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IN THIS ISSUE by Shweta Narayan She Lives P by Steven Shaviro Finance and Speculative Fiction Hyperbolic Futures: Speculative F Susan Simensky Bietila F edited by Vanderhooft JoSelle Steampunk Stories Steam-Powered: Lesbian by Gwyneth Jones UniverseThe of Things by Stina Leicht (Fey Fallen) the and Of Blood Honey and Eric T. Reynolds edited by Adani Z.S. and Destination: Future by K. Jemisin N. BrokenThe Kingdoms by Sinisalo Johanna Birdbrain by Nnedi Okorafor Akata Witch B by Guin K. Le Ursula Dreamsnake Vonda McIntyre’s N. G EATURE EATURED OEM OOKS RANDMOTHER R E EVIEWED A SSAY RTIST M

AGMA Managing Editor Vol. 1 No. 2—April 2011 Lew Gilchriist

Reviews Editor Nisi Shawl Features Features Editor Hyperbolic Futures: Speculative Finance and Speculative Fiction h 3 L. Timmel Duchamp Essay by Steven Shaviro Arts Editor She Lives h 7 Kath Wilham Poem by Shweta Narayan

randmother agma eature $4.00 G M F The Wild Winds of Possibility Vonda N. McIntyre’s Dreamsnake h 6 Reviewed by Ursula K. Le Guin

Reviews Akata Witch, by Nnedi Okorafor h 8 Reviewed by Uzuri Amini Birdbrain, by Johanna Sinisalo h 9 Reviewed by Carrie Devall The Broken Kingdoms, by N. K. Jemisin h 10 Reviewed by Ama Patterson H Destination: Future, edited by Z. S. Adani and Eric T. Reynolds h 16 Reviewed by Karen Burnham 2 Of Blood and Honey (Fey and the Fallen), by Stina Leicht h 17 Reviewed by Paige Clifton-Steele The Universe of Things, by Gwyneth Jones h 18 Reviewed by Nisi Shawl Steam-Powered: Lesbian Steampunk Stories, edited by JoSelle Vanderhooft h 20 Reviewed by Liz Henry

Featured Artist Susan Simensky Bietila h 22

© The Cascadia Subduction Zone, 2011

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In This ISSUE Cover banner collagraph of the Cascadia subduction zone by Marilyn Linden-Bode n

n

an ideal, a desideratum: something that has has that something desideratum: a ideal, an And we prosper.” we And

Cont. on p. 4 p. on Cont.

tion is not a primitive given.” Rather, it is is it Rather, given.” primitive a not is tion do not waste. Instead, we assess, we invest. invest. we assess, we Instead, waste. not do

- “competi today of neoliberalism the for We do not judge. We do not moralize. We We moralize. not do We judge. not do We

ter what. As Michel Foucault remarked, remarked, Foucault Michel As what. ter things. Will they win? And will it pay? … … pay? it will And win? they Will things.

- mat no place, takes all” against all of “war ager says, “we are concerned with only two two only with concerned are “we says, ager

promote competition, to make sure that a a that sure make to competition, promote - man Investment Conflict a country, poor

Now, the important thing is to incite and and incite to is thing important the Now, do better. When faced with a rebellion in a a in rebellion a with faced When better. do

our philosophy is very nearly the reverse. reverse. the nearly very is philosophy our governments did poorly, the market can can market the poorly, did governments

the twenty-first century, Morgan suggests, suggests, Morgan century, twenty-first the tor would have looked at twice.” But what what But twice.” at looked have would tor

unending “war of all against all.” But in in But all.” against all of “war unending - inves sane no that wars assessed poorly in immediately punished. punished. immediately

needed in order to suppress an otherwise otherwise an suppress to order in needed dogmatic, and inefficient. Billions wasted wasted Billions inefficient. and dogmatic, weakness or hesitation is is hesitation or weakness

Hobbes argued that a strong State was was State strong a that argued Hobbes rilla armies abroad… They were partisan, partisan, were They abroad… armies rilla luxury. Even the slightest slightest the Even luxury.

are an unaffordable unaffordable an are levels. In the seventeenth century, Thomas Thomas century, seventeenth the In levels. - guer and conflicts into return, of thought

of the market, morals morals market, the of terized by violence and aggression on all all on aggression and violence by terized . They poured money, without without money, poured They . badly it aged

Under the harsh discipline discipline harsh the Under - charac society, free-market neoliberal, a - man they and it, managed simply They

this notion at its word. The novel depicts depicts novel The word. its at notion this of this world, did not end war. war. end not did world, this of ernments

simply takes takes simply Forces Market problems. all - gov the peacemakers, the century last the

market competition is the best way to solve solve to way best the is competition market ture, it is in our genes. In the last half of of half last the In genes. our in is it ture,

is founded on the premise that vigorous vigorous that premise the on founded is - na our in is “It novel. the of course the in

extortion. Anglo-American politics today today politics Anglo-American extortion. recalls,” another finance executive tells us us tells executive finance another recalls,”

of well-nigh universal expropriation and and expropriation universal well-nigh of have been fighting wars as long as history history as long as wars fighting been have

Of course, all these are alibis for a system system a for alibis are these all course, Of entirely market-based. “Human beings beings “Human market-based. entirely

fication of rapaciousness as sheer necessity. necessity. sheer as rapaciousness of fication are backing wins. The rationale for this is is this for rationale The wins. backing are

- justi cynical the dreams; idle of dismissal tax-free “enterprise zones”) if the side you you side the if zones”) “enterprise tax-free

a hard-nosed “realism”; the contemptuous contemptuous the “realism”; hard-nosed a payments, and the control of factories in in factories of control the and payments,

ramped up just a little bit: the appeal to to appeal the bit: little a just up ramped travagant profits (from kickbacks, interest interest kickbacks, (from profits travagant

3 there in Morgan’s novel, with the rhetoric rhetoric the with novel, Morgan’s in there - ex for return in countries “developing”

politicians and financiers alike. It’s all all It’s alike. financiers and politicians which funds civil wars and rebellions in in rebellions and wars civil funds which

i

miliar with; we hear it often, coming from from coming often, it hear we with; miliar test field in finance is Conflict Investment, Investment, Conflict is finance in field test

- fa all are we that tone a is this think I - hot the , Forces Market of world the In

with the world as it actually is. is. actually it as world the with is immediately punished. immediately is

just an ineffectual dreamer, out of touch touch of out dreamer, ineffectual an just Even the slightest weakness or hesitation hesitation or weakness slightest the Even

don’t have blood on your hands, you are are you hands, your on blood have don’t market, morals are an unaffordable luxury. luxury. unaffordable an are morals market,

to be made, one way or another. If you you If another. or way one made, be to struggle. Under the harsh discipline of the the of discipline harsh the Under struggle.

have have — matic and realistic, free of illusions of free realistic, and matic enforced and justified through competitive competitive through justified and enforced

- prag — life-and-death decisions that can only be be only can that decisions life-and-death and cruel place. Tough decisions Tough place. cruel and

to make make to — lution for hard-edged times” hard-edged for lution not look pretty, but the world is a harsh harsh a is world the but pretty, look not

- so “hard-edged a — you straight, no alibis, no evasions. It may may It evasions. no alibis, no straight, you is simply “realistic” simply is

ical directness, as if to say: I’m giving it to to it giving I’m say: to if as directness, ical -style road rage duels to the death. It It death. the to duels rage road -style Max on all levels. levels. all on

violence and aggression aggression and violence pitch-perfect. It has a kind of blunt, empir blunt, of kind a has It pitch-perfect. - for contracts and promotions through through promotions and contracts for Mad Mad

society, characterized by by characterized society, is is — and-commentary TV program, no less no program, TV and-commentary members of the corporate elite compete compete elite corporate the of members

a neoliberal, free-market free-market neoliberal, a on a financial news- financial a on — in so-called “cordoned zones.” Meanwhile, Meanwhile, zones.” “cordoned so-called in Bryant’s utterance Bryant’s

[Market Forces] [Market depicts depicts lor behind barbed-wire fences, sequestered sequestered fences, barbed-wire behind lor of tone The (2005). Forces Market thriller,

- squa violence-ridden in lives population near-future Morgan’s K. Richard in ecutive

, the vast majority of the the of majority vast the , Forces Market In ex finance-company a Bryant, Mike says -

people to work at their highest potential. potential. highest their at work to people So death.” and life of decisions decisions,

pose “conflict incentives,” in order to force force to order in incentives,” “conflict pose Hard demands. it decisions the and market,

terms of Morgan’s novel, we need to im to need we novel, Morgan’s of terms - doing his job properly. It comes with the the with comes It properly. job his doing

through a series of “lengthy efforts.” In the the In efforts.” “lengthy of series a through omist has blood on his hands, or he isn’t isn’t he or hands, his on blood has omist

to be “carefully and artificially constructed” constructed” artificially and “carefully be to - econ market free practicing a say “I’d

Essay by Steven Shaviro Steven by Essay

Speculative Fiction Speculative

| Hyperbolic Futures: Speculative Finance and and Finance Speculative Futures: Hyperbolic Hyperbolic Market Forces is a work of futurist sci- Science fiction is one of the best tools ence fiction, but it’s not that much of an we have for making sense of hyperbolic Futures extrapolation from present-day actuality. situations like these. Both in its large-scale (cont. from p. 3) It simply makes overt what is already start- world-building and in its small-scale at- ing to happen. The novel seizes upon in- tention to the particular ways in which cipient tendencies and emerging patterns social and technical innovations affect our in the world today and imagines them lives, science fiction comes to grips with pushed to their ultimate consequences. abstractions like economies, social forma- Already today, even the core security ac- tions, technological infrastructures, and Both in its large-scale world-building and in its tivities of the state, like war, espionage, and climate perturbations. These are what the small-scale attention to prisons, are increasingly being outsourced ecocritic Timothy Morton calls hyperob- the particular ways in and privatized. Speculative financial firms jects: entities that are perfectly real in and which social and techni- make their profits wherever they can find of themselves, but that are so out of scale cal innovations affect our opportunities for arbitrage and market with regard to our immediate experience lives, science fiction comes manipulation. They accumulate vast sums that we find them almost impossible to to grips with abstractions by developing ever-more-exotic finan- grasp. The effects of hyperobjects are so like economies, social cial instruments and by shuffling money massive, and so widely distributed across formations, technologi- around the globe in milliseconds. If the time and space, that we cannot apprehend cal infrastructures, and budgets and currencies of entire coun- them directly. We never experience any climate perturbations. tries are destroyed in the process, then so particular moment as the one in which be it. Financial firms “do not moralize”; climate change, or technological change, they just “invest” and “prosper.” Ordinary actually happens. Either these changes are people are caught in the crossfire of this incipient, just on the verge of happening, manic financial competition, losing their or else they have happened already, before jobs, their homes, and sometimes their we were able to notice. Global capitalism, lives; but this is just unfortunate collateral like global warming, is altogether actual, damage. We can no more prevent it — or and yet oddly impalpable: its traces are H so we are told — than we can prevent hur- everywhere, and yet it is never before us ricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, and other as a whole at any given moment or in any 4 natural disasters. given place. A hyperobject lies so far be- Of course, all speculation involves an yond the limits of our senses that it can- element of risk; there are times when the not be understood intuitively, but only financial house of cards collapses — as it abstractly. We may model such an object did, most notably, in 2008. But in that mathematically and computationally; or case, the State does the one thing that it else we may encapsulate it in the form is still good for: it props up the financial of a story. One of the great virtues of sci- One of the great virtues of firms and the rich people who invest in ence fiction in particular is that it works science fiction in particular them with massive infusions of cash and as a kind of focusing device, allowing us is that it works as a kind transfers of wealth. This leads, inevitably, to feel the effects of these hyperobjects— of focusing device, allow- to an enormous budget deficit, which the of digital technology, or capitalism, or cli- ing us to feel the effects State then claims can only be rectified by mate change — intimately and viscerally, of these hyperobjects—of “austerity” programs and new waves of on a human and personal scale, contained digital technology, or privatization, justified as usual in the name within the boundaries of a finite narrative. capitalism, or climate of “realism,” telling its citizens that we Science fiction is, among other things, a change — intimately and simply cannot afford education, or sani- form of psycho-socio-technological car- viscerally, on a human and tation, or retirement benefits, any longer. tography. It engages in the process of what personal scale, contained And so the banks and investment firms get theorists have called “cognitive mapping” within the boundaries of a flush once again, and the cycle of finan- (Fredric Jameson) and “affective mapping” finite narrative. cial speculation begins anew. The financial ( Jonathan Flatley). It traces our place executives in Market Forces are positively alongside, and within, these hyperobjects proud of having survived the “domino re- that threaten to overwhelm us. cessions” and consequent political instabil- This was the implicit premise of my ities of the early twenty-first century: “A book, Connected, or, What It Means to Live few riots, a few banks out of business, that in the Network Society, published in 2003.

nuclear nonsense in the Punjab. We surfed In Connected, I approached science fiction

it, Chris. We rode it out. It was easy.” novels as exercises in social theory — or n

n

that we can see and touch directly. And And directly. touch and see can we that

Cont. on p. 12 p. on Cont.

e e are markets financial designed to coloniz to ­ designed on screens or in optical cables as of things things of as cables optical in or screens on

as much of things that happen happen that things of much as — alities unbridled craziness and ungroundedness, ungroundedness, and craziness unbridled

