Rating for two stories:Ursula Vernon's Sun, Moon, Dust 3.5 stars. Not as enticing as Vernon's last Hugo nominated stories (The Tomato Thief was excellent!) but I still really liked the main character and the idea of subverting the usual farmboy-cum-warrior trope.KM Szpara's Small Changes over a Long Period of Time3 stars. Representation of marginalized voices are crucial and I am glad I read this very interesting version of a vampire story. What would happen if a gay trans man was turned into a

Another little slice of life, this time a farmer's, served with kindness and good cheer by Ursula Vernon. It's a delightful, quick read with particular insight into the minds of goats, about whom she is absolutely right.Read for free at Uncanny Magazine: Sun, Moon, Dust

Really liked this novelette; it explored the nonconsensual elements of the vampire theme carefully, while also being very much an #ownvoices portrayal of trans masculinity. It reminded me of Nevada in the sense that it was not necessarily written for a cis audience, and a cis audience might not even get some key moments. Though I did feel that some parts were very carefully calibrated to get readers to connect the dots, which is excellent.I'd read more in this continuity.Content notices for dysp...

*** Sun, Moon, Dust by Ursula Vernon ***A farmer inherits a magic sword from his grandmother.But he's got no desire to fight. He'd much rather take care of his land and live in peace.Can't say much more for spoilery reasons. But watch out for that goat.A nice and easy read. Good humor.HUGO 2018 short story finalist.3.5 stars Read it here.____________________________ 2018 Hugo Awards Finalists Best Novel• The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi (Tor)• New York 2140 by Kim Stanley Robinson (Orbit...

This is just for:Sun, Moon, Dust by Ursula VernonShort and sweet story about a farmer who inherit a magical sword. “I don’t need to be a warrior, grandma,” said Allpa. “There are no wars right now. I’m growing potatoes. The little red ones you like. I’ll bring you the first harvest so you can taste them.”Ursula Vernon is one of my favorites authors, and this tale show her humor and skill :) ---Here online

This story is excellent. Fascinating. Powerful. And hot. :) I came across it when the author tweeted a link saying, "I wrote a story about a gay trans guy who's bitten by a vampire. It's angry & intimate & I feel a bit naked, now." I'll be keeping an eye out for more by KM Szpara.

Update: this text contains two reviews of Hugo and Nebula nominates works in this issue, not the whole issue.Sun, Moon, DustThis short story is short listed for Hugo Awards. For me, it is good, but not the best in the list. This is fantasy with a twist: a farmer inherits a magic sword to which the mightiest warriors of the past are bound. However, unlike the cliche start of a quest, the protagonist has no desire for sword&sorcery adventureSmall Changes Over Long Periods of TimeThis novelette was...

Harsh, raw, honest, and awesome. I applaud the author's creativity for pointing out some of the unique difficulties that might arise in the intersection of medical transition and vampire transformation. It's a difficult read because the protagonist has a lot of jarring and dysphoric things happen to him, but it's also sexy, hopeful, and determined.TW's: menstruation, misgendering, and all the usual stuff you'd expect in a vampire story

Sun, Moon, Dust by URSULA VERNONAnother Hugo nom for '18 in Short Stories. This was a rather fun fantasy of a more traditional bent including the interactions between a *traditional* hero and the trapped souls inside a sword. What makes this stand out is the interactions.How many sword-in-stone-stories would have been cut short if characters like this were more common? lolAt least it makes me think. Pretty fun.Merged review:Small Changes Over Long Periods of Time by K.M. SZPARA'18 Hugo nom for s...

Sun, Moon, Dust by URSULA VERNONA farmer inherits a magical sword from his dying grandmother. But he doesn‘t want to become a warriorHUGO 2018 short story finalist. Very poetic, from an author with a love for potatoes, apparently. Satisfying ending. (view spoiler)[I wouldn‘t mind to come back to these two and their budding romance. Will the Earth get to know her new inhabitant? And will the goat do something mischievous? (hide spoiler)]Story can be found here: https://uncannymagazine.com/article...

Read "small changes over long periods of time" by K.M. SzparaThe most honest story about vampirism I've ever read. Don't read if you don't want uncomfortable details about what it even means to be turned. It's also, most of all, a very honest and raw story about being gay and trans, with so many details that I'm sure my trans friends will recognize and see themselves in.

⚜ poetry review ⚜Orwell drinking tonight in a Boston sports barwatches the news, watches nothing new.I started with 'Twenty Seventy-One' by Sonya Taaffe. I absolutely loved this one. So, so wow. Read it here.

Note: my review is specifically for ‘Small Changes Over Long Periods of Time by KM SzparaWordless with delight. It's beautiful, snarky, angry, painful, triumphant. All that plus it's got the best opening line of any vampire story ever.

*Cool short story alert* I loved Ursula Vernon's Jackalope Wives and The Tomato Thief, and Sun, Moon, Dust ones again proves that she got the spark for telling a good story in a grand way.Sun, Moon, Dust is got a fairytale setting, with Allpa, a young farmer inheriting his Grandma's sword: a sword that holds the soul of three warriors whose job is to protect and teach him the art of war.But Allpa just wants to be a farmer and maybe own a llama one day. Vernon's writing is unique and hilarious

"Sun, Moon, Dust" by Ursula Vernon is a cute short story about a contented farmer who inherits an unwanted magical sword from his grandmother. Sparza's “Small Changes Over Long Periods of Time” won a Nebula. Interesting concepts, prose not anything special.

Gentle tale about taking care of land and growing food, rather than running off for quests and adventure.Merged review:So a vampire bites a person. What makes this notable is that the person is transgender man. The changes that occur post-decision to become a vamp are complicated by the physical and mental changes that the individual has already gone through and what vampirism does.

In this issue of Uncanny Magazine, stories shift between talking swords, vampires, and body enhancements, but all focus on self-identity and how others perceive us. I especially enjoyed Hiromi Goto's "Notes from Liminal Spaces," which is liminal in many ways. Extra nonfiction essays appear in this issue--10 total! They range from political advice to SFF commentary. My favorite of these was the very last--“How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Eat the Damn Eyeball” by DongWon Song, about food and co...

rep: trans gay mc, gay characterslove the concept for the vampires in society but was lowkey hoping for more death

Review & rating solely for "Sun, Moon Dust" by Ursula VernonAnother "stealth merge" by GR!Online at https://uncannymagazine.com/article/s...2018 Hugo nominee for best short storyAllpa's grandmother has left him a magic. sword, but he has no interest in becoming a warrior. "As legacies went, he had heard of better."Three great warriors' spirits live in the sword. Allpa really just wants to be a farmer. "... the warrior was not interested in the details of goat husbandry."Another fine Ursula Verno...

This short story is available online here: https://uncannymagazine.com/article/s...Finley Hall is a transsexual dude. He is bitten by a vampire against his will, and must choose to either die or turn into a vampire. Vampirism is legal and regulated by the government, but illegal for trans people to become. I read the story of a transition to vampirism as an allegory for the kind of journey a trans person must make. If you have hang-ups about that kind of thing, this story is not for you.