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Real Sugar is Hard to Find
A collection of short stories by Sim Kern, Real Sugar is Hard to Find explores intersections of climate change, reproductive justice, queer identities, and family trauma. Whether fantasy, science fiction, or terrifyingly close-to-home, the worlds of these stories are inhabited by flawed characters whose lives are profoundly impacted by climate change and environmental degradation.
Arranged in a progression from dystopian to utopian worlds, the stories chart a path from climate despair towards resilience and revolutionary optimism. Even in the bleakest of futures, however, Kern offers reasons to hope, connect, and keep fighting for a better world.
Like Kelly Link’s Magic for Beginners or Karen Russell’s Vampires in the Lemon Grove, Kern's stories are unflinching, intimate explorations of trauma and our deepest fears, rendered irresistible through the infusion of fantastic speculative elements and a dark sense of humor.
Arranged in a progression from dystopian to utopian worlds, the stories chart a path from climate despair towards resilience and revolutionary optimism. Even in the bleakest of futures, however, Kern offers reasons to hope, connect, and keep fighting for a better world.
Like Kelly Link’s Magic for Beginners or Karen Russell’s Vampires in the Lemon Grove, Kern's stories are unflinching, intimate explorations of trauma and our deepest fears, rendered irresistible through the infusion of fantastic speculative elements and a dark sense of humor.
188 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2022
16 people are currently reading
793 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
September 13, 2022
One of the top three anthologies I have read this year! (And I have read quite a few!)
This is a collection of short stories that tackle several hard-hitting themes such as climate change, familial conflicts, political machinations, and reproductive fairness.
The cover is gorgeous and hooked me the minute I saw it. But what attracted me even more was this line in the blurb:
“Arranged in a progression from dystopian to utopian worlds, the stories chart a path from climate despair towards resilience and revolutionary optimism.”
Imagine a range of stories arranged in order of increasing optimism! How amazing is that! The question is, does the author do justice to this huge claim? The answer; to a great extent, yes.
Most of the stories contain a thread of dreariness, but the level of hope is what keeps compounding as we progress. While none of the stories are outright joyous, the latter stories still deliver a bittersweet satisfaction. None of the worlds were utopian to me; then again, I prefer dystopian to utopian fiction, so this wasn’t a problem at all.
The stories differ in length, but their impact is more or less similar. All the stories have well-created worlds, well-sketched characters and highly believable plots, the last of which is a wonder considering that this is a speculative fiction collection! Each story is quite varied in its setting and core idea, but still connected in terms of their approach. Benefit of having one author contributing all the stories in an anthology! Moreover, as the author is nonbinary, they ensure that their stories contain LGBTQIA+ characters also, with a couple of the stories even using the uncommon ze/zer and e/er pronouns. Yay to #OwnVoices!
One more thing I loved about this collection is that there is a brief content warning in the introduction, and a detailed list of triggers for each story at the end. This makes so much sense in an anthology as readers could just go through the triggers and see which stories might or might not work for them.
As always, I rated the eleven stories individually. Except for one, all the stories reached or crossed the 3.5 star mark. So only one story didn’t work for me. My top favourites in this collection were:
4.1 stars, based on the average of my rating for each story. (Rarely do my anthology ratings even touch 4 stars. So this is an outstanding rating!)
Recommended to all those who love cli-fi, enjoy anthologies, or relish speculative fiction. This was my first Sim Kern book, and it sure won’t be the last!
My thanks to Android Press and NetGalley for the DRC of “Real Sugar is Hard to Find”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
———————————————
Connect with me through:
My Blog | The StoryGraph | Facebook | Twitter
This is a collection of short stories that tackle several hard-hitting themes such as climate change, familial conflicts, political machinations, and reproductive fairness.
The cover is gorgeous and hooked me the minute I saw it. But what attracted me even more was this line in the blurb:
“Arranged in a progression from dystopian to utopian worlds, the stories chart a path from climate despair towards resilience and revolutionary optimism.”
Imagine a range of stories arranged in order of increasing optimism! How amazing is that! The question is, does the author do justice to this huge claim? The answer; to a great extent, yes.
Most of the stories contain a thread of dreariness, but the level of hope is what keeps compounding as we progress. While none of the stories are outright joyous, the latter stories still deliver a bittersweet satisfaction. None of the worlds were utopian to me; then again, I prefer dystopian to utopian fiction, so this wasn’t a problem at all.
The stories differ in length, but their impact is more or less similar. All the stories have well-created worlds, well-sketched characters and highly believable plots, the last of which is a wonder considering that this is a speculative fiction collection! Each story is quite varied in its setting and core idea, but still connected in terms of their approach. Benefit of having one author contributing all the stories in an anthology! Moreover, as the author is nonbinary, they ensure that their stories contain LGBTQIA+ characters also, with a couple of the stories even using the uncommon ze/zer and e/er pronouns. Yay to #OwnVoices!
One more thing I loved about this collection is that there is a brief content warning in the introduction, and a detailed list of triggers for each story at the end. This makes so much sense in an anthology as readers could just go through the triggers and see which stories might or might not work for them.
As always, I rated the eleven stories individually. Except for one, all the stories reached or crossed the 3.5 star mark. So only one story didn’t work for me. My top favourites in this collection were:
👉 The Propagator - 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 – Wow! This was the very first story of this collection, and it set such a high standard that the other stories fell short due to no fault of theirs. The story deals with restrictive reproductive care in a dystopian government, with the protagonist having figured out a novel way to rebel against the system.
