| Title | : | Apex Magazine, Issue 120 May 2019 |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | - |
| Publication | : | Published May 4, 2019 |
| Awards | : | Ignyte Award Short Story for "Dune Song" (2020) |
Apex Magazine, Issue 120 May 2019 Reviews
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Sadly, this is the final issue of Apex before it goes on indefinite hiatus, though it is an excellent one, curated by guest editor Maurice Broaddus.
Two of the stories - Fugue State by Steven Barnes and Tananarive Due, and Dune Song by Suyi Davies Okungbowa - are on my list of the best short SFF of May 2019:
https://1000yearplan.com/2019/06/01/t... -
Rating for Dune Song by Suyi Davies Okongbawa. Cool world, but its ending was too abrupt for me.
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Each time, the sand advances on Isiuwa, moving with a morose, flutelike song, the only sound to plant tears in their chest that does not come from a living being. A shrill, underlined by wind rushing through a tube. The Chief calls it the whistle of the gods and says it is the sound of an errant person being taken.
Dune Song by Suyi Davies Okungbowa is a fascinating short story. Definitely recommend! -
Dune Song by Suyi Davies Okungbowa.
Meh. Listened to this a few days ago and it didn't really stick with me. I think I might have liked it more if we had seen what happened after they were taken away by the wind.
2, it was read to me by the ever amazing Mr. LeVar Burton, stars. -
2.0⭐ "People will kill what they do not understand. They will flay it with their tongues if their hands are tied.”
♡ LBR 2020♡
It’s
LeVar Burton Reads season 7! Season of Surrender.
Not a moment too soon, eh?
Last Monday, we were gifted the story "Dune Song" by Suyi Davies Okungbowa.
I listened to it twice, but not because I super loved it. I just wanted to really give it a chance. It’s not a bad story, but I think it was just loaded down with so much typical fantasy language, plus it seemed a little predictable. Combined, the story just wouldn’t lift off the page for me.
The story still has wonderful takeaway and meaning, just as an experience, it didn’t hit home. LeVar said it all though. We really have to take inventory on dissent. I relate to that personally.
You have to have beliefs and values strong enough not to make you a moderate, but you have to be balanced enough not to fall into cult of personality and witch hunting. That’s a 2020 struggle for damn sure.
This story does showcase the struggle of dissent, and it’s absolutely relevant.
Thanks for reading, and If you wanna chat about the latest LBR episodes, hit me up in the comments and come meet with us at
LeVar Burton Reads: The Official Community on Facebook.
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Goodreads Official Star Representation
5 - It was amazing
4 - I really liked it
3 - I liked it
2 - It was okay
1 - Did not like it. -
Never been so happy to see people taken by the weather.
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LeVar Burton read this and it was incredible
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An unusually strong issue released before the magazine went on hiatus in May 2019 (it's now back)! I got a lot out of each of the stories, reviewed below:
Dune Song by Suyi Davies Okungbawa, 5/5
This vivid, evocative tale plumbs many depths with beautiful language and imagery. At its heart, it's about following one's inner voice past the confines of one's culture and collective fears. It's the sort of story I could hear many times and still find something new. Listened to on the podcast Levar Burton Reads (Episode 79).
Fugue State by Steven Barnes and Tananarive Due, 4.5/5
An effective psychological horror tale that plumbs deep human fears, including the loss of love, loss of agency, the susceptibility of humans to indoctrination, and the seductiveness of charismatic people who offer simple solutions ... for a price. I listened to the audio version by Realm (formerly SerialBox).
N-Coin by Tobias S. Buckell, 5/5
A punchy, near-perfect story about the latest cryptocurrency craze, mixed with sardonic commentary about how the rich and powerful rig the system against the disenfranchised. It satirizes how big-moneyed interests throw their weight behind social causes simply to make more money.
Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Memphis Minnie Sing the Stumps Down Good, by LaShawn M. Wanak, 5/5.
This story has a really quirky premise that seems like it shouldn't work, but somehow it does. It's a rich read with much to ponder about the human need to have one's experiences and memories understood and about the power of music to comfort and heal. Wanak handles these themes with an understated, organic style that allows the reader to reach their own conclusions.
This was my second time reading this story. On reread, I was struck by a new idea that the "stump" phenomenon could lead to increased empathy between human beings by releasing and sharing life stories through song.
When We Dream We Are Our God, by Wole Talabi, 4/5.
An intellectual piece pondering how humans might react to creating an artificial intelligence superior to ourselves. What would happen to our cultures, religions, and notions of our place in the universe? What could happen if the A.I. showed us how to better ourselves? The story is anchored by the philosopher at its center, who remains relatable enough to keep the piece from descending into a cold, intellectual exercise. The human longing to relate and connect to one another also undergirds the story. -
"Read" through the LaVar Burton Reads podcast
Fascinating little listen/read. I say "little" in the sense that it's comparatively short, not in the sense that it is a small story.
Rather, Okungbowa packs one of the biggest stories on earth into this little package: the story of a child finding themselves, finding their path and their future- even when that future is at complete odds with the culture, the society, that produced her. It's a story about changing the world by changing a life and it's breathtaking.
Set on the backdrop of a post apocalypse dunescape, if this is an example of Okungbowa's world building, I look forward to his full-length novels. -
I only listened to Dune Song by Suyi Davies Okungbowa through the LeVar Burton Reads podcast. In this post-apocalyptical desert world, a young girl struggles with surviving in a parched world. To keep villagers safe they are restricted to a fenced area, and if they leave, they are then banished. She and another youth decide to leave the safety of their village, so it becomes self vs community. The ending didn't quite work for me, as I wasn't sure if the wind storm signified their salvation or doom. I actually assumed the latter.
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Dune Song - Suyi Davies Okungbawa ****
Fugue State - Steven Barnes & Tananarive Due ****
N-Coin - Tobias S Buckell ***
Sister Rosetta Tharpe And Memphis Minnie Sing The Stumps Down Good - LaShawn M Wanak ****
When We Dream We Are Our God - Wole Talabi *** -
Goodbye, Apex Magazine, I'll miss you. Thanks for pushing my boundaries in a good way.
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Been saving the last issue of Apex to read for a while--it was also their issue of Black authors and voices. Great stories in here. A few a pretty prescient. Glad Apex is coming back.
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Very good story. Enjoyed it a lot. Read to me on the levar burton reads podcast
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Read to me by Levar Burton.
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Story was 3 ⭐️. The vivid imagery was 5 ⭐️.
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This was an alright story!
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I listened to this story on the podcast "Levar Burton Reads."
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Always feel like I needed a bit more. Listen to this about five times now. It's good.
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Perhaps this is one that needs another listen.
