
(emet) by Lauren Ring (2023) — 7,470 words (about 30 minutes for the average reader)
I first heard it on PodCastle, published 30 May 2023.
A transgender man struggles with form and identity after an experimental procedure that allows them to see and experience what their partner does.
“Want Itself Is a Treasure in Heaven” by Theodora Ward (2023) — 5,477 words (about 22 minutes for the average reader)
Originally published in Uncanny magazine issue #52, May/June 2023
An automaton cares for an abandoned library even as the books decay.
“The Belfry Keeper” by S.L. Harris (2023) — 845 words (about 4 minutes for the average reader)
Originally published in Lightspeed magazine issue #156, May 2023.
Over the years, I have heard about this book many times. Most recently it was from Ryan Holiday. He raves about how this book (and this translation in particular) changed his life. I finally decided to give it a go.
Essentially it is the thoughts of the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius. It was never meant to be published. He used it to think through things and remind himself of the kind of man he wanted to be. It reads mainly as a kind of list of aphorisms.
This book is unique. It is a glimpse into the thinking of an actual Roman Emperor. But I just couldn’t get through it. It was interesting, but very repetitive. I also appreciated the translator’s introduction and how it gave context. It really made the writing accessible to the modern reader. Maybe too accessible. It didn’t sound that surprising or out of the ordinary. That’s part of what made it so amazing and so dull. About three-quarters of the way through the book, I just couldn’t bring myself to pick it up any more and abandoned it.
My rating: 3/5
A woman who escaped from slavery trying to repair dead ships returns to save others.
“The Mausoleum’s Children” by Aliette de Bodard (2023) — 5,411 words (about 22 minutes for the average reader)
Originally published in Uncanny magazine issue #52, May 2023.
People whose minds have been connected and embedded in ships learn the truth about their past.
“Blood for a Stranger” by Timothy Mudie (223) — 9,434 words (about 38 minutes for the average reader)
Originally published in Lightspeed magazine issue #156, May 2023.
A touching story of love and family.
“She Blooms and the World is Changed” by Izzy Wasserstein (2023) — 2,337 words (about 10 minutes for the average reader)
Originally published in Lightspeed magazine issue #156, May 2023.
A woman remembers what happened years ago when a former colleague tries to force her back to her old life.
“The Spoil Heap” by Fiona Moore (2023) — 6,640 words (about 26 minutes for the average reader)
Originally published in Clarkesworld magazine issue #198, March 2023.
A chronically ill woman learns at the same time something about the labor under her command on a moon and about her father.
“An Ode to Stardust” by R.P. Sand (2023) — 14,616 words (about 59 minutes for the average reader)
Originally published in Clarkesworld magazine issue #197, February 2023.
A Jesuit enclave on the moon discovers something that could shake the earth and the church.
“The Father Provincial of Mare Imbrium” by E. Lily Yu (2023) — 3,545 words (about 15 minutes for the average reader)
Originally published in Uncanny magazine issue #50, January 2023.