A Great Strange Monster

Fair warning, I’m about to recommend a story I have not yet read. Why? Because it’s a finalist for the Hugo Awards. Because it’s by Scott Lynch, author of The Lies of Locke Lamora and many more excellent works. And because it has a great title.

Kaiju Agonistes

[Time Reference Unavailable]—August, 1946

The watchseed is planted in a watery hemisphere of a watery world. The place spins around a yellow star, wearing its magnetic field like a proud little hat. It’s ridiculous with life.

Hence, a watchseed, with the best of intentions. Let’s give the seed-planters that much. They mean well. Crawling from star to star at not-quite-c, they make their surveys, consult their charts, launch a seed now and then. Old thinkers, they make an endless circuit of the galaxy on behalf of young thinkers. Young thinkers are rare and precious and must be protected, particularly from themselves, because young thinkers are stupid as hell and prone to misadventures with anything they can dig out of their planetary crusts. Hydrocarbons, radioactives, anything.

This planet is rich in ingredients for misadventure.

A terrific opener. Also, it’s free at Uncanny Magazine, one of the best venues for short fiction out there today. 

So yes, I expect this story to be a fun read. Perhaps you’d like it too?

Note from the future: I was right, the story was a great read!

* * *

Uncanny Magazine Issue 69 has been such a good one to read so far.

Anjali Sachdeva's Chimera, Theodora Goss's The Woman Who Stole Flowers, Sunwoo Jeong's Permanent Press, John Wiswell's Welcome to Heroism; all the stories have been really good.

#Reading #Bookstodon #UncannyMagazine

Uncanny Magazine Issue 65 edited by Michael Damian Thomas: 📚 35/2025: ⭐️⭐️⭐️: Favorites by Catherynne M. VAlente, Emma Törzs, and Daniel H. Wilson. https://michaelhans.com/eclecticism/2025/07/12/uncanny-magazine-issue-65-edited-by-michael-damian-thomas

#CatherynneMValente #DanielHWilson #EmmaTörzs #MichaelDamianThomas #UncannyMagazine #Books #Photos

Uncanny Magazine Issue 64 edited by Michael Damian Thomas: 📚 25/2025: ⭐️⭐️⭐️: Favorites by Caroline M. Yoachim and Delilah S. Dawson. https://michaelhans.com/eclecticism/2025/05/10/uncanny-magazine-issue-64-edited-by-michael-damian-thomas

#CarolineMYoachim #DelilahSDawson #MichaelDamianThomas #UncannyMagazine #Books #Photos

Uncanny Magazine Issue 63 edited by Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas: 📚 14/2025: Favorites by Samantha Mills, G. Willow Wilson, and J.L. Akagi. ⭐️⭐️⭐️ https://michaelhans.com/eclecticism/2025/03/04/uncanny-magazine-issue-63-edited-by-lynne-m-thomas-and-michael-damian-thomas

#GWillowWilson #JLAkagi #LynneMThomas #MichaelDamianThomas #SamanthaMills #UncannyMagazine #Books #Photos

If you back @uncannymagazine.bsky.social for $250 I'll edit your manuscript, up to 90k words. That critique usually costs $1,000, so grab it while you can and support Uncanny Magazine.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/lynnemthomas/uncanny-magazine-year-11-this-one-goes-to-eleven/rewards

#LianaEdits #Writing #UncannyMagazine

The Locus Science Fiction Foundation has just announced this year’s Locus Award winners, and as often happens, a number of them have connections to Norwescon!

• Martha Wells (2018 Philip K. Dick Award nominee): Science Fiction Novel for System Collapse and Fantasy Novel for Witch King
• P. Djèlí Clark (Norwescon 45 guest of honor): Short Story for “How to Raise a Kraken in Your Bathtub”
• Uncanny Magazine (Norwescon 45 spotlight publisher, represented by guests of honor Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas): Magazine
• Tor (Norwescon 28, 33, and 43 spotlight publisher): Publisher
• Neil Clarke (Norwescon 42 and 46 guest of honor): Editor
• John Picacio (Norwescon 35 guest of honor): Artist

Congratulations all, along with the rest of the winners — and perhaps we’ll be fortunate enough to see some of the rest at Norwescons in the future!

https://www.norwescon.org/2024/06/24/congratulations-to-the-2024-locus-award-winners/

#JohnPicacio #LocusAwards #LynneMThomas #MarthaWells #MichaelDamianThomas #NeilClarke #PDjèlíClark #Tor #UncannyMagazine