#a merc rustad

[readaspecbooks]

February Reads: Aro Short Stories

Kicking off the group and celebrating Aromantic Spectrum Awareness Week this February, we'll be reading four free, online short stories with aro-spec main characters!

These stories are:

“And If The Body Were Not The Soul,” by A. C. Wise

“How My Best Friend Rania Crashed A Party And Saved The World,” by Ada Hoffmann

“How to Become A Robot in 12 Easy Steps,” by A. Merc Rustad

“Nkásht íí,” by Darcie Little Badger

There is a chat open for each story, plus a complete list of the stories voted on available on our Discord server. We'll also be doing the first round of official nominations for March's read within the next few days, so join now!

Discord link is in the reblogs and this account's pinned post. You don't have to be aspec to join, just excited to read and discover new stories.

[saxifactumterritum]

I'm reading 'Transcendent: the years' best transgender speculative fiction', ed. K.M. Szpara, Lethe Press, I think this is 2016? Idk if they still do it but there were other 'years' best', I got this randomly second hand. Anyway I'm reading it slowly cus all the stories are so good and makes me cry on trains. I always seek out stuff by trans people, it's such a hugely different vibe??? Like. We get it. Just read 'When Monsters Dance' by A. Merc Rustad and having like a decade's worth of emotions.

[rooftops-are-for-towels]

Rooftops bestie beloved PLEASE read the raven cycle by Maggie Stiefvater it will change your life

It has magic, gay, found family, magic forests, beautiful themes, the only straight couple you'll care about since percabeth

Do it, trust me on this

FOUND FAMILY......... okay okay okay okay maybe. i am already reading some stuff actually. shay. read "so you want to be a robot?" by merc a. rustad PLS. once im done with this ill see if my library has trc

[statecryptids]

Another Pride Month Book Review!

Transcendent: The Year’s Best Transgender Speculative Fiction

Edited by K.M. Szpara

As literature about exploring and pushing the edges of human experience, it’s not surprising that science fiction and fantasy have always featured characters who are beyond the binary of cis men and cis women.  From L. Frank Baum’s Ozma of Oz, who spent her childhood as a boy; to Virginia Woolf’s titular Orlando, who begins life as a man and wakes up one day as a woman; to the gender-cycling Gethenians of Ursula LeGuin’s The Left Hand of Darkness.

Following in this long legacy, Transcendent is the first in a yearly series of anthologies featuring trans themes and characters.

Many of the stories are poetic and experimental, requiring a slower reading to fully absorb the atmosphere. Often a reader must simply plunge headlong into a tale, trusting that they’ll figure it out as they go, or maybe understand it better on a second reading after the piece has had a chance to sit for a while in their head. The effectiveness of this experimental storytelling method can be very subjective, and while didn’t always work for me, other readers will find more meaning in these esoteric stories.

Other stories, like Bonne Jo Stufflebeam’s Everything Beneath You, have the feel of mythology, as if they were modern translations of tales illustrated on sunbaked clay wall frescos, or in delicate inks across unfolding silk scrolls.

There are, of course, stories that fit into our more conventional notions of science fiction and fantasy. E.Catherine Tobler’s Splitskin is magical historical fiction featuring nonbinary Native characters during the American Gold Rush era. Molly Tanzer’s The Thing on the Cheerleading Squad is a modern take on Lovecraft’s gender-swapping pulp tale The Thing on the Doorstep. Margarita Tenser’s Chosen is a riff on one of the most popular fantasy tropes- you can probably guess which one. Where Monsters Dance, by A. Merc Rustad has veins of metaphor-heavy fantasy films like Labyrinth and The NeverEnding Story.

The Need for Overwhelming Sensation by Bogi Takács is a particularly interesting story about a starship literally powered by the magic generated through the pain and pleasure of a loving BDSM relationship. 

As with any anthology, some stories did not entirely work for me. Holly Heisey’s Contents of Care Package Sent to Etsath-tachri, Formerly Ryan Andrew Curran, for example, is a short piece about a human who transitions into an alien. For me this plot hews a little too close to the “when I was a kid I identified as a velociraptor” rhetoric that transphobes use to try to delegitimize trans identities. But perhaps that’s part of the point of the story?

