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yanareadit's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
sunsoar25's review against another edition
3.0
All of the stories in Black Panther: Tales of Wakanda edited by Jesse J. Holland are good, but not all of them stood out to me as much as I was hoping. That said my favorite story from the entire collection was "Return of the Queen" by Tananarive Due which features Ororo Munroe aka Storm.
libreroaming's review
3.0
Mixed bag of quality and consistency about the Black Panther mythos. It is absolutely not meant to be a coherent work like some short story collections.
Strongest stories are ones that showcase adjacent characters and don't try to reinvent the wheel: "Ukubamba" by Kyoko M is a tight and tense story of Okoye rescuing a child. It feels like it could slot in the comics. "What's Done in the Dark" by Troy L. Wiggins features the third White Tiger/brief Black Panther stand-in as he works on behalf of Wakanda to recover their diplomats.
Weakest story: "Immaculate Conception" by Nikki Giovanni. A "what if?" story that's more an excuse for characters to have no semblance to canon and includes weeb T'Challa winning a fight because he knew about the kunoichi of Japan. Not written well at all.
Strongest stories are ones that showcase adjacent characters and don't try to reinvent the wheel: "Ukubamba" by Kyoko M is a tight and tense story of Okoye rescuing a child. It feels like it could slot in the comics. "What's Done in the Dark" by Troy L. Wiggins features the third White Tiger/brief Black Panther stand-in as he works on behalf of Wakanda to recover their diplomats.
Weakest story: "Immaculate Conception" by Nikki Giovanni. A "what if?" story that's more an excuse for characters to have no semblance to canon and includes weeb T'Challa winning a fight because he knew about the kunoichi of Japan. Not written well at all.
maryehavens's review
3.0
I recommend having a baseline of Black Panther knowledge before reading this short story collection. The authors do not explain Black Panther specific terms or if they do/did, I didn't pay attention. I had to stop and watch the movie to get a better idea of the characters and terminology. Granted, I listened to a few other library loans in the middle of these short stories so my flow was interrupted.
My favorites were "Heart of a Panther", "Immaculate Conception", "Legacy", "Bon Temps", and "Zoya the Deserter". Most of these featured female-centered stories or taking the Black Panther characters out of Wakanda and into a different environment. The stories that had a lot of fighting scenes were a little lost on me.
Great collection for super fans, good collection for those that are fans and want to read more Black authors.
My favorites were "Heart of a Panther", "Immaculate Conception", "Legacy", "Bon Temps", and "Zoya the Deserter". Most of these featured female-centered stories or taking the Black Panther characters out of Wakanda and into a different environment. The stories that had a lot of fighting scenes were a little lost on me.
Great collection for super fans, good collection for those that are fans and want to read more Black authors.
library_ann's review against another edition
superhero comics aren't my thing. short stories spun off about the Black Panther characters seemed to have some promise. As with most short story collections, some were hits for me, others not so much. Unfortunately I listened to it so sporadically that my recollection of which story was which has faded. You would probably enjoy it if you are already invested and can get over the absence of images.
ooo's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
servemethesky's review
3.0
This was a solid collection but a long haul to get through. They could've cut it to 10 or 12 stories and I wouldn't have minded, 18 was too many.
I enjoyed many of these stories, but others were just meh. My favorite was "Bon Temps," where Shuri goes to New Orleans during Mardi Gras and fights vampires with Monica Rambeau. I also enjoyed the one where T'Challa goes to Mississippi and finds a lush piece of land where a variant of the heart-shaped herb grows. The Killmonger story was fantastic, too. Oh! And the one with the new Dora Milaje, Dera, who has a counterpart in an alternate reality contact her--that one was intriguing.
The ones I enjoyed the least were when they fought folks from Atlantis--there were 2 of those and they were both shockingly boring. Another I didn't like as much featured a former NYPD cop fighting white nationalists--it felt like an episode of Falcon & the Winter Soldier, and not in a good way. Too much action for a short story.
In many of these stories, I was perplexed by the way they were so plot focused. "And then X happens, and then Y happens, and then Z happens." They rarely investigated how a character was feeling in any given moment. It's a style I was unused to and found less interesting.
The themes they investigated were compelling--did Wakandans actually end up enslaved? How can Wakanda help the rest of the world more without losing the core of who they are?
All in all, a strong anthology! Definitely would recommend for diehard Marvel & Black Panther fans. I'm too casual a fan to be the target demo for this.
I enjoyed many of these stories, but others were just meh. My favorite was "Bon Temps," where Shuri goes to New Orleans during Mardi Gras and fights vampires with Monica Rambeau. I also enjoyed the one where T'Challa goes to Mississippi and finds a lush piece of land where a variant of the heart-shaped herb grows. The Killmonger story was fantastic, too. Oh! And the one with the new Dora Milaje, Dera, who has a counterpart in an alternate reality contact her--that one was intriguing.
The ones I enjoyed the least were when they fought folks from Atlantis--there were 2 of those and they were both shockingly boring. Another I didn't like as much featured a former NYPD cop fighting white nationalists--it felt like an episode of Falcon & the Winter Soldier, and not in a good way. Too much action for a short story.
In many of these stories, I was perplexed by the way they were so plot focused. "And then X happens, and then Y happens, and then Z happens." They rarely investigated how a character was feeling in any given moment. It's a style I was unused to and found less interesting.
The themes they investigated were compelling--did Wakandans actually end up enslaved? How can Wakanda help the rest of the world more without losing the core of who they are?
All in all, a strong anthology! Definitely would recommend for diehard Marvel & Black Panther fans. I'm too casual a fan to be the target demo for this.
jessiebwriting's review
4.0
What an amazing collection of stories involving the Black Panther and Wakanda. I felt as if I've come to a better understanding of the culture and history behind this character and others surrounding him. Though Wakanda is fictional, much of what is shared in these stories is very real, not the least being the emotions that jump from the pages. Powerful stories, each unique and yet the same. A definite must read and not just for Marvel fans.
annet's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0