- actu of as fictions of much as composed investment” into an actuality. Despite their their Despite actuality. an into investment”

of our everyday lives. Our world today is is today world Our lives. everyday our of Richard K. Morgan’s scenario of “conflict “conflict of scenario Morgan’s K. Richard

woven ever more closely into the texture texture the into closely more ever woven is doubtless already working on turning turning on working already doubtless is

cade, processes of speculation have been been have speculation of processes cade, it in advance. Somebody on Wall Street Street Wall on Somebody advance. in it

- de past the of course the over Indeed, the future, the better to take possession of of possession take to better the future, the

that shape our society today. society our shape that — erwise corporations seek desperately to anticipate anticipate to desperately seek corporations

- oth and technological, financial, — and control of tomorrow.” Large global global Large tomorrow.” of control and future

tures industry that dreams of the prediction prediction the of dreams that industry tures fies the processes of speculation upon the the upon speculation of processes the fies

- fu a within department development and - ampli and traces fiction speculative way,

and touch directly. directly. touch and it, science fiction has become “a research research “a become has fiction science it, science-fictional extrapolation. In its own own its In extrapolation. science-fictional

as of things that we can see see can we that things of as the Afrofuturist critic Kodwo Eshun puts puts Eshun Kodwo critic Afrofuturist the precisely the condition of possibility for for possibility of condition the precisely

screens or in optical cables cables optical in or screens tion and corporate research programs. As As programs. research corporate and tion such a transformation, I would argue, is is argue, would I transformation, a such

of things that happen on on happen that things of - extrapola futurist between crassly, more formation of quantity into quality.” And And quality.” into quantity of formation

as much much as — as of actualities of as or or — - trans “the of moment the called ago long speculation and fictional speculation fictional and speculation

posed as much of fictions fictions of much as posed

or what Friedrich Engels Engels Friedrich what or — close affinity, therefore, between economic economic between therefore, affinity, close ping point” ping

- com is today world Our

upon all of its contingencies. There is a a is There contingencies. its of all upon - “tip a called is today what reach we ally,

y price price y ­ present-da a putting it, to owner an - Eventu them. of more are there because

precisely precisely — things are no longer the same the longer no are things measuring it and quantifying it, assigning assigning it, quantifying and it measuring

of change. “More of the same” means that that means same” the of “More change. of into a contractual relation with the future: future: the with relation contractual a into

already-existing trends results in a kind kind a in results trends already-existing speculative instruments is precisely to enter enter to precisely is instruments speculative

even the repetition and intensification of of intensification and repetition the even appropriate, because the purpose of these these of purpose the because appropriate,

first place. Yet we should remember that that remember should we Yet place. first called “futures contracts.” The phrase is still still is phrase The contracts.” “futures called

that caused the crisis in the the in crisis the caused that — spending more mundane original forms, used to be be to used forms, original mundane more

5 tion of finance and cuts in government government in cuts and finance of tion Financial derivatives, at least in their their in least at derivatives, Financial

- deregula — of goods and services does. does. services and goods of to intensify the very policies very the intensify to

i

lives than the actual, physical production production physical actual, the than lives sulting from the 2008 economic crash is is crash economic 2008 the from sulting

have a greater impact upon our everyday everyday our upon impact greater a have - re problems the to parties political both

ficacy. If anything, these financial fictions fictions financial these anything, If ficacy. loop when the only “solution” offered by by offered “solution” only the when loop

- ef without are they that mean not does it’s hard not to feel caught in an endless endless an in caught feel to not hard it’s

ments are entirely speculative. But this this But speculative. entirely are ments on a regularly scheduled yearly basis. And And basis. yearly scheduled regularly a on

- instru financial Such assets. physical ing a new product that “changes everything” everything” “changes that product new a

- underly any to relations tenuous most the logical “innovation,” when Apple releases releases Apple when “innovation,” logical

purely fantasmatic. These records bear only only bear records These fantasmatic. purely - techno about cynical be to not hard It’s

cords that are highly volatile and almost almost and volatile highly are that cords we have just experienced more of the same. same. the of more experienced just have we

- re electronic of form the in accumulated ? I am tempted to say that that say to tempted am I ? Connected wrote

powerful computers. Wealth is thereby thereby is Wealth computers. powerful What has changed in the years since I I since years the in changed has What

society today. society

equations that can only be calculated by by calculated be only can that equations nectivity, and ubiquitous digitalization. digitalization. ubiquitous and nectivity,

that shape our our shape that — otherwise

mined on the basis of partial differential differential partial of basis the on mined globalized commerce, instantaneous con instantaneous commerce, globalized - cial, technological, and and technological, cial,

nomic production. Rather, they are deter are they Rather, production. nomic - the emerging capitalist “network society”: society”: “network capitalist emerging the - finan — upon the future the upon

- eco actual to tethered not are derivatives in order to get a grip on the conditions of of conditions the on grip a get to order in the processes of speculation speculation of processes the

in the world today. The prices of these these of prices The today. world the in called on science-fictional extrapolations extrapolations science-fictional on called fiction traces and amplifies amplifies and traces fiction

of goods and services held and produced produced and held services and goods of arrangements, were changing our lives. I I lives. our changing were arrangements, In its own way, speculative speculative way, own its In

market value vastly exceeds the total value value total the exceeds vastly value market with new social, political, and economic economic and political, social, new with

goods and services. This is because their their because is This services. and goods ways in which new technologies, together together technologies, new which in ways

for, or transformed into, actually existing existing actually into, transformed or for, Nogha, I was able to consider some of the the of some consider to able was I Nogha,

to wealth that can never be exchanged exchanged be never can that wealth to K. Dick, Samuel R. Delany, and Misha Misha and Delany, R. Samuel Dick, K.

what Marx called “fictitious capital”: titles titles capital”: “fictitious called Marx what looks at texts by such SF writers as Philip Philip as writers SF such by texts at looks

are, strictly speaking, speaking, strictly are, — present troubles present (1998), together with briefer briefer with together (1998), Noir terpiece

financial instruments at the root of our our of root the at instruments financial ed reading of K. W. Jeter’s cyberpunk mas cyberpunk Jeter’s W. K. of reading ed -

the exotic exotic the — upon the present.” By means of an extend an of means By present.” the upon - know. For instance, derivatives instance, For know.

gigantic shadows which futurity casts casts futurity which shadows gigantic wagers on forces we do not and cannot cannot and not do we forces on wagers

to discern (in the words of Shelley) “the “the Shelley) of words the (in discern to sense that they are gambles on the future, future, the on gambles are they that sense

better, perhaps, as auguring tools in order order in tools auguring as perhaps, ­ better, these fictions are largely speculative, in the the in speculative, largely are fictions these n The Wild Winds of Possibility who got a hint of how young Snake was carrying on. Sexless hard-sf or Heinlein- Vonda N. McIntyre’s Dreamsnake ian fantasies of girlish docility were much Reviewed by Ursula K. Le Guin safer. I think this killed the book’s chance of being read widely as a text in junior high Dreamsnake is in some ways a strange or high school, and even now may prevent book, unlike any other in science fiction, its being marketed to the YA audience. When people ask me what which may explain the even stranger fact Theory #3: The hypothesis of gendered sf books influenced me that it’s not currently in print (except on reprinting. It appears that as a general rule or what are my favor- line at http://www.bookviewcafe.com/ books written by men get reprinted more ites, I always mention index.php/Dreamsnake). frequently and over more years than books Dreamsnake. When people ask me what sf books in- written by women. If this is so, Heinlein fluenced me or what are my favorites, I al- has always been given a handicap over ways mention Dreamsnake. Invariably I get McIntyre and will always have one. a warm response — “Oh yes!” And people Looking on the bright side, however, still tell me how much the book meant to good writing tends to outlive mediocre them when they first read it and ever since. writing, real moral questioning to outlast But these days, many younger readers don’t rant and wishful thinking. Dreamsnake know it exists. is written in a clear, quick-moving prose, The short story the book was based on with brief, lyrically intense landscape pas- won the 1973 Nebula; the book was an sages that take the reader straight into its immediate success; it became and still is half-familiar, half-strange desert world, and beloved. Its moral urgency and rousing ad- fine descriptions of the characters’ emo- venture story are not at all dated. It should tional states and moods and changes. And have gone from one paperback reprint to its generosity to those characters is quite another. unusual, particularly in science fiction with Why didn’t it? its tendency to competitive elitism. H I have some theories. Take the birth-control-via-biofeedback Theory #1: Ophidiophobia. The phobia idea — certainly one of the great technolog- 6 is common and extends to pictures, even ical-imaginative inventions, and appreci- the mention, of snakes; and the book fea- ated as such by many of McIntyre’s readers tures them even in the title. A heroine who (although because it’s not hard tech and is lets snakes crawl on her, and she’s named subversive of gender dominance, male critics Snake? Oh icky.… have tended to ignore it). McIntyre doesn’t Theory #2: Sex. It’s an adult book. Snake, make it a subject of celebration, excitement, though, is barely more than a kid, setting or question; it’s taken for granted, it’s how out on her first trial of prowess, so that things are. Meeting a young man whose young women can and do identify with her, education has been so cruelly mismanaged happily or longingly (and her taste in men that he doesn’t know how to control his is far better than that cavewoman Ayla’s). fertility, Snake is appalled, but sympathetic. But could the book be approved for use She knows how bitterly humiliated he is by in schools? The sexual mores are as vari- what he can see only as a personal failure, ous as the societies, including some very like impotence, but worse, because for him unorthodox customs, and Snake’s sexual to have a heterosexual relation might in- behavior is both highly ethical and quite volve damage to the other person.… uninhibited. She can afford to be fearless, They do manage to solve his problem. because her people know how to control Yes, there is some wishful thinking in their fertility through biofeedback, how McIntyre’s book, but it is so thoroughly, to prevent insemination through a simple, carefully worked out in terms of social and learned technique. But, alas, we don’t.… personal behavior that its demonstration of Given the relentless fundamentalist ven- a permanent streak of kindness in human dettas against “witchcraft” and “pornogra- nature is convincing — and as far from sen-

Grandmother Magma phy” (read imaginative literature and sexual timentality as it is from cynicism. realism) in the schools, few teachers in The writer Moe Bowstern gave me a

the 1980s could invite the firestorm that slogan I cherish: “Subversion Through

might be started by a rightwing parent Friendliness.” It looks silly till you think n

n

classic, and should be cherished as such. as cherished be should and classic, received the Octavia E. Butler Memorial Scholarship for writers of color. color. of writers for Scholarship Memorial Butler E. Octavia the received

is a a is Dreamsnake possibility. of winds wild and fairy tales, she writes poetry, prose poems, and short fiction. At Clarion 2007 she she 2007 Clarion At fiction. short and poems, prose poetry, writes she tales, fairy and

sides in California. She is a PhD student in linguistics. A great admirer of folk tales tales folk of admirer great A linguistics. in student PhD a is She California. in sides to have their mind blown wide open by the the by open wide blown mind their have to

- re now She Scotland. and Netherlands, The Arabia, Saudi Malaysia, through eled missed it, and all the young readers ready ready readers young the all and it, missed

Shweta Narayan was born was Narayan Shweta - trav has She India. in — smelted it, describes she as or — print for the generation of sf readers who who readers sf of generation the for print

highly entertaining book were back in in back were book entertaining highly

I wish this beautiful, powerful, and and powerful, beautiful, this wish I

that she lives. she that revelation my mind was opened. was mind my revelation

solidly into my own mind. And by that that by And mind. own my into solidly

ribbons, and knows and ribbons,

expectation, was revealed to me as built built as me to revealed was expectation,

saying about gender as social construct, as as construct, social as gender about saying from a gong that rings thin through thin air thin through thin rings that gong a from

and truly subverted. All the stuff we were were we stuff the All subverted. truly and

She seasons her eggs with copper flecks shaved flecks copper with eggs her seasons She the shock of realizing that I’d been well well been I’d that realizing of shock the

cide, or refuse to decide? I still remember remember still I decide? to refuse or cide,

- de to them to up left been had character

of them even noticed that the gender of a a of gender the that noticed even them of

body who read science fiction. How many many How fiction. science read who body

l her strange. her l cal and

- every by read and fiction science as later

was published five years years five published was Dreamsnake nists. and blame the fire the blame and

- femi by mostly read was and feminists

chopped and burned; who burn themselves burn who burned; and chopped came out in 1973 to much acclaim by by acclaim much to 1973 in out came ter

- Carpen the and Cook The Arnold’s June

with women who melt snow in copper pots on trees on pots copper in snow melt who women with

unerringly, with easy grace. easy with unerringly,

and McIntyre avoids the gender pronoun pronoun gender the avoids McIntyre and She weaves asbestos threads into slices of granite, trades granite, of slices into threads asbestos weaves She

no other evidence one way or the other, other, the or way one evidence other no

7 Meredith is a Welsh male name. There is is There name. male Welsh a is Meredith

only because because only — seen Merideth as a man a as Merideth seen

i sation about the book, I realized that I’d I’d that realized I book, the about sation

falls in diamond knives. diamond in falls - conver in till, it noticed never I And

gender. We never do. never We gender.

st and bone. Her breath Her bone. and st amethy of

band or as wife. We don’t know Merideth’s Merideth’s know don’t We wife. as or band

- hus as whether know don’t we But fine.… on ribbons of air, eggs eggs air, of ribbons on

is married to a man and a woman…sure, woman…sure, a and man a to married is

She lives on a mountain where snow will not melt, feasts feasts melt, not will snow where mountain a on lives She riages being usual in this society, Merideth Merideth society, this in usual being riages

