I wasn’t able to finish this due to some technical difficulties, but what I read did stuck with me, and I enjoyed it; I’d definitely recommend it for anyone looking for new LGBTQ authors they might otherwise miss!

This anthology promises stories of queer and trans futurity and those it certainly delivers. Whether that future lies only a few years ahead or in a world with intergalactic space travel far in the future varies, which I enjoyed.
The ARC cover of the book also promised tales about joy and survival and that is something I am glad they changed in the meantime, because that is not what you will get if you read this collection. I personally enjoyed this book, I like dystopic futures, I like weird queer stories and I enjoy stories that take the horrors of governmental repression and show how joy can be found even in those settings. And there is some joy in most stories for sure, but many of them are more focused on survival and so that’s just something to be aware of before going into this anthology. If you are looking for fluffy, cute, queer futures that will allow you to dream of a world where everything is good and perfect, there are some that come close (The Shabbos Bride and The They Whom We Remember), but they are not the main focus of this anthology and you will probably be disappointed.
Instead there is a lot more resistance against governmental or familial repression (The Republic of Ecstatic Consent, Trans World Takeover, There Use to Be Peace, Fettle & Sunder, When the Devil Comes From Babylon), stories exploring grief in various forms about ones own death, about the death of fictional characters, about the death of others and loss of connection (Forever Won’t End Like This, Where the World Goes Sharp and Quiet, Circular Universe, A Step into Emptiness), and queer people finding identity and connection, but often not in painless ways (The They Whom We Remember, A Few Degrees, Copper Boys, The Garden of Collective Memory). In terms of genres there is also a variety of stories here. Some stories present dystopic worlds, some are set in post-apocalyptic futures, some are sci-fi on spaceships or space stations, some are urban fantasy, some are cyberpunk, some just explore a possible future on earth without necessarily including genre staples.
If you are looking for stories with intriguing gender explorations (what if, in a world where gender is totally fluid thanks to technological invention, you wanted to lock yourself down to experience what it feels like for people before?) and queer community (the good, the bad and the kinda weird) as well as a lot of weird and strange sex scenes (from genitalia-transforming fingering to shapeshifters reveling in their multitudes of configurations to robot sex for hacking) then you will certainly find something to enjoy here.
While some of the stories are too short and many could have benefited from additional space for more world building, I enjoyed the character explorations that were presented here, and I was nearly always able to find something to enjoy in each story, whether it was a glimpse into queer identities of the future, a moment of connection, or just some really intriguing scientific inventions. All in all, I really enjoyed this anthology and I feel that my current busy schedule, which forced me to read this slowly and story by story added to my enjoyment.
Finally, I wish this anthology had included trigger warnings. For an anthology that often deals with grief and quite a few forms of violence and oppression (including fascism, murder and sexual assault) trigger warnings could have helped readers better prepare for what they are getting into. I’ve added the ones that stuck out to me in my review for each short story beneath.
Do not go into this anthology expecting to read about a happy sorrow-less future. But do pick it up if you enjoy sci-fi that deals with today’s horrors, resistance and queer survival despite the odds and stories bending gender, sexuality, time and narrative.

Now you can find short thoughts and opinions on each short story in here, as well as trigger warnings.

