Reading, reading, and mostly out of any kind of order that would be comprehensible to anyone. I’ve seen a couple of very good Holly Black stories this year, one in Realms of Fantasy and one in Steve Berman’s So Fey (the most thought provoking anthology I’ve read this year). Some nice, sensible person should do a collection of Black’s short fiction, and soon. I’ve also been dipping into Ellen Datlow’s issue of Subterranean, which features two of the most disturbing stories I’ve read all year. Terry Bisson’s “Pirates of the Somali Coast” haunts me from my first reading, and last night I read Mary Rickert’s “Holiday”. Damn that story gave me the creeps. I don’t think I’ll tell you why, but buy the issue now and check it out. Both of these stories belong in a year’s best, but I don’t know if I can. We’ll see.
I also read John Barnes’ novelette, “An Ocean is a Snowflake, Four Billion Miles Away” over at Baen’s Universe, which I liked quite a bit. I’ve read a couple reviews that described the story as sort of dry and not involving, but I didn’t see it. I mean, you’ve got a trek across a Martian desert while the planet is being bombarded by an ice comet, and a flashback to the story of a boy who rode his bicycle around a comet. What more could you want? If the story has a flaw for me, it might be a bit overlong, which is something I notice more and more these days. Stories could be tighter, more intense, and usually lose about 30% of their length. Barnes is better than that, but still… The story did make me think about science fiction and the ‘sense of wonder’. Too many of the stories I’ve been reading treat their sfnal elements in a knowing or somewhat arch manner, allowing that this or that is a metaphor for something else. It’s nice to just read SF for a change.
I’ve also been finishing up the September Asimov’s. There’s a good Nancy Kress story, “By Fools Like Me”, which is a great example of how excellent writing and strong storytelling can make a reasonably predictable idea work very well. Kress has had a bunch of very good stories out this year, and this another. I also very much liked Ted Kosmatka’s “The Prophet of Flores”.
Hmm. More soon.
Hi Jonathan,
Still in Japan till tomorrow but keeping up on email and blogs as I can. I’m glad you reacted the way you did to those two stories–yup. They’re pretty “awful” in the good way-I’m taking the Rickert for YBFH#21 but also doubt I can take the Bisson….we’ll see at the end of MY year.
3 out of 5 for that Barnes, from me.
Kress does seem to be doing well at the moment.
My favorite from that one is Robert Reed’s ‘Caldera of Good Fortune’.
How so “thought provoking” in the case of “So Fey”?
Thanks for the kind words about So Fey.
I echo your sentiments about Holly’s work.
Holly also has a story in the summer issue of Endicott’s Journal of Mythic Arts – it’s a piece she first started many years ago, when we both worked together at a publisher, that she recently un-trunked and polished with plenty of sharp edges.
I also bought a very grim short story from her for Magic in the Mirrorstone, a YA fantasy anthology that releases in February.
I really loved that Holiday story – very very creepy and on kind of a topic I am oddly well informed on. Really a good one!
Not so much with the other Sub Press story you mention but that’s probably a format thing – although, it was also oddly disturbing.
Mmm, Ted Kosmatka must be promising. I haven’t read the one you mention, but I loved his debut story, “Bitterseed”, last year.