- mar Three-cornered Merideth. about odd

by Shweta Narayan Shweta by death” that I totally missed what’s really really what’s missed totally I that death”

matic, powerful person was called “merry “merry called was person powerful matic,

for Rose for

- enig this why out figure to hard so tried

the name Meredith was significant and and significant was Meredith name the Lives She

I thought the odd spelling of of spelling odd the thought I Dreamsnake

acter called Merideth. When I first read read first I When Merideth. called acter

What I mean by sneaky: Take the char the Take sneaky: by mean I What - contributed a poem to the CSZ’s inaugural issue. inaugural CSZ’s the to poem a contributed

with photographer Roger Dorband, Raven Press, 2010. She graciously graciously She 2010. Press, Raven Dorband, Roger photographer with Country, whom she showed the way. the showed she whom

Out Here: Poems and Images from Steens Mountain Mountain Steens from Images and Poems Here: Out is publication recent most Ursula’s is due, the credit owed her by writers to to writers by her owed credit the due, is

if ever received the feminist honors she she honors feminist the received ever if

heartedly, she wouldn’t write about it. about write wouldn’t she heartedly,

scarcely noticed. And thus she has seldom seldom has she thus And noticed. scarcely

- whole writing Vonda’s admire not did Ursula if judgments: review balanced of ests

lack of self-promoting hoo-ha that we we that hoo-ha self-promoting of lack

- inter the in made is disclosure This Union. Writers National the into Vonda lured

McIntyre did it so skillfully and with such such with and skillfully so it did McIntyre tween Portland and Seattle. Vonda is Ursula’s extraordinary webmistress and Ursula Ursula and webmistress extraordinary Ursula’s is Vonda Seattle. and Portland tween

rules the rest of us were still following, following, still were us of rest the rules - be emails many many, send and crooked, curtains hang books, make workshops, do

sneaky. A moral revolutionary, rewriting rewriting revolutionary, moral A sneaky. daylight personas and as the shadowy, inscrutable figures of Ygor and Buntho, who who Buntho, and Ygor of figures inscrutable shadowy, the as and personas daylight

Hotel, where they bonded. They have remained friends ever since, both in their their in both since, ever friends remained have They bonded. they where Hotel, paradoxical, slow-acting, and durable. And And durable. and slow-acting, paradoxical,

over 21, because they went off together to the bar in the beautiful old Claremont Claremont old beautiful the in bar the to together off went they because 21, over were. Subversion through friendliness is is friendliness through Subversion were.

innumerable books, and Vonda was, well she seemed about 15 but must have been been have must but 15 about seemed she well was, Vonda and books, innumerable

instant gratification, as it it as gratification, instant — pain is easy is pain

(Ursula’s home town) when Ursula was thirtyish and the author of some but not yet yet not but some of author the and thirtyish was Ursula when town) home (Ursula’s

about. Subversion through terror, shock, shock, terror, through Subversion about.

Ursula K. Le Guin met Vonda N. McIntyre at an early SFWA meeting in Berkeley Berkeley in meeting SFWA early an at McIntyre N. Vonda met Guin Le K. Ursula about it. It bears considerable thinking thinking considerable bears It it. about n Walking Between Worlds or who has other spiritual beliefs, may feel like they were born at the wrong time, to Akata Witch, by Nnedi Okorafor the wrong family. Varying experiences may Viking, April 2011, 349 pages, $17.99 make them feel even more different as they search for others who see the world and Reviewed by Uzuri Amini think as they do. It is only when they find reflections of what informs them from the One night twelve-year-old Sunny Nwa- inside out coming from others that they zue, enjoying the flicker of a candle flame, Okorafor brings West have a sense of belonging. Thus, Sunny’s sees the end of the world: “Raging fires, boil- African culture alive with connections with Orlu and the others opens scenes of everyday doings ing oceans, toppled sky scrapers, ruptured to her a new life of acceptance as a member in the town, at home, and land, dead and dying people” (p. 2). In that of the secret society of Leopard People. within the supernatural prophetic moment her life forever changes; Leopard People, Sunny learns, have al- precincts… she is catapulted out of her often mundane ways existed in countries and cultures all solitary existence into an otherworldly life over the world with regional headquarters as an akata (foreign-born) witch. in various areas. She discovers that their An albino female child born in the US, West African headquarters, a neighborhood now living in Nigeria with her Igbo par- called “Leopard Knocks His Foot,” is only ents and two brothers, Sunny knows that a short way from where they all live. Those she is different in more than one way: “I without magical talents are called Lambs have West African features, like my moth- (“muggles” to you Harry Potter folks). er, but while the rest of my family is dark Their camaraderie propels Sunny and brown, I’ve got light yellow hair, skin the her friends forward faster in their quest to color of ‘sour milk’ (or so stupid people utilize their metaphysical talents in their like to tell me), and hazel eyes that look lives and community. But having been like God ran out of the right color” (p. 3). born to Leopard People, Sunny’s friends She’s an excellent soccer player, but being are light years ahead in their learning and H a girl means the boys don’t take her soccer abilities. So she finds herself always play- playing seriously. And as an albino Sunny ing catch up to increase her knowledge 8 has a sensitivity to the sun, so she can play and skills in this new mode of life. soccer only after sunset. To top it off she is First there are the customs and rules also a good student among her peers who of magic to learn. Next there are books to seemingly do not share her hunger for read and memorize, books about conjuring learning. the actual magic. This is followed by prac- After her vision Sunny makes friends tice, practice, practice, so the apprentices with a classmate, Orlu, a boy who attempts won’t make mistakes before their ever- to protect her from other attacking stu- watchful teachers. Sunny also has to figure dents. He is also different — quiet-spoken out which teachers or Leopard People to and thoughtful. He introduces her to Chi- avoid, because they don’t all have good in- chi, a girl who doesn’t attend school but tentions toward her. And being an albino, carries in her mind all kinds of knowledge she finds she must master her ability to gleaned from reading books; and Sasha, an walk both in the land of the living and the African American boy newly arrived from ancestors. Besides all of this, Sunny must the US, who contributes his akata persona keep her family and school mates ignorant with attitude — he’s not about to be pushed of her magical life as she works to accept around by anybody! Together these four who she is and her abilities. All these chal- teenagers form an alliance that eventually lenges threaten her everyday life. leads to a loyal friendship as they receive Questions abound for Sunny. How did individual and group lessons in facing she get her talents? Why does her father their fears. seem to hate her? Will she ever be allowed Sunny’s new friends, apprentices in the to play soccer with the boys? What is the magical world to which she has just been family secret her mother is keeping from introduced, share with her a life full of Reviews her? Will she ever find her own spiritual mystical people, events, and happenings. mentor, as Chichi, Orlu, and Sasha do?

A person who practices African spiri- Then there are questions with wider im-

tuality as I do, or earth-based spirituality, plications. Aside from facing her personal n

n

Cont. on p.11 on Cont.

- border the exploring quietly era, feminist own ways, alternate between fumbling fumbling between alternate ways, own

at gender relations in this allegedly post- allegedly this in relations gender at jerk. Two flawed people, admirable in their their in admirable people, flawed Two jerk.

also takes a penetrating look look penetrating a takes also Birdbrain not a completely clueless or irresponsible irresponsible or clueless completely a not

di’s brother. di’s no model, blameless heroine, and Jyrki is is Jyrki and heroine, blameless model, no

- Hei be to appears who someone of view doing a lot of walking and eating. Heidi is is Heidi eating. and walking of lot a doing

including the ever more malign point of of point malign more ever the including ing, dramatic story out of a couple of people people of couple a of out story dramatic ing,

other, less obviously relevant, material, material, relevant, obviously less other, - satisfy surprisingly a makes view of points

ever, it is complex in its interpolation of of interpolation its in complex is it ever, The skillful use of these two distinct distinct two these of use skillful The

- How trekkers. both of goals experiential attention. an intriguing role. role. intriguing an

towards the geographical, emotional, and and emotional, geographical, the towards more oafish males who demand Heidi’s Heidi’s demand who males oafish more and neurobiology playing playing neurobiology and

the trip, the narrative is simple in its thrust thrust its in simple is narrative the trip, the he considers himself a better man than the the than man better a himself considers he Tasmania, with evolution evolution with Tasmania,

ing material available to Heidi for most of of most for Heidi to available material ing no currency in his corner of the world. But But world. the of corner his in currency no through New Zealand and and Zealand New through

- read only the , Darkness of Heart Conrad’s Finns, Heidi and Jyrki, Jyrki, and Heidi Finns, sensitive or anti-sexist, these terms having having terms these anti-sexist, or sensitive

trekking trip of two young young two of trip trekking Shot through with quotes from Joseph Joseph from quotes with through Shot Jyrki would hardly deign to label himself himself label to deign hardly would Jyrki

global warming into the the into warming global triguing role. triguing one of the many pleasures of the narrative. narrative. the of pleasures many the of one

political conflict regarding regarding conflict political - in an playing neurobiology and evolution of the modern, so-called sensitive man is is man sensitive so-called modern, the of

science, speculation, and and speculation, science, through New Zealand and Tasmania, with with Tasmania, and Zealand New through This novel’s (usually) subtle skewering skewering subtle (usually) novel’s This

Birdbrain folds the latest latest the folds Birdbrain trip of two young Finns, Heidi and Jyrki, Jyrki, and Heidi Finns, young two of trip should be no surprise to feminists. to surprise no be should

garding global warming into the trekking trekking the into warming global garding which which — solidly centered around himself around centered solidly

- re conflict political and speculation, ence, Jyrki’s point of view reveals a world more more world a reveals view of point Jyrki’s

- sci latest the folds Birdbrain civilization. ecologically-minded yet hardly anti-sexist. anti-sexist. hardly yet ecologically-minded

its human protagonist away from human human from away protagonist human its like Jyrki, ostensibly more enlightened and and enlightened more ostensibly Jyrki, like

and pheromones into a conflict that lured lured that conflict a into pheromones and clients her PR firm serves and also guys guys also and serves firm PR her clients

wove scientific theories about evolution evolution about theories scientific wove world of boorish men like the oil company company oil the like men boorish of world

to create a world in which trolls exist, and and exist, trolls which in world a create to through Heidi’s lens, as she navigates the the navigates she as lens, Heidi’s through

writings as well as fairy tales and fiction fiction and tales fairy as well as writings view the reader experiences half the story story the half experiences reader the view

9

Tiptree Award, used snippets of scientific scientific of snippets used Award, Tiptree verge and diverge. Via alternating points of of points alternating Via diverge. and verge

), which won the 2004 2004 the won which ), Sundown Before Not - con nurture and nature difference, gender i

(originally (originally Troll novel Sinisalo’s Johanna lands where biological determinism and and determinism biological where lands

Reviewed by Carrie Devall Carrie by Reviewed

Peter Owen Publishers, August 2010, 220 pages, $17.95 pages, 220 2010, August Publishers, Owen Peter

by Johanna Sinisalo Sinisalo Johanna by Birdbrain,

(translated from the Finnish by David Hackston) David by Finnish the from (translated

sah Teish. sah

Girl Meets Boy, Ice Caps Melt Caps Ice Boy, Meets Girl n

- Lui by directed California,

Arts Center in Oakland, Oakland, in Center Arts

Ancient Mysteries/Sacred Mysteries/Sacred Ancient to which they can return over and over. and over return can they which to

core faculty of the School of of School the of faculty core

and riveting read. Nnedi Okorafor brings brings Okorafor Nnedi read. riveting and ship, and their place of belonging, a place place a belonging, of place their and ship,

(for twenty-one years) and and years) twenty-one (for

and gets her answers makes for an exciting exciting an for makes answers her gets and - friend danger, intrigue, magic, find can ers

cil of Ile Orunmila Oshun Oshun Orunmila Ile of cil

How Sunny confronts her challenges challenges her confronts Sunny How and may decimate it tomorrow. Here read Here tomorrow. it decimate may and -

- Coun Elder’s the and Guild

for stopping this mysterious killer. mysterious this stopping for chaotic times that engulf our world today today world our engulf that times chaotic national Women's Writing Writing Women's national

friends that they are the ones responsible responsible ones the are they that friends to lead their communities through the the through communities their lead to - Inter the of member a also

Knocks His Foot inform Sunny and her her and Sunny inform Foot His Knocks are being trained to become adept elders, elders, adept become to trained being are of the Bones series. She is is She series. Bones the of

both volumes of the Festival Festival the of volumes both are helpless. But the elders of Leopard Leopard of elders the But helpless. are nity of people of color. Here young people people young Here color. of people of nity

; and and ; Goddess the to Talking their children from him. All the adults adults the All him. from children their magic is alive and well within the commu the within well and alive is magic -

is a Terrible Thing to Mind; Mind; to Thing Terrible a is

as only “Black Hat.” Parents can’t protect protect can’t Parents Hat.” “Black only as describes a milieu where where milieu a describes Witch Akata

walking Sky Dancers; A Waist Waist A Dancers; Sky walking

the depredations of an unseen foe known known foe unseen an of depredations the cover and hone their talents. their hone and cover

- Earth Celebrates; Goddess The

them, and why? No one can sleep due to to due sleep can one No why? and them, accepted for who they are while they dis they while are they who for accepted -

several anthologies, notably notably anthologies, several

who is killing killing is who — some place where they will fit in and be be and in fit will they where place some murders of local children local of murders ist. She has contributed to to contributed has She ist.

