J.S. Fields

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January 24, 2021

Review: Occupy Me by Tricia Sullivan

Genre: science fiction – urban (also lesbians plus dinosaurs!)

Pairings: f/f

Queer Representation: cis lesbian

Warnings: none

 

Review

Pearl, who is probably not an angel, works for the Resistance–an organization that does small acts of kindness to improve the overall world. Stealthily. She’s unnaturally strong. She has wings that exist in a sort of extra dimensional space pocket and is missing part of herself–a part that appears to be stored in a killer’s briefcase that may also contain an extra dimensional space pocket and dinosaurs. Having no memory of who or what she, Pearl knows she must get back the briefcase at all costs, putting her job, her lovers, and her connection to humanity on the line. But the man with the stolen briefcase has a secret of his own, and Pearl’s truth, if found, may be more than the universe can take.

Shortlisted for the 2017 Arthur C. Clarke Award, OCCUPY ME is urban science fiction at its best. It’s weird. It’s twisty. It’s got killers and altered states and dimensional pockets and dinosaurs. What isn’t to love?

Pearl, the main protagonist, wakes up in a refrigerator with no memories, a lot of energy that needs to be spent, and wings that may or may not actually exist in reality. Dr. Sole, the other main character, has two people living in his head and driving his meat sack body, and only one of those people is him. He’s also accidentally killed some relatives of his not-quite-dead-but-very-definitely-evil geriatric employer, which is why he has the guy’s soul in his inter dimensional briefcase.

The briefcase, of course, is the missing part of Pearl (her launcher), and she cannot regain her memories and purpose without getting it back. Dr. Sole has plans of his own–mainly to screw his boss for destroying Dr. Sole’s village, ecosystem, culture, and basic will to live.

Everyone wants the briefcase. Every time Pearl and Dr. Sole tangle, dinosaurs come out of the briefcase and fuck people up. Pearl’s girlfriend breaks up with her for crashing a plane, she meets a hot veterinarian, Dr. Sole kills a bunch more people, and everyone ends up in dinosaur land for a while, and eventually, space.

It’s fucking fantastic, if not a little confusing. BUT ALSO FANTASTIC.

This book is gilled with social commentary:

It is so tiring and ironic, their fear. No matter how many African people the white people robbed of their lives, still they will be afraid of you.

realistic yet sexy running commentary:

Marquita was sleeping, sprawled on her back with her mouth open, a slug trail of saliva tracing gravity’s vector from the corner of her mouth. Her brightly-beaded braids were splayed around her in a semi-circle like the head of a paintbrush that’s been jammed against the paper. Or a halo. The hotel’s Egyptian cotton sheets were tangled with her legs, but one foot had managed to escape and its painted toes twitched in her dreaming. She wore a shell necklace that wouldn’t have looked out of place on a mermaid and, even though the fine wrinkles on her neck and around her eyes showed the drag of years, she had fucked like a storm all night.

and dinosaurs:

Number 47: because you never know when your obliging vet friend will ask you to hold an unconscious pterosaur’s leg out of the way while she roots around with her forceps, looking for the place where the bullet chatters agains the bone.

The chapter headers in particular are gold (see example: Fucks like a gerbil) and there is no small amount of third wall breaking:

This is for everyone who thinks ships are made of metal and petrochemicals and that they travel through space like sailboats travelled the high seas, propelled by mysterious engines that grant them impossible speed. That space sailors have space battles with space pirates and electrical cables and explosions and space bars with space booze.

And, like all moderately confusing books, it offers fantastic summary paragraphs every so often to catch the reader up:

‘Indeed,’ you say. ‘I shall tell her that until further notice I will be living in an airplane hangar and fraternizing with the Loch Ness monster while you engage in a little dubious financial hacking to try to recover some of the funds that were lost when Bethany Collins ruined the future of humanity because her boyfriend doesn’t satisfy her sexually. My wife will then file for divorce and report my location to the police.’

