SEAL Book Club

[InspectorCaracal]

I still haven't read last week's stories! (viewtopic.php?p=4581#p4581)

Next weekend is also new year, will it work for people to have a new session next week? Maybe we should skip that one too or push last week's discussion forward and start fresh on the 3rd?

I don't think any of us have lol

I can work with either option there, probably? Starting on the 3rd might be easier for everyone tho

[Bee]

I still haven't read last week's stories! (viewtopic.php?p=4581#p4581)

Next weekend is also new year, will it work for people to have a new session next week? Maybe we should skip that one too or push last week's discussion forward and start fresh on the 3rd?

I don't think any of us have lol

I can work with either option there, probably? Starting on the 3rd might be easier for everyone tho

Yeah I still haven't started last week's stories but I'm okay with anything

I'm going to take a break from things and go read them now

[thiskurt]

Ok, on the 3rd I'll post the new stories and we start fresh.

[thiskurt]

Happy New Year! *party hat emoji*

We're back.

This week's magazine is Strange Horizions. (I'll put Beneath Ceaseless Skies back in rotations since we skipped that one)

Some of these stories have a CW almost as long as some flash fictions we've had before, but I think they're just more thorough in this magazine.

Short Stories (8785)

1. Broken Blue by E.M. Faulds
Wordcount: 4838
Content Warning: Animal cruelty/death, Drug use, Shaming, Vomit
Link: http://strangehorizons.com/fiction/broken-blue/

2. Blood We Cannot Wash Away by Karina Ko
Wordcount: 3947
Content Warning: Ableism, Animal cruelty/death, Disregard for personal autonomy, Blood, Body transformation, Cancer, Child abuse, Death/dying, Drug use, Mental health issues, Murder, Spiders/insects, Suicide
Link: http://strangehorizons.com/fiction/bloo ... wash-away/


Poetry (554)

1. Who Came from the Woods by Lev Mirov
Wordcount: 361
Content Warning: Abuse, Blood, Death/dying, Murder, Pregnancy, Violence/combat
Link: http://strangehorizons.com/poetry/who-c ... the-woods/

2. Coup by Antonio Funches
Wordcount: 193
Content Warning: Death/dying, Violence/combat
Link: http://strangehorizons.com/poetry/coup/

[thiskurt]

Just a reminder for this weekend, y'all.

[Bee]

I'm struggling with one of the stories but I'm hoping to post my comments tonight

[Bee]

TBQH I"m less than impressed with this week's pieces. Not sure how much my mood is to blame for it, but eehhh

Broken Blue
This one was very nice, and yet another story that's only barely but also necessarily spec fic? So I guess this really is a big thing now. I don't really have much to say. It's a nice story, but mostly forgettable, I think.

Blood We Cannot Wash Away
I gave up on this one. The first few paragraphs coupled with the CWs were enough. >.><.<

And now for the poetry!!

Who Came From the Woods
My favorite piece of this week! Really good use of the poetic line (try listening to the podcast and you'll see how the reading absolutely ruined it), especially in the first couple stanzas; it makes a largely unexciting story feel a lot more mysterious and strangely... sweet?

Coup
Ugh.Boring, predictable, uninspiring. Overall feels like it was written by a clever teen, and that's the nicest thing I can say about it.

_____________

You know what, I think mediocrity is a good way to start the year? It wasn't so bad as to make me want to stop this club, but also won't make the coming weeks feel like a disappointment because they can't live up to our expectations.

[thiskurt]

Who Came From the Woods

I liked this one, although I feel there may be references to other fairy tales or legends I'm not getting. I don't really know what Martinmas/St. Martin's day entails, it mentions martinmas birds at the end. I think in some places here kids sing St. Maarten songs door, but not really in the region I'm in.

Anyway, that's tangent that I don't think is too relevant.

I really liked the imagery of the witch slowly picking at her husband to grown her child. Especially that first line how it starts of sweet and normal and becomes clear halfway through.

I made a child for myself,
handsome, sweet, out of his
hair and kisses
and teeth
and blood.

