Even Greater Mistakes by Charlie Jane Anders. Photo: Tor / Getty Images / EyeEm
In the introduction to her latest book, San Francisco native Charlie Jane Anders explains that when she started her writing career, she swore shed never write a novel: My first allegiance, my deepest loyalty, was to short fiction the only species of confabulation that grants you total freedom to mess around, she writes.
After (thankfully) going back on her word and publishing a number of Nebula- and Hugo-winning novels and novelettes, including All the Birds in the Sky (2016) and The City in the Middle of the Night (2019), Anders first full-length collection of speculative short stories is finally here.Longtime fans and even newbies to the genre: Get ready for one zany ride.
The 19 stories in Even Greater Mistakes all previously published elsewhere, including a few that take place in realms explored in her novels are a panoply of virtuosic world-building, inventive approaches to unpacking relationship quandaries (the duo in Power Couple opt for cryonics) and full-on hilarious scene crafting. Also, be on the lookout for some artfully disguised (but decidedly pointed) political commentary thrown in for good measure.
My Breath Is a Rudder and Because Change Was the Ocean and We Lived by Her Mercy are both queer first-person stories set in alternate versions of a future San Francisco. Because Her Mercy tackles climate change, envisioning what might happen if the ocean-flooded city turned into an archipelago and a commune-like group of freaks, artists and other members of the Wrong-Headed crew returned, debating whether and how to rebuild.
A Temporary Embarrassment in Spacetime and Fairy Werewolf vs. Vampire Zombie both dabble in the delightfully silly, with the latter involving multiple bar brawls, a good old-fashioned karaoke throw-down between the two title characters, and a giant jar of pickled brains.
The most hard-hitting, perhaps because its the most personal, is the unsettling and devastating Dont Press Charges and I Wont Sue, in which a trans woman takes on an organization whose mission is returning healthy, well-adjusted individuals to society without any trace of dysphoria, dysmorphia, dystonia, or any other dys-words by thwarting its attempts to forcefully alter her identity. (Anders wrote it in the weeks leading up to the inauguration of our 45th president. Need I say more?)
Whatever mood youre going for, theres a story in Even Greater Mistakes to match it. What also makes the collection so infectious and, frankly, cool are the edifying intros that accompany each story. Much in the same vein as her recently released writing how-to/memoir mash-up Never Say You Cant Survive, these snippets provide valuable insight into Anders creative process and inspiration for each story, but they also highlight her screwball sense of humor and mad-scientist-style outlook on life.
In an interview for a prior book, Anders mused: Good science fiction allows us to see ourselves in a lot of different contexts, and it kind of allows us to kind of think beyond our narrow ideas of who we are as a species, as a people and become more accepting of different ways of being a human being.
Not every story in Even Greater Mistakes is a knockout. But as far as what each one accomplishes in its own way? I couldnt have put it better than she did.
Even Greater MistakesBy Charlie Jane Anders(Tor; 352 pages; $27.99)
Author event
Charlie Jane Anders, other authors at Writers With Drinks: In person. 7-9:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 13. Vaccination and masks required. $5-$20. Make-Out Room, 3225 22nd St., S.F. Eventbrite
Read more:
- Inside facility storing hundreds of corpses with the hope of using technology to restore them to full health - UNILAD - March 18th, 2024 [March 18th, 2024]
- Cryonics: Could you live forever? | BBC Science Focus Magazine - April 8th, 2023 [April 8th, 2023]
- Introduction to Cryonics - Alcor - February 18th, 2023 [February 18th, 2023]
- Inside Philip Rhoades' bid to be frozen in a new Australian cryonics ... - February 15th, 2023 [February 15th, 2023]
- About Cryonics - The Cryonics Institute - February 2nd, 2023 [February 2nd, 2023]
- Ted Williams - Wikipedia - November 25th, 2022 [November 25th, 2022]
- Arizona cryonics facility preserves bodies to revive later - November 23rd, 2022 [November 23rd, 2022]
- 200 Frozen Heads and Bodies Await Revival at This Arizona Cryonics Facility - Smithsonian Magazine - October 21st, 2022 [October 21st, 2022]