The Republic of Ecstatic Consent by Sam J. Miller: In a world where squatting has become legal, we follow the members of The Republic of Ecstatic Consent, first on their trip to a doctor, then their activist lives. An interesting look in a cyber-futuristic world through the lens of community building. (trans & queer cast)
Trans World Takeover by Nat X Ray: A group of trans teens decide to fight back against transphobic laws and bans on transition by trans-ing a couple of guys. When the plan to trans their teacher fails, the student body steps up to do their part. Infect Your Friends and Loved ones for teenagers, meets the wild abandon of creating your own future, while having a weird situationship of Idlewild. Very fun. (trans man, trans woman, other trans side characters)
TW: transphobia
*FAV* The Orgasm Doula by Colin Dean: In this world orgasms have (supposedly?) become a limited resource. The main character works with people to try to help them regain this ability and finds love along the way. Weird and fun. (trans woman LI, sapphic relationship)
*FAV* The Shabbos Bride by Esther Alter: The main character of this story feels left out by the gendered conventions allowed in her shul until one night on Shabbos she receives a visit. Jewish trans lesbian mythology in with some sexy body modification, what more can you possibly want? Short and sweet. (trans lesbian)
*FAV* MoonWife by Sarah Gailey: A technological medium is approached by a recently bereaved man to help him meet his dead loved one again. Really interesting character moments, great world building, fascinating use of technology and the way old accounts can become ghosts. I really, really enjoyed this one and its exploration of queer love and grief. (trans man)
TW: death, grief, possession
Forever Won’t End Like This by Dominique Dickey: This story combines the thoughts of an actor at a convention with the story of his character in the show, examining fandom reactions, the importance of representation and how it may feel for an actor of a marginalized community to become such an important representative point, while having no real input on the story being told. (trans man)
TW: death, murder, (attempted) suicide
*FAV* They Will Give Us a Home by Wen-yi Lee: In a world split into upper and lower classes (quite literally, the higher up you live, the richer you are), this story follows a lavender marriage couple as they are caught between intense hatred of each other and the need to present a loving front to hold onto their home as an influencer couple. Tense and messy and really fun to read. (lesbian, gay)
TW: cheating, drowning, pressure to become pregnant
There Used to Be Peace by Margaret Killjoy: A description of a post-revolution America at war, that began after a right-wing coup was stopped by a group of antifascist knights and people joined their movement to fight for a better future. Heartbreaking, touching and beautiful, filled with a burning desire for justice and love for others.
TW: death, gun violence, suicide, war, violence (lesbian)
Fettle & Sunder by Ramez Yoakeim: Millionaires have fled earth, and militias are roaming the streets of America to root out anybody who doesn’t fit with their ideals. The main character dreams of joining a space station, his husband wants to stay on Earth. Then one day their door is marked and they need to make a decision. Tense and intriguing, this story will leave you worrying for those two until the end. (gay)
TW: animal death, gun violence, hatecrime, murder, slavery
Six Days by Bendi Barrett: In a post-apocalyptic world the task of rebuilding forces a man to travel from his camp, leaving his lovers behind. As they wait for him, the main character muses on their relationship and the way the world has changed. Interesting and sweet. (polyamory, two men, no-gender-mentioned for MC)
TW: past death, grief
*FAV* The They Whom We Remember by Sunny Moraine: In this story people have abandoned binary gender categories and gained the ability to transform their bodies at will as well as a few other abilities. The main character chooses to get locked into a specific embodiment, intrigued to see how it feels. A very intriguing character study. (genderfluid)
TW: gender dysphoria
When the Devil Comes From Babylon by Maya Deane: A young trans girl, raised in the belief that being transgender is evil, meets the Devil. A tough look into a religious cult in a world that otherwise seems to be a queer utopia. Well written, but certainly a story where I would like more of! (trans woman)
TW: gender dysphoria, transmisogyny, transphobia (internalized), suicide
*FAV* Copper Boys by Jamie McGhee: A lumberjane working to clear out a forest hit by blight after natural disasters have wreaked havoc on earth finds herself struggling to accept her newfound attraction to her butch coworker (she’s normally into femmes!), but maybe a night at the campfire shared together can help her sort out those feelings. Fun story, I love a good butchxbutch story. (lesbian)