👉 The New Nomad - 🌟🌟🌟🌟💫 – I think I connected a great deal with this as I am a parent too. The story provokes you into thinking about choice – what do you do when you are expecting a child but you know that the dystopian world you live in can’t afford another living being?
👉 Tadpoles - 🌟🌟🌟🌟💫 – Never did I imagine tadpoles being the trigger for the mc to …. No spoilers. What a wonderful correlation!
👉 Unwhole - 🌟🌟🌟🌟💫 – Oh my dear God! This was like the worst nightmare possible! This story captures the essence of what Speculative fiction should be like. I couldn’t even visualise half of what was happening and I still relished it. That ending though! 💔
4.1 stars, based on the average of my rating for each story. (Rarely do my anthology ratings even touch 4 stars. So this is an outstanding rating!)
Recommended to all those who love cli-fi, enjoy anthologies, or relish speculative fiction. This was my first Sim Kern book, and it sure won’t be the last!
My thanks to Android Press and NetGalley for the DRC of “Real Sugar is Hard to Find”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
———————————————
Connect with me through:
My Blog | The StoryGraph | Facebook | Twitter
June 30, 2022
I received an Advance Review Copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I absolutely loved this short story collection by Sim Kern. A total of eleven stories, it tackles a lot of relevant issues that we face today with the central element of each story being a world affected by climate change and environmental degradation. Most of the stories deal with motherhood, women's reproductive rights, climate anxiety, collective action, and queer identity.
The stories are so diverse in delivery that you have some that are entertaining and fun to read, while others are distressing and bleak. I loved how each story was built on unique worlds that ranges from dystopian, authoritarian settings to worlds with magic and fantastical setting. Each world in every story was surprisingly convincing and rich.
This anthology was so hard to put down because each story was always more intriguing than the last. I loved how it was arranged, from dystopian to utopian, ending the book with a feeling of hope and action. My top three favorite stories were: The Listener, Tadpoles, and my absolute favorite, The Lost Roads.
Full review on the blog, click here
I absolutely loved this short story collection by Sim Kern. A total of eleven stories, it tackles a lot of relevant issues that we face today with the central element of each story being a world affected by climate change and environmental degradation. Most of the stories deal with motherhood, women's reproductive rights, climate anxiety, collective action, and queer identity.
The stories are so diverse in delivery that you have some that are entertaining and fun to read, while others are distressing and bleak. I loved how each story was built on unique worlds that ranges from dystopian, authoritarian settings to worlds with magic and fantastical setting. Each world in every story was surprisingly convincing and rich.
This anthology was so hard to put down because each story was always more intriguing than the last. I loved how it was arranged, from dystopian to utopian, ending the book with a feeling of hope and action. My top three favorite stories were: The Listener, Tadpoles, and my absolute favorite, The Lost Roads.
Full review on the blog, click here
May 21, 2022
Sim Kern is the best writer you've never heard of. Sim tackles all of the hot button issues of the day - climate change, religious extremism, women's rights, trans' rights - in stories that are compact and full of compelling, vulnerable, complex characters. I was a beta reader for the title story, and I received an advanced copy of this anthology in exchange for a fair review. The anthology is strong start to finish. The Propagator is a negative Utopia of Texas that feels like it's only about five years out. "Unwhole" is a truly frightening postpartum nightmare. The final story, The Lost Roads, is full of hope that we can heal both our planet and our society. Check out this anthology and Kern's strong novella, Depart! Depart! and discover this truly original voice.
June 6, 2022
“Real Sugar Is Hard to Find” was my first read by Sim Kern and it won’t be last. Once I started reading, I couldn’t put it down. All of the stories were good, even if they were bleak at times, they were all realistic. The stories may have been short but they weren’t lacking in any way. They are an excellent writer and I will definitely be looking for more by them, I can’t wait for more. I definitely recommend this anthology, but do caution readers to check the trigger warnings before reading.
I give this book 5 stars.
I won an ARC of this book from LibraryThing’s Early Review program and Android Press in exchange for an honest review.
I give this book 5 stars.
I won an ARC of this book from LibraryThing’s Early Review program and Android Press in exchange for an honest review.
June 11, 2022
Sim Kern is not afraid to write about what needs to be written about.
They write about the raw, ugly truths of today... the climate crisis, the threats against reproductive justice, queer folks' struggles, but they do so in such a delicate, slice-of-life way. Their characters are flawed, nuanced, and authentic. Don't let the heavy subject matter keep you from missing how masterfully Kern writes about hard things. My favorite story is "The Propagator", though each story is so unique that they're all worth reading.
I received this ARC because I beta-read the story "The End of the Nuclear Age" for the author. I've enjoyed reading the collection so much I have pre-ordered the book so I have a hard copy for my shelves. You do not want to miss this book!
Keep Sim Kern on your radar, they're going places.
They write about the raw, ugly truths of today... the climate crisis, the threats against reproductive justice, queer folks' struggles, but they do so in such a delicate, slice-of-life way. Their characters are flawed, nuanced, and authentic. Don't let the heavy subject matter keep you from missing how masterfully Kern writes about hard things. My favorite story is "The Propagator", though each story is so unique that they're all worth reading.
I received this ARC because I beta-read the story "The End of the Nuclear Age" for the author. I've enjoyed reading the collection so much I have pre-ordered the book so I have a hard copy for my shelves. You do not want to miss this book!
Keep Sim Kern on your radar, they're going places.
August 6, 2022
Writing is good however I couldn’t connect with any of the stories.
May 25, 2022
First of all I want to say I absolutely love the beautiful cover for this book.
In this collection you'll find some body horror, environmental fiction, a story about trying to protect and save an entire eco system in a dying planet, and many more.
