{"id":7199,"date":"2019-08-09T03:39:55","date_gmt":"2019-08-09T03:39:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sfintranslation.com\/?p=7199"},"modified":"2019-08-09T03:43:49","modified_gmt":"2019-08-09T03:43:49","slug":"reviews-of-short-fiction-june-edition-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sfintranslation.com\/?p=7199","title":{"rendered":"Reviews of Short Fiction: June Edition"},"content":{"rendered":"

Each month, Daniel Haeusser reviews short works of SFT that appear both online and in print. He is an Assistant Professor in the Biology Department at Canisius College, where he teaches microbiology and leads student research projects with bacteria and bacteriophage. He\u2019s also an associate blogger with the American Society for Microbiology\u2019s popular\u00a0Small Things Considered<\/span><\/a>. Daniel reads broadly\u00a0in English and\u00a0French, and\u00a0his\u00a0book reviews can be found at\u00a0Reading1000Lives<\/span><\/a>\u00a0or Skiffy<\/span> & Fanty<\/span><\/a>.<\/span> You can also connect with him on\u00a0<\/a>Goodreads<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>or\u00a0Twitter<\/span><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

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\"\"\u201cThe Peppers of GreenScallion<\/span><\/a>\u201d by Myung-hoon Bae, t<\/span>ranslated from the Korean by Jihyun Park and Gord Sellar<\/span><\/p>\n

Clarkesworld Magazine<\/i><\/span> Issue 160, June 2019<\/span><\/p>\n

The start of an off-planet conflict interferes with the friendly squabbles between a young boy and girl on the colony world GreenScallion. Though no violent conflict occurs on the planet, self-imposed political divisions and geographic restrictions appear between the two populations of settlers derived from the now warring parties. The story is an uplifting reminder of the futility and illogic of war, and the simple wisdom of children who still know how to fight with each other while staying united. The translation into English doesn\u2019t flow smoothly in some spots, though this also arguably comes in part from the teenage protagonist\u2019s voice. A note on co-translator Gord Sellar\u2019s blog mentions some challenges when translating the Korean into English, \u201cincluding an almost-completely untranslatable pun that meta-referentially calls out an infamous mistranslation.\u201d The pun referred to in English appears to be \u2018night-day\u2019 and \u2018knight-dame\u2019, but the significance and story behind this is sadly unexplained in any footnote. It\u2019s followed in the story\u2019s dialogue with this text: \u201cNo, no, don\u2019t explain it; that always kills a joke. Just forget it, okay?\u201d, which ends up humorously playing up the inability to precisely translate things here. How that compares to the original remains a mystery to me.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\"\"\u201cCustomer<\/a><\/span>\u201d by Lee Jong San, t<\/span>ranslated from the Korean by Victoria Caudle<\/span><\/p>\n

Words Without Borders<\/i><\/span>, June\/July 2019, The Queer Issue X<\/span><\/p>\n

A chapter taken from \u2018a futuristic novel\u2019 the story works relatively well on its own as an excerpt, although some invented elements are not completely illuminated. The day before the entrance ceremony (presumably for a school of some sort) a Worm girl named Suni meets her androgynous roommate Ahn. Both represent something newly encountered for each, but are eager get to know one and other and learn what makes them each unique, and what they share. Traveling into the city together they go to a shop specializing in Customs \u2013 biological modifications \u2013 where Suni discovers a trait in herself she never knew was there. The translation of this flows very smoothly, even with relatively unfamiliar androgynous pronouns like \u2018xe\u2019 and \u2018xyr\u2019 for Ahn. The story is touching and positively affirming, celebrating the unique parts of individuals and shared experience of discovering those differences. Yet it still portrays the fears of being unaccepted for being different, for seeming weird. Just how that can be transcended.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cThe Soldier<\/span><\/a>\u201d by Swylmar dos Santos Ferreira, t<\/span>ranslated from Portuguese by Toshiya Kamei<\/span><\/p>\n

