LIGHTSPEED MAGAZINE - Science Fiction and Fantasy Story Podcast (Sci-Fi | Audiobook | Short Stories) Charlie Jane Anders | Love Might Be Too Strong a Word
Aug 21, 2012
In this captivating discussion, narrator Hilary Huber shares her insights on Charlie Jane Anders' imaginative tale. The story features Mab's first touch with pilot Dot, an intimate encounter that reshapes their lives. Huber delves into the city’s pressures around love and public perception, as well as the emotional fallout from a public poem. The exploration of friendship, societal expectations, and unexpected intimacy adds depth, while Mab and Dot's journey of negotiation reveals the complexities of connection in a fantastical setting.
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Unexpected First Contact
- Mab first encounters Dot when a pilot with seven fingers gently ties her bandana and startles her world.
- That fingertip touch opens Mab's heart in a way she never expected and changes how others treat her.
Love As Social Fuel
- The city’s culture revolves around romantic spectacle and courtship rituals that keep people motivated.
- Love functions as a kind of social fuel and anesthetic for life aboard the city.
Public Courtship Backfires
- Dot publicly courts Mab with poems and performances, making Mab famous among the dailies.
- The attention isolates Mab from friends and pressures her to respond beyond her comfort zone.
