Jamaica Ginger and Other Concoctions

Hopkinson is one of my literary idols and has the rare combination of both her short stories being distinctive and amazing, as well as longer forms, including novellas and novels.

When I heard that she was releasing a new collection of short stories called “Jamaica Ginger and Other Concotions,” I leapt for joy, because her short stories are often little universes onto their own.

While I won’t be reviewing each and every individual story, I would like to highlight some of them that spoke to me more than others. These included:
* “Ally” which comes with a helpful note from the author at the start that gives more context particularly as this story features a trans woman protagonist.
* “Broad Dutty Water: A Sunken Story” which I previously read and enjoyed when it first came out
* “Clap Back,” which uses very interesting narrative devices to tell the story.
* The title story, “Jamaica Ginger,” of course, which was something for an anthology celebrating Samuel R. “Chip” Delaney, who was one of Hopkinson’s instructors when she attended Clarion.
* “Repatriation”
* “Propagation”

This was wonderful: my first foray into Nalo Hopkinson's body of work but definitely not my last. I really enjoyed taking my time with this collection: each story invited attention and consideration, and I really appreciated the notes from the author on the developing of the stories. I would heartily recommend this to fans of scifi of Ursula le Guin variety: thoughtful, original, really inviting the reader to take the time and explore.

“They,” the people who run the publishing business, keep saying that no one cares about single author short story collections. I disagree. I love them. Guess I’m nobody.



I kinda understand when a degenerate like me does one and it gets ignored, but you’d think the world would stop and take notice when a SFWA grandmaster has one come out. Come on, folks, where’s the social media buzz? The cultural groundswell of excitement? The dancing in the streets?


We’ve still got some time before the release, so let me tell you about Jamaica Ginger and Other Concoctions by Nalo Hopkinson and how wonderful it is.


The fifteen stories—one co-written by Nisi Shawl—were all originally published in the 21st century and are prime examples of what is, and is becoming. And if you haven’t noticed, there’s been a whole lot of becoming going on. None of the usual cornball sci-fi is here. Nalo can’t help but be different, original. This book just had to be diverse.


She’s Caribbean-Canadian, outside of the usual boundaries of traditional English-language science fiction that are centered around New York, and sometimes goes on field expeditions to far-off London. Both the fantastic worlds she imagined and real-world elements she uses are richly textured.


Rising sea levels creates a new world with, among other things, cyborg pigs. An alien life form crossed the line between living and dead. Stereotypes become real in an unexpected way. A cruise ship is hacked into a tool for decolonization. Queer love and relationships abound. No sign of the all-white future I grew up reading about.


She’s hip to what’s happening on the cutting edges of science and technology, but delivers far more than the usual hard-science take on things. The human element is always present. Sometimes things other than human. There is anger, but also optimism.


This volatile mix often steps out of the restrictions of the science fiction genre and becomes other kinds of storytelling. Some of these are more like folklore and fables, the literature you are more likely to overhear being told into a smart phone on public transportation and in performance art than in a book. Genres are just marketing gimmicks–we need to set our imaginations free to soar beyond the temporary, artificial cultural borders.


She is a true grandmaster. This collection of marvelous, delicious concoctions is a joy to read.


Those dopes who don’t like story collections don’t know what they’re missing.

I first experienced Nalo Hopkinson’s unique literary brilliance six years ago, when I read her debut novel Brown Girl in the Ring on a friend’s recommendation; it was an instant 5-star read for me, and I’m not exaggerating when I say I still think about that book all the time. So of course, I was thrilled to read this new collection of Hopkinson’s speculative short fiction, and my high expectations were not only met but exceeded. Every single story in this collection is complex, inventive, strange, and wonderful, each immersive and memorable in their own way. The pieces range in length, some merely snapshots of an idea and others full narrative arcs, but they are all tied together by huge imagination and a tightly honed craft. I love that Hopkinson’s sci-fi work champions queerness and Caribbean culture, and her explorations of technological innovation and ever-growing ecological issues are always thought-provoking. I was especially interested in the short introductions before each story, which provided fascinating insights into Hopkinson’s inspirations, word choices, and thought processes. An incredible collection from an exceptional writer!

Thanks to Tachyon Publications and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

My previous exposure to Hopkinson is not as extensive as that of other readers; I read PM Press’s *Report From Planet Midnight* a couple of years ago, and haven’t read much else (I know!). And so this was my fun introduction to Hopkinson’s style. It’s a collection of quite varied short fiction; each story begins with the author’s note about how it came about, or something about its subject or theme.

*Can’t Beat ‘Em* has a “queer butch” woman, in the author’s words, as an “object of desire.” She’s a plumber who’s come to deal with a cosmic sink throat monster. *Covenant* is a creation myth about a post-apocalyptic city that all of humanity has retreated to. *Broad Dutty Water* is a wonderful, also post-apocalyptic tale that reminds me of Kevin Costner’s *Waterworld*: ocean levels have risen, and people live on moveable islands. This story is cool because it’s also a bit about multispecies futures. *Clap Back* is a clever and troubling story about the horrible knickknacks Hopkinson refers to as ‘Black Americana’ (so glad for my lack of exposure to these). *Inselberg* is brilliant and hilarious and horrific, I think my favourite story among many contenders; it’s about post-apocalyptic tourism, a bus tour.

The story *Jamaica Ginger* was co-written with Nisi Shawl, for inclusion in an anthology celebrating Samuel R. (“Chip”) Delaney. It’s delightful clockpunk that also, in Hopkinson style, doesn’t shy away from complicated themes: in this case, the talented young protagonist is considering becoming her employers mistress so as to help her family out of poverty, but this is also a story about mechanisation and labour. *Waving at Trains* is a piercingly sad story set after a terrible epidemic—yep, more post-apocalypse. *Repatriation* is a hopeful vision of a time when we can restore coral reefs, and is about homecoming (to the Caribbean, again). And then, *Whimper* is incredibly surreal, and fun because it ends in the middle of a sentence. (Please, what fun things are leggobeasts?!)

Hopkinson builds alternative and just worlds, where people are free to be themselves; and when she isn’t doing that, she’s creating critical commentary on the unjust one we* have built. I love the freedom in these stories, sometimes hard-won, but always won (Hopkinson must be an optimist, and this feels like hopepunk; there's joy in these stories!). I love, too, that these characters are gritty and determined, and very rarely cuddly. And I love the sensibility (often Caribbean-flavoured) that Hopkinson brings to her stories, particularly the ones about a changed climate.

Many thanks to Tachyon Publications and to NetGalley for early access.

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*a note on ‘we’: just some humans, not all of us