Reactor, December 2025

“All That Means or Mourns” by Ruthanna Emrys

Reviewed by Victoria Silverwolf

“All That Means or Mourns” by Ruthanna Emrys is this month’s only story. The narrator is one of those who have accidentally or voluntarily become infected with a fungus that allows them to experience the sensations of all living things around them. Such people have to wear protective suits in order to interact with those who want to avoid becoming infected. The story deals with her relationships with her father and her terminally ill mother, neither of whom is infected.

The premise can be interpreted as an allegory for difficulties in communicating with those closest to us. The story almost seems like two separate works, one about the narrator facing the imminent death of her mother and the other about her perceptions of other infected individuals and the organisms that surround her. The fact that the ecosystem is in danger may link these two themes in a metaphorical way. The story has emotional power and vivid descriptions of the narrator’s sensations, but the plot is a little vague.

Victoria Silverwolf is working extra this weekend.