Unwelcome Bodies
Writer: Jennifer Pelland
Genre: Short Stories/Science Fiction/Horror
Pages: 247

When I heard Pelland was releasing a short story collection, I was very excited. Granted, I’ve only read two of her short stories, but the one really stuck with me. Pelland has a smooth, clean writing style and her story ideas can really knock a person on their ass.

Unwelcome Bodies is a collection that focuses on a variety of issues: the environment, religion, and terrorism, and the one thing that unites these stories is the character’s body image and how they fit into the world/society around them. Each of the stories are different and unique, and most all of the stories balance a wonderful blend of science fiction and horror. This collection is an easy one to recommend.

The full story-by-story review, which does include spoilers in some cases, is in my journal. As always, comments and discussion are most welcome.

REVIEW: Jennifer Pelland’s UNWELCOME BODIES

Happy Reading!

Shara Saunsaucie

Apricot Brandy
Writer: Lynn Cesar
Genre: Fantasy/Contemporary
Pages: 300

I was really looking forward to this book. Intriguing title, beautiful cover, and a lesbian protagonist, the latter of which is super-cool, since JUNO has so far published romantic fantasy, so if the protag was a lesbian, I was guaranteed something different. And speaking of different, this modern fantasy takes place in a small town somewhere in the west, using Mayan mythology to boot.

It should’ve been awesome. It wasn’t. To say I was disappointed is an understatement.

The full review where I rant and rave and spoil the heck out of the book is in my journal. As always, comments and discussion are most appreciated.

REVIEW: Lynn Cesar’s APRICOT BRANDY

Happy Reading!

Shara Saunsaucie

Jennifer Pelland is one twisted writer. I should start by admitting upfront that I’m a fan of her stories and have been for a while. So when I was offered the chance to review Unwelcome Bodies, her upcoming collection , I jumped.

Many short story collections, even single author collections, are arranged around a theme. I don’t think Pelland had to hunt around for hers much. All of the stories in the collection deal very distinctly with the body - it’s limitations, desires, and possibilities. Even many other stories of hers that didn’t make it into the collection (like Dazz and Mercytanks) are about the cutting up of or the living out of one’s body, respectively.

The first eight stories in the collection have been previously published. The second one, “Big Sister/Little Sister,” made the biggest impression on me. It’s part horror, part scifi. It is unflinching, but not gory. One of the things that Pelland often does best is to keep the language simple whenever possible. The story carries enough weirdness on its own without having to get into detail about this near future world. The hideousness is in the humans, not the technology.

Similar in tone is “Captive Girl,” one of the other standout stories. It’s on the preliminary Nebula ballot, for good reason. It’s both terrifying and touching – a powerful story. In her notes, Pelland writes that she was thinking “about how terrified I was at the thought of total captivity…And because I’m a sicko, I turned it into a love story.” I can’t describe it any better myself.

“The Call” is told in the second person, and it’s one of those stories that just works, partly because of how short it is.

“Flood” was the only story that really left me cold. It’s confusing, and the end happens too fast. I’m not sure it accomplishes what it is trying to do. In fact another story, “Songs of Lament” seems to be everything “Flood” wanted to be, and to do it faster and sharper, with a brilliantly interesting premise. I was amazed at how short “Songs of Lament” really was when I went back and looked at it. It’s an example to short story writers of how to put volumes into just a few hundred words.

“Brushstrokes” is the grand finale, one of the longest and most absorbing stories in the collection. It does the opposite trick that “Big Sister/Little Sister” does, in that the story it tells is an old one (though still a cautionary tale) but it’s the ethereal world Pelland creates that draws you in. It is an earth-worshipping culture that lives among clouds and air – or not, depending on your caste. Each morning the main character must paint his face before going out, reminding us of other cultures that require certain segments of the population to cover themselves before being seen in public.

Unwelcome Bodies comes out on Feb. 29th. You can order in online from Apex Books here.

So it’s taken me forever to get this list together, and for that I apologize. I’m going to divide this post into two categories: novels and YA. I’ll make a separate post for short stories. In the future, I think it’ll be easier for me to post a review per book, but for now, let’s go with the list.

