My new Birdverse novelette “The Book of How to Live” has received some positive reviews.

The first from Tangent, by reviewer Michelle Ristuccia:

Rose Lemberg brings us another moving LGBTQIA fantasy piece set in the Birdverse, the novelette “The Book of How to Live.” Lemberg’s love story follows two strangers who struggle to be accepted in a world ruled by magic users. Efronia wishes to attend university to further her non-magical inventions; meanwhile Zilpit-nai-Rinah fights to attain an equal status within her own family unit, her oreg. […] “The Book of How to Live” is about defining one’s self and developing one’s talents regardless of whether others accept you or not. [see full review here]

The second is from Quick Sip Reviews, by Charles Payseur.

Um…yes. Yes to this story. About work and ability and value in an unequal society, it weaves together magic and mechanics, desire and hope. And for a story that’s about so-called simples, it is wonderfully complex, exploring a setting that continues to expand and deepen, each story strengthening and widening the grid that is Birdverse and providing an incredible experience. This story focuses on two women, Efronia and Atarah, brought together not so much by their lack of deepnames so much as their genius at making things. They are artificers, not because they have been granted the title by a university or other entrenched power, but because their inventions work. And the story is about work, the work that one does and how one does it. About the power of work to draw people together, to unite them, especially when the work is so tied to how to live and how to live better. [read the full review here!]

I have talked about Charles a lot here, because I am so grateful for the work he does reviewing such an astounding number of short fiction publications in SFF. We need this coverage. I hope you will consider supporting his work on Patreon!

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I also have a new poem out at Strange Horizons. It’s NOT a Birdverse poem, for a change – it is a rather short piece titled The Ash Manifesto. I hope you like it!

Charles Payseur reviewed this poem at Quick Sip Reviews as a part of his Strange Horizons reviews. Really Charles is a hero.