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sweetbriar15's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
ddillon154's review against another edition
5.0
I loved these selections so much that I feel compelled to go seek out Jemisin's own work.
schung13's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
lizzderr's review against another edition
4.0
Stories I was particularly struck by:
—Kathleen Kayembe, “You Will Always Have Family: A Triptych”
—Carmen Maria Machado, “The Resident”
—Charlie Jane Anders, “Don’t Press Charges and I Won’t Sue”
—Caroline M. Yoachim, “Carnival Nine”
—Maria Dahvana Headley, “The Orange Tree”
—Tobias S. Buckell, “Zen and the Art of Starship Maintenance”
—Kathleen Kayembe, “You Will Always Have Family: A Triptych”
—Carmen Maria Machado, “The Resident”
—Charlie Jane Anders, “Don’t Press Charges and I Won’t Sue”
—Caroline M. Yoachim, “Carnival Nine”
—Maria Dahvana Headley, “The Orange Tree”
—Tobias S. Buckell, “Zen and the Art of Starship Maintenance”
liketheday's review against another edition
4.0
It's noted in the introduction that this collection has a lot of stories that focus on social consciousness and activism and gender identity, so I was mostly prepared for that going in, but early on in the collection there are a couple of stories that are just. so. very. that I was like, if this collection keeps going this way I'm going to have to quit. Immediately after thinking that, I ran into two of my favorite stories of the entire book, and the rest of the collection was nearly as good, so if you hit that same wall, push through! There are so many stories in here that I'm not going to list all the great ones, but keep an eye out for space food trucks, wine snobs, zombie soldiers, windup toys, amnesiac vigilantes, and more!
shellbellbell's review against another edition
5.0
If reading a good novel is like savoring a big, delicious slice of cake, then reading a well-curated anthology of short fiction from different authors is like working your way through a box of chocolates. They're all good and delicious in their own unique ways. Each one is created to savor in just one bite.
The settings, subjects, and writing styles vary widely, from space opera to medieval, from horror to comedy. As a bonus, almost all of these stories center on protagonists who are women, people of color, queer, genderqueer, or trans - what else would you expect with NK Jemisin as the editor?
I now have a bunch of new authors and short fiction publications to check out. So glad that I picked this book out at the library at random!
The settings, subjects, and writing styles vary widely, from space opera to medieval, from horror to comedy. As a bonus, almost all of these stories center on protagonists who are women, people of color, queer, genderqueer, or trans - what else would you expect with NK Jemisin as the editor?
I now have a bunch of new authors and short fiction publications to check out. So glad that I picked this book out at the library at random!
spinstah's review against another edition
4.0
A fun collection of stories. Highlights include one about rivers that come to life and another about the life of wind-up toys.
katica's review against another edition
5.0
I connected with almost every single story in this collection. This is science fiction and fantasy- it’s meant to make you question, doubt, and ponder over things you’ve never thought about before. Yes, the stories may be considered progressive- but what science fiction and fantasy isn’t?!
I picked this up because of John Joseph Adams talking about it with some of the authors on the Geeks Guide the the Galaxy podcast, and I wasn’t disappointed. Excellently done.
I picked this up because of John Joseph Adams talking about it with some of the authors on the Geeks Guide the the Galaxy podcast, and I wasn’t disappointed. Excellently done.
rebeccacider's review against another edition
4.0
Didn't read every story, but enjoyed what I read. This collection skews toward horror, not always my cup of tea, but my two favorite stories were about cannibalism so I'm not sure I have grounds to complain.
Favorites were: "The Greatest One-Star Restaurant in the Whole Quadrant," a story of cyborg chefs run amok. This story is absolutely gross, yet bleakly hilarious. Then there's "Cannibal Acts," which was oddly not gross at all, but the kind of understated human drama that only Maureen McHugh can deliver. It's a short one, but the characters and dystopian setting are completely realized, and the story ends with a private, heartbreaking moment that stayed with me for some time.
Another wonderful story was "Don't Press Charges and I Won't Sue" by Charlie Jane Anders, whose podcast I follow but whose writing I had not read before. This story reminded me of Margaret Atwood, not only in subject matter but in voice; it had the same lively, satirical quality.
I also surprised myself by enjoying Samuel R. Delany's "The Hermit of Houston," which was a bit surrealistic for me, but possibly objectively the best story in the collection, an unflinching exploration of finding love and security and identity as an outsider (and probably some other things, I am not convinced I am bright enough to understand Delany).
The audacious storytelling award probably goes to Maria Dahvana Headley for "Black Powder," which is your typical queer Weird West school shooting fairy tale. That's a genre, right? The mood was pleasingly reminiscent of classic Neil Gaiman, if more lyrical and literary.
Oh oh oh, and I can't leave out "Justice Systems in Quantum Parallel Probabilities," which was science fiction doing what science fiction does best, and on point since I've been listening to the latest season of Serial. In her biographical statement, the author talks about leaving a prestigious career in the criminal justice system, a decision informed in part (as I recall) by the self-reflective practice of writing fiction.
Finally, N.K. Jemisin gets a thumbs-up for, in her introduction, delivering a one-sentence close reading of the Harry Potter series that kind of blew my mind.
This best of anthology is a decent thumbnail portrait of 2017. The stories are upsetting but not nihilistic. Most aren't exactly hopeful—except in the sense that looking, recording, naming is an intrinsically hopeful act. Well done to both editors.
Favorites were: "The Greatest One-Star Restaurant in the Whole Quadrant," a story of cyborg chefs run amok. This story is absolutely gross, yet bleakly hilarious. Then there's "Cannibal Acts," which was oddly not gross at all, but the kind of understated human drama that only Maureen McHugh can deliver. It's a short one, but the characters and dystopian setting are completely realized, and the story ends with a private, heartbreaking moment that stayed with me for some time.
Another wonderful story was "Don't Press Charges and I Won't Sue" by Charlie Jane Anders, whose podcast I follow but whose writing I had not read before. This story reminded me of Margaret Atwood, not only in subject matter but in voice; it had the same lively, satirical quality.
I also surprised myself by enjoying Samuel R. Delany's "The Hermit of Houston," which was a bit surrealistic for me, but possibly objectively the best story in the collection, an unflinching exploration of finding love and security and identity as an outsider (and probably some other things, I am not convinced I am bright enough to understand Delany).
The audacious storytelling award probably goes to Maria Dahvana Headley for "Black Powder," which is your typical queer Weird West school shooting fairy tale. That's a genre, right? The mood was pleasingly reminiscent of classic Neil Gaiman, if more lyrical and literary.
Oh oh oh, and I can't leave out "Justice Systems in Quantum Parallel Probabilities," which was science fiction doing what science fiction does best, and on point since I've been listening to the latest season of Serial. In her biographical statement, the author talks about leaving a prestigious career in the criminal justice system, a decision informed in part (as I recall) by the self-reflective practice of writing fiction.
Finally, N.K. Jemisin gets a thumbs-up for, in her introduction, delivering a one-sentence close reading of the Harry Potter series that kind of blew my mind.
This best of anthology is a decent thumbnail portrait of 2017. The stories are upsetting but not nihilistic. Most aren't exactly hopeful—except in the sense that looking, recording, naming is an intrinsically hopeful act. Well done to both editors.