Teleport Magazine<\/i><\/span>, June 2019<\/span><\/p>\n

The Earth is under attack by three intelligent species from a single planet. Billions are dead and cities lie decimated, corpses strewn about. One soldier, a captain leads the remnants of a platoon against them, fighting invaders and memories of a family lot. With little space within a short story, there is unfortunately little included on the aliens, such as the reasoning for their attacks or the implications of three intelligent species evolving on one planet, yet being violent. Instead the story focuses on the weary soldier, stuck in a vicious cycle between hopeless regret or despair and stubborn survival. The soldier is on autopilot, awaiting inevitable death, but intent on taking as many invaders along with him. The story is written predominantly in short staccato sentences that mirror the repetitive tempo of the soldier\u2019s own life.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cTo the Last Drop<\/span><\/a>\u201d by Fumiki Takahashi, t<\/span>ranslated from the Japanese by Toshiya Kamei<\/span><\/p>\n

Bewildering Stories<\/i><\/span>, Issue 813, June 2019<\/span><\/p>\n

Giant microbes (no, not the adorable plush dolls<\/a>) have taken over the Earth due to continued antibiotic overuse, forcing humanity to Mars. With invented <\/span>doktor<\/i><\/span> nanobots in the bloodstream (and elsewhere?) to defend them, some humans return to Earth to fight back. I can certainly appreciate speculative fiction addressing very real concerns about antibiotic overuse and misuse. However, the biology here makes little sense, neither the speculative aspect nor basic details of current reality. <\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cFrom Iron and Fire<\/a><\/span>\u201d by Massimo Soumar\u00e9, t<\/span>ranslated from the Italian by Toshiya Kamei<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00c6ther & Ichor<\/i><\/span>, Issue 3: Solstice, June 2019<\/span><\/p>\n

A short historical fantasy written from the point of view of a proud and experienced sword. Aside from one instance where the sword oddly refers to itself in the third-person as \u2018the blade\u2019, the story flows well, using flowery language suitable to high fantasy. It establishes a dark, bloodthirsty mood well, and you get the sense that while the sword has individual personality it is also a human product, forged for a purpose it cannot help but give itself fully to.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\"\"\u201cAmericans on the Moon<\/span><\/a>\u201d by Oleg Divov, t<\/span>ranslated from the Russian by Alex Shvartsman<\/span><\/p>\n

Future Science Fiction Digest<\/i><\/span>, Issue 3, June 2019 <\/span><\/p>\n

An alternate history set in 1980 where the US resurrected Project Horizon for construction of a military outpost on the moon as a deterrent against the Soviet Union, albeit financed on the cheap. With politicians due to visit and tour the base\u2019s progress, a Russian lunar module seemingly armed with a nuclear device inexplicably infiltrates defenses, appearing in the middle of a construction zone. The story delves into the political lies, posturing, and pride during the Cold War, and not surprisingly features interesting historical details and characters. It\u2019s a clever and fun short story, but the most appreciation will come from those interested in that era and space program. <\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cLove in the Time of Con Crud\u201d by Elena Pavlova, t<\/span>ranslated from the Bulgarian by Elena Pavlova & Kalin M. Nenov<\/span><\/p>\n

Future Science Fiction Digest<\/i><\/span>, Issue 3, June 2019 <\/span><\/p>\n

An enjoyable time travel\/alternate history set during the 2017 Helsinki World SF convention where some attendees have returned to prevent a pandemic outbreak that ushers in global wars and radical Islamic conquering of Europe. Even if the references to the convention aren\u2019t familiar to you (they certainly weren\u2019t for me), the story has a nice charm to it driven by the emotional connections between the characters, good and bad, fueling efforts to change the past.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cWaking in the Cold and the Dark\u201d by L\u00fc Momo, t<\/span>ranslated from the Chinese by Nathan Faries<\/span><\/p>\n

