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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
medium-paced
This book is incredibly large and full of amazing stories. I had rented it via my local library and only got so far before I had to return it. I'd love to be able to dive in and out of this book slowly, reading the stories one by one and absorbing it, but I couldn't. However what I did read was fantastic and eye opening and great sci-fi!
As you might expect from an anthology, this book is like the curate’s egg. The very last story by Zen Cho was my favourite by some distance, although part of that judgement might be influenced by the sense of achievement of reaching the end of this weighty tome.
There are some great stories in here, and a few I didn't quite click with but I need something lighter to read right now. That said, I recommend 'Fandom for Robots' by Vina Jie-Min Prasad -- it's adorable.
This book was sent to me by the publisher at no cost.
Lavie Tidhar has constructed a really great anthology here. As a good unthemed SF anthology, it's runs the gamut: outrageous far-future stories and terrifying near-future ones, stories that could almost be happening today and ones that require a complete wrench in how you think about the world. When I can't read an anthology straight through - when I have to pause between stories because they're so powerful, or strange, or just different - that's a pretty good sign.
Going over every story in the anthology would be boring, and not really useful. So let me just point to a few of my favourites:
Chen Qiufan's "Debtless" was DEEPLY weird and distressing and starts out as one thing then turns into something completely different. I thought I knew what was happening but I really didn't, even at the end. Remarkable worldbuilding (hats off to the translator, as always).
"Fandom for Robots", Vina Joe-Min Prasad: has always been a favourite and fits in well with Breq and Murderbot, and the Yoon Ha Lee's servitors. An AI writing fanfiction; why not.
Vandana Singh's "Delhi": one of those stories that could be happening right now, and you'd never know. Beautifully written.
Ekaterina Sedia, "The Bank of Burkina Faso": according to Tidhar's intro, other editors didn't know what to do with this story. I don't know how to react to that, because this story is fantastic and plays with email scams ("Hello dearest, help me get money from the bank...") in a weird and wonderful and heartfelt way.
"Prime Meridian", Silvia Moreno-Garcia: it's always hit and miss for me with Moreno-Garcia's work; some I adore, some not so much. This is definitely in the "I love it" category; near future, life and death and family and love, struggle and ambition, and so damned realistic.
In some ways it saddens me that this is a "best of world SF" because it's... just SF. Maybe it's because I'm Australian and, despite being Anglo and a native English speaker, I am still outside of the American (at best American / English) bubble. There are things that mark Australians that make us less viable to those markets, apparently - words and ideas that don't translate. As each of the writers in this anthology has experienced, undoubtedly to a greater extent than white Australians experience. Anyway - as an anthology this was great, as an example of what not-American / English writers can do it's a rather pointed reminder that good writing is not culturally, ethnically, racially, or anything else bound.
Lavie Tidhar has constructed a really great anthology here. As a good unthemed SF anthology, it's runs the gamut: outrageous far-future stories and terrifying near-future ones, stories that could almost be happening today and ones that require a complete wrench in how you think about the world. When I can't read an anthology straight through - when I have to pause between stories because they're so powerful, or strange, or just different - that's a pretty good sign.
Going over every story in the anthology would be boring, and not really useful. So let me just point to a few of my favourites:
Chen Qiufan's "Debtless" was DEEPLY weird and distressing and starts out as one thing then turns into something completely different. I thought I knew what was happening but I really didn't, even at the end. Remarkable worldbuilding (hats off to the translator, as always).
"Fandom for Robots", Vina Joe-Min Prasad: has always been a favourite and fits in well with Breq and Murderbot, and the Yoon Ha Lee's servitors. An AI writing fanfiction; why not.
Vandana Singh's "Delhi": one of those stories that could be happening right now, and you'd never know. Beautifully written.
Ekaterina Sedia, "The Bank of Burkina Faso": according to Tidhar's intro, other editors didn't know what to do with this story. I don't know how to react to that, because this story is fantastic and plays with email scams ("Hello dearest, help me get money from the bank...") in a weird and wonderful and heartfelt way.
"Prime Meridian", Silvia Moreno-Garcia: it's always hit and miss for me with Moreno-Garcia's work; some I adore, some not so much. This is definitely in the "I love it" category; near future, life and death and family and love, struggle and ambition, and so damned realistic.
In some ways it saddens me that this is a "best of world SF" because it's... just SF. Maybe it's because I'm Australian and, despite being Anglo and a native English speaker, I am still outside of the American (at best American / English) bubble. There are things that mark Australians that make us less viable to those markets, apparently - words and ideas that don't translate. As each of the writers in this anthology has experienced, undoubtedly to a greater extent than white Australians experience. Anyway - as an anthology this was great, as an example of what not-American / English writers can do it's a rather pointed reminder that good writing is not culturally, ethnically, racially, or anything else bound.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This was an interesting collection of short stories, most of which were, imo, fine. There were a few I didn't enjoy, and a few I really enjoyed, but most were just fine.
I did have an issue with the editor, though. There's a long-winded introduction which barely introduces the collection, and then each story has an introduction that seems to be as much (if not more) about Lavie Tidhar as it is about the author of the story. He seems to like to hear himself talking. I don't care when he met these authors, these intros should be about the stories.
I'm not gonna write out a review for each story, but here's my individual ratings for each:
I did have an issue with the editor, though. There's a long-winded introduction which barely introduces the collection, and then each story has an introduction that seems to be as much (if not more) about Lavie Tidhar as it is about the author of the story. He seems to like to hear himself talking. I don't care when he met these authors, these intros should be about the stories.
I'm not gonna write out a review for each story, but here's my individual ratings for each:
- Immersion - Aliette de Bodard: 2
- Debtless - Chen Qiufan: 3
- Fandom For Robots - Vina Jie-Min Prasad: 4.5
- Virtual Snapshots - Tlotlo Tsamaase: 2.5
- What the Dead Man Said - Chinelo Onwualu: 3
- Delhi - Vandana Singh: 3.5
- The Wheel of Samsara - Han Song: 2.5
- Xingzhou - Ng Yi-Sheng: 3
- Prayer - Taiyo Fujii: 2
- The Green Ship - Francesco Verso: 4
- Eyes of the Crocodile - Malena Salazar Maciá: 3.5
- Bootblack - Tade Thompson: 2.5
- The Emptiness in the Heart of All Things - Fabio Fernandes: 3.5
- The Sun From Both Sides - R.S.A. Garcia: 4.5
- DUMP - Christina Jurado: 2.5
- Rue Chair - Gerardo Horacio Porcayo: 1
- His Master's Voice - Hannu Rajaniemi: 2.5
- Benjamin Schneider's Little Greys - Nir Yaniv: 1.5
- The Cryptid - Emil Hjörvar Petersen: 3.5
- The Bank of Burkina Faso - Ekaterina Sedia: 3
- An Incomplete Guide to Understanding the Rose Petal Infestation Associated With EverTyphoid Patients in the Tropicool IcyLand Urban Indian Slum - Kuzhali Manickavel: 1.5
- The Old Man with the Third Hand - Kofi Nyameye: 2
- The Green - Lauren Beukes: 3.5
- The Last Voyage of Skidbladnir - Karin Tidbeck: 3.5
- Pime Meridian - Silvia Moreno-Garcia: 4
- If At First You Don't Succeed, Try, Try Again - Zen Cho: 4.5
medium-paced
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
I enjoyed this collection. I especially enjoyed the diversity of writers, as they were from all over the world and the writing styles varied quite a bit. It was a wonderful read.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes