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git_r_read's review against another edition
5.0
I don't always have the best of luck with anthologies..I've said this many times, but I keep going back to them. Sometimes by choice, sometimes when I get one to read and review as in this case. I did request it, so I guess it's a bit of both instances of how I came to read it.
This definitely starts with a bang. Holey CRAPPE! Slowly drew me, telling the story...same with second story..the third..the fourth..BAM! Between the eyes hit! Fifth tale was a bit downhill, but Part One was for the most part excellent.
Part Two is titled Sex and the City and boy howdy! Sex is power is message of the first two stories. Third meanders, but back to theme in the fourth tale. It's the humdinger of the batch.
Part 3 is Criminal Justice, a nice play on words. Every story here is awesome.
It's not a pretty Sydney Australia, by any stretch of the imagination but this anthology makes for compulsive reading.
Definitely recommend!
This definitely starts with a bang. Holey CRAPPE! Slowly drew me, telling the story...same with second story..the third..the fourth..BAM! Between the eyes hit! Fifth tale was a bit downhill, but Part One was for the most part excellent.
Part Two is titled Sex and the City and boy howdy! Sex is power is message of the first two stories. Third meanders, but back to theme in the fourth tale. It's the humdinger of the batch.
Part 3 is Criminal Justice, a nice play on words. Every story here is awesome.
It's not a pretty Sydney Australia, by any stretch of the imagination but this anthology makes for compulsive reading.
Definitely recommend!
notasilkycat's review
3.0
3,5 stars. It was a delightful feeling to return to Sydney. Not all stories touched my heart but mostly I’ve been enjoying reading this collection. I am not sure though I will remember any of them vividly in couple of months.
roxyc's review against another edition
3.0
A solid collection of well crafted short stories set in the suburbs of Sydney.
dgrachel's review
5.0
I was thrilled to receive an ARC of Sydney Noir from Akashic Books through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program. I received a free copy of the book in exchange for my honest review. As a long-time fan of film noir and a lover of classic, gritty crime novels such as Raymond Chandler's The Big Sleep and the 87th Precinct series by Ed McBain, I was positively giddy when I received the notice that I'd been selected, but this review reflects the merits of authors in this collection.
This collection of short stories, all based in Sydney, Australia, officially publishes on January 1, ,2019, so I've just managed to finish it prior to it's book birthday. This is my second Akashic Noir collection and it is very different from Montana Noir, but equally as good. In fact, I think there may have only been one short story that I really didn't care for, while the others were heart-breaking or horrifying, but ultimately satisfying.
Probably my favorite thing about this collection is that it is diverse, even within the noir theme. The authors are male and female, and include LGBTQ+ and indigenous people. Triggers abound in this collection, but I think if you're reading a noir collection, you should already be prepared to encounter tales of drugs, murder, suicide, and all kinds of abuse, including sexual. This is in no way a "feel good" collection. In fact, it feels almost wrong to say I enjoyed it, but the writing is fantastic across the board. It's evocative and engaging. I'm so impressed by how these authors are able to cram so much detail, and create such a complete story, in so few pages.
To be really thorough with this review and single out some of the best stories, I need to note that Eleanor Limprecht's story "In The Dunes" is absolutely devastating. It was probably the hardest to read, subject-matter wise. Mandy Sayer's "The Birthday Present" and Mark Dapin's "In the Court of the Lion King" both had incredible twists that I did not anticipate. "The Patternmaker" by Julie Koh, was probably my favorite tale in the entire collection, and it was one that left me speechless. "Slow Burn" by Gabrielle Lord was incredible, too.
The Akashic Noir series is definitely going to be bad for my TBR, as I want to search out the back list of many of these authors. If you have any interest in noir, crime novels, or just excellent writing, you can't go wrong with this collection.
This collection of short stories, all based in Sydney, Australia, officially publishes on January 1, ,2019, so I've just managed to finish it prior to it's book birthday. This is my second Akashic Noir collection and it is very different from Montana Noir, but equally as good. In fact, I think there may have only been one short story that I really didn't care for, while the others were heart-breaking or horrifying, but ultimately satisfying.
