titusfortner's review
4.0
I only read (listened to the podcast of) _ The Blur in the Corner of Your Eye_ from Sarah Pinsker, which is nominated for a Hugo Award for Best Novelette. I enjoyed the story, it was a fun take.
wanderlustlover's review
2.0
Hugo 2020 Nominations (Best Novelette);
"The Blur at the Corner of Your Eye"
I have to say I was actually pretty interested in this story until the sudden twist. I still can't tell, having given it two days, whether it's the subject, or the strangely hinky pace, or the lack of understanding between the main characters to what is happening. Mostly it's just that it suddenly felt very jerky at the middle of the murder scene through the end.
"The Blur at the Corner of Your Eye"
I have to say I was actually pretty interested in this story until the sudden twist. I still can't tell, having given it two days, whether it's the subject, or the strangely hinky pace, or the lack of understanding between the main characters to what is happening. Mostly it's just that it suddenly felt very jerky at the middle of the murder scene through the end.
souloftherose's review
3.0
My favourite fiction from this issue was:
On the Impurity of Dragon-kind by Marie Brennan - 4
How the Trick is Done by A.C. Wise - 4.5
A Champion of Nigh-Space by Tim Pratt - 4.5
And of the non-fiction:
Beware the Lifeboat by Marissa Lingen - 4.5
Sir Elsa of Tortall, Knight of the Realm by Elsa Sjunneson-Henry - 4.5
On the Impurity of Dragon-kind by Marie Brennan - 4
How the Trick is Done by A.C. Wise - 4.5
A Champion of Nigh-Space by Tim Pratt - 4.5
And of the non-fiction:
Beware the Lifeboat by Marissa Lingen - 4.5
Sir Elsa of Tortall, Knight of the Realm by Elsa Sjunneson-Henry - 4.5
bookaneer's review
3.0
Review and rating for two stories:
"The Blur in the Corner of Your Eye", by Sarah Pinsker
1.5 stars. I forgot that I actually have read this one (which makes it not memorable to me). And I did not enjoy it. There's something about Sarah Pinsker's works that do not sit well with me (although apparently the other award voter think otherwise), not sure what. I just found it gross at the end. I read many better novelettes that could have been better Hugo nominees. Still rooting for [b:For He Can Creep|52139451|For He Can Creep|Siobhan Carroll|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1562862657l/52139451._SX50_SY75_.jpg|71318185]!
“How the Trick is Done“, by A.C. Wise
3.5 stars. Very unlikable set of characters, good writing, but I am not satisfied with the ending.
"The Blur in the Corner of Your Eye", by Sarah Pinsker
1.5 stars. I forgot that I actually have read this one (which makes it not memorable to me). And I did not enjoy it. There's something about Sarah Pinsker's works that do not sit well with me (although apparently the other award voter think otherwise), not sure what. I just found it gross at the end. I read many better novelettes that could have been better Hugo nominees. Still rooting for [b:For He Can Creep|52139451|For He Can Creep|Siobhan Carroll|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1562862657l/52139451._SX50_SY75_.jpg|71318185]!
“How the Trick is Done“, by A.C. Wise
3.5 stars. Very unlikable set of characters, good writing, but I am not satisfied with the ending.
nataliya_x's review
3.0
The Blur in the Corner of Your Eye by Sarah Pinsker — Hugo and Nebula nominee for best novelette:
Zanna chooses to start writing her next mystery book in a remote (and creepy) mountain cabin, far away from any distractions. Except that the next morning she comes across a dead body, which one can argue is the ultimate distraction. And something about that death seems odd to the seasoned mystery writer. Not to mention that something is off about a comment her assistant Shar makes about the whole situation.
This story then goes to really weird places. And things are weird and abrupt and I honestly thought that maybe I was wrong and there was a link to the second page where the story continues. But nope, that was it. Zanna just... well... calmly accepts what’s happening.