Transcendent is an important milestone in more direct representation of trans folks in speculative fiction. You can get a copy of this and the other books in the series from Lethe Press.

[wildcards1407]

Travel Documents 127: Humans Wanted

Travel Documents 127: Humans Wanted

by Jody Nye, A Merc Rustad Et Al

Genre:  sci-fi, near-future, social change, cultural change

The Dust Cover Copy

Humans are tough. Humans can last days without food. Humans heal so quickly, they pierce holes in themselves or inject ink under their epidermis for fun. Humans will walk for days on broken bones in order to make it to safety. Humans will literally cut off bits of themselves if trapped by a disaster. You would be amazed what humans will do to survive. Or to ensure the survival of others they feel responsible for. That's the other thing. Humans pack-bond, and they spill their pack-bonding instincts everywhere. Sure it's weird when they talk sympathetically to broken spaceships or try to pet every lifeform that scans as non-toxic. It's even a little weird that just existing in the same place as them for long enough seems to make them care about you. But if you're hurt, if you're trapped, if you need someone to fetch help? You really want a human. Twelve authors provide their perspectives on human ingenuity and usefulness as we try to find our place among the stars. From battletested to brokenhearted, humans are capable of amazing things. Humans Wanted shows not only what we are, but how awesome we can be.

The Scene

Worldbuilding

Oh, this one is such a treat! From the madcap goofiness of DesJardin’s Human Engineering to the deep and poignant exploration of colonialism in Becker’s The Dowager, from the delightfully Pythonesque parody of bureaucracy in Thomas’s New Union Requirement to the shivering awe and terror of Runstad’s Brightened Star, Ascending Dawn, every story in this collection is a little bundle of wonders. In this anthology, the authors really worked at getting us outside of our own human boxes and letting us see the universe through other eyes: amphibious eyes, eyes that see UV light, compound eyes, and eyes that see eternity. From these vantage points, we can learn about ourselves, each other, and maybe a little bit about empathy. And that’s what we need so badly right now.

The Crowd

Characterization

Every story in this motley crew has people you’ll be interested to meet. By far, the most intense and poignant exploration of character was showcased in Dowager, a painfully intimate tale between a colonizing alien on hospice care and her colonized human servant. My favorite cast shows up in WWHD, which was just delightful. I particularly appreciated the ensemble of the aforementioned Human Engineering, along with the characters in Sidekick (which made me happy cry) and No Way This Could Go Wrong (which made me laugh loud enough to scare the cat).

Writing Style

Each of these styles is different, but each one serves its purpose well: to illuminate, to illustrate cultural points, to entertain. And maybe even to open our eyes.

The Moves

Plot

As usual, I’m not diving deep on any specific story. But what I can say is that every plot in this collection is solid, well done, and perfectly timed.

Overall Rating

Such bright stars in this constellation. You’ll be glad to see them all sparkle.

[rooftops-are-for-towels]

WAHOO LETS GO

THREE SHIPS: UHHHH i don't really have three right now i don't think but ones ive enjoyed reading recently are bushmedicine (tf2), ashton & orym (and anyone else) from critical role campaign 3! but the first ones cause i found a really good fic series and the second is one because it has my favorite guys... haven't genuinely shipped in awhile, i just enjoy whatever comes with my favorite characters ^-^

FIRST SHIP: this requires me to remember my first fandom tbh.... i think before anything my introduction to shipping and fandom culture was like, either one piece or homestuck, and im gonna go with one piece because im not ready to face the past. and the ship would have been zosan, i think! more from exposure than anything

LAST SONG: listening through albums right now, so my current one is mouth of the devil by mother mother❤️

LAST MOVIE: uhhh. cinderella man because it was playing in class? last movie i CHOSE to watch was avatar 2. loved the fishies, never saw the first movie. i don't really watch movies!

CURRENTLY WATCHING: ive been putting on critical role in the background for awhile! no actual shows though

CURRENTLY READING: i JUST started "Not So Much, Said The Cat" by Michael Swanwick and just finished "So You Want To Be A Robot" by Merc A. Rustad (or Merc Fenn Wolfmoor) after saving the last chapter for a week or two, and i cannot reccomend that book enough.