My favorite story in this collection was Sister, Fly-or-Die. It's a story that's very reminiscent of the Amazon show Carnival Row.
Sister, Fly-or-Die, is a eco fiction story about a fae forest slowly being destroyed by encroaching humans. The stories POV character is a witch whose at a lost as she helplessly watches her magical forest being destroyed. Should she step up and join the resistance or watch her world crumble from the sidelines?
In this collection you'll find some body horror, environmental fiction, a story about trying to protect and save an entire eco system in a dying planet, and many more.
My favorite story in this collection was Sister, Fly-or-Die. It's a story that's very reminiscent of the Amazon show Carnival Row.
Sister, Fly-or-Die, is a eco fiction story about a fae forest slowly being destroyed by encroaching humans. The stories POV character is a witch whose at a lost as she helplessly watches her magical forest being destroyed. Should she step up and join the resistance or watch her world crumble from the sidelines?
September 15, 2022
All of these excellent stories deal have a damaged environment as their backdrop, and deal variously with reproductive rights, government control of the bodies of people who can get pregnant, and family. The stories range from fairly dark and dystopic, to a final, hopeful tale to close out the collection. My thoughts on each story:
The Propagator: A sick, too plausible Texas where pregnant people have no options for terminating a pregnancy, forcing them to have too many kids, or keep a doomed fetus alive regardless of its viability. And jailing those aiming to find a way to abort.
4 stars.
The Listener: This was fantastic! I love how Jane the narrator hears trees and tries to help!
4.5 stars.
Real Sugar is Hard to Find: New lust, angst about an embarrassing parent, bigotry, and a hunt for ingredients vital for a cake to perk up the spirits of the narrator's sister all feature here. The world is increasingly toxic, but making something special for a loved one is sweet.
4 stars.
The New Nomad: Instead of someone forced to maintain a pregnancy, the main character here is faced with a tough decision on a colony with very limited resources.
4 stars.
The Night Heron: Fairly slight, compared with the other stories, it still one that left me thinking about what it can feel like at times being a parent.
3.5 stars.
Tadpoles: Fragile life, and a dying relationship are tied together.
4 stars.
Unwhole: Horrifying imagery of a post-surgical nightmare of a woman who is increasingly frustrated and saddened that she can’t hold her new baby.
4 stars.
What Can’t be Undone: A sobering tale about the legacy of domestic abuse.
4 stars.
Sister, Fly-Or-Die: Pesticides are killing the flora needed to sustain magic. It's a great idea, showing how the magical world is affected.
4 stars.
The End of the Nuclear Era: It takes a village to raise a child.... This is wonderfully illustrated in this setting as the narrator counsels young people coming from a range of different backgrounds.
4 stars.
The Lost Roads: This one was great! I loved the way people found a way to begin healing the world.
4.5 stars.
Thank you to Android Press for this ARC in exchange for my review.
The Propagator: A sick, too plausible Texas where pregnant people have no options for terminating a pregnancy, forcing them to have too many kids, or keep a doomed fetus alive regardless of its viability. And jailing those aiming to find a way to abort.
4 stars.
The Listener: This was fantastic! I love how Jane the narrator hears trees and tries to help!
4.5 stars.
Real Sugar is Hard to Find: New lust, angst about an embarrassing parent, bigotry, and a hunt for ingredients vital for a cake to perk up the spirits of the narrator's sister all feature here. The world is increasingly toxic, but making something special for a loved one is sweet.
4 stars.
The New Nomad: Instead of someone forced to maintain a pregnancy, the main character here is faced with a tough decision on a colony with very limited resources.
4 stars.
The Night Heron: Fairly slight, compared with the other stories, it still one that left me thinking about what it can feel like at times being a parent.
3.5 stars.
Tadpoles: Fragile life, and a dying relationship are tied together.
4 stars.
Unwhole: Horrifying imagery of a post-surgical nightmare of a woman who is increasingly frustrated and saddened that she can’t hold her new baby.
4 stars.
What Can’t be Undone: A sobering tale about the legacy of domestic abuse.
4 stars.
Sister, Fly-Or-Die: Pesticides are killing the flora needed to sustain magic. It's a great idea, showing how the magical world is affected.
4 stars.
The End of the Nuclear Era: It takes a village to raise a child.... This is wonderfully illustrated in this setting as the narrator counsels young people coming from a range of different backgrounds.
4 stars.
The Lost Roads: This one was great! I loved the way people found a way to begin healing the world.
4.5 stars.
Thank you to Android Press for this ARC in exchange for my review.
July 22, 2023
Very, very solid shot story collection, most being climatefic (solarpunk?). Some places where the prose felt a little clunky. But imaginative and very interesting, and I loved the themes - a lot of emphasis on pregnancy and young mothers, in addition to the overarching topic of climate change. Very much looking forward to Kern's upcoming novel!
August 23, 2023
A very interesting collection of short stories! I already know I will be thinking about some of these for a long time. If utopian and dystopian stories with themes of queerness, reproductive rights, and climate change sound intriguing, I’d definitely recommend it!
June 6, 2022
Beautiful book, highly recommend
June 12, 2022
It's always a good day when I add a new author to my 'favorite writer's' list. Sim Kern's made this a good day indeed. Their collection of short stories speaks of who we are as humans, how we reproduce, our identities, our family dynamics—set against the overwhelming backdrop of climate change in a transformed world.
Some stories are difficult to read. Others are a delight. All of them are compelling and I did not skip a one. My favorites are the dreadfully escalating situation in "Unwhole", and the oddly sweet and nostalgic "The Lost Roads" which I'd like to place in the hands of every Baby Boomer on Earth.