- Why the sci-fi dream of cryonics never died - MIT Technology Review - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- 3 Things That Kept Me Up After The Kardashians, Season 2, Episode 4 - British Vogue - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- Think Outside The (Titanium) Box: Isochoric Cryopreservation Could Save Lives - Forbes - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- 184 Frozen Bodies Are Waiting To Be Resurrected | History of Yesterday - History of Yesterday - October 8th, 2022 [October 8th, 2022]
- The First Person To Be Cryonically Frozen and Preserved for the Future - History of Yesterday - October 8th, 2022 [October 8th, 2022]
- Why TV vampires have our undying attention - The Boston Globe - October 8th, 2022 [October 8th, 2022]
- David Suzuki: Gaia theorist James Lovelock was always ahead of the times - NOW Toronto - August 10th, 2022 [August 10th, 2022]
- expert reaction to paper suggesting that cellular and tissue function can be restored in pigs after death - Science Media Centre - August 6th, 2022 [August 6th, 2022]
- David Suzuki: Gaia theorist James Lovelock was always ahead of the times - The Georgia Straight - August 6th, 2022 [August 6th, 2022]
- Does Life on Earth Have a Purpose to Ancient Ghost Tracks of the West (Planet Earth Report) - The Daily Galaxy --Great Discoveries Channel - August 6th, 2022 [August 6th, 2022]
- Cryonics Technology for Pet Market Is Expected to Boom | Praxair,Cellulis,Cryologics,Cryotherm,KrioRus,VWR,Thermo Fisher Scientific - Digital Journal - June 24th, 2022 [June 24th, 2022]
- Cryonics company hopes to use legal loophole to freeze people alive - June 22nd, 2022 [June 22nd, 2022]
- Russian Cryonics Couple Danila Medvedev and Valerija Udalova's Bad Breakup Led to Heist Of Frozen Brains - The Daily Beast - April 11th, 2022 [April 11th, 2022]
- Buckys 10 Trigger Words Explained - Bucky's Metal Arm - February 24th, 2022 [February 24th, 2022]
- Severance Offers a Surreal, Allegorical Twist on Work-Life Balance - The Ringer - February 19th, 2022 [February 19th, 2022]
- U.S. Cryonics Lab Currently Keeping The Heads And Bodies ... - February 17th, 2022 [February 17th, 2022]
- Preserving Bodies in a Deep Freeze: 50 Years Later ... - February 17th, 2022 [February 17th, 2022]
- Suspended animation - Wikipedia - January 24th, 2022 [January 24th, 2022]
- Delving into the sci-fi world of cryonics - SaskToday.ca - January 24th, 2022 [January 24th, 2022]
- Cryonics Technology Market Overview by Industry Dynamics, Regional Analysis and Forecast 2021 to 2026 Industrial IT - Industrial IT - January 3rd, 2022 [January 3rd, 2022]
- If cryonics suddenly worked, wed need to face the fallout ... - December 13th, 2021 [December 13th, 2021]
- Cryonics Institute - Wikipedia - December 13th, 2021 [December 13th, 2021]
- Frozen for the future: Does Minnesota have any cryonics ... - December 13th, 2021 [December 13th, 2021]
- News - Cryonics: Alcor Life Extension Foundation - November 17th, 2021 [November 17th, 2021]
- Death - Wikipedia - November 17th, 2021 [November 17th, 2021]
- How much would you pay to come back from the dead? The starting price is 60k - The Telegraph - November 13th, 2021 [November 13th, 2021]
- Humans could 'live forever' as firm offers 'immortality' freezing for 478-a-year - Ammon News - October 30th, 2021 [October 30th, 2021]
- Halloween fun to be had at Metro area haunted houses - Polk.Today - October 30th, 2021 [October 30th, 2021]
- Cryonics Technology Market to Witness Highest Growth In Near Future | Praxair, Cellulis, Cryologics, Cryotherm, KrioRus, VWR, Thermo Fisher Scientific... - October 15th, 2021 [October 15th, 2021]
- Fact check: False claim that Walt Disneys frozen body will be thawed in December - USA TODAY - October 3rd, 2021 [October 3rd, 2021]
- Will Walt Disney's Frozen Body Be Thawed in December 2021? - Snopes.com - October 3rd, 2021 [October 3rd, 2021]
- Scorned wife raids ex-husbands cryogenics lab stealing frozen brains of people who hoped to be brought b... - The Sun - September 12th, 2021 [September 12th, 2021]
- Two cryopreservation companies, run by ex-spouses, fight over frozen corpses and one tries to remove the bo... - Market Research Telecast - September 12th, 2021 [September 12th, 2021]
- Could suspended animation send you into the future to become the smartest person alive? - SYFY WIRE - September 2nd, 2021 [September 2nd, 2021]
- Conclusive Study of Cryonics Technology market 2021 forecast to 2027 The Manomet Current - The Manomet Current - August 20th, 2021 [August 20th, 2021]
- UFOs and the Boundaries of Science - Boston Review - August 4th, 2021 [August 4th, 2021]