A Few Degrees by Ash Huang: A couple of scientists (literally two scientists, who are a couple) are tasked with maintaining a station, waiting to receive a signal from a space mission. Now during winter the only things that keep them busy are their own thoughts and the cats that have taken up residence in the satellite dish. Examines the main character’s emotions, especially the ways she feels that she has failed. I liked it and the end was very sweet. (lesbian)
*FAV* Where the World Goes Sharp and Quiet by Ewen Ma: A young man has to try and figure out how to live again after meeting an accidental death and a resurrection with some unwelcome side effects that force him to isolate from his friends. Slow, heartbreaking, beautiful and very, very sad, I really liked this short story. (trans man)
TW: death, domestic abuse, gender dysphoria, grief, murder
*FAV* Circular Universe by Ta-wei Chi: Set in a world where climate change has forced humans to move under the sea, this story follows an influential trans scientist after his public star has faded and all that’s left of his fame are (often transphobic) memes online. While recovering from grief and injury, he finds community with trans women and builds a way to capture dreams. Very interesting story, weaving grief and scientific invention together in a heart wrenching narrative. (trans man)
TW: death, grief, transphobia
Blueprint for the Destruction of Solitude by Paul Evanby: A spy in a cybernetic world where contact can be established through close physical contact, finds themself in a club carrying dangerous secrets. I enjoyed the combination of mycelium and cyborg technology a lot, but I wish there had been a trigger warning for sexual assault before this story. I really liked the combination of violence, betrayal and sexuality presented here and I think I need a lot more cyberpunk that dives deep into the horror of it! (main character is not gendered, first person perspective so there are no pronouns in the story itself)
TW: sexual assault, murder
*FAV* The Garden of Collective Memory by Neon Yang: Set in a world where memories can be recorded and sold, some mundane things such as the smell of shisha’s have become valuable. One woman finds herself unsure if she should sell her memory as discussed with her wife or donate it to a small library that makes memories available to the public. And then there’s also an old flame from her university years… Bittersweet, but intriguing with very fun worldbuilding in a very short amount of time. I really enjoyed the writing on this one! (lesbian)
TW: cheating
*FAV* Sugar, Shadows by Aysha U. Farah: A nonbinary detective tasked with finding a runaway kid finds themself in a lot more trouble than they expected when their young charge suddenly goes into deadly withdrawal and the main character has to make a deal to save his life. Really interesting look at magical drugs and potential side effects and an intriguing examination of agency and the horror of not knowing where your double is. (nonbinary)
TW: implied child prostitution (as a threat), death, drugs, implied sexual violence, withdrawal
*FAV* A Step into Emptiness by Aiki Mira: A meeting in a small run-down space motel between two neurodivergent, queer people, who find connection and comfort in each other. This story follows their relationship from its beginning to its end, bittersweet and filled with love it describes a wonderful connection. (polyamorous, trans)
TW: grief
pocket futures in the present past by Katharine Duckett: An archive of future finds is shaken up when instead of their usual notes from one of their agents in the future, they receive instructions on how to unfuck the future. This story plays with queer time and crip time and other forms of making history and making futures, while wrapping it up in resistance to those who oppose such “temporal perversity”. I loved that crip technologies were mentioned here as something that people often consider futuristic, but that already exists through disabled invention. I really enjoyed this story, especially the way it was able to incorporate a lot of worldbuilding as it was one of the longer stories in this anthology. (queer cast)
TW: queerphobia
Bang Bang by Meg Elison: A short story following a one-sided conversation about going to a queer club in space, threading the thin line between melancholy and loss for queer love and rights and the need to party. Short, but really intriguing and I’d like to know more about the world. All in all, I liked it though! (transmasc, queer but not specified)
TW: mentions of violent assaults on queer communities

