I have a real chip on my shoulder about short stories. I think that while some authors are really adept at the form, others seem to use them as a sort of experiment, writing practice, or teaser-trailer for the longer work they want to sell, rather than writing them for their own sake.
New Suns 2 is the follow-up to New Suns, both books being collections of speculative fiction by authors of color. I frequently pick up collections like this because they usually have a few authors I know I like, and I figure I’ll discover some new-to-me writers, some of whom might have short story collections of their own, or a full-length novel or something else I’d like to read.
I can’t remember how I felt about New Suns, because I read it a few years ago, but New Suns 2 often left me impatient with stories that didn’t seem to have a purpose. While a couple of stories stood out to me as really good, the rest ranged from just okay to actively annoying because they featured characters I found insufferable, or ended just as they started to actually get interesting.
Rather than focus on the negative, I’ll highlight the three stories I liked best.
“The Farmer’s Wife and the Faerie Queen” by K. Tempest Bradford. This is my favorite story in the entire anthology, and it was also the second story in the anthology, so I really had high hopes early on. Bradford reimagines the Ballad of Tam-Lin in such a satisfying, enjoyable way.
“Juan” by Darcie Little Badger was the third story in the anthology. It really started so strong! Not only was this story really engaging, but it’s set in the very early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. A lot of contemporary fiction hasn’t seemed to really know what to do about the pandemic. Little Badger expertly interweaves the stress of trying to protect your loved ones from a disease with the stress of trying to protect yourself and others from a literal monster.
“Silk And Cotton and Linen and Blood” is by Nghi Vo, and look, I like anything and everything that Vo writes. But I especially liked this one for featuring seamstresses. So often, sewing and embroidery are looked down upon in the fantasy realm, so it was nice to see the power of fashion and handcrafts really take center stage.
I’m sure other stories will stand out to other readers. There’s probably not a single bad story in here, even if some very specifically weren’t to my taste.
CWs and TWs: It’s hard to keep track of all the CWs and TWs in a collection of 18 stories. Here’s the ones I remember: violence, racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, violence against children, cannibalism.
Format and Source: I read this as a paperback from my own bookshelves, purchased at The Neverending Bookshop in Edmonds during one of my last visits before they closed.
Book Bingo Prompts
Brick & Mortar Books: BIPOC Futurism. Ok, ironically, none of the stories I liked best really count as “futurism.” But a significant number of the stories do. More importantly, I feel like both New Suns collections embrace the idea of BIPOC Futurism, with their Afrofuturist cover art, and focus on centering BIPOC speculative fiction, whether it looks to the future, past, present, or an entirely imaginary world. Plus collections like this really seem to be about working towards a future where BIPOC authors are given more opportunities to write, be published, and flourish.
Book Bingo Progress
Nook & Cranny (Card 1): 8 out of 25 prompts complete. 0 bingos.
Nook & Cranny (Card 2): 4 out of 25 prompts complete. 0 bingos.
Brick & Mortar: 19 out of 25 prompts complete. 4 bingos.