I notice they have a YA Sci-Fi trilogy coming out in November—I'll be eager to read it. I'm very happy I picked up this book as an Advance Reader Copy and made the literary acquaintance of Sim Kern.
Some stories are difficult to read. Others are a delight. All of them are compelling and I did not skip a one. My favorites are the dreadfully escalating situation in "Unwhole", and the oddly sweet and nostalgic "The Lost Roads" which I'd like to place in the hands of every Baby Boomer on Earth.
I notice they have a YA Sci-Fi trilogy coming out in November—I'll be eager to read it. I'm very happy I picked up this book as an Advance Reader Copy and made the literary acquaintance of Sim Kern.
July 30, 2022
I LOVE this book so much! The stories span a wide variety of genres, from sci-fi to fantasy to horror to solarpunk, and the world-building in all of them is amazing. Many of the stories have queer and trans characters, as the author themself is non-binary, and they deal with reproductive justice as well as pollution and climate/ecological breakdown.
Some of the stories are dystopian and others are utopian, but they all feature characters finding joy and connection, and many of them focus on family, both biological and chosen. Most of the stories involve characters finding ways to resist oppressive regimes - not superheroes saving the world, but everyday people (and witches and fairies) fighting back and helping each other.
I couldn't put this book down. It's exactly the kind of fiction I've been looking for: the kind that makes sense of our current mess, shows how all kinds of injustice are interrelated, and provides both a road map for fighting back and visions of what a better future can look like.
I can't wait for Sim Kern's next book, Seeds for the Swarm, a YA novel about college students who discover a terrible secret about the climate tech they're researching and turn on their school's billionaire backers. I also really loved their first book, Depart, Depart!, a novella about a Jewish trans man who escapes a devastating hurricane and starts seeing the ghost of his great-grandfather, who fled Nazi Germany as a boy. I highly recommend all of their writing!
Some of the stories are dystopian and others are utopian, but they all feature characters finding joy and connection, and many of them focus on family, both biological and chosen. Most of the stories involve characters finding ways to resist oppressive regimes - not superheroes saving the world, but everyday people (and witches and fairies) fighting back and helping each other.
I couldn't put this book down. It's exactly the kind of fiction I've been looking for: the kind that makes sense of our current mess, shows how all kinds of injustice are interrelated, and provides both a road map for fighting back and visions of what a better future can look like.
I can't wait for Sim Kern's next book, Seeds for the Swarm, a YA novel about college students who discover a terrible secret about the climate tech they're researching and turn on their school's billionaire backers. I also really loved their first book, Depart, Depart!, a novella about a Jewish trans man who escapes a devastating hurricane and starts seeing the ghost of his great-grandfather, who fled Nazi Germany as a boy. I highly recommend all of their writing!
December 15, 2022
Bleeding with intelligence and trauma, Kern's stories are ones to read, enjoy, and live with to share and re-read. Each story is more unique and fresh than the one that came before it, and while Kern's sensibility for social justice and ecological awareness come through in every one, the lives and worlds of their characters are so real that everything works in tandem. Some of these stories will live with me for ages, and this is the first book in a long time that's made me wish I were still teaching so that I could share this work with my students. Kern's language and creativity show what it means to be an author in tune not only with their art, but the world around them, and the results are magnificent.
Among my favorites in the collection are "The Listener", "Unwhole", and "What Can't Be Undone"--and I would recommend all of them, along with the rest of the stories in the collection.
Note that there are some extremely sensitive themes and subjects discussed in the book, and that detailed content warnings can be found at the end of the book, organized by story. (On a side note, I really appreciate Kern's choice to make a note in the beginning that this is the case, alerting readers up front that content warnings are in place, and where to find them, but not putting them at the forefront for readers who may want to go in 'blind'.)
Really, though, there are no words to write an adequate review here. This is a fantastic collection, and it deserves to be read.
Among my favorites in the collection are "The Listener", "Unwhole", and "What Can't Be Undone"--and I would recommend all of them, along with the rest of the stories in the collection.
Note that there are some extremely sensitive themes and subjects discussed in the book, and that detailed content warnings can be found at the end of the book, organized by story. (On a side note, I really appreciate Kern's choice to make a note in the beginning that this is the case, alerting readers up front that content warnings are in place, and where to find them, but not putting them at the forefront for readers who may want to go in 'blind'.)
Really, though, there are no words to write an adequate review here. This is a fantastic collection, and it deserves to be read.
January 22, 2023
More folks need to get hip to Sim Kern! Their collection of speculative short stories Real Sugar is Hard to Find was my first read of 2023 and it blew me away.
On what would’ve been the 50-year-anniversary of Roe v. Wade as I'm writing this, had the conservative Supreme Court not overturned it in June 2022, I’m thankful for the imagineers like Sim who are using the power of storytelling to keep hopeful action at the forefront, no matter if we’re living in dystopia or utopia.
These stories explore intersections of climate change, reproductive justice, queer identities, and family trauma through fantasy, scifi, or terrifyingly close-to-home worlds and the flawed characters inhabiting them.
I’ve never felt so immersed so quickly, and it happened 11 times! They pack a punch, pulling you in by the first sentence.
From crying my eyes out in “The Propagator” to feeling as uncertain as the MC in “What Can’t Be Undone” to being incredibly motivated for change in “The Lost Roads,” I got so much out of every story.
Do check the trigger warnings, listed below under the tag.