Different stories for different people. A lot of them weren’t specially for me but it’s such a nice thing to read a collection of queer stories from queer authors

“Amplitudes: Stories of Queer and Trans Futurity interrogates the farthest borders of the sci-fi landscape to imagine how queer life will look centuries in the future—or ten years from now. Filled with brutal honesty, raw emotions, sexual escapades, and delightful whimsy, Amplitudes speaks to the longstanding tradition of queer fiction as protest. This essential collection serves as an evolving map of our celebrations, anxieties, wishes, pitfalls, and—most of all—our rallying cry that we're here, we're queer—and the future is ours!”

I read the first four or five stories and, ultimately, made the difficult decision to DNF. While I know that books can change from their ARC version, I also know that significant plot changes are rare.

I think my biggest issues with the book is that it does not live up to the cover. None of the stories contained trans joy. Survival, maybe, but never joy.

Further, the stories that I read seemed unedited. The grammar, word choice, sentence structure, and even plot structure all seemed very very rough. In two of the stories (I won’t name them because I am not trying to be too harsh), by the time I got a grasp on what the author was trying to say, the story was over. They lacked flow.

I’ve read multiple of Lee Mandelo’s works. I love what he does. I expected this collection to challenge me and push the bounds of what I enjoy. However, this collection just didn’t work for me. Two stars because the representation here is incredibly important. This a huge work- 22 authors- by trans and queer authors, edited by a trans and queer person. The world needs so much more of that, especially now. However, I would like this particular work to go through a few more rounds of editing and to have a rebrand.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I read this because I like Lee Mandelo’s writing style and as such was interested in stories picked and edited by him. He describes his editorial aim as „approach[ing] queerness and-or transness expansively: as lived politics, experiences, identities, and cultures; as resistance against oppressive systems of power; as sources of self-making and intense connection with others across time and space; as gateways to pleasure, sex, desire, and intimacy".
I feel like this collection of short stories achieves what it sets out to be. Obviously having 22 stories by different authors with different styles, one won’t like all of them, but that is fine. My personal favourites were „MoonWife“ by Sarah Galley, „Forever Won’t End Like This“ by Dominique Dickey and „A Step into Emptiness“ by Aiki Mira, translated by CD Covington.

I was a little surprised to look at the reviews on goodreads and see such a mix between very low and high. So many of the low reviews are focused on the description of the stories being about “joy and survival”, and the introduction which doubles down on that being the theme, which, I agree, is definitely a mislead or a mistake with the promotion of the book and I can understand the upset of not getting what was advertised to you. It’s all the more so upsetting when the real world is the antithesis of joy for queer and trans people right now. If you’re looking for joyful escapism and depictions of a hopeful queernorm future this isn’t it and the book should not have been marketed that way. I do definitely understand that people feel as though this kicked them while they’re down and they were searching for something optimistic and that’s not ok. I also agree that I can’t understand how it got to the point of publication with that introduction and tagline when it really isn’t that...

I don’t really agree with the complaints about the lack of trans characters in these stories because yes there may have been some, but also how do you even know, yes there were many that maybe just fell under the ‘queer’ part of the subtitle but also, in stories where they don’t explicitly state whether this character is trans or cis or how they identify we can’t just assume they’re not trans right?? I don’t know, but the book tells you that it’ll be a mix, these stories are queer and they are trans and I also don’t quite understand the upset about the separation between queer and trans in the subtitle anyway, seems a little like we’re arguing in circles here – some queer people id as trans, some trans people id as queer, some do not, some of these stories are about people who are not trans but are queer, some are not. It’s all ok.

But, despite the mislead in the title/intro, it didn’t take away from the fact, to me anyway, that there were some brilliant stories in here. I was fully invested in almost every one and there’s so many I’d love to read more of. I’m always amazed how someone can build such a unique and visceral world in such a short piece of writing, yet these authors do it again and again.

I really enjoyed reading this. Once I accepted that yes, these were not going to be joyful I simply took the stories as they were and let myself experience them:

So, here’s ones that stood out to me:
- MoonWife by Sarah Gailey
- Forever Won't End Like This by Dominique Dickey
- They Will Give Us a Home by Wen-yi Lee
- There Used to Be Peace by Margaret Killjoy
- Fettle & Sunder by Ramez Yoakeim
- When the Devil Comes From Babylon by Maya Deane
- Copper Boys by Jamie McGhee (putting this one in partially out of spite because I've seen it talked about negatively in reviews with people saying like it's basically about matching on tinder how stupid and what was even the point because they delete the app in the end, like did you not read the next sentence, they delete the app and head to their tent, that's the whole point, the whole point is the human connection and taking a chance and growing and paying attention to the people around you and giving them a chance never knowing what you might discover !! come on)
- Where the World Goes Sharp and Quiet by Ewen Ma
- The Garden of Collective Memory by Neon Yang
- Sugar, Shadows by Aysha U. Farah (probably need to re-read because I didn't fully understand the ending, but damn what a cool scary concept)
- pocket futures in the present past by Katharine Duckett

Also yes, I do agree that maybe the final story wasn’t the best to finish on, as much as I liked it, the penultimate story would have been a beautiful ending, that one did actually give us joy and survival and a glimpse of a fight to a “better” future.