CURRENTLY CONSUMING: Music. Cereal-flavored mucus. More music. Ideas.

CURRENTLY CRAVING: been wanting to eat some tomato soup with fried onions for awhile but for once we're out of soup instead of fried onions... it's a cruel world out here

tagging? NONE!!! join in..... these are fun

ooh fun thx for the tag @camelots-daffodil <3

three ships: imma go with the first three that came to mind which are merthur, wangxian, damen x laurent (no there's no pattern here what are you talking about)

first ship: oh god uhh my brain is insisting astrid x des from the waterfire saga which is really random but possibly accurate... the first ship that i properly shipped might have been wesper, if memory serves

last song: charmer by stray kids

last movie: wakanda forever, while waiting for a rescheduled flight two weeks ago lmao

currently watching: gap the series

currently reading: frankenstein for school and loaded march on ao3

currently consuming: food? none i need to go have breakfast lol

currently craving: oh nothing much. the english countryside. some faith in humanity (beyond tumblr ofc bc i love this community). to be free of obligations. an answer to the riddle of gobekli tepe. a good poke bowl. XD

and i shall tag (no pressure): @night-minstrel @i-was--more @constellies @cookies-and-trees @heythereamigos @writersandpoetsunited @muddshadow @hermioneismyrealname @idk anyone lol

[raincoastgamer]

It’s exactly what it says on the cover, and it’s kind of adorable.

Go visit the author A. Merc Rustad.

[tsanasreads]

#ReadShortStories (46 to 50)

The milestone of reaching 50 short stories read for the year comes just as I begin my Hugo reading, with story number fifty coming from the short story shortlist. If you would like to join me in reading the Hugo nominated fiction (or non-fiction etc) then I draw your attention to this post on File 770, which goes through the short list and directs you to where you can read/watch/listen to everything for free or, at least, read an excerpt or watch a trailer. Internal Investigations by Naomi Alderman — This story was interesting in so far as it looked at hacking the mind/body, but not exceptionally original in doing so. It was well written enough to be enjoyable and creepy, which counts for a lot. Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00pbgrk

The Frequency of Compassion by A. Merc Rustad — There were too many very wrong throwaway statements about space/physics for me to enjoy this story. For me they overshadowed what was otherwise a nice story about an agender and neuroatypical protagonist making first contact at the edge of the solar system. Source: https://uncannymagazine.com/article/the-frequency-of-compassion/ The Stars Above by Katharine Duckett — An excellent story, my favourite in the issue so far. A small Kazakhstani village returns to nomadism and living off the grid after aliens invade. The protagonist being a foreigner worked well for the outsider view and the links to family back in the US. Source: https://uncannymagazine.com/article/the-stars-above/ The Things I Miss the Most by Nisi Shawl — An unexpected story essentially about a hallucination generated by a futuristic treatment for seizures. I found it touching and difficult to have a single opinion on, in a good way. Source: https://uncannymagazine.com/article/the-things-i-miss-the-most/ The Rose MacGregor Drinking and Admiration Society by T. Kingfisher — An amusing story about the tables turning on a group of fairies who usually get their way and enjoy leaving humans to pine after them. Short and sweet. Source: https://uncannymagazine.com/article/the-rose-macgregor-drinking-and-admiration-society/ Content imported from Blogger https://ift.tt/2OLOwiF. If you would like to leave a comment, please do so at the aforementioned link.

[bluephone]

More art stuff! Last year I illustrated the banner for Robot Dinosaur Fiction. It was such a fun assignment! I really loved figuring out how all the robotic pieces fit together.

[80booksblog]

REVIEW: A People's Future of the United States, Edited by Victor LaValle

REVIEW: A People’s Future of the United States, Edited by Victor LaValle

By Heather A.