OCCUPY ME is wild and weird and perfect for 2021 (though it was written back in 2016, the vibe still works). Even if you never grasp the plot, the writing is sharp, witty, and engaging. It’s original sci fi, surreal at times, honest all the time, and breathtakingly innocent.

You can escape the pterosaur by jumping into the magic inter dimensional briefcase by buying the book here.

Filed Under: book review Tagged With: dinosaurs, lesbian, science fiction

January 17, 2021

Review: Heathen, vol 2, by Natasha Alterici and Rachel Deering

This review is for the second volume in a comic series. To read the review for volume 1, click here.

Genre: fantasy – alternate history

Pairings: f/f

Queer Representation: cis lesbian, cis bisexual, cis pansexual, gender fluid

Warnings: none

Review

Aydis is back! Having freed Brynhild and spent some time in Freyja’s love nest, she now searches for Heimdall, the entrance to the land of the gods, in an effort to end Brynhild’s curse (and take out Odin if the opportunity permits). Adventures abound, including a brush with killer mermaids and a ship full of buxom lady pirates.

Now separated from Aydis, Brynhild and Freyja get their own adventures, too, with Freyja falling from Odin’s grace for aiding Brynhild and Aydis. There’s a great scene where Freyja, trying to re-entice Odin, turns into a male version of herself which was perfectly drawn and very Loki-esque.

Although this volume doesn’t push the story particularly far, the art remains enchanting and the promise of an eventual Aydis/Brynhild arc continues to tease. Like the previous volume there are plenty of bikini-tops, cleavage shots (hell, Freyja doesn’t even wear a top), and women who just don’t give a fuck. Odin is still a jerk, but he’s down an eye so hey! Things are looking up!

Volume 2 is on Amazon, and should be there for a while, though I know there is still a rights issue going on.

Filed Under: book review Tagged With: bisexual, fantasy, gender fluid, lesbian, pansexual

January 10, 2021

Review: Heathen, Vol 1, by Natasha Alterici and Rachel Deering

This review is for the first volume in a comic series. To read the review for volume 2, click here 

Genre: fantasy – alternate history

Pairings: f/f

Queer Representation: cis lesbian, cis bisexual, cis pansexual

Warnings: none

Review

Viking woman Aydis lives at a critical moment in history, where the old gods are falling away and new gods creeping in. Her people attempt to hold strong to the old ways, and are not forgiving when Aydis is caught kissing her childhood best friend. Her father is given the choice – force his daughter to marry a man, or kill her.

Aydis has no desire to marry a man. Her father takes her into the woods with her trusty (tiny) horse Saga, and exiles her instead.

Alone for the first time, Aydis sets out on a hero’s journey to prove her bravery by freeing Brynhild, former leader of the Valkyries. It is said that Brynhild can only be rescued from her ring of magic fire by someone ‘worthy’.

Aydis sees no reason why that can’t be her.

These comics came out ages ago in digital, and I backed the kickstarter also ages ago to get the rest of the volumes and the print versions. Volumes one and two just shipped a few weeks ago, and it was a delight to get to hold the artwork in my hands and take my time reading through Aydis’ adventures.

I do not generally read comics, so something has to be just right for me to buy them, especially if I intend on keeping them. Aydis is the kind of heroine I love–bumbling, willful, and sure of herself despite what society thinks. Her (eventual) affair with Brynhild is VERY slow burn, so don’t expect any action in volume one (or two, for that matter). Instead, savor the imagery and worldbuilding as Alterici and Deering take you on a savory walk through Norse mythology. There are adventures along the way, talking horses (+10), warring gods, scantily clad women in snowy landscapes (+20) and some full page illustrations that tear at your heart.

The story does not entirely focus on Aydis, and Brynhild gets a fair bit of action and agency, as does the current leader of the Valkyries, Freyja (who is very into teh sexy time). Together, the three of them eventually task themselves with ending Odin’s reign…and maybe finding love along the way. Regardless, there is eyeball squishing and giant orgies and battling the patriarchy in tiny little bras. Something for everyone!

