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sarabz's review against another edition
5.0
several amazing stories in this collection. lots of fun to read and a convincing case for supportig the octavia butler memorial scholarship program!
theliteratecondition's review against another edition
5.0
What a great anthology! Some truly engaging, intelligent, absorbing short stories. The excellent stories outnumbered those that didn't work for me or felt rough (it was only two really that I didn't get into), and the rest were really good stories. One wonderful aspect of this anthology is the range of tones, modes, story types, and writing styles. And even though they are so varied (maybe because of?) they all work together. My favorites:
"Dancing in the Shadow of the Once" by Rochita Loenen-Ruiz
"Re: Christmas, Bainbridge Island" by Dennis Y. Ginoza
"Falling into the Earth" by Shweta Narayan
“The Salt Water African” by Lisa Bolekaja
“Légendaire,” by Kai Ashante Wilson
and Octavia E. Butler's "Speech Sounds".
All these excellent stories on their own would have been worth more than the price tag (a very reasonable $8.01) but by purchasing "Bloodchildren" one also contributes to the Carl Brandon Society's Octavia E. Butler scholarship.
Note: this ebook is only available only until June 22, 2013, Octavia’s birthday. If you think you might enjoy this anthology, help the Carl Brandon Society reach their goal to increase diversity in fields of Science Fiction and buy it before June 22nd. bookviewcafe.com/bookstore/book/bloodchildren/
We lose so much as a people when we silence voices. These are great stories from which I've gained much - enjoyment, amazement, wonder. These are stories that remain with me after the reading, stories I have talked about with others and recommended, stories that made me think and took me to new worlds. This is an anthology of great speculative fiction.
"Dancing in the Shadow of the Once" by Rochita Loenen-Ruiz
"Re: Christmas, Bainbridge Island" by Dennis Y. Ginoza
"Falling into the Earth" by Shweta Narayan
“The Salt Water African” by Lisa Bolekaja
“Légendaire,” by Kai Ashante Wilson
and Octavia E. Butler's "Speech Sounds".
All these excellent stories on their own would have been worth more than the price tag (a very reasonable $8.01) but by purchasing "Bloodchildren" one also contributes to the Carl Brandon Society's Octavia E. Butler scholarship.
Note: this ebook is only available only until June 22, 2013, Octavia’s birthday. If you think you might enjoy this anthology, help the Carl Brandon Society reach their goal to increase diversity in fields of Science Fiction and buy it before June 22nd. bookviewcafe.com/bookstore/book/bloodchildren/
We lose so much as a people when we silence voices. These are great stories from which I've gained much - enjoyment, amazement, wonder. These are stories that remain with me after the reading, stories I have talked about with others and recommended, stories that made me think and took me to new worlds. This is an anthology of great speculative fiction.
lamusadelils's review against another edition
4.0
Todavía recuerdo la primera vez que leí a Octavia, hace ya varios años. Fue como descubrir un género literario completamente nuevo, a pesar de que todo mundo la seguimos clasificando como sci-fi o SF. No puedo ni imaginar lo que debe significar alguien como ella para toda esa gente a quien más representa, esa gente que tuvo que buscar por años para encontrarse a si misma en las páginas de una obra como las de Butler. Y es hermoso que estos autores y autoras aprovechen y continúen lo que ella empezó, con tan buenas ideas y ejecución.
pastathief's review against another edition
4.0
I initially bought this book because the purchase (only $8.01) supported a good cause (the Octavia E. Butler scholarship). That it might be an okay read was kind of gravy.
Fortunately, it turned out to not only be okay, but to be mostly very good. Like any short story anthology, there are some winner and some duds (and which one you consider to be in each category is likely to vary from person to person). I felt that a few of the stories were exceedingly rough. However, a larger number of the stories were so fresh and original that they inspired that kind of truly excited feeling you get when you come across a whole new literary love. Even when the stories touched on almost-too-well-worn tropes such as a viral apocalypse, they tended to breathe new life into them and offer new perspectives where I had almost started to think there were none still to be found.
I do think that the ordering of the stories could have been better. I feel like the best works were mostly front-loaded, and that that meant that my interest and enjoyment diminished during the parts of the book where it needed the most bolstering or where my attention was most bound to wander.
In most respects, though, this was an excellent read. Combine that with a very moderate price and the money going to a great cause, and you simply can't go wrong.
Fortunately, it turned out to not only be okay, but to be mostly very good. Like any short story anthology, there are some winner and some duds (and which one you consider to be in each category is likely to vary from person to person). I felt that a few of the stories were exceedingly rough. However, a larger number of the stories were so fresh and original that they inspired that kind of truly excited feeling you get when you come across a whole new literary love. Even when the stories touched on almost-too-well-worn tropes such as a viral apocalypse, they tended to breathe new life into them and offer new perspectives where I had almost started to think there were none still to be found.
I do think that the ordering of the stories could have been better. I feel like the best works were mostly front-loaded, and that that meant that my interest and enjoyment diminished during the parts of the book where it needed the most bolstering or where my attention was most bound to wander.
In most respects, though, this was an excellent read. Combine that with a very moderate price and the money going to a great cause, and you simply can't go wrong.
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