Title: And I Awoke and Found Me Here on the Cold Hill’s Side
Author: James Tiptree, Jr.
In: Alien Sex (Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Aliens, Lust
Dates read: 29th December 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: ROC
Year: 1971
5th sentence, 74th page: I turned my holocam to show its big World Media insigne and started my bit about What It Meant to the People Back Home who were paying for it all.
We always want what we can’t have. But what if what we want spells the end of our species?
I swear it’s the human condition – we always want what we just can’t have. It seems to be the number one thing that leads people to make some incredibly stupid decisions. It also seems to be the thing to that drives people to become greater versions of themselves. A double-edged knife. One that is a great theme to follow throughout this story. And was probably way too relatable at this point in my life.
In the case of this story, what humans desire is aliens. Aliens they actually can’t have sex with. Ones that they desire so severely that they are spelling the end of their species. It’s totally weird. Definitely gross. And made me think about when you want to follow your impulses. Sometimes it’s better to think through what you actually want.
This story is, like many others in the Alien Sex collection, weird and dark. It wasn’t as uncomfortable as the rest of the stories and nowhere near as graphic. But it still made me stop and think.
Earth and Skye 
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