–Shara Saunsaucie

Novels

In War Times
Writer: Kathleen Ann Goonan
Genre: Science Fiction/Alternate History
Publisher: Tor
Summary: World War II soldier Sam Dance attracts the attention of a beautiful and brilliant physicist, whose has plans for a device could change the very tide of the war and make the world a better place.
Review: I absolutely loved this book. It’s something you really have to sit down and take your time with, but Goonan’s use of both jazz theory and quantum theory is marvelous, and the story that unfolds is fascinating. I’d love to see this book nominated for a Hugo. For the full review, please click here.

The Hidden Worlds
Writer: Kristin Landon
Genre: Science Fiction/Romance
Publisher: Ace
Summary: Linnea’s need to help her sister leads her to uncover a secret about the Pilot Masters and her family’s involvement with them. Thinking this secret could help her save her family, Linnea gives up everything to go to the Pilot Master’s world, only to learn that what drove humanity away from Earth in the first place has found humanity and is destroying its colonies, one planet at a time.
Review: There’s lots of interesting elements to this book. Fans of Catherine Asaro’s Skolian Empire series will enjoy the romantic elements between Linnea and Iain, as well as the relationship between a pilot and his ship. Landon has created some very interesting cultures where women are second-class citizens–which gives Linnea a chance to rise above those challenges and change peoples’ minds–and the plot’s pretty solid. And while its never explicitly stated, I got the impression there was a diverse ethnicity in these characters as well as the settings. Like I said, lots of interesting elements. For a full review, click here.

Hurricane Moon
Writer: Alexis Glynn Latner
Genre: Science Fiction
Publisher: Pyr
Summary: There’s something unusual about the newly colonized world of Green, and it may have something to do with its planet-sized moon, which is covered with water and constant hurricane activity.
Review: I really wanted to like this book, but it fell flat. The characters were unbelievable and acted more like children than professional scientists, and there’s never any real resolution to anything that happens. Rather than answering the big questions about the planet and its moon, the story centers more with a resolution concerning the main characters and their romantic relationships, which would’ve been fine, had those relationships been believable in the first place. For a full review, just click here.

Not Flesh Nor Feathers
Writer: Cherie Priest
Genre: Horror/Dark Fantasy
Publisher: Tor
Summary: The Tennessee River rises, and so does the dead. Reluctant medium Eden Moore has to figure out what they want, before they over run the city of Chattanooga.
Review: While this is the final book in Priest’s Eden Moore trilogy, it can easily stand on its own. But if you’re like me and can’t stand reading books out of order, get your hands on Four and Twenty Blackbirds and Wings to the Kingdom respectively. Why? Priest is fantastic with setting, atmosphere, mood. The stories are good and creepy, with lots of ghosts, murders, dark magic, and what really makes the books different from other books in the genre is that the heroine is biracial, and that plays a major role the books, particularly the first. Interested? Reviews are here for Four and Twenty Blackbirds, here for Wings to the Kingdom, and here for Not Flesh Nor Feathers.

Maledicte
Writer: Lane Robins
Genre: Dark Fantasy
Publisher: Del Ray
Summary: Kushiel’s Dart meets The Count of Monte Cristo, only there’s far more bloody revenge in this book than graphic sex. In order to avenge her childhood lover’s kidnapping, Miranda transforms herself into Maledicte, a bloodthirsty courtier, whose need for revenge is fed by a goddess who wants nothing more than to destroy.
Review: I can’t compare this to other girl-transforms-into-boy-to-survive-medieval-setting types of stories, as I haven’t read them, but I’m not sure those stories take the gender disguise quite as far as Robins does. Miranda, as Maledicte, is truly male, a self-perception that never slips except during certain sexual encounters, and only in front of those who know that Mal really is a girl. Even then, you’re so convinced of Mal’s masculinity that it’s hard to see him as anything but. The characters are dark, flawed, and total anti-heroes, but you can’t help but be fascinated. It’s a dark, violent book, but the sex itself is tame. For a full review, click here.

Keeping It Real (Quantum Gravity Book 1) 2007 US RELEASE ONLY
Writer: Justina Robson
Genre: Science Fantasy
Publisher: Pyr
Summary: Experimental cyborg Lila Black is assigned to guard elf rock-star Zal, only to learn there was more to the accident that made her a cyborg, and to fall in love with the insufferable elf that she can’t stand, all thanks to the Game.
Review: This is a really fun book that blends SF and fantasy elements quite well. There’s lots of humor, lots of pop-culture references, and frankly, this book is a lot of fun. It gets in touch with the inner-teenaged girl while still telling a good, adult-sized story. For a full review, just click here.