This would be a strange and creepy *first* part of the story. But it needs to be continued! I think I would have liked it a lot had it not ended in such an unsatisfying way that destroys any semblance of logic. Maybe this was a draft for the larger story, the first chapter of the novel - like the first chapter that Zanna managed to write?
Ultimately unsatisfying because of that ending. But the writing was good - at least it had that going for it.
3 stars.
Read it here: https://uncannymagazine.com/article/the-blur-in-the-corner-of-your-eye/
———————————
———————————
How the Trick is Done by A.C. Wise — Nebula nominee for best short story:
The Magician is good at one thing - making others love him and then carelessly and casually moving on. But one day the charm just might not prove to be irresistible. One day the callous self-absorbed user’s gambit may backfire.
The happy ending is unearned. And because of that it left me cold and irritated.
I only felt bad for the rabbit. Rest In Peace, not-really-Gus. You will be missed. You get a star.
1.5 stars.
Read it here: https://uncannymagazine.com/article/how-the-trick-is-done
———————
My Hugo and Nebula Awards Reading Project 2020: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3295830569
Zanna chooses to start writing her next mystery book in a remote (and creepy) mountain cabin, far away from any distractions. Except that the next morning she comes across a dead body, which one can argue is the ultimate distraction. And something about that death seems odd to the seasoned mystery writer. Not to mention that something is off about a comment her assistant Shar makes about the whole situation.
This story then goes to really weird places. And things are weird and abrupt and I honestly thought that maybe I was wrong and there was a link to the second page where the story continues. But nope, that was it. Zanna just... well... calmly accepts what’s happening.
Spoiler
Maybe making hosts stupid is the creature’s survival adaptation?This would be a strange and creepy *first* part of the story. But it needs to be continued! I think I would have liked it a lot had it not ended in such an unsatisfying way that destroys any semblance of logic. Maybe this was a draft for the larger story, the first chapter of the novel - like the first chapter that Zanna managed to write?
Ultimately unsatisfying because of that ending. But the writing was good - at least it had that going for it.
3 stars.
Read it here: https://uncannymagazine.com/article/the-blur-in-the-corner-of-your-eye/
———————————
———————————
How the Trick is Done by A.C. Wise — Nebula nominee for best short story:
“How many people can say they were there the night the trick went wrong and the Magician died on stage?“Have you ever watched a magic trick onstage and wished that the answer to how the trick was done could be simply: real magic? I certainly have. It’s the case here. The Magician habitually dies on stage as a part of his Bullet-Catch-Death-Cheat trick. He is habitually brought back to life (behind the scenes, of course) by his Resurrectionist girlfriend Angie, the one who quietly does the real work.
“He never once allowed himself to think about the thousand huge and tiny things had to go right for the trick to work, or that only one had to go wrong. After all, the Resurrectionist pulled it off night after night—how hard could it be?”But one day he dies for real. This is the opening scene, and the rest of the story is why and how we got there, while we already know the ending (or the beginning in this case).
The Magician is good at one thing - making others love him and then carelessly and casually moving on. But one day the charm just might not prove to be irresistible. One day the callous self-absorbed user’s gambit may backfire.
“The Magician had already moved on, his head too full of plans for his own death and return, overfull with confidence not in her abilities, but that he was too important to properly die.”Comeuppance is usually nice, sure. But the punishment needs to fit the crime. To me it seems like quite a bit of an overkill, like a bunch of unlikeable resentful whiners taking revenge on an unlikeable callous asshole. Or they could have moved on, you know, instead of basically a homicide, and none of them can even take the responsibility of pulling the trigger, just casually making an unsuspecting innocent person a murderer. The fuck? The story obviously wants us to root for Angie, Meg and Rory, but being an asshole is not enough to justify a murder.
The happy ending is unearned. And because of that it left me cold and irritated.
I only felt bad for the rabbit. Rest In Peace, not-really-Gus. You will be missed. You get a star.
1.5 stars.
