Hey there, fellow readers. May’s story recommendations are in. This time, Uncanny Magazine has made its mark on the list. It’s been a while since I really dived into Uncanny’s magazine, and back then, their stories didn’t really hook me. Either my taste has changed or I just didn’t give them enough of chance back then, because they’ve quickly become on of my favorite magazines. Last month, several of their poems made the list (and I’m not generally a poetry guy), and this time it’s some of their shor stories.
Also, Uncanny’s magazine is great. A bit of award info, an author interview, but none of it so long it distracts from the main event, the monthly podcast stories and poems.
Now let’s get to it: this month’s stories:
War of the Worlds: Final Take by Bruce McAllister (DSF):
This is a very, very short story. There’s not really any character or emotion to engage with, but it was a pretty funny take on how bureaucracy and other everyday annoyances could stop alien invaders from bothering conquering Earth.
Your Eyes, My Beacon: Being an Account of Several Misadventures and How I Found My Way Home by C.L. Clark (Uncanny):
Uncanny is perhaps the magazine I’ve been recommended the most in recent years, and if the big awards are any indicator of where good SF&F is to be found they are definitely the must-read magazine of the last couple of years. And yet, I visit their homepage way too seldomly. I’ve woved to change that many times before, but some reason or other never pulled through. Until now.
One factor that probably made this things different this time around was that he first story I read when reading through the magazine was this beauty: “Your Eyes, My Beacon: Being an Account of Several Misadventures and How I Found My Way Home”.
At its core, it’s a pretty straight forward love story, though, a well-crafted one. On top of that, though, it’s layered with a pretty interesting speculative element in the form of the mystical lighthouse keeper. Furthermore, the love story is given a good deal of originality as the two main characters are not the sort of people you would expect to find leading a romantic plot. Overall, it combined into a great story.
The Apples by Mari Ness (DSF):
Another flash piece that doesn’t have much in the form of plot or characters. But I loved were the author took the Snow White story. The story is about what happens when the evil queen dies and what she might leave behind for her servants to find.
Lily, The Immortal by Kylie Lee Baker (Uncanny):
Another Uncanny story where the author’s creativity where the speculative idea rather than the plot or characters was what made the story worthwhile.
Here, the science fiction element comes in the form of the MC’s deceased loved one who has formed the basis of an AI copy coming back to “haunt” the MC. It’s an idea that has been used a million times in the last couple of years, yet Kylie Lee Baker still manages to take it new places.
She combines the immortal AI copy with corporate greed and influencer culture. It makes for a surprisingly fresh and interesting story, exploring the MC’s grief as she realizes a corporation has recreated her dead influencer girlfriend as an AI to make a little extra money.
The plot is so-so, and the story ends rather abruptly with no real resolution, and yet it was still a great read.
That is it from me. I hope I see you around in June.
Toby Backman 