LINKDING

excerpt: Every date followed the same pattern. After the dinner and drinks, and the long moonlit walk along the canal, Jules would casually remark that the hangar was not far from here, and would they like to come see? Once outside the heavy metal door, he would pause with his hand above the security scanner, as if having second thoughts about inviting an unauthorized guest. The hesitation was no more than a cruel act. It was the look on their faces that made him keep doing it. As if it was just hitting them in that moment, how lucky they were to get both Jules Mercer and his giant robot on the same night. ➤ a short story about a mech pilot taking his date for a ride in his giant robot ➤ I love the uneasy way the narrative sits with the point of view the main character provides ➤ and the way the story opens up to questions about the way this society is structured, the things it values and the things it ignores ➤ and the strength of the ending in its refusal to tie things up tidily ➤ it's really good! ➤ 5k words in length ➤ I also liked the author spotlight in which they were interviewed about this story: https://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/nonfiction/author-spotlight-sagan-yee/

excerpt: This must be what happened: The head elder said I would find Ai-Lian in the wooded hills that bristle with red maples. As the evacuating townsfolk slung meager belongings onto packhorses under flickering torchlight, the ascendant moon enflamed the lavender canopy beyond the town walls. I handed the reins of my horses to the elder himself as he supervised the evacuation. His were an uncouth people—but terrified. They eyed my sheathed jian, Fate Cutter, immortalized in song by countless minstrels. That was how they knew me through my riding mask. I reassured each harried frontiersman and woman, each rough-clothed child, with the clasp of an elbow, the pat of a shoulder. I touched them all, saying in the strong northern dialect of the Zhong-ren, “ni-men bu pa. Ni-men yao shenma hao pa, fang kai ba. Ni-men fang xin.” But huddled before me, they were afraid. They would not let go their fears. They would not take heart. ➤ a fantasy novelette set in a historical china, and holy shit it is SO SO SO GOOD ➤ about two sword-brothers, meeting again after decades apart ➤ the way the story circles around itself over and over again, uncovering new layers each time, new complexities, new details about what happened and what is happening -- it's so beautifully constructed and leads the reader on so compellingly ➤ and the story it's telling.....one about love, and trust, and classism, and imperialism, and the threat of monstrous creatures inflitrating......about, at its heart, the relationship between these two men, their importance to each other, and the fractures at the heart of their relationship, and the wide-reaching consequences ➤ I love it so much, it's brilliantly and beautifully done and with such fascinating explorations of its themes! ➤ 10k words

Summary: <blockquote>Nogorod is built of black rock and dull iron and pale ivory, a city of high towers rising like petrified trees beside the rough grey seas. The common folk are whale-fishers, hunting with harpoons from their ships, but the nobles are all wizards, and they hunt dragons from bone chariots drawn by captive winds, slaying them with darts of ensorcelled ivory and poison spells. How this tradition began is lost to dishonorable history, but now the nobles hunt out of self-preservation, for dragons are wise and the wind that is their mother and their substance whispers the names of those who would slay them, so that they come to Nogorod to hunt in their own turn.</blockquote> ➤ fantasy story about wizards and dragons and power, and being queer, and being horny for a dragon who is also your death ➤ deliberately written in a higher register, which can too easily feel stilted or cold, but here works to give the whole thing a sense of dignity and depth ➤ 5k words in length

Summary: <blockquote>I tell Mateo to meet me at a wine bar. It’s a quiet, low-key spot—ideal for first dates, because it’s easy to make a speedy exit in case the red flags start flying—or worse, if the men in blue come knocking. It’s been over an hour, and we’re on our second glass of wine when I realize there are no red flags. He’s not just monologuing, he’s asking me questions too. This is actually a good first date—and when was the last time that ever happened for me? But I can’t help but worry that the puddles from this afternoon’s shower may have dried up. Any time there’s a pause in the conversation, my head swivels to the exit to check for the men in blue.</blockquote> ➤ a beautiful story about fear and trauma and being an immigrant or from an immigrant family, and queer romance and the wisdom of the people who love you, and how something that can help save you and that can bring joy and fun in your life can also be an unhealthy coping mechanism if you take it too far. I loved reading about Javier and Mateo as they developed their relationship!