Amplitudes is a sci-fi short story anthology that is fully queer (no reason the future shouldn't be fully queer!), with stories from a broad range of authors and even includes translated fiction. There's stories of time travel, resistance, assassins, changing the body at will, plugging into the system (see: various systems), of love across genders and just the existence of being queer... and even if it's all future or sci-fi stories, some were unfortunately a little too close to home considering current events.

My favorite is Sugar, Shadows, and I would eat up anything this author writes now that I've had my first taste.

Rounding to four because I overall enjoyed more than I was ambivalent on and there wasn't any I truly didn't like.

Thank you to Kensington Publishing | Erewhon Books for the eARC in exchange for review.

Amplitudes is an anthology bringing together a diverse range of speculative stories centreing queer & trans life. I was happy to pick it up, as almost all of the authors were new to me (I had previously read Sarah Gailey, Margaret Killjoy, Ta-wei Chi, and Neon Yang). I read the collection in its entirety with the exception of the contribution by Ta-wei Chi because this one is an excerpt and I would prefer to wait to read the entire text.

There are some solid stories in this collection, and it’s well edited in the sense of being cohesive without being overly repetitive in terms of themes. The stories vary widely in terms of style, length, and substance. I did find it quite an uneven collection – some stories I really enjoyed, others I thought were good, and a few really really didn’t work for me. Stories I particularly enjoyed here include “MoonWife” by Sarah Gailey, “Forever Won’t End Like This” by Dominique Dickey, “They Will Give Us a Home” by Wen-yi Lee, and “The Garden of Collective Memory” by Neon Yang.

The note on the cover describing ‘22 tales about joy and survival’ feels like a bit of a stretch. A lot of the stories here are not joyful at all. I feel like I can’t really judge the stories based on the cover but at the same time, I feel this is worth mentioning as folks really needing something light-hearted, cozy, or utopian might pick this up and find it’s really not what they’d been hoping for at all.

Thank you to Kensington Publishing, Erewhon Books, & NetGalley for providing an ARC for me to review.

Content warnings: animal cruelty, animal death, death, religious bigotry, gun violence, war, domestic violence, murder, grief, addiction, substance abuse

What an amazing anthology! I loved almost every story only the sex intensive ones weren't nothing for me as an asexual person.

I was especially happy to see the name of Aiki Mira in this collection as I am a big fan of Aikis German novels. Other authors I knew different texts and loved how they worked their word magic in short stories. Others I will definitely check out in longer formats if available.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read short stories I would love to see more on the German market (as a small publisher myself I'm trying to get those published here!). I will happily buy a copy for my shelfs to show and lend it!

DNF at 40%

I think had I not gone into the book with the promise of stories about “joy and survival”, I would have had no problem reading. However, when the tone of many of the stories I read were quite depressing, the difference in my expectations and reality made it hard to continue. I may come back and read some of the stories eventually, but this just wasn’t was what I was expecting. I think my favorite story was MoonWife by Sarah Gailey.

There's a wealth of amazing talent on offer in this anthology of lgbtqia2s+ authors as they write of what the future holds - from terrifying dystopian war-torn landscapes, stunning sci-fi worlds, quiet forests, cyberpunk ghosts, romance, the most futuristic cities imaginable, and so much more... the scope is honestly quite breathtaking.

I absolutely loved the variety of perspectives, genres, and styles. And yes, though there is of course some horrifying images and all-too-real and current nightmares, the collection is balanced with a quiet hope and wonder. Of the 22 stories I only found maybe 2 or 3 that didn't really click with me.

What a fantastic compilation of talent!

My thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

This collection of short stories is worth reading. It includes many takes on queer or trans lives and also imagined futures, some more realistic than others. I loved the satirical high school take on transing teachers or students by spraying them with hormones. Written in an over the top way echoing the trans panic I read on some social media. Other stories were both more hopeful about queer or trans accepting futures but still dystopian in feel. Does it matter what gender someone is if we're all going to die anyway?

