Tasting Light

August 1, 2022
Grades 9-12 The 10 short stories in this luminous collection are set in the future in different locations--some familiar and some strange, some on Earth and some in outer space, some subtly or overtly dystopian--but they all have two things in common: all revolve around teens with needs that will resonate with today's readers, and each features a future world grounded in real science. In ""Cadence,"" the eponymous protagonist finds a new voice, literally and figuratively. ""Extremophiles,"" ""The Walk,"" and ""The Cage"" explore communication and connection, while both ""Melanitis"" and ""The Weight of a Name"" connect the protagonists with their history. ""Twin Strangers"" and ""On the Tip of My Tongue"" explore friendship in an uncertain world, as does, in a way, ""The Memory of Soil."" A. S. King's ""Smile River"" closes the collection with creeping, chilling horror as the reader contemplates a society in which women are required to smile and be happy all the time. At once unsettling and moving, this crystalline collection will find or create a connection with its readers.

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Starred review from September 5, 2022
This dazzling speculative collection comprising 10 authors and edited by Capetta (The Heartbreak Bakery), who also contributes, and Roush (Extraterrestrials), explores emerging innovative technology to imagine expansive futures. A nonbinary teen saves up money to literally change their voice via the booming body modification industry in Charlotte Nicole Davis’s “Cadence,” but must contend with unforeseen emotional backlash when they choose a voice that once belonged to an acquaintance’s dead loved one. “On the Tip of My Tongue” by William Alexander follows an unnamed mechanic as they attempt to adapt their tía’s visual aid to better navigate a cobbled-together space settlement. A group of women fight to combat generational mind control in A.S. King’s “Smile River,” and in Nasugraq Rainey Hopson’s “The Weight of a Name,” a young woman living in a future Inuit community learns that her mother’s legacy may be the bargaining chip to newfound opportunity on another planet. Podcast scripts, pen pal letters, and a b&w comic, illustrated via gentle line, are a few of the vehicles used to render these moving tales. The creators seamlessly tackle relevant issues such as colonization, misogyny, transphobia, and white entitlement in this eclectic celebration of infinite possibility and the ever-present human spirit. Ages 14–up.

Starred review from August 1, 2022
A diverse anthology showing hopeful futures imagined through the lens of technology. Capetta and Roush introduce engaging, thoughtful, beautifully written entries about identity and agency, all unfolding within the bounds of real science. The 10 fully realized stories, many by popular young adult authors, cover a range of topics and include Junauda Petrus-Nasah's satirical look at White privilege, William Alexander's romantic interlude in a decrepit space station, and E.C. Myers' fun take on true crime and the two teens who may or may not have crossed into another dimension. Capetta's fantastic epistolary tale unfolds across time and space, and there's even a melancholy graphic short story from Wendy Xu about robots and memory. Friendship, family, and human connection play a role in Elizabeth Bear's thought-provoking take on avatars, K. Ancrum's moving story about the relationship between a young teen and an older woman hacker, and Nasuġraq Rainey Hopson's skillful weaving of elders into a work of Inuit futurism. The anthology celebrates queerness, a variety of gender identities, and the freedom to be oneself, delving into how technology can influence and transform reality as well as be used for the greater good--or to oppress. The modification industry helps a nonbinary teen find their voice in Charlotte Nicole Davis' poignant opening act, but the same industry is used to subjugate women into losing their voices in A.S. King's ultimately empowering closing story. A top-notch hard science fiction collection. (Science fiction. 14-adult)

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