Also, this is a nice opening line too.

The witch lives
in the woods and
waits for children,
they say; I got tired
of waiting, and moved
to town.

I'm not so sure how sweet it really is though.

Coup

I kept waiting for the whine of the bitter usurper to have a twist, but I don't think it had one.

Blood We Cannot Wash Away

I liked this one too, I guess I don't visualize things as much so the imagery didn't bother me too much and I was able to 'enjoy', well not enjoy, but I can't think of a word, those parts fine.

If you can get over it I think it's worth giving a shot. Not that it's super amazing, but it's not bad.

I was thinking red riding hood's grandma if she actually was a wolf, but that was just stupid, the witch from Hansel and Gretel made way more sense.

I think it was the "the people inside me" comment that just made me think about the people to wolf ate being able to be cut out of her stomach that made me think of the wolf of red riding hood rather than the witch from H&G.

Another one where I think if I reread Hansel and Gretel I'd get some more subtle reference, but I liked it.

Broken Blue

Yeah, mundane, human story with a sf/f twist at the end does seem to be a big thing I guess. It was nice, but not as nice as the other, I had some issues getting into it, but did like it once I did.

Was the magical fairy element that necessary? If so was she there to help with the relationship with the kids, just to look out for the dog, if not why was she tied to the dog, not sure.

[InspectorCaracal]

I didn't get a chance to read the stories this week what with J having covid but if I manage to do it in the next couple days I'll chime in with some thoughts.

[Bee]

Who Came From the Woods

I liked this one, although I feel there may be references to other fairy tales or legends I'm not getting. I don't really know what Martinmas/St. Martin's day entails, it mentions martinmas birds at the end. I think in some places here kids sing St. Maarten songs door, but not really in the region I'm in.

Anyway, that's tangent that I don't think is too relevant.

I really liked the imagery of the witch slowly picking at her husband to grown her child. Especially that first line how it starts of sweet and normal and becomes clear halfway through.

I made a child for myself,
handsome, sweet, out of his
hair and kisses
and teeth
and blood.

Also, this is a nice opening line too.

The witch lives
in the woods and
waits for children,
they say; I got tired
of waiting, and moved
to town.

I'm not so sure how sweet it really is though.

I thought it was a bit sweet how she just accepted things as they are and mostly just worried about her child, if that makes sense?

But yeah the Martinmas reference is completely lost on me and I didn't bother looking any further than the date itself tbqh. It didn't clear anything up, though.

Coup

I kept waiting for the whine of the bitter usurper to have a twist, but I don't think it had one.

IT DIDN'T

IT WAS SO DISAPPOINTING

Blood We Cannot Wash Away

I liked this one too, I guess I don't visualize things as much so the imagery didn't bother me too much and I was able to 'enjoy', well not enjoy, but I can't think of a word, those parts fine.

If you can get over it I think it's worth giving a shot. Not that it's super amazing, but it's not bad.

I was thinking red riding hood's grandma if she actually was a wolf, but that was just stupid, the witch from Hansel and Gretel made way more sense.

I think it was the "the people inside me" comment that just made me think about the people to wolf ate being able to be cut out of her stomach that made me think of the wolf of red riding hood rather than the witch from H&G.

Another one where I think if I reread Hansel and Gretel I'd get some more subtle reference, but I liked it.

Alright, this sounds both vey interesting and also very much Not For Me. >.<

Broken Blue

Yeah, mundane, human story with a sf/f twist at the end does seem to be a big thing I guess. It was nice, but not as nice as the other, I had some issues getting into it, but did like it once I did.

Was the magical fairy element that necessary? If so was she there to help with the relationship with the kids, just to look out for the dog, if not why was she tied to the dog, not sure.

It wasn't necessary, but it was a story about meeting a dryad and the effects the meeting had on the protagonist. Just like in the story about the housekeeping robot, the robot wasn't necessary (you can deal with grief in other ways), but it was an integral part of that specific story. Am I making sense?

I don't think the dryad was there to help with the kids, either, just with the protagonist herself.