Anybody have recs for single-author science fiction and/or fantasy/paranormal short story collections? I'm especially interested in marginalized authors.
My faves so far:
'Nathan Burgoine's Of Echoes Born (paranormal)
Zen Cho's Spirits Abroad (fantasy/paranormal)
Iona Datt Sharma's Not For Use In Navigation (mix of science fiction and fantasy)
@skyekilaen@bookstodon@lgbtqbookstodon Have you read Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chaing? Some science fiction in there but lots of other types of stories too including fantasy and paranormal (if angels count).
I know him best for Moscow 2042 (basically a novel-length riff on the "no red ink!" joke) and Ivan Chonkin but he had some very good scifi short story collections.
I'm still haunted by one where a spaceship repairman is tasked with finding the cause of a recurring clanking noise and welp, spaceship's haunted.
Not sure any of the English compilations are still in print but he is etched in my psyche for good.
The Cyberiad is basically sci-fi fairy tales, many lighthearted. I have such good memories of cuddling with my dad while he read them to me, doing all the goofy voices.
Especially for the AI that is perfect in every way except that it insists that one plus two equals (huge dad growl) SEVEN.
Some stories get darker and some are more aimed at adults (like a whole planet of paper-pushing bureaucrats that would fly over a kid's head) but there's definitely no sex and drugs and rock'n'roll involved.
@pelielios@jiujensu@skyekilaen@bookstodon@lgbtqbookstodon Fair enough. We've started the transition to "big kid" books with my 5 year old and the idea of scifi fairy tales sounds really intriguing. We'd probably be OK with a little cartoon violence but I think she's a little young to get existential dread. At least I hope
@willelm@jiujensu@skyekilaen@bookstodon@lgbtqbookstodon I don't remember a point in that particular story where anyone actually gets hurt, but the angry AI 1+2=7 robot definitely angrily chases Trurl and Klapaucius down and threatens to flatten them for disagreeing.
By that age I found this HILARIOUS. YMMV.
Some of Lem's other books I would absolutely hold off on until they're older (13-16ish). Memoirs Found in a Bathtub, The Futurological Congress, very dark and bleak (but amazing).
@willelm@jiujensu@skyekilaen@bookstodon@lgbtqbookstodon There is even a loose movie adaptation of The Futurological Congress (The Congress, free on Kanopy, Peacock, Roku) that feels very relevant in these NFT-ified times.
Stanislaw Lem is the Polish Philip K Dick.
I never have the paperback far from hand, it has been through a lot with me.
@skyekilaen@bookstodon@lgbtqbookstodon I highly recommend 'How Long til Black Future Month' by NK Jemisin.
Also 'The Hidden Girl and Other Stories' by Ken Liu, who I think it is one of the best short fiction writers in SFF
@fskornia@skyekilaen@bookstodon@lgbtqbookstodon Seconding the rec for ‘How Long til Black Future Month’ (the Levar Burton Reads podcast has a few episodes with stories from the book - ‘Cuisine de Memoires’ is delicious!) and adding a rec for ‘Skin Folk’ by Nalo Hopkinson
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