i don't have time for this - issue 1: let's give this a shot
Hey all!
First things first, thanks for subscribing! Or reading this on my archive 3 months later! You're here and that's what matters. I started this as I start many things in life - as a joke on twitter. Hey what if I reviewed short things and called it "i don't have time for this shit" well... here it is. I'm going to use this as a way to write about and recommend short media - meaning short stories: sci-fi, fantasy, horror and music: EPs, singles, that kind of thing.
I'm going to mostly be talking about "new" short stories, meaning anything published in 2021. I'll save the list of what magazines I'm reading everything in for another issue. But for now let's get into it!
Most of these are available free to read online, but please subscribe to support the magazines if you can:
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Where Oaken Hearts Do Gather by Sarah Pinsker - Uncanny - Probably the only story you will ever read written in the format of comments on a folk songs wikipedia. Non-traditional formats run the risk of being gimmicky for gimmick's sake, but the way this story lulls you in with its web posting pablum makes the subtle hints at what is going on very creepy.
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The Failed Dianas by Monique Laban - Clarkesworld - A gorgeously written story about personality identity versus family expectations. I don't want to say much about this one for fear of blunting the impact - but it has just really stuck with me since reading it. Wouldn't be surprised if this gets awards attention.
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Terra Rasa by Anastasia Bookreyeva, translated by Ray Nayler - Clarkesworld - A heavy piece that tells of a post-apocalyptic Russia beset by firestorms, entire cities burned into ash. An interesting format, with the majority of the story following a character riding on a train, passing through scenes of horror, but with possible salvation at the destination. The story reminded me a bit of Cormac McCarthy's The Road with its theme of carrying on in spite of bleakness. The ending is ambitious in a great way - I read it as hopeful. I definitely assumed the protagonist was a woman while reading the story but I found an interesting tweet by the translator after reading where he mentions that the main character is not gendered at all in the English version, but has male grammatical endings in the original Russian.
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Delete Your First Memory for Free by Kel Coleman - FIYAH - Have to pay for this one but FIYAH is an excellent speculative fiction magazine publishing stories by and about black people. Subscribe to it! This one in particular is a cute story about a memory erasure service and social anxiety. I've read a lot of people wanting more uplifting science fiction during these times and here's a great example.
Just one quick music recommendation this time: The incredible Pleasure Venom's latest single "Fascist" - I have a feeling we will be getting another record from them this year and I cannot wait. Cathartic, ripping, kick ass punk:
Thanks for reading everybody,
-Rob