Scan barcode
angorarabbit's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
TLDR: An excellent collection to introduce a reader to science fiction and fantasy without trying to commit them to a series of eleven books. Or to find more authors for your own tbr list.
A collection of 20 stories by 19 authors is hard to review so I’m not trying very hard to do so. As you would expect these are very good stories. As a bonus you not only find 19 authors to explore but the editors also list the other notable stories so you can fill your tbr to overflowing and possibly freak the heck out of Goodreads. If that is not enough to keep you reading through a few more pandemics they also list periodicals that you can check out.
Out of the twenty 12 were 5 stars, 6 were 4 stars, one 3 star and one 2 star thus an overall rating of 4.25. The five stars were so good and so many of the 4 stars could have been 5 stars on a different day that it is hard to pick favourites without listing half the stories. However I will mention Maria Dahvana Headley had two stories both of which were excellent and Samuel R Delaney also had an excellent short story (he’s 82 now so I am happy anytime I see something new from him).
The the story that really confused me as to why it was in the selection was The Resident. I missed anything resembling fantasy or science fiction in it. If pushed to place it in a genre I would have said it had some elements of everyday horror. I probably would have rated it higher if I had read it in a collection of literary fiction but here it was just meh. Maybe I missed something?
The only downside to me was this was by its inception limited to Canadian and USain authors. Just think how many books would be added to my tbr with a collection like this with authors from any country whose published stories had been translated into English in 2017?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Genocide, Misogyny, Sexual content, Transphobia, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Cannibalism, Abandonment, and War
Moderate: Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, and Death of parent
Minor: Fire/Fire injury and Alcohol
Content warnings pertain to specific stories. I apologise for not having the spoons to list stories and warnings separately. The sexual content is only in the first story which is still very good even if you chose to skip the spicy stuff.norvis13's review against another edition
5.0
The 2018 edition of The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy is a powerful and inspiring collection, carefully curated by John Joseph Adams and this year's guest editor, the luminous N. K. Jemisin (whom SFF fans will know from her Hugo-winning "Broken Earth" trilogy as well as other books). The stories contained within have been carefully selected to reflect a wonderfully diverse array of subject matters, writing styles, and worldviews, though Jemisin is clear in her introduction about what influenced her view of the "best" in 2017: she refers to the collection as, "the twenty most revolutionary short stories from the year 2017," adding that while some of the stories treat the subject of revolution in familiar ways, she was particularly attracted to, "those that revolted against tradition, revolted against reader expectation, or revolted against the world entirely."
The result is a deeply enjoyable collection, with names that are now both familiar to many fans of the genre (a short story by Carmen Maria Machado is included) and relatively new to the scene. I found practically all of the stories fascinating and rewarding in one way or another, and now that I'm reviewing the table of contents I find that despite reading it over a fairly long period of time, I remember each clearly--surely a mark of quality. The opening story, Charles Payseur's "Rivers Run Free," is one of the most delightful in its creativity and its world-building, and the second, "Destroy the City with Me Tonight" by Kate Alice Marshall, is a wonderful and thoughtful romp through a completely new perspective on superheroism. I loved the structure of Kathleen Kayembe's "You Will Always Have Family: A Triptych," (spoilers, it's a triptych), and Gwendolyn Clare's "Tasting Notes on the Varietals of the Southern Coast" is a smartly crafted, chillingly real-feeling meditation on power that unfolds slowly and expertly. I loved almost all of the stories, although my favorite is probably A. Merc Rustad's "Brightened Star, Ascending Dawn." Just a beautiful, moving meditation on the need to take action, and the storytelling is pitch-perfect both in mood and in the way that both the world and the action unfold at just the right pace. I also enjoyed both of Maria Dahvana Headley's stories (she's the only author to have two stories in the collection), which had the bonus of showing extremely different--and very engaging--sides of the same writer.
A few of the stories were, I admit, less gripping: this was my first encounter with Machado's writing, and though I enjoyed her story ("The Resident") I found it a bit elliptical for my tastes. Lettie Prell's "Justice Systems in Quantum Parallel Probabilities" raises important and resonant points about our criminal justice system, but feels at times like a bit of a formal writing exercise; there's less poetry and pure linguistic spark in this than in some of the other stories in the collection. Samuel R. Delany's "The Hermit of Houston" was an enjoyable read, but fundamentally hard to understand--of all the imaginary worlds in this collection, this was the one I felt I could access the least, not because it was foreign but because I simply didn't know what I was supposed to be reading into it and what was unreliable narration.
Even these stories, however, were worth my time, and I'm happy to have picked up the collection when I did--it was a good way to close out 2018 and get move into 2019! I'll be keeping an eye out for future collections in this line (this is the first I've picked up, mostly because Jemisin was the guest editor), and I encourage everyone to read it and follow these writers. I plan to.