Selling Out (Quantum Gravity Book 2)
Writer: Justina Robson
Genre: Science Fantasy
Publisher: Pyr
Summary: Lila Black is sent to Demonia to learn just how exactly elf rock-star Zal became part demon, and it all goes to hell from there.
Review: Very different from the first, Keeping it Real, as there’s no sex or romance. But it develops the overall story with far more detail. We learn more about everything and everyone, which is great, but the book is more set-up than anything. Still a good read for those who enjoy the first. The full review, including spoilers, is here.

The Hollower
Writer: Mary SanGiovanni
Genre: Horror
Publisher: Leisure
Summary: A group of individuals are all haunted by a faceless being called The Hollower, and they must band together to defeat it or go mad alone.
Review: If you ever get a chance to hear SanGiovanni read, TAKE IT. That’s what made me get this book, because she’s such a damn good reader. The book isn’t bad, definitely a old-school horror in that there’s a single monster and everyone has to band together to fight it, but I’m not easily scared. Like, at all, so it didn’t scare me. But the writing’s good, and if you’re a fan of horror, you should check it out. For a full review, which does include spoilers, please click here.

Kitty Takes a Holiday
Writer: Carrie Vaughn
Genre: Paranormal Fantasy
Publisher: Warner Books
Summary: The third book in the Kitty series finds Kitty retired into the mountains, in a cabin, trying to write her memoir while she tries to cope with the events of books one and two. She’s struggling to find something human to hold on to, and the call of the wild is getting too tempting. It doesn’t take long for misfortune and adventure to find her, between the ritualistic sacrifices left on her doorstep to Cormac coming to her for help with their lawyer, Ben.
Review: I enjoyed it a lot, though it started out a bit slow. This book has a more similar feel to the tone and atmosphere of book one, which is a good thing, and the end just about broke my heart. For the full review, click here.

YA

Wicked Lovely
Writer: Melissa Marr
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Harper Teen
Summary: Rules: do not supposed to stare, speak to, or attract the attention of invisible faeries, and while Aislinn can see them, and she’s always followed rules, the faeries have discovered her anyway, and won’t rest until she gives them what they want.
Review: It’s a great debut. Not your typical romantic teenaged urban fantasy either, and that I really appreciated, because the story manages to break those rules. I read this book is less than 24 hours, it was that enjoyable, though admittedly, I’m not familiar with faery stories, so I also had no expectations. Still, it’s a great read. For a full review, which does include spoilers, please click here.

Uninvited
Writer: Amanda Marrone
Genre: Paranormal Fantasy
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Summary: Jordan’s dead ex-boyfriend isn’t dead at all. He’s become a vampire, and he wants her back. All she has to do is invite him through her bedroom window, and the way her life’s been going lately, that may not be such a bad idea…
Review: This book is less about vampires and more about a teenaged girl who’s screwed up and has to decide whether or not to give in to her misery or fight to get her life back on track. Michael, the dead ex-boyfriend, is merely the impetus for that decision. This is definitely not one of those vampires-are-beautiful-and-girls-can’t-resist-them books either, so don’t worry. For a full review, which does include spoilers, please click here.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Writer: J.K. Rowling
Genre: Fantasy
Summary: I think we can do without the summary on this one, yes?
Review: Satisfied with the conclusion of the series, though there were plenty of problems with the book. For a full review, which does include spoilers, click here.

And that’s it from me for today. I’m working on a list of 2007 short stories (anthologies, mags, and online) that I’ve read this year, and hopefully, I’ll get that posted soon. Cheers!