On what would’ve been the 50-year-anniversary of Roe v. Wade as I'm writing this, had the conservative Supreme Court not overturned it in June 2022, I’m thankful for the imagineers like Sim who are using the power of storytelling to keep hopeful action at the forefront, no matter if we’re living in dystopia or utopia.
These stories explore intersections of climate change, reproductive justice, queer identities, and family trauma through fantasy, scifi, or terrifyingly close-to-home worlds and the flawed characters inhabiting them.
I’ve never felt so immersed so quickly, and it happened 11 times! They pack a punch, pulling you in by the first sentence.
From crying my eyes out in “The Propagator” to feeling as uncertain as the MC in “What Can’t Be Undone” to being incredibly motivated for change in “The Lost Roads,” I got so much out of every story.
Do check the trigger warnings, listed below under the tag.
September 4, 2022
Just finished Sim Kern's brilliant "Real Sugar is Hard to Find" - a short story collection from
Android Press. Kern writes SFF that feels so possible because every character is so realistic. Their literary, emotive style keeps you anchored in a panoply of plausible worlds. Every story grips you with believable characters in equally believable settings shaped by our climate crisis. Kern's characters are people you might know. Their struggles & traumas & aspirations are not alien but very close to home, which Kern handles with utmost care. I won't dive into any spoilers but I will name some standout stories that kept me thinking long after I turned the last page. The titular, "Real Sugar is Hard to Find" was simultaneously devastating & heart warming. "Unwhole" feels like a must read in today's Post-Roe world. "What Can't be Undone" features one of the most morally complex characters in the collection. "The Propagator" is a standout for its worldbuilding & commentary. "Tadpoles" is not at all what it seems. My favorite, "Night Heron", is a quiet, intimate tale that left me shattered. For me, what makes these stories so successful is Kern's masterful prose - a perfect balance of clarity & literary sensibility that makes the pages fly. If you like SFF that is literary and ruggedly real, I highly recommend checking out this marvelous collection!
Android Press. Kern writes SFF that feels so possible because every character is so realistic. Their literary, emotive style keeps you anchored in a panoply of plausible worlds. Every story grips you with believable characters in equally believable settings shaped by our climate crisis. Kern's characters are people you might know. Their struggles & traumas & aspirations are not alien but very close to home, which Kern handles with utmost care. I won't dive into any spoilers but I will name some standout stories that kept me thinking long after I turned the last page. The titular, "Real Sugar is Hard to Find" was simultaneously devastating & heart warming. "Unwhole" feels like a must read in today's Post-Roe world. "What Can't be Undone" features one of the most morally complex characters in the collection. "The Propagator" is a standout for its worldbuilding & commentary. "Tadpoles" is not at all what it seems. My favorite, "Night Heron", is a quiet, intimate tale that left me shattered. For me, what makes these stories so successful is Kern's masterful prose - a perfect balance of clarity & literary sensibility that makes the pages fly. If you like SFF that is literary and ruggedly real, I highly recommend checking out this marvelous collection!
Read
September 13, 2023this was an excellent collection of speculative & sci fi short stories. the author has created some really inventive scenarios and world building. I needed some solar punk hope.
March 26, 2024
“He sees me, dude. All the bad stuff, and he still likes me. It’s…freeing.”
I’m a massive fan of Sim Kern’s work, so grabbing a copy of their short story collection ahead of the Trans Rights Readathon was a no-brainer.
This is such a visceral collection of short stories that focuses on climate change, reproductive rights, the LGBTQIA+ community, and family trauma. There is something in at least one of these stories that any reader can relate to.
There are utopias and dystopias, some of which feel like they hit too close to home considering our current political climate. But it’s stories like these that I think are so important to read, regardless of how difficult and uncomfortable they may be. Kern also includes a detailed list of trigger warnings by story which considering the subject matter was really great to see.
I’m a massive fan of Sim Kern’s work, so grabbing a copy of their short story collection ahead of the Trans Rights Readathon was a no-brainer.
This is such a visceral collection of short stories that focuses on climate change, reproductive rights, the LGBTQIA+ community, and family trauma. There is something in at least one of these stories that any reader can relate to.
There are utopias and dystopias, some of which feel like they hit too close to home considering our current political climate. But it’s stories like these that I think are so important to read, regardless of how difficult and uncomfortable they may be. Kern also includes a detailed list of trigger warnings by story which considering the subject matter was really great to see.
June 28, 2022
I am going to go back through my updates so I can include thoughts on each short story, later. (UPDATES BELOW)
For now, I will say- this is an eclectic mix of short stories with similar themes in different styles (fantasy, horror, realistic fiction, etc). There are some that were more to my taste than others.
For the final story, The Lost Roads, I don't know if it's the state of things in the US, or thinking of the incredibly rural area that I live in, but as much as I want to believe in a world free of cars where food is grown in every neighborhood & asphalt is ripped up to be restored to native plants, I just feel too heavy in my heart right now to believe it, even though I'm potentially one of the biggest native plant advocates you may ever meet.
There's a lot of beautiful hope mixed in with the dread & despair in these stories. Much like Sim's debut DEPART, DEPART! they excel at taking heavy, difficult topics & providing much-needed hope & light to keep it from feeling overly oppressive.
I'm a big fan of Sim's writing & am grateful to their publisher for sending me an ARC to review.
*UPDATES FOR EACH STORY BELOW (roughly in order - last story is above)*
The Propagator: yesss plant crimes & reproductive care in an uncaring government!
The Listener: I wish I could hear the trees too 😭
Real Sugar is Hard to Find (the titular short story): tbh I need to know more about the two romantic relationships in this, the world feels so damn real & the emotions are.. deep. Sim has this way of balancing heavy subjects with kindness & humor & other good things - it makes it more bearable, when staring down a future that may very well look like what they detail.