Probably my favorite thing about this collection is that it is diverse, even within the noir theme. The authors are male and female, and include LGBTQ+ and indigenous people. Triggers abound in this collection, but I think if you're reading a noir collection, you should already be prepared to encounter tales of drugs, murder, suicide, and all kinds of abuse, including sexual. This is in no way a "feel good" collection. In fact, it feels almost wrong to say I enjoyed it, but the writing is fantastic across the board. It's evocative and engaging. I'm so impressed by how these authors are able to cram so much detail, and create such a complete story, in so few pages.
To be really thorough with this review and single out some of the best stories, I need to note that Eleanor Limprecht's story "In The Dunes" is absolutely devastating. It was probably the hardest to read, subject-matter wise. Mandy Sayer's "The Birthday Present" and Mark Dapin's "In the Court of the Lion King" both had incredible twists that I did not anticipate. "The Patternmaker" by Julie Koh, was probably my favorite tale in the entire collection, and it was one that left me speechless. "Slow Burn" by Gabrielle Lord was incredible, too.
The Akashic Noir series is definitely going to be bad for my TBR, as I want to search out the back list of many of these authors. If you have any interest in noir, crime novels, or just excellent writing, you can't go wrong with this collection.
tonstantweader's review against another edition
4.0
Sydney Noir is another edition in the fabulous Akashic Noir series of noir stories situated in cities around the world edited by local writers with the homegrown knowledge to curate an excellent collection. This time the city is Sydney, Australia, and is again situated in the many neighborhoods and suburbs of the city. Noir is a nebulous concept. A story does not need to have a mystery to be noir. It does not even need a crime, though that is a common feature. Noir is a sensibility, a belief that the gritty and grim corners of life are full of drama and humanity. There is a surface toughness to noir stories that masks a deep well of compassion. Noir stories may be hard, but they are never cruel, they may be brutal, but they are always, to borrow from John Donne, “a part of the main.”
There are fourteen stories in the collection divided into three sections, Family Matters, Sex and the City, and Criminal Justice. “Good Boy, Bad Girl” is a story by the editor, John Dale, and one of my favorites where a young woman from the underclass shows a more privileged boyfriend what she is made of. Another story from the Family Matters set is “In the Dunes”, a heartbreaking story that seems all-too-human. The stories in Sex and the City are a bit more shocking, but I fell in love with “The Transmutation of Sex” that I found hilarious. “The Patternmaker” was macabre. Criminal Justice is a section of more conventional stories with cops and robbers. I really loved “Good Bloke” even though I had to go back to the beginning and read again to straighten out who was who.
I loved Sydney Noir. The editor has a great grasp on noir and selected a wonderful variety of stories from all walks of life. There was not a single story in this edition that I did not like and several that I loved. I know I have said this time and time again, but everyone should at least read the books in the edition for the places they know. If someone were planning on traveling to Sydney, I would suggest they read Sydney Noir, not in order to scare them off but to give a sense of the city and its neighborhoods. I just love the series.
I received an e-galley of Sydney Noir from the publisher through Edelweiss.
Sydney Noir at Akashic Books
Akashic Noir Series
John Dale at Auslit
https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2019/02/21/9781617756887/
There are fourteen stories in the collection divided into three sections, Family Matters, Sex and the City, and Criminal Justice. “Good Boy, Bad Girl” is a story by the editor, John Dale, and one of my favorites where a young woman from the underclass shows a more privileged boyfriend what she is made of. Another story from the Family Matters set is “In the Dunes”, a heartbreaking story that seems all-too-human. The stories in Sex and the City are a bit more shocking, but I fell in love with “The Transmutation of Sex” that I found hilarious. “The Patternmaker” was macabre. Criminal Justice is a section of more conventional stories with cops and robbers. I really loved “Good Bloke” even though I had to go back to the beginning and read again to straighten out who was who.
I loved Sydney Noir. The editor has a great grasp on noir and selected a wonderful variety of stories from all walks of life. There was not a single story in this edition that I did not like and several that I loved. I know I have said this time and time again, but everyone should at least read the books in the edition for the places they know. If someone were planning on traveling to Sydney, I would suggest they read Sydney Noir, not in order to scare them off but to give a sense of the city and its neighborhoods. I just love the series.
I received an e-galley of Sydney Noir from the publisher through Edelweiss.
Sydney Noir at Akashic Books
Akashic Noir Series
John Dale at Auslit
https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2019/02/21/9781617756887/
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