especially for young girls seeking seeking girls young for especially — the small matter of the recent spate of of spate recent the of matter small the power - ceremonial and artist, writer,

healing and art; as well as a a as well as art; and healing flame at the book’s beginning. And there’s there’s And beginning. book’s the at flame us with a coming-of-age story filled with with filled story coming-of-age a with us

the Yoruba goddess of love, love, of goddess Yoruba the tion she saw going down in the candle candle the in down going saw she tion Leopard Knocks His Foot. She provides provides She Foot. His Knocks Leopard

initiated priest of Oshun, Oshun, of priest initiated

from being swallowed up in the destruc the in up swallowed being from - and within the supernatural precincts of of precincts supernatural the within and

Oshun Iya Oshogbo) is an an is Oshogbo) Iya Oshun

if anything, can be done to stop the world world the stop to done be can anything, if of everyday doings in the town, at home, home, at town, the in doings everyday of

Uzuri Amini (Ishe Fa’lona Fa’lona (Ishe Amini Uzuri

challenges Sunny needs to find out what, what, out find to needs Sunny challenges West African culture alive with scenes scenes with alive culture African West freely with humans, attracting their own n Gods’ Truth cadres of devotees. The Arameri are deter- The Broken Kingdoms, by N. K. Jemisin mined to defend their Itempas-ordained (The Inheritance Trilogy, Book 2) power against these so-called heretics, even in the absence of the god himself. Orbit, November 2010, 416 pages, $13.99 “Order-Keepers,” priests of Itempas, en- Reviewed by Ama Patterson force Arameri rule with scrivener’s magic In the White Halls, the stark, pristine forbidden to common folk. Ordinary citi- temples where citizens enact synchronized zens chafe beneath their increasingly fas- reverence or risk priestly sanction, the cistic heel. story might be told thus: Oree Shoth has fled her sheltered, back­ water life, drawn by the city’s magic. Phys- Time and time ago, there were The ically disabled yet supernaturally gifted, The Broken Three: Itempas, God of Day, Na- Oree supports herself as an artist and Kingdoms is equal hadoth, the Nightlord, and Enefa, vendor on the streets of Shadow, the less parts murder mystery, Goddess of Twilight and Dawn. Sib- romance, and fantasy rarefied sprawl beneath the enormous, ev- lings and lovers, they were once unit- ergreen World Tree at Sky’s center. For all thriller in a refreshingly ed, creating the universe and hold- non-Eurocentric world her independence, Oree is something of a ing it in balance. They fought, in a traditional romantic heroine: generous, devastating Gods’ War that destroyed resilient, young, beautiful, and vulnerable. entire continents. Righteous Itempas She describes herself as “plagued by gods,” slew Enefa, enslaved Nahadoth to and this quality places her at the center of mortal masters, banished their off- the tale. She finds a mysterious deity in her spring, and claimed sole dominion. garbage bin, dead at first appearance, and It is famously said that history is written uncommonly taciturn once revived. She by the victors. In Senm, where the Arameri gives him a home, and a nickname: Shiny. have for centuries ruled by the power of When Oree literally stumbles upon H their captive gods, the historical records a murdered godling in a public alley, she are full of simplistic platitudes and self- attracts the unwelcome attention of the 10 serving omissions. They cast Itempas as the Order-Keepers. Angry gods and godlings embodiment of benevolent order, Enefa as are also hunting the killer of one of their The Betrayer, and Nahadoth as a shadowy own. Another godling, Madding, is a sus- monster to be feared. The truth is far more pect; he is Oree’s ex-lover and close friend, complicated, beautiful, and terrifying, and so she falls under their scrutiny, too. To vastly more entertaining. This tale receives complicate matters further, an upstart re- a most satisfying exploration in The Broken ligious sect notices Oree’s unusual abilities Kingdoms, N. K. Jemisin’s excellent second and forcibly recruits her for their own pur- installment in her Inheritance Trilogy. poses. Their leader is a scrivener with lethal Jemisin, whose story “Non-Zero Prob- goals of his own. For Oree and her friends, abilities” was short listed in 2010 for both navigating this factional maze of secrets [T]he novel’s most com- the Hugo and Nebula awards, introduced and sorcery becomes a matter of survival. pelling characters are the a rich, nuanced, and fabulously intrigu- The Broken Kingdoms is equal parts murder deities.… ing world in her acclaimed debut novel, mystery, romance, and fantasy thriller in a Jemisin does a wonderful The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms. In its refreshingly non-Eurocentric world where job exploring the paradox conclusion the goddess Enefa was reborn. magical and political power are inextrica- of their divinity, by itself Nahadoth and their children were freed. bly linked. and as seen though the Itempas was punished, condemned to Although mortal Oree narrates The Bro- lens of mortal perception wander the world as a mortal, anonymous ken Kingdoms, the novel’s most compelling and belief. and nearly powerless. characters are the deities. The godlings em- The main action of The Broken Kingdoms body various concepts such as mercy, hun- begins about ten years following these ger, or discarded things, and manifest them events. In that time Sky, capitol of the in guises ranging from comical to mon- Arameri, has been transformed. Enefa’s strous. Sieh, the trickster, first-born of the dramatic resurrection changed the land- godlings, who played a pivotal role in The

scape of the city itself. Godlings, the mul- Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, makes a brief

titudinous children of the Three, mingle but poignant reappearance. The godlings’ n

n

place for emotions and desire is already already is desire and emotions for place

recounts.

ferent are animals from us? from animals are ferent

Her instinct that a world without a central central a without world a that instinct Her

the land of ten thousand thousand ten of land the

- dif truly how just And environment? their date her different desires and priorities. priorities. and desires different her date

writes from Minnesota, Minnesota, from writes

mize their comfort, instead of adapting to to adapting of instead comfort, their mize - accommo to unwillingness and idealism

Clarion West in 2007 and and 2007 in West Clarion

- maxi to environments physical and social as she righteously rebels against Jryki’s Jryki’s against rebels righteously she as Press, 2010). She attended attended She 2010). Press,

Are all humans parasites who adapt their their adapt who parasites humans all Are Heidi knows she is out of control even even control of out is she knows Heidi (Sam's Dot Dot (Sam's Tales MinnSpec

Northern Lights: 20 20 Lights: Northern in pears gineer or parasite, are those our choices? choices? our those are parasite, or gineer remains: Is this enough? this Is remains:

- ap Won’t,” Stop, “Can’t - en Social questions. interesting provokes ecological issues also at stake, the question question the stake, at also issues ecological

contest. Her winning story, story, winning Her contest.

sues, and this book’s gender consciousness consciousness gender book’s this and sues, male, Guy 3.0, but as with the global- the with as but 3.0, Guy male,

2010 speculative fiction fiction speculative 2010

- is these to central are sexism and Gender seems to represent the socially evolved evolved socially the represent to seems

first place in the Oddcon Oddcon the in place first

ship with Nature, as concept and reality. reality. and concept as Nature, with ship made faulty assumptions about Heidi. He He Heidi. about assumptions faulty made

Carrie Devall recently won won recently Devall Carrie

- relation humans’ and mindset imperialist ing, but Jyrki is capable of realizing he has has he realizing of capable is Jyrki but ing,

by Jyrki’s anti-tourism rantings about the the about rantings anti-tourism Jyrki’s by - condescend often and arrogant is He

tions highlighted by the trek, especially especially trek, the by highlighted tions allowed to enter or invade it. invade or enter to allowed

- ques the parallels such, as labeled never feel they should be the singular exception, exception, singular the be should they feel

The background of sexism, which is is which sexism, of background The of wilderness also tend to be those who who those be to tend also wilderness of

antagonist. tions. Those who seek to protect the purity purity the protect to seek who Those tions.

making environmental destruction a true true a destruction environmental making - ac destructive in engages she and correct

its smallest effects to a hyper-real scale, scale, hyper-real a to effects smallest its their downfall, even as he is technically technically is he as even downfall, their

subjectivity of each protagonist magnifies magnifies protagonist each of subjectivity their only lifeline, and Jyrki’s “strengths” “strengths” Jyrki’s and lifeline, only their

are those our choices? choices? our those are

a narrow slice of reality, but the limited limited the but reality, of slice narrow a matic structure. Heidi’s “weakness” may be be may “weakness” Heidi’s structure. matic

cial engineer or parasite, parasite, or engineer cial

Global climate change is viewed here from from here viewed is change climate Global - dra the of backbone the form Ironies

- So questions. interesting

logue, observations, emotion, and thought. thought. and emotion, observations, logue, her life. her

consciousness provokes provokes consciousness

- dia of snatches simple brief, with tured pany and her rebellion against the men in in men the against rebellion her and pany

[T]his book’s gender gender book’s [T]his

- cap and highlighted are behavior animal - com and comfort occasional for desire

ture. Unsettling similarities of human and and human of similarities Unsettling ture. camping methodology clash with Heidi’s Heidi’s with clash methodology camping

- junc every at personal, political the and and rigid enforcement of leave-no-trace leave-no-trace of enforcement rigid and 11

fate of the world. The personal is political, political, is personal The world. the of fate ness, and his meticulous calorie-counting calorie-counting meticulous his and ness,

i boros, appropriate for a story about the the about story a for appropriate boros, - wilder untouched of experience pure the

- Ouro like twist morals and Meaning less search for the ultimate in solitude and and solitude in ultimate the for search less

their survival, yet equally problematic. equally yet survival, their - relent Jyrki’s differently. each challenges

a disaster zone is absolutely necessary to to necessary absolutely is zone disaster a and moments of mastery in a journey that that journey a in mastery of moments and

Girl Meets Boy… Meets Girl (cont. from p. 9) p. from (cont.

tionship between magic, art, and creativity. creativity. and art, magic, between tionship

. Gods the of Kingdom - rela the explores and political, and magical

Artists’ Collective. Artists’

The The forthcoming her for anticipation whets

Jemisin examines the nature of power, both both power, of nature the examines Jemisin member of the Beyon’Dusa Beyon’Dusa the of member

gaging expansion of Jemisin’s canon and and canon Jemisin’s of expansion gaging

mortal perception and belief. Additionally, Additionally, belief. and perception mortal of Clarion West 1999 and a a and 1999 West Clarion of

- en fully a is Kingdoms Broken The series, Books). She is a graduate graduate a is She Books). ity, by itself and as seen though the lens of of lens the though seen as and itself by ity,

new readers. For those returning to this this to returning those For readers. new Renee Thomas, Ed.; Warner Warner Ed.; Thomas, Renee job exploring the paradox of their divin their of paradox the exploring job -

(Sheree (Sheree Diaspora, African the

great detail for fear of spoiling the fun for for fun the spoiling of fear for detail great sitional essences. Jemisin does a wonderful wonderful a does Jemisin essences. sitional

of Speculative Fiction from from Fiction Speculative of

first rate. One is reluctant to talk plot in in plot talk to reluctant is One rate. first

attempting to reconcile her brothers’ oppo brothers’ her reconcile to attempting -

Dark Matter: A Century Century A Matter: Dark and

sin’s worldbuilding and storytelling are are storytelling and worldbuilding sin’s

Rebirth, has the somewhat thankless job of of job thankless somewhat the has Rebirth,

kin, eds; Aqueduct Press) Press) Aqueduct eds; kin,

characters, including Oree herself. Jemi herself. Oree including characters, -

ably. Enefa, the Grey, Life and Death and and Death and Life Grey, the Enefa, ably.

- Not Debbie and Fowler Joy

and provides greater insight into the focal focal the into insight greater provides and

ings; he loves deeply and suffers unimagin suffers and deeply loves he ings; - (Karen (Karen Guin Le K. Ursula

of the plot discloses more hidden history history hidden more discloses plot the of - long secret and compassion also is he but Memories and Reflections on on Reflections and Memories

ing is as it seems at first glance. Each loop loop Each glance. first at seems it as is ing 80! 80! in included is tion cast Nahadoth as the embodiment of evil, evil, of embodiment the as Nahadoth cast

- noth where universe, this of tapestry cate - fic short Patterson’s Ama gidity and extreme cruelty. Religion has has Religion cruelty. extreme and gidity

- intri the into back it following and tale - ri also but order, and wisdom is Itempas

gradually unwinding the thread of Oree’s Oree’s of thread the unwinding gradually on each other and the world because of it. it. of because world the and other each on

pacing. Jemisin excels at the slow reveal, reveal, slow the at excels Jemisin pacing.

jealousy, and inflict incalculable damage damage incalculable inflict and jealousy, first rate. rate. first