4 out of 5 stars   ★★★★☆

February 5th 2019 by One World

Synopsis:

For many Americans, imagining a bright future has always been an act of resistance. A People’s Future of the United States presents twenty-five never-before-published stories by a diverse group of writers, featuring voices both new and well-established. These stories imagine their characters…

[oshaviolater]

ultimate collection of mostly dark sff short stories that deals with themes like trauma, monstrosity, violence, freedom, love, gender/sexuality expression etc: read 'so you want to be a robot and other stories' by a. merc rustad

[svourvoulias]

Guatemalan and Mexican jarras, used to make and/or serve chocolate, atole and café de olla, hold molinillos and other wooden kitchen  implements. The Guatemalan jarra, on the left, bears the inscription: “No me olvides” (“Don’t forget about me”).

This is the time of year when the timelines of speculative fiction writers and reviewers fill with awards eligibility posts listing stories and novels readers might consider nominating for upcoming Nebula and Hugo awards.

It can be a humbling time for those of us who are slow to write and slow to submit. Many of my colleagues in the field have four or five eligible short stories, and at least one eligible longer piece (novelette, novella or novel); I have only one. And while it is true that I’m not a fantastically prolific fiction writer even in the best years, I know my creative output took a real hit in 2017.

From chatting with and hearing the comments of other Latinx writers, I’m not the only one. The  profound and recurring political threats to our local and national communities, as well as the catastrophic natural events that have impacted us, our friends and loved ones, have taken a toll. Understand — none of us are laying down or laying off, none of us are willingly muting our voices at a time when it becomes more and more urgent to speak out — but writing can feel like slogging through particularly thick and bitter molasses these days.

Still, you know what they say.

One. Story. At. A. Time.

My award nomination eligible short story this year — “Sin Embargo,” published in the anthology Latin@ Rising in January — is among my favorites. It plays across languages. It looks at tough issues of displacement and migration and politically motivated brutality, and still finds a way to speak of love, of hope, and of the radically transformative magic of interpersonal solidarity. It is a bear to read aloud because of all the bilingual homographs, and yet I insist on doing just that at public readings because … well, there is delight to be had in noting difference and similarity and the possibility of wholeheartedly embracing both.

  In “Sin Embargo,” by Sabrina Vourvoulias, the psychology of immigration and asylum collides with inhuman transformation. — Kirkus Reviews

“Sin Embargo” is not, unfortunately, available to read online for those who might want to read it for nomination consideration. But the whole anthology is top-notch and well worth purchasing in print or eBook, and it deserves a a much wider SFF readership than it has had so far.

Latin@ Rising includes wonderful reprint stories from writers celebrated by the SFF community (Junot Díaz, Carlos Hernández, Daniel José Older and Carmen María Machado), along with remarkable original stories by  Latinx literary luminaries that are perhaps less known to SFF-only audiences, like the superb Kathleen Alcalá and Ana Castillo. It also includes the first English-language translation of a short story, “Accursed Lineage,” by Daína Chaviano, who is considered one of the three most important SFF authors writing in Spanish (Argentina’s Angélica Gorodischer and Spain’s Elia Barceló are the other two).

I honestly believe that if Latin@ Rising had been reviewed by SFF-focused review sites, or if it had gotten the attention other, more mainstream SFF anthologies have received this year, many of its stories would already be on people’s Nebula and Hugo nominating lists. I’m particularly fond of “Caridad” by Alex Hernández, “The Drain” by Alejandra Sánchez,”Room for Rent” by Richie Narvaez, and “Flying Under the Texas Radar With Paco and Los Freetails” by Ernest Hogan. (I wish there were an award somewhere for ingenious story titles because Hogan would be a repeat winner. “Pancho Villa’s Flying Circus” in the anthology  We See a Different Frontier is another good one of his.)

Beyond Latin@ Rising

I read a lot of other great short stories this year and no way can I remember them all, but among those that live most vividly in my memory are:

“The Famine King” by Darcie Little Badger (Mythic Delirium)

“Monster Girls Don’t Cry” by A. Merc Rustad (Uncanny Magazine)

“Clearly Lettered in a Mostly Steady Hand” by Fran Wilde (Uncanny Magazine)

“Naranjas Inmortales” by Ezzy Guerrero Languzzi (from the anthology Strange California)

“The Obsidian Codex“ by David Bowles (from his 2017 collection of short stories Chupacabra Vengeance). I think this story is longer than a short story, possibly novelette length? A further word about this collection (which contains my favorite Bowles story, “Wildcat,” originally published by Apex Magazine in 2015): Many of the stories in the collection are very dark and contain horrors beyond the commonplace … a number of them really should be under consideration for a Shirley Jackson award.