Read it here: https://uncannymagazine.com/article/how-the-trick-is-done
———————
My Hugo and Nebula Awards Reading Project 2020: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3295830569
villyidol's review
3.0
***How the Trick Is Done by A.C. Wise***
A stage magician that is catching bullets, dies, reappears. How the trick is done? There’s real magic involved. This is a fantasy story. And a quite entertaining one. But the magician is an asshole. So you can probably guess how I wanted this story to end.
Actually, I’m not sure there are many good characters, as in good people, in this. But it doesn’t matter. It was still fun. And there are a few almost magical moments. Okay, that was probably the lamest pun ever. But it is true.
See for yourself here: https://uncannymagazine.com/article/how-the-trick-is-done/
Nebula 2019 nominee for Best Short Story
_________________
Best Novel
• [b: Marque of Caine|42201629|Marque of Caine (Tales of the Terran Republic, #5)|Charles E. Gannon|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1547943199l/42201629._SY75_.jpg|65814152] by Charles E. Gannon
• [b: The Ten Thousand Doors of January|43521657|The Ten Thousand Doors of January|Alix E. Harrow|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1548174710l/43521657._SY75_.jpg|63516505] by Alix E. Harrow
• A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine
• [b: Gods of Jade and Shadow|36510722|Gods of Jade and Shadow|Silvia Moreno-Garcia|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1543268579l/36510722._SY75_.jpg|58230232] by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
• [b: Gideon the Ninth|42036538|Gideon the Ninth (The Locked Tomb, #1)|Tamsyn Muir|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1546870952l/42036538._SY75_.jpg|60943229] by Tamsyn Muir
• A Song for a New Day by Sarah Pinsker
Best Novella
• Anxiety Is the Dizziness of Freedom by Ted Chiang ([b: Exhalation|41160292|Exhalation Stories|Ted Chiang|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1534388394l/41160292._SX50_.jpg|64336454])
• The Haunting of Tram Car 015 by P. Djèlí Clark
• [b: This Is How You Lose the Time War|43352954|This Is How You Lose the Time War|Amal El-Mohtar|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1545755487l/43352954._SX50_.jpg|58237743] by Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone
• [b: Her Silhouette, Drawn in Water|40939044|Her Silhouette, Drawn in Water|Vylar Kaftan|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1548256640l/40939044._SY75_.jpg|63832458] by Vylar Kaftan
• [b: The Deep|42201962|The Deep|Rivers Solomon|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1549411869l/42201962._SY75_.jpg|64281827] by Rivers Solomon, with Daveed Diggs, William Hutson & Jonathan Snipes
• [b: Catfish Lullaby|45454304|Catfish Lullaby|A.C. Wise|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1557003095l/45454304._SX50_.jpg|70223668] by A.C. Wise
Best Novelette
• A Strange Uncertain Light by G.V. Anderson ([b: The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, July/August 2019|51205594|The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, July/August 2019 (F&SF, #744)|C.C. Finlay|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1561674223l/51205594._SX50_SY75_.jpg|71657053])
• For He Can Creep by Siobhan Carroll
• [b: His Footsteps, Through Darkness and Light|43565763|His Footsteps, Through Darkness and Light|Mimi Mondal|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1548761606l/43565763._SY75_.jpg|67781447] by Mimi Mondal
• The Blur in the Corner of Your Eye by Sarah Pinsker ([b: Uncanny Magazine Issue 29: July/August 2019|52228003|Uncanny Magazine Issue 29 July/August 2019|Lynne M. Thomas|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1562183674l/52228003._SX50_SY75_.jpg|71772498])
• [b: Carpe Glitter|52579998|Carpe Glitter|Cat Rambo|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1570634877l/52579998._SX50_SY75_.jpg|73519447] by Cat Rambo
• The Archronology of Love by Caroline M. Yoachim (Lightspeed Magazine, April 2019)
Best Short Story
