GigaNotoSaurus, Lightspeed, and Small Wonders: Reviews by Charles Payseur

GigaNotoSaurus 12/24
Lightspeed 12/24
Small Wonders 12/24

December’s GigaNotoSaurus is Sabrina Vourvou­lias’s “Dead reckoning in 6/8 time”, a story that finds Adriana remembering her mother’s stories about being a bailadora in Mexico and losing a contest to the devil himself. Which means that, now that her mother has passed, her soul is the devil’s, and that doesn’t sit well with Adriana, who determines that she will succeed where her mother failed, and outdance the devil for the sal­vation of them both. But beating the devil is no easy task, especially since he has no intention of playing fair, and Adriana on her own would likely not stand a chance. But she has her mother’s magic (and shoes), and the help of her entire community, who come together to contribute to her perfor­mance. Vourvoulias really digs into the magic that comes from people doing what they love and being there for each other. Alone, it’s nearly impossible to stand against the devil – as a kind of extended found family, the odds become a lot more balanced. It’s a joyous and wonderful story full of artistic expression, warmth, and generosity.

Lightspeed opens strongly in December with Tamara Masri’s “Inside the House of Wisdom”, which imagines a future for Palestine much dif­ferent than its present. The story centers a librar­ian working in a library built over a destroyed hospital, who spends time every day reading some of the transcripts from the Tribunal for Truth and Justice, which collects the history of the grim and violent times we are currently living through. In the entry the story reveals, a doctor relates a miracle – the birth of a child from a re­cently killed mother. The doctor speaks directly to that child, knowing that neither of them might survive very long, but believing all the same in a future where the violence has ended and a true and meaningful healing can begin. A future the librarian is living in, but that we all have a long way to go towards. It’s a shattering and beautiful read. Pat Murphy’s “A Catalog of 21st Century Ghosts” finds Sandy traveling across America after spending most of her life abroad tracking and fighting climate change and then living with her husband in Norway. Despite her work, though, the climate has still worsened, and the world has gone through a lot. The country she returns to is different, but there are echoes that remain, ghosts in the form of sensory experiences people have left behind that evoke memories, sights, smells, and emotions. Sandy is making her way west, visiting all of these ghosts she can find, aiming for one that’s waiting for her in San Francisco. The focus on ghosts works well, as the world feels haunted, the violence and chaos largely settled but with a great emptiness that Murphy captures well, both through the tour of an America much less full of people and through Sandy herself, grieving the death of her husband but also the idealism of her youth as she is confronted by all the things she couldn’t save. It’s a complex look at action and especially collective action, reminding Sandy and readers alike that trying to save the world is not wasted effort. Because even if you can’t change the big things, there are plenty of little things that people can change and can save. And those little things, added up, become something large. It’s a lovely story.

Closing out the year in style, Small Wonders’s December includes H. V. Patterson’s poem “The Stars Are Gone”, which has a nice Star Trek vibe to it as a starship is in peril, trapped, and the crew is unsure of how to get out. Except for the narrator, that is, who isn’t exactly what they seem. The nature of their true identity informs the situation they are in, and the steps they take to end the stalemate. It’s an interesting piece that gets into the spirit of adventure, the pull of the kinds of space stories where people go out into the unknown. And while there’s a layer of grim­ness to this, because of things the narrator has done, there is also a sense of resolve and remorse that makes for a captivating and compelling read. Annika Barranti Klein’s “When the Tide Comes In” also touches on celestial adventures, though in this case by focusing on when Sharon was dat­ing the Moon personified in a humanoid form. It’s a strange setup, made stranger when Sharon has to deal with the Moon’s ex, the Sun, coming back into the picture. It’s a story that’s very much about intimacy and identity as Klein explores how these human and heavenly bodies collide, come together, and fall apart amid the strength of the gravities involved. And at the end, Sharon is left with a better understanding of herself and memo­ries to bring with her. It’s a passionate, yearning story where the stakes might seem low but for the deep emotional cartography being done, and being done quite well.

Recommended Stories
“Dead reckoning in 6/8 time”, Sabrina Vourvoulias (GigaNotoSaurus 12/24)
“Inside the House of Wisdom”, Tamara Masri (Lightspeed 12/24)
“A Catalog of 21st Century Ghosts”, Pat Murphy (Lightspeed 12/24)

This review and more like it in the February 2025 issue of Locus.

While you are here, please take a moment to support Locus with a one-time or recurring donation. We rely on reader donations to keep the magazine and site going, and would like to keep the site paywall free, but WE NEED YOUR FINANCIAL SUPPORT to continue quality coverage of the science fiction and fantasy field.

©Locus Magazine. Copyrighted material may not be republished without permission of LSFF.