Ellen, The more I think about “Holiday”, the more I think it meets all of the criteria for great fiction. It’s smart, it’s beautifully written, and it’s confronting as hell. I was really uncomfortable reading it, and can’t say I *enjoyed* the experience, but I think it’s terrific. Terry’s story is challenging and difficult in a different way. I don’t know if anyone is going to like or love it, but it passes one of my criteria for great stories: I remember every detail of it, and I read it months ago. You really did a great job with the special issue of Subterranean! – Jonathan
Hi Blue – I think I liked Barnes’ story better than you, but the impression I get reading your comments is that you really respond strongly to stories with a density of gosh wow/sense of wonder stuff, which something like “Verthandi’s Ring” has in spades. The Barnes is a much older type of story, but I think it has a lot to offer. I liked the Reed, too. – Jonathan
Hi Rick – I don’t know how well I can articulate this. I wrote a long post about it for the blog, and then never used it. Basically, as I’ve written elsewhere, I’m a heterosexual white anglo saxon male. In most of the Western world, I’m part of the majority, almost everywhere I go. It’s something that you go through the day unaware of, and I’m sure it underpins your assumptions in ways that you don’t realise. In 1997 I spent a year living in San Francisco’s Bay Area, pursuing my then girlfriend and now wife Marianne, and working for Locus. One summer day we decided to go into the city, and spent a really pleasant afternoon walking through the Castro. It was a great time, and nothing at all untoward happened, but I was constantly aware that my choices and my lifestyle were not the normatives for that area. While I wasn’t suddenly made a part of a minority, I briefly got a tiny glimpse of what it might feel like to be part of one. When I was reading SO FEY, that came back to me very strongly. There are some terrific stories in the book, like Holly Black’s “Coat of Stars”. They challenge those unspoken assumptions that I have, and they provide a window, however, brief, into a world where a different view of the world is dominant. I was struck, while reading, about how strong a thing that was for science fiction, how valuable and necessary it is. Too often, in my experience, a book like this is marginalised as just ‘this’ or just ‘that’, and yet here was a book that actually provided a valuable different view of the world. Hmm. Not sure that makes much sense, but that’s sort of what I meant when I said ‘thought provoking’. — Jonathan
Hi Steve – I want to thank you again for letting me so SO FEY, and will definitely check out the new antho next year – Jonathan
Hi Alisa – I agree. I think it’s an amazing story. Would I run it in a year’s best? I’m going back and forth. My book collects science fiction and fantasy. It’s definitely a horror story, and any horror editor who overlooks it is more than mildly nutty in my book, but I could see using it. Rickert is a very special writer. As to the Bisson, I can see people not liking it, but it’s such a visceral thing. I’ve actually been wondering about Bisson. It’s probably just my own twisted view on the world, but I feel like he’s kind of disappearing from view at the moment, which is a worry. He’s too good a writer to lose. – Jonathan
Hi Peter – “Prophet of Flores” is well worth checking out, and Ted is definitely one of the writers to watch. He only has a small body of work at the moment, but like Jack Skillingstead, Jason Stoddard and a handful of others, he really could develop into a terrific writer. – Jonathan
Jonathan,
I agree completely with you about Terry’s story: I actually didn’t like it at all until I suddenly realized where it was going–then it got totally scary (particularly the ending, if you know what I mean without spoilers)…And I also agree about Terry. Don’t know what’s up with him–maybe he’s writing a novel. Should I have any new original anthologies I’ll be sure to push him to write a new story. You should do so, too.
Ellen – I still don’t like it, I just think it’s terrific. I hope he’s writing a novel, but I also hope someone will collect some of his recent stuff. And yes, I will definitely ask him to be involved. I’m not such a fan of his ‘Billy’ series of stories, but the other stuff he’s done is phenomenal. – J
Actually, I amend what I said: I don’t think “like” is the right word for “Pirates of the Somali Coast.” It’s a horror story and no, I didn’t “like” it –but I think it’s brilliant a brilliant horror story.
Jonathan, you are probably right in that, to some degree.
Not always, but if a story can make you go ‘Wow’, a bit more likely to be memorable, perhaps. As far as SF goes, anyway.
I enjoyed reading the Barnes story as far as that goes, but doubt I will remember it, so to speak.
I thought the Barne’s story was great. I loved the contrast between the friendly rivals; along with their banter. The image of the faithful Baggins & co digging up skis is one that will stick with me alongside all those grander sights. Plus I liked the way the comet was seen through the eyes of a teenager who was more interested in VR games than its topography; yet I still felt a sense of wonder when he talked about it. That was cool, I thought. Especially after reading the story’s final two paragraphs which I won’t describe because that would be spoiling.
Thanks for the kind words.
Thanks for your post about SO FEY. What you describe is, I think, what Spec Fiction is supposed to do.
I hope so. A lot of short fiction doesn’t DO much, and a lot of anthologies are terrific, but don’t have that effect. It’s interesting when they do.
Jonathan, Ted Kosmatka also has a story in the new Ideomancer:
http://www.ideomancer.com/main/ideoMain.htm
JJ Adams’ blog mentions that F&SF just bought one of his stories, too.