• Give the Family My Love by A.T. Greenblatt (Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 149, February 2019)
• The Dead, In Their Uncontrollable Power by Karen Osborne (Uncanny Magazine Issue 27: March/April 2019)
• And Now His Lordship Is Laughing by Shiv Ramdas (Strange Horizons 9 September 2019)
• Ten Excerpts from an Annotated Bibliography on the Cannibal Women of Ratnabar Island by Nibedita Sen (Nightmare Magazine, Issue 80)
• A Catalog of Storms by Fran Wilde (Uncanny Magazine, Issue 26, January-February 2019)
• How the Trick Is Done by A.C. Wise (Uncanny Magazine Issue 29: July/August 2019)
Andre Norton Nebula Award for Middle Grade and Young Adult Fiction
• [b: Sal and Gabi Break the Universe|36595887|Sal and Gabi Break the Universe (Sal and Gabi, #1)|Carlos Hernandez|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1536087897l/36595887._SY75_.jpg|58346652] by Carlos Hernandez
• [b: Catfishing on CatNet|41556068|Catfishing on CatNet|Naomi Kritzer|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1568119890l/41556068._SY75_.jpg|64836558] by Naomi Kritzer
• [b: Dragon Pearl|34966859|Dragon Pearl|Yoon Ha Lee|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1517413544l/34966859._SX50_.jpg|56241840] by Yoon Ha Lee
• [b: Peasprout Chen: Battle of Champions|36320150|Peasprout Chen Battle of Champions|Henry Lien|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1547747935l/36320150._SX50_.jpg|57994958] by Henry Lien
• [b: Cog|43453676|Cog|Greg Van Eekhout|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1562027659l/43453676._SY75_.jpg|64712441] by Greg van Eekhout
• [b: Riverland|41070150|Riverland|Fran Wilde|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1533879692l/41070150._SY75_.jpg|64154930] by Fran Wilde
A stage magician that is catching bullets, dies, reappears. How the trick is done? There’s real magic involved. This is a fantasy story. And a quite entertaining one. But the magician is an asshole. So you can probably guess how I wanted this story to end.
Actually, I’m not sure there are many good characters, as in good people, in this. But it doesn’t matter. It was still fun. And there are a few almost magical moments. Okay, that was probably the lamest pun ever. But it is true.
See for yourself here: https://uncannymagazine.com/article/how-the-trick-is-done/
Nebula 2019 nominee for Best Short Story
_________________
2019 Nebula Award Finalists
Best Novel
• [b: Marque of Caine|42201629|Marque of Caine (Tales of the Terran Republic, #5)|Charles E. Gannon|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1547943199l/42201629._SY75_.jpg|65814152] by Charles E. Gannon
• [b: The Ten Thousand Doors of January|43521657|The Ten Thousand Doors of January|Alix E. Harrow|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1548174710l/43521657._SY75_.jpg|63516505] by Alix E. Harrow
• A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine
• [b: Gods of Jade and Shadow|36510722|Gods of Jade and Shadow|Silvia Moreno-Garcia|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1543268579l/36510722._SY75_.jpg|58230232] by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
• [b: Gideon the Ninth|42036538|Gideon the Ninth (The Locked Tomb, #1)|Tamsyn Muir|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1546870952l/42036538._SY75_.jpg|60943229] by Tamsyn Muir
• A Song for a New Day by Sarah Pinsker
Best Novella
• Anxiety Is the Dizziness of Freedom by Ted Chiang ([b: Exhalation|41160292|Exhalation Stories|Ted Chiang|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1534388394l/41160292._SX50_.jpg|64336454])
• The Haunting of Tram Car 015 by P. Djèlí Clark
• [b: This Is How You Lose the Time War|43352954|This Is How You Lose the Time War|Amal El-Mohtar|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1545755487l/43352954._SX50_.jpg|58237743] by Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone
• [b: Her Silhouette, Drawn in Water|40939044|Her Silhouette, Drawn in Water|Vylar Kaftan|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1548256640l/40939044._SY75_.jpg|63832458] by Vylar Kaftan