The New Nomad - break my heart why don't you?! I want to explore Coron, see the creatures and the plants and ecology 😭 The impossible choice of a parent that echoes here, now on earth - do you bring another life into a world that you're not sure will last, not sure there will be resources for, that you're not sure whether your choice & privilege mean that another child will not have the opportunity
The Night Heron: what to say on this one. Short, concise, powerful.
Tadpoles: . To have compassion in the face of an uncaring world.
Unwhole - I honestly don't know what to think about this one. Definitely falls under uncanny valley/body horror, neither of which are my cup of tea. Not my favorite.
What Can't Be Undone - I desperately wish this magic was real.
Sister, Fly-Or-Die: one of the longer shorts in the collection, packed with action and yet still manages to convey deeply the despair of a dying planet, being killed by something bigger than a single person. I'd like to know more about this world, too.
The End of the Nuclear Era: this one is hitting me hard and I'm going to have to stop at just 1 story tonight. I wish our society believed in children's rights - what would my & my brothers' lives been like, if there had been a safe place to welcome us in..?
For now, I will say- this is an eclectic mix of short stories with similar themes in different styles (fantasy, horror, realistic fiction, etc). There are some that were more to my taste than others.
For the final story, The Lost Roads, I don't know if it's the state of things in the US, or thinking of the incredibly rural area that I live in, but as much as I want to believe in a world free of cars where food is grown in every neighborhood & asphalt is ripped up to be restored to native plants, I just feel too heavy in my heart right now to believe it, even though I'm potentially one of the biggest native plant advocates you may ever meet.
There's a lot of beautiful hope mixed in with the dread & despair in these stories. Much like Sim's debut DEPART, DEPART! they excel at taking heavy, difficult topics & providing much-needed hope & light to keep it from feeling overly oppressive.
I'm a big fan of Sim's writing & am grateful to their publisher for sending me an ARC to review.
*UPDATES FOR EACH STORY BELOW (roughly in order - last story is above)*
The Propagator: yesss plant crimes & reproductive care in an uncaring government!
The Listener: I wish I could hear the trees too 😭
Real Sugar is Hard to Find (the titular short story): tbh I need to know more about the two romantic relationships in this, the world feels so damn real & the emotions are.. deep. Sim has this way of balancing heavy subjects with kindness & humor & other good things - it makes it more bearable, when staring down a future that may very well look like what they detail.
The New Nomad - break my heart why don't you?! I want to explore Coron, see the creatures and the plants and ecology 😭 The impossible choice of a parent that echoes here, now on earth - do you bring another life into a world that you're not sure will last, not sure there will be resources for, that you're not sure whether your choice & privilege mean that another child will not have the opportunity
The Night Heron: what to say on this one. Short, concise, powerful.
Tadpoles: . To have compassion in the face of an uncaring world.
Unwhole - I honestly don't know what to think about this one. Definitely falls under uncanny valley/body horror, neither of which are my cup of tea. Not my favorite.
What Can't Be Undone - I desperately wish this magic was real.
Sister, Fly-Or-Die: one of the longer shorts in the collection, packed with action and yet still manages to convey deeply the despair of a dying planet, being killed by something bigger than a single person. I'd like to know more about this world, too.
The End of the Nuclear Era: this one is hitting me hard and I'm going to have to stop at just 1 story tonight. I wish our society believed in children's rights - what would my & my brothers' lives been like, if there had been a safe place to welcome us in..?
August 28, 2022
I read Sim Kern’s Real Sugar is Hard To Find a few weeks ago, and it has stuck with me. The short story collection grapples with some heavy topics - climate change, reproductive freedom and reproductive justice (both to have, and to have not), what we owe one another, parenthood, compassion and understanding. I feel like it really captures some of the highs and lows of thinking about the future (or even just existing in the present.)
I suspect I connected with many of these stories to the level I did, because I'm a both a parent and someone concerned about the environment. Or someone thinking about the future or the world we leave behind for future generations. These stories help create potential futures, and thankfully, in many cases feature moments of repair in ruin (though not always.)
Stand outs for me were The Listener, in which we get to live in a world with at least one person that can talk to trees - but it’s also a story about family and identity. The New Nomad, where a parent confronts the unpopular idea of having another child on a struggling planet. The heartbreaking Tadpoles, where it’s about so much more than tadpoles. The Last Roads was a powerful story of change, restoration, forgiveness, and understanding. The intersection of reproductive and horticultural freedom in The Propagator. I realize now that I’ve started, there are many stories I want to call out, several weeks after reading this book - they’ve stuck around in my mind.
Worlds where the freedom to reproduce is curtailed, worlds where the freedom from reproduction is curtailed, worlds where family and community and society is restructured, worlds without cars but with accessible transportation, worlds with radical forest sprites, worlds full of imagination, there is so much richness in this work, and I'd recommend it.
Sim Kern has this ability to create worlds that feel like they exist, with relatively few words, and they’ve become an authour I follow and buy the works of. Definitely one to watch I think.
I bought this book, and also got a review copy from netgalley.
I think it's nice that the authour took the time to layout some of the Trigger Warnings by story, so that's worth checking out if you need/want to as well.
I suspect I connected with many of these stories to the level I did, because I'm a both a parent and someone concerned about the environment. Or someone thinking about the future or the world we leave behind for future generations. These stories help create potential futures, and thankfully, in many cases feature moments of repair in ruin (though not always.)