- Frequently Asked Questions | Cryonics Institute - July 12th, 2021 [July 12th, 2021]
- Is Walt Disney's Body Frozen? - Biography - July 10th, 2021 [July 10th, 2021]
- Jeanette Winterson, stone gods, oranges are not the only ... - July 10th, 2021 [July 10th, 2021]
- Cryonics Technology Market to Eyewitness Massive Growth by 2028: Praxair, Cellulis, Cryologics The Manomet Current - The Manomet Current - July 7th, 2021 [July 7th, 2021]
- Corrections: July 4, 2021 - The New York Times - July 5th, 2021 [July 5th, 2021]
- The cryonics industry would like to give you the past year, and many more, back - bdnews24.com - June 28th, 2021 [June 28th, 2021]
- Cryonics Technology Market Analytical Overview, Growth Factors, Demand and Trends Forecast to 2027 The ERX News - The ERX News - June 28th, 2021 [June 28th, 2021]
- Cryonics During the Pandemic - The New York Times - June 27th, 2021 [June 27th, 2021]
- Heres what a trend-analyzing A.I. thinks will be the next big thing in tech - Digital Trends - June 27th, 2021 [June 27th, 2021]
- Global Cryonics Technology Market 2021: Size, Application, Regional Outlook, Competitive Strategies Analysis and Forecasts To 2026 The ERX News - The... - June 27th, 2021 [June 27th, 2021]
- Cryonics Technology Market Pegged for Robust Expansion by 2027 Covid-19 Analysis The Courier - The Courier - June 4th, 2021 [June 4th, 2021]
- Cryonics Technology Market 2021 Is Booming Across the Globe by Share, Size, Growth, Segments and Forecast to 2027 | Top Players Analysis- Praxair,... - April 9th, 2021 [April 9th, 2021]
- Scientist proposes new plan to "resurrect" the dead with a Dyson Sphere, kind of - Boing Boing - April 9th, 2021 [April 9th, 2021]
- Global Cryonics Technology Market Growth in the Forecast Period of 2020 to 2026 With Top Companies: , Buckeye Partners, Shell Pipeline, NuStar Energy,... - April 2nd, 2021 [April 2nd, 2021]
- Cryopreservation - Wikipedia - March 21st, 2021 [March 21st, 2021]
- Will Cryogenically Frozen People Ever Be Revived? - March 21st, 2021 [March 21st, 2021]
- Cryonics Technology Market Statistics, Facts & Figures, Size, Trends and Forecast 2025 by Leading Companies Praxair, Cellulis, Cryologics,... - March 18th, 2021 [March 18th, 2021]
- Dyson spheres: The key to resurrection and immortality? - Big Think - March 18th, 2021 [March 18th, 2021]
- Putting dead heads on ice until the technology catches up - Sifted - February 2nd, 2021 [February 2nd, 2021]
- Global Cryonics Technology Market Detailed analysis of current Industry figures with forecasts growth by 2028 | Top Players; Praxair, Cellulis,... - January 19th, 2021 [January 19th, 2021]
- Cryonic Preservation Technique Lets You Preserve Your Body And Wake Up In The Future - ED Times - January 17th, 2021 [January 17th, 2021]
- Global Cryonics Technology Market (2020) to Witness Huge Growth by 2026 | Praxair, Cellulis, Cryologics, Cryotherm, KrioRus, VWR, and more -... - January 17th, 2021 [January 17th, 2021]
- Intelliconnect (Europe) Ltd. - Cryogenics and connecting the cold bits - Design Products & Applications - January 5th, 2021 [January 5th, 2021]
- Cryonics Technology Market Key Trends, Drivers, Challenges and Standardization To 2020-2026 - PRnews Leader - October 20th, 2020 [October 20th, 2020]
- Cryonics - Wikipedia - June 1st, 2020 [June 1st, 2020]
- What Is Cryonics? - How Cryonics Works | HowStuffWorks - June 1st, 2020 [June 1st, 2020]
- The False Science of Cryonics | MIT Technology Review - June 1st, 2020 [June 1st, 2020]
- Here's How Far Cryonic Preservation Has Come in the 50 ... - June 1st, 2020 [June 1st, 2020]
- Disrupting death: Could we really live forever in digital form? - CNET - June 1st, 2020 [June 1st, 2020]
- Research Report, Growth Trends and Competitive Analysis 2020-2026 - Cole of Duty - May 14th, 2020 [May 14th, 2020]
- Why Was Baseball Hall of Famer Ted Williams Decapitated? - Sportscasting - May 14th, 2020 [May 14th, 2020]
- Does Trump know his own government indirectly bankrolls some key promoters of the Russiagate hoax? - RT - May 14th, 2020 [May 14th, 2020]
- Oxford academic claims future humans could live for thousands of years - Express.co.uk - March 23rd, 2020 [March 23rd, 2020]
- How Long Do You Want to Live? This Technology Could Potentially Help People Live Forever - Interesting Engineering - March 23rd, 2020 [March 23rd, 2020]
- Cryonics, Dakota the Dog, and the Hope of Forever - Gizmodo - March 5th, 2020 [March 5th, 2020]
- Meet the Man Who Looks After Nederland's Frozen Dead Guy - 5280 | The Denver Magazine - March 5th, 2020 [March 5th, 2020]