The result is a deeply enjoyable collection, with names that are now both familiar to many fans of the genre (a short story by Carmen Maria Machado is included) and relatively new to the scene. I found practically all of the stories fascinating and rewarding in one way or another, and now that I'm reviewing the table of contents I find that despite reading it over a fairly long period of time, I remember each clearly--surely a mark of quality. The opening story, Charles Payseur's "Rivers Run Free," is one of the most delightful in its creativity and its world-building, and the second, "Destroy the City with Me Tonight" by Kate Alice Marshall, is a wonderful and thoughtful romp through a completely new perspective on superheroism. I loved the structure of Kathleen Kayembe's "You Will Always Have Family: A Triptych," (spoilers, it's a triptych), and Gwendolyn Clare's "Tasting Notes on the Varietals of the Southern Coast" is a smartly crafted, chillingly real-feeling meditation on power that unfolds slowly and expertly. I loved almost all of the stories, although my favorite is probably A. Merc Rustad's "Brightened Star, Ascending Dawn." Just a beautiful, moving meditation on the need to take action, and the storytelling is pitch-perfect both in mood and in the way that both the world and the action unfold at just the right pace. I also enjoyed both of Maria Dahvana Headley's stories (she's the only author to have two stories in the collection), which had the bonus of showing extremely different--and very engaging--sides of the same writer.
A few of the stories were, I admit, less gripping: this was my first encounter with Machado's writing, and though I enjoyed her story ("The Resident") I found it a bit elliptical for my tastes. Lettie Prell's "Justice Systems in Quantum Parallel Probabilities" raises important and resonant points about our criminal justice system, but feels at times like a bit of a formal writing exercise; there's less poetry and pure linguistic spark in this than in some of the other stories in the collection. Samuel R. Delany's "The Hermit of Houston" was an enjoyable read, but fundamentally hard to understand--of all the imaginary worlds in this collection, this was the one I felt I could access the least, not because it was foreign but because I simply didn't know what I was supposed to be reading into it and what was unreliable narration.
Even these stories, however, were worth my time, and I'm happy to have picked up the collection when I did--it was a good way to close out 2018 and get move into 2019! I'll be keeping an eye out for future collections in this line (this is the first I've picked up, mostly because Jemisin was the guest editor), and I encourage everyone to read it and follow these writers. I plan to.
wicked_sassy's review against another edition
4.0
A good collection of new works, some I really enjoyed, some were alright, and some I skipped (zombies/ horror). NK Jemisin's intro was a delight.
carlyxdeexx's review against another edition
5.0
I can’t give this collection enough stars. The stories here are gripping, magical, visionary, frightening, diverse, and thoroughly real in their unrealness. Every one is its own gem. Fantasy and Sci-Fi are such powerful genres—they take us beyond ourselves to allow us to better see ourselves, and in that way they are the territory of the revolutionary, those seeking justice and hope and warming against the practices that obstruct them. Reading this collection is so inspiring. It reminded me why I love these genres so much, took me right back to my roots in magic and science, which it could be argued are one and the same.
Charlie Jane Anders’s “Don’t Press Charges and I Won’t Sue” made me cry in my apartment and should be required reading for every cis person. A. Merc Rustad’s “Brightened Star, Ascending Dawn” had me gasping as I turned each page. Both of Maria Dahvana Headley’s stories resonated deeply with me, with my womanhood and its many fears, and its many joys. Charles Payseur’s “Rivers Run Free” was such a treat to my imagination, such a brilliant concept executed so well I wanted more when I finished. And these are just a handful of highlights. I wanted to breeze through this book, but breezing wouldn’t have done it justice. I needed to sit with these stories a bit, really feel them and enjoy them, like dates wrapped in prosciutto, or marmelade spread over thick slices of cheese.
Do yourself a favor and read this. Then give money to the publications that allow this work to reach its audience. I can’t wait to subscribe to as many of these mags as I can manage.
Charlie Jane Anders’s “Don’t Press Charges and I Won’t Sue” made me cry in my apartment and should be required reading for every cis person. A. Merc Rustad’s “Brightened Star, Ascending Dawn” had me gasping as I turned each page. Both of Maria Dahvana Headley’s stories resonated deeply with me, with my womanhood and its many fears, and its many joys. Charles Payseur’s “Rivers Run Free” was such a treat to my imagination, such a brilliant concept executed so well I wanted more when I finished. And these are just a handful of highlights. I wanted to breeze through this book, but breezing wouldn’t have done it justice. I needed to sit with these stories a bit, really feel them and enjoy them, like dates wrapped in prosciutto, or marmelade spread over thick slices of cheese.
Do yourself a favor and read this. Then give money to the publications that allow this work to reach its audience. I can’t wait to subscribe to as many of these mags as I can manage.
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!