• [b: The Deep|42201962|The Deep|Rivers Solomon|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1549411869l/42201962._SY75_.jpg|64281827] by Rivers Solomon, with Daveed Diggs, William Hutson & Jonathan Snipes
• [b: Catfish Lullaby|45454304|Catfish Lullaby|A.C. Wise|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1557003095l/45454304._SX50_.jpg|70223668] by A.C. Wise
Best Novelette
• A Strange Uncertain Light by G.V. Anderson ([b: The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, July/August 2019|51205594|The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, July/August 2019 (F&SF, #744)|C.C. Finlay|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1561674223l/51205594._SX50_SY75_.jpg|71657053])
• For He Can Creep by Siobhan Carroll
• [b: His Footsteps, Through Darkness and Light|43565763|His Footsteps, Through Darkness and Light|Mimi Mondal|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1548761606l/43565763._SY75_.jpg|67781447] by Mimi Mondal
• The Blur in the Corner of Your Eye by Sarah Pinsker ([b: Uncanny Magazine Issue 29: July/August 2019|52228003|Uncanny Magazine Issue 29 July/August 2019|Lynne M. Thomas|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1562183674l/52228003._SX50_SY75_.jpg|71772498])
• [b: Carpe Glitter|52579998|Carpe Glitter|Cat Rambo|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1570634877l/52579998._SX50_SY75_.jpg|73519447] by Cat Rambo
• The Archronology of Love by Caroline M. Yoachim (Lightspeed Magazine, April 2019)
Best Short Story
• Give the Family My Love by A.T. Greenblatt (Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 149, February 2019)
• The Dead, In Their Uncontrollable Power by Karen Osborne (Uncanny Magazine Issue 27: March/April 2019)
• And Now His Lordship Is Laughing by Shiv Ramdas (Strange Horizons 9 September 2019)
• Ten Excerpts from an Annotated Bibliography on the Cannibal Women of Ratnabar Island by Nibedita Sen (Nightmare Magazine, Issue 80)
• A Catalog of Storms by Fran Wilde (Uncanny Magazine, Issue 26, January-February 2019)
• How the Trick Is Done by A.C. Wise (Uncanny Magazine Issue 29: July/August 2019)
Andre Norton Nebula Award for Middle Grade and Young Adult Fiction
• [b: Sal and Gabi Break the Universe|36595887|Sal and Gabi Break the Universe (Sal and Gabi, #1)|Carlos Hernandez|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1536087897l/36595887._SY75_.jpg|58346652] by Carlos Hernandez
• [b: Catfishing on CatNet|41556068|Catfishing on CatNet|Naomi Kritzer|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1568119890l/41556068._SY75_.jpg|64836558] by Naomi Kritzer
• [b: Dragon Pearl|34966859|Dragon Pearl|Yoon Ha Lee|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1517413544l/34966859._SX50_.jpg|56241840] by Yoon Ha Lee
• [b: Peasprout Chen: Battle of Champions|36320150|Peasprout Chen Battle of Champions|Henry Lien|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1547747935l/36320150._SX50_.jpg|57994958] by Henry Lien
• [b: Cog|43453676|Cog|Greg Van Eekhout|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1562027659l/43453676._SY75_.jpg|64712441] by Greg van Eekhout
• [b: Riverland|41070150|Riverland|Fran Wilde|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1533879692l/41070150._SY75_.jpg|64154930] by Fran Wilde
elsiemookow's review
3.0
Starts off as your standard mystery writer in cabin trope, and ends extremely quickly. Overall not particularly impressed.
ninj's review
4.0
Very nicely written, though I think there just wasn't enough for the story of the magician and his cohorts.
Merged review:
The Blur in the Corner of Your Eye is a horror story about a writer trying to get away from it all with her assistant, but things take a turn for the worse as she's trying to work on her latest novel. I was suspecting different causes!
Merged review:
The Blur in the Corner of Your Eye is a horror story about a writer trying to get away from it all with her assistant, but things take a turn for the worse as she's trying to work on her latest novel. I was suspecting different causes!