“The Corporal” by Ali Bader. All right, this short story isn’t actually eligible for nomination since it appeared (translated) in the 2016 anthology Iran +100, but I only read it this year so, for me, it is identified with this year’s great pieces. I urge you to seek it out simply for the pleasure of reading a beautifully written fantasy with sci fi elements.

As far as 2017 novels are concerned, I haven’t yet read most of the ones that have been mentioned in the overlapping “Best of” lists are being published now. Still, I am hoping that the exceptional “American Street” by Ibi Zoboi is on lots of folks’ award-nominating lists in either the novel or YA categories. And, yes, it is good enough to deserve to be on both at once.

If I can dredge up more recommended reads from my memory banks during this nominating period, I’ll update this post. Stay tuned.

And don’t forget to nominate!

                  2017 awards eligibility and what I’ve loved reading this year This is the time of year when the timelines of speculative fiction writers and reviewers fill with awards eligibility posts listing stories and novels readers might consider nominating for upcoming Nebula and Hugo awards.

[remnantglow]

i’ve been tagged by @littletinydoom to post 9 books i’m going to read this year! thanks for tagging me i love tag games even tho i forget to do them 9/10 times fjngkkj

Ancillary Mercy (Imperial Radch #3) by Ann Leckie, Tone of Voice (Xandri Corelel #2) by Kaia Sonderby and Metaphase (Starfarers #3) by Vonda N. McIntyre - all parts of series i’ve really liked so far and want to continue!

Empire Star by Samuel R. Delany - i just need to read more Delany sooo bad and i happen to already own this one

Ringworld by Larry Niven - i literally only want to read this bc Obsessed with the Big Dumb Object trope like i truly believe in my heart of hearts that it is the scifi trope of all time. “SF Masterworks” who give a shit i just want to see a Big Dumb Alien Object being Cool and Mysterious in space.

Trouble and Her Friends - this book has been on my TBR ever since i made it my life's mission to find all good pre-21st century lgbt sci-fi and it is absolutely unacceptable that i havent read THEE lesbian cyberpunk novel yet i think

The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin - ive been meaning to read the broken earth trilogy for so long but ive been putting it off bc it’s Intimidating akjnkgn it’s time though. this is the year

So You Want To Be a Robot and Other Stories by A. Merc Rustad - ever since i saw one of my friends reading this on storygraph (hi blue) ive been like. 👀👀👀 im a simple person i see robot i click TBR

The Genesis of Misery by Neon Yang - WAS ANYBODY GONNA TELL ME NEON YANG HAS A FULL SPACE FANTASY NOVEL COMING OUT THIS YR i literally found out abt it today. anyway i adore their tensorate series and i’m SO excited for this book <3

tagging @moejra @pontmercy @aroaessidhe @waterdeep @tombsofatuan1970 @fiercestpurpose :] only if u feel like it ofc mwah.

[weirdletter]

The Best of Uncanny, edited by Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas,  Subterranean Press, 2019. Cover art by Tran Nguyen, info: subterraneanpress.com.

This Best of Uncanny anthology collects those two novelettes and many of the other best stories and poems from the first 22 issues of Uncanny Magazine. Naomi Novik plunges you into a delicious fractured fairy tale retelling in “Blessings.” Delilah S. Dawson explores superpowers, harassment, and revenge in “Catcall.” Neil Gaimantakes you along to keep pace with his gorgeous and powerful poem “The Long Run.” Charlie Jane Anders shakes up a haunting cocktail of comedy clubs and love with “Ghost Champagne.” Mary Robinette Kowal weaves a heartbreaking tale of marriage, duty, and magical curses in “Midnight Hour.” N.K. Jemisin ruminates on dangerous fans, awards, and legacy in “Henosis.” Maria Dahvana Headleyslinks into a Classic Hollywood of animal actors and sleazy secrets with “If You Were a Tiger, I’d Have to Wear White.” Catherynne M. Valente travels to a colony world infested with strange psychic cats in “Planet Lion.” Carmen Maria Machado wrestles with predators, identity, and death in “My Body, Herself.” And Seanan McGuire sings a tragic song of misunderstandings and unfortunate consequences with “Ye Highlands and Ye Lowlands.” Those pieces are only the beginning. The Best of Uncanny features some of the uncanniest stories and poetry in SF/F today, by its current leading voices. Sit down and immerse yourself in 44 original science fiction and fantasy stories and poems that can make you feel.