Heathen appears to be available on Comixology right now, though I know there are some rights issues going on so I am not sure how long it will be up there.

Filed Under: book review Tagged With: comic, fantasy, lesbian

January 2, 2021

Review: Alice Payne Rides by Kate Heartfield

This review is for the SECOND book in the series. To read the review for ALICE PAYNE ARRIVES, click here.

Genre: science fiction (historical/time travel)

Pairings: f/f

Queer Representation: cis lesbian, cis bisexual

Warnings: none

Review

Have they successfully helped humanity and stopped people from using time travel, or has our daring group of heroines bungled things further? This sequel to ALICE PAYNE ARRIVES begins with another botched time travel job, this time accidentally bringing back Arthur of Brittany (yes, King Arthur) to the late 1700s…and smallpox along with him. Alice’s lover and inventor Jane has not had her vaccination, nor have many of the servants of Alice’s manor (now no longer in debt thanks to book one, YAY!).

They need a vaccine not available until the next century at the earliest. And, unbeknownst to the lot of them, Arthur’s abduction sends huge ripples in the time line, alerting Prudence’s boss to her whereabouts (she’s been in hiding since going rogue in book one).

And of course, since the group has not one but two time travel devices, our lovers end up trying to unravel the mystery of Alice’s deceased father and what plagued him in his later year’s dementia, while Prudence tries to sort out time. Alice and Jane get stuck in the USA during the revolution, their time device breaks via Prudence’s boss, Prudence’s beloved sister is erased from history, etc. IT’S A GIANT TIME FUCK but Alice and Jane still find time for heart-to-heart talks and some serious conversations about their relationship.

ALICE PAYNE RIDES is less coherent than its predecessor, but no less fun. It still has tons of time travel hijinks, steam-punk flavors, wacky inventors, and lady highway robbers. And the cover is more gorgeous than the first, which is a real feat. Like the first book, it also discusses mores around lesbianism at the time, but in a very tongue-in-cheek fashion:

Mr. Duncan makes a sound like a kettle about to boil. “I hope you pay little attention to the scurrilous libels in the London newspapers, Miss Payne. Certainly there are women who amuse themselves with Sapphic romances, but there is no true carnality in…playacting. It’s a physiological impossibility, you see. Isn’t it, Dr. Jenner?”

Join Alice, Jane, and Prudence in more time travel shenanigans here. Though as things never seem to work out all that well for them, maybe you’re better off discussing hedgehog reproduction with Dr. Jenner.

Filed Under: book review Tagged With: lesbian, sci fi

December 27, 2020

Review: Climbing Lightly Through Forests. A Poetry Anthology Honoring Ursula K. Le Guin, edited by R.B. Lemberg and Lisa M. Bradley

Genre: poetry

Pairings: none

Queer Representation: gender discussions

Warnings: none

Review

Ursula K. Le Guin is a legend amongst writers, primarily in the speculative fiction realm and definitely amongst queer people. This anthology of poems and short writings pays homage to Le Guin’s own poetry, which tends to be her lesser known work.

I’m not a big poetry fan in general, but am a Le Guin fan. Of the poems in this collection I found myself drawn to the wood-centric ones the most (go figure), alternating between delight and horror at the misunderstanding of wood anatomy. And so while yes, generally the works in this book are smooth and thoughtful, to me there was a distinct break between reading Le Guin’s own work, informed by deep love and study of the natural world, and the homage poems, which keep the cadence but lost the authenticity.

In Distance, Interval, by MJ Cunniff, the imagery starts out strong and visceral, with

When it rains here the ocean spits wood onto the coastline / as if it means to seed the sand

which is a fantastic visual of the Oregon coast, bringing together multiple tree images into the stark reality of our oceanfront. But later the poem gives us

How terrible to be the driftwood and forget the water / surging through its columns, xylems veining / furiously up into the air, becoming buds and leaves

I understand the concept here is to evoke sadness in the reader that the wood has left the ocean to be stranded on the beach. But A), there’s plenty of ocean water still in that wood, B) xylem is already plural, and C), xylem can’t surge anywhere or become anything (though I appreciate that they got the ‘up’ part right, as the old adage ‘xylem goes up, phloem goes down’ reminds us).