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. I hope the publisher tidies up the content listing and spacing for contributor bios. I'm already familiar with some of the writers' works and I'd re-read their tales if I could find them again.

Some stories in this collection I'd give 5 stars to, some only 3 stars, so I've averaged it to 4 stars.

Amplitudes contains a collection of science fiction short stories centering queer and trans characters of all kinds. The settings are equally as diverse with some taking place in the near future on Earth to true alternate Scifi settings.

Let's go story by story:

'The Republic of Ecstatic Consent': 3 stars. A very interesting take on NYC in the near future but confusing at times.
'Trans World Takeover': 2 stars. This was the least scifi of the stories and I'm still not sure what it was trying to say as it cut off without any real conclusion? I think it was too short.
'The Orgasm Doula': 4 stars. Fantastic concept that I wish was a thing in real life. I loved the exploration of sexual intimacy and discussions of sex myths.
'The Shabbos Bride': 5 stars. Trippy as heck in the best way possible and a beautiful take on how religion and queerness can coexist.
'Moonwife': 5 stars: Again another super cool concept where mediums use deceased people's social media profiles to channel their spirit. I would buy a full length novel of this concept in a heartbeat.
'Forever Won't End Like This': 4 stars. This was also light on the scifi but I liked again the exploration of what its like to be a transactor playing a trans character in Hollywood where those characters are often sidelined. Very well written.
'They WIll Give Us a Home': 4 stars. A great dystopian future short story that should have been just a little longer. I also didn't believe the change in the main character's relationship with her husband towards the end since it was built up throughout the whole story that they hated each other. However I would love to read a full length novel of this as well.
'There Used to Be Peace': 4 stars. Shout out to Margaret Killjoy! This was an intriguing story that makes me wish an organization like the Elegian Knights existed in real life....
'Fettle and Sunder': 4 stars. Disturbingly realistic dystopian story that broke my heart a little. It showcases the hard decisions one might have to make when the world is falling apart around you.
'Six Days': 3 stars. A decently written story that I think was too short. It needed to be more beefed up to leave more of an impact.
'The They Whom We Remember': 5 stars. A fantastic look at what it would be like to change your appearance whenever you wanted because your cells and body had no fixed state. So well written and with so much to say about the gender queer experience.
'When The Devil Comes from Babylon': 4 stars. This read like Stephen King's 'The Dark Tower' in the best way possible. Again I just wish there was more!
'Copper Boys': 4 stars. A more lighthearted dystopian short story about two lesbians getting together.
'A Few Degrees': 3 stars. Cute, short and sweet but otherwise not much to write about.
'Where the World goes Sharp and Quiet': 2 stars. This was a very cool concept but I think it needs a full length book to fully explore its world in a way that makes sense.
'Circular Universe': 1 star. Way too much exposition dumping and it was a chore to get through.
'Blueprint for the Destruction of Solitude': 4 stars. A confusing and wild ride that definitely didn't go where I thought it would but damn did I have a good time.
'The Garden of Collective Memory': 5 stars. A beautiful story about the preciousness of living in the moment and not getting caught up in the past.
'Sugar, Shadows': 5 stars. Yet another story that I wish was a full length novel. It was just so cool and unique! A nonbinary PI and a crazy street drug that makes alternate copies of you? Sign me up!
'A Step into Emptiness': 4 stars. A fascinating and heartbreaking story about being neurodivergent and being forced to conform yourself to a neurotypical world.
'pocket futures in the present past': 4 stars. What do a collective of queer people do when the government tries to legislate time? Why they fuck time up so bad that the government gives up and its great!
'Bang Bang': 5 stars. Short and perfectly written, an excellent way to end the collection.

A must read for all queer/trans people and their allies :)

Reviews going live on Fable, Storygraph and Goodreads on 6/1 and on Tiktok on 6/2

3/5
Thank you to NetGalley and Erewhon Books for an arc. All opinions are my own.

I think everything about this collection is well executed. Every single story has such an interesting concept, and there are so many different writing styles.

