#upper rubber boot

[blacknerdproblems]

I first heard of Solarpunk when reviewing Fiyah Lit Mag #1 about a year ago. This melding of science fiction with eco-speculative fiction, mixed up with the Fight the Man sensibility of any -punk genre is 100% on time for our current political moment. The Sunvault anthology from small press Upper Rubber Boot Books in Nashville, TN covers a lot of ground — writers and styles, voices, main characters, settings — and each short story succeeds in its own way. There’s also a liberal sprinkling of poetry and original art throughout, to further vary the content. If you enjoy solid variety in your sci fi, and demand inclusion in writers and themes (as I do), then this is a good anthology to pick up.

A few overall themes stand out. First, the future is international. Gone are the days when all the stories of the future are centered in North America and Europe. These stories take place across a variety of settings in Africa and Asia, as well as various levels of orbit over the Earth itself. This invites the curiosity of the reader, truly introducing new ideas and cultural norms, and defies any kind of nationalism. These stories are frequently so far into the post-apocalyptic future that some current boundaries of culture no longer relevant, but some still are. I’m thinking particularly of the story “Speechless Love” by Yilun Fan (translated by S. Qiouyi Lu). The twist of this tale of connection, romantic and philosophical, hinges on congee, a rice porridge eaten in many Asian countries. A shared love of congee allows two people, otherwise isolated on their own atmospheric ships, to meet. Fan’s tale is filled with lines of Chinese poetry that provide context and emotion.

 Read on here. [x]

[invincible-selfxmade-punk]

Loving this book, but Mushie likes it for other reasons entirely.

[aboutbooksanddreams]

BOOK REVIEWS: MEMORY BY TERESA P. MIRA ECHEVERRÍA

I received a free e-version copy of this story from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much!

This novelette, written by an Argentine author, is the story of Jedediah, a Mars colonizer, who tells his story from his younger years to his adulthood.

Jedediah’s life was always marked by the silence of his father, the dustiness of Mars, his solitude, and his neighbor’s pink car. One day, he meets Ajax, a native, one of the people who were genetically created and modified to the terraforming of Mars. The natives’ lives should be entirely devoted to making Mars a suitable place for humans. Later, they would be used as slaves. Ajax was one of the leaders of the revolution intent on freeing Mars from human captivity. Even though they only met once when Jedediah was young, a connection was formed. Jedediah grew, started working, and then set off to find Ajax. Meeting him, he found more than he was expecting: he found love, a sense of belonging, a home.

The novelette is divided into several short pieces, each one telling a little bit of Jedediah’s growth and how he views the planet he lives on. We get to see his childhood, his adulthood, and his own children and how Mars modifies them and connects them.

It was a lovely narrative about human behavior, emotions and actions: colonization, coming of age, love, sexuality, family, right and wrong, memory, and many other themes were discussed in this short narrative. The singularity of Mars gave space to a singular narrative, in which different characters, perspectives, and situations were intertwined to form a unique, and sometimes thought-provoking, story. The importance of memory and its role, how it modifies the way we behaved was explored in a different way, in which the consequences of one’s actions could transform the future radically and alter not only the person’s reality, but the reality of a whole world.

I would recommend this novelette if you are interested in a quick, deep read and, of course, if you like science fiction stories!

[indradas]

'How to live on Other Planets' Available for Pre-Order

Upper Rubber Boots Books reprint anthology How to Live on Other Planets is now available for pre-order from Amazon. From the book description:

"How to Live on Other Planets: A Handbook for Aspiring Aliens explores the immigrant experience in a science fiction setting, with exciting fiction and poetry from some of the genre’s best writers."  

The anthology will carry a reprint of my short story 'muo-ka's Child,' originally published in Clarkesworld Magazine.

[joannemerriam]

Joanne Merriam - Every Day 600 Miles Further from Home - Nashville Public Library, 24 March 2012 (by upperrubberboot)

[aboutbooksanddreams]

Reading update:

Starting 'The Mask Game' by Sergey Gerasimov. It looks awesome, check it out!

Thank you Upper Rubber Boot for the opportunity!

[biblionation]

This week, I'll be reading a very exciting book that Upper Rubber Boot sent me!

Thanks so much to Upper Rubber Boot for introducing me to Sergey Gerasimov!

Guys, this book sounds so good! It's called The Mask Game! 

The child of a man who had cheated death, if only temporarily, and a woman who had despaired of having children until she buried a pear seed in her garden, and watched over by a mysterious old woman whose ears never stop twitching, Herodion must journey the world to find fourteen secrets from the Broken Glass Age and discover the true purpose of the aliens’ three great gifts to mankind before he can be reunited with his love.

Part fantasy, part science fiction, and part magical realism, this is a tremendously entertaining and exciting tale from a very talented author.

Stay tuned for more, since the book will be released in a couple of weeks!

Check this for more information!

[joannemerriam]

Joanne Merriam - Tighten to Bruise - Nashville Public Library, 24 March 2012 (by upperrubberboot)