This illustrates the push/pull issues I had with the collection. I wanted the stories to be as authentic as Le Guin herself, and while yes, no one is Le Guin, a certain amount of research is necessary even in homage poetry.

The issue persists in Galloping Hooves by Tricia Knoll. The poem begins with a Le Guin quote, “The grain of a wood is the language of tree.” 

Which is wholly true. You can tell the entire story of a tree in its annual rings. However the poem goes on to deeply misunderstand what that means:

Their quiet script shows / as growth rings that sucked water, / how the carpenter lined up joins / so that end trains trace / flecks of music notes

(there’s a typo in there, but this is an ARC so that’s to be expected). Again, issues with understanding wood anatomy. Growth rings do not suck water. Water does move through wood cells, in hardwoods primarily through vessel elements (as I assume the author is thinking about??) but nothing is ‘sucking’ (though there is some physics involved). It’s just a very weird metaphor that doesn’t work if you have a functional knowledge of trees. Slightly less irritating, but irritating nonetheless, is the idea of a carpenter lining up joints (I assume that is what was meant there) with end grain showing. End grain makes for the weakest joints and most styles dictate covering as much of the end grain as possible. Was the author trying to say something with this obvious misalignment? I don’t think so, because the stanza lacks greater depth other than ‘wood grain looks like music.’

This is not to say that all the poems had issues! There were some perfect gems, such as Redwood Houses by Amelia Gorman:

My house creaks again in the night / and I’m comforted by your architecture essays / that explain redwood houses usually do this

I brought enough haunts with me across the country / that I’m not sure if my life has room for more

And perhaps I like this one more because it’s more of letter to Le Guin, instead of an attempt at her voice.

Another favorite is We Dream the Future in Our Songs by Eva Papasoulioti

You treed your dreams in your lungs, grabbed their roots and weaved them around your throat and legs.

You’re too unripe to have seen everything.

I mean, WOW to that. The imagery of roots in the lungs, growing like fungal filaments that could choke or break free, strangling a person from the inside out, yet still being too unripe…the power of this poem is enormous.

And of course, there are notes about gender in a few poems, such as this stanza from Until the Ships Came  by Nicole Field

We did not want the all same things / Because of some flesh on our chests, / Or cleft between thighs. / For time uncounted, / We’d lived unburdened / By external gaze / Of people who would view these bodies / As synonymous with wants / And needs.  / As we tried to explain, / The future we told / Was a past we’d lived: / Where all people went unjudged / On the shapes they saw; / Where gender was not based  / On a body / They’d had no choice inhabiting. / And that flesh / Would not become / The center / Of their internal world

which is very in the Le Guin style. A group of all female (not all women) islanders meet men for the first time. It’s lovely in that it keeps the same gender discussions in it that Le Guin always had, and continues to directly contradict and chastise feminist utopian literature of the past (HERLAND, anyone???).

Finally, I leave you with Dragon Haiku by Mary Vlooswyk, which is a wholly perfect homage and stand alone:

holiday dinner / sleeping dragons / awaken

CLIMBING LIGHTLY THROUGH THE FORESTS releases January 15th, 2021 from Aqueduct Press. It does not appear to be up for preorder but you can find its information here. Wood anatomy quibbling aside its an excellent read, whether or not you are familiar with Le Guin’s work, and especially if you are a fan of the Oregon coast.

Filed Under: book review Tagged With: poetry

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Blog Posts

Review: Occupy Me by Tricia Sullivan

January 24, 2021

Genre: science fiction - urban (also lesbians plus dinosaurs!) Pairings: f/f Queer Representation: cis … [Read More...]

Review: Heathen, vol 2, by Natasha Alterici and Rachel Deering

January 17, 2021

This review is for the second volume in a comic series. To read the review for volume 1, click here. Genre: fantasy - … [Read More...]

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