WELCOME TO DECEMBER PROJECT!boilerplate mission statement intro:for the past two years, i’ve set december’s project aside to do my own version of a short story advent calendar. it’s not a true advent calendar since i choose all the stories myself, but what it lacks in the ‘element of surprise’ department it more than makes up for in hassle, as i try to cram even MORE reading into a life already overcrammed with impossible personal goals (live up to your potential! find meaningful work! learn to

***A Series of Steaks by Vina Jie-Min Prasad***This story was nominated for Best Novelette for both, the Hugos and Nebulas in 2018.Helena wanted to study art in university, but that didn’t work out for spoilery reasons. She had to leave Hong Kong and does now design artificial beef for a company in Nanjing, using a false identity.When she accepts a job by an anonymous client and hires a help for work, her past is catching up with her.This is very well written short fiction with good worldbuildin...

Review for A Series of Steaks by Vina Jie-Min PrasadAnd the winner for odd titles goes to... a very meaty story. Fun. Humorous. Odd. I am not entirely sold on the concepts behind the story, but the world building and characterizations were top-notch for such a short piece. Hugo Awards 2018 Novelette NomineeI didn‘t like her other Hugo Award nominee quite as much, it was just ok: Fandom for RobotsStory can be found here: http://clarkesworldmagazine.com/prasa...

Loved, loved, loved this story. Everyone should read it. I don't want to discuss details because it is short and should be experienced for yerself. It can be found for free online and in audiobook formats on Clarkeworld Magazine by clicking this link. Arrrr!

This is a review for the short story Series of Steaks by Vina Jie-Min Prasad. Another short totally worth the time to read! Strange, offbeat, quirky, and intense! To the end you have no idea how it is going to go, but the author doesn't disappoint! The scary part - despite it being mostly science fiction, it dances tightly on the edge of reality...http://clarkesworldmagazine.com/prasa...

Well, that was different! Thank you, Karen! Read it free here: http://clarkesworldmagazine.com/prasa...Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾

4.5 stars. This excellent (and fun!) Nebula and Hugo award nominated novelette, by Singaporean author Vina Jie-Min Prasad, is free online here at Clarkesworld magazine. Definitely recommended! Review first posted on Fantasy Literature:In this near-future SF novelette, 3-D printing has become so advanced that a “bioprinter” can mass-produce copies of food. In any criminal forgery case, the best forgeries are the ones that never get noticed, and Helena Li Yuanhui of Splendid Beef Enterprises, a on...

'18 Hugo nom for a shorter work!And surprisingly enough for me, I've already read this one. :)A great con-game story including fake designer meat that's printed out and a whole underworld of shady dealings, blackmail, and a bit of revenge. :) I do like this one a lot.

A Series of Steaks— by VINA JIE-MIN PRASAD After reading this story, I’m seriously thinking not to eat beef anymore, lol. Besides that, we get clever tech worldbuilding which, unfortunately, sounds very plausible in the very near future, a nice wrapped up plot, two badass women and a witty ending. 30 minutes well spent.Can be read here: http://clarkesworldmagazine.com/prasa...

That does it. Vina Jie-Min Prasad is my new favorite author. Knowing she's Singaporean is awesome since I could actually meet her one day. Definitely someone to watch in the upcoming years. And what a year for her so far! I loved her Fandom for Robot story and this novelette is as good and entertaining. I like that she likes to touch upon current issues and weaves it into a fun specfic narrative. This novelette is about someone who forges meat. Yes, fake food. Definitely not too farfetched since...

Ok, I want more Helen and Lily. Terrific short story on printing meat, blackmail, forgery, and friendship.

Review for “A Series of Stakes by Vina Jie-Min Prasad, with thanks to C for pointing it out to me. Review below.I love this author. I was glued to every word and most of it was about making fake meat! Short freebie. 5 stars!

The newest twist on artificial beef and 3-D printing. A solid short that contains a world, solid characterization, and a decent, if seemingly innocuous plot. I'd love to read more about Helena and Lily.http://clarkesworldmagazine.com/prasa...Four-and-a-half steaks, rounding up.

A caper story, in which the caper involves forging artificial steaks. Entertaining, not deep, but with nice detail work and some sharp writing.

Solid collection of great writing. Interesting essays by Kelly Robson and Benjamin C. Kinney, cool interview with James S.A. Corey (who isn't actually one guy?! Who knew :P) and some excellent, thought-provoking fiction.Clear standouts for me are:— "A Series of Steaks" by Vina Jie-Min Prasad, which approaches the neocrime of food forgery from every possible angle, while creating compelling characters and wrapping up charmingly.— "Justice Systems in Quantum Parallel Probabilities" by Lettie Prell...

This novelette was short-listed for Hugo Awards 2018An artist has to leave her studies in Hong Kong due to the unspecified threat and move to Nanjing. She took bio-printer with her and now she is creating fake beef that looks almost like the real thing. And now the threat catches up with her...Quite interesting story with a punch line

A great issue. As always Neil Clarke selects some pretty amazing stories for this issue.The Ghost Ship Anastasia - It's the space trope no character is ever wise to - you DO NOT inspect a distress call on a space ship! So of course things go pear-shaped. The specifics of this story involve ships run by AIs and an experimental Bioship in which the ship is partly metal and partly living matter.A Series of Steaks - Very, very great fun story. This one by it self is worth the price of the issue. Dep...

Review and rating for "A Series of Steaks" by Vina Jie-Min Prasad Online at http://clarkesworldmagazine.com/prasa.... Nebula and Hugo nominee 2018, for best novelette. Then-new author Vina Jie-Min Prasad had a very good year in 2017. Her "Fandom for Robots" was also nominated for 4 major awards. Google to find it: still online, I think. "Steaks" is an excellent story. I'm bumping it up to 4.5 stars after my 2020 reread. Here's Tadiana's full review:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...Note th...

“All known forgeries are failures.”Hilarious short story about a bio-forger in way over her head. Help comes from an unlikely addition to her “staff.”“The trick is to not get ambitious.”Well-developed short story with the reader learning bits as the plot progresses.“There are so many ways for a forgeries to go wrong, and only one way it can go right.”(2018 Hugo Award short story finalist. Illustration is cover of magazine in which story appeared; has nothing to do with story.)

Ok. Wow. I think that I've found a new favourite author! <3This is wholly different from A Guide For Working Breeds, as this was written as a proper story, albeit with a speculative fiction bent. Helena has been involved in creating forgery steaks for a fair while now, and it takes artistry to create the marbling, and understand how the meat should look and break apart. She was contacted by a threatening Mr Anonymous one day, who blackmailed her into creating T-bone steaks, and from there, the s...