2 Hawlings today…

From here: https://dflewisreviews.wordpress.com/2016/09/03/uncertainties-vols-1-2/
UNCERTAINTIES (Swan River Press)

LAST LOVE by John Kenny

“…that in the last moment in extremis lay the greatest expression of life.”

When I first saw the title ‘Uncertainties’ for these two anthologies, I assumed a sense of the traditional supernatural, the uneasy, the questionable nature of ghosts, even an arguable homeliness or comfort of the odd MR Jamesian pastiche/tribute or quiet horror. Indeed I am already sure there are fine examples of such sensitive weird and atmospheric fictions within these anthologies, but I now realise that the ‘Uncertainty’ possesses also a more serious, dangerous, challenging or brave quality.

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From here: https://cernzoo.wordpress.com/the-big-book-of-science-fiction/
THE BIG BOOK OF SCIENCE FICTION (Edited by Ann & Jeff VanderMeer)

DAY MILLION by Frederik Pohl

“They met cute.”

And that three word sentence seems to sum up a whole wishful far-future and its iconic love story. This witty-chatty monologue to YOU the reader NOW, about that far-future age of bodily and mentally expressive freedom when ‘queers’ were not called ‘queers’ and trans just a way of life, and babies predictable as to their nature still inside the womb. Except that, as this text says, progress doesn’t go in a straight line, and gender of humanity has many new appendages and oubliettes to be proud of or be sickened by, plus new perfectibilities, straight or bent images that develop from good to bad and back again, depending on your standpoint in retrocausal time. Babies and wombs in a different interface, too, I guess.
And now what else do we foresee via this monologue? Love-making at a distance!? By analogue! Will never catch on. Sexting by text? Or Skype?
I’m off to listen to d’Indy. A bit less jazzy than Monk for my taste.