Stand outs for me were The Listener, in which we get to live in a world with at least one person that can talk to trees - but it’s also a story about family and identity. The New Nomad, where a parent confronts the unpopular idea of having another child on a struggling planet. The heartbreaking Tadpoles, where it’s about so much more than tadpoles. The Last Roads was a powerful story of change, restoration, forgiveness, and understanding. The intersection of reproductive and horticultural freedom in The Propagator. I realize now that I’ve started, there are many stories I want to call out, several weeks after reading this book - they’ve stuck around in my mind.
Worlds where the freedom to reproduce is curtailed, worlds where the freedom from reproduction is curtailed, worlds where family and community and society is restructured, worlds without cars but with accessible transportation, worlds with radical forest sprites, worlds full of imagination, there is so much richness in this work, and I'd recommend it.
Sim Kern has this ability to create worlds that feel like they exist, with relatively few words, and they’ve become an authour I follow and buy the works of. Definitely one to watch I think.
I bought this book, and also got a review copy from netgalley.
I think it's nice that the authour took the time to layout some of the Trigger Warnings by story, so that's worth checking out if you need/want to as well.
August 12, 2022
What the world looks like generations from now depends on what we do today.
Jane developed the ability to hear the thoughts of trees in one of the first scenes of “The Listener,” and she was tormented by their suffering. The plot twists were clever and kept me guessing. At one point I literally had to suppress the urge to argue with Jane because of how shocked I was by one of her decisions. She had excellent reasons for her choices, though, and I enjoyed being surprised by them just as much as I did imagining what might happen to her and her family next.
While I deeply enjoyed this collection in general, there were some stories that I wished had been given more opportunities for development. “The End of the Nuclear Era” was one such example. It showed what happened when children were given the legal right to leave their biological families and live with other people if they so desired. I was intrigued by how such a system would work and yearned to learn more about the practicalities of it all. For example, how old would a kid need to be before they could make this choice? What made some of them stay home and others venture forth? How did they learn that such options existed in the first place? I would have happily gone with a full five-star rating if every tale was equally fleshed out.
In “What Can’t Be Undone,” a witch named Stitcher Lorra tried to fix herself and those around her who requested help with a crude form of magic that didn’t always work the way it was intended to. The world building was fascinating and made me yearn for more information about how magic worked in this universe and why so many people had unrealistic expectations of it. I also appreciated figuring out how Lorra’s deepest faults were related to her work and how far she was willing to go to correct her character. Those scenes were as thoughtful as they were realistic for her personality.
Real Sugar is Hard to Find gave me hope for the future.
Jane developed the ability to hear the thoughts of trees in one of the first scenes of “The Listener,” and she was tormented by their suffering. The plot twists were clever and kept me guessing. At one point I literally had to suppress the urge to argue with Jane because of how shocked I was by one of her decisions. She had excellent reasons for her choices, though, and I enjoyed being surprised by them just as much as I did imagining what might happen to her and her family next.
While I deeply enjoyed this collection in general, there were some stories that I wished had been given more opportunities for development. “The End of the Nuclear Era” was one such example. It showed what happened when children were given the legal right to leave their biological families and live with other people if they so desired. I was intrigued by how such a system would work and yearned to learn more about the practicalities of it all. For example, how old would a kid need to be before they could make this choice? What made some of them stay home and others venture forth? How did they learn that such options existed in the first place? I would have happily gone with a full five-star rating if every tale was equally fleshed out.
In “What Can’t Be Undone,” a witch named Stitcher Lorra tried to fix herself and those around her who requested help with a crude form of magic that didn’t always work the way it was intended to. The world building was fascinating and made me yearn for more information about how magic worked in this universe and why so many people had unrealistic expectations of it. I also appreciated figuring out how Lorra’s deepest faults were related to her work and how far she was willing to go to correct her character. Those scenes were as thoughtful as they were realistic for her personality.
Real Sugar is Hard to Find gave me hope for the future.
June 12, 2022
This collection of short stories is gorgeous and gut-wrenching at the same time. The language Sim uses to unfold the characters and settings (familiar and unfamiliar) bit by bit is incredible, and I found myself enthralled in each and every story--not a clunker in the bunch. I loved the nods to the familiar present and past--MySpace, 00s technology, giraffes--sprinkled in as history with the "present day" action.
Be warned that this is not always a comfortable or easy read. Sim provides trigger warnings for many of the tougher topics, but in stories about the wasted Earth in our too-near future and the feeling of living, loving, and parenting on this planet, the whole thing elicits a sense of dread. This is in no way a criticism--a looming sense of dread is, I think, a reasonable sensation, and Sim's careful crafting and ordering of the stories builds that feeling slowly and steadily. These tales sweep from "almost realism" to "future sci/cli-fi," but the transition is never jolting. The stories are threaded together by themes of empathy, compassion, sorrow, love for the world around us even as it burns. As a parent, "The Night Heron" was particularly poignant, a compact bundle of sweetness and sadness.
Sim is an incredibly talented author and I am so looking forward to reading more of their work. I was provided with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Be warned that this is not always a comfortable or easy read. Sim provides trigger warnings for many of the tougher topics, but in stories about the wasted Earth in our too-near future and the feeling of living, loving, and parenting on this planet, the whole thing elicits a sense of dread. This is in no way a criticism--a looming sense of dread is, I think, a reasonable sensation, and Sim's careful crafting and ordering of the stories builds that feeling slowly and steadily. These tales sweep from "almost realism" to "future sci/cli-fi," but the transition is never jolting. The stories are threaded together by themes of empathy, compassion, sorrow, love for the world around us even as it burns. As a parent, "The Night Heron" was particularly poignant, a compact bundle of sweetness and sadness.
