Alien virus love disaster : stories / by Abbey Mei Otis.

Title :

Alien virus love disaster : stories

Author:

Otis, Abbey Mei, 1989-

Format:

Books

Language:

English

ISBN - ISSN:

9781618731494

1618731491

Physical Description:

232 pages ; 22 cm

Contents:

Alien virus love disaster -- Moonkids -- If you could be god of anything -- Teacher -- Blood, blood -- Sex dungeons for sad people -- Not an alien story -- Sweetheart -- I'm sorry your daughter got eaten by a cougar -- Rich people -- If you lived here, you'd be evicted by now -- Ultimate housekeeping megathrill 4.

Subject:

Extraterrestrial beings -- Fiction.

Short stories.

Science fiction.

First Title value, for Searching:

Alien virus love disaster : stories / by Abbey Mei Otis.

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Library	Audience	Home Location	Material Type	Shelf Number	Status
Searching... Heights	Adult	Fiction	Book	OTIS	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

Philip K. Dick Award finalist

Washington Post Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of 2018

Abbey Mei Otis's short stories are contemporary fiction at its strongest: taking apart the supposed equality that is clearly just not there, putting humans under an alien microscope, putting humans under government control, putting kids from the moon into a small beach town and then the putting the rest of the town under the microscope as they react in ways we ope they would, and then, of course, in ways we'd hope they don't. Otis has long been fascinated in using strange situations to explore dynamics of power, oppression, and grief, and the twelve stories collected here are at once a striking indictment of the present and a powerful warning about the future.

"After I read this book, I woke up with bumpy, reddish growths along my spine. They burst, releasing marvels: aliens, robots, prefab houses, vinyl, chainlink, styrofoam, star stuff, tales from the edge of eviction, so many new worlds. Alien Virus Love Disaster is a super-intelligent infection. Let Abbey Mei Otis give you some lumps."
-- Sofia Samatar, author of Tender

Author Notes

Abbey Mei Otis is a writer and teaching artist who lives in Washington, DC. She is a graduate of the Clarion West Writers Workshop and received her MFA from the Michener Center for Writers at the University of Texas. Her work has been published in Tin House, Strange Horizons, Tor.com, Barrelhouse, Gargoyle, and Story Quarterly, among other places.

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

In this peculiar but pleasing collection, Otis (Sweetheart) shares 12 offbeat yet arguably ordinary perspectives on extraordinary events. Wild things happen, but in these works, that's just the way life is, and no one really reacts to the strangeness. The dystopian tale of a sex robot fallen from the sky into the care of a clutch of street urchins in "If You Could Be God of Anything" is as familiar in its portrayal of off-putting, invasive human nature as it is alarming in its brutality. "Moonkids" depicts the darkly complex future of humanity's first children born on the moon, who are ejected from it when they failed to meet the satellite society's standard of intellectual perfection. "Ultimate Housekeeping Megathrill 4" portrays a desperately miserable woman whose favorite escapist video game is simply about having enough time, energy, and resources to care for her family. The remainder of the collection is rife with depictions of physical invasion, transformation, and destruction-some successfully told, some less so. Though a mixed bag in terms of execution, there is plenty for devoted fans of speculative fiction to enjoy. Agent: Kristina Moore, Wylie Agency. (Aug.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Booklist Review

*Starred Review* Otis' debut story collection explores a variety of bizarre worlds, ranging from grim possible near futures to mysterious alternate presents. Many of the stories share an emphasis on physicality and embodiment, whether it be bodies distorted by alien environments or artifacts or people thrown into their own bodies through suffering at other, human hands. Her deft and enthralling writing handles science fiction, fantasy, and everything in between with aplomb. Standouts include Moonkids, which follows the abandoned children of a lunar colony dealing with the physical and emotional weight of life on Earth; Blood, Blood, where two friends engage in bloody fights for the curious attention of disembodied voyeuristic aliens; Alien Virus Love Disaster, in which a mysterious industrial accident causes a small community to break out in large, smooth lumps that seem loaded with possibility; and If You Lived Here You'd Be Evicted by Now, where in order to secure one's home a family must either gruesomely kill a beloved nurturer or find some rare and even stranger alternative. Otis' debut is highly recommended for anyone interested in weird fiction, sf, or just a breathtaking reading experience.--Alan Keep Copyright 2018 Booklist

Excerpts

An excerpt from "Blood, Blood"  by Abbey Mei Otis I'm sixteen when George and I figure out the aliens will pay to watch us fight. We're leaning against milk crates in the alley behind the library and he's giving me shit about losing my waitressing job. To shut him up I bring my fist back in slow motion and plow my knuckles into the side of his mouth. He does an exaggerated, drawn-out reaction, flapping his lips out and staggering into the cinderblock. Then at the last moment he spins, catches me around my waist and pulls me in to him. My foot snags the milk crates and the stack comes clattering down. A group of aliens are leaving the library--a family, maybe, if families are something they have. They catch sight of us--smell us, sense us, whatever--and drift over to the mouth of the alley. I feel George tense as the aliens say, What are you doing? What does this mean? His face is drawing tight with irritation when I reach back and tickle him. My fingers dig into the softness between his ribs hard enough--maybe--to leave bruises. We topple to the pavement. He lands on top of me. His elbow jams my boob. Or, as my mom would say, the place where my boob ought to be. "Shit, ow ." "So says the weaker sex." "I hate you." His whisper hums against my neck. "I know." I flip out of his grasp and my knee drags along pavement, leaving a stain of capillary blood on the faded asphalt and the tufts of grass that break through. How thrilling, the aliens murmur. How visceral. A moment later George lies on his stomach. His feet kick feebly, like a turtle. "Mercy, fair lady!" Sitting on his back, I inspect my nails. Each capped with a rind of black grime. Sweat, his and mine, soaks through my Stray Cat Diner polo. "Mercy!" When I let him up, he picks his messenger cap off the pavement. Dusts it off. Drops his card in, and waves it toward the cluster of aliens. "Donations? Donations! Show your appreciation, whatever manner you feel is right." Giggling, the aliens reach in and touch his card. Credit rushes into his account. Even after they've paid him, they linger. They are fascinated by the way he grips the brim of his cap, the way I press my finger into the scrape on my knee and hiss as the sting flares and fades. George and I stand very still. Usually aliens don't leave unless you've really done nothing for a minute or two. They hate missing anything. When they've gone, George flips them the bird. He checks the balance on his card and looks up at me, his mouth spreading into a grin. His eyes are hard and bright with opportunity. "We're rich ." Excerpted from Alien Virus Love Disaster: Stories by Abbey Mei Otis All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.