Future Science Fiction Digest<\/i><\/span>, Issue 3, June 2019 <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/a> A cross between HAL of <\/span>2001<\/i><\/span> and \u201cThe Cold Equations\u201d, this story of an AI trying to kill members of its interstellar crew seems familiar on the surface, but for me read fresh, with a well-paced plot. Actually, the AI isn\u2019t capable of actively killing anyone, so is attempting to awaken select crew prematurely from stasis and setting them up for likely death through accident or what it views as human incompetence\/defect. The logic behind the AI\u2019s actions, and its ultimate \u2018goals\u2019 based on interpretation of data highlight and play with the differences between human and machine logic, and the differences between how each views their place in this universe. With some really stellar translated works in this third issue of <\/span>FSFD<\/i><\/span>, I\u2019m looking forward to reading its other stories. <\/span><\/p>\n

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\"\"\u201cMorpheus<\/span><\/a>\u201d by K.A. Teryna, t<\/span>ranslated from the Russian by Alex Shvartsman<\/span><\/p>\n

Samovar Magazine<\/i><\/span>, June 2019<\/span><\/p>\n

This dark, but exquisitely composed story begins with memories of a grandfather delicately placing a hook into a minnow for bait, explaining the importance of not traumatizing the fish; to feel some measure of empathy for a life controlled, taken. The reader soon realizes this serves as metaphor for the protagonist, Egor, who can control and move between dreams of the people around him, even over their volition. The story follows a dream-like flow, with the protagonist cognizant on some base level of this terrifying force of Morpheus that allows him to intrude upon, and harm, others in his sleep. But Egor\u2019s consciousness, his recognition, and what remains of his empathy may not be enough to keep the shadowy pull of Morpheus at bay. While not a \u2018pleasant read\u2019, this is probably the best written story this month. An interview with the author, also translated by Shvartsman is also available, accompanying.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cThe Spider\u2019s Widow<\/span><\/a>\u201d by Houyem Ferchichi, t<\/span>ranslated from the Arabic by Ali Znaidi<\/span><\/p>\n

Samovar Magazine<\/i><\/span>, June 2019<\/span><\/p>\n

A poetic tale that spins a web commingling reality and folklore into one vivid design. A spider, who might also be a young woman weaver, lives in a house on a plateau to seduce and ensnare passing strangers and bandits. Created through a pain of loss and betrayal, the spider\/woman represents something monstrous, yet naturally just. The strength of this story lies in its beautifully complex language, with its underlying plot and themes being relatively straightforward.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cSpace Leek<\/a><\/span>\u201d by Chen Qiufan, t<\/span>ranslated from the Chinese by Emily Jin<\/span><\/p>\n

Slate Future Tense Fiction<\/i><\/span>, June 2019<\/span><\/p>\n

Part of a \u2018space settlement\u2019-themed issue, this hard SF short story features a Chinese space station built into a hollowed-out asteroid. The protagonist, Shengnan, brings leeks along with her to farm on the station, the defining crop of her home province, and in honor of her traditional agricultural family background. Scientific details are well-integrated into the story, balanced with colloquial conversation and action stemming from the challenges that Shengnan must face to successfully cultivate her crop and keep the station functional. Likewise, the story postulates ways to balance traditional communal Chinese values with modern individuality and feminism. In translation there is nice pun arising with the plot between \u2018leek\u2019 and \u2018leak\u2019, and I\u2019m curious how this also exists in the original language.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Each month, Daniel Haeusser reviews short works of SFT that appear both online and in print. He is an Assistant Professor in the Biology Department at Canisius College, where he teaches microbiology and leads student research projects with bacteria and bacteriophage. He\u2019s also an associate blogger with the American Society for Microbiology\u2019s popular\u00a0Small Things Considered.<\/p>\n

Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6882,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3],"tags":[565,902,130,899,898,206,9,131,51,897,411,895,568,792,851,133,90,38,132,791,689,900,52,168,843,901,737,837,776,896,149,42,296,321,903,721,817,722,844,164],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sfintranslation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7199"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sfintranslation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sfintranslation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sfintranslation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sfintranslation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7199"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.sfintranslation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7199\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7203,"href":"https:\/\/www.sfintranslation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7199\/revisions\/7203"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sfintranslation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6882"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sfintranslation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7199"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sfintranslation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7199"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sfintranslation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7199"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}