Sim is an incredibly talented author and I am so looking forward to reading more of their work. I was provided with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
January 14, 2023
Took me a bit to read, as some of these stories were really intense and hard to read, not in a bad way though. And of course they have really necessary important things to say. I just have anxiety lol.. I've followed Sim on booktube for a while and this is the first of their books I'm reading. I really like how accessible their writing is. Like, they talk about big concepts in ways that aren't super dense and confusing, and the worlds they created in the stories feel like...possible. like they could really happen, the good and the bad. Its clear they've thought about global warming and our p ssible futures a lot. My favorites were probably The End of the Nuclear Era and The Lost Roads. Those especially stuck with me and made me think more about some really hard concepts- I feel like reading those kind of deprogrammed the way I'm taught to think about cars and roads and how omnipresent they are in our society. It made me consider how the world could be without them. And children's rights is such an interesting concept too, the idea that kids could have so much autonomy is kind of revolutionary and I loved how Sim conceptualized it. I really enjoyed this overall, highly recommend for people just getting jnto climate fiction because of how accessible it is
November 9, 2022
Kern's collection spans speculative genres from space colonies to near and far-future dystopias, fantasy, and body horror, but all are concerned with the same topics: caregiving, climate change, and resilience through connection.
At the heart of the collection is a grappling with what it means to bring children into a dying world and the resulting urgency to alter the current trajectory. The way climate change impacts people of different genders and economic backgrounds is a strong through-line as well.
The thematic elements of the stories were so consistent that the voices tended to blend for me, such that the protagonists of many of the stories felt like the same person in different scenarios, but I suspect this will bother most readers less than it bothered me.
As bleak as the subject matter and settings get, the collection feels like a call to hope through coalition, a message that is sorely needed and from a writer trying to help us avert disaster in multiple ways.
At the heart of the collection is a grappling with what it means to bring children into a dying world and the resulting urgency to alter the current trajectory. The way climate change impacts people of different genders and economic backgrounds is a strong through-line as well.
The thematic elements of the stories were so consistent that the voices tended to blend for me, such that the protagonists of many of the stories felt like the same person in different scenarios, but I suspect this will bother most readers less than it bothered me.
As bleak as the subject matter and settings get, the collection feels like a call to hope through coalition, a message that is sorely needed and from a writer trying to help us avert disaster in multiple ways.
September 27, 2022
So i was a little late to my review and i apologize. However this book was a really good short collection of stories Thank you netgalley for this ARC i like that this short story collection had lots of different genres, Horror, fantasy, sci fi.. and just overall great stories i will say a few of them were a miss for me but majority of them were good. I LOVED the witch and fae one so so much. Also i loved the listener one. I think i love vines and flower based fantasy alot tbh. The author of this novel had very good writing and descriptions in each of the stories and i liked that alot as well. Also the cover is great! Loved the dystopian aspects as well. The Queer rep as well. I feel like this novel had a story for someone to enjoy.
February 12, 2024
The varied perspectives, emotions, and future possibilities explored in this collection speak to why agency and bodily autonomy are fundamental. That said, the environmental parallels and truly in the moment feel of near future, far future, and magical alternate realities are delightful (even when sad). Sim Kern has much in common with their academic-new-mom-witch character as they exceed expectations with their magical stories (and also…plants!).
Note: The author includes trigger warnings, for good reason, and points readers to Storygraph for additional notes from readers (nicely handled).
Note: The author includes trigger warnings, for good reason, and points readers to Storygraph for additional notes from readers (nicely handled).
February 25, 2023
I LOVED the first two stories in this collection and had me so excited, but unfortunately the rest just fell flat and forgettable to me. Rounding up to a 3.5 because of how good the first two stories were, and will definitely try reading from this author in the future!
Real Sugar is Hard to Find - 5
The Listener - 4
The Propagator - 3.5
The New Nomad - 3
The Night Heron - 3.5
Tadpoles - 2.5
Unwhole - 3.5
What Can't Be Undone - 3
Sister, Fly-or-Die - 3
The End of the Nuclear Era - 3.5
The Lost Roads - 2.5
Real Sugar is Hard to Find - 5
The Listener - 4
The Propagator - 3.5
The New Nomad - 3
The Night Heron - 3.5
Tadpoles - 2.5
Unwhole - 3.5
What Can't Be Undone - 3
Sister, Fly-or-Die - 3
The End of the Nuclear Era - 3.5
The Lost Roads - 2.5
August 1, 2022
Sim possesses the enviable skill of being able to create a rich world with deep characters in only a few words. The stories feel completely fleshed out and lived in with relatable, flawed characters that you quickly become attached to. With a variety of stories and themes, there's not a single dud in the mix. Each story will take you to someplace new and interesting. This collection of short stories is highly recommended.
I received an ARC and am providing an honest review.
I received an ARC and am providing an honest review.
November 4, 2023
The first few short stories definitely reminded me of the Black Mirror and I could see some of these happening in our future, which is scary. I like how the stories try to make sense of familial relationships. My favourite story is definitely The Propagator. Given that they are short stories, it was a little difficult to really identify with the characters and some of them were quite forgettable which is a shame as the collection started out with some really strong stories.
August 12, 2022
I was intrigued by the cover art. This is a fantastic collection from a new to me author. Only two of the stories didn’t work for me, while written well I just felt a bit underwhelmed by them. But the rest were amazingly well done. Short bursts of good fiction. The world needs more collections like these. The title story would be great as an episode of Love and Robots.
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