Taking a trip on the wayback machine, here are the stories authored by women that were published online in the early months of 2007:

Abyss & Apex Issue #21: 1st Quarter 2007

• Bittersweet by N. K. Jemison
• The Memory of Touch by Karen Swanberg
• Ten New Metaphors for Cyberspace by Cat Rambo

Abyss & Apex Issue #22: 2nd Quarter 2007

• Hour By Hour by Lindsey Duncan
• Weepers and Ragers by Aliette de Bodard
• The Devil You Know by Heidi Wessman Kneale

Aeon Issue #10

• Ex Muro by Dana William Paxson
• The Scarecrow’s Bride by Marina Fitch
• The City in Morning by Carrie Richerson
• Dia Chjermen’s Tale: The Delmoni Atrocity by Kij Johnson
• Another Saturday Night in Georgia by Lorelei Shannon

Chizine Issue #32

Snow for Flowers by Leslie Claire Walker

Clarkesworld
Issue #4

• Orm the Beautiful by Elizabeth Bear
• Automatic by Erica L. Satifka

Issue #5

• Attar of Roses by Sharon Mock

Issue #6

• Something in the Mermaid Way by Carrie Laben

Flurb
Issue #3

• The Last Young Person Alive Writes a Memoir by Charlie Anders
• No Place to Raise Kids by Eileen Gunn

Issue #4

• Anxiety Branson, Social Security Hustler by Charlie Anders
• Mountain Memory by Penelope Thomas

Helix Issue #3

• “Addy In My Mind“ by Eugie Foster
• “Starry Night“ by Samantha Henderson
• “The Narcomancer“ by N.K. Jemisin
  

IGMS Issue #4

• Wisteria by Ada Brown
• Approaching Zero by Kelly Parks

Jim Baen’s Universe Vol 1 Num 5

• War Stories by Elizabeth Bear
• The Spiral Road by Louise Marley

Lone Star Stories Issue #19

• Neighbors by Nina Kiriki Hoffman
• Chimaeras by Jenn Reese

Strange Horizons

• Locked Doors by Stephanie Burgis
• Before Paphos by Loretta Casteen
• Godtouched by Sara Genge
• Somewhere in Central Queensland by Grace Dugan
• Three Days and Nights in Lord Darkdrake’s Hall by Leah Bobet
• Dead. Nude. Girls. by Lori Selke
• Foam on the Water by Cat Rambo
• Horatius and Clodia by Charlie Anders
• Harvest by Joanne Merriam

The Cafe Irreal Issue #21

• Three Stages in Learning to Fly by Vanessa Gebbie

The Town Drunk

• Haunting Clues by Maria Schneider
• Sufficient Cause by Tina Connolly
• Crow by Stephanie Burgis

 Coyote Wild

• Dazz by Jennifer Pelland
• The King of Elfland’s Stepdaughter by Barbara Gordon
• Strange Playmates by Laura Anne Gilman

This is not the entirety of the online fiction world, of course, but this is a pretty comprehensive list. If you think I’ve missed an important market, let me know in comments.

One more thing — please click through the market links and take a look at the ratio of male to female published stories. It’s very enlightening.

Tempest

While we here at the SFBookswap are mostly interested in swapping books (you’d never have guessed, right?) our main goal is to call attention to fiction written by women. There’s a lot of fiction that one won’t find in books or print magazines, and a lot of it is really good. So here’s a list of fiction written by women that you can find online. If I’ve missed any, please let me know in the comments. If you’ve reviewed any of these stories (or will do so), please drop us a link in the comments so I can include it in our review roundup.

Strange Horizons

What the Thunder Said, by Lavie Tidhar
Painted, by Becca De La Rosa
Ferryman’s Reprieve, by Kate Bachus
Fella Down A Hole: Unlikely Patron Saints, No. 2, by Amy Sisson

Ideomancer – Vol. 6, Issue 1

Green and Dying by Sonya Taaffe
Scrapbook by Karen A. Romanko
Snow Melt by Marcie Tentchoff

Jim Baen’s Universe

Midnight at the Quantum Cafe by K. D. Wentworth
ETA: Redemption of Nepheli by E. Sedia

Chiaroscuro – Issue #32

Snow for Flowers by Leslie Claire Walker

Abyss & Apex – 2nd Quarter 2007

Hour By Hour by Lindsey Duncan
Weepers and Ragers by Aliette de Bodard
The Devil You Know by Heidi Wessman Kneale

Heliotrope

A Godmother’s Gift by January Mortimer
Galatea by Vylar Kaftan
Fasti by Sonya Taaffe

Darker Matter

Dearest Etruria, by Toiya Kristen Finley

Helix – Spring 2007

Pretty Little Thing by Sara Genge
Mercytanks by Jennifer Pelland