Contents: The Uncanny Valley—An Introduction — LYNNE M. THOMAS AND MICHAEL DAMIAN THOMAS Our Talons Can Crush Galaxies — BROOKE BOLANDER Blessings — NAOMI NOVIK Folding Beijing — HAO JINGFANG, TRANSLATED BY KEN LIU (translator signing, not the author) The New Ways — AMAL EL-MOHTAR (POEM ) Fandom for Robots — VINA JIE-MIN PRASAD Catcall — DELILAH S. DAWSON Wooden Feathers — URSULA VERNON The Long Run — NEIL GAIMAN (POEM ) Heat of Us: Notes Toward an Oral History — SAM J. MILLER Ghost Champagne — CHARLIE JANE ANDERS Translatio Corporis — K AT HOWARD Rose Child — BY THEODORA GOSS (POEM ) The Witch of the Orion Waste and the Boy Knight — E. LILY YU Monster Girls Don’t Cry — A. MERC RUSTAD Midnight Hour — MARY ROBINETTE KOWAL Henosis — N.K . JEMISIN The Persecution of Witches — ALI TROT TA (POEM ) Restore the Heart into Love — JOHN CHU I Frequently Hear Music in the Very Heart of Noise — SARAH PINSKER You’ll Surely Drown Here If You Stay — ALYSSA WONG 肉骨茶 (Meat Bone Tea) — S. QIOUYI LU (POEM ) She Still Loves the Dragon — ELIZABETH BEAR If You Were a Tiger, I’d Have to Wear White — MARIA DAHVANA HEADLE Y archival testimony fragments / minersong — ROSE LEMBERG (POEM ) Sun, Moon, Dust — URSULA VERNON Planet Lion — CATHERYNNE M. VALENTE The Hydraulic Emperor — ARKADY MARTINE Starskin, Sealskin — SHVETA THAKRAR & SARA CLETO (POEM ) Small Changes Over Long Periods of Time — K .M. SZPARA god-date — BRANDON O’BRIEN (POEM ) 7 Auspicium Melioris Aevi — JY YANG Clearly Lettered in a Mostly Steady Hand — FRAN WILDE An Ocean the Color of Bruises — ISABEL YAP Dancing Princesses — ROSHANI CHOKSHI (POEM ) Those — SOFIA SAMATAR Though She Be But Little — C. S. E. COONE Y Children of Thorns, Children of Water — ALIET TE DE BODARD Protestations Against the Idea of Anglicization — CASSANDRA KHAW (POEM ) My Body, Herself — CARMEN MARIA MACHADO Ye Highlands and Ye Lowlands — SEANAN MCGUIRE The Words on My Skin — CAROLINE M. YOACHIM And Then There Were (N-One) — SARAH PINSKER The Sea Never Says It Loves You — FRAN WILDE (POEM ) Pockets — AMAL EL-MOHTAR

[cake-and-spades]

Any recommendations for good aroace poets/poetry?

I don’t know much poetry, but I looove Penny Stirling (aroace and agender, writer/poet). Here’s their poetry tag from their website

And here’s their interactive poem, Stone, that literally made me cry the first time I read it (it’s about being aroace). Not sure if it works on mobile.

I also know there’s some spoken word poetry on YouTube: A Prude’s Manifesto , Realizing I’m asexual

The only other recommendation I know of is A. Merc Rustad/ Merc Fenn Wolfmoor (aroace and non-binary), who is mostly a sci-fi writer but I know they have a few poems published too

If anyone knows any good aro/ace poets or poetry, please add them!!