Personally, I loved Six Days, Moon Bride, and (my favorite) Forever Won’t End Like This. However overall, the majority of this collection just wasn’t for me. I don’t think there was anything wrong with any of the stories, I just didn’t really connect with them. The tone of many of these are very gritty and I think the stories tend to lean more towards stories of survival than joy (which is totally fine, just not entirely what I expected).

DNF at 84%. I like the concept of this anthology and promoting trans rep in spec-fic. But sci-fi and spec-fic are very hit or miss for me, and in short form, even more so.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC!

Usually I find that anthologies comprising of multiple authors tend to feel a little disjointed, but in this case all the stories felt very cohesive. The stories are incredibly varied in tone and plot and writing styles, some being more straightforward and others much more experimental, and themes of queerness are explored from a wide range of perspectives.

Some of my favourites are:
- Trans World Takeover by Nat X Ray
This is a satire set in high school about like trans teens scheming to turn cis people trans. I really enjoyed the tongue-in-cheek writing style, as well as the way the story navigates the complexities of transitioning in high school + finding community + the conundrum of choosing to stay or leave.
- Forever Won't End Like This by Dominque Dickey
This story is about the portrayal of queer characters in popular media, the power of representation, and also the mistreatment and disregard given to queer characters and their stories.
- They Will Give Us a Home by Wen-Yi Lee
This story is set in a futuristic city where citizens have to get heterosexually married in order to qualify for housing, about a couple doing lavender marriage in order to qualify for luxury housing. Reading this as a Singaporean is crazyyyy because I have been thinking a lot about how I'm going to afford housing in the future without the benefit of marriage. The author really nailed this dystopian future, I can totally see the Singapore government implementing limited timeframes for married couples to produce offspring.

I read this article where each of the authors share their inspirations behind their stories. I found it pretty insightful, y'all should it give a read too!
https://lgbtqreads.com/2025/05/21/inside-an-anthology-amplitudes-ed-by-lee-mandelo/

May 26 update: TikTok release post--condensed review without a star rating to encourage readers to try it for themselves.

No spoilers
In these times, with the US and certain other countries going backwards on human rights, I’m grateful this collection exists.
I wanted to be swept away by these stories, transported into visions of the future. TBH, I have mixed feelings about the book due to uneven quality. I expected more science fiction. Many readers are delighted by Amplitudes. These things are a matter of taste.

I enjoyed the detailed bio notes about each contributor and the diversity represented. Beyond that, it’s good to see “stories of “joy and survival" instead of profit-raking trauma-drama, stereotypes, and ignorant misrepresentation written and selected by outsiders.
As with many anthologies, a few of the stories stood out above the others.

Some of the things I found moving:
Positive, zero-shame depictions of sex workers
Early transition transpeople
Wide variety of love: found-family, best friends

It isn’t necessary to have read any speculative fiction, #ownvoices LGBTQIA stories, or futuristic books of any kind to read this collection.
Thank you, Kensington Books / Erewhon for the eARC for consideration. These are solely my own opinions.

Once the novelty of the queer representation wears off, everything that's left is repetition and stories with mid-to-weak ideas and weak executions + characters. Some stories are impossible to understand with the context given, and other have writing quirks that break the reading flow and could've been caught in a round of editing. I asume most of the authors are from the US, because most stories are basic US-inspired dystopias and copagandas where the "good people" have the guns instead of the cops. The order of the stories could've been changed up a little; as it is, the first half is full of smut and hypersexual characters, and the second half has longer stories that are harder to get through.