Another delight of this book is its its is book this of delight Another They love imperfectly, suffer rejection and and rejection suffer imperfectly, love They storytelling are are storytelling

subjects from becoming ponderous. becoming from subjects human shortcomings. They make mistakes. mistakes. make They shortcomings. human building and and building

keeps weighty weighty keeps — and occasionally irreverent occasionally and Jemisin’s world- Jemisin’s mensely powerful, yet vulnerable to many many to vulnerable yet powerful, mensely

matter of fact, wry, wry, fact, of matter — Oree’s narrative voice narrative Oree’s parents, The Three, are immortal and im and immortal are Three, The parents, - Hyperbolic the future, by making it commensurate more humane question of how one might with the present. be able to survive amidst such savage con- Futures Doubtless this project of colonizing ditions. Moxyland can be described as a (cont. from p. 5) the future will never entirely succeed. The latter-day cyberpunk fiction; it presents future cannot actually be anticipated and us with a group of precariously grounded controlled; the one thing we know for sure characters who try to negotiate their way about it is that we cannot predict it, and between corporate power structures on that it is bound, at some point, to surprise the one hand and a shady underworld of us. One of the things that science fiction marginal subcultures and illicit tech on The future cannot ac- writing can do, therefore, is to register the other. But Beukes’ book is harsher, and tually be anticipated and surprise about the future, to dramatize its less romanticized, than classic cyberpunk controlled; the one thing unknowability and difference. In this way, novels such as Gibson’s Neuromancer, Ste- we know for sure about it science fiction can work to keep the future phenson’s Snow Crash, and Jeter’s Noir. is that we cannot predict open, to wrest it away from predetermined There’s no space inMoxyland for the it, and that it is bound, at corporate ownership. Such is the utopian heroism of disaffected outsiders, like Gib- some point, to surprise us. dimension of science fiction, emphasized son’s and Stephenson’s protagonists, who by such theorists of the genre as Fredric somehow manage to negotiate their way Jameson and Carl Freedman. In the past through a corrupt system without being few decades, however, with the worldwide overly tainted by it. Nor is there room for triumph of neoliberal policies, imagining anything like Jeter’s morbid, disillusioned radical transformation has become more aestheticism (a stance that I explored at and more difficult. Jameson, Slavoj Žižek, great length in Connected). and Mark Fisher have all pointed out that, Instead, Beukes’s four narrators/pro- today, we find it easier to envision total ca- tagonists find themselves, right from the tastrophe than we do to imagine a social outset, in utterly compromised positions. system that, however imperfect, is more hu- Tragically, they only seem able to play out mane than actually-existing capitalism. For roles that have been scripted for them in H Jameson, utopian thought has no positive advance. They find themselves in a world content any longer, blocked as it is by the whose degrees of freedom are as carefully 12 “realism” of our current ideological climate. circumscribed as those of the computer Utopia today, he says, is only “a meditation games that they frequently play. Indeed, on the impossible, on the unrealizable in it’s almost as if these four characters its own right.” Under these circumstances, have themselves been generated out of the best that science fiction writing can do, some sort of computer-game combinato- perhaps, is to make us more acutely aware rial logic. Two of the four protagonists are of the ways that neoliberal capitalism is at- male (Toby and Tendeka), and the other tempting to colonize the future, and of the two are female (Kendra and Lerato). Two ways that our hopes and dreams remain are white (Toby and Kendra), and two enmeshed within it. In this way, even the are black (Tendeka and Lerato). Two of most dystopian fictional extrapolation can them are idealistic and well-meaning in- work at least to outline the bars of our pris- nocents (Kendra and Tendeka), and the on, to make evident the limits of a condi- other two are thoroughly cynical hustlers [S]cience fiction can tion that seems to be all-embracing. (Toby and Lerato). All four protagonists work to keep the future Lauren Beukes’s Moxyland (2008) is one think of themselves as free agents; but open, to wrest it away their opportunities for initiating action are from predetermined cor- recent science fiction novel that engages in in fact severely limited. At best, they are porate ownership. this kind of speculative extrapolation. The book is set in a near-future Cape Town, only able to choose among a fixed num- South Africa: a place still marked by the ber of preexisting alternatives; and in many legacy of white supremacy, and where first- cases, even these choices have already been world affluence and privilege are starkly made for them. None of the four are able juxtaposed with the chaos and misery of to grasp the extent to which they are being the developing world. While Richard K. manipulated. Morgan seems to take a grim delight in Kendra is a young, ambitious artist. She rubbing our faces in the most feral ex- works in the old, nearly extinct medium

cesses of contemporary financial capital- of analog, chemically-based photography.

ism, Beukes is rather concerned with the Her pictures are open to chance and ac- n

n

finally, Lerato learns that she also is just a a just is also she that learns Lerato finally, , are no more in control of of control in more no are , Moxyland in

Cont. on p. 14 p. on Cont.

ror of the society in which she lives. But But lives. she which in society the of ror Toby and Lerato, the cynical characters characters cynical the Lerato, and Toby

- mir perfect a consumption: conspicuous pose, he is brutally destroyed. destroyed. brutally is he pose,

rupt, ruthless, predatory, and dedicated to to dedicated and predatory, ruthless, rupt, - pur his served has he once And futile. than

- cor as herself of image an in revels She the end, then, Tendeka’s struggles are worse worse are struggles Tendeka’s then, end, the

off various scams of her own on the side. side. the on own her of scams various off increasing restrictions on civil liberties. In In liberties. civil on restrictions increasing

and also to pull pull to also and — of ever-more intrusive surveillance and for for and surveillance intrusive ever-more of as quickly as possible as quickly as

serve to provide an alibi for the imposition imposition the for alibi an provide to serve to claw her way up the corporate ladder ladder corporate the up way her claw to

rorists. In this way, Tendeka’s actions really really actions Tendeka’s way, this In rorists. fierce programming skills, which she uses uses she which skills, programming fierce

- ter from danger of appearance the create and their habits and desires. Lerato has has Lerato desires. and habits their and

above. They have been staged in order to to order in staged been have They above. disgust for the still-impoverished masses masses still-impoverished the for disgust

tage have been carefully orchestrated from from orchestrated carefully been have tage affluence, she has nothing but scorn and and scorn but nothing has she affluence,

- sabo at attempts and actions protest his possible. Having found her own route to to route own her found Having possible.

himself never learns this, but in fact all all fact in but this, learns never himself distancing herself from them as fully as as fully as them from herself distancing

and corporate security apparatus. Tendeka Tendeka apparatus. security corporate and just of escaping her origins, but also of of also but origins, her escaping of just

working for the state state the for working provocateurs agents ally thing Lerato does serves the purpose not not purpose the serves does Lerato thing

- actu are backers these that learn we when - Every corporation. another from body that they frequently play. play. frequently they that

of his protests. We are not too surprised surprised too not are We protests. his of - some with sex” the to on move can you of the computer games games computer the of

ly circumscribed as those those as circumscribed ly the scope and increase the aggressiveness aggressiveness the increase and scope the non disclosure contracts to sign before before sign to contracts disclosure non

- careful as are freedom of They are always egging him on to escalate escalate to on him egging always are They which there are always “lengthy mutual mutual “lengthy always are there which

in a world whose degrees degrees whose world a in anonymously, in an online virtual world. world. virtual online an in anonymously, from. She’s comfortable with a lifestyle in in lifestyle a with comfortable She’s from.

They find themselves themselves find They gets tactical support from backers he meets meets he backers from support tactical gets she just wants to forget where she came came she where forget to wants just she

ible, largely symbolic protest actions. He He actions. protest symbolic largely ible, and living cozily in a corporate enclave, enclave, corporate a in cozily living and

- vis highly of series a spearheading in and inside, employed by a large corporation corporation large a by employed inside,

taging state and corporate security systems, systems, security corporate and state taging AIDS orphan. But now that she’s on the the on she’s that now But orphan. AIDS

- sabo in homeless, and poor the organizing from an impoverished background as an an as background impoverished an from

tivist: an earnest revolutionary, engaged in in engaged revolutionary, earnest an tivist: Lerato, on the other hand, comes comes hand, other the on Lerato, 13

- ac political a is Tendeka part, his For order to increase his website’s hit count. count. hit website’s his increase to order

i a corporate-dominated culture. culture. corporate-dominated a facilitating chaos to betraying a trust, in in trust, a betraying to chaos facilitating

the contradictions of hipness and fashion in in fashion and hipness of contradictions the Toby will do just about anything, from from anything, about just do will Toby

Kendra is a living embodiment of of embodiment living a is Kendra — them getting an exclusive on it is even cooler. cooler. even is it on exclusive an getting

and to a certain extent because of of because extent certain a to and — his ability to score a journalistic coup by by coup journalistic a score to ability his tentions

and that that and — - in good and earnestness her Despite sible. the ensuing disruption is cool is disruption ensuing the

- pos as often as public in so doing seen be viction, but simply because he thinks that that thinks he because simply but viction,

and to to and — - con political any of out not sabotage, of purchase and consume continually consume and purchase

mised positions. positions. mised

sometimes helps out with Tendeka’s acts acts Tendeka’s with out helps sometimes for the soft drink itself, which she needs to to needs she which itself, drink soft the for

- compro utterly in outset,

ger, specializing in trendy subcultures. He He subcultures. trendy in specializing ger, tattoo. And she suffers an addictive craving craving addictive an suffers she And tattoo. selves, right from the the from right selves,

- journalist/blog a as power and fame for incised upon her wrist as a sort of glowing glowing of sort a as wrist her upon incised - them find protagonists

money from shady accomplices, he strives strives he accomplices, shady from money veloped the tech. Its logo is permanently permanently is logo Its tech. the veloped Beukes’s four narrators/ four Beukes’s

able young women or seeking to borrow borrow to seeking or women young able - de that company soft-drink the for ment

his family. When he isn’t seducing vulner seducing isn’t he When family. his - agrees to become a sort of living advertise living of sort a become to agrees - cyberpunk fiction.… cyberpunk

(for the moment) he has been cut off by by off cut been has he moment) the (for and her strength. But in return for this, she she this, for return in But strength. her and scribed as a latter-day latter-day a as scribed

Moxyland Moxyland - de be can able to return there, despite the fact that that fact the despite there, return to able ic surgery that greatly enhances her health health her enhances greatly that surgery ic

lege; and he knows that he will always be be always will he that knows he and lege; - genet cutting-edge receives She “branded.”

- privi of background a from comes He career, she is persuaded to literally become become literally to persuaded is she career,

themselves. Toby is really just slumming. slumming. just really is Toby themselves. nological control. In order to further her her further to order In control. nological

and the media, far more than they serve serve they than more far media, the and enough to have willingly embraced tech embraced willingly have to enough -

cannot help serving the corporations corporations the serving help cannot manipulation. But Kendra herself is naïve naïve is herself Kendra But manipulation.

they ostensibly work. But in the end, they they end, the in But work. ostensibly they cessed images and its susceptibility to total total to susceptibility its and images cessed

rations and media organizations for which which for organizations media and rations - pro perfectly its with digital, the of tyranny

and they feel no loyalty toward the corpo the toward loyalty no feel they and - light in.” All this is meant as a rebuke to the the to rebuke a as meant is this All in.” light

both confessedly out only for themselves, themselves, for only out confessedly both where the canister has cracked and let the the let and cracked has canister the where

on being nonconformist rebels. They are are They rebels. nonconformist being on coffee-cup rings, or arcs of white on white white on white of arcs or rings, coffee-cup

themselves on harboring no illusions and and illusions no harboring on themselves colour, blotches and speckles and stains like like stains and speckles and blotches colour,

alistic ones. These hustlers congratulate congratulate hustlers These ones. alistic bleached, washed out, over-saturated with with over-saturated out, washed bleached,

their destinies than are the earnest, ide earnest, the are than destinies their - cident; they are “over- and under-exposed, under-exposed, and “over- are they cident; Hyperbolic tool; she is forced to give up all her preten- may well be that such zombie personalities, sions to independence. Her own cynicism shuffling on despite being already dead, are Futures and avarice are no match for those of her the only forms of selfhood that we are still (cont. from p. 13) corporate overlords. able to imagine, and that we can still hope In a certain sense, Moxyland is a fero- to inhabit, in a neoliberal world of universal cious deconstruction of the entire cyber- cynicism and privatized social control. punk genre. Cyberpunk largely works In Moxyland, all these character types through the negative charisma — call it a and the social relations among them are sort of hipness or coolness — of the outsider mediated through mobile phone technol- figures who are its protagonists. These char- ogy. Mobile phones are cheap enough and Moxyland is a fero- acters descend from other dissident figures portable enough to be widespread even in cious deconstruction of the in popular culture: the noir detective, with the poorer parts of the developing world. entire cyberpunk genre. his world-weary integrity and detachment; A mobile phone is a quintessentially per- the hipster of the Beat Generation; the sonal device; and yet at the same time it In the degraded world of punk-rock rebel, with his gleeful nihilism; functions as a node in a wide-ranging, Moxyland, every gesture, corporate-controlled network. In Beukes’s from every position, is the outlaw computer hacker. But in Beu- extrapolation, the mobile phone is both immediately co-opted by kes’s novel, all these figures are drained of an essential marker of personal identity an endlessly malleable their negativity. Hipness and coolness no and a means of corporate intervention, corporate culture. longer have any allure. There’s nothing left of such attitudes but a capacity for self-de- surveillance, and control. In the world of lusion, propping up an easily commodified the novel, your phone is really your life; facade. In the degraded world of Moxyland, you need it for much more than talking, every gesture, from every position, is im- texting, and Web surfing, for your mobile mediately co-opted by an endlessly mal- phone defines, guarantees, and regulates leable corporate culture. All the characters’ who you are. The powers you possess and acts of rebellion unsuccessful; but to call the limitations to which you are subject are them futile or merely empty fashion state- all registered on your SIM card. The phone H ments would be to underestimate the de- is used for all commercial transactions, gree to which these acts actually work to replacing both cash and credit cards. You 14 intensify and help reproduce the corporate literally can’t go anywhere without it: for it order that the novel depicts. locks and unlocks doors, in lieu of keys and Nonetheless, the most impressive thing security codes, and it determines the plac- about Moxyland is the way that Beukes es to which you are permitted or denied manages to create a real degree of empa- access. And of course, your phone allows thy for all four of her protagonists, even as the authorities to track your location at all she exposes them as hypocrites, poseurs, times and contains an electroshock device, and fools. As I was reading the book, I felt which the police can use to incapacitate sympathetically sad and sorry for Kendra; you at will, from a distance, by inducing I warmly identified with Tendeka’s passion something like an epileptic seizure. for justice, even as its self-delusion became Beukes thus imagines the mobile phone [T]he most impres- more and more apparent; I enjoyed follow- as a device allowing for the postmodern ex- sive thing about Moxyland ing the zigzags of Toby’s sly and sleazy self- tension of South Africa’s notorious apart- is the way that Beukes publicizing maneuvers; and I couldn’t help heid-era “pass laws.” These laws required manages to create a real admiring Lerato’s bitchiness, stubbornness, non-white people to carry “pass books” degree of empathy for all and general take-no-prisoners attitude — as with them at all times, which determined four of her protagonists, well as her underlying awareness of just how where they were allowed and not allowed even as she exposes them precarious her situation of relative privilege to go. In this way, the mobility of nonwhite as hypocrites, poseurs, is. That is to say, I invested emotionally in people could be strictly regulated. In the and fools. all four characters, at the same time that I near-future, post-apartheid South Africa remained acutely aware of how the novel of Moxyland, these passes have become was framing them as empty stereotypes, universal, at the same time that they have following predetermined and long-worn- been virtualized. Now your phone deter- out scripts. Moxyland turns largely on the mines electronically where you may and tension between its demystification of may not go; there is no more need for ac-

these character types and its continued use tual papers. And the mobile phone makes

of them as residual forms of subjectivity. It its discriminations on a post-­apartheid, n

n

State University. State

literature and film at Wayne Wayne at film and literature

Detroit where he teaches teaches he where Detroit

resides with his family in in family his with resides

from Yale in 1981 and now now and 1981 in Yale from

. He earned a PhD PhD a earned He . Patrols

Doom Doom fiction theoretical the

culture. He is the author of of author the is He culture.

