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kelseyr713's review against another edition
5.0
Fantastic collection of stories. There were so many gems in here, and the diversity was incredibly welcome. My favorites: Destroy the City with Me Tonight; Loneliness Is in Your Blood; Brightened Star, Ascending Dawn; The Resident; The Greatest One-Star Restaurant in the Whole Quadrant; Don’t Press Charges and I Won’t Sue; Church of Birds; Carnival Nine; The Wretched and the Beautiful; Cannibal Acts; Black Powder; and Zen and the Art of Starship Maintenance.
Even if I didn’t list a story as a favorite, they’re all wonderfully told. I also really appreciated the included contributors’ notes!
Even if I didn’t list a story as a favorite, they’re all wonderfully told. I also really appreciated the included contributors’ notes!
k8brarian's review against another edition
Not sure how many stars to give this one. The stories were very good. Overall, however, I did not find this anthology to be a particularly enjoyable read. Previous issues have introduced me to new favorite authors that I sought out after reading their short stories, but nothing in this volume really stuck with me. I don't mean this as a negative commentary on the anthology itself; different pieces appeal to different readers, and this one just wasn't "for me"...
elliot_dw's review
4.0
My personal favorites in this anthology:
- Marshall, “Destroy the city with me tonight”
- Rustad, “Brightened Star, ascending dawn”
- Clare, “Tasting notes on the varietals of the southern coast”
- Hicks, “Church of birds”
- Buckell, “Zen and the art of spaceship maintenance”
- Marshall, “Destroy the city with me tonight”
- Rustad, “Brightened Star, ascending dawn”
- Clare, “Tasting notes on the varietals of the southern coast”
- Hicks, “Church of birds”
- Buckell, “Zen and the art of spaceship maintenance”
floriograph's review
4.0
Like most anthologies, some of these stories were better than others. I would particularly recommend Rivers Run Free, You Will Always Have Family, and The Orange Tree. In general this was a good read and I was introduced to some great new authors.
apostrophen's review
Stories from this will pop up over on the blog under this tag.
readermonica's review
4.0
I took my time and read this anthology slowly which worked out really well for me. The stories stayed separate in my mind and didn't all run together. I was able to enjoy them more individually than if I had pushed through the whole thing straight through. Like all collections I enjoyed some more than others but they all had interesting approaches and stories. All in all an enjoyable collection of stories. I now have some new to me authors to track down other writings from.
You can find me at:
•(♥).•*Monlatable Book Reviews*•.(♥)•
Twitter: @MonlatReader
Instagram: @readermonica
Facebook: Monica Reeds
Goodreads Group: The Black Bookcase
You can find me at:
•(♥).•*Monlatable Book Reviews*•.(♥)•
Twitter: @MonlatReader
Instagram: @readermonica
Facebook: Monica Reeds
Goodreads Group: The Black Bookcase
mattquann's review
3.0
While reading the short stories N.K. Jemisin curated for The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2018, I was taken aback by how substantial an undertaking it must be to create an anthology. Reading through a pile of short stories and coming up with a handful that will represent not only what you think is best, but what will appeal to the diverse eyes of an audience has got to be a real challenge.
With that said, I think Jemisin and series editor, John Joseph Adams, have done a pretty good job here. Some of the stories are revelatory, some just okay, some I didn't enjoy at all, and one story even got abandoned halfway through because it was the cause of some medical-grade reading stagnation. Luckily, given the diversity of subject matter--fantasy, sci-fi, horror, fables, and new weird all take some time at centre stage--it's more than likely that you'll find stories that do something for you.
I'll highlight Charlie Jane Anders contribution, Don't Press Charges and I Won't Sue, for being my favourite of the batch and a welcome warm-up for her new novel. Zen and the Art of Starship Maintenance by Tobias S. Buckell also closes the collection with a smart story brimming with excellent sci-fi premises. Though the stories do often highlight issues of social injustice (as I believe great SFF should do), some of the stories seem too focused on theme at the expense of plot. Anders' short story, by comparison, is a great example of a emotionally resonant representation of injustice with a sci-fi twist.
Though I took a good few months to work my way through the entirety of the collection, the really great stories made my reading worthwhile. The last three or four stories also were strong enough that I began to forgive the stories from the start and middle that didn't quite snap into place. Definitely worth a gander for SFF fans, though I would be inclined to recommend a low story-skipping threshold!
With that said, I think Jemisin and series editor, John Joseph Adams, have done a pretty good job here. Some of the stories are revelatory, some just okay, some I didn't enjoy at all, and one story even got abandoned halfway through because it was the cause of some medical-grade reading stagnation. Luckily, given the diversity of subject matter--fantasy, sci-fi, horror, fables, and new weird all take some time at centre stage--it's more than likely that you'll find stories that do something for you.
I'll highlight Charlie Jane Anders contribution, Don't Press Charges and I Won't Sue, for being my favourite of the batch and a welcome warm-up for her new novel. Zen and the Art of Starship Maintenance by Tobias S. Buckell also closes the collection with a smart story brimming with excellent sci-fi premises. Though the stories do often highlight issues of social injustice (as I believe great SFF should do), some of the stories seem too focused on theme at the expense of plot. Anders' short story, by comparison, is a great example of a emotionally resonant representation of injustice with a sci-fi twist.
Though I took a good few months to work my way through the entirety of the collection, the really great stories made my reading worthwhile. The last three or four stories also were strong enough that I began to forgive the stories from the start and middle that didn't quite snap into place. Definitely worth a gander for SFF fans, though I would be inclined to recommend a low story-skipping threshold!
hognob's review
5.0
While not all the stories within this collection are equally breathtaking, there are such amazing triumphs if humor and sorrow within that it boggles the mind.