The ones I liked the most:
-Forever won't end like this, which explores queer rep in tv shows and fandom
-They will give us a home: a good twist on lavender marriages

The ones I'd read a full book of, not because I particularly liked them but because I think they needed more pages to be fully developed:
-MoonWife
-The they whom we remember (apart from genitals and boobs, what happens to people's voices, body hair, illnesses? how are people born? what do the beauty standars, IDs, medical services look like?)
-The garden of collective memory

Before I get into my review, I’d like you to take a look at the two covers for this book. The first (on the left) is the one that accompanied the advance review copy. The second (on the right) is the one that seems destined to accompany the final published book.

https://sallybend.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/9781645660866.webp

https://sallybend.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/9781645660866-1.webp

Can you see what’s missing? Joy and Survival. In a book described as revolutionary and visionary, one that promises to explore the vast potentialities of our queer and trans futures, one that celebrates itself as moving and hopeful, that omission of joy and survival is significant. Had I gone into it without that expectation, been prepared to stoke my anger and my sorrow in light of current affairs, I may have appreciated Amplitudes more on an intellectual level… but when I went into it fixated on joy and hope, the emotional letdown was hard to overcome.

Of the 22 stories chosen by Lee Mandelo, there are only 7 that stood out for me, and they are all lacking in joy and hope.

The Orgasm Doula by Colin Dean does have a romantic twist that gives it a sliver of hope, but it’s about a world where the number of orgasms allotted to you may (or may not) be limited, and the final twist slams the door on what could have been hope. Well-written and interesting, yes, but it suggested this was not going to be the collection I was hoping for.

MoonWife by Sarah Gailey is another well-written, interesting story by an author I’ve enjoyed before, dealing with digital seances, identity theft, death, and grieving… and well, still no joy.

There Used to Be Peace by Margaret Killjoy is where it became impossible to deny the thematic direction of the collection, with a story of a civil war between knights and fascists that felt underwhelming, like too small a slice of the narrative.

Fettle & Sunder by Ramez Yoakeim takes that theme one step further, one step darker, doubling down on the themes of fascism and violence that only space station billionaires can escape. Yeah, hits way too close to home.

They Whom We Remember by Sunny Moraine presents a future I would describe as joyous and hopeful, one where gender is completely fluid, able to be altered and expressed on a whim, but the author turns it into something cynical and tragic by exploring it through the eyes of one person with a desire to permanently fix themselves to a single gender.

When The Devil Comes From Babylon by Mars Deane is another of those stories that I would have loved in a dystopian collection… a weird, almost magical (post) apocalyptic story of belief and transformation… but it suffers under the bludgeoning weight of religious cult-like intolerance that demands suicide over transition.

pocket futures in the present past by Katharine Duckett is a weird, trippy story about time, parallel times, time travel, and paradoxes, one that was fun to read and follow the back-and-forth of cause-and-effect, but it’s almost afraid to commit to making a positive impact.

Thinking of the stories again, reflecting on how they impacted me, that same anger and sorrow I was looking to escape when I picked this collection up washes over me anew. I’ve really had quite enough of stories about trans people suffering, being the targets of hatred and violence, and having to fight just to survive.

Perhaps I’m just on a different wavelength, but if you’ll forgive me mixing metaphors, Amplitudes left me feeling drained when I was hoping for a joyous shock to the system.

As with any anthology, there were some stories I absolutely adored and some I forgot entirely after reading. Standout favourites included Trans World Takeover (Nat X Ray), Moonwife (Sarah Gailey), and Forever Won't End Like This (Dominique Dickey), but I also loved The Garden of Collective Memory (Neon Yang) and pocket futures in the present past (Katharine Duckett).

While I think this would have been a little more successful as an anthology for me with a more limited scope, I can't deny that the majority of my favourites could have taken place last year or next year, rather than in the distant future.

This collection is well-balanced between dystopian futures (They Will Give Us a Home, Fettle & Sunder) and hopeful ones (There Used to Be Peace, pocket futures in the present past, Six Days). Even when it's bleak, queer love and resilience are always near the forefront. No one is these stories is ever alone.

A few of these I felt like I just didn't GET or found a little lacking in plot. I hate to read something and have my reaction just be "okay, cool?" but as with any anthology, every story is not for everyone (except perhaps the editor).

If you read this for nothing else, read it for Forever Won't End Like This by Dominique Dickey, which is a masterfully crafted balance between the plot of its fictional show and the meditations of its trans protagonist and made me feel SO MUCH. I'll definitely be on the lookout for more work by them, and by Nat X. Ray, who captured what teens sound and think like better than anything I've ever read, and for whom this is a debut publication.