society, and consumer consumer and society,

ary theory, the networked networked the theory, ary

- liter cinema, modernism,

- post philosophy, on widely

tural critic who has written written has who critic tural

- cul a is Shaviro Steven

3, 287–302, 2003. 287–302, 3, Review, Centennial

CR: The New New The CR: in Afrofuturism,” on Considerations “Further Eshun: Kodwo

hyperobjects.html

http://ecologywithoutnature.blogspot.com/2011/02/unprimed-emergence-of-

. http://ecologywithoutnature.blogspot.com

Morton. Timothy

Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, MN, 2003. MN, Minneapolis, Press, Minnesota

. University of of University . Society Network the in Live to Means It What or, Connected, Shaviro,

Bantam, NY, 1992. NY, Bantam, Crash. Snow Stephenson. Neal

15

. Bantam Spectra, NY, 1998. NY, Spectra, Bantam . Noir Jeter. W. K.

i . Gollancz, UK, 2005. UK, Gollancz, . Forces Market Morgan. K. Richard

. Jacana Media, 2008; Angry Robot Books, UK, 2009. UK, Books, Robot Angry 2008; Media, Jacana . Moxyland Beukes. Lauren

Reading List Reading

present moment. moment. present

are already astir within our our within astir already are

that that — yet altogether real altogether yet

from the present. the from

merely incipient, incipient, merely — tialities

that are already already are that — ent, yet altogether real altogether yet ent, altogether, by making it indistinguishable indistinguishable it making by altogether,

- poten certain to us point

- incipi merely — serve it seem determined to efface futurity futurity efface to determined seem it serve potentialities certain to

to happen. And yet they they yet And happen. to

cial speculation and the technologies that that technologies the and speculation cial us point they yet And happen. to likely

inevitable, nor even likely likely even nor inevitable,

urgent necessity, at a time when finan when time a at necessity, urgent - are of course neither inevitable, nor even even nor inevitable, neither course of are

are of course neither neither course of are es

convinced that fictional speculation is an an is speculation fictional that convinced Forces Market and Moxyland like novels

- Forc Market and Moxyland

and by the state security forces. I remain remain I forces. security state the by and by projected futures hyperbolic The like novels by projected

human populations. human weapons, both by the revolutionary public public revolutionary the by both weapons, The hyperbolic futures futures hyperbolic The

dustry also serve to regulate and manage manage and regulate to serve also dustry been used as organizing tools, and even as as even and tools, organizing as used been

necessary to contemporary finance and in and finance contemporary to necessary - even as I write, where mobile phones have have phones mobile where write, I as even

precise, point-by-point control that are so so are that control point-by-point precise, Think of the situation unfolding in Egypt Egypt in unfolding situation the of Think

such technology, the same “flexibility” and and “flexibility” same the technology, such ity may become sites of social struggle. struggle. social of sites become may ity

spread out more and more widely. With With widely. more and more out spread technologies and new forms of subjectiv of forms new and technologies -

more precisely articulated, even as they they as even articulated, precisely more dystopian, it suggests ways in which new new which in ways suggests it dystopian,

The meshes of control become finer and and finer become control of meshes The kind of counter-tendency. Even at its most most its at Even counter-tendency. of kind

factors as income and corporate status. status. corporate and income as factors everything, speculative fiction works as a a as works fiction speculative everything,

case, with reference to such ever-changing ever-changing such to reference with case, sion of everything, and draw profit from from profit draw and everything, of sion

everything, and thereby to take posses take to thereby and everything, by case fly, the on made are they stead, -

invest in everything, to give a price to to price a give to everything, in invest - In categories. racial crude in grounded

time when speculative finance tends to to tends finance speculative when time longer no are exclusion and inclusion of

astir within our present moment. At a a At moment. present our within astir Decisions basis. “individualized” strictly n Bread and Butter Lite ual. She is eventually rescued by Mae, who doesn’t understand or believe what Shayna Destination: Future, edited by Z. S. Adani and Eric T. Reynolds is telling her, only seeing her taking foolish risks. In the end Shayna forces the same Hadley Rille Books, February 2010, 316 pages, $15.95 experience onto Mae, even though Mae Reviewed by Karen Burnham repeatedly yells at her to stop. Mae is al- Destination: Future is an anthology that most shattered by the experience, but in does just what it says on the tin. Edited by the end it seems that Shayna has made it Z. S. Adani and Eric T. Reynolds, it consists into a positive experience for them both. I The wide variety of twenty-one stories (seventeen originals didn’t like this story: I felt that its ending makes for entertaining and four reprints) that are all set in the fu- endorsed shockingly unethical behavior, reading, but taken col- ture. Aside from that, it is hard to view the even if it is sex-positive. However, it’s clear lectively it seems to lack a stories as part of a more coherent design. that there’s enough meat on the story to be strong center. There are stories here that are about science able to argue with it, which is more than or pure adventure, near-future or far-future, can be said of most. set on far away planets or here on Earth. The anthology hits a serious nadir with The wide variety makes for entertaining Michael Burstein’s story, “Hope.” This story reading, but taken collectively it seems to cannot be argued with, only scorned for its lack a strong center. atrocious characterization and collection Most of the stories (perhaps inevita- of clichés strung into a plot. Samantha bly) fall into a category that I label using Jones is the hereditary captain of a gen- a phrase from Joanna Russ’s old F&SF re- eration starship, but: “She kept asking the view columns: “routine, unoriginal, mildly engineers about lowering the gravity, and interesting, and readable.” They are bread- they kept giving her the same runaround, and-butter stories for the sf aficionado. explaining to her why the laws of physics Only a few evoked a stronger response made it a difficult proposition, if not im- when I read them, either positive or nega- possible. She would nod her head as she The anthology starts H tive. The anthology starts off on a high pretended to understand their byzantine off on a high note with note with Sara Genge’s “No Jubjub Birds explanations.” In every way she is written 16 Sara Genge’s “No Jubjub as if she is a whiny fourteen-year-old, but Birds Tonight.” Tonight.” It sets up a dichotomy between a scientist/inventor who is fascinated with when a time traveler from the future comes the clockwork life forms on an extrater- back to warn of disaster, he insists that “In restrial planet and his guide, who tries to my time…you were remembered as the keep him within her culture’s limits. He most important captain of them all.… We inevitably blunders off and has to be res- never saw you as a victim. The future hailed cued. In the end he learns respect for the you as a hero.” He has to reassure her on planet’s culture, and she comes to appreci- this point because immediately prior to ate his inquisitive nature. The story does a this she has uttered the worst line of dialog nice job of showing the competing inter- I have ever read in a piece of fiction: “No ests at stake when one undertakes scien- one is a victim as much as I am!” She is tific inquiry, and how having patience and upset because she may have to make a dif- respect can lead to useful compromise. ficult decision, although it isn’t difficult at The second story, “The Embians” by all once all the clichés resolve themselves K. D. Wentworth, continues on the theme into a simple solution that makes everyone of scientific inquiry. Two graduate stu- (but the reader) happy. dents are studying the life forms on an- Luckily the anthology takes a turn for other planet. The viewpoint character is the better with Sandra McDonald’s story [I]t’s refreshing that the junior of the two, Shayna, who is by “Watching,” one of the few stories that I this collection feels a bit far the more impulsive. She believes that wish were longer — a high compliment for like an expanded issue of the color flashes of the native life forms a short story. An alien race learns that the Analog — with a greater constitute a true language, but has not yet Earth will soon be destroyed by a comet. diversity of themes, charac- been able to convince her more staid senior They can’t stop the comet, but they can ters, and authors.… colleague, Mae. So Shayna goes haring off evacuate any humans who want to leave. on her own into the dangerous jungle with However, in their culture there is no pri-

a colored lamp and proceeds to bond with vacy, and everyone can see what anyone

the locals in a way that is evocatively sex- is doing at any time. To give Earthlings a n

n

their histories reveal? histories their

Cont. on p. 19 p. on Cont.

while, Liam careens through his mundane mundane his through careens Liam while, be more.) Just how much intersection will will intersection much how Just more.) be

- Mean it. with up bound ineluctably haps all but says “stay tuned,” I expect there will will there expect I tuned,” “stay says but all

- per and one human the as old as least at is out in a future book? (Since the epilogue epilogue the (Since book? future a in out

X-Files crew. It’s a war that we come to see see to come we that war a It’s crew. X-Files themselves inside out. How will they play play they will How out. inside themselves

the Fey, and a sort of Vatican version of the the of version Vatican of sort a and Fey, the the novel these twinned wars have turned turned have wars twinned these novel the

an enigmatic war between fallen angels, angels, fallen between war enigmatic an he did not know was his. By the end of of end the By his. was know not did he

this one one this — ing partisan in another struggle another in partisan ing it will at last connect him with a history history a with him connect last at will it

- unwill an him make however, does, It to control what seems only a lawless id, id, lawless a only seems what control to

the Irish Republican Army. Republican Irish the festing as a secret shame, Liam’s battle battle Liam’s shame, secret a as festing

ther radicalized and primed for work in in work for primed and radicalized ther - Mani trajectory. opposite an takes war

- fur is he where camp, prison Kesh Long Meanwhile, the shadowy supernatural supernatural shadowy the Meanwhile,

spending years interned in the infamous infamous the in interned years spending time quite late in the book. the in late quite time

political strife. It cannot keep him from from him keep cannot It strife. political Liam must ask himself this for the first first the for this himself ask must Liam

from becoming embroiled in his country’s country’s his in embroiled becoming from

olic worth more than a dead Protestant? Protestant? dead a than more worth olic their very selves. selves. very their

It gives him no license. It cannot keep him him keep cannot It license. no him gives It

- Cath dead a Is torment. moral addiction, other, and people within within people and other,

glimpsed and only, it seems, under duress. duress. under seems, it only, and glimpsed

psyche, where it becomes something else: else: something becomes it where psyche, divide people from each each from people divide

rear him. Liam’s secret is something half- something is secret Liam’s him. rear world into the hushed interior of Liam’s Liam’s of interior hushed the into world and family that work to to work that family and

other than the working-class people who who people working-class the than other ments of class, religion, religion, class, of ments increasingly worms its way from the outer outer the from way its worms increasingly

identity and heritage make him more and and more him make heritage and identity - entangle profound the at their very selves. Ireland’s sectarian crisis crisis sectarian Ireland’s selves. very their

hell of a closet case. His supernatural supernatural His case. closet a of hell …gets …gets Honey and Blood Of people from each other, and people within within people and other, each from people

and one one and — ghetto, Liam is secretly a fairy a secretly is Liam ghetto, religion, and family that work to divide divide to work that family and religion,

most as an illiterate kid from a Catholic Catholic a from kid illiterate an as most at the profound entanglements of class, class, of entanglements profound the at

its unlikely hero in Liam Kelly. Known to to Known Kelly. Liam in hero unlikely its the human war it treats of when it gets gets it when of treats it war human the

tasy. Set in 1970s Northern Ireland, it finds finds it Ireland, Northern 1970s in Set tasy. does a service to to service a does Honey and Blood Of

- fan urban an above, the from infer can you and probably a sin to boot. to sin a probably and — burden

is, as as is, Honey and Blood Of Leicht’s Stina

the extent that it fragments his life, it is a a is it life, his fragments it that extent the 17

his enemies, he sometimes embraces it. To To it. embraces sometimes he enemies, his like maniacs. like

i that his difference can be wielded against against wielded be can difference his that quick to see a slight. And they drive drive they And slight. a see to quick

partially handicapped by it. To the extent extent the To it. by handicapped partially fickle in their allegiances. They’re They’re allegiances. their in fickle

life partially shielded by his ignorance and and ignorance his by shielded partially life Fairies: they don’t like metal. They’re They’re metal. like don’t they Fairies:

Reviewed by Paige Clifton-Steele Paige by Reviewed

Night Shade Books, February, 2011, 319 pages, $14.99 pages, 319 2011, February, Books, Shade Night

Of Blood and Honey (Fey and the Fallen), the and (Fey Honey and Blood Of Leicht Stina by

Wars Turned Inside Out Inside Turned Wars n Roundtable Blog. Roundtable

magazine's magazine's Locus of editor the

story that opens up a realm of possibilities possibilities of realm a up opens that story She has recently taken over as as over taken recently has She impression in the mind of the reader. the of mind the in impression

. . Futura Salon and SFSignal, with 100% accuracy. He also delivers a a delivers also He accuracy. 100% with does little to leave a strong strong a leave to little does Future tination:

Strange Horizons, Horizons, Strange as such

nology, and political realities of the agency agency the of realities political and nology, - Des routine, of level the below) falling (or

fiction and fantasy for venues venues for fantasy and fiction

myself, and Barretta nails the culture, tech culture, the nails Barretta and myself, -

However, with so few stories rising above above rising stories few so with However,

years she has reviewed science science reviewed has she years

exploration of Mars. I work for NASA NASA for work I Mars. of exploration found in that august digest these days. days. these digest august that in found

engineer. For the past few few past the For engineer.

is a near-future story dealing with NASA NASA with dealing story near-future a is

characters, and authors than is usually usually is than authors and characters, Space Center as an electrical electrical an as Center Space

Angel of Mars” by Michael Barretta. This This Barretta. Michael by Mars” of Angel with a greater diversity of themes, themes, of diversity greater a with — Analog She works at NASA Johnson Johnson NASA at works She

comes my personal favorite story, “The “The story, favorite personal my comes tionally a fiction reviewer. reviewer. fiction a tionally tion feels a bit like an expanded issue of of issue expanded an like bit a feels tion

Finally, towards the end of the book book the of end the towards Finally, - avoca and engineer an ally stories. So it’s refreshing that this collec this that refreshing it’s So stories. -

- vocation is Burnham Karen larly well done here. well larly be dominated by near-future Earth-based Earth-based near-future by dominated be

drama of the intimate setting is particu is setting intimate the of drama - Today’s sf short fiction market tends to to tends market fiction short sf Today’s

decisions about their future. The personal personal The future. their about decisions thing too much to point them out here. out them point to much too thing

they’d rather not and have to make tough tough make to have and not rather they’d

or two in the story, I enjoyed the whole whole the enjoyed I story, the in two or

100% accuracy. 100%

ar submarine, the crew finds out things things out finds crew the submarine, ar

cians, and if I happened to spot a plot hole hole plot a spot to happened I if and cians, agency [NASA] with with [NASA] agency

- nucle submerged a On anywhere. scene

human astronauts, Martian life, and politi and life, Martian astronauts, human - political realities of the the of realities political

of a Panopticon, able to look in on any any on in look to able Panopticon, a of

ries do. There’s a quantum-brained robot, robot, quantum-brained a There’s do. ries culture, technology, and and technology, culture,

all communications devices into terminals terminals into devices communications all

- sto short many too as down closing and Barretta nails the the nails Barretta

taste of what they’re in for, they transform transform they for, in they’re what of taste with its ending, as opposed to narrowing narrowing to opposed as ending, its with n Lovely Disturbances The Universe of Things, by Gwyneth Jones Aqueduct Press, January 2011, 279 pages, $18. Reviewed by Nisi Shawl

When I grow up I want to be Gwyneth out spoiling the lovely disturbances they’ll Jones. I want to have won the Philip K. cause in your mind I can’t cite each specific Dick Award for Life and to have shared story in which these particular contradic- the first Tiptree ever for a trilogy which tions appear. makes its readers believe that in the near But there are others.… future we’re all going to emulate diaper- “In the Forest of the Queen,” Universe’s wearing, vermin-infested, cleft-palate alien opener, initiates readers into a fairyland marsupials, because that’s who will con- populated by sexualized singing frogs and quer the planet, and that’s how colonialism big-eyed androgynous beings with shim- works. mering wings: a fantasy? A hyper-real future But at age 55 I could arguably be con- based on universally distributed computing sidered a grown-up. Perhaps I am who I’m power and ubiquitous virtuality? going to be already. In which case I still “Red Sonja and Lessingham in Dream- have the pleasure of reading Jones, admir- land” brings together two icons of imagi- ing her audacity, and reviewing her latest native fiction: heroic Lessingham of E.R. book, The Universe of Things. Eddison’s late-Renaissance-inspired Zimi- CERN provided Aqueduct Press with amvian trilogy meets the pulp-inspired a colorful poster diagramming cosmologi- warrior maiden Red Sonja in a therapeutic cal developments from the Big Bang to virtual reality. The story sticks fairly close to the present. Within covers thus cheerfully the perspective of the “hollow-cheeked and H decorated, this book collects fifteen sto- bloated” (p. 36) woman playing Red Sonja’s ries dating from 1988 through 2007 and role. And perhaps also, as her doctor hints, 18 running from one page to thirty-five (for the part of her rapist, Lessingham? more novella-length pieces see The Buon- “Grazing the Long Acre” first leads its arotti Quartet, also from Aqueduct). “Iden- readers to the gradual realization that the tifying the Object,” “Collision,” “Blue Clay narrator is a sex worker who’s sinking fast Blues,” and the book’s title story all have into run-of-the-mill danger, facing the loss ties to the Tiptree-worthy Aleutian tril- of a life the exact opposite of picturesque. Time is certainly not uni- ogy alluded to above. They are powerful, Then, while she cruises prosaically flat Pol- directional: not in reality, beautiful, wonderful in conception and ish freeways, we find her encountering a and not in The Universe execution. “The Eastern Succession” harks serial killer? A self-made social worker? A of Things.… back to Divine Endurance and Flowerdust, crimelord’s victim-cum-enabler? A Ma- novels set on a Malaysian peninsula trans- donna? A chthonic feminine force rising Ghosts can originate in the formed by global warming and world eco- from regions deeper than Christianity’s future as well as the past, nomic collapse. Or perhaps “Succession” teachings? or from moments never ris- harks forward rather than back. Time is In his introduction to Universe, critic ing above mere potentiality. certainly not unidirectional: not in reality, Steven Shaviro writes of the tension be- and not in The Universe of Things. tween Jones’s characters. Power dynam- As Anna, journalist narrator of “Iden- ics are a staple of these stories, but what tifying the Object” notes, crucial events remains with me after I’ve finished them foreshadow themselves; as Peenemunde is the tension between myself and the au- Buonarotti, inventor of a method of in- thor’s effects. Again and again I was pulled stantaneous trans-galactic travel tells her across boundaries, from the mimetic to the interviewer in “Collision,” “there is no fantastic, from the assumptive to the un- duration” (p. 111). Ghosts can originate in anticipated inevitable, from the past to the the future as well as the past, or from mo- future, the living to the dead. A Virgil of ments never rising above mere potential- the sfnal cosmos, Jones guided me through

ity. Sometimes the spectral characters are The Universe of Things with a sure tread and

less problematic than the mundane. With- a firm grasp. n

n

serving their long-suffering love in a time time a in love long-suffering their serving

Ohio.

- pre pair, storybook another are woman, College in Yellow Springs, Springs, Yellow in College

Liam’s parents, the puca and the human human the and puca the parents, Liam’s She is an alumna of Antioch Antioch of alumna an is She

poems from time to time. time. to time from poems litical organization, and self discovery. self and organization, litical

tion book club, and writes writes and club, book tion - po violence, female to rise gave that nity

- fic science feminist a runs

which of our old ballads still scan. scan. still ballads old our of which - commu the from men of loss large-scale

house for schizophrenics, schizophrenics, for house

have joined us from an earlier age, and and age, earlier an from us joined have of Ireland at the time, in which it was the the was it which in time, the at Ireland of

graveyard shift at a boarding boarding a at shift graveyard

see which of our modern monsters may may monsters modern our of which see his child. This seemed an inverted mirror mirror inverted an seemed This child. his

in Seattle where she works works she where Seattle in

and juxtapose it with old stories to to stories old with it juxtapose and — war reminding us that she was pregnant with with pregnant was she that us reminding Paige Clifton-Steele lives lives Clifton-Steele Paige

— contemporary contemporary his tormenting inner voice are united in in united are voice inner tormenting his trated of urban horrors urban of trated

rarely remembers her as a person; he and and he person; a as her remembers rarely - concen most the face to willingness the

of Irish folklore does it a disservice. Liam Liam disservice. a it does folklore Irish of What Stina Leicht brings to the genre is is genre the to brings Leicht Stina What

I think that the book’s reliance on tropes tropes on reliance book’s the that think I Now that combination is less startling. startling. less is combination that Now

catalyzes male melodrama. In this instance, instance, this In melodrama. male catalyzes . . Oaks the for War in life urban temporary

as-clay, a figure of sentimental pathos who who pathos sentimental of figure a as-clay, - con and fairies Irish-style combined she

comes here something of a maiden-cold- a of something here comes Emma Bull shocked fantasy fans when when fans fantasy shocked Bull Emma us from an earlier age.… earlier an from us

- be She pregnant. unaccountably rather doesn’t take kindly to the message. the to kindly take doesn’t monsters may have joined joined have may monsters

raped, murdered, and and murdered, raped, — character dies early dies character isn’t so bad after all. Predictably, the church church the Predictably, all. after bad so isn’t to see which of our modern modern our of which see to

juxtapose it with old stories stories old with it juxtapose to auxiliary roles. Sadly, this interesting interesting this Sadly, roles. auxiliary to message that their centuries-old nemesis nemesis centuries-old their that message

and and — war contemporary politically ferocious but restricted restricted but ferocious politically — of his secret demon-hunting sect with the the with sect demon-hunting secret his of time

— — trated of urban horrors urban of trated one scene, he goes earnestly into a meeting meeting a into earnestly goes he scene, one the problems of Republican women of the the of women Republican of problems the

- concen most the face to perplexingly slight in his motivations: in in motivations: his in slight perplexingly has married. She, in some part, exemplifies exemplifies part, some in She, married. has

the genre is the willingness willingness the is genre the his stock origins. However, he remains remains he However, origins. stock his understandably wary of the creature she she creature the of wary understandably

What Stina Leicht brings to to brings Leicht Stina What Leicht is sometimes able to elevate above above elevate to able sometimes is Leicht bitious, and forgiving of foibles, but she is is she but foibles, of forgiving and bitious,

the demon-hunting Catholic priest, whom whom priest, Catholic demon-hunting the - am intellectually savvy, politically smart,

Father Murray is that familiar creature, creature, familiar that is Murray Father and wife and god; Mary Kate, his wife, is is wife, his Kate, Mary god; and wife and

19

warfare might reduce a person to. person a reduce might warfare own life, prodded on by love of home home of love by on prodded life, own

the kind of human rubble that guerrilla guerrilla that rubble human of kind the of believability. Liam is a shambler in his his in shambler a is Liam believability. of i

— — of characters, drawn with varying degrees degrees varying with drawn characters, of though, is a distinctly modern character modern distinctly a is though,

has only a handful handful a only has Honey and Blood Of inhospitable to love. Liam’s friend Oran, Oran, friend Liam’s love. to inhospitable

t t

Wars Turned Inside Ou Inside Turned Wars (cont. from p. 17) p. from (cont.

future, the living to the dead. the to living the future,

inevitable, from the past to the the to past the from inevitable,

sumptive to the unanticipated unanticipated the to sumptive

Guest of Honor. of Guest

- as the from fantastic, the to

she will be WisCon 35’s 35’s WisCon be will she

boundaries, from the mimetic mimetic the from boundaries,

. In May May In . Identity Racial and and then some. Everything new. Now. new. Everything some. then and

and again I was pulled across across pulled was I again and

WisCon Chronicles 5: Writing Writing 5: Chronicles WisCon

Things of Universe The duration. without

and the author’s effects. Again Again effects. author’s the and

and editor of of editor and Feminism, and

I grow up, I want all her stories at once, once, at stories her all want I up, grow I

is the tension between myself myself between tension the is

tion, African American Voices, Voices, American African tion,

it. Since I can’t be Gwyneth Jones when when Jones Gwyneth be can’t I Since it.

with me after I’ve finished them them finished I’ve after me with - Fic Science Butler, E. Octavia

only you’re only smart enough to realize realize to enough smart only you’re only

these stories, but what remains remains what but stories, these Strange Matings: Matings: Strange anthology

I want what I believe you want, too, if if too, want, you believe I what want I Power dynamics are a staple of of staple a are dynamics Power coeditor of the forthcoming forthcoming the of coeditor

somebody. . She is is She . Times Seattle The for

has reviewed science fiction fiction science reviewed has But each of them has been seen before by by before seen been has them of each But

Jr. Award. Since 1999 Shawl Shawl 1999 Since Award. Jr. there were those I had never seen before. before. seen never had I those were there

2008) won the James Tiptree, Tiptree, James the won 2008)

come from widely various sources. True, True, sources. various widely from come

(Aqueduct Press, Press, (Aqueduct House Filter

is that every story is a reprint. True, they they True, reprint. a is story every that is

Nisi Shawl’s story collection collection story Shawl’s Nisi My one complaint about this collection collection this about complaint one My n Romantic Lesbians with Robot Fingers Steam-Powered: Lesbian Steampunk Stories, edited by JoSelle Vanderhooft Torquere Press, January 26, 2011, 376 pages, $13.95 (US) Reviewed by Liz Henry

Steam-Powered: Lesbian Steampunk Sto- sleeplessly, sensing the electric currents of ries tells of trains and zeppelins, clockwork people and raping suicidal, desperate pros- and angst — in Manhattan, Prague, Guay- titutes and slumming rich ladies. Wow, it’s ana, Luxor, New Orleans, San Francisco, powerful. North Africa, Dimashq, Akbarabad — in “Clockwork and Music” by Tara Som- tales that slip outside of imperialist power [T]ales that slip outside of mers also has major trauma potential as structures to see them from multiple per- imperialist power structures two young inmates of an insane asylum to see them from multiple spectives, or that look somewhere else en- fall in love and discover the horrible, but perspectives, or that look tirely. It’s not only not full of Fail, it’s lovely almost forgivable, secret of the kind doctor somewhere else entirely. and very exciting! at its head. I’m not sure how this story got Several writers explore relations between to me, but something echoed deeply in the rather down-to-earth women and women aura of doom generated as its depressed who are far more privileged, seeming like heroine undergoes her queer awakening, princesses of steampunk: the spoiled teen- her adoration of the meteorically brilliant, ager on a train in Georgina Bruce’s “Bril- manic inventor girl, and her discovery of liant”; the business owner who loves her the underlying failures of much that passes employee but fails to recognize her mo- for health care. tivations in life in Matthew Kessel’s “The Mikki Kendall’s “Copper for Trickster” Hands that Feed”; the obsessed inven- made me think of the sadness of Omelas tor CEO from Beth Wodzinski’s “Suffer turned inside out. Women and girls stolen H Water.” They slam up hard against their own from lesbotopia are enslaved, beaten, and Fail and the failures of power and privilege, raped by male alien invaders. The heroine 20 sometimes redeeming themselves, but more furthers her beloved’s plan for revolution often crashing and burning. and escape — a bargain with a trickster “Steel Rider” by Rachel Manjia Brown god — and feels the pain of paying a ter- creates a world-between-worlds where rible price for revolution. traumatized women end up on giant scary “Owl Song” by D.L. MacInnes was robot mounts/companion animals and are interesting for its slyness. Its charmingly vigilantes in the deserts of the US West. I enthusiastic, dissatisfied inventor, Aphra, wanted that story to last forever. It made goes to Guyana to do some research into me go, “Oh, yeah, that’s right. That’s just “aluminium.” There, she has very colonial how it is!” N.K. Jemisin’s “The Effluent- En feelings about the “jungle wild” “savage” gine” stars a secret agent from Haiti, Jessa- ladies. This gave me some unease, but the line Dumond, searching New Orleans for story makes the Guyana ladies’ view of the an engineer who can extract methane fuel privileged zeppelin-building white girl from sugar cane waste; this story, too, filled come through. When Aphra looks around me with the satisfying sense that history Georgetown confusedly wondering where had actually happened in just this way. the bauxite is (Well, Brazil has it!) I had The prize for most perturbing lesbian sex to laugh. At first I identifed with Aphra, scene(s) and bleak, rage-filled politics goes so oppressed for her gender and queer- to “Under the Dome” by Teresa Wymore. ness and geeky passions, then was suck- After a bitter war devastates North Africa, er-punched once she got to Guyana and the world sends its criminals and political ignored her landlady and mentor’s advice. prisoners to an enormous factory ghetto. In Don’t get me wrong; Steam-Powered a domed city in the wasteland, the prison- isn’t all about the trauma. There’s plenty of ers and their descendants are grafted with adventure, escape, and joy — even the slip- animal cells so that every kind of job has pery, swoony kind of ecstasy where people

an ideal hybrid. The story’s anti-heroine lick fruit off each other and spasm and

is a shark hybrid who cruises the streets jackknife and drown and slide and do all n

n

Bingo card courtesy of Liz Henry Liz of courtesy card Bingo

geekfeminism.org.

founder of feministsf.net and and feministsf.net of founder

London authorities

dolls

and technology, and is a co- a is and technology, and

Clefts isn't that hating PTSD

Clockwork

about feminism, writing, writing, feminism, about Anywhere Tribadist-

bookmaniac.org, she blogs blogs she bookmaniac.org,

for Aqueduct Press. At At Press. Aqueduct for SF

Vol. 3: Carnival of Feminist Feminist of Carnival 3: Vol.

Inventors faces

The WisCon Chronicles, Chronicles, WisCon The edited

Looms Zeppelins Betrayal

Obsessed Smudged

She She Horizons. Strange and

, , Metropolis Fantastic Cipactli,

terly, Poetry Flash, Two Lines, Lines, Two Flash, Poetry terly,

owners PONIES! pistols - Quar Lodestar in articles and

"quim"

business ROBOT jeweled Revolution poems, translations, stories, stories, translations, poems,

word The

Small OMG Little Liz Henry has published published has Henry Liz

overseers

waifs eyes

factory Thighs Brawling

Feverish Green

Cruel

rage

percha

colonial Bombazine Aluminium Libraries

Gutta-

Post-

LESBIAN STEAMPUNK BINGO STEAMPUNK LESBIAN

21

i

read “Reflections,” study up on Vaucanson, Vaucanson, on up study “Reflections,” read

an actual human being. human actual an more history than I do, you might want to to want might you do, I than history more

manticism is oppressive when inflicted on on inflicted when oppressive is manticism within stories. Unless you know much much know you Unless stories. within

- ro her late too realizes poet, dreamy the French, Urdu, Greek tongues; and stories stories and tongues; Greek Urdu, French,

thing you love is itself obscured.” Hessa, Hessa, obscured.” itself is love you thing fifty years; three cities; a mountain pass; pass; mountain a cities; three years; fifty

and fantasy. fantasy. and

neath layers and layers of desire until the the until desire of layers and layers neath politics intertwine across a hundred and and hundred a across intertwine politics

infuse a gem with dreams dreams with gem a infuse

- be it hide and — books berries, horses, (a sort of divine clockwork jewel people) people) jewel clockwork divine of sort (a

is a skilled jeweller who can can who jeweller skilled a is

— — of something you yourself find beautiful find yourself you something of French, Mughal, Maratha, and Devangari Devangari and Maratha, Mughal, French,

fect. …its heroine, Hessa, Hessa, heroine, …its fect.

while asleep. I loved this line: “only think think “only line: this loved I asleep. while ter Jahanara and Maitresse Vaucanson. Vaucanson. Maitresse and Jahanara ter

- per just was Waves” the

like a perfect poem its owners can explore explore can owners its poem perfect a like

between the Lady Emperor’s robot daugh robot Emperor’s Lady the between -

Amal El-Mohtar’s “To Follow Follow “To El-Mohtar’s Amal

thing she creates is a hologram of memory, memory, of hologram a is creates she thing into an intensely political lesbian romance romance lesbian political intensely an into

fuse a gem with dreams and fantasy. Each Each fantasy. and dreams with gem a fuse happy. The story’s pattern reaches clear clear reaches pattern story’s The happy.

- in can who jeweller skilled a is Hessa, taking notes, which made me supremely supremely me made which notes, taking

in Dimashq (Damascus), and its heroine, heroine, its and (Damascus), Dimashq in three times and think about it deeply while while deeply it about think and times three

Follow the Waves” was just perfect. It’s set set It’s perfect. just was Waves” the Follow stories within stories. stories. within stories driven looms. I had to read Narayan’s story story Narayan’s read to had I looms. driven

Urdu, Greek tongues; and and tongues; Greek Urdu, be blown away, but Amal El-Mohtar’s “To “To El-Mohtar’s Amal but away, blown be the history of pre-Jacquard punch-card- pre-Jacquard of history the

mountain pass; French, French, pass; mountain history and beauty, I didn’t expect I could could I expect didn’t I beauty, and history flections” had me frantically looking up up looking frantically me had flections”

fifty years; three cities; a a cities; three years; fifty After that orgy of awesomeness and and awesomeness of orgy that After the clockwork jewel of the anthology. “Re anthology. the of jewel clockwork the -

across a hundred and and hundred a across

much more awesome! more much by Shweta Narayan. It’s an intricate story, story, intricate an It’s Narayan. Shweta by

people) politics intertwine intertwine politics people)

punk lesbians, who make everything everything make who lesbians, ­ punk steam gum’s Reflections” is an alternate history history alternate an is Reflections” gum’s

divine clockwork jewel jewel clockwork divine

Now I know it…with the added joy of of joy added the it…with know I Now stand out especially. “The Padishah Be Padishah “The especially. out stand -

and Devangari (a sort of of sort (a Devangari and

was to connect his empire with Tipu’s. Tipu’s. with empire his connect to was The last two stories in in stories two last The Steam-Powered

French, Mughal, Maratha, Maratha, Mughal, French,

Napoleon’s ambition as he invaded Egypt Egypt invaded he as ambition Napoleon’s

What could be better? be could What

Begum’s Reflections”… Begum’s

then reread it. Also, I did not know that that know not did I Also, it. reread then

except with clockwork brass robot fingers. fingers. robot brass clockwork with except

[In] “The Padishah Padishah “The [In]

Tipu, Jahanara, and Chhatrapati Shivaji, Shivaji, Chhatrapati and Jahanara, Tipu, the things romantic lesbians do in texts, texts, in do lesbians romantic things the On Time Susan Simensky Bietila

I’m writing about artwork after sustain a narrative. My older son had been spending three days during the past to an elementary school that used Assertive week at the massive demonstrations Discipline, a behaviorist method used to in Madison, Wisconsin. It was a manipulate students into compliance with complete surprise to find myself in perceived rewards and punishments, while this epicenter, as I am in the Teach- presenting a stultifying, watered down cur- ers Union. My “day job” is as School riculum. My son, who was driven by a pas- Nurse at a Milwaukee Public High sion to learn, rebelled. My younger son had School. (I have been doing political been vomiting daily after being forced to artwork since the mid 1960s, but as eat lunch in 10 minutes, as teachers count- we all know, doing leftist political ed down the minutes throughout the meal. artwork is not a family-supporting Schools should teach Critical Thinking, job.) Collective Bargaining gives learning a joyful process of discovery, and Teachers and School Support Staff, meals should be a relaxed social experience, who have students’ interest at heart, a say but this clearly was not happening. The in how schools are run. Teachers Unions whole family researched Assertive Disci- are the strongest voice against corporate pline and was active against these abuses interests who are working hard to priva- with some success. tize all education in the U.S. On Time is When I presented the On Time series a series of five color prints — etching and for critique to the Graduate Art Faculty, aquatint. Starting with children being the comments ranged from clueless to vi- timed as they eat, disciplined to live by the cious. They had nothing good to say about clock, and forced out into a dismal world the content, but admitted that the five H of nuclear industrially polluted despair. It pieces did comprise a narrative. One could 22 is about indoctrination to live according to not understand why anyone would want the constraints of industrially conceived to do political art. Another said that I in- time. In this dystopia, Obedience trumps tellectualized too much, and that real art Critical Thinking when it comes to educa- should not be so premeditated. The third, a tion for the masses in the ever narrowed Postmodernist Critical Theory expert, said test-driven model of life. that she could not see how I could claim I can identify several strands that made that Foucault had any influence. The series this series possible. I started taking gradu- was instantly popular on campus and pub- ate classes in printmaking in the late 1980s lished initially in the Cream City Review, after several decades with no access to a the college literary magazine. Individual press. My family was living collectively plates were later published on the cover of with graduate students who were read- Anarchist Studies and continue to travel as ing Foucault. I read Discipline and Punish part of the renowned show Paper Politics. the same year as my husband organized a Since doing On Time, I have contin- Summer reading group on Utopian and ued to do serial narratives, as prints, in Dystopian Science Fiction — a weekly dis- nontraditional photographic media and cussion and pot luck dinner on our front documentary photography, with series on porch. Attended by upwards of 30, gradu- political street theatre. Then I met up with ate students in fields from Physics to Ar- artists from World War 3 – illustrated maga- zine, and they invited me to draw stories. chitecture as well as English and Foreign My next story will be about the events in Languages, environmental activists and Madison. I began curating shows in the anti-war organizers, punk band musicians 1990s, co-curated Drawing Resistance – and transgender activists, as well as our a d.i.y. traveling art show, which went to two pre-teen sons participated. 32 cities across the US and Canada from I was struggling to gain mastery over 2001-2004, and co-curated Graphic Radi-

Featured Artist the use of metaphor while keeping my art cals, 30 years of art from World War 3 –

work pointed and political. My goal was to ­illustrated, traveling now. n

n

www.worldwar3illustrated.org

. 2 Volume Chronicles, WisCon The the in appears work

She is noted for her World War 3 comics series. Her Her series. comics 3 War World her for noted is She

photography, collage, guerilla theatre, and installations. installations. and theatre, guerilla collage, photography,

a variety of media including drawings, prints, comics, comics, prints, drawings, including media of variety a

with social justice groups and movements. She works in in works She movements. and groups justice social with

Susan Simensky Bietila is a visual artist who collaborates collaborates who artist visual a is Bietila Simensky Susan

23 i New Spring Releases from Aqueduct Press

Conversation Pieces No. 30 The Bone Spindle Poetry and short fiction by Anne Sheldon

The WisCon Chronicles, Vol. 5 Writing and Racial Identity edited by WisCon 35 GoH Nisi Shawl

Never at Home by L. Timmel Duchamp

$4.00

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